#when will dan stop inventing conspiracies | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

antoine-roquentin · 3 years ago

Link

The latest episode of The Politics of Everything is about police and fentanyl. Specifically, it’s about what exactly is happening when police officers “overdose” on fentanyl after brief skin contact (or sometimes even simply inhaling traces of it), which is not medically possible. For more, do read our guest Dan McQuade’s story on the subject at Defector. Our other guests are Timothy McMahon King, who earlier this year wrote a thoughtful piece on what he thinks he got wrong when writing about the fentanyl epidemic in his book, and Patrick Blanchfield, who wrote a great piece for The New Republic on the phenomena of “coptalk.” I truly think this is one of our better episodes, so I hope you give it a listen.

Basically, what Dan believes, and what I believe, is that police are experiencing panic attacks when they are in close proximity to fentanyl. This is happening in large part because they have been primed to think they are in extreme danger in those situations. As we discuss on the show, the Drug Enforcement Agency warned police departments of the dangers of exposure to fentanyl back in 2016 (the video was only finally removed from the DEA’s site this year). The San Diego Sheriff’s department video of a deputy “overdosing” that was the original peg of Dan’s piece and the inspiration for this episode was effectively a warning to be vigilant and prepared in case this happens to you. Dan writes: “The same day the San Diego video was released, the Douglas County (Colorado) Sheriff’s Office sent it to all its officers as a ‘training video.’”

As we all know, police deliberately and routinely lie and mislead. In concert with the media, especially television news, and especially local television news, they purposefully spread propaganda. It seems like there is truly no way to stop the local news from uncritically reporting impossible and fantastic things, like people are giving expensive cannabis edibles to children for free for literally no reason, once the police say so. The political class’s recent fixation on misinformation has, for some reason, not yet expanded to encompass the police-to-local-TV disinfo pipeline, which has probably led to more delusional thinking among more Americans than any foreign influence operation in the history of psyops.

An underrated problem, compared to police dishonesty, is that police often believe many of their fictions. It is sort of silly to imagine police play-acting fentanyl overdoses for the purposes of creating viral videos. That is how lots of people, with some justification, interpret these scenes of police suffering biologically impossible “overdoses.” It is more frightening to think of cops suffering real panic attacks, refusing to accept them as such, and believing fervently that the threat is external, coming from the people they have life-and-death power over.

But cops do believe. They are trained to think of everyone as a threat and to constantly feel under siege. They are shown gruesome snuff films of police ambushes and trained to imagine that this exceedingly rare occurrence could happen at any completely routine traffic stop. They believe outright lies about the dangers of their profession, and these lies prime them to treat every encounter as potentially lethal. Their politics also prime them to fall for blatant hoaxes. Instagram stories and Facebook posts convinced police in California that hundreds of antifa super-soldiers were descending on a small town. Chicago police sent a helicopter to the Indiana border to search for a similar imaginary antifa caravan.

At some level, whether cops believe their bullshit is unknowable, and in many cases immaterial. Did the Shake Shack cops truly think they’d been intentionally poisoned? I don’t know. Did it matter to the police union account that blasted out the story for the purposes of getting some tabloid and TV pickup? If they’d intentionally invented the attack or truly felt ill, it would’ve served the same messaging purpose.

But cops believing their own bullshit, like Republican politicians believing their own bullshit, is more dangerous than them simply lying, because cops, like GOP elected officials, have a great deal of power over the people their fantasies and conspiracies treat as existential threats. What if you could invent a guy to get mad at, and get away with killing him?

781 notes · View notes

saraseo · 4 years ago

Text

0 notes

techcrunchappcom · 4 years ago

Photo

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/likud-blue-and-white-back-compromise-to-avoid-elections-the-jerusalem-post/

Likud, Blue and White back compromise to avoid elections - The Jerusalem Post

The political crisis that could lead to a fourth election in 19 months being initiated Monday night appeared on its way to being resolved on Saturday night, when both Likud and Blue and White accepted a compromise.Negotiating teams of the two parties spoke late Saturday night in an effort to reach an agreement in time for Sunday’s meeting of the Knesset Finance Committee, which is set to vote on the final readings of Derech Eretz MK Zvi Hauser’s bill to postpone the deadline for passing the state budget from Monday to December.Hauser proposed a compromise on the issue of political appointments, which has been the toughest issue to resolve in the crisis. According to the compromise, Blue and White would honor the coalition agreement and form an appointments committee that includes Likud representatives, and appointments would be frozen until the committee meets.“We are on the edge of the cliff, before the craziness of going to elections,” Hauser said on Channel 13, where he proposed the compromise. “It is possible to reach a compromise and prevent elections.”Hauser met with Gantz at the television studio, between interviews of Hauser and Gantz, and Gantz told him he agreed to the compromise. Likud officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would also accept it.“We are ready for any solution to avoid elections,” Gantz said in the interview. “Netanyahu dragged us into this crisis. He knows I will not give up on democracy and the rule of law. I cannot explain Netanyahu’s behavior other than personal reasons.”Gantz warned that elections would cause a civil war. He said he was willing to make personal sacrifices to prevent such a scenario.“It is less important to me if I will be prime minister,” Gantz said. “What is important is to avoid elections. The prime minister needs to stop and say I will not drag this country to elections.”Asked whether elections have been avoided, Likud faction chairman Miki Zohar told The Jerusalem Post: “I hope so.”One technical possibility if no compromise is finalized is that a constructive no-confidence vote could be passed on Monday that could lead to a new coalition without Likud or without Blue and White. Opposition MKs Moshe Ya’alon (Yesh Atid-Telem) and Tamar Zandberg (Meretz) called for such a maneuver, but Hauser, whose support would be needed, ruled that out, as did MKs in Likud and Blue and White.Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn vigorously denied accusations from the Likud on Friday that he was deliberately torpedoing efforts to prevent an election, due to a conspiracy with Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit.Nissenkorn, who leads Blue and White’s coalition negotiating team, has been the least willing to compromise among the party’s leaders. He has refused the Likud’s demands to form a committee on political appointments, while other figures in Blue and White were willing to give in.In an official statement, the Likud said Nissenkorn was being tough, because Mandelblit had closed a criminal case against him. The Likud said the case was initiated by then-interim state prosecutor Dan Eldad, who Nissenkorn fired and replaced with Mandelblit.“Was a case closed in return for an appointment and an appointment in return for closing a case?” the Likud asked. “Mandelblit and Nissenkorn will have to give answers to the public immediately.”Nissenkorn responded on Twitter by saying “To whoever is attempting to spread ridiculous lies and invent a scandal, you will not deter me for a single moment from defending the rule of the law. Miserable souls, your attacks only strengthen me.”Mandelblit’s office released a statement in response to the allegations, reaffirming that Nissenkorn is not currently, nor was he ever, a suspect in any crime.“Following media publications in 2017 that raised allegations regarding the Histadrut Labor Union elections that involved Mr. Avi Nissenkorn, it was decided in May 2017 that the police would examine the issue,” the statement read. “The police reached the conclusion that there was no justification in perusing the matter further, for several reasons, including the lack of evidence and the nature of the allegations.”The statement continued to say that in May Mandelblit was told that police recommended Nissenkorn not be investigated. Additionally, “it was made clear that no new relevant information came up regarding this issue since, and there was just valid reason to probe the issue further.”“The attorney-general asked to conduct another examination of the police recommendation and to verify the fact that the recommendation that was given in 2017 was still relevant at this time. A close examination revealed that the recommendation remained as it was and that there was no evidential basis that justified opening a criminal investigation today,” the statement read.

#avoid #compromise #elections #likud #white #Politics

0 notes

thedivinefish · 5 years ago

Text

TGIWednesday and a new baby

TGIWednesday News

Whoa! A new baby? Several of my intuitive friends kept seeing a new baby around me in the Spring. Considering I’m fixed I told them “no way”. But my oldest son surprised us all yesterday with the announcement that he and his wife are expecting. Well, I just want it on record that I am ruling out names like Covid and Rona for first names... just sayin'. So even out of all this mess comes a new life into this world. Even though we’re often knee deep in mud, conspiracy and yes sometimes even frustration and anger towards people, places, things and situations... life still marches on. Often it is to remind us that there is always good to consider, to look at and to be thankful for. So remember that during these times and keep the faith that as Granny Ruth always said, “and this too shall pass” tough times don’t last, strong people do.

TGIWednesday Download

~ CELEBRATING NEW BEGINNINGS~ I believe, think, know and feel that I can celebrate new beginnings in every area of my life. I am ready, willing and able to start fresh here and now and remain inspired. I know, when, where, how and why to stay still, tune in and listen to that still small voice within. I am asking for this in all languages and throughout all time lines and so it is.

LIVE Appearances - Free Healing

JOIN ME TOMORROW! Thursday May 21st at 5pm EST Soul Talk with Patty Malek Register Here Mon. June 22nd at 4pm EST - Straight Talk for the Soul w/ Cari Murphy - Register Here Thurs. July 30th - Your Divine Uniqueness with host Moncef Akfir - Register Here

Monthly Zoom Event - MySwitchWorks

Next Live Zoom Event - Wednesday May 27th 7:30-8pm EST Reinvigorating Your Work Life Switches Live Call As we are now beginning to re-emerge from these strange times, for many it is going to require some focus on you and gathering up your inner strength and confidence to re-invigorate and/or re-invent your work/job/career. Will you stay at your current position? Will you change to a whole new field or career? What about setting up your passive income and a side hustle? Together we will shake the tree and watch the fruit fall on this call!!! Submit your top 5 requests for clearings. For example:

Have spirit show me a new way to make money.

Show me & tell me how to take out the blocks preventing me from making progress.

Get me past my stuck energy.

Release my lack of motivation.

Help me get out of this sense of overwhelm!

You get the idea :)

ACCESS CALL REPLAYS HERE

Abundance Switches Luck Switches Love & Romance Switches Youth & Vitality Switches The Plandemic: Moving Forward *If you've never heard Jimmy explain about switches, click over to this page and play this brief audio.

The Jimmy Mack Healing Radio Show

**NEW TIME** TUESDAY'S at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT CALL IN (206) 806-9965 https://www.freeconferencecall.com/wall/goldylocksproductions

Click Here for Previous Weeks' Show and a full archive of past guests & replays.

Yesterday'sShow - Special Guest Kimberly Marooney Angel Readings and Intuitive Readings

May 26th at 4pm - Rev Debbie Dienstbier | Our resident trans medium communications with your loved ones in spirit. Visit her Facebook page June 2nd at 4pm- Joanne Leo | Psychic https://psychicjoanneleo.com/ June 9that 4pm - Ayla Murray | Psychic, Intuitive https://www.facebook.com/harmonicperspective/ June 16th at 4pm - Mark Hernandez | Pet Healer, Intuitive http://www.peopleandpetsenergetics.com/about-us/ June 23rd at 4pm - Gosia Lorenz Intuitive, Transformation clearings http://www.gosialorenz.com/ June 30th at 4pm - Reverend Debbie Dienstbier Our resident trans medium communications with your loved ones in spirit. Visit her Facebook page

The Jimmy Mack Healing Show is LIVE on Tuesday's at 4pm EDT If you want to Listen in only, go to this website: https://www.freeconferencecall.com/wall/goldylocksproductions OR If you want to call in & ask a question CALL (206) 806-9965 No need to press #1, just dial in and you'll be in the queue. If the Call in Number above doesn’t seem to work, please use this back up Call in Number: (425) 535-9149 when prompted, enter 206.806.9965 followed by # International Callers, click the link below for the International call in list for your country. If you're using the Free Conference Call App, it automatically re-routes the best call In number for you. Please unblock your phone number if you wish to speak with Jimmy and or his guest host. Blocked, Restricted and Private Callers are not brought on air.

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell The Fish: 365 Daily Inspirations & Affirmations

MAY 20th "Today I will lend and now borrow, I will follow through. I will prevail. I will not second guess my intuition and proceed with the smallest and largest decisions with poise and articulation. I will press on.

From the Fish Box

"Hello. In March of this year I was hauling freight from southern Texas to Salt Lake City. I drove all day Friday the 19th and felt fine, but when I woke up Saturday and started driving something didn’t feel right with my left shoulder. By that afternoon the pain grew worse and eventually I finished the last few hundred miles with one arm. I found a lace to park and took some meds and went to bed. My shoulder was on FIRE!!! Could not sleep and could not move my arm at all without extreme pain. The next day I went to walk in care and they said it was a “frozen shoulder“ and could not do anything and didn’t give me anything for pain, and the pain was at a steady 8 and would flash to a 10 if you touched or moved my arm at all. When I went to bed that night I was desperate and wondering how am I going to get home! When I opened my eyes the next day I was scared to move, but I didn’t feel that red hot pain and I didn’t want do anything to change that wonderful feeling. So I sat up in bed and still didn’t feel that pain and my first thought was....what did my wife do? I knew instinctively it was divine but what? I found out later my wife had contacted Jimmy Mack and put me on the prayer chain. All I know is it worked. The pain was gone and I could function again. I was able to completely unload my truck into my rental car and drive home six hundred miles that day!!! Thanks so much for helping me!!!" - Dan L.

"Dan, thanks so much for writing that. We appreciate it so much because it not only encourages me and my team and my ethereal team, but it encourages others to have hope. Considering prior to that event I had never worked on you or met you, but that your wife put you on our nightly prayer list, well, that’s all you need to know about the power of prayer. Many Blessings." - Jimmy

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

Nightly prayers include COVID-19. Each night we work on scrambling the frequency for everyone on the prayer list. Your name will be added to a special VIP Prayer list where Jimmy will use his intelligent computer software, src4you which runs 24/7, to delete the negative and increase the strength of the positive creating a higher probability of favorable outcomes for you.

In addition, throughout the full 30-days, Jimmy will be dialing into your energetic signature each day upon rising and make certain that you are a clear yes, unclear to no and running forward before you start your day. He is doing the heavy lifting for you around 3am NY time while most of you are asleep in order to smooth out your way and increase your most favorable life outcomes.

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Upon written email request, for each new order we offer a one-time email analysis via the intelligent healing software that Jimmy uses on your behalf. Most clients have had amazing results and outcomes!

You can add yourself and those living in your immediate household and yes you can include pets! Merely include everyone’s names and Jimmy will add them to his daily prayers. *NOTE if the MDP Service was purchased via a special telesummit or radio show offer, prayers will be limited to BUYER ONLY - and will not include family members or pets.

You can run this monthly and stop at any time after the 30 days is up, you will have the opportunity to renew and update your list each month but are under no obligation. I believe you will experience magical transformations and make progress every day!

Sessions at the Tampa Office

FRIDAY KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS *Last week for Friday phone appointments, expected return to Kodawari is May 29th

I'm scheduling 15 and 30 minute appointments at Kodawari Yoga Studios from 10am-2pm EVERY FRIDAY.*IMPT! You must call Kodawari directly to schedule times and dates with them AND pay them directly at the front desk prior to your appointment Call Kodawari's front desk directly to schedule (813) 773-4017 and pay at the concierge desk PRIOR to your appointment - 15 minutes 38$ or 30 minutes 68$. UPCOMING DATES: May 29 June 5, 12, 19, 26 3965 Henderson Blvd Suite C Tampa (813) 773-4017 http://www.kodawariyoga.com/

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! To All Mastery Students: If you haven't taken the time to complete the course and book your Certification test with Jimmy - now is a great time!!

The Certificate of Mastery Program includes 2 best-selling ebooks and 2 clearing audios plus written & video instructions, AND one-on-one time with Jimmy ALL for about the cost of a single 1-hr session! This online course is for anyone who is familiar with OR new to "fishing" and is ready to dive into the deep end & get results that are beyond the ordinary! It includes The Tackle Box & The Dowser's Handbook ebooks PLUS 2 MP3s "Clearing Dark Energies" & "Increasing Your Intuition" to help clear, strengthen and prepare your energy field for optimal “fishing” results. This is a work-at-your-own-pace curriculum that will TEACH & CLEAR you at the same time! In under 2wks you will be finished with the program and ready to fish on your own with greater results! Level II offers Practitioner Certification for those who qualify.

LEARN MORE HERE

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

For those who aren't familiar, here's the list of the MyBeliefWorks™ audio library.

Find a topic that addresses your issue(s), click on the link to read more. We had a lot of help downloading & channeling these over the years & they keep getting better. Don't forget... you can share these with you immediate friends and family.

Abundance Abuse Addiction Body Scan: Head to Toe COVID-19 Daily GPS Reset Dark Energies/Fears Decision Making Diet & Exercise Education & Learning Family & Relatives The Gold Coin Healing Physical Body Healing Mental Stress Holiday Stress

Increasing Intuition IRS & Tax Time Love & Romance Money Mindset Moving Forward Pain Relief Pet Healing Sales & Success Improving Sex Improving Sleep Traveling w/Ease Work & Career Weight Loss Windfall Youth & Vitality

TGIFunny

Forward

Jimmy Mack | Appointments Skype: Jimmy.Mack55 Clearwater Florida USA Book a 15 minute session Book a 30 minute session Book a 60 minute session Transformational Healing of Body, Mind & Spirit, People, Places, Pets & Situations! Download the My Liquid Fish® Starter Kit (*Updated May 2019) Audio MP3 Downloads and books to improve your life! Get Certified in My Liquid Fish® Change Made Simple® Watch Free Videos on YouTube Weekly Radio Show Archives Shop for Supplements http://www.jimmymackhealingshop.com www.jimmymackhealing.com Copyright ©1998-2020 All Rights Reserved

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

divinefishingtips · 5 years ago

Text

TGIWednesday and a new baby

TGIWednesday News

TGIWednesday Download

LIVE Appearances - Free Healing

Monthly Zoom Event - MySwitchWorks

Have spirit show me a new way to make money.

Show me & tell me how to take out the blocks preventing me from making progress.

Get me past my stuck energy.

Release my lack of motivation.

Help me get out of this sense of overwhelm!

You get the idea :)

ACCESS CALL REPLAYS HERE

The Jimmy Mack Healing Radio Show

**NEW TIME** TUESDAY'S at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT CALL IN (206) 806-9965 https://www.freeconferencecall.com/wall/goldylocksproductions

Click Here for Previous Weeks' Show and a full archive of past guests & replays.

Yesterday'sShow - Special Guest Kimberly Marooney Angel Readings and Intuitive Readings

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell The Fish: 365 Daily Inspirations & Affirmations

From the Fish Box

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Sessions at the Tampa Office

FRIDAY KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS *Last week for Friday phone appointments, expected return to Kodawari is May 29th

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! To All Mastery Students: If you haven't taken the time to complete the course and book your Certification test with Jimmy - now is a great time!!

LEARN MORE HERE

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

For those who aren't familiar, here's the list of the MyBeliefWorks™ audio library.

TGIFunny

Forward

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

365dailyaffirmations · 5 years ago

Text

TGIWednesday and a new baby

TGIWednesday News

TGIWednesday Download

LIVE Appearances - Free Healing

JOIN ME TOMORROW! Thursday May 21st at 5pm EST Soul Talk with Patty Malek Register Here Mon. June 22nd at 4pm EST - Straight Talk for the Soul w/ Cari Murphy -��Register Here Thurs. July 30th - Your Divine Uniqueness with host Moncef Akfir - Register Here

Monthly Zoom Event - MySwitchWorks

Have spirit show me a new way to make money.

Show me & tell me how to take out the blocks preventing me from making progress.

Get me past my stuck energy.

Release my lack of motivation.

Help me get out of this sense of overwhelm!

You get the idea :)

ACCESS CALL REPLAYS HERE

The Jimmy Mack Healing Radio Show

**NEW TIME** TUESDAY'S at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT CALL IN (206) 806-9965 https://www.freeconferencecall.com/wall/goldylocksproductions

Click Here for Previous Weeks' Show and a full archive of past guests & replays.

Yesterday'sShow - Special Guest Kimberly Marooney Angel Readings and Intuitive Readings

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell The Fish: 365 Daily Inspirations & Affirmations

From the Fish Box

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Sessions at the Tampa Office

FRIDAY KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS *Last week for Friday phone appointments, expected return to Kodawari is May 29th

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! To All Mastery Students: If you haven't taken the time to complete the course and book your Certification test with Jimmy - now is a great time!!

LEARN MORE HERE

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

For those who aren't familiar, here's the list of the MyBeliefWorks™ audio library.

TGIFunny

Forward

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

advancedthetapractitioner · 5 years ago

Text

TGIWednesday and a new baby

TGIWednesday News

TGIWednesday Download

LIVE Appearances - Free Healing

Monthly Zoom Event - MySwitchWorks

Have spirit show me a new way to make money.

Show me & tell me how to take out the blocks preventing me from making progress.

Get me past my stuck energy.

Release my lack of motivation.

Help me get out of this sense of overwhelm!

You get the idea :)

ACCESS CALL REPLAYS HERE

The Jimmy Mack Healing Radio Show

**NEW TIME** TUESDAY'S at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT CALL IN (206) 806-9965 https://www.freeconferencecall.com/wall/goldylocksproductions

Click Here for Previous Weeks' Show and a full archive of past guests & replays.

Yesterday'sShow - Special Guest Kimberly Marooney Angel Readings and Intuitive Readings

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell The Fish: 365 Daily Inspirations & Affirmations

From the Fish Box

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Sessions at the Tampa Office

FRIDAY KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS *Last week for Friday phone appointments, expected return to Kodawari is May 29th

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! To All Mastery Students: If you haven't taken the time to complete the course and book your Certification test with Jimmy - now is a great time!!

LEARN MORE HERE

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

For those who aren't familiar, here's the list of the MyBeliefWorks™ audio library.

TGIFunny

Forward

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

corneliusreignallen · 5 years ago

Text

The conspiracy theories about the Clintons and Jeffrey Epstein’s death, explained

A New York state sex offender registry photo of Jeffrey Epstein. | New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

The idea that Bill and Hillary Clinton secretly kill their political enemies has circulated in right-wing fever swamps for decades.

On Wednesday, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) sent out 23 consecutive tweets whose first letters spelled out a startling claim: EPSTEIN DIDN’T KILL HIMSELF.

Gosar has coyly resisted confirming that he was alleging that hedge fund manager and convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein was murdered. But his tweets were hardly anomalous. Epstein’s death has sparked a ton of conspiracy theorizing, and “Epstein didn’t kill himself” has become a bona fide meme, showing up in signs at college football games and posts by influential pundits like Joe Rogan.

To be clear, the New York City medical examiner has ruled that Epstein died by suicide. A former NYC medical examiner hired by Epstein’s brother has disputed this finding, but that examiner was fired after a long string of errors on his watch, making his word a little untrustworthy.

But that hasn’t stopped prominent individuals, up to and including Donald Trump, from joining in the speculation. The day of Epstein’s death, President Trump retweeted a conservative personality who captioned a video in which he pontificates at length about his theories with “we know who did this” and the hashtags #ClintonBodyCount and #ClintonCrime family. Trump was clearer than Gosar in suggesting who he thought had Epstein killed: Bill and/or Hillary Clinton.

To understand what’s going on here, you don’t just need to know about Epstein’s former friendship with Clinton (or with Trump). You just need to understand the role that allegations of murder by the Clintons have played in right-wing fever swamps since the 1990s, beginning with the suicide of Vince Foster and continuing through to the completely random 2016 murder of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich.

What is the “Clinton Body Count”?

According to a history and debunking first published by Snopes in 1998, the body count meme originated in 1993 with Indianapolis lawyer and militia movement activist Linda Thompson, who compiled a list of 34 people connected to the Clintons who had died and titled it, “The Clinton Body Count: Coincidence or the Kiss of Death?” William Dannemeyer, a notoriously homophobic former Congress member from Orange County, California, picked up the list, trimmed it to 24, and sent it congressional leadership in 1994 as he ran for the US Senate.

Thompson provided — by her own admission — “no direct evidence” that the Clintons were responsible for any of the deaths, and Snopes provides a comprehensive account of all of them, most of which were easily explained heart attacks, plane crashes, or suicides.

The most notable name on the list is Vince Foster, the deputy White House counsel who died by suicide on July 20, 1993. Foster was a colleague of Hillary Clinton’s at the Rose Law firm in Little Rock, Arkansas, and came to Washington, DC, as part of the crew of Arkansas loyalists who joined the Clinton administration. In the job, Foster helped conduct vetting of administration officials and said he felt like he had failed the president when Clinton’s first two picks for attorney general were forced to withdraw because of revelations that they had hired undocumented immigrants.

Foster also became wrapped up in a scandal surrounding the firing of staff in the White House travel office and in legal disputes about access to records about Hillary Clinton’s health care task force, earning him a bevy of harsh Wall Street Journal editorials.

Overwhelmed by these circumstances, and clearly struggling from depression, Foster fatally shot himself. But almost immediately, conservatives jumped on the idea that Foster was murdered. Those fanning the flames included the Journal editorial board, National Review’s Richard Brookhiser, and then-Rep. Dan Burton, who tried to do some amateur ballistics research on the case by shooting a large fruit in his backyard. Reports differ as to whether Burton shot a watermelon, a pumpkin, or a cantaloupe.

Numerous investigations, as my colleague Matt Yglesias explains here, have found that Foster died by suicide. But the eagerness of conservatives, both on the more conspiratorial right and in respectable places like the Journal editorial board (Brookhiser favorably reviewed a book casting doubt on the suicide investigation in the New York Times), to doubt those findings fed the idea of a “Clinton Body Count.” So in the future, when people connected to the Clintons died because of easily understandable causes (like former business partner Jim McDougal’s heart attack death in prison), their deaths became grounds for speculation.

The death of Seth Rich in 2016 was the next major event fueling Clinton Body Count conspiracies. Rich was a 27-year-old Democratic National Committee staffer who was shot in what police believed to be an attempted robbery in DC. But almost as soon as he died, Clinton haters seized on his death and tried to argue that Hillary and/or Bill was responsible. After these rumors began, Julian Assange of Wikileaks gave the conspiracy theorists a motive by hinting that Rich, not Russian hackers, provided WikiLeaks with the DNC’s emails. WikiLeaks then offered a $20,000 reward for information about Rich’s death. The implication was that Rich’s killing was punishment for leaking damaging internal emails.

This conspiracy theory was always absurd; there is copious evidence of Russian hacking, Rich had no access to all of the DNC’s internal emails, and he certainly didn’t have access to all the other information Russia recovered, like Clinton campaign chief John Podesta’s emails. The Rich family would eventually sue Fox News unsuccessfully for its efforts to spread the conspiracy theory.

But for Clinton Body Count conspiracy theorists, the incoherence of the theory in the Rich case was never an impediment. The Rich theory soon became part of the broader QAnon conspiracy theory, which is too byzantine to explain in detail here but which my colleague Jane Coaston summarizes as arguing that “special counsel Robert Mueller and President Donald Trump are working together to expose thousands of cannibalistic pedophiles hidden in plain sight (including Hillary Clinton and actor Tom Hanks).” Obviously, the victims of Clinton’s cannibalistic pedophilia would be additions to the body count.

How this fits in with Epstein

The Foster, Rich, and QAnon allegations are clearly absurd. And, we should be very clear, there is no firm evidence at this juncture to suggest that Epstein was murdered, let alone murdered by people with ties to the Clinton.

Epstein did have very real ties to Bill Clinton. That does not mean that Clinton had anything to do with his death, any more than allegations that Donald Trump raped a 13-year-old girl while hanging out with Epstein mean that Trump had something to do with Epstein’s death.

My colleague Andrew Prokop summarized Clinton’s interactions with Epstein thusly:

According to the Daily Beast’s Emily Shugerman, Epstein visited the White House for a donor event during Bill Clinton’s presidency and met with a White House aide several times there. Shugerman also unearthed a 1995 letter from businesswoman Lynn Forester in which she said she enjoyed briefly meeting Clinton at a recent event and used her “fifteen seconds of access to discuss Jeffrey Epstein and currency stabilization.”

Soon after Bill Clinton concluded his presidency in 2001, the ties deepened. Clinton entered a new stage of his career, in which he’d travel the world, launch philanthropic initiatives, hang out with rich people and celebrities, and make money.

“What attracted Clinton to Epstein was quite simple: He had a plane,” Landon Thomas Jr. wrote in that 2002 New York magazine profile. Clinton’s aide Doug Band made the introduction, and that September, Epstein and Clinton were off on a tour of five African countries, alongside actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker. Per Clinton’s team, the trip was about “democratization, empowering the poor, citizen service, and combating HIV/AIDS.” (It was that trip that first elevated Epstein to some media notoriety, as journalists began to dig into Clinton’s new friend.)

That wasn’t the only trip. According to Clinton spokesperson Angel Ureña, in a statement last week, there was one more to Africa, one to Europe, and one to Asia — but, he says, Clinton and Epstein haven’t spoken in “well over a decade.”

Virginia Giuffre has said in an affidavit that Clinton was also present on Little St. James Island, Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands. But so far, there has been no corroboration for this claim, and Ureña says Clinton has never been there.

Neither Giuffre nor any other Epstein accuser has alleged that Clinton had sex with them. Clinton was, however, credibly accused of rape by Juanita Broaddrick in the 1970s.

What makes the conspiracy theories so frustrating, in part, is that they’re premised on real elements: credible accusations of sexual misconduct against Bill Clinton, Clinton’s real ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and Epstein’s own well-documented sex crimes. It doesn’t take incredibly inventive conspiracy theorizing to move from that to allegations that Clinton was part of Epstein’s sex abuse and from there to wild accusations that Clinton had Epstein killed.

But we should be very clear that as of this writing, there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest someone ordered Epstein’s death, and certainly no evidence whatsoever that Bill Clinton was that person.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2KxRcP2

#Vox - All

0 notes

shanedakotamuir · 5 years ago

Text

The conspiracy theories about the Clintons and Jeffrey Epstein’s death, explained

A New York state sex offender registry photo of Jeffrey Epstein. | New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

The idea that Bill and Hillary Clinton secretly kill their political enemies has circulated in right-wing fever swamps for decades.

On Wednesday, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) sent out 23 consecutive tweets whose first letters spelled out a startling claim: EPSTEIN DIDN’T KILL HIMSELF.

What is the “Clinton Body Count”?

How this fits in with Epstein

My colleague Andrew Prokop summarized Clinton’s interactions with Epstein thusly:

Neither Giuffre nor any other Epstein accuser has alleged that Clinton had sex with them. Clinton was, however, credibly accused of rape by Juanita Broaddrick in the 1970s.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2KxRcP2

#Vox - All

0 notes

gracieyvonnehunter · 5 years ago

Text

The conspiracy theories about the Clintons and Jeffrey Epstein’s death, explained

A New York state sex offender registry photo of Jeffrey Epstein. | New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

The idea that Bill and Hillary Clinton secretly kill their political enemies has circulated in right-wing fever swamps for decades.

On Wednesday, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) sent out 23 consecutive tweets whose first letters spelled out a startling claim: EPSTEIN DIDN’T KILL HIMSELF.

What is the “Clinton Body Count”?

How this fits in with Epstein

My colleague Andrew Prokop summarized Clinton’s interactions with Epstein thusly:

Neither Giuffre nor any other Epstein accuser has alleged that Clinton had sex with them. Clinton was, however, credibly accused of rape by Juanita Broaddrick in the 1970s.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2KxRcP2

#Vox - All

0 notes

timalexanderdollery · 5 years ago

Text

The conspiracy theories about the Clintons and Jeffrey Epstein’s death, explained

A New York state sex offender registry photo of Jeffrey Epstein. | New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

The idea that Bill and Hillary Clinton secretly kill their political enemies has circulated in right-wing fever swamps for decades.

On Wednesday, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) sent out 23 consecutive tweets whose first letters spelled out a startling claim: EPSTEIN DIDN’T KILL HIMSELF.

What is the “Clinton Body Count”?

How this fits in with Epstein

My colleague Andrew Prokop summarized Clinton’s interactions with Epstein thusly:

Neither Giuffre nor any other Epstein accuser has alleged that Clinton had sex with them. Clinton was, however, credibly accused of rape by Juanita Broaddrick in the 1970s.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2KxRcP2

#Vox - All

0 notes

stacks-reviews · 8 years ago

Text

Must Reads Part 6

Happy Friday!

I’m doing Must Reads a little differently this week and next. Normally I do all my starred titles from my randomly picked completed research list for each Must Read. But at least two of my remaining completed lists do not have very many starred titles. This one had a lot so I decided to split it up between a few weeks and will combine those shorter lists on a future Must Read.

This week contains tattooed sins, magical paintings, a secret society, and more!

--An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson (9/26/17) Isobel is a portrait artist with some of her best customers being the sinister fair folk who crave mortal craft. Until the day Isobel paints the portrait of the royal autumn prince Rook. In his eyes she paints mortal sorrow making him appear weak. Rook spirits her away to stand trail for this crime in the autumnlands. They are stopped along the way by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the influence of the Alder King, and countless monsters. Depending on each other to survive, Isobel and Rook start to fall in love. An even greater crime to the fair folk. The only way they might survive this new crime is for Isobel to drink from the Green Well that will transform her into a fair one. But at the cost of giving up her craft. Isobel can sacrifice her art or arm herself with paint and canvas against the fairy court. Because for the first time in all of their millennia, her art has the power to make them feel.

I’m really interested in this book for a few reasons. The main thing being that Isobel won’t have to give up a big part of herself in order to save herself and Rook. Reading this description, her skills with her painting implies that it is a power. She might already have some fairy blood in her family’s history. Even if she is a regular human, her paintings could still be powerful and affect the fairies in a way they don’t expect.

It sounds like a good blend of adventure and art. I hope we get to read about Isobel creating a picture in more than just the beginning and the end. I want to see her art performed throughout or it might downplay it’s importance there at the end and what it means to her and who she is.

--Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi (10/31/17) In the city of Kos, mages called aki have the ability to call forth sin from a person in the form of sin-beasts that are created by feelings of guilt. The aki call forth the beasts to slay them but a tattoo of the sin-beast appears on the aki’s skin while the guilt of committing that sin appears in their mind. Many go mad by the process. Although Taj is only 17, he is the most talented of all aki. Cocky and desperate to provide for his family, Taj takes a job to eat the sin of a royal; and is thrust into the center of a conspiracy to destroy Kos.

I’m really intrigued by this story. It reminds me of Smoke by Dan Vyleta. In that book anytime someone commits a sin or breaks a law or even has a ‘wicked’ thought, smoke comes from their bodies. Letting everyone around them know they’ve done something wrong. Although sometimes what would cause one person to smoke would not make another who did the same thing. Sometimes for the same action one person would have darker smoke or more come out than what came out of someone else. I saw the sin part as a retrospective (is that the right word?) look at what someone would consider to be bad may not be considered bad to someone else.

But back to Beasts Made of Night. It sounds great. It really makes me think of Smoke and I’m really curious to see what all themes it might explore.

--First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy (7/25/17) “It started for pranks, fun, and forever memories. A secret society - for the four of us. The rules: Never Lie. Never tell. Love each other. We made the pledge and danced under the blood moon on the meteorite in the orchard. In the spot we found the dead girl five years earlier. And discovered the ancient drawings way before that. Nothing could break the four of us apart - I thought. But then, others wanted in. Our seaside town had secrets. History. We wanted revenge. We broke the rules. We lied. We told. We loved each other too much, not enough, and in ways we weren’t supposed to. Our invention ratcheted out of control. What started as a secret society, ended as justice. Revenge. Death. Rebellion.”

The first time I looked this book up, I wasn’t too crazy. Labeled it as a maybe. I don’t know if Goodreads had a different description or if I just liked it more the second time around. It sounds like it could be a pretty good mystery. My guess right now, is that by creating IV they might have gotten the idea from a old group who called themselves the same. And somehow in the process maybe committed some kind of magic ritual that maybe activated some old ghosts from the previous group. I hope it has something to do with an ancient civilization.

--Lost Boy by Christina Henry There is one story about Peter Pan that everyone knows. Then there is the truth. How I became Peter Pan’s first and favorite lost boy to becoming his greatest enemy. Peter brought us to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make any. Peter brought us to have fun. But his ideas of fun are sharper than a pirate’s sword. Our neighbors were pirates and monsters. Our toys were knives and sticks and rocks. Peter promised we’d be young and happy forever.

This just sounds amazing. I really like seeing retellings that completely flip the story around. It’s great to see a story told in a new way but it’s even more fun when the story is little like the original. After I read Wicked by Gregory Maguire, I hated the fact that the Wicked Witch died in The Wizard of Oz. I’m curious to see how well this will be done. How much will I hate Peter (although Peter Pan was never one of my top favorite stories and I’m mostly familiar with the Disney cartoon movie and Hook and Neverland)? Is Peter really evil or is he a victim of circumstance and an unfortunate past?

--The Secrets of Eden by Brandon Goode Eden spends his days teaching children how to read in Rolaria to distract him from his mother’s bizarre disappearance. One day Eden accidentally receives an invitation to the Royal Ball and decides to go in order to feel closer to his missing mother. At the Royal Ball Prince Jared is supposed to be finding his future bride but after an unexpected encounter with Eden, a relationship begins. After a night with the prince, Eden decides to explore the castle. He finds a hidden room and see’s his mother’s journal full of notes of a lineage of outlawed magic. In order to find out what happened to her, Eden must risk exposing his relationship with the Prince Jared, thwarting Jared’s chances to rule Rolaria, and trying to understand his awakening abilities. As well the possibility of disappearing like his mother.

I’m hoping this will be a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing. I feel like the outlawed magic lineages will be through a line of royalty that was displaced by the current ruling families. Then made their magic outlawed in order to keep them from rising again. Though thwarting Jared’s chances at the throne could also be from Jared trying to help Eden instead of just proving that Eden would be the crown prince if his family still ruled.

Note: After I typed that I went back to double check the release date and saw where there is a preview of it on Goodreads. I’m not sure what to think now. I believe it is classified as YA but it read more like a Romance novel. It starts right at the Royal Ball and I’m not overly found of how their relationship starts. I’m gonna keep it on my Must Read list. It’s been getting some good reviews on Goodreads and I’m still curious enough to try it out.

#an enchantment of ravens #margaret rogerson #beasts made of night #tochi onyebuchi #smoke #dan vyleta #first we were iv #alexandra sirowy #lost boy #christina henry #peter pan #wicked #gregory maguire #the secrets of eden #brandon goode #books #book recommendations #sci fi books #ya books

13 notes · View notes

allbestnet · 8 years ago

Text

232 Book Recommendations From Derek Sivers

Mindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want by Nicholas Epley

So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine

The Time Paradox by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

The Dip by Seth Godin

Happy by Derren Brown

Au Contraire: Figuring Out the French by Gilles Asselin and Ruth Mastron

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson

Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now by Gordon Livingston

Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches by Marvin Harris

The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chödrön

When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön

Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

When Cultures Collide by Richard D. Lewis

The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon

Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal

Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

Quiet by Susan Cain

What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly

Do the Work by Steven Pressfield

What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith

The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman

Drive by Daniel Pink

Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt

Influence by Robert Cialdini

Personal Development for Smart People by Steve Pavlina

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes

The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read by Daniel R. Solin

The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki

The Paradox of Choice - Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz

Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

The Art of Profitability by Adrian Slywotzky

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

The Geography of Genius by Eric Weiner

A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley

Smartcuts by Shane Snow

Superhuman by Habit by Tynan

The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday

Decisive by Chip and Dan Heath

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams

5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird

The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin

Mastery by Robert Greene

Mastery by George Leonard

The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle

The Developing World by Fredrik Härén

Willpower by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney

Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer

Practicing Mind by Thomas Sterner

Seeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin

Mindset by Carol Dweck

Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland

Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling and Mike Taber

On Writing by Stephen King

The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

The Investor's Manifesto by William J. Bernstein

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman

The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod

Tribes by Seth Godin

How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes

Brain Rules by John Medina

You, Inc - The Art of Selling Yourselfby Harry Beckwith

How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis

The Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen

Small is the New Big by Seth Godin

Getting Things Done by David Allen

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

Grit by Angela Duckworth

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Fabe and Elaine Mazlish

The Gardener and the Carpenter by Alison Gopnik

The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Geography of Time by Robert Levine

How to Learn a Foreign Language by Paul Pimsleur

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Choose Yourself! by James Altucher

No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan S. Kennedy

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

The Passionate Programmer by Chad Fowler

Fail-Safe Investingby Harry Browne

Poke the Box by Seth Godin

The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss

Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky

Hackers & Painters by Paul Graham

Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes by Gilovich and Belsky

What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis

CrowdSourcing by Jeff Howe

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin

Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams

Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin

Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug

Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Steven Pressfield

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias

Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change by Pema Chödrön

Germany: Unraveling an Enigma by Greg Nees

Give and Take by Adam M. Grant

The Bed of Procrustes by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Ikigai by Sebastian Marshall

Wired for Story by Lisa Cron

Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and David Thomas

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

Making a Good Brain Great by Daniel G. Amen

Business Stripped Bare by Richard Branson

Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz

Overachievement by John Eliot

The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky

The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille

The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein

Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky

The Culting of Brands by Douglas Atkin

Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday

How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne

The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker

How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life by Russ Roberts

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey

The Story of French by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow

Island by Aldous Huxley

Ready for Anything by David Allen

Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe

The Now Habit by Neil Fiore

Meditation for Beginners by Jack Kornfield

A Gift to My Children by Jim Rogers

Linchpin by Seth Godin

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein

Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking by D.Q. McInerny

Pomodoro Technique Illustrated by Staffan Nöteberg

Pragmatic Thinking and Learning by Andy Hunt

The Great Formula by Mark Joyner

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Lucky Or Smart? by Bo Peabody

The China Study by Campbell and Campbell

The Power of Less by Leo Babuta

Cut to the Chase by Stuart Levine

Know-How by Ram Charan with Geri Willigan

The Art of Project Management by Scott Berkun

Mindware: Tools for Smart Thinking by Richard Nisbett

Never Let Go by Dan John

In Pursuit of Silence by George Prochnik

The Laws of Subtraction by Matthew May

Drop Dead Healthy by A. J. Jacobs

Little Bets by Peter Sims

One Simple Idea by Stephen Key

Focus by Leo Babauta

The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely

The Profit Zone by Adrian Slywotzky

Speaking of India by Craig Sorti

Losing My Virginity : How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson

Leading an Inspired Life by Jim Rohn

And Never Stop Dancing by Gordon Livingston

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow

Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World by Donald Sull

Quirkology by Richard Wiseman

Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark

A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger

Make It Stick by Peter Brown

The Power of No by James and Claudia Altucher

How to Learn and Memorize French Vocabulary by Anthony Metivier

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Hiring Smart by Pierre Mornell

Discover Your Inner Economist by Tyler Cowen

Causing a Scene by Charlie Todd

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

How to be a Billionaire by Martin Fridson

Enough by John Bogle

Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson

Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki

Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The Obsolete Employee by Michael Russer

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Ecker

The Future of Almost Everything by Patrick Dixon

Wilde in America by David M. Friedman

Complexity: A Guided Tour by Melanie Mitchell

Your Memory by Kenneth L. Higbee

The Philosophical Baby by Alison Gopnik

Hire With Your Head by Lou Adler

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain De Botton

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

China Road by Rob Gifford

Hot Commodities by Jim Rogers

Me, Inc. by Gene Simmons

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Program or Be Programmed by Douglas Rushkoff and Leland Purvis

The Four Filters Invention of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger by Bud Labitan

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur by Stuart Skorman

Life Without Lawyers by Philip K. Howard

The Productive Programmer by Neal Ford

Crash Proof 2.0 by Peter Schiff

Rapt by Winifred Gallagher

Radical Honesty by Brad Blanton

A Bull in China by Jim Rogers

Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston

Seeing What Others Don't by Gary Klein

Flex: Do Something Different by Ben Fletcher and Karen Pine

Cambodia's Curse by Joel Brinkley

Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki

The Think Big Manifesto by Michael Port and Mina Samuels

#book recommendions #derek sivers

6 notes · View notes

dietpillswatchdog · 8 years ago

Text

Helios

Helios is hardcore! If you are one of those body builders who will stop at nothing in your quest for body perfection, an underground supplement formula called Helios ticks all the boxes. It is illegal, can cause dangerous side effects, get you disqualified from competition and you have to get a friend to inject it into your body. We take an in-depth look at Helios to find out more.

According to popular myth, Helios was invented by legendary American body builder Dan Duchaine known as the Steroids Guru. Helios is available only from dodgy-looking websites where it looks to have been made by different and unknown manufacturers. Helios contains two dangerous ingredients and needs to be injected into the body.

HELIOS Pros

None!

HELIOS Cons

Extremely dangerous ingredients

Risk of injecting unsterilized substances

Clenbuterol is illegal in the USA, UK and Europe

Will get you disqualified for doping

Watchdog Rejected Diet Pills

WATCHDOG TIP: Consider using the consumer #1 rated weight loss product – CLICK HERE

What You Need To Know About HELIOS

Helios is an incredibly dangerous steroid supplement that you inject into areas of your body in the hope of losing stubborn fat. It contains Clenbuterol and Yohimbine and many people seem to have tried it despite the very real risks to health including death. Clenbuterol is illegal in most countries and illegal in the USA for this purpose so use it and you will be breaking the law. Helios may work as described but side effects may cause permanent damage.

The Helios formula was invented by notorious steroid junkie Dan Duchaine and in our opinion demonstrates the crazy world of hardcore bodybuilding at its most sordid and insane.

What Are The Side Effects Of HELIOS?

There are loads of side effects to Helios including the risk of infection of the needle sites and the fact that most Helios on sale has not been manufactured in sterile conditions.

Principle side effects include bruising, infection, heart palpitations increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, sweating, diarrhoea, fever, tremors, breathing difficulties, shakes, headaches, increase in body temperature, risk of stroke, heart attack and death.

How Much Does HELIOS Cost?

Helios is not on sale from any reputable sites. However, you can find it openly offered for sale from some dodgy-looking low rent websites where prices and quality of the product will vary. There is no way of knowing whether anyone Helios product is better than another.

We have seen Helios on sale for $23.00 a shot. Buy in bulk (10 shots) and it costs $100.00. This seems to be the typical sort of price you could expect to pay.

Our Verdict On HELIOS

It’s frustrating when you lose weight but still fail to lose stubborn fat but Helios injections are not the answer. Helios contains dangerous ingredients and will cause numerous side effects, many of them potentially lethal. Clenbuterol is illegal for human consumption because it is so dangerous and although Yohimbine is legal, effects are equally unpredictable. These injections could cause a heart attack or stroke or may even kill you.

Although some sites market Helios as injectable liposuction losing fat this way is not as easy as it sounds. You can’t just inject yourself once; it requires long-term use over weeks in order for any weight loss effects to show. You will suffer bruising and tell tale needle marks that will make people think you are a junkie should they see them. The side effects are dangerous and very unattractive.

Helios was invented by a notorious steroid addict whom some bodybuilders believe in but this does not make this supplement any less dangerous. In truth we cannot think of anything more sordid and ridiculous than jacking up on steroids in order to make your body more beautiful and Helios is undoubtedly the worst supplement we have ever seen and should definitely be avoided.

The most popular consumer choice in 2017 is Phentaslim.

With a combination of proven ingredients, superb customer service and a 60-day money-back guarantee, Phentaslim is making big waves in the diet world.

Find out why thousands of people are choosing Phentaslim to achieve their weight loss goals, and why it's also the editor's top selection.

Read the Watchdog Phentaslim review here.

Key Features

Ingredients

Side Effects

Testimonials

Guarantee

Where to Buy

HELIOS Review

Many people find that when they start losing extreme weight they are still left with areas of fat that seem impossible to shift. For men this can be situated around the abs, spoiling the appearance of the muscles. Some women find that they start losing weight from their boobs but retain fat around the waist or thighs. Everyone is different so difficult problem areas will be in different sites on the body.

Helios is designed to remove these fatty areas by what is known as ‘spot reduction’. The idea is that you inject the formula into the stubborn fatty area causing it to reduce or even disappear. This doesn’t happen overnight. You have to inject every day over a period of time in order for it to reduce.

HELIOS Facts

Helios is a substance that you inject into your body with a syringe.

Helios was invented by notorious steroids addict Dan Duchaine.

Contains Clenbuterol, an illegal drug in most countries.

Helios contains two ingredients. The principal component is Clenbuterol – a man-made steroid (a steroid is a drug that mimics hormones) that is used in asthma medication because it widens the airways. It also works like adrenaline so is a stimulant that raises body temperature and puts your body into stress mode – often referred to as the flight or fight response. Clenbuterol increases the body’s ability for aerobic exercise and if you use it and take part in competitive sport you will fail a drugs test.

The other ingredient is Yohimbine HCL another dangerous ingredient. Yohimbine is a chemical that is derived from a tree which grows in Africa. It is a stimulant and although it is legal is known for causing a wide range of dangerous side effects. This does not stop it showing up in numerous supplements relating to weight loss, body building and erectile dysfunction.

Helios has to be injected into the body rather than taken as an oral supplement. According to sources this method of delivery is more efficient for targeting fatty areas. All adipose tissue contains hormones and is part of the central nervous system and when you inject these ingredients into your fat spots you can redirect lipolysis to exactly where it is needed.

How to Take HELIOS

We found some detailed instructions online about how to take Helios. You are advised to have a friend help you administer the dose.

Clean the rubber septum of the vial with an alcohol swab and stick the needle through the septum. Turn the vial upside down, and inject as much air as you want to pull out, this to prevent a vacuum. Pull the top of the needle in the fluid and pull out as much fluid as you and your buddy need.

Inject the fluid in a sterile container (cleaned with alcohol too)

Or suck the fluid directly from the big syringe into the insulin pin, after removing the needle. Suck the fluid into an insulin syringe

All individuals should use their own pin. The pins can be stored in a Tupperware box in the refrigerator and used about three days, you’ll notice it when they become less sharp. The Helios itself should be stored in a cool dark place too, preferably a refrigerator, as well.

For such a dangerous and illegal substance, Helios is surprisingly easy to find on sale. It is available from a range of dodgy-looking websites where it is advertised as ‘not for human use or injection’ in a weak attempt to get round the law.

HELIOS Concerns:

The side effects to Helios are dangerous and well documented.

Injections can be extremely dangerous. You have no idea if the Helios has been made in sterile conditions.

Helios is being offered openly on sale, which may fool people into thinking the health risks are exaggerated. They are not.

Helios is not a product as such, it is a formula. It was invented by American body builder Dan Duchaine, often called the steroid guru who enjoyed some minor celebrity on US talk shows.

Duchaine was a failed bodybuilder who hit on taking steroids as a way to bulk up. He went to prison twice for dealing in illegal steroids, for mislabeling and for conspiracy. He first became an author in prison and his books on steroids (The Underground Steroid Handbooks) are considered important by people who like taking steroids.

As well as inventing the Helios formula, Dan Duchaine popularised the use of DNP for weight loss. DNP (2, 4-Dinitrophenol) is a chemical used in the dyeing industry and can increase the speed of the metabolism when ingested. Many people have died taking DNP for weight loss because it is acutely toxic. Dan Duchaine died in 2000 strangely not from one of his own concoctions but from polycystic kidney disease.

What Does HELIOS Claim To Do?

Helios as been described as ‘Injectable Liposuction’ and it is supposed to help you carry out ‘spot reduction’ where you reduce visible fatty areas of hard-to-shift fat.

All the Helios we have seen on sale adheres to the following formula: 40 mcg Clenbuterol and 5.4mg Yohimbine per millilitre.

All the sites selling Helios provide health warnings and disclaimers such as:

This product is intended for laboratory research use only.

And,

This product is NOT for human use and can be harmful if ingested. This product is for research/laboratory use only. This product is NOT in a sterile solution and is NOT to be injected.

Does HELIOS Work?

We searched online for Helios Injection results and found lots of people discussing this topic. Some people have tried Helios and believe the injections work. Many experience frighteningly serious side effects too but these do not seem to put them off.

Clenbuterol is not legal for using in this way. In the USA it is only legal for the treatment of asthma under prescription or as a veterinary drug. It is banned for all purposes across the UK, Europe and China even for animals use because of fears it may enter the food chain. This has happened in China when 336 people in Shanghai were poisoned after eating pork tainted with Clenbuterol and the same has happened in Spain.

Clenbuterol is illegal because it is extremely dangerous and has been linked to causing deaths. Clenbuterol is also a performance-enhancing drug so if you take part in competitive sport, it will cause you to be disqualified. Tour de France cyclist Alberto Contador was banned for two years after testing positive for Clenbuterol. He was stripped of his title in 2010.

What Are The Ingredients of HELIOS?

All the Helios we have seen on sale adheres to the same formula but is available in different serving sizes.

Clenbuterol (40 mcg per millilitre): Clenbuterol is a stimulant steroid that affects the body in much the same way as adrenaline, only with a stronger and longer-lasting effect. Clenbuterol is used as a treatment for asthma because it widens the airways. It also is a natural thermogenic – it raises the body temperature to potentially dangerously high levels. Clenbuterol is illegal across the UK and Europe and although it is not strictly illegal in the USA, ingesting it or injecting it is against the law. http://ift.tt/14Vw3bq

Yohimbine (5.4mg per millilitre): This natural chemical derived from a tree variety in Africa is legal but it is unsafe. It can increase blood flow to the sexual organs making it often used in OTC sex drugs. Yohimbine is a stimulant that will increase heart rate and blood pressure and has been linked to causing strokes and seizures. http://ift.tt/2nCtA05;

Does HELIOS Have Any Side Effects?

Helios has numerous side effects. Even the people who take Helios put up with side effects that would scare most of us half to death and with good reason. The side effects are very dangerous and are potentially lethal.

First up there is the question of hygiene. Many of the people selling Helios states that the liquid is not sterilised or suitable for injection. You also have to ensure that your needles are clean or the area will become infected. It often causes bruising and needle marks will be visible.

Leaving those issues aside, the risks to health are great. Side effects include:

Heart palpitations

Tachycardia

Arrhythmia

Hypertension

Nausea

Vomiting

Cramps

Pins and needles

Sweating

Diarrhoea

Fever

Tremors

Breathing difficulties

Shakes

Headaches

Fever

Stroke

Cardiac arrest

Bruising

Infections

Death

Caution: Helios is not suitable for anyone to take. It is extremely dangerous and is illegal for this reason.

Are There Any Customer Reviews For HELIOS?

There is a lot of discussion about Helios on the various body building sites. Many people mention side effects. As this customer reported,

First thing I noticed… My heartbeat was hard and fast like I just smoked some meth or something. I never felt overstimmed or anything. Then the second day I had some shakes, I’m guessing that this is normal. Weird thing today I decided not to do it because I dropped about 5 lbs in the last 2 days from the Helios, well… I keep getting sharp shooting pains like in my back, shoulder and arms…

The other forum users told him this was perfectly normal.

Other comments on other forums include,

I was sweating like a rapist.

I got some cramps in my calves, feet and hamstrings. They hurt A LOT!!! I didn’t have a problem sleeping or any other sides… besides the increased heart rate. Resting I was at 90 beats per minute…

Does HELIOS Offer a Money-Back Guarantee?

Helios never comes with a money-back guarantee.

Where Can I Buy HELIOS?

As Helios is illegal to use you cannot buy it from any reputable websites. However you will find it openly offered on sale from some dodgy-looking sites you have never heard of. You can sometimes get it through some of the less reputable body building forums. It seems to be more prevalent in the USA where Clenbuterol is still an ingredient in some asthma and veterinary medications.

The post Helios appeared first on Diet Pills Watchdog.

http://ift.tt/20dXvcA

0 notes

aion-rsa · 8 years ago

Text

Spider-Man: 15 Things His Clone Can Do (That He Can’t)

The “Clone Saga” of the mid-1990s has a bad reputation. Originally, it was only planned to last less than a year, but strong sales led to Marvel’s editorial staff extending the saga far longer than the plot could support. The confusing, convoluted story arc came to represent, in the minds of fans, everything wrong with comics storytelling in the ‘90s.

RELATED: Clone Zone: The 15 Craziest Comic Book Clones

It’s easy to forget that the saga wasn’t always bad. In fact, the early stories in the clone saga were great, which is why it sold so many books in the first place. Most of that was due to Ben Reilly. Peter Parker’s clone took on the role of The Scarlet Spider, reinvigorating the series with his fresh attitude and a few unique abilities. With his recent return to “The Amazing Spider-Man” as the quasi-villainous Jackal, it’s time to take a look at the things Ben Reilly can do that Peter Parker just can’t.

SENSE VENOM

Longtime “Spider-Man” readers will remember that Peter Parker donned the Venom suit during the first “Secret Wars” crossover in issue #8 (written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck, and inks by John Beaty, Jack Abel and Mike Esposito). While the symbiote never fully bonded with Parker, it was enough to affect his Spider-Sense, such that now, he can’t sense when Venom is nearby. That makes Venom one of Spider-Man’s more dangerous villains, as he can easily sneak up on the wall-crawler.

Ben Reilly doesn’t have that problem. He has all of Parker’s memories of Venom, but he never actually put on the suit, so his Spider Sense is still fully functional. When Reilly, as The Scarlet Spider, confronts Venom in “Spider-Man” #52 (written by Howard Mackie with art by Tom Lyle and Scott Hanna), Venom thinks it will be an easy battle. Reilly’s Spider-Sense proves invaluable in allowing Reilly to survive the encounter (and the next one, and the next, and so on).

CLONE THE DEAD

This is something we only recently learned about Reilly. In “Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy” #3 (written by Dan Slott with art by Jim Cheung), the returned Jackal reveals himself to be Ben Reilly, having been resurrected, or more accurately, re-cloned. During his time as The Jackal, Reilly cloned Gwen Stacy and convinced her to become his business partner by cloning her father, George Stacy. Like Miles Warren before him, Ben Reilly has made a habit out of using clones to bring loved ones back from the dead.

This turned out to be another thing that Peter Parker just can’t do. While it’s true that Parker is intellectually capable of making a clone, he has a moral inability to do so. When he reveals his identity to Parker, he offers to clone Uncle Ben, whose body is in a box nearby. Though initially tempted, Parker refuses. He reminds Reilly that Uncle Ben would disapprove. (Uncle) Ben would see such an action as using great power without responsibility.

PLAN AHEAD

During Ben Reilly’s five-year exile from New York, his fighting skills atrophied. He got rusty. Meanwhile, Peter Parker has been fighting off supervillains nonstop, and he’s gotten very good at it. As a result, he’s begun to take a more direct approach, leading with his fists and confronting enemies head-on.

Reilly, on the other hand, has to take a more strategic approach. When he returns to New York, he finds that direct confrontation doesn’t work out well for him. He’s forced to hang back, even occasionally retreating to gain an advantage at a later time. In “Spider-Man Unlimited” #7, written by Tom Lyle with art by Al Milgrom, he tries to defend a homeless man from a gang of drug dealers. When it becomes clear they will overpower him, he briefly retreats to grab his suit and web canisters. With his identity protected and all the tools at his disposal, he’s able to get the drop on the gang and make short work of them.

IMPACT WEBBING

Ben Reilly’s most notable improvements over Peter Parker’s Spider-Man were his web modifications. Parker seemed to take an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to his webbing. Occasionally, a new villain would force him to create a stronger formula, but for the most part, his webs did what they always did.

Reilly was a tinkerer. Though he avoided acting as Spider-Man during his exile, he didn’t stop working on his web canisters. Impact webbing was one of the more useful additions to his arsenal. Rather than firing a simple string of webbing, Reilly is able to fire a small ball that explodes on impact. Once the ball hits its target, web tendrils explode outward, trapping the enemy in a cocoon. The more Reilly fires, the stronger the cocoon becomes, giving The Scarlet Spider a way to quickly deal with stronger enemies. The added gadgets did make his web shooters too large to be worn under his costume, but that’s a small price to pay for added utility.

WEB-SEPARATE VENOM

This is another advantage of impact webbing. When Reilly returns to New York, he’s shocked to find that Peter Parker has struck a deal with Venom. With all the memories of the terrible things the Lethal Protector has done, he can’t believe Parker would allow him to roam free. He immediately picks a fight with Venom, which doesn’t go so well, and he’s forced to seek treatment for a serious gut wound.

When he returns to finish the fight in “Spider-Man” #53 (written by Howard Mackie with art by Tom Lyle and Scott Hanna), he’s prepared. He’s able to protect Scream from Venom’s wrath by entangling him in a web cocoon long enough for her to get away. Then, when Venom grabs Reilly and brings him close, Reilly fires a few impact web balls into Venom’s mouth. The cocoons form around Eddie Brock, successfully separating him from the symbiote. Unlike Parker, the Scarlet Spider can defeat Venom without having to seek out loud noises.

PARALYZE

As we’ve already seen, Ben Reilly did more with his web shooters than Peter Parker ever dreamed possible. It appears when you spend a few years without having to defend New York from crime, you have time to get creative with your gadgets. This handy invention makes an appearance after Reilly has been defending New York as The Scarlet Spider for a short while. By this point, he’s ended up at odds with two formidable enemies: The Grim Hunter (Kraven’s son) and the rapidly degenerating clone, Kaine. And wouldn’t you know it, they both catch up with him at the same time.

In “Spider-Man” #53 (written by Howard Mackie with art by Mike Manley, Joe Rubenstein and Kevin Tinsley), Reilly has taken several beatings from Kaine. This time, Ben is able to gain the upper hand by introducing Kaine to his stingers. Apparently invented with Kaine in mind, the stingers are small darts that inject a muscle-paralyzing serum into their target. Reilly may not be as strong as Parker, but he sure seems a lot smarter.

TRACK ENEMIES BETTER

Peter Parker’s Spider Tracers are pretty remarkable. In a world before GPS was as widespread as it is today, Parker was able to create a small, easy-to-use tracker that he could stick on enemies (or their vehicles) and use his Spider-Sense to follow them. That is, until the enemy in question found the spider-shaped tracker and disposed of it or lured him into a trap. As impressive as the technology was, it could definitely be improved upon.

That’s where Ben Reilly comes in. Realizing that not everything needs to be spider-shaped, Reilly designed his tracers to be smaller and less obvious. His microdot tracers are smaller and circular. Like Parker’s, they can be launched from Reilly’s web shooters, but their circular shape makes them spin as they fly. That means they fly faster and further, and they can stick to their targets without being quite as obvious as Parker’s red spider-shaped models.

GO BLONDE

Most of Ben’s appearances in “Spider-Man” comics took place in the 1990s. For those who don’t remember, the ‘90s were an embarrassing time for hair. Even our most beloved, long-running superheroes didn’t escape without a few missteps. (Remember Superman’s flowing shoulder-length locks? Oof.) Possibly the most embarrassing trend was bleaching your hair blonde. Too many ’90s kids have a cringe-inducing photo of themselves rocking bright yellow hair (dark roots showing through, of course).

For some reason, when Ben Reilly bleached his hair, it didn’t look stupid. It looked perfectly acceptable at the time, and still doesn’t look that bad today. Maybe it’s because he kept his roots from showing. Maybe it was because he wasn’t Peter Parker. Though Parker never tried dying his hair blonde, he absolutely couldn’t have pulled it off so well. His general appearance has been established for so long, a change that drastic would be immediately rejected. Ben Reilly is his own character, though. He may have Parker’s face, but being a blonde just suits him better.

MAKE A DECENT CUP OF COFFEE

Peter Parker was never one for domestic tasks. When Mary Jane comes home from visiting family in “Amazing Spider-Man” #397 (written by J. M. DeMatteis, art by Mark Bagley, Larry Mahlstedt and Bob Sharen), she finds the apartment a complete mess. It’s safe to assume that Mary Jane made the coffee in the Parker household. Also, in all the jobs he’s held (freelance photographer, teacher, tech CEO), none of them required him to learn how to make a good cup of coffee.

Ben Reilly, on the other hand, held down a steady job at The Daily Grind, a classic New York diner and coffee shop. Not only was he able to remain an employee there, he was well-liked and earned enough to live in Manhattan. You can’t do that at a diner without knowing how to make a customer’s coffee just right. Reilly also had to learn to make every kind of latte and cappuccino out there without an automated espresso machine. No matter how useful Parker’s spider-sense is, it’s not going to help him pour a drinkable shot of espresso.

HAVE A (RELATIVELY) NORMAL LOVE LIFE

Peter Parker has had the worst luck when it comes to love. Aside from his early flirtations with Betty Brandt, it’d be hard to call any of Parker’s relationships normal. The first woman he really loved, Gwen Stacy, was killed by the Green Goblin. When he found love again, and got married, it was all eventually undone by Mephisto, who reset the world so his marriage never happened.

By comparison, Ben Reilly’s relationships were fairly normal. During his years of exile in “Spider-Man: The Lost Years” (Written by J.M. DeMatteis, art by John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson) he formed a serious relationship with Janine Godbe. Although she carried her own scars and traumas, none of it was supervillain-related. During Ben’s time in New York, he dated Jessica Carradine. That relationship had its own problems, but they all stemmed from the fact that her father was the burglar who killed Uncle Ben. Ben Reilly may not have the best luck with love either, but at least his relationship troubles were fairly normal… comparatively speaking, anyway.

TURN TO DUST

To be fair, this isn’t something Ben Reilly can do whenever he wants. He only turns to dust when he dies. It is, however, something that Peter Parker can’t do. We’ve seen what happens when Peter Parker dies. In “Ultimate Spider-Man” #160 (written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Mark Bagley, Andy Lanning, Andrew Hennnessy and Justin Ponsor), Parker is killed in a fight with the Green Goblin. He lies there in Mary Jane’s arms as he dies.

When Reilly is killed by The Green Goblin in “Spider-Man” #75 (written by Howard Mackie, art by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna and Kevin Tinsley), his body starts degenerating quickly. He turns to dust as he dies. That serves as the final proof that Peter Parker is truly the original and Ben Reilly is the clone. It seems to, anyway. Turning to dust isn’t consistent with clone degeneration. That, of course, raises the question: Is Reilly truly a clone… or something else entirely?

DESIGN A COSTUME WORTHY OF A TEENAGE GIRL

Peter Parker’s Spider-Man costume is iconic, to be sure. The sharp angles, the black web pattern over the red, the web-wings underneath his arms. When you hear the name “Spider-Man,” you imagine that costume. Not bad for a 16-year-old science geek. It just wasn’t good enough for his alternate-universe teenage daughter or her best friend.

In the MC2 universe, Parker and Mary Jane’s child survived, developed spider powers and protected New York City as Spider-Girl. But did she choose to wear dear old dad’s costume? Nope, her costume was the same one Reilly wore after he gave up the Scarlet Spider mantle and became New York’s only Spider-Man. When her friend Felicity Hardy (Felicia’s daughter) joined up, she took on the Scarlet Spider identity completely, costume and all. So not only can Ben make a costume that a teenage girl would wear in public, he can make two.

STAY POSITIVE THROUGHOUT THE GRIM 1990s

The 1990s were a tough time to be a comics fan. Storylines got darker and darker, characters became more brooding and self-serious. The ‘90s were an era where everything had to be gritty and extreme. In following the fad, a lot of comics lost what made them fun in the first place. Spider-Man had an especially noticeable change in attitude; so much so that Doctor Octopus called him out on it in “Amazing Spider-Man” #397, asking where his wit had gone.

That’s what made Ben Reilly such a welcome addition. Though he had Parker’s memories up to a point, he hadn’t gone through some of the heavier stuff that happened in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Reilly still had the wit, the sense of humor and the easygoing attitude that fans loved about Spider-Man. He brought some much-needed levity back to the series, when all Parker could do was drag it down. It’s no wonder some people at Marvel wanted to make him Parker’s permanent replacement.

SELL MORE COMICS

Ben Reilly reinvigorated Spider-Man comics like Parker, at that point, could not. No matter what writers did with him, Parker was carrying too much baggage by the mid-’90s. For some reason, he couldn’t excite fans anymore. Ben Reilly, as the Scarlet Spider, was exactly what fans were looking for, to the point where three Spider-Man series were briefly rebooted to be Scarlet Spider Series. For a few months, comics shelves displayed “The Amazing Scarlet Spider,” “The Spectacular Scarlet Spider” and “Web of Scarlet Spider” where Spider-Man used to be.

Those issues sold far better than their Spider-Man counterparts had in a long time. The original plan was to have Reilly take over as Spider-Man permanently, but plans changed after Scarlet Spider comics sold so well. Reilly repeatedly refused to take on the Spider-Man name, just so Marvel could continue selling Scarlet Spider comics. Eventually, Marvel was forced to make Ben the new Spider-Man, but they dragged out his Scarlet Spider run for as long as possible.

LET PEOPLE IN

Ben Reilly realized the importance of letting people into his life much quicker than Peter Parker did. It took him forever to admit to Mary Jane that he was Spider-Man. In fact, she figured it out long before he even considered letting her in on his double life. Parker insisted on keeping his secret even to the point of endangering those closest to him. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t around as long as Parker was, but Reilly never took nearly as long to be honest with the important people in his life.

When he dated Janine Godby (real name Elizabeth Tyne), he wised up quickly that keeping his powers a secret from her was impossible. He accepted her as she was and told her all about his abilities and the fact that he was a clone. The world didn’t end. They became a stronger couple for it. Their relationship didn’t work out in the fullness of time, but Ben realized early on that he was happier letting people in.

Do you think Ben was the better Spider? Was he also the better man? Let us know in the comments!

The post Spider-Man: 15 Things His Clone Can Do (That He Can’t) appeared first on CBR.com.

http://ift.tt/2j5dFbB

#Aion_Rsa

1 note · View note