#T. J. McConnell

[doublescribble]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, and T. J. McConnell 2025 NBA Finals, Game Seven

[shay-27]

T. J. McConnell looks white bread no butter white

[24worldnewsnet]

The Indiana Pacers, rallying around injured star Tyrese Haliburton, crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 to force a deciding Game 7 in the NBA Finals.Haliburton, cleared to play with a right calf injury only a couple of hours before tipoff, scored 14 points with five assists and two steals in a solid contribution to a comprehensive team effort. “We just wanted to protect home court,” Haliburton said on Thursday. “We didn’t want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. “Backs against the wall, we just responded,” he added. “So many different guys chipped in, total team effort. I’m really proud of this group.” Obi Toppin led the Pacers scoring with 20 points off the bench as Indiana’s reserves out-scored Oklahoma City’s bench 48-37. Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Pacers, who had lost the last two games to stand on the brink of elimination, levelled the best-of-seven championship series at three games apiece. Haliburton, who said he would do everything he could to play after limping through most of Game 5, showed virtually no sign of his injury as the Pacers grabbed the game by the throat in the second quarter and never let go. Indiana led by 22 points at halftime and by as many as 31 early in the fourth quarter. “Well, we were going home if we didn’t come out and give everything we have and leave it all out on the floor,” said T J McConnell, who had 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists off the bench for Indiana. Advertisement “Obviously very happy, very proud, but we’ve got to flush it because we have another one on Sunday.” NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, scored a game-high 21 points for Oklahoma City Thunder [Abbie Parr – Pool/ Getty Images via AFP] Thunder searching for answers ahead of Game 7 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 21 points but had eight of the Thunder’s 21 turnovers. Gilgeous-Alexander missed his lone three-point attempt while Jalen Williams – coming off a 40-point performance in game five – missed all four of his three-point attempts on the way to 16 points. The Thunder, winners of a league-best 68 regular-season games – pulled their starters after falling behind by 30 going into the fourth quarter. They will be searching for answers as the series heads back to Oklahoma City for the championship finale on Sunday – the first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016. “The way I see it, we sucked tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We can learn the lessons and we have one game for everything, for everything we’ve worked for.” The Thunder are seeking their first title since the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, having won it all in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Pacers, meanwhile, are in search of a first NBA title. They won American Basketball Association (ABA) titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973 before joining the NBA as part of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Obi Toppin, left, was one of six Indiana Pacers players to score in double figures in Game 6 of the NBA Finals [Dylan Buell/Getty Images via AFP] Pacers ride wave of momentum “You know, we’ve got one game,” Haliburton said. “All cards on the table. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” For a few minutes, it looked like the Thunder might roll to the title. The Pacers missed their first eight shots and fell into a quick eight-point hole. But they settled in to connect on six straight attempts and took the lead on a three-pointer from Nembhard midway through the first quarter. Indiana piled on the pressure with a pair of three-pointers and a trey from Haliburton – his first basket of the night – pushing their lead to as many as nine points. Up by three at the end of the first, the Pacers exploded in the second quarter, stepping up the aggression on both ends of the floor on the way to a 64-42 halftime lead. With less than a minute to go in the first half, Haliburton came up with a steal and

[therevolutionistelevised]

Republican Attorneys in Congress Senators and House of Representatives (by state) with active bar licenses

ALABAMA Aderholt, Robert B. (District 4) Rogers, Mike (District 3) https://www.alabar.org/for-the-public/

ALASKA Sen. Dan Sullivan  https://alaskabar.org/for-our-community/complaints-against-attorneys/

ARKANSAS Sen. Tom Cotton https://www.arcourts.gov/professional-conduct Grievance Form (Fill, Save & E-Mail) ARIZONA Sen. Katie Britt Biggs, Andy (District 5) Hamadeh, Abraham J. (District 8) https://tools.azbar.org/ChargeOfMisconduct/

CALIFORNIA Kiley, Kevin (District 3) https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/complaint/

COLORADO Hurd, Jeff (District 3) https://www.coloradolegalregulation.com/complaints/file_complaintagainstatty/

FLORIDA Sen. Rick Scott  Sen. Marco Rubio Bilirakis, Gus M. (District 12) Lee, Laurel M. (District 15) Steube, Greg (District 17) https://www.floridabar.org/public/acap/filing-a-complaint/

IDAHO Sen. James Risch  Sen. Mike Crapo https://isb.idaho.gov/bar-counsel/grievance-faq/

ILLINOIS LaHood, Darin (District 16) http://www.iardc.org/Home/FileComplaint

INDIANA Sen. Todd Young  https://www.in.gov/courts/ojar/di-process/complaint/

KANSAS Sen. Jerry Moran Schmidt, Derek (District 2) https://kscourts.gov/Public/File-a-Complaint

KENTUCKY Sen. Mitch McConnell Barr, Andy (District 6) Rogers, Harold "Hal" (District 5) https://www.kybar.org/page/attdis

LOUISIANA Sen. John Kennedy Johnson, Mike (District 4) https://www.lsba.org/public/complaints.aspx

MINNESOTA Emmer, Tom (District 6) Fischbach, Michelle (District 7) https://lprb.mncourts.gov/complaints/Pages/FileComplaint-English.aspx

MISSISSIPPI Sen. Roger Wicker Guest, Michael (District 3) Kelly, Trent (District 1) https://www.msbar.org/ethics-discipline/disciplinary-process/frequently-asked-questions/

MISSOURI Sen. Josh Hawley  Sen. Eric Schmitt  Onder, Robert F., Jr. (District 3) https://mochiefcounsel.org/filing-a-complaint/

NEBRASKA Flood, Mike (District 1) https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/administration/professional-ethics/attorney-discipline-ethics/file

NEVADA Amodei, Mark E. (District 2) https://nvbar.org/file-a-complaint-2/

NEW YORK Garbarino, Andrew R. (District 2) LaLota, Nick (District 1) Tenney, Claudia (District 24) https://www.nycbar.org/serving-the-community/about-lawyers-judges/complaints-about-lawyers-judges-how-to-file-a-complaint-against-a-lawyer-or-judge-in-ny/

NORTH CAROLINA Knott, Brad (District 13) Moore, Tim (District 14) https://www.ncbar.gov/for-the-public/i-am-having-a-dispute-with-a-lawyer/filing-a-grievance/

OHIO Jordan, Jim (District 4) Joyce, David P. (District 14) Latta, Robert E. (District 5) Taylor, David (District 2) Turner, Mike (District 10) https://odc.ohio.gov/fileagrievance

OREGON Bentz, Cliff (District 2) https://www.osbar.org/cao/ethicscomplaints.html

PENNSYLVANIA Fitzpatrick, Brian K. (District 1) Reschenthaler, Guy (District 14) https://www.padisciplinaryboard.org/for-the-public/file-complaint

SOUTH CAROLINA Sen. Lindsey Graham Fry, Russell (District 7) Timmons, William (District 4) Wilson, Joe (District 2) https://www.sccourts.org/about/lawyer-judicial-discipline/how-to-file-a-complaint/ SOUTH DAKOTA Johnson, Dusty (District 1) https://www.statebarofsouthdakota.com/reporting-professional-misconduct-2/

TENNESSEE Sen. Bill Hagerty Fleischmann, Charles J. “Chuck” (District 3) Kustoff, David (District 8) Rose, John (District 6) https://www.tbpr.org/file_complaint/step/new

TEXAS Sen. Ted Cruz  Sen. John Cornyn  Carter, John R. (District 31) McCaul, Michael T. (District 10) Moran, Nathaniel (District 1) Roy, Chip (District 21) https://www.texasbar.com/Content/NavigationMenu/ForThePublic/ProblemswithanAttorney/GrievanceEthicsInfo1/File_a_Grievance.htm

UTAH Sen. Mike Lee Kennedy, Mike (District 3) Maloy, Celeste (District 2) https://www.opcutah.org/file-a-complaint/

VIRGINIA Cline, Ben (District 6) Griffith, H. Morgan (District 9) https://vsb.org/Site/03_Legal-Help/misconduct-claim.aspx

WISCONSIN Grothman, Glenn (District 6) Steil, Bryan (District 1) https://www.wicourts.gov/services/public/lawyerreg/file.htm

WYOMING Sen. Cynthia M. Lummis  Hageman, Harriet M. (At Large) https://www.wyomingbar.org/for-the-public/attorney-complaints/complain-about-a-lawyers-conduct/

[zestvine]

Who is T. J. McConnell's Gorgeous Wife Valerie Guiliani

[fabioperes]

I Visited the Most Remote Town in the USA (Outside of Alaska) P.S. Jase asked me to tell y'all that there IS, in fact, a small gas station in Jarbidge where you can fill up ;) My bad! For exclusive content, PATREON → https://ift.tt/lOMs8u9 For casual daily updates, INSTAGRAM → https://ift.tt/BvDTqcR For my social commentary, UNPLUGGED → @UnpluggedEva For written thoughts, NEWSLETTER → https://ift.tt/Q5k4gVi For the food that fuels Vilk's adventures → https://ift.tt/rRkTdVX → Thank you to my wonderful supporters on Patreon: Bulent Alkanli, @_bulentalkanli_ Śānti Collective Martin PSW Christian Tucker Positive Travel, @inspiring.positive.travel Katarzyna, @katarzyna_photo_equine Vee Jeffry Watson Juergen Rehbein Dalibor from sLOVEnia Christopher Dow, @TaoOfDow Robert Jureit, Photographer, Explorer Viet Chu Photography, @the_viet_x Muhammad Fahad Bhutta Martyn Greville-Giddings Gene and Dena Dahilig Sara Rijaluddin Geanina Butiseaca Ryan Luna Tony 24p Jeff Falgout Ricardo Santos Andreia Santo Piotr Koscianski Greg Scopel Sylvan The TerraMax Michael Steele Fred 42 74Coree Kyle R BarryMcE Sovelars Patrick Low Chris Katie Duff Calderoni James R. Young Otto Weisspfenning Nate Jonas Ken Dick David J. Kiss Jessica MeadeSports Slava Val Tamiwawa Nicole Arno Benson Elizabeth P. Ellie Little Tom Bicak Meghan L Riley Kelly Turner Rich Kaitlin & Audrey Jeff Wheelock Damon Wong Michael Campos Erik Klee Claudio Las Vegas Tom Lioba Washington Dave Steve Burre David Perry Vinod Acharya Chris Peterson Arne Shulstad Tim Joseph T. Warren Herd Pierce Castleberry Marlin Edwards Andrew J. Salmon Alec R. Sam Crowter Rich K Joan Arlet Renée Theriault Soft Roaders MN Gary Jepson Dr Beth Raul O Speed2Fly Gary Jepson Dimitar del Mar Raul O Soft Roaders MN Cornell J.W. Cheri Fairbrother Blair Anderson Sharon Tuck David Honl Anna Julia Eahsan Steven and Ginger Harrod Arik Burns // Papa Snuggs Edward Coyne The Wandering Goats Rashid Nora and Robert Visser Bob Wolford Anton Riazanov Pete Simons Christian The Thuli’s Victoria Adam jtoddsherman Jael Chairi Matt Schwoebel Avner Juan Torrico Leva Brian Miller Anton Riazanov Patrick J Al Patzke Steve Ross Chris Friedline Hu Zhening Steve Ross Terry Buckley Brian B Fred Schulze Dr. Wayne and Dr. Patricia Tope Darrell Klasey Thor John Carter Michael Twórczy Derek Silva Jeffrey Parks Music Wally Hartshorn Jim and Harriett Esk and Family Thomas Wilson Julian Brian B Minchi Fox Terry Buckley Ashanti B David Stiversx + J. & T.S. Paulo Roberto Jay Yogan Rob Brannon Katie Ann Curtis Chrystian SimonsDad Gregory Pappas James Costa CaptWoody79 Jim, Harriet, and Yuki Patrick Heiden Annie Steve McConnell Joe Savage Ron Horn George Lotridge Jakub Jelonek Christina V via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uacxPmj2PlA

[truck-fump]

Mitch McConnell continues to break with <b>Trump</b> on immunity claims - POLITICO

New Post has been published on https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/28/mcconnell-break-trump-immunity-claims-00154827&ct=ga&cd=CAIyGjUzM2UwMTY5ZmFhZTIwMGQ6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AOvVaw092DRl_aTmrUM7n8mh212h

Mitch McConnell continues to break with Trump on immunity claims - POLITICO

“Obviously, it’ll be up to the Supreme Court to decide whether I was correct,” he said.

[musicforourminds]

references

Chen L. (2023). Influence of music on the hearing and mental health of adolescents and countermeasures. Frontiers in neuroscience, 17, 1236638. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1236638

Cordi, M. J., Ackermann, S., & Rasch, B. (2019). Effects of Relaxing Music on Healthy Sleep. Scientific reports, 9(1), 9079. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45608-y

Francois, C., Chobert, J., Besson, M., & Schon, D. (2012). Music Training for the Development of Speech Segmentation. Cerebral Cortex, 23(9), 2038–2043. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhs180

Hennessy, S. L., Sachs, M. E., Ilari, B., & Habibi, A. (2019). Effects of Music Training on Inhibitory Control and Associated Neural Networks in School-Aged Children: A Longitudinal Study. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.01080

Johnson, J. K., Stewart, A. L., Acree, M., Nápoles, A. M., Flatt, J. D., Max, W. B., & Gregorich, S. E. (2018). A Community Choir Intervention to Promote Well-Being Among Diverse Older Adults: Results From the Community of Voices Trial. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 75(3), 549–559. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gby132

McConnell, C., Poulin, F., Charles‐Étienne White‐Gosselin, & Lacourse, É. (2023). Trajectories of Goth Music Preferences in Adolescence and Psychological Adjustment in Adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01873-9

Moreno, M., & Woodruff, E. (2023). Examining the effects of tempo in background music on adolescent learners’ reading comprehension performance: employing a multimodal approach. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-023-09639-3

‌Patania VM, Padulo J, Iuliano E, Ardigò LP, Čular D, Miletić A, De Giorgio A. The Psychophysiological Effects of Different Tempo Music on Endurance Versus High-Intensity Performances. Front Psychol. 2020 Feb 5;11:74. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00074

Pater, M., Spreen, M., & Yperen, T. van. (2022). Music therapy for children on the autism spectrum: Improved social interaction observed by multiple informants across different social contexts. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2022.2046628

Shipman D. (2016). A Prescription for Music Lessons. Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS, 33(2), 9–12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6368928/

Smith, A. R., Eiden, R. D., Shisler, S., Paluch, R. A., Piazza, J., & Kai Ling Kong. (2023). The effects of a music enrichment program on parent-infant interactions during mealtime: A randomized controlled trial. 187, 106590–106590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.106590

Stone, T. M., & Short, A. E. (2023). Can Music Therapy Help Adults with Schizophrenia Improve Their Cognitive Skills? A Scoping Review. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2023.2266851

[doublescribble]

T. J. McConnell and Aaron Wiggins 2025 NBA Finals, Game Four

[the-far-bright-center]

On Lucas' saga, Joseph Campbell, and mythopoesis

Mythopoeia (Ancient Greek: μυθοποιία, lit. 'myth-making')—or mythopoesis—is a narrative genre in modern literature and film where an artificial or fictionalised mythology is created by the writer of prose, poetry, or other literary forms. This definition follows the use of the word by J. R. R. Tolkien in the 1930s. The authors in this genre integrate traditional mythological themes and archetypes into fiction. Mythopoeia can also refer to the act of 'myth-creation' itself.

A compilation of quotes on Lucas' Star Wars and how it was directly influenced by Joseph Campbell's mythopoeic concepts. I'm sharing these here mostly for my own reference purposes, but also because I feel it's important for people to remember that the saga in its original form was intended to function as a modern myth. And as such, it was not meant to be 'realistic' in its outcome, but rather transcendent.

Quotes on Lucas' saga as a 'created myth':

"With his galactic fairytale, Lucas hoped to reinvent a classic genre. Among his influences, were the writings of scholar and educator Joseph Campbell, in which he explored the origins of myth and world religions."

— Robert Clotworthy, Empire of Dreams (2004)

"What Joseph Campbell was interested in, was to see the connections between myths, the myths of different cultures, to try to find out what were the threads that tied all these very disparate cultures together."

— Professor and Cultural Historian Leo Braudy, Empire of Dreams (2004)

"Lucas, too, was interested in [comparative mythology], in particular when creating Star Wars. Lucas actually asked Campbell to supervise his work on Star Wars, to be sure it fit with what he was trying to convey. Campbell, in turn, described Lucas as his best student. This is truly the crux of the matter. What Lucas was attempting to accomplish was the writing a modern myth, following conventional, thousand year old methods, all the while having it be relevant, fluid, cross-culturally and generationally meaningful."

— Star Wars: The Creation of a Modern Myth

"I did research to try to distill everything down into motifs that would be universal. I attribute most of the success of to the psychological underpinning, which had been around for thousands of years and the people still react the same way to the stories as they always have."

— George Lucas

"From the beginning, Star Wars was conceptualized not as a science fiction film, but as a mythical epic, consistent with those of poetic eddas, from Beowulf to the Iliad and the Odyssey. In Empire of Dreams, these are cited as influences, as well as the Legend of King Arthur, and other assorted Arthuriana, determining that they comprised the pool from which Star Wars drew it’s mythic archetypes."

— Star Wars: The Creation of a Modern Myth "...Lucas speaks of the cinematic storyline of Star Wars as an example of modern myth-making. In 1999 he told Bill Moyers, "With Star Wars I consciously set about to re-create myths and the classic mythological motifs." [Frank] McConnell writes that "it has passed, quicker than anyone could have imagined, from the status of film to that of legitimate and deeply embedded popular mythology."John Lyden, the Professor and Chair of the Religion Department at Dana College, argues that Star Wars does indeed reproduce religious and mythical themes; specifically, he argues that the work is apocalyptic in concept and scope."

— Mythopoeia (Wikipedia)

"[Lucas] drew from ancient mythology, medieval literature, Japanese cinema, and American westerns, creating a modern myth in the form of a sci-fi fairy tale."

— Anthony Parisi, 'Revisiting the Star Wars Prequels'

"The six films form one larger epic that is constructed like a piece of music....built on archetypal themes and psychological motifs that reverberate throughout the six episodes."

— Anthony Parisi, 'Revisiting the Star Wars Prequels'

"The saga has religious sensibilities that stand in marked contrast to the secular moods of science fiction. Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek followed an Enlightenment view of history where religion is left behind as humanity arrives at a benevolent utopia. Luke Skywalker’s journey is precisely the opposite, where the hero must reach back to recover the spiritual traditions of the past and save the galaxy."

— Anthony Parisi, 'Revisiting the Star Wars Prequels'

"...the moral drama at the heart of these six films has proven to be quite exceptional. The story is entirely centered around the fall and redemption of the human soul."

— Anthony Parisi, 'Revisiting the Star Wars Prequels'

"...Star Wars is not a futuristic world, it is a mythological one. Star Wars happened a long time ago, so it is more mythology than science fiction. Consequently, what we design doesn't have to make scientific sense, but it must spark some recognition of with a familiar mythological archetype."

— Iain McCaig, Myth Making: Behind the Scenes of Attack of the Clones

Joseph Campbell quotes on 'myth' (applicable to Lucas' saga):

"Myth must be kept alive. The people who can keep it alive are the artists of one kind or another. The function of the artist is the mythologization of the environment and the world."

— Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

"One thing that comes out of myths is that at the bottom of the abyss comes the voice of salvation. The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light."

— Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

"Perhaps some of us have to go through dark and devious ways before we can find the river of peace or the highroad to the soul's destination."

— Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces

"Death closes in; there is nothing we can do, except be crucified—and resurrected; dismembered totally, and then reborn."

— Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces

"The usual hero adventure begins with someone from whom something has been taken, or who feels there is something lacking in the normal experience available or permitted to the members of society. The person then takes off on a series of adventures beyond the ordinary, either to recover what has been lost or to discover some life-giving elixir. It's usually a cycle, a coming and a returning."

― Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

"The hero…for a moment rises to a glimpse of the source. He beholds the face of the father, understands—and the two are atoned…. For the son who has grown really to know the father, the agonies of the ordeal are readily borne; the world is no longer a vale of tears but a bliss-yielding, perpetual manifestation of the Presence."

—Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

"Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; and where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world."

— Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

"Sober, modern…judgement is founded on a total misunderstanding of the realities depicted in the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedies of redemption. These, in the ancient world, were regarded as of a higher rank than tragedy, of a deeper truth, of a more difficult realization, of a sounder structure, and of a revelation more complete. The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read, not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man."

— Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

[buddylistsocial]

As Republicans Embrace Cut in Jobless Aid, Divisions Weaken Their Leverage

As Republicans Embrace Cut in Jobless Aid, Divisions Weaken Their Leverage

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans and the White House on Monday threw their support behind a substantial cut in jobless aid for tens of millions of Americans laid off amid the pandemic, proposing a weekly reduction of $400 to a benefit that has cushioned the nation’s economy even as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country.

The proposal was part of a $1 trillion opening bid that would…

[24worldnewsnet]

The Indiana Pacers, rallying around injured star Tyrese Haliburton, crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 to force a deciding Game 7 in the NBA Finals.Haliburton, cleared to play with a right calf injury only a couple of hours before tipoff, scored 14 points with five assists and two steals in a solid contribution to a comprehensive team effort. “We just wanted to protect home court,” Haliburton said on Thursday. “We didn’t want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. “Backs against the wall, we just responded,” he added. “So many different guys chipped in, total team effort. I’m really proud of this group.” Obi Toppin led the Pacers scoring with 20 points off the bench as Indiana’s reserves out-scored Oklahoma City’s bench 48-37. Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Pacers, who had lost the last two games to stand on the brink of elimination, levelled the best-of-seven championship series at three games apiece. Haliburton, who said he would do everything he could to play after limping through most of Game 5, showed virtually no sign of his injury as the Pacers grabbed the game by the throat in the second quarter and never let go. Indiana led by 22 points at halftime and by as many as 31 early in the fourth quarter. “Well, we were going home if we didn’t come out and give everything we have and leave it all out on the floor,” said T J McConnell, who had 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists off the bench for Indiana. Advertisement “Obviously very happy, very proud, but we’ve got to flush it because we have another one on Sunday.” NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, scored a game-high 21 points for Oklahoma City Thunder [Abbie Parr – Pool/ Getty Images via AFP] Thunder searching for answers ahead of Game 7 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 21 points but had eight of the Thunder’s 21 turnovers. Gilgeous-Alexander missed his lone three-point attempt while Jalen Williams – coming off a 40-point performance in game five – missed all four of his three-point attempts on the way to 16 points. The Thunder, winners of a league-best 68 regular-season games – pulled their starters after falling behind by 30 going into the fourth quarter. They will be searching for answers as the series heads back to Oklahoma City for the championship finale on Sunday – the first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016. “The way I see it, we sucked tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We can learn the lessons and we have one game for everything, for everything we’ve worked for.” The Thunder are seeking their first title since the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, having won it all in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Pacers, meanwhile, are in search of a first NBA title. They won American Basketball Association (ABA) titles in 1970, 1972 and 1973 before joining the NBA as part of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Obi Toppin, left, was one of six Indiana Pacers players to score in double figures in Game 6 of the NBA Finals [Dylan Buell/Getty Images via AFP] Pacers ride wave of momentum “You know, we’ve got one game,” Haliburton said. “All cards on the table. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” For a few minutes, it looked like the Thunder might roll to the title. The Pacers missed their first eight shots and fell into a quick eight-point hole. But they settled in to connect on six straight attempts and took the lead on a three-pointer from Nembhard midway through the first quarter. Indiana piled on the pressure with a pair of three-pointers and a trey from Haliburton – his first basket of the night – pushing their lead to as many as nine points. Up by three at the end of the first, the Pacers exploded in the second quarter, stepping up the aggression on both ends of the floor on the way to a 64-42 halftime lead. With less than a minute to go in the first half, Haliburton came up with a steal and

[nbaoracle]

[april-is]

April 10, 2021: Puerto Rico Goes Dark, Juan J. Morales

Puerto Rico Goes Dark Juan J. Morales

The New York Times, September 20, 2017

As dark as the busy signal my father gets when calling his brothers and sister on the southwest part of the island.

As dark as the 95% of electricity blinking and then staying off.

As the empty grocery aisles where they used to store water, bread, milk, and cereal.

As the unanswered Facebook messages to my primos.

As the colonial  Jones Act in place, longer than a century, lifted for only ten days.

As Pitbull’s private plane back and forth to deliver the goods for the people.

As the money sent to them on PayPal with receipts proving they only bought items on the survival list.

As the familia having a BBQ to use up what will spoil and what has to be cooked right now.

As dark as the swirl of the storm’s eye we watched from the mainland, thick red circle consuming the entire island under the name “Maria, Category 4.”

As the people who fight about to kneel or not to kneel in the NFL.

As the people who don’t understand PR is a commonwealth, its residents powerless US citizens.

As the four major airlines willing to gouge a plane ticket up to $1,600, $1,800, and $2,000.

As me posting more prayers for PR, with a handful of likes.

As El Yunque’s trees splintered and thrown into the void.

As the boricuas who hike each Saturday to the crossroad, near the last standing cell tower, making phone calls to the list of people from town until the signal goes out again.

As someone’s sarcasm, saying, “For once, I’m glad I have AT&T.”

As the dismantled ports full of tangled boats trying to deliver supplies.

As the decade’s worth of infrastructure that needed updating a decade ago, all washed away.

As dark as smaller Caribbean islands, wiped out.

As helpless as someone making plans to donate blood next week.

As dark as my father again, assuming everyone’s okay, but needing to hear from anyone.

As the airport in San Juan down to a handful of functioning gates.

As the thickest miles of trees now a flat, unobstructed view of the favorite beach.

As Mexico City after its earthquake last week, and Houston and Harvey a few weeks before.

As a still-hidden gem the world doesn’t visit.

As exhausted as my friend, here in Pueblo, on the phone with everyone, except his father, who is helping to clean up the neighborhood.

As me, finally becoming speechless for once.

As the flicker of  hospital generators running on diesel.

As the president complaining that “these people want everything done for them.”

As dark as the complexion of the people, making them less important to the government.

As the hole where the coquís still whistle.

As the quick phone call from a prima who tells me they’re okay and then asks, “Where do we start to rebuild?”

As dark as the news broadcasts moving on to talk about the rest of the world in the dark.

==

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Today in: 

2020: Winter Psalm, Richard Hoffman 2019: King Kreations, Angel Nafis 2018: Letter to Larry Levis, Matthew Olzmann 2017: Only she who has breast-fed, Vera Pavlova 2016: First Love, Jan Owen 2015: At Navajo Monument Valley Tribal School, Sherman Alexie 2014: Boogaloo, Kevin Young 2013: The Fist, Derek Walcott 2012: Turning, W.S. Merwin 2011: Consolation for Tamar, A.E. Stallings 2010: Frida Kahlo to Marty McConnell, Marty McConnell 2009: Bike Ride with Older Boys, Laura Kasischke 2008: Let’s Move All Things (September), Denver Butson 2007: The Day Flies Off Without Me, John Stammers 2006: A Supermarket in California, Allen Ginsberg 2005: Tortures, Wislawa Szymborska

[artielu]

[Yes, this is long, but it is worth your time to read the whole thing.]

January 6, 2021 (Wednesday)

Today the Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol.

This morning, results from the Georgia senatorial runoff elections showed that Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff had beaten their Republican opponents—both incumbents—by more than the threshold that would require a recount. The Senate is now split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, so the position of majority leader goes to a Democrat. Mitch McConnell, who has bent the government to his will since he took over the position of majority leader in 2007, will be replaced.

With the Democrats in control of both Congress and the Executive Branch, it is reasonable to expect we will see voting rights legislation, which will doom the current-day Republican Party, depending as it has on voter suppression to stay in power.

Trump Republicans and McConnell Republicans had just begun to blame each other for the debacle when Congress began to count the certified electoral votes from the states to establish that Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. The election was not close—Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes and the Electoral College by 306 to 232—but Trump contends that he won the election in a landslide and “fraud” made Biden the winner.

Trump has never had a case. His campaign filed and either lost or had dismissed 62 out of 63 lawsuits because it could produce no evidence for any of its wild accusations. Nonetheless, radical lawmakers courted Trump’s base by echoing Trump’s charges, then tried to argue that the fact voters no longer trusted the vote was reason to contest the certified votes.

More than 100 members of the House announced they would object to counting the votes of certain states. About 13 senators, led by Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), agreed to join them. The move would slow down the count as each chamber would have to debate and take a separate vote on whether to accept the state votes, but the objectors never had anywhere near the votes they needed to make their objections stick.

So Trump turned to pressuring Vice President Mike Pence, who would preside over the counting, to throw out the Biden votes. On Monday, Trump tweeted that “the Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors.” This would throw the blame for the loss onto Pence, but the vice president has no constitutional power to do any such thing, and this morning he made that clear in a statement. Trump then tweeted that Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done.”

It seemed clear that the voting would be heated, but it was also clear that most of the lawmakers opposing the count were posturing to court Trump’s base for future elections. Congress would count Biden’s win.

But Trump had urged his supporters for weeks to descend on Washington, D.C., to stop what he insisted was the stealing of the election. They did so and, this morning, began to congregate near the Capitol, where the counting would take place. As he passed them on the east side of the Capitol, Hawley raised a power fist.

In the middle of the day, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani spoke to the crowd, telling them: “Let’s have trial by combat.” Trump followed, lying that he had won the election and saying “we are going to have to fight much harder.” He warned that Pence had better “come through for us, and if he doesn’t, that will be a sad day for our country.” He warned that Chinese-driven socialists are taking over the country. And he told them to march on Congress to “save our democracy.”

As rioters took Trump at his word, Congress was counting the votes alphabetically by state. When they got to Arizona, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) stood up to echo the rhetoric radicals had been using to discredit the certified votes, saying that public distrust in the election—created out of thin air by Republicans—justified an investigation.

Within an hour, a violent mob stormed the Capitol and Cruz, along with the rest of the lawmakers, was rushed to safety (four quick-thinking staffers brought along the electoral ballots, in their ceremonial boxes). As the rioters broke in, police shot and killed one of them: Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from San Diego, QAnon believer, and staunch Trump supporter. The insurrectionists broke into the Senate chamber, where one was photographed on the dais of the Senate, shirtless and wearing a bull costume that revealed a Ku Klux Klan tattoo on his abdomen. They roamed the Capitol looking for Pence and other lawmakers they considered enemies. Not finding them, they ransacked offices. One rioter photographed himself sitting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk with his feet on it.

They carried with them the Confederate flag.

Capitol police provided little obstruction, apparently eager to avoid confrontations that could be used as propaganda on social media. The intruders seemed a little surprised at their success, taking selfies and wandering around like tourists. One stole a lectern.

As the White House, the FBI, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security all remained silent, President-Elect Joe Biden spoke to cameras urging calm and calling on Trump to tell his supporters to go home. But CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins later reported that she spoke to White House officials who were “genuinely freaked… out” that Trump was “borderline enthusiastic” about the storming of the Capitol because “it meant the certification was being derailed.”

At 4:17, Trump issued his own video, reiterating his false claims that he had been cheated of victory. Only then did he conclude with: “Go home, we love you, you’re very special.” Twitter immediately took the video down. By nighttime Trump’s Twitter feed seemed to blame his enemies for the violence the president had incited (although the rhythm of the words did not sound to me like Trump’s own usual cadence): “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”

Twitter took down the tweet and banned the president for at least twelve hours for inciting violence; Facebook and Instagram followed suit.

As the afternoon wore on, police found two pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., as well as a truck full of weapons and ammunition, and mobs gathered at statehouses across the country, including in Kansas, Ohio, Minnesota, California, and Georgia.

By 5:00, acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller issued a statement saying he had conferred with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Vice President Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and had fully activated the D.C. National Guard.

He did not mention the president.

By late evening, Washington, D.C., police chief Robert J. Contee III announced that at least 52 people had been arrested and 14 law enforcement officers injured. A total of four people died, including one who died of a heart attack and one who tased themself.

White House Counsel Pat Cipollone urged people to stay away from Trump to limit their chances of being prosecuted for treason under the Sedition Act. By midnight, four staffers had resigned, as well as Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger, with other, higher level officials also talking about leaving. Even Trump adviser Stephen Miller admitted it was a bad day. Quickly, pro-Trump media began to insist that the attack was a false-flag operation of “Antifa,” despite the selfies and videos posted by known right-wing agitators, and the fact that Trump had invited, incited, and praised them.

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis laid the blame for today’s attack squarely at the feet of Trump himself: “Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, and effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump. His use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice.”

The attempted coup drew condemnation from all but the radical Trump supporters in government. Former President George W. Bush issued a statement “on insurrection at the Capitol,” saying “it is a sickening and heartbreaking sight.” “I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election,” he said, and accused such leaders of enflaming the rioters with lies and false hopes. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) was more direct: “What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States.”

Across the country tonight are calls for Trump’s removal through the 25th amendment, impeachment, or resignation. The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have joined the chorus, writing to Pence urging him to invoke the 25th. Angry at Trump’s sabotaging of the Georgia elections in addition to the attack on our democracy, prominent Republicans are rumored to be doing the same.

At 8:00, heavily armed guards escorted the lawmakers back to the Capitol, thoroughly scrubbed by janitors, where the senators and representatives resumed their counting of the certified votes. The events of the afternoon had broken some of the Republicans away from their determination to challenge the votes. Fourteen Republican senators had announced they would object to counting the certified votes from Arizona; in the evening count the number dropped to six: Cruz (R-TX), Hawley (R-MO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Kennedy (R-LA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

In the House, 121 Republicans, more than half the Republican caucus, voted to throw out Biden’s electors from Arizona. As in the Senate, they lost when 303 Representatives voted in favor.

Six senators and more than half of the House Republicans backed an attempt to overthrow our government, in favor of a man caught on tape just four days ago trying to strong-arm a state election official into falsifying the election results.

Today the Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol.

[Heather Cox Richardson is a Professor of History at Boston College. She has daily posts on Facebook that summarize the day's political events and puts them in historical context. The Facebook post link's first comment are her citations to sources.]

[truck-fump]

The central question hanging over <b>Trump's</b> legal cases: From the Politics Desk - NBC News

New Post has been published on https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/central-question-trump-legal-cases-politics-desk-rcna149582&ct=ga&cd=CAIyGjUzM2UwMTY5ZmFhZTIwMGQ6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AOvVaw3KZ9-Aycj6uJaelUhMcNnT

The central question hanging over Trump's legal cases: From the Politics Desk - NBC News

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