#widow wives week 2020

[jamiebamberdaily]

A Year in Review : Jamie's 2024

Welcome to our look back on Jamie’s 2024! It’s been another busy year for Jamie and so as we have been doing every year, it’s time to do our yearly review of Jamie’s 2024 career.

January started off strong with RAM Films’ Kenny Logan’s Rugby World Cup Documentary airing a shortened version over on BBC Breakfast. This month also saw him attend his first Comic Con of the year as he attended MegaCon at Excel in London.

The end of February gave us the official announcement of his involvement in The Wives which also started filming in the same month. Jamie was cast as Charlie Morgan, the widower of missing Sister-In-Law, Annabelle Morgan. He then took time out of filming at the beginning of March to attend York Comic Con, which we were lucky enough to attend.

As with every year, April saw him celebrate his 51st birthday! We also were given the announcement to the How Copy audio drama podcast. The Wives also wrapped filming in Malta.

The How Copy podcast was released the following month in May which Jamie guest starred in as Captain Brill. While June was the US release month of DI Ray and saw the announcement for July’s Metro Comic Con.

Jamie was a guest on the Game Of Life Podcast in July before he travelled over to Australia to attend Metro Comic Con.

August saw the trailer and release date announcement for Jamie’s movie, Strangers, that was filmed in Bulgaria in 2023. The same month also gave us the exciting news that he was returning to Beyond Paradise for series 3. Our page also celebrated it’s 6 year anniversary AND we got a first look at The Wives!

September was a busy month in terms of Jamie screen-time as it saw both the release of The Wives, airing over 2 weeks (and split into 3 episodes a week) and Strangers beginning it’s streaming on Paramount Plus, which also had him talking to Tony Toscano on his Talking Pictures podcast about the movie. At the end of September, Sky Sports + showed the full Rugby World Cup Challenge documentary, which we may, or may not be in.

October was the 1 year anniversary of the challenge itself and the UK FINALLY got DI Ray on ITV! October was an exciting times for Battlestar Galactica fans as many of the cast (including Michael Hogan who has been battling health issues since 2020) reunited in Illinois, Chicago for the 20th Anniversary convention.

Speaking of Battlestar Galactica, Jamie was a guest on Katee Sackhoff’s Podcast in November where they talked about things such as the BSG audition process, his decision to move his family from LA to Paris before returning to London and how he developed a love for Coffee on the set of BSG. Finally, also in November, Jamie attended a parlimentary reception at the House Of Commons hosted by PETA to pressure the government to phase out animal testing and experiments.

2025 already has us looking forward to Jamie's return as Archie Hughes in Beyond Paradise, which will likely air in the Spring and we cannot wait to see what else 2025 brings for Jamie!

As ever, we would like to thank you for all the support of our page over this past year and wish you all a very happy new year!

Jemma and Sophie. xx

[that-one-blind-writer]

616 Universe

Prompt fill for day 2 of Widow Wives Week

Word count: 386

Warnings: none

* * *

“Did you really think it was me?” Yelena asks, seemingly out of nowhere.

They’re sitting in Tony’s lab, waiting for him to return with something that would hopefully restore Natasha’s memories. Anya is safely locked away, kept under close supervision by Bucky’s people.

“Who?” Natasha inquires, her brow creasing in confusion.

“The clone. When you saw that clone of yourself. Did you think it was me?” The blonde elaborates, playing with her widow bites, a nervous tick they both picked up.

Natasha sighs, watching her. “The possibility certainly crossed my mind. It wouldn’t have surprised me”

It wouldn’t have surprised Yelena either, if she were being completely honest with herself.

Natasha had taken everything from her when she switched their bodies. Stripped her of everything she was, forced her to realize that her entire identity meant nothing. And Yelena had despised her for it. Spent years swearing her revenge on the older woman.

But as she grew older, matured, experienced the real world instead of what the Red Room brainwashed her into believing...she realized there might be some truth in Romanoff’s lesson.

She is the black widow. She’s been the black widow ever since the day she killed Petra. But more importantly, she’s Yelena Belova. Master spy, highly skilled, defector of the Red Room...so many things. She’s unique, her own person. Something the Red Room had never wanted her to be.

“James says he found you killing Hydra agents after I died” Natasha comments nonchalantly, snapping Yelena out of her thoughts.

“Someone had to do it” The blonde replies dismissively, looking anywhere but at the woman in front of her.

“Little one” Natasha murmurs, catching her hand and squeezing it lightly. “I’m proud of you. You’ve grown so much since we first met”

“I’m still taller” Yelena protests weakly, sighing. “I’m not like you. I don’t want to save the world. When I do something, it’s for myself, not for anyone else. I’m selfish”

A smile graces Natasha’s lips, and she stroked the younger girl’s hair away from her face, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“And that’s the entire point, Lena. You’re selfish. But everything you do, you do for yourself. Not for the Red Room, or Hydra, or A.I.M. You’re unique, independent. And that’s all I ever wanted for you.”

[widowwivesweek]

Day 1: The Vest

Take a look at Natasha’s vest in Infinity War. Now take a look at Yelena’s vest in the black widow trailer/poster. Now back to Nat in Infinity War. Back to Lena in the trailer. Notice it’s the same one? Good! This day is all about that vest! How did Natasha get it? What are its origins? Is it Yelena’s and Natasha took it? Or is it Natasha’s and Yelena took it? You decide!

We’re excited to see what you create! Remember to tag your posts as Widow Wives Week and Widow Wives Week 2020 so we don’t miss anything!

[42wallaby-way-sydney]

@widowwivesweek

Day 6: Valentine’s Day (once again a tad tardy to the party YEET)

>>> Paris est plus belle sous la pluie.

Their first Valentine’s day together, they’re on a mission in Paris with Ava and Alex and, though she’d deny it, Natasha actually forgot that it was Valentine’s day.

In fact, it’s not until the mission is complete and Alex tells Natasha, “Hey, I’m going to take Ava to see the Eiffel Tower. We’ll be back in a few hours,” that Natasha begins to wonder if she’s missing something.

She quirked an eyebrow in amusement at her younger brother. “Oh yeah? Got a romantic evening planned in the city of love?”

Alex flushed slightly and looked down, pretending to find something on his phone amusing. “Uhm,” he shrugged, “Kinda, yeah. Ava wants to get coffee and explore. And it is Valentine’s say so it fits.”

Instantly the amusement slips from Natasha’s face and a look of mild dread crosses her face before she can mask it. “It’s... what?”

Alex looked up from his phone, embarrassment now replaced by pure gleeful amusement at the fact that his older sister, arguably the most deadly assassin this side of their universe, had forgotten Valentine’s day. “Did you forget Valentine’s day, sis?”

Natasha scowled at him and softly shoved the back of his head so that he was looking down at his phone once more as she walked past him. “No,” she denied. 

“Sure...” Alex sing-song out to her.

------------------------------------------

Later...

Natasha would find herself sitting at a round table under the awning of a little café with Yelena sitting right beside her, the two of them drinking coffee together and watching as the rain fell slowly around them, creating a lovely little mist. 

Natasha chanced a look over at the blonde. Yelena looked very peaceful. It was a nice look for the younger assassin.

“Happy Valentine’s day, кролишка,” Natasha said softly.

When Yelena turned to give her an uncharacteristically bright grin, Natasha’s heart nearly melted right then and there in Paris.

“ Joyeuse Saint-Valentin, лисичка,” Yelena said, switching between French and Russian effortlessly with no accent in either. She leaned closer and pecked a swift kiss to Natasha’s cheek.

Then took a sip of her latté and watched the rain fall around them.

Playlist:

Paris in the Rain by Lauv

Dernière Danse by Indula

Не Покидай Меня/Ne Me Quitte Pas by Regina Spektor

Requiem (Accoustique) by Alma ft. Amir

J'ai Cherché (Accoustique Live) by Amir ft. Alma (I just really like their voices together and these are *chef’s kiss* tres magnifique songs)

Paris by The 1975

[phoenixmaiden-reading]

The Handmaid’s Tale Book Review

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Read: January 8, 2020 - February 13, 2020

The story is about a woman named Offred who is part of a new society of Gilead and she is a Handmaid, but not in the traditional sense. In this new world, the birthrate has declined and measures have been taken to prevent it. She, and other women, are brought into this new world to bare children for the wealthy who are unable to. The book is more of a mess of jumbled thoughts and events and doesn’t exactly flow the way things usually do and jumps around from past to present about people and events she has seen. It mostly follows certain times, events and night time where she thinks.

It was honestly so messed up. But it was really good.

Stars:  ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Spoiler Summary Ahead!!

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The story jumps right in with Offred telling us that she is in a place where several women are kept in an old school. But now it is transformed into a training like  facility and it’s called the Center. The women there have no names now until they are given one, they are not allowed to talk to each other so they learn to read lips or talk with barely a sound. They are taught the way to act and behave by older women called “Aunts” who rule over them like they are in the military. Outside there are guards, called Guardians that they are not allowed to talk to and are there to keep anyone out and them in. There are also others called Eyes that could be anyone, they are spies that watch everyone and if they don’t behave they take you away in their black van with a white painted winged eye on it.

Offred then moves on to tell us about the house she now lives in. It is owned by the Commander and he lives there with his wife. She recognizes her from TV from “before” as an activist Serena Joy. It is clear to Offred that Serena does not like her and doesn’t want to see her unless she has to. There are also 2 women called “Marthas” that do the cooking and cleaning named Rita and Cora. Rita doesn’t seem to care for her either, but Cora seems to. There is also the driver named Nick. Each person wears a certain color depending on their station, the Marthas wear green, the Aunts-brown, the Wives-blue, the Commander-black, and the Handmaids wear red. It is what Offred wears, everything is in red, her shoes, gloves, and dress. Only the winged habit she wears on her head is white. Later we learn that Ecowives-those of lower stature, wear striped drab clothing, children wear white and widows wear purple.

Offred tells us that she is not allowed to move about on her own, she has a mandatory walk that she goes on to the market. She is given money to spend and must go in a pair so they can watch the other. When the bell rings she gets ready to go to the market and meets her partner, another Handmaid Ofglen. She says there used to be another woman who was her partner, but she doesn’t know what happened to her. There is a Gate they must pass to get to the market guarded by Guardians with guns. They are there to make sure no one runs. They have to sign out with their passes. In the town where the market is everything is indicated by pictures, no words. Women are not permitted to read. All the stores have pictures of what they sell, even the stop signs have no words, it’s just the shape. While at the market another Handmaid Ofwarren comes in and shows off that she’s pregnant. It’s a big deal when there is a pregnancy. On the way back, the pair stops by The Wall. It keeps everyone in town in and it is also where they hang people who go against the new system. Like doctors who did abortions to set

an example because life is precious now. Offred also mentions Luke, who is not a doctor, and seems to be her husband.

It is at night that she thinks more of the past when she dreams. The first time she dreams of a girl she went to college with named Moria. Then it turns to a night she doesn’t like to remember. It is when she was taken by the people of Gilead. She was scared and confused and she was asking “what have you done with her?” They showed her a photo of a girl in a white dress with a woman she didn’t know. They just told her that she was with people who are fit and she was unfit. It sounds like they took her daughter away when they brought her to whatever place they took her to. How sad.

Now another shopping trip with Ofglen. There are 3 people hung on The Wall this time; a priest and 2 Guardians that have purple placards around their necks identifying them as Gay. So sad, they were hung because they were different and not following the rules. Along the way, they pass a funeral procession of Ecowives. One of them was holding a jar with an “unbaby” meaning she had a stillbirth. They also clearly did not like the Handmaids because of their higher status. When she gets back home, Serena Joy is outside and she remembers that she had once been an activist and had been almost assassinated a few times, but now she sits at home and does nothing; it has not agreed with her. Inside, she finds the Commander outside her room but leaves after hesitating. She wonders if he took anything, but she doesn’t have anything to take. Offred then talks about her room having been someone else’s, another Handmaid; it was like she was renting the room, like a hotel. She revealed then that her and Luke were having an affair and they would meet at a hotel, she missed those times. When she first came to the Commander’s house she had searched each corner of the room that they had put her in. In the cupboard she found an inscription gouged in the wood that you can’t see unless you really look. It’s in Latin and it said Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. I looked it up and it means “Do not let the bastards grind you down.” She had asked Martha Rita and Cora about who had been in the room before, but they wouldn’t say. But she thinks she might have known who it was.

Offred then talks about when she had gone to her mandatory monthly check-up with a doctor. The doctors don’t normally talk to them, but the one she saw that time was talkative then he propositioned her. Basically offered to have sex with her to satisfy her, and if she got pregnant she could just pass it off as the Commanders, no one would know. He then says that most old guys are sterile but they don’t say that anymore, it’s forbidden. It would have to be the woman’s fault that they couldn’t become pregnant. She decides to tell him she will think about it because he was in charge of her charts and if she flat out denied him, he could say she was infertile and she would be sent to the Colonies with the Unwomen. Basically, a death sentence, where they send people to work cleaning out contaminated areas. Anyway, he just tells her to think about it until next month.

Later, since it’s bath day, Offred is able to clean herself up but can’t take long since Martha Cora is waiting. She is able to reminisce about the times she used to take baths with her daughter. She also remembered a time when she was shopping at a market and when she turned her back, a woman had taken her daughter out of the basket and tried to leave the store. The woman was caught and her daughter was fine, but the woman kept saying that God had given her to her. She then thought back on her classes at the Center. The head Aunt, Aunt Lydia used to always tell them that the Wives should be pitied because they couldn’t bare children, but they also had to be careful because some could get jealous. There were also rules that the Handmaid’s had to follow. They couldn’t drink or smoke or eat heavy foods, only enough to sustain them and keep them healthy. She remembers a time when they

had a “resting” period when she saw her friend Moria being brought in. They couldn’t talk but they were able to acknowledge each other. It was nice to see a friendly face and she felt safer with her there. She also talks about a class called “Testifying” where women admit sins, and the others shame her. One of them, Janine, admitted that she was gang-raped in college and had an abortion. The other Handmaids-in-training all pointed at her and said it was her fault for leading them on and she deserved it. That’s just disgusting! Offred then mentioned that she was able to meet with Moria in the bathroom and how they both wanted a cigarette. She then had a vague memory of running through a forest with a little girl, probably her daughter, and trying to keep her quiet. Someone was shooting at her and she ended up dropping to the floor and covering her to keep her safe. Then it was the end of her bath and had to get out.

She then moves on to another day where she is to meet with everyone in the household before the “ceremony”. Offred kneels on the floor, the Marthas Cora and Rita stand over her, and Nick the driver. The Commander sits in a big chair and his wife sits next to him in another chair. While waiting for the Commander to come, they are able to watch TV and she sees that there is fighting going on beyond the walls, but they only show when they win. When the Commander comes in, he unlocks the chest the Bible is kept in because women are not allowed to read, and reads some lines that may have been changed to fit the new way of life. She then remembers a time at the Center when Moria had been carted away in an ambulance. She had been sick and they were taking her to be checked. Later Moria was dragged back to the facility. They learned that Moria had attempted to escape and had been caught. They couldn’t do anything too harmful to affect her womb, so they flogged her legs so she couldn’t walk for weeks. They didn’t need their legs to birth a child.

It was then time for the ceremony. It was so…sickening. Offred says she just lays there on the Commander’s bed, her red dress pushed up, with his wife sitting at her head and holding her hands as the Commander basically rapes her. Though she doesn’t say it is, it is only her job, and she made the choice to do it. She doesn’t really pay attention to the act at all and it is all very impersonal. Even the Commander does his part like a chore. Serena is not participating either, just holds her hands. It’s supposed to be like they are one, like she is the one the Commander is fucking and not Offred. Once the Commander has his orgasm, he simply leaves and Serena tells her to get out. All this is necessary for a child to be conceived but she doesn’t like it. I don’t blame her, she basically has to sit and watch her husband fuck another woman.

Later that night, Offred is restless and leaves her room. She’s not supposed to but she does anyway, it gives her a sort of thrill. She ends up in the sitting room from before and is confronted by Nick. He had been looking for her. She feels attracted to him and it scares her a little but it also feels good, to be talked to and touched by someone else. He just tells her that the Commander has asked for her to come to his office the next day.

She makes it back to her room, but she is scared. Her mind then thinks about Luke and where he was. Or rather all the bad things that could have happened to him. Lying dead in a ditch, a prisoner somewhere being tortured, or that he made it across the border and was safe and met up with a resistance and she will get a message from him soon, he will get her out. But it is only a hope of hers.

In the morning while she is eating breakfast a siren goes off indicating that there is a Handmaid who has gone into labor in the community. It is a big event. Offred gets ready and is then taken to the Commander’s house of Ofwarren with a group of Handmaid’s. Along the way, hopes Ofwarren gives

birth to a baby and not some deformed thing. They don’t know since they don’t use the machines anymore to look. She then thinks about a class she took with Aunt Lydia at the Center. About how they learned that there were all kinds of chemicals in the air, and the water was dirty, that there was a chance of having an unbaby or something else. But it was a risk they had to take. When they arrive at Ofwarren’s Commander’s house, they are taken to the bedroom with the other Handmaid’s in the district. The Wives from the district will wait in another room with food and drink, the men, nowhere in sight. The birthing process if different now, it’s just natural all the way, there’s no more drugs, or anesthesia or C-sections. Ouch.

Offred then talks about how the Aunt’s used to show them movies at the Center. But only ones that were approved of. Some were porn, but the ones with BSDM where they are chained up, or movies that show women being raped or cut into pieces. It was supposed to show how women were treated before and that things were better now. They also showed documentaries about Unwomen when they would rally and have marches. Aunt Lydia would say they were wasting their time, always wasting time. The movies always didn’t have words so they wouldn’t hear it. In one of the documentaries, Offred saw her mother when she was younger, a part of the protests. She remembered her mother. How she had her when she was older as a single mother. And how she was very forward in her thinking and didn’t hold back. At the time she hated it, but now she misses her.

In the birthing room, all the Handmaid’s chant “Breathe, Hold, Expel” as Ofwarren goes through her contractions. We also learn that her real name is Janine from the Center. It is what Offred calls her. When it is time, the Wife comes in and sits on the Birthing Stool. The wife sits on the top with the Handmaid below her between her legs. It is supposed to seem like the Wife is the one giving birth. When the baby is born, a girl, the Wife gets into the bed and the baby is brought to her, Ofwarren’s job is done. The Wives crowd around her and congratulate her. Ofwarren is separate from her, not allowed to join in on the celebration. Her job is done. They will only need her for the breast milk for a few months, then she’ll be transferred.

Offred is back at home, tired from the birthing. She then tells us about what she had heard through another Handmaid of what happened to Moria. Janine had been called to Aunt Lydia’s office where she was questioned on what she knew about what Moria had done. She didn’t know anything, but Aunt Lydia told her that Moria had gotten away. She had gone to the bathroom and had called in another Aunt on guard, Aunt Elizabeth because the toilet was clogged, and it was because Moria had clogged it. She had also taken apart the inside mechanism of the toilet so when Aunt Elizabeth came in to look, Moria threatened to puncture her lung with it from behind. She then escorted her down to the basement where she switched their clothes, tied her up behind the furnace. Moria then just walked out of the front door and no one questioned it because she was dressed as an Aunt. Aunt Elizabeth wasn’t found until seven hours later and Moria was long gone. The Handmaid’s were giddy but had to hide it; Moria had made it out, she was their fantasy. And Moria was never dragged back.

Offred then tells about what had happened when she went to visit the Commander in his office. It was full of books which are banned but he was able to get a hold of possible through the black market. What he wanted was not sex like she thought but he wanted to play Scrabble, which she did. He is also very kind and courteous and it has been a long time since she has been treated like that. After the game, she goes to leave and he asks her to kiss him, but not a simple one, one like she meant it. She thought that was sad. When she got back to her room she has a laughing fit and tries to hold it in and ends up on the floor with her head in the cabinet to look at the carved words. It is where she fell asleep. Cora is the one who finds her and starts screaming but Offred wakes up and just tells her she had fainted. They passed it off as strain from the Birth.

After that, she continues to see the Commander several times a week. She gets her cues from Nick who wears his hat a certain way to indicate the Commander wants to see her. She can’t always come because Serena is around but he understands. When she does go, they play Scrabble and kisses him goodnight. The second time she went he gave her a magazine to look at. They were forbidden and Offred was reverent because it was a glimpse into the past of how things used to be. She didn’t know why he showed it to her. On the third night, she got daring and asked him for some hand lotion to use on her skin because it was dry and on the fourth time, he had it for her. She had to keep it in the office because they search the Handmaid’s rooms for anything they are not supposed to have. But now she couldn’t help but think about what else she could get from him.

The night of the next Ceremony is different now that there is a deeper connection between her and the Commander, she was now shy of him when before it had just been a chore, the same for him. She also felt guilty because Serena was right there with them, not knowing of their secret meetings. When the Commander tried to touch her face but she turned away. She told him later to not do that, it could get her transferred to the Colonies. The Commander didn’t even know he was doing it. He felt that the act was so impersonal, but Offred already knew that a long time ago.

She then remembers what Aunt Lydia said. That the next generations will be easier. All women will live in harmony and the population will be up to scratch and the women won’t be transferred around as much because then there would be enough to go around. But at that moment, Offred was basically the Commander’s mistress especially with them sneaking around even though they weren’t doing anything.

During another walk to the market, Ofglen take another route by the river. They pass a store called the Coul Scrolls. It’s where machines print out prayers that the Wives put in over Compuphone. The Wives do it a lot as it is a sign of faithfulness. They stand there a while to talk but it looks like they are praying. Ofglen asks if she believed if God could hear the prayers from the machine. She says no. Ofglen is relieved, she thought Offred was a true believer. Ofglen then says that she can join us. Us meaning more, a resistance and Offred feels hope. She wants to ask if she’s seen Moria or Luke, but doesn’t. As they continue to walk on a black van of the Eyes passes by scaring Offred who thinks they are going to be caught, but it doesn’t stop for them, instead, they grab another man walking down the street. Offred is just relieved it wasn’t her.

Back in her room now, she thinks about what Moria would say of her position now with the Commander. She hadn’t approved of her relationship with Luke either because he was a married man at the time. But Moria didn’t have that problem because she was a Lesbian and things were different with women. Offred then spoke about the time before. She used to have a job at a library transferring books onto computer disks. It was normal, for women to have jobs. To have money. There used to be paper money when she was a child but now it was all plastic cards and all the money was at a Compubank. On the TV it spoke of how the president had been shot and the entire government was gone, and they suspended the Constitution temporarily. To keep calm.

After a few weeks, some stores got shut down, pornomarts mostly and newspapers. Yet she continued her routine of going to work and stopping by a store to by cigarettes. Then one day the woman who usually was behind the counter was gone and in her place was a man. He wouldn’t say what happened to her. He was kind of aggressive toward her and when he ran her card for her cigarettes he said it was invalid. But she knew there was money in it but it kept coming up invalid. So she had to leave and called the company but only got a recording. Then at work after lunch, the director came in and let go of all the women in the office, because it was the law. He said they couldn’t work there anymore. The women in the office were upset of course, but he was too and clearly didn’t want to. He was being pressured by men in uniform with machine guns. So they left.

When she got home she tried calling her mother, but no answer. So she called Moria and told her she had been fired. And she came over to talk. Moria told her that they froze all the accounts that were owned by females, including hers. Women can no longer own property, it was a new law. It had been all over TV. But any husband or male next of kin can access it. Moria said she will go underground, the gays could get anything they need. They had taken away their jobs and money at the same time so they couldn’t run. Later, she picked up her daughter and waited for Luke to come home. He didn’t think it will last and he’ll take care of her. It wasn’t until later that she realized that the men at work with the guns were not the army. It was a different kind of army. There were marches, of course, to fight against what was going on, but the army or whoever they were would open fire as soon as it started and the marches stopped. So she just stayed home and tried not to cry and kept her head down.

Now back at present time. She sees Nick outside with his hat on sideways, her cue that she was summoned. Offred wonders what Nick gets out of his role and what he thought of pimping for the Commander. Yet she goes. She is now comfortable in the Commander’s office, sitting with her shoes off, After their Scrabble game, she is allowed to read. But this time she wants to talk. So she asks him what he used to do and he said he used to be in market research, a sort of scientist. She then asks him about what the Latin phrase that is carved in her cabinet means, not that it was there, but that she had heard if somewhere. He allows her to write it down since she didn’t know how to say it. It had been a long time since she had held a pen. He thinks it’s funny, a schoolboy joke. That it meant “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” But there had been no schoolboy, so she asks what happened to the other Handmaid before her. She had hung herself from the light fixture in Offred’s room, it was why there was nothing up there now. Cora had been the one to find her; it was why she screamed when she saw Offred on the floor. Offred said that maybe she shouldn’t keep coming here. She wanted her life to be bearable, so he asked her what she wanted. And she said to know what was going on.

It then jumped back to the past when Luke and her and their daughter were leaving their house. They couldn’t tell anyone they were leaving and they couldn’t just leave their cat there. They couldn’t give it to anyone nor let it go or it would reveal that they were running. Luke ended up taking it in the garage where he killed it. But that it all had been useless because they had been waiting for them. Someone had told. 

Another day at the market with Ofglen. On the wall was a catholic with an upside down cross and another that was marked with a J.  But it wasn’t a Jewish person. They had been given a choice, either convert or emigrate to Israel and a lot of them chose to go. Some regular people got out that way, pretending. But they crack down on that now. They don’t hang Jews unless they are noisy and pretend to convert. So she doesn’t know what the J on the man is for, he’s just dead. Ofglen tells her that the password for the resistance is Mayday. She had tried it on her before, but Offred didn’t know what it was at the time. She tells her only use it if she has to.

When she gets back to the house, Serena is in the garden and calls for her. She asks if she’s pregnant yet and she’s not. She tells her she’s running out of time, it was possible the Commander just couldn’t produce a child. So Serena tells her it may be possible to do it another way, with another man. With Nick. They just won’t tell the Commander. So Serena offers to get a picture of her daughter if she agrees. So, of course, she does, it wasn’t like she had a choice anyway. Serena then offers her a cigarette and to get a match from Rita. She ends up not smoking and saving the match, for what she is not sure but it was good to have, maybe she will burn the house down.

She says that during their meetings, the Commander had taken to drinking in her presence, even sometimes getting a little drunk. But he never offers her any because she isn’t allowed to since she is only there to bear children. Ofglen had told her that his position was high up there at the top, so seeing him like this was different. He wants to give her things, tenderness, intimacy, but she can’t do that. He then says that there is nothing for men to do anymore. Even though they have everything, but it wasn’t about sex. It was that they had nothing to fight for. In the time before men were bring turned off by sex and marriage because it was readily available, but now, now they want to feel. He then asks for her opinion, but she no longer is supposed to have one. He just says that they tried to make things better, but she thinks that it's not.

Offred then jumps to a different afternoon when she and other Handmaid’s are walking two by two to the Women Prayvaganza. All the women in the community was there. The Wives and their daughters sit in chairs along the side, above them are the Marthas, then the Ecowives though it is not compulsatory for them. On the opposite side sit the Handmaid’s, corded off where they sit on the floor. Offred sits in the back with Ofglen so they can talk. She points out Janine who looks really pale and skinny and tells her that the baby Janine had, died. It was apparently the second one she’s lost. The first was when she was eight months. Janine thinks it’s her fault for being sinful, the baby had been a doctor’s not her Commanders.

She then tells us about a time at the Center when Janine was in a trance-like state one morning. She was saying her name to herself and a mantra-like she was working at a restaurant. She wouldn’t snap out of it until Moria came over and slapped her a few times. She told her that they won’t try to cure her, she’ll go straight to the Colonies or just be taken to the Chemistry Lab and shot. Moria told the rest of them that if she slips again you have to slap her like that. They had to be careful, it was catching. Moria might have already been planning something then.

Back to the Prayvaganza, it started with a prayer by a Commander. Then the Angels come in, basically soldiers from the front lines that have earned medals. Veiled Daughters come in as well and they stand across from each other. It’s all pretty much a group wedding. It’s all arranged now. There used to be those who used to be able to get a man and those who couldn’t. Women used to do plastic surgeries to make themselves look better to attract one. But now everyone has a partner. But there is no love. That was what is overlooked now. Falling in love. There are Men gatherings like this but for military victories, but the Women ones are for group weddings or for when a Nun recants. They basically give them a choice, to go to the Colonies or take back their vow of celibacy and take the Red Veil. But it’s hard on them and they become broken and uncomfortable to be around. Not that I blame them, they are being forced to conform after devoting their lives to God, using their bodies to repopulate the earth with no regard to how they feel. Ofglen then tells her that they know she has been seeing her Commander. She doesn’t say how she knows but tells her to find out anything she can.

Offred then talks about the day they tried to cross the border. They had fake passports for her, Luke and their daughter. They got to the border and gave it to the guard saying that they were going for a picnic. But something was wrong and suddenly Luke got back into the car and sped away and they got out and ran into the woods to getaway. But she didn’t want to think about it. So she came back to the present. Serena had come to her room with a photo of her daughter that she had gotten from another Martha. She couldn’t keep it though, Offred could only look. Her daughter was taller now and smiling a little in her white dress. It was like she had been erased from her life. It would have been better if she hadn’t brought it.

The next time she went to see the Commander he had a surprise for her. He was going to take her out of the house. But she couldn’t go in her red dress, it stood out. So he had gotten her an old fashioned party dress in pink with feathers and sequences. It was so dated and had been used before. It didn’t fit right when she put it on. He got her makeup as well. She had a hard time remembering how to put it on and it takes her a few tries to get it right. When they leave, he has her wear a blue hooded cloak that was clearly Serenas. The Commander even had a pass for her to get her through the check stands. They leave the house by the car that Nick is driving. She has to get on the floor during some moments of the ride but eventually, they arrive at a secret Brothel. It is clear that the Commander has been there before. He tells her that if anyone asks, he bought her for the night.

In the brothel, there are a lot of women similarly dressed in flimsy, old fashioned outfits. It was all that was left now when the new army had gotten rid of all of it. No one pays attention to her and think she is a new prostitute. The Commander shows her off on his arm as he talks to people. He tells her that this place is their club, while it is forbidden, you can’t cheat Nature.  The Commander said that it is mostly officers and trade delegates. It stimulates trade and a good place to meet people. The working girls there are those who can’t be assimilated or don’t want to. Some even prefer it.

While there, Offred sees the last person she thought she would. Moria. She is dressed in the same ridiculous outfit with bunny ears, but it’s unmistakably her. She is able to catch her eye and Moria indicates to meet her in the bathroom. So she does so and they have a bittersweet reunion. They don’t have long to talk, only 5 minutes for a break. She tells Moria that her Commander snuck her in. Apparently, it is a common thing. They like to see them all painted up, they get a kick out of it, especially because they are supposed to be chaste vessels.

Over the next two visits, Moria tells her what happened to her when she left the Center. After she had left Aunt Elizabeth tied up in the basement, she had just walked right out wearing an Aunt’s clothes and she kept walking. She bluffed her way through checkpoints acting self-righteous like an Aunt and they let her through with no problems. But she knew she couldn’t keep doing it once they found out what she had done at the Center. So she tried to find the house of one of the underground groups she had been a part of. She ended up remembering the mailing address of one of them and they let her in. They then helped smuggle her to another place, where she was moved around from one safe house to another for several months trying to get to the border. But near the end, she got caught with a few others. She didn’t know what happened to them, they took her in another van. Moria thought that she would be taken back to the Center, but instead, they showed her a movie about the Colonies. That the people sent there clean up bodies after a battle or in radiation areas with no protection. It’s mostly older women who are of no use and Handmaids who have been given 3 chances or Gender Traitors. They then gave her a choice. To go to the Colonies or the Brothel. So she chose this place. She had 3 meals a day, drinks and drugs and she only works nights. So it’s not too bad. Besides it’s a “Butch Paradise” she said since she was a lesbian. The men who come actually like it. Amongst themselves, the girls call themselves Jezebels. After that, she never saw Moria again.

Later on in the night, the Commander takes her to a room in the back. She goes to the restroom to compose herself first and remembers her mother. Moria had said she had seen her in a film they showed her of the Colonies. She was relieved she was alive, but Moria said she should wish she wasn’t because she might as well be. Offred then says that before when everything was just starting, she had tried to contact her mother and couldn’t get through. She was worried, so she went with Luke to her apartment and got the superintendent to let them in. Her apartment was a mess, with things broken and turned over, her mother was not there. She had wanted to call the police, but Luke said don’t. There was no point. Whoever it was that was doing all this had taken her. Coming back to the present, she goes back out where the Commander is waiting. He had brought her there thinking she may enjoy the change. So she sleeps with him. She just lays there and fakes it.

The next night, Offred is snuck out of her room by Serena Joy and per their arrangement, she takes her out of the house to the garage where Nick lives in the upstairs room. There are no Guardians and the searchlight is out, no doubt arranged by Serena. She really wants a baby. So Offred goes up to Nick’s apartment where he is waiting. She makes up ways in which it happened, that they came together like it would be the last time. Or that they flirted and about how he gets paid and that there was not to be any romance. But in reality, she doesn’t remember what happened, she was just trying to make it seem more than just sex. But one thing is for sure. She actually enjoyed it.

She then said that she wished the rest of the story was different and that she had acted differently. She was sorry that there was so much pain in this story but she tried to put in good things as well. She then continued with her story. After the first time, Offred kept going to see Nick in his room above the garage without Serena knowing. She did it for herself and became reckless to do so. He could have turned her away, but he didn’t. She feels more in control with Nick. They don’t talk much before they sleep together, they save it for after. With the Commander, she closes her eyes because she doesn’t want to see him up close. But with Nick, she wants to see him. They make love like it was the last time. She feels safe with him and clearly enjoys herself more than she thought she would. She tells him about herself, her real name, but he doesn’t say much about himself. They don’t say the word love, that would be romance, bad luck.

When she sees Ofglen she tells her to try to get into the Commander’s office when he wasn’t there to look through papers and find any information they could use. But Offred was no longer interested in the Commander and what he did. She is too preoccupied with Nick. She also believes she may be pregnant and it could be, she wants it to be his. So she tells Ofglen she can’t do it, the door is locked and she is afraid. She tells her they could get her out but she no longer wants to leave. She wanted to stay with Nick. Ofglen gives up on her after that, no longer whispers to her and talks of the weather. But she doesn’t care.

One day a bell rings early in the morning and all the women are to gather. It is a Salvaging and they are for women only. The last  Women Salvaging had been 2 years ago, they weren’t common. They all gather in the same hall as before and they file into their appropriate areas with the Handmaid’s in front, but they have cushions this time. On the stage are the ones to be Salvaged: 2 Handmaids and a Wife. They are silent as they sit there, drugged to keep them quiet. Aunt Lydia, who Offred hasn’t seen in years comes out to address them. She tells them that usually before the salvaging there is a detailed account of their crimes, but this time, because it is televised they will not in case there will be an outbreak of similar crimes. So they will just continue on with it. The Handmaids wonder what they did, it could be anything, but the Wife there wasn’t a whole lot they would be punished for. They could do anything to the Handmaid’s but kill them. Or it could be adultery. Aunt Lydia calls the women’s names and stand them up, put a white bag over their heads and hang them.

After the Salvaging, Aunt Lydia has the Handmaid’s form a circle while most of the other women leave, others stand in the rafters to watch. It was a Particicution. Offred wants to hang back but Ofglen doesn’t let her, to hang back would mean you lack conviction. Aunt Lydia has two Guardian’s bring in a third that has been beaten up. She tells them that he has been convicted of rape. He is a disgrace to the uniform and abused his position. His partner had already been killed. She said it involved 2 Handmaid’s at gunpoint, but she won’t go into detail only that one had been pregnant and the baby died. The group is angry at this and wait until Aunt Lydia gives the signal. When she does the group surges forward and starts to brutally kick and punch him. Ofglen gets there first and kicks the Guardian in the head. Offred is horrified at her. But Ofglen tells her amongst the noise that the Guardian wasn’t a rapist, he had been on their side, the resistance. She had knocked him out to put him out of his misery. So that means that they had found out and lied to make an example of him.

Later, Offred goes shopping and her partner is a different woman, now going by the name Ofglen. I had never put it together before but their names are not really names, its an ownership. They are Handmaids Of Glen and Of Fred. So the name must be their Commander’s names. It’s why this new woman is now Ofglen. There is no explanation as to why. So Offred subtly questions her and uses the secret word of the resistance “Mayday.” At first, there was no response, but as they were going their separate ways the new Ofglen told her that the other one had hung herself before they could take her away to do who knows what, definitely kill them though.

When she gets back to the house Serena is there and shows her the cloak and sequined dress she had found. The cloak had lipstick on it, so she knew what they had been doing. Serena called her a slut like the last one. Offred then went to her room to wait for her fate. She debates ending her life before they could take her but ends up not. A black van comes with the Eyes for her and Nick lets them in. But he says to trust him and that this was a Mayday and to go with them. The Commander and Serena asks why Offred is being taken and what she has done. So they didn’t call the van. The Eyes tell them that she was being taken on violation of state secrets. The Commander thinks it’s his fault, of course, he may be a security risk now. And Serena just calls her a bitch. The book ends with Offred getting into the black van not knowing if it was into darkness or into the light.

That’s the end of the book! Another one down.

[aion-rsa]

Does Netflix’s Red Notice Really Look Like a $200 Million Blockbuster?

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If one were to devise a formula for box-office-breaking blockbusters, then Red Notice would resemble the hypothetical end product. How else would you describe a frenetic actioner bearing a buddy cop dynamic, headlined by the A-list trifecta of Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot, bearing a budget believed to be in the range of $130 million to $200 million? However, this particular product has been long set to stream exclusively on Netflix, where it will stand as the streamer’s most expensive feature. Now, the release of the Red Notice trailer touts what that exorbitant bill has bought.

The reluctant team of FBI agent John Hartley (Johnson) and infamous art thief Nolan Booth (Reynolds) find themselves mockingly dubbed “work wives” by their alluringly elusive femme-fatale quarry, Sarah Black (Gadot), a.k.a. The Bishop. Having handily humiliated the duo in their initial encounter, Black affirms her current status as the world’s most wanted art thief bestowed by the titular red notice issued on her by Interpol. Of course, the pursuit will span sublime locations around the world amidst a bevy of banter as Reynolds’s Booth is essentially in full Deadpool mode—sans the suit and scars—with Johnson’s Hartley as the perpetually-patience-deprived foil who always seems ready to flex his bulky biceps to pummel him upon the next derisive quip. Will the duo catch their proverbial Carmen Sandiego?

Check out the trailer for Red Notice just below to get a taste of the wild ride Netflix has in store for its subscribers.

Interestingly enough, while Red Notice’s theater-bypassing Netflix exclusivity makes it seem like a prototypical picture of the pandemic era, its status a streamer was actually sealed long before lockdowns and restrictions were even a thing. Indeed, it was first reported back in July 2019 that Netflix had dipped into its substantial coffers to acquire worldwide distribution rights to the would-be blockbuster, having also picked up a piece of the production pie shared with shingles like Universal, Legendary Entertainment and Johnson’s own Seven Bucks Productions shingle. Indeed, upon the announcement of the film’s Netflix pickup, Johnson unambiguously thanked the streaming giant for what he called “its largest commitment ever to a feature film.” That’s because the initial acquisition by studios Universal and Legendary was the result of a heated bidding war. After all, the project’s power trio, Johnson, Reynolds and Gadot, were already firmly attached by this point, making it a most promising picture.

While the Red Notice trailer presents a generally impressive cinematic aesthetic typical of what we’d see of blockbusters once virtually guaranteed to print money pre-COVID, it still leaves one to wonder where its bloated budget—possibly as high as $200 million—went. Given the caliber of its headliners, a reflexive theory might speculate that it went to star salaries. Indeed, Variety reported a few years back that Reynolds stood to collect a $20 salary. Allegedly, Gadot, despite fielding a much-smaller role, will make that same amount, boosted by compensation Netflix provided for backend profits lost from its nixed theatrical release—a topic recently made prominent by Scarlett’s Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney for backend compensation lost in the wake of Black Widow’s day-and-date streaming release. Johnson, on the other hand, is believed to collect significantly more than both of his co-stars, not just by virtue of him being the biggest star among them, but since he’s also one of the main producers. However, the final amount that Johnson stands to earn here is not known.  

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Consequently, even a somewhat-educated guess speculating that $100 million total of Red Notice’s budget went to superstar salaries—thereby leaving as low as $30 million for the actual production—seems to bear a ring of truth regarding what was presented of the film in the trailer. Tellingly, the majority of the rather exotic-looking cinematic presentation was shot domestically in Atlanta, Georgia. With production having started in January 2020, the film was—like everything—affected by the worldwide Q1 COVID lockdowns, but it eventually returned and wrapped in November, after which a mere week of supplemental shooting occurred across the pond in Rome and Sardinia, Italy. These circumstances do seem to line up with the film’s unique conundrum with its coffers.

Also of note, Red Notice will be yet another Dwayne Johnson-headlined film arriving under the auspices of helmer Rawson Marshall-Thurber, who has already directed the man known as The Rock on features Central Intelligence (2015) and Skyscraper (2018), although is still best known from comedies like Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) and We’re the Millers (2013), the latter of which has a sequel on the docket. Moreover, it will serve as yet another promotional platform for Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot, each of whom stand to reprise their lucratively popular comic book movie personas, Marvel antihero Deadpool and DC Amazonian Wonder Woman, respectively, for highly-anticipated threequels. Johnson will also showcase comic book movie splendor, with his starring role in DC antihero feature Black Adam currently scheduled for July 29, 2022.

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Red Notice makes its heralded arrival on Netflix on Friday, Nov. 12.

The post Does Netflix’s Red Notice Really Look Like a $200 Million Blockbuster? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[poetryofchrist]

Biblical Studies Carnival for July 2020

Biblical Studies Carnival # 173,

An odd, deficient, odious, but balanced prime.* July 2020. 

I, your host, did a carnival in February of this year just around Mardi Gras. I closed that carnival with the Quartet for the End of Time. Little did we know what was coming our way, though we had seen early warning signs. Let this carnival be heralding the beginning of the end of the disaster that is upon us. Let it be that we realize how critical is our support of each other, our 'mutual responsibility and interdependence', and how foolish is the thought, and all its attendant actions, that freedom belongs to the individual at the expense of the whole body. Fun? Enjoyment? Carnival atmosphere? Gaiety? Song and Dance? Unlikely, but let's see if some Immersive Distraction is worth the try.

Tanakh.

Michael Avioz writes on translation of place names in Targum Onkelos which

... became so popular in Babylonian rabbinic circles that the Babylonian Talmud requires Jews to read it every week together with the weekly portion, in the law known as שניים מקרא ואחד תרגום, “[read] scripture twice and the translation once” (b. Ber. 8a).

Hagar

Ariel Kopilovitz explores through a review of the war against Midian how the priestly Torah was compiled. Abdulla Galadari explores the intertextual connections of the Quran with the Shema. David Ben-Gad HaCohen explores the region of Ar-Moab. The Velveteen Rabbi comments on man, woman, and vows in parashat Matot. Nyasha Junior reimagines Hagar in her book on Blackness and the Bible. Lawrence Hoffman sends an open letter to his students outlining 5 valuable principles to be learned from 'tradition' and putting them in the context of Amalek and the current stresses on social order.

Thirty years ago, while researching an article on the subject, I asked my teacher and colleague, the late Harry M. Orlinsky, to define “tradition” and he replied, “Tradition is just a lie going back at least a century.”

Your host continues to dig into the music embedded in the text of the Hebrew Bible. Here is an English arrangement and a Hebrew performance of Genesis 22. On the governance of the Body, Pete Ens begins the month with using the Bible to support ...

The stories of Israelite kings match the Trump presidency remarkably well. And the condemnation of their actions by biblical authors is persistent to the point of being tedious.

Elkanah and his wives (I Samuel)

Laura Quick considers the bed of Og the King of Bashan. (Remembering Remnants of Giants, last seen in 2019.) The Medieval Manuscripts blog shows some Old Testament passages from the Rochester Bible. Francis Landy introduces the Prologue to Deutero-Isaiah.

The seven Sabbaths following Tisha B’Av, the fast day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temple, are known as שבעה/שב דנחמתא “the seven [Sabbaths] of Consolation.” All the haftarot are taken from Isaiah 40-66, the work of an anonymous exilic prophet (or prophets), who expresses hope for the future rebuilding of Judea and repatriation of its people.

Doug Chaplin gives us a draft prayer card inspired by Jeremiah 12:1 as used by Gerard Manley Hopkins, in his poem “send my roots rain”. Jim Gordon continues his poetry series with A poem for the Sabbath,  by Wendell Berry, a little different from Psalm 92. Carmen Joy Imes praises the laments and imprecatory Psalms.

Mark Whiting writes on penitential wisdom in the penitential psalms. The Hebrew versions of the five poems in the book of Lamentations are riddled with debated readings... It's not very often that Lamentations as poetry gets a mention. A real rabbi now with greying whiskers, and also a poet, Rachel Barenblatt, teaches about feelings in this time of destruction as the period of  approach to Tisha B'av.

I'm finding it difficult to face Tisha b'Av this year, in part because every time I read the newspaper feels like Tisha b'Av. There's mourning and grief and loss everywhere I look.

Ah in such solitude sits the city. Abundant with people she is as a widow. Abundant from the nations, noble among the provinces, she is into forced service.

Andrew Perriman continues a four year conversation on redefining Daniel. Is there a Unity amidst this diversity. A question by Anthony Ferguson on the state of the text of the Old Testament.

I am going to discuss the non-aligned manuscripts. I hope to show that these manuscripts are largely secondary and dependent on an MT-like text.

Hebrew language: Your host is beginning a series on explaining the transformation of pointed text into 'spelling lacking niqqud' here and here.

Slave

Jonathan Orr-Stav addresses the difficulties of rendering the cantillation in standard characters. In these days of deception, you might enjoy this note on clothing from David Curwin of Balashon. Archaeology: Jim Davila links to a report on seals that may show more about the gradual resettlement and bureaucracy in Jerusalem after its destruction in 586 BCE. He also points out a deep excavation under Jerusalem. Matthew Susnow explores the ancient temples with an essay on What is a ‘House of a God’? Airton José da Silva links to articles on the administrative storage centre from the time of Hezekiah and Manasseh. Ian Paul offers an essay on 'good'.

for all the wondrous joy of this claim about goodness, Genesis 1 chooses not to say ‘it was perfect’.

Canonical Edges

James McGrath reports from day 2 of the Enoch Seminar on the origins of evil.

Cosmic

Day 3 continues here and here from Jim Davila. Day 4 concludes with a response from Jim Davila and a plug for 1 Enoch as Christian Scripture. In James McGrath's report we read of:

degeneration of the generations, i.e. that evil doesn’t come into the world in one fell swoop but gradually over time, and involved(s) groups rather than individuals,

James Tabor reflects on the good and the ugly. Andrew Perriman draws us into cosmic thinking and then back to political reality. If you are hungry, watch this.  Making 2000 year old bread. Absolutely marvelous technique.

New Testament

Having mentioned targum for Tanakh, I am reminded of targuman. Christian Brady is now very active in parish work, and posts on drinking the cup. Timothy Lewis asks why some mothers are included and not others in Matthew's first chapter. Bosco Peters continues his Matthew in Slow Motion, Episode 33. Ian Paul writes on the lectionary and the parable of the sower. Jim Gordon writes on invincible ignorance.

"I don't know how to explain to you that you should care for other people." (Dr Anthony Fauci)

Marg Mowczko meditates on meekness in warhorses.

Sickle

In an essay on John as the mundane gospel, Paul Anderson demonstrates now much mundane detail is in John's Gospel. Trinities posts a podcast with Daniel Boyarin on the prologue to John's gospel. Christopher Page continues a series of posts, #86, (and counting) on living with Jesus through the words of John's Gospel. Michael Bird cites Harold Attridge on the beloved disciple. Adele Reinhartz vs. Chris Keith and James Crossley, an online discussion of her book addressing the thesis of Lou Martyn on 'being cast out of the covenant'. Gary Greenberg posts on the case for a proto-gospel and the healing of a blind man in Bethsaida. (via FB and Dr Johnson Thomaskutty. And here is a lecture on the signs in the gospel of John from the Church of South India. Jason Staples writes on 'Reconstituting Israel: Restoration Eschatology in Early Judaism and Paul’s Gentile Mission.'. Second installment here. Andrew Perriman puts glossolalia into a historical framework that "Jerusalem faces a catastrophic judgment".

The gift of speaking in other tongues signifies the extension of Joel’s prophecy beyond geographical Israel to include all Jews who looked to Jerusalem as the centre of their religious life and practice. The city and its spectacular temple would soon be destroyed.

Eyal Regev asks if Christians mourned the destruction of the temple. And if you have forgotten what prosopological means, here's a reminder. James Tabor reminds us with a paper from the 1980s about Paul's words on apotheosis. Christopher Page seems to double this thought with his mid-month 100th pandemic post on Jesus. And to continue the subject, Ian Paul asks what to think of AI. (Homo Deus?) What's in the translator's choices of gloss? Brent Niedergall posts on temptation vs trial. Brian Small notes that Cyril's lost commentary on Hebrews has been found. CSCO has a number of notes on the Oxford Handbook of Pauline Studies. Phillip Long continues his series on Revelation with questions on 'the son of man' and 'the harvests' and 'the final visions'. James Tabor reflects on washed in the blood of the lamb. For another take on Revelation as an orchestral score, and with respect to more recent historical contexts, see Ian Paul on the present crisis. Derek Demars argues that Revelation is a musical!

Miscellaneous

Family

Marc Goodacre teaches by example about fatigue

... one can see an author making characteristic changes to a source at the beginning of a passage, only to lapse into the wording of the source later on.

Jim West has posted Larry Schiffman's lecture on the DSS here. Airton José da Silva announces a new Bible.

Brazilian translation of the famous French “Traduction Oecuménique de la Bible” (TOB) (according to the 12th ed., 2010). It is the model of ecumenical translations, because of the interfaith composition of its collaborators and because it even adapts, for the Old Testament, the Jewish sequence of biblical books. It is an excellent study bible, with rich notes and many references of parallel texts.

And here is an insight into the culture of Biblical Studies in Brazil. Brent Niedergall points to a paper on the CBGM as material for the upcoming virtual SBL annual meeting. And for more on CBGM, see Brent Nongbri's article here. The cosmologist Bishop of Rhode Island, Nicholas Knisely, expresses a hope that we can go beyond our self-images, on his blog, Entangled States. More than a little uncertainty in the referent in the blog name. James McGrath writes on Academic genealogies. Ken Schenck continues his review of the works of his doctoral advisor, Jimmy Dunn, finishing on the twelfth day. Helen Bond remembers Jimmy Dunn. James Tabor traces his history of learning Greek from age 17 to 74. This spring chicken explains how 'older is not better', and that Westcott and Hort are seen by some today as part of 'a “plot from hell” to destroy God’s truth'. (See also a later version here.) This post on his 'first book' is too good to pass up. The first week of July presented several posts which seemed to be strong on issues peripherally related to the Bible, but grounded in the questions raised by our persistence with its content: So a note by Ian Paul on the priesthood (presbyter), running the risk of self-justification but showing the stuff of Cranmer, and on the meaninglessness of life in response to facing death, by Christopher Page, and on manufacturing belief, a documentary in which many famous appear, noted by Bart Ehrman. There is even a commentary by OUP on being prepared. Nicely juxtaposed is Phillip Long's note for the day on the winepress. Westar Think Tank Fellow, Terrence Dean interviews Nontombi Naomi Tutu: Five current questions. On issues of gender in Biblical Studies, note this discussion with the title, Sarah Rollens and Candida Moss vs Chris Keith here.

Books

Abel Mordechai Bibliowicz has made a pdf available on Jewish-Christian Relations-The First Centuries. 

Bart Ehrman talks about his book, Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife, in a long podcast on Reason and Theology. (Take care with whom you chose to spar.) His blog also has a guest post by Cavan Concannon on the Bible Museum.

Not to be outdone, Tyndale house is starting a new podcast series on Trusting the Bible.

April Deconick notes a new book on Jewish Roots of Eastern Christian Mysticism.

Marg Mowczko notes a new book Holding Up Half the Sky.

Stephen Nadler reviews Spinoza.

Reuven Chaim Klein reviews Pharoah, Biblical History, Egypt, and the Missing Millennium, reworking the chronology of traditional Egyptology.

Jim Davila highlights a review of Fredriksen's When Christians were Jews. A good review that I missed from last month's feeds. A good book, too, I am sure.

Brent Niedergall reviews The Greek of the Pentateuch by John A. L. Lee.

Richard Briggs reviews John R. Levinson's The Holy Spirit before Christianity

In a study that is both poignant and provocative, Levison takes readers back five hundred years before Jesus, where he discovers history’s first grasp of the Holy Spirit as a personal agent. The prophet Haggai and the author of Isaiah 56–66, in their search for ways to grapple with the tragic events of exile and to articulate hope for the future, took up old exodus traditions of divine agents―pillars of fire, an angel, God’s own presence―and fused them with belief in God’s Spirit. ... Like most (if not all?) good New Testament ideas, the Old Testament got there first.

Unavoidable

In Memoriam: Alister McGrath has written an obituary for James Packer, certainly a man of some influence and who was known by many in the far west of Canada including former blogger, Suzanne McCarthy most recently of BLT, not just a sandwich. (I knew I could get a bit more poetry in this carnival somehow. I'd rather have good poetry than bad tattoos with lots of ads any day.) ... August is coming up, not April, that cruelest month ...

Next Carnivals

Phil is always looking for volunteers. Fun or not, spending a month actually reading the bloggy scholars and the scholarly blogs is an education... Occasionally, people actually suggest posts too. Chris Brady began the month with a post comparing Facebook to the old blogging community with vigorous discussion of issues in the comments and among the blogs. He also announces the upcoming virtual SBL.

August 2020 – Phillip Long, Reading Acts

September 2020 – Brent Niedergall (who is beginning a video series on James.)

* Footnote: (For the numerologists.) from Blogger https://ift.tt/3fiigze via IFTTT

[topworldhistory]

The monarch’s chaotic love life led to an unstable succession, foreign policy changes and a break with Rome.

King Henry VIII ruled England for 36 years (1509-1547), presiding over the beginnings of the English Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. But it's the monarch's tumultuous romantic life, rather than his politics, that have kept him in the spotlight. 

Henry VIII is best known for his six wives, and several mistresses he kept on the side. The monarch’s desperate quest for political unification and a healthy male heir drove him to annul two marriages and have two wives beheaded. His chaotic love life caused an unstable succession, foreign policy implications and even led to the break with Rome.

Here’s a look at the lives and, in several instances, the untimely demise of Henry VIII’s wives along with the impact this real-life melodrama had on England.

Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536): Demoted for Bearing No Son

Catherine of Aragon

Henry took the throne in 1509, at age 17. Six weeks later, he married Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain and the widow of his elder brother, Arthur. From the moment young Henry took his nuptials, he obsessed over continuing the Tudor line. Of multiple pregnancies and several births, the only child to survive was Henry and Catherine’s daughter, Mary, born in February 1516.

Catherine remained at Henry’s side for 23 years and is even thought to be the only woman the king ever truly loved. “Henry viewed her as a model wife in every respect bar one… her failure to give him a son,” says Tudor historian Tracy Borman. Frustrated at the lack of a male heir, Henry’s eyes wandered.

He had a brief extra-marital affair with Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount, one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting. In 1519, Bessie was taken in secret to the Essex countryside where she gave birth to Henry Fitzroy, Henry’s only acknowledged illegitimate child.

By the 1520s, Henry had developed a fondness for Anne Boleyn, another lady-in-waiting to the queen, and eventually sought the Pope’s approval for an annulment. “He argued that his marriage to Catherine was invalid because her marriage to his brother Arthur had been consummated, but she always contested this,” Borman explains. When the Pope refused Henry’s request, the king divorced Catherine against the will of the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England—ushering in the Reformation.

Catherine died at Kimbolton Castle, as a princess not a queen, on January 7, 1536.

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501-1536): The Union That Sparked Reformation, Beheaded

Anne Boleyn

Anne and her sister, Mary, spent part of their childhood in the France court. Mary returned to England sometime around 1520 and had a brief affair with Henry. Henry then became smitten with Anne, but she refused the king’s advances. She had no interest in being a mistress, which is thought to have prompted Henry’s annulment with Catherine.

Henry and Anne wed in January of 1533, and Anne gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth, in September the same year. Henry remained hopeful Anne would give him a son, but after a series of stillborn births, Henry lost interest in his wife. When he took a mistress, Anne became enraged. “On one occasion, her sister-in-law, Lady Rochford, was banished from court when she and Anne had plotted to remove an unnamed mistress from court,” says Tudor historian Elizabeth Norton. Desperate to end the relationship, Henry accused her of adultery and treason and had the marriage annulled.

On May 19, 1536, Anne was beheaded for her alleged crimes. She is by far the most studied of Henry VIII's wives, but much of her life remains a mystery including the terms of her execution. “Although we know that Henry annulled his marriage to Anne two days before her execution, we do not even know the specific legal pretext. It was either the king's earlier relationship with Mary Boleyn, which ironically placed him and Anne within the same degree of consanguinity as he and Catherine, or on the basis that Anne had contracted a pre-contract or binding engagement to Henry Percy,” says Norton.

Many historians believe Henry fabricated the charges against Anne.

Jane Seymour (1508-1537): Died After Giving Birth to Male Heir

Jane Seymour

Days after Anne’s execution, Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour. Jane had served as a lady-in-waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn’s and Jane Seymour's mothers were first cousins, who shared the same grandmother, and were raised together for a time. “Anne did not stand meekly aside when Henry's interest in Jane became apparent. We know from sources that the pair came to blows on more than one occasion at court,” says Norton. On October 12, 1537, Jane gave birth to Edward VI and died from complications of the birth several weeks later. At the wishes of the king, Jane is buried at St. John’s Chapel alongside him.

Anne of Cleves (1515-1557): Strategic, Six-Month Marriage

Anne of Cleves

Henry stayed a bachelor for two years, until his chief minister suggested that he seek a European alliance and marry one of the sisters (Anne and Amelia) of Germany’s Duke of Cleves. Henry requested the women’s portraits and found Anne to be the more flattering of the two. When Anne arrived in England on January 1, 1540, Henry was shocked that she looked nothing like the painting. He tried to halt the wedding, but because the arrangement had progressed so far, they married on January 6, 1540. Anne, the so-called “ugly wife,” accepted a divorce and generous settlement six months later and lived in peace as the “King’s Sister” until her death in July 1557.

Catherine Howard (1523-1542): Treasured, Then Executed

Catherine Howard

Henry married 19-year-old Catherine Howard—a lady-in waiting to Anne of Cleves—in July 1540. By this time, he had become overweight and unable to walk. Said to be delighted with his rambunctious new bride, Henry showered Catherine with gifts and called her his “rose without a thorn.” But less than a year into their marriage, rumors of infidelity surfaced. With enough evidence that she had been at least promiscuous, Catherine was executed for adultery and treason at the Tower Green on February 13, 1542.

Catherine Parr (1512-1548): Peacemaker Who Outlived Henry

Catherine Parr

Henry married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, in July 1543. A spirited and educated widower, when Catherine showed an interest in Protestantism, Henry had her arrested. She managed to avoid the fate of her predecessors, bringing stability and peace to the court, while serving as a kind and caring stepmother to Henry’s children. 

Of all Henry’s wives, Borman says Catherine Parr had the most influence upon the widest variety of areas including court culture, religion, the role of women and the education of Henry’s children. “She also persuaded Henry to restore his daughters Mary and Elizabeth to the order of succession and acted as Regent when Henry went to war with France,” Borman explains.

Catherine died in 1548, a year after Henry’s passing.

from Stories - HISTORY https://ift.tt/2Gwb2sI January 29, 2020 at 12:22AM

[that-one-blind-writer]

The Vest

Entry for Widow Wives Week day 1

Word Count: 601

Warnings: implied character death

* * *

“You’re going to miss me”

Yelena’s voice is certain, and Natasha sighs, looking up at the younger girl. She’s standing in the doorway of their room, as if her smaller frame can block Natasha from leaving. But Steve needs her. She has to go back.

“Of course I’ll miss you” Natasha replies, crossing the room and pulling Yelena into a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead. She feels the girl cling to her, even if she would never admit to it.

“You’ll get yourself killed, Natalia. Aliens...superheroes...that’s not what we were trained for. We’re spies. Assassins. Tools. We’re not meant to save the world”

Natasha smiles softly, pulling back to look at her, smoothing a piece of wavy blonde hair away from her face. “I’m glad you have so much faith in me” She teases, and Yelena looks away.

“No...it’s not that. I just...we have the super serum. But we’re not Captain America. It lets us reach peak human capability. It doesn’t give us super strength, or special powers, or a high tech suit. We’re still human. We can still die”

“Anyone can die” Natasha reminds her. “It’s just a matter of when, and how. I’d rather die protecting the world than watching it burn, knowing I could have saved it”

Yelena looks miserable, but doesn’t say anything. Just pulls her closer.

-

When Natasha leaves, she takes Yelena’s vest.

The younger girl protests, standing in front of her as she tries to leave. “That’s my favorite vest, Nat” she complains, her lip pursed in agitation.

Natasha smiles innocently, kissing her forehead. “Exactly. I’ll miss you so much, I just need something to remember you by”

“Or you just like stealing my clothes” Yelena grumbles, rolling her eyes. “If there’s even the smallest bloodstain on it when you get back, I’ll kill you myself!” She calls after the redhead as she walks out the door.

-

After the snap, Natasha makes her way back to Yelena’s apartment.

The door is locked, but she picks it easily, slipping inside. The place is dark. Not good. Natasha’s heartbeat speeds up as she makes her way from room to room, throwing open the doors.

“Lena? Lena this isn’t funny! I’m not in the mood for hide and seek today! I brought your stupid jacket back, come get it!”

Her eyes burn with tears, finally spilling over her cheeks as she finds Yelena. Well...what’s left of her. A pile of ash sits in the middle of the bedroom floor.

“Lena...no…” she sobs, crawling over to the ash. “Not you too...please not you...you’re all I have left…”

-

Yelena finds her jacket in the rubble of the Avengers headquarters.

It’s torn to shreds as a result of the blast, covered in dust.

Gone. Just like Natasha.

She shakes, clutching the vest until her knuckles go white, angrily wiping away her tears.

“I know I don’t know you...but you should know that Natasha died a hero” She hears a man speak, whirling around to see Steve Rogers standing behind her.

Captain America. Yelena used to constantly tease Natasha about it. She had gone straight from Russian spy to close friend of Captain fucking America. A bit of a jump.

“No, she didn’t die as a hero. She died as a tool. A means to her end. I tried to warn her, but she never listened. And now she’s dead, she’s not coming back”

More tears spill before she can stop them, and she angrily rushes off, slumping to the ground when she’s alone, sobbing into the vest.

[widowwivesweek]

Day 2: 616 Universe

The 616 universe, more commonly known as the comics, is where this ship originated. This day is all about their relationship in the comics! Give us that pre-, during, or post-Breakdown angst! That teamup in The Web of Black Widow! Anything related to the comics!

[42wallaby-way-sydney]

@widowwivesweek​

Day 7: Soulmate AU

>>> [link]

>>> I’ve spent my days waiting for you, searching the crowds for your face. I stopped breathing the moment you recognized me, as you captured my soul with your gaze.

Everyone had a daemon. This was just as known as the sky being blue and grass growing green. To be without a daemon was like walking around without a head. Completely unnatural and not right.

Not everyone has a soulmate. 

Playlist:

Когда растает лед by Dima Bilan

Born To Be Yours by Imagine Dragons

космос by Kristina Si

ближе by Elena Temnikova

My Boots by Lights

[newyorktheater]

Phyllis Newman, 86, an entertainer from the age of 4; veteran of 11 Broadway shows (Tony winner for Subways Are For Sleeping, pictured); daughter of a fortune teller and a hypnotist; widow of legendary lyricist Adolph Green; mother of Broadway songwriter Amanda Green and theater critic Adam Green..

  Phyllis Newman (1933 – 2019) was very accomplished — on stage, on screen, as a humanitarian, winning the Isabelle Stevenson @TheTonyAwards. She has a unique distinction as well — the only Tony winner to be streaked by a naked man when accepting her first Tony in 1962. pic.twitter.com/W5TVSUCxWG

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 16, 2019

The first time I heard this recording of #PhyllisNewman, I burst out laughing – and I haven’t stopped since. She was a glorious performer and one of the great ladies of the American theater. Safe passage, and thanks for the joy. https://t.co/zmZX9B7yRM

— Jason Robert Brown (@MrJasonRBrown) September 15, 2019

The Week in New York Theater Reviews and Previews

American Moor

Lucie Alloche, Jae Woo, Abrielle Kuo All

The Talmud

Derren Brown Secret

Andrew Burnap in The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez

AIDS Back on Stage

The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez is one of several new works that put the spotlight back on AIDS, both on screen and on stage. These also include Pose, the FX TV series starring Billy Porter about NYC’s drag ball scene; a handful of documentaries about AIDS; and two plays that open this month Off-Broadway: As Much As I Can, running at Joe’s Pub from September 12 to 16, and Novenas for a Lost Hospital at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater through October 13.

Their existence provokes several questions. Why was there a gap of nearly a quarter of a century before new shows about AIDS graced mainstream stages? Why is it happening now? How do these works differ from landmark plays such as Angels in America, which Lopez calls “the urtext of my generation as theatre artists and myself as a gay man?”

The Week in New York Theater News

Inducted into #TheaterHallofFame (chosen by @Theatre_Critics members, including me): @Andre_DeShields, @DonnaMcKechnie_, Ann Reinking, producer Michael Price, designer Natasha Katz, director Marshall Mason, playwright (posthumously) Thomas Meehan, & critic Michael Feingold pic.twitter.com/QdYg1fCAZI

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 10, 2019

Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker are coming to Broadway in April in the first Broadway revival of Neil Simon’s 1968 comedy, Plaza Suite. Broderick and Parker (married in real life) perform as three couples in three one-act plays all taking place in the same suite in the Plaza Hotel.  The previously appeared on Broadway together in 1996, in “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

Ari’el Stachel (Tony winner for The Band’s Visit) ) will play the lead role of Joseph in Manhattan Concert Production’s 50th Anniversary concert of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center on February 17, 2020

Angela Lansbury is back on Broadway! In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest! (The fine print: It’s one night only, November 18th, and it’s a benefit reading for Roundabout, tickets $150-$5,000) Still: Rejoice!

The six wives of Henry VIII in “Six”have been announced from left to right:@abcmuell, Abby Mueller, Samantha Pauly, @msadriannahickss, Andrea Macasaet, Britney Mack and Anna Luzele. The musical concert opens March 12, at Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson

  .@FringeNYC has announced their lineup Oct 1-31. A more manageable 40 shows now (down from the usual 200) in six “indie” venues in Manhattan & Brooklyn: @HTTheater‘s @KraineTheater & #UnderStMarks, @ChainTheatre, @metplayhouse, @IrondaleCenterhttps://t.co/0C8p9teTHt pic.twitter.com/ttoqAMxYpO

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 10, 2019

“Musical theater is my first love. Saw Oklahoma when I was four and decided that’s me on stage, the guy with the lasso” – @AnselElgort who was in #WestSideStory in theater camp at age 12, and will be in it again as Tony in Spielberg’s moviehttps://t.co/WRcIkFrF6v

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 11, 2019

Phyllis Newman, 1933-2019. Theater Hall of Fame: Andre De Shields, Donna McKechnie, Michael Feingold et al. Angela Lansbury, Ari’el Stachel on Stage. #Stageworthy News of the Week Phyllis Newman, 86, an entertainer from the age of 4; veteran of 11 Broadway shows (Tony winner for Subways Are For Sleeping, pictured); daughter of a fortune teller and a hypnotist; widow of legendary lyricist Adolph Green; mother of Broadway songwriter Amanda Green and theater critic Adam Green..

[mikemortgage]

Coal tax cut endangers federal black lung fund

COEBURN, Va. — Former coal miner John Robinson’s bills for black lung treatments run $4,000 a month, but the federal fund he depends on to help cover them is being drained of money because of inaction by Congress and the Trump administration.

Amid the turmoil of the government shutdown this winter, a tax on coal that helps pay for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund was cut sharply Jan. 1 and never restored, potentially saving coal operators hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

With cash trickling into the fund at less than half its usual rate, budget officials estimate that by the middle of 2020 there won’t be enough money to fully cover the fund’s benefit payments.

As a surge of black lung disease scars miners’ lungs at younger ages than ever, Robinson worries not only about cuts to his benefits, but that younger miners won’t get any coverage.

“Coal miners sort of been put on the back burner, thrown to the side,” Robinson said recently, sitting at his kitchen table in the small Virginia town of Coeburn, near the Kentucky border. “They just ain’t being done right.”

President Donald Trump, who vowed to save the coal industry during the 2016 campaign, has repeatedly praised miners. At an August rally in West Virginia filled with miners in hard hats, he called them “great people. Brave people. I don’t know how the hell you do that. You guys have a lot of courage.”

Trump made no mention of restoring the 2018 tax rate in his proposed budget released in mid-March.

The White House said in a statement Tuesday that “President Trump and this administration have always supported the mining industry by prioritizing deregulation and less Washington interference.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose home state of Kentucky is third in the nation in coal production, told a reporter from Ohio Valley ReSource in October the tax rate would “be taken care of before we get into an expiration situation.”

That didn’t happen. McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer didn’t repeat that pledge this week; rather, he wrote in an email, “benefits provided through the Black Lung Disability Fund continue to be provided at regular levels” and that McConnell “continues to prioritize maintaining and protecting the benefits.”

Trump and McConnell have reaped large contributions from the coal industry, according to the political money website Open Secrets.

Trump received more than $276,000 during the 2016 presidential election from political action committees and individuals affiliated with coal companies. His inaugural committee received $1 million from Joe Craft, CEO of Alliance Resource Partners in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and $300,000 from the Murray Energy Corporation, the nation’s largest privately-owned coal-mining company.

McConnell received more than $297,000 in coal industry donations since 2014, when he was last up for election.

Congress established the trust fund in 1978. Until the rate expired, money came from an excise tax of $1.10 per ton on underground coal and 55 cents on surface-mined coal that brought in $450 million last year. Rates fell to about 50 cents and 25 cents when lawmakers failed to act on its Dec. 31 expiration date.

The fund provides health benefits and payments to about 25,000 retired miners. Most worked for companies that are now bankrupt. Many, including Robinson, struggle to breathe as their lungs are slowly stifled by tiny dust and particles trapped there.

Robinson was 47 when he was diagnosed, part of a wave of younger miners that doctors and experts say have been swept up in a new black lung epidemic in Appalachia. Robinson, now 53, and others who depend on the fund are disappointed in McConnell and other leaders who typically enjoy miners’ support.

“I just feel that Mitch McConnell has let the citizens of Kentucky down, especially the miners,” said Patty Amburgey, whose husband, Crawford, died of black lung disease at age 62 in 2007. She draws a monthly widow’s payment through his black lung disability benefits. “And now there’s an epidemic of black lung.”

Dr. Brandon Crum has watched that epidemic unfold at his Pikeville, Kentucky, radiology clinic. In less than four years, Crum has seen 200 miners diagnosed with a severe form of black lung disease, called pulmonary massive fibrosis. The nation had 31 such diagnoses in the 1990s, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

“We’re looking at men in their 30s and 40s on oxygen, being evaluated for lung transplants,” Crum said. “Those are usually middle-age individuals with younger families, so it affects their wives, a lot.”

His findings were published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a December 2016 report that showed a shockingly high level of severe black lung cases at his clinic.

Amburgey, of Letcher County, Kentucky, said there will be fewer benefits for the growing number of younger miners with black lung if the fund is depleted. Robinson said he’s now worried the trust fund’s “pot of money will dry up.”

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and other coal-state Democratic senators are pushing a bill to shore up the fund by restoring the larger tax for 10 years. Manchin said in a statement that lawmakers “cannot continue to allow these solutions to be put off again and again.” That bill is in a Senate finance committee.

The mining industry supported the increased tax rate’s expiration, calling the effort to maintain it an unnecessary tax increase. The National Mining Association, which speaks for the industry, says the lower rate “will be sufficient to cover monthly benefit costs for the fund.” The group argued extending the rate would lead to job losses.

The May 2018 GAO report contradicts that claim, saying the fund’s beneficiaries could multiply “due to the increased occurrence of black lung disease and its most severe form, progressive massive fibrosis, particularly among Appalachian coal miners.”

The increase in younger black lung sufferers will put more pressure on the fund, as the industry continues to shrink.

“I think people always thought they would get (black lung) if they worked long enough in the mines, but I think it’s a disease they thought would affect them at the end of their life, in their 70s or 80s,” Crum said.

Amburgey says Trump reneged on his pledge to support miners.

“Mr. Trump promised that he would bring the mines back and take care of the miners, and that is not happening,” she said. “He promised us a snowball in July.”

——–

Follow Lovan on Twitter at twitter.com/dylanlovan

from Financial Post https://ift.tt/2Fe4Hkz via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

[42wallaby-way-sydney]

@widowwivesweek​

Day 4: Education AU (a tad tardy to the party)

>>> A Lesson In Love

Natasha is the geography teacher... Yelena is the chemistry teacher... Together, they study human anatomy.  You know what they say; what happens in the teacher’s lounge, stays in the teacher’s lounge.

“I am trying to be professional here!”  “Are you? Really? Because just the other day you and your students nearly burned down our school, Yelena!”  “It was for science!” 

- Yelena used to be what the students dubbed as the ‘cool’ teacher. But everything changed when one Ms. Natalia Romanova decided to move back to Moscow to teach.

- Natasha’s classroom is right next door to Yelena’s and she absolutely insists that everyone call her Natasha; Natalia is just too formal for her.

- Yelena complains about Ms. Romanova to everybody. All of the students have begun to think that she may possibly have just the teensiest of crushes on their geography teacher.

- When they finally start getting together they can be found getting coffee at their favorite cafe. Now if those cafe dates turn into staying the night over at each other’s apartments, grading papers together, and making breakfast in the morning together... well, Yelena isn’t going to complain. Much. And if Melina Vostokoff, the music teacher, wins twelve rubles for winning her bet that Yelena and Natasha are shacking up, well... only the art teacher, Mr. Shostakov, is complaining because he’s out twelve rubles.

------------------------

Playlist:

Adore by Amy Shark

Her Lover by Ally Hills

Night Go Slow by Catey Shaw

All My Love by t.A.T.u. 

Perfect Girl by MBAND

Your Love Is So Beautiful by Sergey Larev

[that-one-blind-writer]

Widow Wives Week Spam

Warning you guys now but for Widow Wives Week (February 9th through the 15th, I’ll be reblogging everything to this blog as well as @widowwivesweek

Remember to tag your post as Widow Wives Week and/or Widow Wives Week 2020

You can also tag me or message me links to your content to make sure I really don’t miss it

[that-one-blind-writer]

Day 4: College AU

“Not friends, not enemies. Just some strangers with some memories”

College AU in which Natasha is a dance major, and Yelena is an art/photography major