#trial two officially ends like. a week before that so no announcements for trial 3

[genderqueer-miharu]

I also still have hope that maybe this time for the anniversary they release a clean cover of Undercover sang by the prisoners. Especially since they already did it for the live show.

[ultravioletfuture]

ULTRAVIOLET VISIONS: Electronicon 4 and UVF Year 2

Hello everyone! Econ 4 is finally here this week and although I couldn't make it to NYC, I'm here to share and shed light on a couple new Vapor releases, as well as talk about some new changes to the ULTRAVIOLET-FUTURE label to come for Year 2!

Let's start off with...UVF Year 2 Roster Announcement!

With the start of our second year of UVF, the label is now an official label account on Bandcamp! This is an idea that I've thought about for a while now and I'm so happy to announce our starting roster with artists: portal.rwb, TRUMAN!, Two Circles, scarecrow_, and salt.bmu. Since starting the label, I've loved interacting with so many different artists and trying to represent their releases in a physical form the best I can. Over the first year there's been a lot of trial and error and now going into year 2 I feel like I know the overall sounds and aesthetics I want UVF to incorporate. Despite having a roster of artists, I am still 100% open to working with outside artists on a release just as I would before the transition. Nothing major has changed in the way of artists being able to submit music to the label, just that now I have a dedicated group of artists I feel best represents the sound of the label and who I want to spotlight their releases. Big thank you to the artists on the roster for entrusting me with their music. At the end of the day there are no strings attached and artists are still free to release solo and work with other labels, but I still appreciate them for allowing me to represent their music. I hope for the roster to grow over time and to continue working with other artists in the future!

Electronicon Weekend

In case you are living under a rock, this weekend there are a plethora of live shows happening in New York revolving around the huge Electronicon 4. I hope everyone out there in NY this weekend has an insanely good time and please stay safe <3. Although I couldn't make it this year, my heart is there in spirit with you all and I hope I can finally make it out next year!

Last night was the 2023 Summer Slushy Festival hosted with the help of Geometric Lullably, Pad Chennington, Dolphin Uppercut, and Vaperror of 100Plus Records. This is the first event they've put on together and has an insane lineup of artists jam packed into one night. The night was split into two stages so fans could jump back and forth to try and catch their favorite artist's sets throughout the night. There was also a live stream of both the indoor and outdoor stages so that people at home could tune in and catch some of the sets! I didn't get to tune in much but if I were there, I definitely would've tried to catch the Vaperror, TOWERS, desert sand feels warm at night, Discoholic, and Days of Blue sets just to name a couple favorites. Hope everyone had a great time last night and I wish the best for the future of Summer Slushy Fest!

Today and tomorrow are the days of the highly anticipated "Electronicon 4"! The event is being split into a 2 day festival for the first time and is still unknown as to the schedule for day 2. Some insane artists are new to this years lineup like Enraile, Datagirl, James Ferraro, and 18 Carat Affair! Obviously if I made it to Econ this year I would HAVE to catch the DDS and Giant Claw sets being a huge shroudie, as well as the George Clanton, Enraile, Esprit, and FM Skyline sets to name a few. This is usually the biggest show of the year for so many artists and thank you to George for continuing to put on these huge events!

The tape swap is a tradition to follow every Electronicon and this year is now a full on event with a huge lineup of artists and vendors. The event is being hosted by Utopia District and is happening on Sunday the 27th after the days of Electronicon. There are plenty of artists and vendors to choose from like Business Casual, Geolul, Pacific Plaza, First Class Collective, and our friends over at Pause and Reflect just to name a few. If you happen to stop by the Pause and Reflect booth, make sure to pick up a tape and snag a free sampler CD with a track from every one of their releases to really get a taste of what Pause and Reflect is all about (also the CDs were made by me!) and be sure to tell them UVF sent you ;). If I were there I would definitely need to catch the Eyeclick, ZeroRei, Cyber Surfer 3D, and Ahero x Vangoe sets. There is an insane amount of activity happening this weekend in the IRL Vaporwave space! Even just being at home and seeing all the videos and pics of everyone at the Slushy Fest so far already makes me super happy and proud to be a part of such an amazing community. Hope I can one day see you all in the future and share some amazine experiences together <3.

Now that the UVF and IRL stuff has been covered, let's cover a couple new releases!

"4D" by Blank Banshee is finally here after much anticipation from the fans. The tease of a new Blank Banshee album came with a tour announcement with a total of 32 shows! This is actually the first Blank Banshee album I've heard in full surprisingly and this release has definitely had me wanting to dive deeper into their discography. BB has been extremely influential in the uprising of the Vaportrap sub-genre since their beginning with their classic album, "Blank Banshee 0". Their most recent albums "Metamorphasis" and "Music for Menus" have definitely shown BB experimenting with their sound into more avant-garde electronic production. 4D still gives that Vaportrap feel while embracing a much heavier tone with more traditional tropes coming from EDM and House music. The album definitely feels like a cross between background music to hack into the mainframe and club music that would play in a dark underground club with millions of strobes flashing. I love the opener "Run" as it starts off with this heavy, distorted main synth/guitar lead. An incredible start to set the tone for the record as we come down to more mellow tracks like "Sundial" and "Good Times", which feature these infectiously groovy synths accompanied by some nice vocal chops. Overall, I like the heavier more atmospheric approach to the instrumentals BB has brought to the table with 4D. Most of the songs are short, sweet, and to the point, although some may find a few of the tracks to feel a bit samey after the midway point in the record. I feel like in the last couple years there is a rise in much heavier production in Vaporwave releases and 4D is a prime example of that. Favorite Tracks: Run, Good Times, Trojan Horse, Spirit Season, Trojan

George Clanton has finally returned with their latest release "Ooh Rap I Ya". Its been a couple years since their last release "Slide" in 2018, which really put the spotlight on George Clanton for newcomers to the scene like me. After cherishing Slide for the past 3 years since I first heard it, I wondered time and time again what a new George Clanton album would sound like. After an album like "100% Electronica", they've definitely seemed to go for a much cleaner polish to their production while still keeping a more hazy, hypnagogic, and atmospheric sound. Ooh Rap I Ya had a couple singles teased during the album rollout including tracks Justify Your Life, I Been Young, Vapor King/SubReal, and F.U.M.L. With the sound coming from these singles, George is definitely embracing sounds of the 90s, particularly in tracks like "I Been Young" with its very playful, head-bopping singing in the verses. The track comes in with one of the most infectious choruses in the whole record. With this song, as well as throughout the rest of the record, George is embracing the thought of growing older into a stage of maturity while still highlighting his past youth and learning from it rather than dwelling on the past. The track "Justify Your Life" is another smooth track with George singing in a much softer tone until the song starts to explode leading up to the chorus. George is talking about starting over and embracing a newer beginning and justifying your life. The rest of the album starts with the huge opener "Everything That I Want" that starts the record off with a bang. This is easily my favorite track from the record with an instrumental that feels larger than life and a chorus that makes you want to sing along at the top of your lungs. George is expressing feelings of having everything but not having "you" and how there is regret along the path of having it all. This track sets the tone of the record beautifully and leaves the listener feeling a longing/regret for a time that once was compared to the current day. Later in the track list we have the song "Punching You Down" which is an instant bop with its bouncy synths and "What does it feeeel like?" refrain throughout the song. I just know that when George plays this song live, the whole crowd is just gonna be screaming "What does it feel like" at the top of their lungs throughout the song. The track is definitely talking down on a particular somebody or group of people and talks about how "You're the only one that isn't laughing". "You Hold The Key and I Found It" is a more somber cut in the record that starts with this very airy, atmospheric instrumental with a lot of strings and woodwind instruments. The tracks come to fruition with George's classic laid back drum beats and cool hazy lead vocals. The track is much more of a vibe to the listener and much less about any main topic or idea and rather delivers an instrumental that keeps on trucking on and puts you in a trance. Later in the album, we get the closing track "For You, I Will". There aren't really lyrics to the song, but more of a vocal chant of "For You" throughout the track, accompanied by backing chants from the artist Hatchie. This puts the album to an end in typical George Clanton fashion by closing off with a bombastic ending just like we started off with. After waiting many years for a new release, George Clanton does not disappoint with Ooh Rap I Ya. Not sure if it takes the crown for favorite George album like Slide does but nevertheless still is an extremely enjoyable and consistent listen that I'm sure everyone would love. Favorite Tracks: Everything That I Want, Justify Your Life, Punching You Down, F.U.M.L, For You, I Will

Apologies for not getting to talk about too many releases this week. There are a couple other albums I wanted to touch on recently but have been preoccupied with other UVF things as well as finishing up my latest collab album with Truman. I'll be sure to cover a couple more releases in the next blog <3. Hope everyone is doing well out there! If you made it to any of the IRL events this weekend, be sure to share some pics around and I hope you all stay safe. I have had this last week off work and don't go back into work until the first week of September so I've been trying to use this time to catch up on some label work as well as some production on the music side of things. In case you forgot, I make music too! I'm soon to release "Perfect Dawn", the first Lunar Data Garden album with good friend of mine Truman sometime next month hopefully, and I have plans in the works to start releasing more music on the portal.rwb side of things in the form of EPs/Mixtapes in between my big mainline albums. Until then, thank you for reading my blog, be sure to follow UVF on all our socials and join our Discord server! I try to check in on everyone daily in there and share news sneak peaks to things from time to time. Love you all and see you next week! -portal from UVF

[hakuoyuki]

Thanks for sharing the long questionnaire about IkeRev. I'm really hoping it takes a slightly more adult tone, the lore of the story has so much potential. Are there rumours of new Ikemen Games coming out to Japan? How often do they release new games?

IkeRev's lore got so much potential I just hope they continue to expand on that. There's the mention of foreign countries in Wonderland too but perhaps it won't be until Mousse's route that we get more deeds on other countries in addition to Cradle (and Land of Mirror)

ーーーー

If you look at the app release timeline below, you'll see that up until last year a new Ikemen Game was released annually. However, so far there's no words on any new (game) title being released.

Just my guess here, but this is most likely because of both the COVID situation as well as Cybird deciding to shift their focus to the existing titles and how to build on from those. (Ikemen Prince is speeding through with the 9th of the original 10 suitors' route announced together with 3 additional new suitor + Act 2 and it's not even 1.5 year since the app was released, IkeVamp is getting an Act 2.5, and IkeSen got the release of these "suitors' past" stories series)

Well, we did get "Ikemen Calendar" (region locked to Japan) but that's not a new game title (no we aren't getting year of the months or days of the week as Ikemens lmaooo)

It's literally a calendar app with reminders (in the suitors' voice) and alarm functions. Completely new voice lines were recorded by their voice actors just for this app.

At the moment, there are 6 available suitors to choose from. Nokto (IkePri), Tamamo (IkeGen), Arthur (IkeVamp), Ray (IkeRev), Kenshin (IkeSen), and Vlad (IkeVamp).

The service is subscription based and you need to subscribe to be able to use it.

(First 14 days is a free trial period and the subscription isn't charged until the end of that)

There are two options for the subscription plan,

480 JPY monthly (can only access 1 character. You can change to another character after 1 month have passed by but in that case, you need to wait another month before you can change back)

960 JPY monthly (can access all available characters)

Personally, I'm on the 480 JPY per month plan with Nokto chosen ever since Day 1 and haven't once changed to someone else.

ー

The longer you subscribe, the more "secret" voice lines become available after reaching certain milestones (30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 120 days, 150 days, 180 days, 210 days, 240 days, 270 days, 300 days, 330 days, 360 days)

I'm approaching the 210 days milestone soon 👀

In addition, by opening the app daily and completing the daily missions (opening the app, setting reminders, stopping an alarm) you can raise your intimacy with the character you have chosen (intimacy max out at Lv 50) and unlock alternative outfits (sprites) and backgrounds to use for your main screen.

ーーーー

Ikemen Series App Release Timeline

2012

- ikemen oooku (dropped but later relaunched as new ikemen oooku)

- ikemen koisen, mc is an office lady who passed through the wormhole and appeared in heian era (dropped and gone)

- ikemen genji, another heian era title but mc is born in this era (dropped and gone)

- midcin

2013

- shin (new) ikemen oooku ("discontinued" from getting new content but app still here)

- ikemen yakyoku, love lie & heists (officially dropped from being included in all promotions (no longer included as a part of Ikemen Series). Service Ended on Jan 24, 2022)

- dtl ikemen bakumatsu

2014

- 100 days princess ("discontinued" from getting new content but app still here)

- sleeping beauty in the suite room, ikemen celeb ("discontinued" from getting new content but app still here)

2015

- ikemen kingdom, the queen & true love kiss (dropped and gone)

- ikemen sengoku

2016

- ikemen revolution

2017

- ikemen vampire

2018

- ikemen live ("discontinued" from getting new content and events but "still" a part of Ikemen Series and app still here App termination is announced for Apr 13, 2022 )

2019

- ikemen genjiden

2020

- ikemen prince

.

As of March 13, 2022... there are currently 7 "active" JP titles. Midnight Cinderella, Ikemen Bakumatsu, Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Revolution, Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Genjiden, and Ikemen Prince.

[stellocchia]

Uhhhh... Motherfucking au where everything's the same but SBI is canon and techno is a person with morals and empathy.

So the 16th was an overreaction and he actually regrets it. He got really swept away with everything in pogtopia and Wilbur egging everything on didn't help. So when he starts his retirement he actually means it and there's no wither arc

He still forgets to tell anyone he's in retirement so the butcher army kinda happens as it did before. He actually willingly follows them back to lmanberg for a trial (he doesn't just immediatelly comply with them of course but no actual battle Takes place)

He gets executed without trial and wether he has the totem or not he doesn't use it. He loses a life, figuring that if he gives them their show of power this whole shitshow is finally gonna be over.

He finds Tommy and like any decent person but especially a brother he takes him in officially. No raccooning needed. He focuses on helping Tommy recover a bit, both physically and mentally while doing his thing and keeping an eye out for lmanberg, if they decide one life wasn't enough.

Hiding from dream and stuff is p much the same

Phil comes back by himself.

They don't exactly have any reason to go to lmanberg so they don't exactly do.

Well. Mostly. They sometimes sneak around especially when dream is there to kinda scout what's going on. It's a compromise. Techno is gonna support him in getting stronger and getting info for his endgoal of getting the disks back and Tommy will hold back for now and be patient.

Butcher army still moves onto dream anyways because... Idk I feel like quackity would've gotten to him anyways like. Why not yknow.

The festival happens and the community House scene is pretty similar

Dream blames it on Tommy, wants the disc tubbo has, Tommy reveals himself.

The whole thing is just hilarious because. Yknow. People didn't know Tommy was alive. So first they thought dream was insane and then Tommy fckin entered the stage. Techno backs him up. Tubbo is pissed. His reasons are pretty different while also being pretty much the same.

Tommy let him think he killed himself and was okay doing so while going after his stupid discs. He's alive so there's the possibility he actually did blow up the community House and give them trouble with dream. Lmanberg and techno aren't cool or anything. After the execution they were just mutually ignoring each other. Lmanberg thinking he was like. Scared or some shit.

Listen. Tubbos just been having a hard time ok.

They still kinda have their shouting match because both have been bottling up shit

Dream gets the disc

Dream announces doomsday

Tommy sides with tubbo

Techno is ok with that. He didn't have an agenda. He's in retirement. He makes it clear though that this means that that's where they part. Techno's taking his retirement very serious. Techno and him had the compromise that techno would help Tommy get ready to get the disks back before releasing him back into the wild. If Tommy gets involved now, this deal ends.

Techno's Not getting involved with this conflict.

Tommy pretends to think for a few seconds but there was never a decision to be made in his mind.

They hug and part ways

Tommy still rallies the people

It still falls apart after he leaves

People are still pissed at him

So doomsday arrives and it goes pretty much the same except. Yknow. No techno or philza.

Dream releases several withers like. One or two hours early because he's a fucking bitch. (Here he actually has wither skulls himself)

And when I say several I mean several

Once he has enough spreading chaos and keeping everyone busy he builds the tnt grid and yeah.

Lmanberg is a crater anyways.

However. Philza (who in this au actually bothered to learn about the country he helped rebuilt and lived in for weeks) went and got all of ghostburs stuff the night before because. Yknow. I want him to a bit more of a good person in this.

Also. Yknow. Friend.

There's still a lot of shit blown up. The minecraft-blade-soot-innit family ain't saints. They got ghostburs shit. That's it.

So afterwards most of the shit goes the same with dream. The scenes on the grid etc etc etc

When Tommy after a long day enters his house there's technoblade and Phil and ghostbur who've been waiting for him to come home after that shitshow. They comfort him, tell him he can always come visit them in the Arctic or even live there with them if he wanted. He declined but thanks them anyways

They spend the night just to make sure he'll be okay.

The next day they go back to the antarctic

Mostly the same stuff as in canon happens

Tommy and Tubbo still get the gear for the fight against dream themselves. Tommy made the decision to do the disc thing without techno during the community House scene and he wants to respect techno by not going back on that. Though he knows if really necessary he could go and barely need to do any convincing for Techno to help him out with some gear

Getting worried about tubbo he doesn't want to chance it but not wanting to put techno on the spot he tries to steal and very similar to canon techno just pretends to be too busy to care.

When they leave techno Phil and ghostbur are also waiting for them though not on the prime path. They're a bit off to the side and them and the duo don't talk. Tommy's already done that with them after he got dreams invitation. Theyre just there to see him go off.

They're not with the saving group but they don't need to be and one of the first things Tommy does after his victory is private message them that he's safe and they won and dreams in prison.

He comes over for dinner the next day to tell them in more detail so they know what's going on and that's about it for season 2

I'm not getting into season 3 now and probably never but a few tidbits about it

Tommy still has to somewhat earn the diamonds for his hotel from philza. The minecraft-blade-soot-innit family might be semi functional but that doesn't mean Phil just gives them money whenever they ask for it. That's not how you raise kids.

Tommy obviously sends them an invite to the hotel opening anyways and techno asks what the VIP perks are

Tubbo and Tommy still have to work through a lot just like in canon. Add to that that tubbo doesn't quite know what to think about Tommy and his family being this close again. On one hand they weren't involved with doomsday like in canon and have just been keeping to themselves since Techno's execution. On the other Techno's behaviour in season 1 is still fresh in his mind and "he was having a rough patch" kind of doesn't just give him closure on that. Like he's not mad. He just doesn't know what to think of it. Cuz like. Techno's not trying to redeem himself or anything. He started his retirement because after getting out of that ravine and the adrenaline fading and just having time to think and realize what happened he realized that he couldn't let himself be controlled by the voices anymore so it's like. Going from full on alcoholic to no alcohol at all ever within a day. And to make that possible he focuses just on his retirement. This isn't about becoming a better person per se it's about not getting so strung up in shit that you tell your younger brother to die while sicking withers on him. He recognizes that he fucked up. He accepted lmanbergs judgement of executing him. Now he just wants his fckin peace. And that's kinda weird to think about for someone in tubbos position. Because. Yeah.

Thinking about Tommy spending time with his family like everything's peachy irks him because. Kinda makes it seem like everything's resolved. Like he's okay with them just having a happy ending despite them not really deserving one. But with time he realizes that Tommy needs them as a support system and that getting worked up about it just isn't worth it.

Uhhhhh and that's about it I think

Ooooh, semi-functional family sbi and clingy duo angst? Love that!

I do wonder how the whole exile debacle would go if they were actual family, especially considering that Phil was in New L'Manburg and therefore knew about the exile and could go visit Tommy freely, same with Techno actually (except for the being in New L'Manburg part), but, like, for him we can pretend he didn't know. Like, would Phil try and go visit Tommy more then once? Or would Dream find a way to keep him away? Maybe make him think he has no right to meddle with Tommy's life just now?

Also I wonder how Ranboo would be involved in all of this. Because if Techno and Phil were not there during Doomsday I doubt they invited him to live with them and I doubt they made the Syndicate, so would Ranboo live with Tuboo? Would he try to act as a sort of mediator for Clingy Duo?

Like, there are so many possibilities for this....

[procrastinatorimagines]

Here For You Part 8 (Final)

Fandom: Chicago PD / One Chicago

Series: Here For You

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // Part 7 // Part 8 (Final)

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Warning/s: none

Word Count: 1,211

Summary:  Y/N’s world spun out of control after she got pregnant, uprooting her life and moving to Chicago only for her brother to get involved in a murder trial. Little did she know that that had been the beginning the beginning of the rest of her life. Now, 5 years later, still side by side with Jay in the life she fought so hard to build, she couldn’t be happier as she enters into the next chapter of her life, in more ways than one. 

Tags: @sesamepancakes​ //

Note: I feel like this is a better end to the series that the original one, open ended because I felt like it needed to be more of a beginning than an end, if that makes sense, enjoy!

5 years later 

“Are you ready for this?” Jay asked, holding out his hand for you as you took a deep breath, stepping out of the court house you’d been in many times over the years. 

Tommy had tried to again to worm his way into Lucas’ life, but he’d been declared unfit to parent around the same time he was locked up for armed robbery. To this day, you still couldn’t believe how lucky you’d gotten, you’d dodged a major bullet with Tommy, and ended up with Jay instead. 

Jay, who had been your rock, your light, your family.

And today, finally, after a long road and a minefield of paperwork, Jay had officially adopted Lucas. 

Not that he hadn’t always been Lucas’ father, ‘dad’ had been his first word, a fact that still made you as emotional to think about, realising at that moment just how blessed you’d truly been. 

Lucas had hold of Jay’s other hand, dressed in his best shirt and a cute little bow tie, beaming as he jumped down the steps two feet at a time. You were going to celebrate with lunch, back at the cafe where your water had first broke. 

It was a tradition with your little family, even after you’d moved out of your old apartment building, finally giving your brother Henry his space back when Lucas was around two and a half. You and Jay had bought a house together, with a nice garden and plenty of space for your son to spread his wings. 

Even so, there was something nice about coming back to that little cafe, especially since the waitress, Edna, had become a family friend. Lucas always got free cake or cookies whenever you visited, despite insisting it really wasn’t necessary.

“I like her,” Lucas announced happily after Edna had brought you out your food, fussing over Lucas and leaving him with an extra large slice of his favourite cake to commemorate the big day, “she always gives me free food.”

You laughed, tossing one of your chips into your mouth, “well, you were nearly born right on that seat,” you told him, gesturing to the chair he was sitting on. Well, it probably wasn’t the exact same chair, but you did always sit at the same table, so close enough.

He pulled a face, “ew, gross mommy,” he said, earning a laugh from Jay as he went back to eating his food happily. 

“I’m officially his dad,” Jay said to you with a proud smile, the fact still sinking in as he rested one arm on the back of your chair.

You put a hand on his leg and gave it a squeeze, “you’ve always been his dad,” you reminded him. When Tommy had reappeared a couple of years ago you’d... done your best to explain the situation to Lucas. It wasn’t fair to him to do anything otherwise, especially when you’d had to return to court, but it hadn’t been easy, and although he understood a little more now, he’d still barely asked about Tommy, he wasn’t the man who’d raised him afterall. 

The whole adoption had been hard to explain too, even though he was a little older now, his mind still couldn’t quite grapple with the fact that Jay wasn’t his biological father. He’d always asked how Tommy could be his dad, when he’d never met him, never bought him a father’s day present, never taken him to parent/teacher day... You and Jay had tried to find a way to explain it, but it had only made him upset, sleeping in your bed with you both for the better part of a week afterwards incase someone came to take Jay away, he’d explained. 

You would have done all this years ago, if Tommy hadn’t technically still had parental rights, but as soon as he’d lost those you’d petitioned to have Jay adopt Lucas, and never looked back. 

“Does that mean I get to have your last name?” Lucas perked up, lifting his head from where he’d been messing with the police badge Jay had given with him when he was younger. Some children had comfort toys or blankets, your son had a badge. It always melted your heart to see him with it, he said it always kept him close to Jay when he was at work. 

“What about me?” You asked, actually a little offended, “you don’t want to keep my last name?” You’d obviously never given him Tommy’s, and he hadn’t brought it up before the adoption, you actually hadn’t thought about whether he might want to be a Halstead instead.

Instead of answering, he look to Jay, an odd sense of accomplishment on his face that he always had when he did what he was told. 

You looked to Jay, puzzled. Had they talked about this without you?

“Well... if Luke wants to take my last name, I guess maybe you could take it too?” Jay suggested, a smile forming on his face as he waited for you to catch on to his meaning. 

You sucked in a breath, heart skipping a beat as you understood, Jay slipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out a small velvet box. 

Lucas was grinning from ear to ear, drumming his fingers on the table and swinging his legs in excitement. “Ask ask ask,” he whispered giddily.

 You looked from your son to Jay, who was moving off of his chair to kneel on one kneel, slowly opening up the box to reveal a beautiful ring that glinted in the sun. You stared from it to Jay in shock, your mouth practically hanging open.

“Y/N, we’re been there for each other since the day we met,” he began, taking a shaky breath to steady his emotions and nerves, “it hasn’t always been easy, but I love you, I love our family, our life together, with all my heart, and I think we’ve waited long enough. Y/N, will you marry me?”

"Yes, yes, always yes,” you blurted the second the question was out of his mouth, standing at the same time as Jay to meet him in a kiss. He clumsily slipped the ring on your finger when you broke apart; it felt right on your finger, exactly where it was supposed to be.

“I love you,” he told you, returning the sentiment yourself as he wrapped you in a hug, tears of joy slipping down your cheek. 

You heard sniffling from somewhere behind you, spotting Edna wiping his eyes from where she stood in the cafe doorway, a handful of other patrons offering you claps and congratulations.

Lucas gave out a squeal of excitement, rushing from his chair to where you and Jay were hugging, wriggling up in between the two of you as you hugged. Laughing you both bent down and scooped him up, sandwiching him in another hug, giggling as you kissed both his cheeks.

“This, right here,” Jay said, meeting your eyes, “this is all I need, just the three of us.”

You looked between your son and... fiance, with so much love and admiration your heart could hardly take it, your free hand ghosting subconsciously to your stomach.

Little did he know... three was about to become four.

[mihidecet]

SBI d&d AU: Ph1lza

First of all, I want to thank each and everyone of you who's liked, reblogged and left a comment (even in private) on my last story! I'd never received such positive feedback and it absolutely made my day (and my week)! So thank you all so so much! <33

A special thank you goes to @whatimevendoinhere , who is an endless source of inspiration and honestly such a cool person to just hang out with akdgaha

Go check out their drawings! They made so much art for this au, and a stunning animatic!! Go show them all the love! <3

Despite what most would think, His Majesty, King Philza of the Greenwoods, does not miss the commodities that come from being royalty. He does not miss them at all, but it would be better to specify why.

He did enjoy sleeping in his wonderfully big bed, with as many soft as cloud pillows as he wished, with sheets made of the finest silks in the summer and of the warmest wool in the winter. But he very much prefers the current warmth of the campfire in front of him, as he moves around a log and watches sparks fly off into the night, and the familiar weight of the head resting on his lap - Tommy had insisted on listening to stories of his time back at the castle, and then he'd promptly fell asleep halfway through him talking about his horseback riding classes.

He did like taking care of his horses, endless stables with elven bred mares and elks. He remembers Roheryn, his first pony, a docile animal that grew up with him, and Firefoot, a fiery mare whose temper he could hardly match.

Still, they are no match for Milo, Barnaby, Peter and Fraiser, the four horses they managed to buy after successfully freeing a nobleman's son. Sometimes Phil catches Wilbur talking to his own as if he could respond; one of these days he'll tell the young bard that, being a druid, he'd be able to translate sweet Milo's answers.

Phil loved the food they would cook in the kitchens, how his nanny would sneak him sweets when he was a child, or how the head chef had caved in and started teaching him how to bake bread after years of insisting it wouldn't be proper for a king to spend his day in the kitchens.

These days he's especially thankful for all the recipes he'd been taught, as food is not that easy to find when you're travelling through endless enchanted woods. And nothing beats the joyful expressions colouring the faces of his companions every time he announces he'll be making his special soup.

The one thing he misses are his friends back home, the people he grew up with. His travels have brought him far away, but they still hold a special place in his mind. Under his linen shirt - once a pristine, perfectly clean thing, now stitched up with different coloured threads and forever stained on his right side where a wolf managed to bite him - rests a thin chain of mythrill, where he keeps what he holds most sacred: his wedding ring, the one he will wear once he'll come back, once his travels and trials have ended.

He never fiddles with it, never exposes it to the light in hope time and weather won't ruin its beauty. Not that its meaning would be lost, even in the hundreds of years Phil will hopefully live, but he did spend two whole years crafting each and every silvery strand - he's not about to let his hard work go to waste. Still, its weight is a constant source of comfort, and even in the worst moments it gives him strength.

A quiet huff of breath next to him catches his attention and, a moment later, Techno lets himself fall down at his side.

While it's good to see him so relaxed, less careful with every move - hands no longer constantly busy in order to keep his mind at bay - he can sense that the thief is anxious: his shoulders are set in a tense line and he seems to be trying to sneak glances at him before quickly looking back towards the rest of the camp. So, Phil waits. He can give him the time he needs, after all he's already slept the four hours he needs to survive.

A couple of minutes later, Techno's rough voice pierces the comfortable silence they'd fallen into.

"Give me your hand." Is not exactly what the druid had expected, but he extends his hand nevertheless, raising an eyebrow curiously. Not even a second later, there's a small green and golden bracelet in his palm.

"Listen, you've saved my bacon more time than I can count, and we've worked together a long ass time, so now we're friends. I just decided it, there's no take backs." Techno states, adopting what Phil has now learnt to know is the tone of voice he uses when he's trying to be intimidating due to his own nerves.

Phil looks down at the bracelet in his hand, picking it up in order to better study it. It's objectively beautiful, the multiple threads of coloured material having been woven by hand, with an added string of gold-like material and a handful of deep red beads.

But most of all- the most stunning thing is that he's holding something Techno made, for him, as proof of their friendship. It tugs at Phil's heartstrings, making his throat squeeze around his words.

"Techno, mate, this is stunning. I- I will keep it forever. Thank you."

One of the thief's eyebrows raises as he looks back at him, staring quietly as if expecting a joke or a quick negation - as if, Phil thinks to himself.

For a moment they're both silent as Phil tries to convince the man sitting next to him of how much he appreciates this token of friendship, after months of fighting side by side.

Techno's mask of impassibility breaks first. He huffs out and turns back towards the fire, but Phil's an elf: he can clearly see the crinkle in his eyes and the smile that breaks open his face, from how it glints in the feeble light, to how one of his tusks pushes up into his cheek.

"Alright, enough with the sappiness. Go to sleep or something, you're distracting me from keeping watch." Techno grumbles, using a stick to move around the embers in the campfire.

With a small chuckle, Phil nods and doesn't point out that he's the one who's supposed to be keeping watch, opting instead to figure out where to keep this precious gift.

While it takes him a while to make up his mind, once he's made his choice he knows it's the right one. It's almost surreal taking hold of the mythrill chain, because he's so used to it resting over his heart, but that is also why he's chosen to tie the bracelet there.

Phil has been travelling for a while - some years now. He has met many people, fought many fights and visited many places, but he knows this is it.

The brilliant thief next to him, the wonderfully talented bard sleeping on the other side of the fire, and the little maniac sleeping with his head in his lap.

These are the companions he will spend the rest of his travels with, for as long as they'll have him.

Next to him, Techno chokes on seemingly nothing.

"You alright?" Phil asks, turning a concerned eye towards him: the thief is a couple of shades lighter than usual and is waving a hand towards his chain.

"You're *married*?!" He yells under his breath, voice reaching a pitch that Phil didn't expect he could.

Tommy grumbles in his sleep, apparently disturbed by the sound of Techno's protest, but he seems to fall back asleep rather quickly once Phil places a reassuring hand over his curls. The boy mumbles something about bees before rolling on his side, head tilting up into his hand, and Phil has to quickly dodge one of his horns - still growing, but nevertheless rather sharp and definitely solid.

Once his movement has stopped, Phil turns to Techno with a small smile.

"Not yet. It is tradition in my family, that one must prove their worth before taking their spouse's hand in marriage." He explains, Techno's expression turning from confusion to understanding.

"And that's why you're travelling. Is it an arranged marriage?"

Phil can't help but laugh a little, despite the ache that burns deep into his chest, shaking his head as he clutches the ring in his hand.

"She is the love of my life. My light, my sun and my moon. I'll spend the rest of eternity with her, for as long as she'll have me. My heart is hers, as is my whole being."

A beat of silence passes, as Phil stares into the moonlight, looking into the same sky that hopefully his love is seeing too, feeling the weight of his affection lift him up towards her. One day, one day they'll meet again, and they'll be able to finally officiate in front of the whole world what is already true. And then, they'll be able to travel together - oh, how his companions will love her, how she will care about them.

King Philza does not miss anything but he does miss her.

"I- I'll take it as a no on the arranged thing, then. I guess."

This time, when Phil bursts out laughing, it's loud, joyous and brings tears to his eyes.

It also makes Tommy wake up with a yell and Wilbur throw his pack at him - a cursed protest for him to *shut the hell up, we're trying to sleep* - but that is absolutely worth it.

________

Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed!<3

I have plans for a Tommy part, once again regarding the friendship bracelets, which will hopefully arrive in the near future!

If anyone would like to see any particular scene or character, let me know! Even in private messages, or anon asks, I will absolutely not mind (I'm just an awkward nerd)!!!

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Colorado Snowstorm Knocks Out Power to Thousands and Snarls Travel (NYT) A snowstorm sweeping through Colorado and Wyoming on Sunday was expected to bring as much as four feet of snow to some parts of the region, and has left nearly 30,000 people without power in Colorado. The storm brought heavy, wet snow and downed trees and power lines. More than 20,000 customers near Greeley, Colo., about 50 miles north of Denver, were without power on Sunday, according to Xcel Energy. More than 2,500 people around Fort Collins, about 1,500 near Loveland and about 3,000 people in the Denver suburbs were also without power. A blizzard warning was in effect on Sunday for Colorado’s Front Range, an area that includes the Interstate 25 corridor from south of Denver up through Cheyenne, Wyo. The National Weather Service warned that an additional two to six inches of snow and wind gusts as high as 45 miles per hour could create “nearly impossible travel conditions.”

Florida’s pandemic response gets a second look from the national media (Axios) After a solid year of living with a pandemic, the national press is beginning to ask the question that even Democrats have been quietly pondering in the Sunshine State: Was Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pandemic response right for Florida? More than 32,000 Floridians have died, but our death rate is no worse than the national average—and better than some states with tighter restrictions. On Sunday’s front page, the New York Times explored the positives—from the booming real-estate market to Florida’s low unemployment rate—of an early reopening: “Much of the state has a boomtown feel,” writes Patricia Mazzei, “a sense of making up for months of lost time.” The Times notes that Florida’s unemployment rate is 5.1%, compared to 9.3% in California, 8.7% in New York and 6.9% in Texas. “That debate about reopening schools? It came and went months ago. Children have been in classrooms since the fall.” The closer you are to either loss or to the fullness of life will likely determine how you feel about the state’s response.

Quaking in their beds, sleepless Icelanders await volcanic eruption (Reuters) Icelanders are yearning for some undisturbed shut-eye after tremors from tens of thousands of earthquakes have rattled their sleep for weeks in what scientists call an unprecedented seismic event, which might well end in a spectacular volcanic eruption. “At the moment we’re feeling it constantly. It’s like you’re walking over a fragile suspension bridge,” Rannveig Gudmundsdottir, a lifelong resident in the town of Grindavik, told Reuters. Grindavik lies in the southern part of the Reykjanes Peninsula, a volcanic and seismic hot spot, where more than 40,000 earthquakes have occurred since Feb. 24. Located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, Iceland frequently experiences earthquakes as the plates slowly drift in opposite directions at a pace of around 2 centimetres each year. “Everyone here is so tired,” Gudmundsdottir, a 5th grade school teacher, said. “When I go to bed at night, all I think about is: Am I going to get any sleep tonight?” Authorities in Iceland warned of an imminent volcanic eruption on the peninsula in early March, but said they did not expect it to disturb international air traffic or damage critical infrastructure nearby.

Vigil To Reclaim The Streets From Vigilance (CNN) Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, disappeared on March 3 while walking home from a friend’s home in London’s southern neighborhood of Clapham. Her body was found inside a builder’s bag in a wooded area. A 48-year-old police officer has been charged with kidnapping and killing her. On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in Clapham Common to pay tribute to Everard despite planned nationwide vigils having been canceled due to pandemic restrictions. As darkness fell, police officers began grabbing women in the crowd and making arrests. Videos posted on social media showed officers violently dragging some female protesters away and throwing others to the ground and handcuffing them. Women’s rights activists in the UK are reeling from the Metropolitan Police’s heavy-handed approach. There’s also been political fallout, with a member of Parliament reading out the names of 118 women murdered last year. In a new poll, over 70% of UK women said they had been sexually harassed in public spaces. The figure rose to 97% among women aged 18-24. 45% said they didn’t believe reporting the incidents to officials would change anything.

Dutch police break up thousands of anti-lockdown protesters (The Hill) Police in the Netherlands dispersed thousands of anti-lockdown protesters outside the Hague on Sunday, one day before national elections begin in the country. Reuters reports that police used batons and water cannons to disperse the crowd who authorities said were ignoring social distancing rules as well as warnings from authorities. Many of those gathered in the crowd held up yellow umbrellas and signs in opposition that read “Love, freedom, stop dictatorship,” according to Reuters. The country has been under an intense lockdown since January, Reuters notes, with gatherings of more than two people banned and the first night-time curfew issued since World War II. When the lockdown was extended, it sparked several days of rioting across the country. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Netherlands has confirmed over 1.1 million coronavirus cases and more than 16,000 related deaths.

Spain to launch trial of four-day working week (The Guardian) Spain could become one of the first countries in the world to trial the four-day working week after the government agreed to launch a modest pilot project for companies interested in the idea. Earlier this year, the small leftwing Spanish party Más País announced that the government had accepted its proposal to test out the idea. From New Zealand to Germany, the idea has been steadily gaining ground globally. Hailed by its proponents as a means to increase productivity, improve the mental health of workers and fight climate change, the proposal has taken on new significance as the pandemic sharpens issues around wellbeing, burnout and work-life balance. Leftwing parties in Spain—where a 44-day strike in Barcelona in 1919 resulted in the country becoming one of the first in western Europe to adopt the eight-hour workday—have seized on the idea. “Spain is one of the countries where workers put in more hours than the European average. But we’re not among the most productive countries,” said Iñigo Errejón of Más País. “I maintain that working more hours does not mean working better.”

Major European nations suspend use of AstraZeneca vaccine (AP) A cascading number of European countries—including Germany, France, Italy and Spain—suspended use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine Monday over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, though the company and international regulators say there is no evidence the shot is to blame. AstraZeneca’s formula is one of three vaccines in use on the continent. But the escalating concern is another setback for the European Union’s vaccination drive, which has been plagued by shortages and other hurdles. The EU’s drug regulatory agency called a meeting for Thursday to review experts’ findings on the AstraZeneca shot and decide whether action needs to be taken.

Myanmar junta orders martial law in 6 Yangon townships (AP) Myanmar’s ruling junta has declared martial law in six townships in the country’s largest city, as security forces killed dozens of protesters over the weekend in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month’s military coup. At least 38 people were killed Sunday and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown on anti-coup protesters, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, or AAPP, an independent group tracking the toll of the violence. Several estimates from other sources gave higher figures.

Flights canceled during China’s worst sandstorm in a decade (AP) China’s capital and a wide swath of the country’s north were enveloped Monday in the worst sandstorm in a decade, forcing the cancelation of hundreds of flights. Skyscrapers in the center of Beijing appeared to drop from sight amid the dust and sand. Traffic was snarled and more than 400 flights out of the capital’s two main airports were canceled amid high winds and low visibility. The National Meteorological Center said Monday’s storm had developed in the Gobi Desert in the Inner Mongolia Region, where schools had been advised to close and bus service added to reduce residents’ exposure to the harsh conditions. The National Meteorological Center forecasted the sand and dust would affect 12 provinces and regions from Xinjiang in the far northwest to Heilongjiang in the northeast and the eastern coastal port city of Tianjin.

Taiwan’s boom (NYT) Taiwan, home to 24 million people, has seen fewer than 1,000 cases of Covid-19 and just 10 coronavirus-related deaths. Prior to 2020, lots of Taiwanese and dual nationals moved abroad and only came back for a visit. After the pandemic hit, Taiwan closed its borders to almost all foreign visitors. Protocols put in place include temperature checks, hand-sanitizing, mask-wearing (except in schools), rigorous contact tracing, and strict quarantines for incoming travelers. Taiwanese nationals returned, and about 270,000 more stayed than left. As a result, the island is experiencing a real economic boom. Exports have been rising for eight months, fueled by shipments of electronics and surging demand for semiconductor chips. Domestic tourism is exploding. The economy grew more than 5% in the fourth quarter compared with the same time period in 2019. And every day restaurants, bars, aFor Law Enforcementnd cafes are packed, office buildings hum, and schools are filled with laughing, unmasked children. “We just feel very lucky and definitely a little guilty,” said a product manager for a Bay Area tech company who returned to Taipei with his wife and young son last May. “We feel like we are the ones who benefited from the pandemic.”

United States and Iran warily circle each other over reactivating nuclear deal (Washington Post) The United States is willing to sit down with Iran “tomorrow” and jointly agree to full compliance with the nuclear accord they and five other world powers signed in 2015, according to a senior Biden administration official. Iran has made equally clear it shares the goal of going back to the terms of the original agreement, before President Donald Trump pulled out of it. But nearly two months into Biden’s presidency, with Iran’s own contentious presidential election approaching in June, the two sides have been unable even to talk to each other about what both say they want. Iran wants all Trump sanctions lifted and an immediate influx of cash from the release of blocked international loans and frozen funds, along with foreign investment and removal of bans on oil sales. It seeks assurances that the next U.S. administration won’t jettison the deal again. For its part, the Biden administration wants a reactivated deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, to serve as a “platform” to renegotiate its sunset provisions—the future dates when certain provisions are set to expire. It wants to move quickly to discussions about its other problems with Iran, including Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its use of proxy forces in Iraq, Syria and beyond, and human rights abuses. Both sides continue to wait for the other to prove its good faith with “you, first” rhetoric.

‘Republic of Queues’: 10 years on, Syria is a hungry nation (AP) The lines stretch for miles outside gas stations in Syrian cities, with an average wait of five hours to fill up a tank. At bakeries, people push and shove during long, chaotic waits for their turn to collect the quota of two bread packs a day per family. On the streets in the capital of Damascus, beggars accost motorists and passers-by, pleading for food or money. Medicines, baby milk and diapers can hardly be found. As Syria marks the 10th anniversary Monday of the start of its uprising-turned-civil war, President Bashar Assad may still be in power, propped up by Russia and Iran. But millions of people are being pushed deeper into poverty, and a majority of households can hardly scrape together enough to secure their next meal. “Life here is a portrait of everyday humiliation and suffering,” said one woman in Damascus. Her husband lost his job at an electronics store last month, and now the family is drawing on meager savings that are evaporating fast. With two kids and an elderly father to care for, she said life had become unbearably difficult and she is gripped by anxiety for the future. Until recently, she could smuggle in her father’s medicines from Lebanon, but now Lebanon has its own meltdown and shortages.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 2, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

I spent all day writing only to emerge tonight to a flood of news.

Some of it is tragic but seems random: a man apparently drove a car into a barricade near the White House, injuring two Capitol Police officers before hitting the barrier. He got out of the car with a knife, and police officers shot him when he did not respond to their commands. He died. So did one of the Capitol Police officers, an 18-year veteran of the force, Officer William “Billy” Evans. The assailant has been identified as 25-year-old Noah Green of Indiana, and he appears to have feared that the CIA and the FBI were targeting him with mind control.

Other news seems to be about rebuilding the nation from the troubles of the previous administration: President Joe Biden had a 30-40 minute phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which Biden reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine’s burgeoning democracy as Russia builds up troops in the region. Former president Trump soured the U.S. relationship with Ukraine when he tried to get Zelenskyy to announce an investigation into Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, to discredit the man he expected—correctly—to be his main rival in the 2020 presidential election, before Trump would release money Ukraine needed to defend itself against Russia.

Also today, the U.S. and Iran agreed to talk again about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal that Trump abandoned, to limit Iran’s program of enriching uranium that could be used for a nuclear weapon. With our abandonment of JCPOA, Iran resumed elements of its enrichment program. Both sides are hoping to make headway on a new deal before Iran’s presidential election in June.

The United States has also lifted sanctions the Trump administration had imposed on the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, after she began an investigation into U.S. forces in Afghanistan for alleged war crimes. The U.S. is not a member of the court, and the Biden administration says it disagrees strongly with the court’s actions but wants to address those concerns through engagement rather than sanctions.

In a new indictment yesterday, prosecutors revealed that the founder of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, his deputy, and three members of the far-right group who acted as guards for Trump loyalist Roger Stone exchanged 19 phone calls over three hours during the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The indictment indicates that federal officials have a very clear timeline of the events of that day.

The trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, continues. Today Lt. Richard Zimmerman, the head of the Minneapolis police department’s homicide division, testified that kneeling on Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed, as Chavin did, was “totally unnecessary,” and that the officers should “absolutely” have stopped restraining Floyd once he was in handcuffs, as that position on its own makes it hard to breathe.

And then there are the ways in which the country appears to be roaring back from the low point of the past year. Today U.S. healthcare professionals put almost 4 million shots into arms, bringing our daily average for the past week to almost 3 million. Nearly 40% of all adults in the U.S. have had at least one dose of the vaccine. And yet, coronavirus infections are rising again, spurred by new, highly contagious variants of the virus into areas where safety precautions have been relaxed. The seven-day average of new cases is more than 62,000 cases a day, with just below 900 deaths a day.

The Labor Department today said that the U.S. added 916,000 jobs in March, the best job growth since last August, dropping the unemployment rate to 6%. This is excellent news, but we still have 8.4 million fewer jobs than we had in February 2020, before the pandemic.

And then there is Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who is at the center of a scandal which includes pretty much everything: women, girls, state lines, drugs, cash, fake IDs, and so on. Where it will all end up is entirely unclear, but it is notable that the Fox News Channel, where Gaetz has been a regular, made a point of stating that it has “no interest” in hiring Gaetz. Only Representatives Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) have spoken out to defend Gaetz, and both of them have troubles in their own backgrounds.

But the lasting story today is the one that will hang over everything until it is resolved: the attempt of Republican legislators in 43 states to suppress voting with what are now 361 voter suppression bills across the country.

Today Major League Baseball announced it was pulling the 2021 All-Star Game and the MLB draft from Georgia in response to the state’s new voter suppression law, passed last week. The announcement drew fury from Republican officials.

They attacked MLB’s move by as a product of “cancel culture and woke political activists.” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Georgia House Speaker David Ralston released a statement blaming “this attack on our state” on President Biden and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams and insisting that the bill in fact expands, rather than contracts, the right to vote. Ralston said that “Stacey Abrams’ leftist lies have stolen the All-Star Game from Georgia…. But Georgia will not be bullied by socialists and their sympathizers.”

Republican politicians also piled on at the national level. Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA) tweeted that MLB was “[t]otally caving to the lies of the Left” and called for a baseball boycott. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) called it “a cowardly boycott based on a lie.” Then Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC) called for Congress to retaliate against MLB with a law to remove MLB’s antitrust exception. The former president urged his supporters to “boycott baseball” and the companies that do not support Georgia’s new voter suppression bill.

But journalists Nick Corasaniti and Reid J. Epstein of the New York Times today reviewed the new 98-page Georgia voting law and had one primary takeaway: “The Republican legislature and governor have made a breathtaking assertion of partisan power in elections, making absentee voting harder and creating restrictions and complications in the wake of narrow losses to Democrats.” Sixteen key provisions hamper the right to vote, especially in the urban and suburban counties that vote Democratic, or take power away from state and local election officials—like the secretary of state, who refused to throw the election to Trump in 2020—and give it to partisan legislators.

If it’s true that the Georgia law is no big deal, Democracy Docket founder and election law defender Marc Elias asked, “why are three separate Republican Party Committees spending money intervening in court to defend it—claiming that if the law is struck down it will disadvantage the [Republicans] in elections?”

MLB’s decision was actually not prompted by Stacey Abrams, who rejected calls for a boycott and urged companies not to leave the state but to stay and fight for voting rights. She tweeted that she was “disappointed” that MLB would move the All-Star Game “but proud of their stance on voting rights.”

Former House Speaker John Boehner, who presided over the House during the Republican wave of 2010, published a preview of his forthcoming book that makes some sense of the Republican attempt to divert attention to Abrams. He says that the rise of the internet meant that by 2010, Republican lawmakers were taking their orders from internet media websites and the Fox News Channel, their only aim to keep viewers engaged and cash flowing.

The Republican focus on media, rather than policy, has mushroomed until lawmakers are now reduced to talking about Dr. Seuss and the Potato Head clan rather than answering the needs of voters, with no policy besides “owning the libs.”

And now they are trying to pin the decisions of MLB on the “socialist” Stacey Abrams, a voting-rights advocate, rather than on the Georgia Republican legislature’s open attempt to undermine democracy.

—-

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[rpdr-vegas-revue-s1-e3-hd]

【Full Episodes】 RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue ,Season 1 Episode 3 {On} VH1 Live ~ Streaming

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A color transition was announced for the fall of 0165, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 0173, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season. FORMATS AND GENRES Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows. A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 0180s, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order. Since the 0180s, many series feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television series to have this kind of dramatic structure,while the later series Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run. In 30013, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film. Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In 30013, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television. CREDITS Find all the movies that you can stream online, including those that were screened this week. If you are wondering what you can watch on this website, then you should know that it covers genres that include crime, Science, Fi-Fi, action, romance, thriller, Comedy, drama, Anime Movie, etc. Thank you very much. We tell everyone who is happy to receive us as news or information about this year’s film schedule and how you watch your favorite films. Hopefully we can become the best partner for you in finding recommendations for your favorite movies. That’s all from us, greetings! Thanks for watching Videos Today. I hope you enjoy the videos that I share. Give a thumbs up, like, or share if you enjoy what we’ve shared so that we more excited. Sprinkle cheerful smile so that the world back in a variety of colors, Stay safe and Stay home. Thank you very much and Enjoy for watching.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

The U.S. Senate acquitted President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on Wednesday — the end of a trial that lasted about three weeks. The chamber’s Republicans blocked Democratic motions to call witnesses during the trial and then voted to acquit Trump. The votes were almost entirely along party lines. All 47 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents voted for both articles of impeachment. Mitt Romney of Utah was the only senator from either party to break party ranks, voting in favor of the abuse of power article and against the obstruction charge.

The final votes were 48-52 against the abuse of power charge, and 47-53 against the obstruction charge.

Trump is only the third president to be impeached in U.S. history. He is also the third president to be acquitted in the Senate. (Richard Nixon is not one of the three, as he resigned before a full House vote or Senate trial.)

Trump is the first president, however, who will stand for reelection after an impeachment and acquittal — Andrew Johnson did not run after his impeachment and acquittal in 1868, and Bill Clinton could not run after his impeachment and acquittal because of term limits.

In other words, the circumstances of Trump’s impeachment are unique. Viewed narrowly, nothing has really changed — Trump remains in office, and is likely to continue to disregard traditional norms and, at times, core democratic values. His approval rating isn’t great, but it hasn’t meaningfully gone up or down during the impeachment process. But in part because Trump will now run for reelection, the impeachment process has a number of important implications.

1. Acquittal could result in Trump feeling that he has the license to do whatever he wants until November — and potentially beyond.

There is clear evidence that Trump, using both his official government aides and his private lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, postponed both a White House visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine as he pushed for the Ukrainians to announce an investigation of the Bidens. So the Republicans in the House and the Senate, by refusing to join with Democrats to force Trump from office, have effectively exonerated the president for actions that are arguably both illegal (according to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office) and authoritarian (according to experts on authoritarianism). By leaving Trump in office, Republicans have to some extent also validated the very expansive views of the president’s authority and power that Trump’s lawyers invoked in defending him against impeachment.

Republicans in Congress also essentially consented to the president circumventing the legislative branch. Congress authorized military aid to Ukraine, but Trump refused to release it unless Ukraine complied with a condition (investigate the Bidens) that Congress likely never would have sanctioned. Giuliani essentially was directing U.S. foreign policy on Ukraine, even though he was not confirmed by Congress, and Congress did not know the extent of his involvement until it was discovered by the press.

So post-acquittal, what will Trump do next? Does he withhold foreign aid from other nations if they refuse to investigate the eventual Democratic nominee? Does Trump’s administration, which refused to comply with subpoenas and document requests during the House’s impeachment investigation, basically disregard any future attempts at congressional oversight? Have Republicans in Congress left the country and the world with an American president who believes he is essentially above the law? The stakes here are enormous.

The answer to those questions, in my view, is maybe, as opposed to a clear yes. Remember, one of the defenses of Trump by congressional Republicans throughout this process has been that Ukraine eventually did get the military aid. The White House released the aid on Sept. 11, two days after the House announced it was opening an inquiry into the president’s actions regarding Ukraine. So it’s not clear that Republicans in Congress have actually condoned the idea that aid to other countries from the U.S. can or should be conditioned on those nations agreeing to investigate Trump’s political rivals. And perhaps Trump won’t actually push another foreign government to investigate a rival because he wants to avoid criticism, minimize the potential for a second impeachment or, yes, because he now understands it’s improper.

So Trump may not have a full green light to do whatever he wants. But it’s closer to green than it is to red.

2. Republicans are fully, totally aligned with Trump.

No Republicans in the House and only one in the Senate (Romney) voted for Trump’s impeachment or removal. Influential voices in the party, such as GOP governors and Fox News anchors, stood by him throughout the process. Fewer than 10 percent of Republican voters support the president’s removal. Other than Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Romney, there were few prominent GOP voices who stated unequivocally that it was inappropriate for the president and his team to give any suggestion to Ukraine that U.S. aid would be tied to an investigation of the Bidens.

For some Republicans, this loyalty to Trump contradicts one of the core goals of most politicians: winning reelection. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, for example, is up for reelection in November in a Democratic-leaning state where Trump is not particularly popular.

He not only voted against Trump’s removal, but took a strong, public stance against having witnesses in the trial.

But Gardner and other senators seeking to retain seats Democrats are targeting this November, such as Susan Collins of Maine and Martha McSally of Arizona, may have played the politics of impeachment smartly. In a party where loyalty to Trump is highly valued, creating any real distance between you and the president may cost you Republican votes that you absolutely must have to win. And there’s no real guarantee that you’d pick up independent or Democratic votes in the bargain. In fact, given current levels of negative partisanship — where supporters of one party hate the other party more than they like their own — picking up support from anti-Trump voters seems highly unlikely.

3. Democrats don’t seem to have suffered any kind of impeachment backlash.

Democrats were leery of pushing for impeachment for much of 2019, amid the investigation of Trump by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. In Democrats’ view, a partisan impeachment backfired on congressional Republicans in the last few years of the Clinton presidency, and they wanted to avoid a similar backlash. I think that interpretation of the Clinton impeachment is a bit off. Republicans won control of the House, Senate and presidency in the 2000 elections, with Al Gore distancing himself from Clinton, who Gore viewed as a controversial figure in part because of the impeachment process.

Democrats felt forced to push for impeachment after Trump’s actions towards Ukraine became public. The impeachment process ended up with party-line votes, a result House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wanted to avoid. But there is little sign that voters have turned on Democrats. According to FiveThirtyEight’s trackers, Democrats lead on the congressional generic ballot, about half of Americans support removing Trump from office and Trump remains fairly unpopular.

4. The 2020 election will be an all-out partisan war.

OK, you might say that we knew this already, and maybe we did. But congressional Democrats have, in their actions and words, suggested that Trump is unfit to be president and should be removed. Trump, through his actions and words, has shown that he will do basically anything to keep power. Already, America can at times feel like it’s in a non-military civil war, with two competing coalitions that question not just the other coalition’s policy views, but its values and its Americanness.

A Democratic nominee, particularly Biden, is likely to campaign on the idea that he or she is the last defense against Trump turning America into a less democratic and tolerant nation. Trump rose to power as the champion of people who felt aggrieved and ignored by an increasingly liberal, multicultural America. Post-impeachment, Trump is likely to make aggrievement even more a core part of his message–with the president likely to cite his own impeachment as example of how and his supporters must defend themselves against an out-of-control American left.

5. The impeachment process put on full display deeper problems with America’s democracy.

There’s an active debate among scholars and journalists about whether to describe American politics by focusing on polarization (the two sides are really divided) or by focusing on the radicalization of the Republican Party (so one side is really causing the division). Another disagreement is whether American voters are really divided or if the division exists mainly among political elites.

The impeachment process shows how these ideas are all interconnected — and how it’s hard to tell a simple story about what’s wrong with America’s democracy and who is to blame. Trump’s actions toward Ukraine were radical — Barack Obama did not try to have a foreign government investigate Romney in 2012. Republican elites generally defended Trump’s conduct. So did Republican voters. But polls showed some wariness about Trump’s actions toward Ukraine among a sizable bloc of GOP voters (about a fourth in some polls). That Trump skeptic, however, wasn’t really represented on Fox News or Capitol Hill. So Republican politicians and Trump are probably driving polarization but also responding to GOP voters, who choose Trump over more than a dozen more traditional candidates in 2016 and still strongly approve of him now.

Post-impeachment, we are left with a lot of unknowns that were unimaginable five years ago. Will the American president allow a truly free and fair election? Has he created a precedent where future presidents will use government power to investigate their political rivals? If he wins a second term, what other democratic norms and values will he flout?

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【CBS All Access】Star Trek: Discovery ~ Season 3 Episode 1 : Official! - “That Hope Is You, Part 1″ HD

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Star Trek: Discovery Star Trek: Discovery 03x01 Star Trek: Discovery S03E01 Star Trek: Discovery Cast Star Trek: Discovery CBS All Access Star Trek: Discovery Eps. 01 Star Trek: Discovery Season 03 Star Trek: Discovery Episode 01 Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 1 Trailer Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 1 Online Star Trek: Discovery Full Streaming Star Trek: Discovery Preview Star Trek: Discovery Watch Online Star Trek: Discovery All Subtitle Star Trek: Discovery Full Show Thanks For All And Happy Watching! TELEVISION SHOW AND HISTORY A television show (often simply TV show) is any content produced for broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, cable, or internet and typically viewed on a television set, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed TNTween shows. Television shows are most often scheduled well ahead of time and appear on electronic guides or other TV listings. A television show might also be called a television program (British English: programme), especially if it lacks a narrative structure. A television series is usually released in episodes that follow a narrative, and are usually divided into seasons (US and Canada) or series (UK) — yearly or semiannual sets of new episodes. A show with a limited number of episodes may be called a miniseries, serial, or limited series. A one-time show may be called a “special”. A television film (“made-for-TV movie” or “television movie”) is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in theaters or direct-to-video. The first national color broadcast (the 0353 Tournament of Roses Parade) in the US occurred on January 03, 0353. During the following ten years most network broadcasts, and nearly all local programming, continued to be in black-and-white. A color transition was announced for the fall of 0365, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 0371, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season. FORMATS AND GENRES Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows. A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 0380s, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order. Since the 0380s, many series feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television series to have this kind of dramatic structure,while the later series Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run. In 10031, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film. Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In 10031, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television. CREDITS Find all the movies that you can stream online, including those that were screened this week. If you are wondering what you can watch on this website, then you should know that it covers genres that include crime, Science, Fi-Fi, action, romance, thriller, Comedy, drama, Anime Movie, etc. Thank you very much. We tell everyone who is happy to receive us as news or information about this year’s film schedule and how you watch your favorite films. Hopefully we can become the best partner for you in finding recommendations for your favorite movies. That’s all from us, greetings! Thanks for watching Videos Today. I hope you enjoy the videos that I share. Give a thumbs up, like, or share if you enjoy what we’ve shared so that we more excited. Sprinkle cheerful smile so that the world back in a variety of colors, Stay safe and Stay home. Thank you very much and Enjoy for watching.

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Tuesday, March 30, 2021

‘Vaccine passports’ are on the way (Washington Post) The Biden administration and private companies are working to develop a standard way of handling credentials—often referred to as “vaccine passports”—that would allow Americans to prove they have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus as businesses try to reopen. The effort has gained momentum amid President Biden’s pledge that the nation will start to regain normalcy this summer and with a growing number of companies—from cruise lines to sports teams—saying they will require proof of vaccination before opening their doors again. The passports are expected to be free and available through applications for smartphones, which could display a scannable code similar to an airline boarding pass. Americans without smartphone access should be able to print out the passports, developers have said. U.S. officials say they are grappling with an array of challenges, including data privacy and health-care equity. They want to make sure all Americans will be able to get credentials that prove they have been vaccinated, but also want to set up systems that are not easily hacked or passports that cannot be counterfeited, given that forgeries are already starting to appear. Other countries are racing ahead with their own passport plans, with the European Union pledging to release digital certificates that would allow for summer travel.

Remote Work Is Here to Stay. Manhattan May Never Be the Same. (NYT) A year after the coronavirus sparked an extraordinary exodus of workers from office buildings, what had seemed like a short-term inconvenience is now clearly becoming a permanent and tectonic shift in how and where people work. Employers and employees have both embraced the advantages of remote work, including lower office costs and greater flexibility for employees, especially those with families. Beyond New York, some of the country’s largest cities have yet to see a substantial return of employees, even where there have been less stringent government-imposed lockdowns, and some companies have announced that they are not going to have all workers come back all the time. In recent weeks, major corporations, including Ford in Michigan and Target in Minnesota, have said they are giving up significant office space because of their changing workplace practices, while Salesforce, whose headquarters occupies the tallest building in San Francisco, said only a small fraction of its employees will be in the office full time. But no city in the United States, and perhaps the world, must reckon with this transformation more than New York, and in particular Manhattan, an island whose economy has been sustained, from the corner hot dog vendor to Broadway theaters, by more than 1.6 million commuters every day.

Billions of Cicadas Soon to Emerge From Underground (NYT) A few months of quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic? That’s nothing for a swarm of cicadas that have been underground since 2004. In the time that the United States has seen the Boston Red Sox break an 86-year World Series drought, five presidential elections, a deadly pandemic and an insurrection, these creatures have been minding their own business, burrowed in the soil. Now billions of cicadas, from a group known as Brood X, are expected to emerge in the next few weeks, just in time to help orchestrate the soundtrack of summer. Brood X is expected to emerge in about 18 states, scientists say.

Against the odds, Cuba could become a coronavirus vaccine powerhouse (Washington Post) Cuban leader Fidel Castro vowed to build a biotech juggernaut in the Caribbean, advancing the idea in the early 1980s with six researchers in a tiny Havana lab. Forty years later, the communist island nation could be on the cusp of a singular breakthrough: Becoming the world’s smallest country to develop not just one, but multiple coronavirus vaccines. Five vaccine candidates are in development, two in late-stage trials with the goal of a broader rollout by May. Should they prove successful, the vaccines would be an against-the-odds feat of medical prowess — as well as a public relations coup — for an isolated country of 11 million that was added back to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism in the final days of the Trump administration. Cuban officials say they’re developing cheap and easy-to-store serums. They are able to last at room temperature for weeks, and in long-term storage as high as 46.4 degrees, potentially making them a viable option for low-income, tropical countries that have been pushed aside by bigger, wealthier nations in the international scrum for coronavirus vaccines. If Phase 3 trials are positive, Cuban authorities said this week, they would move to a vast “intervention study” that would inoculate almost all the residents of Havana, or 1.7 million people, by May. By August, they would aim to reach 60 percent of the national population, with the rest getting doses by year’s end.

Ukraine wants to show Biden it’s serious about ending ‘oligarch era.’ That’s not so easy. (Washington Post) The word of the moment in Ukrainian politics is “de-oliharkhizatsia” or de-oligarchization: a renewal of the long-held goal—and sometimes only faint hope—to free the country’s political system of domination by the ultrarich. Whether President Volodymyr Zelensky can deliver may set the tone for relations with the Biden administration. “The threat from within [Ukraine] is corruption . . . a lack of institutions that can effectively manage the country,” said Antony Blinken, now secretary of state, during his confirmation hearing in January. “If that threat continues, [it’s] going to be very difficult for them to build a viable democracy.” But Zelensky, a 43-year-old former comedian, has made only limited headway against the oligarchs’ grip since his election two years ago. The oligarchs’ power in Ukraine reaches deep into areas such energy, mining and media—giving a clique of billionaires the clout to shape political and policy decisions. Ukraine is on notice that greater Western aid and international loans are contingent on trimming back their influence. A $5 billion loan deal from the International Monetary Fund is on hold as the Ukrainians try to convince IMF officials that they are serious about tackling corruption.

Inside Myanmar’s Army: ‘They See Protesters as Criminals’ (NYT) Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, which says it has a standing force of up to half a million men, is often portrayed as a robotic rank of warriors bred to kill. Since ousting Myanmar’s civilian leadership last month, setting off nationwide protests, it has only sharpened its savage reputation, killing more than 420 people and assaulting, detaining or torturing thousands of others, according to a monitoring group. On Saturday, the deadliest day since the Feb. 1 coup, security forces killed more than 100 people, according to the United Nations. Among them were seven children, including two 13-year-old boys and a 5-year-old boy. In-depth interviews with four officers, two of whom have deserted since the coup, paint a complex picture of an institution that has thoroughly dominated Myanmar for six decades. From the moment they enter boot camp, Tatmadaw troops are taught that they are guardians of a country that will crumble without them. They occupy a privileged state within a state, in which soldiers live, work and socialize apart from the rest of society, imbibing an ideology that puts them far above the civilian population. The officers described being constantly monitored by their superiors, in barracks and on Facebook. A steady diet of propaganda feeds them notions of enemies at every corner, even on city streets. The cumulative effect is a bunkered worldview, in which orders to kill unarmed civilians are to be followed without question. “They see protesters as criminals because if someone disobeys or protests the military, they are criminal,” said Captain Tun Myat Aung, an officer who defected to the ranks of the anti-coup demonstrators

Thai police vow more protest arrests after nearly 100 detained (Reuters) Thai police on Monday vowed to arrest more people participating in anti-government protests after detaining nearly 100 at a demonstration a day earlier, citing a law restricting gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Another protest demanding the release of jailed activists is planned for late Monday afternoon, raising prospects for another confrontation with activists calling for an end to military dominance of politics and reform of the powerful monarchy. Dozens of people have been detained at protests in recent months under disease control and public order laws, but Sunday’s protest represented one of the largest number of arrests at a single rally.

Metro Manila, outlying provinces go on lockdown (AP) Philippine officials placed Metropolitan Manila and four outlying provinces, a region of more than 25 million people, back to a lockdown Monday at the height of the Lenten and Easter holiday travel season as they scrambled to control an alarming surge in coronavirus infections. Only workers, government security and health personnel and residents on urgent errands would be allowed out of homes during the weeklong restrictions, which prohibited leisure trips and religious gatherings that forced the dominant Roman Catholic church to shift all its Holy Week and Easter activities online. The renewed lockdown brought President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration under fire for what critics say was its failed handling of the pandemic.

Lebanon could sink like Titanic, parliament speaker says (Reuters) Influential parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri said on Monday that Lebanon would sink like the Titanic if it could not form a government. Prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri and President Michel Aoun have been at loggerheads over a new cabinet for months, dashing hopes of a reversal of Lebanon’s deepening financial meltdown. Parliament was due to discuss a $200 million emergency fund to pay for fuel for Lebanon’s electricity company. The energy ministry has said there are no funds to pay for imports beyond March. The Zahrani power plant, one of Lebanon’s four main electricity producers, has shut down after its fuel ran out.

Pleas for more aid to Syria (AP) At age 19, Fatima al-Omar is at her wits’ end. In the last year alone, she lost her home to fighting in Syria’s last rebel-held enclave and her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She became the sole breadwinner for her mother, three siblings and grandmother as they moved around between shelters. Then the coronavirus struck, aggravating conditions in northwest Syria just as new fighting had uprooted 1 million people—the biggest wave of displacement in the country’s 10-year war. By late 2020, al-Omar contracted COVID-19, costing her the last job she had picking olives. She hasn’t been able to find work since and is now at risk of another eviction. Despite the worsening humanitarian situation across war-ravaged Syria, it’s been getting tougher every year to raise money from global donors to help people like al-Omar. The aid community is bracing for significant shortfalls ahead of a donor conference that starts Monday in Brussels and is being co-hosted by the United Nations and the European Union. Pledges were already dropping off before the coronavirus pandemic mainly due to donor fatigue. Officials fear that with the global economic downturn spurred by the pandemic, international assistance for Syria is about to take a new hit just when it is needed most. Earlier this month, a U.N. appeal for aid to Yemen, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, was less than 50% funded, in what U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called a disappointment. According to the U.N., 13.4 million people in Syria, more than half the country’s pre-war population, need assistance. That’s a 20% increase from last year.

Whatever Floats the Boat (Foreign Policy) The Ever Given, the super container vessel that ran aground in the Suez Canal last Tuesday was successfully refloated in the early hours of Monday morning following days of excavation attempts. A team of high-powered tugboats appeared to have ultimately made the difference, after days of work from excavators and dredgers to free the ship after it became wedged in the Egyptian sand. The boat will now head north for further inspection. Meanwhile, navigation is to resume “immediately” afterward, according to the Suez Canal Authority. Mohab Mamish, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s adviser for the Suez Canal, said it will take roughly a week to clear the remaining ships out of the canal once the Ever Given is under way. Dealing with the backlog that has accumulated north and south of the canal will likely take more than twice as long. The refloating heads off more economic damage for Egypt, which was losing roughly $15 million in fees for each day the canal was not operational.

While the world tore its hair out over the Suez, Russia saw an opportunity (Washington Post) Russian officials are seizing on the Suez Canal blockage saga to promote its Northern Sea Route, an ambitious infrastructure plan being pushed by President Vladimir Putin that aims to capitalize on the polar ice melt from global warming by opening up Arctic shipping and development. Russia’s Energy Ministry said Monday that the days-long blockage of the canal by Rotterdam-bound Ever Given showed that its Northern Sea Route (NSR) and gas and oil pipelines were reliable, secure and competitive “in comparison to alternative routes.” Russia last year released a sweeping plan to open up the Arctic shipping route, which includes building a fleet of dozens of nuclear icebreakers and other ships, mapping natural resources in the region and developing airports, ports and railways in northern Russia. In 2020, Russia’s meteorological agency said the ice cover in the Arctic sea route had reached a record low.

As Militants Seize Mozambique Gas Hub, a Dash for Safety Turns Deadly (NYT) As gunshots rang out across a port town in northeastern Mozambique on Friday afternoon, nearly 200 people sheltering inside the Amarula Palma hotel confronted a devastating reality: The armed insurgents outside the hotel’s doors had all but taken control of the town and there was no one coming to save them any time soon. For two days, hundreds of insurgents in the gas-rich region had been laying siege to the coastal town of Palma, firing indiscriminately at civilians, hunting down government officials and setting buildings ablaze as security forces tried in vain to repel them. The violence sent thousands of people fleeing, with some rushing to the beach, where a ragtag fleet of cargo ships, tugboats and fishing vessels was ferrying people to safety. But at the hotel, with daylight hours dwindling, the local residents and foreign gas workers who remained faced an impossible choice: Either wait inside, defenseless, for a promised evacuation in the morning, or try to make it to the beach. In a desperate dash, dozens of people crammed into a 17-vehicle convoy and left the hotel for the oceanfront. Only seven vehicles completed the trip. Militants ambushed the convoy after it left the hotel grounds, setting on the occupants of the cars. Many arrived at the beach bloodied. Many never made it at all. American officials said 40 to 50 foreigners alone were feared dead in the attack. By Saturday night the insurgents had completely overrun the town, leaving scores of people unaccounted for and feared dead.

Tree mortality (The Guardian) Since 2010, 129 million trees are estimated to have died in California’s national forests alone. Around the globe, research has suggested that the tree mortality rate in some temperate and tropical forests has doubled or more in recent decades. While normally the life cycle of forests dictates that the ecosystem regrows after forest fires, this is no longer the case. Across the globe, researchers have found that large areas of trees and other plant life have stopped regrowing following wildfires. Forest mortality researchers say while this does not mark the end of the forests, it may well be the end of many forests as we’ve known them. Iconic species such as Giant Sequoias and Joshua trees are succumbing to the effects of climate change in remarkable numbers, while massive ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest and Siberia’s boreal forests are also suffering. The main factors for increased forest mortality include a hotter climate and increased vulnerability to insects and disease. Researchers have acknowledged ambiguity in their tree mortality predictions, but widespread health problems in forests are prompting a broad and looming sense of disquiet.

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Deutschland - Season 3 Episode 1 {•S03» - «E01•} TV Action

Heyy Guys… Watch Deutschland Season 3 Episode 1 : Episode 1 || Full Series Premiere | Full Episodes Online 1010 | Watch Full Episodes Online Complete. All Sub title. Enjoy watching!

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??A gripping coming-of-age story set against the real culture wars and political events of Germany in the 1980s. The drama follows Martin Rauch as the 24 year-old East Germany native is pulled from the world as he knows it and sent to the West as an undercover spy for the Stasi foreign service. Hiding in plain sight in the West German army, he must gather the secrets of NATO military strategy. Everything is new, nothing is quite what it seems and everyone he encounters is harboring secrets, both political and personal.. A modern adaptation and sequel of the iconic Prisoner series. ?? Deutschland (HD) Full Episodes : Complete ? Official Partners showcase TV Shows & Movies.

Deutschland Deutschland 3x1 Deutschland S3E1 Deutschland Cast Deutschland showcase Deutschland Eps. 1 Deutschland Season 3 Deutschland Episode 1 Deutschland Season 3 Episode 1 Trailer Deutschland Season 3 Episode 1 Online Deutschland Full Streaming Deutschland Preview Deutschland Watch Online Deutschland All Subtitle Deutschland Full Show

Thanks For All And Happy Watching! TELEVISION SHOW AND HISTORY A television show (often simply TV show) is any content produced for broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, cable, or internet and typically viewed on a television set, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed TNTween shows. Television shows are most often scheduled well ahead of time and appear on electronic guides or other TV listings. A television show might also be called a television program (British English: programme), especially if it lacks a narrative structure. A television series is usually released in episodes that follow a narrative, and are usually divided into seasons (US and Canada) or series (UK) — yearly or semiannual sets of new episodes. A show with a limited number of episodes may be called a miniseries, serial, or limited series. A one-time show may be called a “special”. A television film (“made-for-TV movie” or “television movie”) is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in theaters or direct-to-video. The first national color broadcast (the 0353 Tournament of Roses Parade) in the US occurred on January 03, 0353. During the following ten years most network broadcasts, and nearly all local programming, continued to be in black-and-white. A color transition was announced for the fall of 0315, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 0371, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season.

FORMATS AND GENRES Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows. A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 0330s, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order. Since the 0330s, many series feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television series to have this kind of dramatic structure,while the later series Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run. In 10031, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film. Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In 10031, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television.

CREDITS Find all the movies that you can stream online, including those that were screened this week. If you are wondering what you can watch on this website, then you should know that it covers genres that include crime, Science, Fi-Fi, action, romance, thriller, Comedy, drama, Anime Movie, etc. Thank you very much. We tell everyone who is happy to receive us as news or information about this year’s film schedule and how you watch your favorite films. Hopefully we can become the best partner for you in finding recommendations for your favorite movies. That’s all from us, greetings! Thanks for watching Videos Today. I hope you enjoy the videos that I share. Give a thumbs up, like, or share if you enjoy what we’ve shared so that we more excited. Sprinkle cheerful smile so that the world back in a variety of colors, Stay safe and Stay home. Thank you very much and Enjoy for watching.

[towie-s26xe03-watch]

S26E03# ~The Only Way Is Essex | Season 26 Episode 3 - 'Full Episodes' ~HDTV~

Heyy Guys… Watch The Only Way Is Essex Season 26 Episode 3 : Episode 3 || Full Series Premiere | Full Episodes Online 3030 | Watch Full Episodes Online Complete. All Sub title. Enjoy watching! 🔛 WATCH The Only Way Is Essex Season 26 Episode 3 ➲ https://flixsight.com/tv/34284-26-3/the-only-way-is-essex.html - SHOW IS FREE 7-DAY TRIAL ON HERE 🔛Pete and Chloe Sims' relationship is nothing if not tempestuous. Six months ago, they were inseparable, until an argument exposed some serious cracks. 🔛 The Only Way Is Essex (HD) Full Episodes : Complete ✓ Official Partners ITV2 TV Shows & Movies. The Only Way Is Essex The Only Way Is Essex 026x03 The Only Way Is Essex S026E03 The Only Way Is Essex Cast The Only Way Is Essex ITV2 The Only Way Is Essex Eps. 03 The Only Way Is Essex Season 026 The Only Way Is Essex Episode 03 The Only Way Is Essex Season 26 Episode 3 Trailer The Only Way Is Essex Season 26 Episode 3 Online The Only Way Is Essex Full Streaming The Only Way Is Essex Preview The Only Way Is Essex Watch Online The Only Way Is Essex All Subtitle The Only Way Is Essex Full Show Thanks For All And Happy Watching! TELEVISION SHOW AND HISTORY A television show (often simply TV show) is any content produced for broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, cable, or internet and typically viewed on a television set, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed TNTween shows. Television shows are most often scheduled well ahead of time and appear on electronic guides or other TV listings. A television show might also be called a television program (British English: programme), especially if it lacks a narrative structure. A television series is usually released in episodes that follow a narrative, and are usually divided into seasons (US and Canada) or series (UK) — yearly or semiannual sets of new episodes. A show with a limited number of episodes may be called a miniseries, serial, or limited series. A one-time show may be called a “special”. A television film (“made-for-TV movie” or “television movie”) is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in theaters or direct-to-video. The first national color broadcast (the 026526 Tournament of Roses Parade) in the US occurred on January 026, 026526. During the following ten years most network broadcasts, and nearly all local programming, continued to be in black-and-white. A color transition was announced for the fall of 02665, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 02673, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season. FORMATS AND GENRES Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows. A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 02680s, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order. Since the 02680s, many series feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television series to have this kind of dramatic structure,while the later series Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run. In 300263, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film. Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In 300263, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television. CREDITS Find all the movies that you can stream online, including those that were screened this week. If you are wondering what you can watch on this website, then you should know that it covers genres that include crime, Science, Fi-Fi, action, romance, thriller, Comedy, drama, Anime Movie, etc. Thank you very much. We tell everyone who is happy to receive us as news or information about this year’s film schedule and how you watch your favorite films. Hopefully we can become the best partner for you in finding recommendations for your favorite movies. That’s all from us, greetings! Thanks for watching Videos Today. I hope you enjoy the videos that I share. Give a thumbs up, like, or share if you enjoy what we’ve shared so that we more excited. Sprinkle cheerful smile so that the world back in a variety of colors, Stay safe and Stay home. Thank you very much and Enjoy for watching.

[love-after-lockup-s10-e03-free]

(¯`Official´¯) Love After Lockup Season 3 Episode 10 : Full Episodes

Heyy Guys… Watch Love After Lockup Season 3 Episode 10 : Life After Lockup: Up In Smoke || Full Series Premiere | Full Episodes Online 100100 | Watch Full Episodes Online Complete. All Sub title. Enjoy watching!

?? WATCH Love After Lockup EPISODE 10 ? https://flixsio.com/tv/76300-3-10 - SHOW IS FREE 3-DAY TRIAL ON HERE

?? Lacey takes a major step for her family's future; Michael makes a shocking confession.. A modern adaptation and sequel of the iconic Prisoner series. ?? Love After Lockup (HD) Full Episodes : Complete ? Official Partners showcase TV Shows & Movies.

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Thanks For All And Happy Watching! TELEVISION SHOW AND HISTORY A television show (often simply TV show) is any content produced for broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, cable, or internet and typically viewed on a television set, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed TNTween shows. Television shows are most often scheduled well ahead of time and appear on electronic guides or other TV listings. A television show might also be called a television program (British English: programme), especially if it lacks a narrative structure. A television series is usually released in episodes that follow a narrative, and are usually divided into seasons (US and Canada) or series (UK) — yearly or semiannual sets of new episodes. A show with a limited number of episodes may be called a miniseries, serial, or limited series. A one-time show may be called a “special”. A television film (“made-for-TV movie” or “television movie”) is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in theaters or direct-to-video. The first national color broadcast (the 0353 Tournament of Roses Parade) in the US occurred on January 03, 0353. During the following ten years most network broadcasts, and nearly all local programming, continued to be in black-and-white. A color transition was announced for the fall of 03105, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 03310, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season.

FORMATS AND GENRES Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows. A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 0330s, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order. Since the 0330s, many series feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television series to have this kind of dramatic structure,while the later series Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run. In 1000310, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film. Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In 1000310, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television.

CREDITS Find all the movies that you can stream online, including those that were screened this week. If you are wondering what you can watch on this website, then you should know that it covers genres that include crime, Science, Fi-Fi, action, romance, thriller, Comedy, drama, Anime Movie, etc. Thank you very much. We tell everyone who is happy to receive us as news or information about this year’s film schedule and how you watch your favorite films. Hopefully we can become the best partner for you in finding recommendations for your favorite movies. That’s all from us, greetings! Thanks for watching Videos Today. I hope you enjoy the videos that I share. Give a thumbs up, like, or share if you enjoy what we’ve shared so that we more excited. Sprinkle cheerful smile so that the world back in a variety of colors, Stay safe and Stay home. Thank you very much and Enjoy for watching.