#Janet S. Powell

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Steve Brodner

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 17, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAY 18, 2024

Yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 40,000 but then dropped back below it; today it closed above 40,000 for the first time in history, ending the day at 40,003.59. This extraordinary performance means investors have confidence the Federal Reserve will get inflation under control without throwing the country into a recession. It is a triumphant vindication of the financial policies advanced by President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen.

In comparison to the breathless coverage of the stock market during Trump’s administration, this milestone is getting very little coverage. Under Trump, the stock market had the highest annualized gain of any Republican president since Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s, but at 11.8%, that annualized gain was lower than the annualized return under Democratic presidents Barack Obama (12.1%) and Bill Clinton (15.9%). Biden’s annualized return passed Trump’s in April 2024, as well. 

The stock market’s performance is being ignored partly because Democrats tend to underplay the role of the stock market as an indication of economic health because they recognize it is not the only important way to think about the economy. But since he took office, Biden has also had to contend with the constant stream of outrageous news coming from the radical right. 

Today is no exception. Indeed, today’s news is among the most shocking that we’ve had since Biden took office.

Yesterday evening, Jodi Kantor of the New York Times reported that in the days before Biden’s inauguration, an upside-down American flag flew in front of Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito’s home. A U.S. flag flown upside down is a universal symbol of distress. In the days after the January 6, 2021, insurrection, Trump loyalists flew the upside-down flag as a symbol of “the impending death of the nation and a call to arms,” according to American studies professor Matthew Guterl.

Leading scholar of the American right Kathleen Belew explained on social media that the upside-down flag was “not just signifying that the election was ‘stolen.’ The inverted flag means the country has been overthrown (to many, if not most, on the right). This is a profound act of symbolism and appalling at the home of a Supreme Court Justice.”

For Alito to fly it was an indication that he was part of the insurrection. 

In September 2021, Trump loyalist lawyer Sidney Powell, who was part of the team trying to get the results of the 2020 presidential election overturned, told a right-wing talk show host that while rioters were attacking the Capitol, she and her team were trying to get an emergency injunction to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory. 

“We were filing a 12th Amendment constitutional challenge to the process that the Congress was about to use under the Electoral Act provisions that simply don’t jive [sic] with the 12th Amendment to the United States Constitution,” she said. “And Justice Alito was our circuit justice for that.” 

The plan was thwarted, she said, when then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reconvened Congress and certified Biden’s win that night. “[S]he really had to speed up reconvening Congress to get the vote going before Justice Alito might have issued an injunction to stop it all, which is what should have happened,” Powell said. 

Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today that “Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former President's immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering. The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust.”

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also called for Alito to recuse himself from cases involving the 2020 election and Trump. 

The potential for Alito to destroy our country in order to restore Trump to the presidency has continued. Along with Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, whose wife Ginni was in both sympathy and communication with the others trying to overturn the results of the election, as well as the three extremist justices Trump appointed, Alito has been part of a court that has delayed its decision about whether Trump can be tried on criminal charges for conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election for so long that Trump likely has won his gambit to avoid trial before the 2024 election.

When Trump claimed last October that he could not be prosecuted, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing his trial, rejected the argument in December. Trump appealed, and Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court to decide the case immediately. The Supreme Court refused. Then, after a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court unanimously affirmed Chutkan’s ruling in a February 2024 decision that legal observers praised as “thorough and compelling,” Trump appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court then accepted his appeal and scheduled oral arguments for late April, more than a month after the original trial date set by Judge Chutkan. 

The result of all this delay, former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori wrote in Politico last month, is “that a question whose answer was obvious back in December is unlikely to get that answer from the Supreme Court until its session ends in June.” “If the Court hadn’t intervened, we would already have a verdict in the January 6 case,” political strategist Michael Podhorzer wrote, “and we don’t know whether the Court would have decided to intervene without Thomas and Alito.”

When the story of Alito’s misuse of the flag broke, the justice explained himself to Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream. He blamed his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, for flying the flag, saying she had hung it up in response to a “F*** Trump” sign that was “within 50 feet of where children await the school bus in Jan[uary] 21.” He said that the neighbors are “very political” and had had “words” with the Alitos that had upset Mrs. Alito. 

While Justice Alito blamed his wife for the flag, he could hardly have missed seeing it above his house. Former Chicago Tribune editor Mark Jacob wrote: “When I was an editor at the Chicago Tribune, I would’ve been in trouble if I’d let my wife put a political bumper sticker on our car. But a Supreme Court justice’s home can fly a flag of insurrection and he’s still allowed to rule on whether the head insurrectionist has immunity.”

The deputy chief of staff for Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents the town in which the Alitos live, noted that the local schools were all remote in January 2021 because of the pandemic. “No children were waiting for buses,” he noted. Legal analyst Elie Mystal added: “Sam Alito running to Fox News to explain how…he’s not politically motivated at all…is an under-appreciated part of this ongoing ethical disaster.” 

It would be bad enough for a Supreme Court justice to announce a partisan preference. But, as David Kurtz wrote this morning at Talking Points Memo, Alito’s embrace of the insurrectionist flag “was a bold declaration of affinity for and alignment with the smoldering insurrection led by a president of the same party that had just been put down but which still loomed as a threat to civic order, the peaceful transfer of power (which at that point had still not yet happened), and the rule of law.”

The call is coming from inside the house.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[finleyforevermore]

2023's StEx Appreciation Month!

Day 11: Belle the Sleeping Car

Shezwae Powell in the first picture, PP Arnold in the second picture, and Janet Williams Adderley in the third picture.

Favorite Actor: Janet Williams Adderley (Broadway, 1987-1989)

Face Claim/Voice Claim: Janet Williams Adderley (

Favorite Song/Scene: Belle's Song (the Broadway version)

Favorite Costume: Her London costume is wonderful, but I gotta give this to Broadway! It's simply phenomenal!!!

Favorite Ships: Sleeping Steam (Poppa x Belle) and Momma x Belle

Headcanon: She's related to Duvay in some way.

Unpopular Opinion: None at all! :)

[pierreism]

Annie Baker and Lucian Johnston’s Closet Picks

The writer-director of JANET PLANET joins the film’s editor in praising Maurice Pialat’s unsentimental depiction of childhood, their collaborator Maria von Hausswolff’s cinematography in GODLAND, and the ineffable magic of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Shop Annie and Lucian's Closet Picks! criterion.com/shop/collection/662-annie-baker-and-lucian-johnston-s-closet-picks

via criterioncollection

[waterlilyunit6]

Upcoming Cannon Hall Exhibition - Costume from the Classics

Cannon Hall is hosting an exhibition from the 24th May to 15th September 20204. The Exhibition is part of the Barnsley Museums 2024 Exhibition Program, and is inspired by John Spencer's Library at Cannon Hall. Displayed around the South Front and rooms of the estate, there will be ten costumes from CosProp, one of the UK's major costume makers, each costume created for the film adaptions of classic novels. The award winning film adaptations include:

Far From the Madding Crowd (2015) - Costume Designer: Janet Patterson - Character: Bathsheba Everdine played by Carey Mulligan

Little Women (2019) - Costume Designer: Jaqueline Durran - Character: John Brooke played by James Norton

Death on the Nile (1978) - Costume Designer: Anthony Powell - Character: Marie Van Schuyler played by Bette Davis

Murder on the Orient Express (1974) - Costume Designer: Alexandra Byrne - Character: Hercule Proirot played by David Suchet

Dangerous Liaisons (1988) - Costume Designer: James Acheson - Character: Madame de Volanges played by Swoosie Kurtz

The Duchess (2008) - Costume Designer: Michael O'Connor - Character: Georgiana -Duchess of Devonshire played by Kiera Knightly

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023 Netflix) - Costume Designers: Lyn Paolo, Laura Frecon, Jovana Gospavic, and Alex Locke - Character: Young Agatha Danbury played by Arsema Thomas

Tulip Fever (2017) - Costume Designer: Michael O'Connor - Character: Sophia Sandvoort played by Alicia Vikander

The Danish Girl (2015) - Costume Designer: Paco Delgado - Character(s): Einar Wegener and Lili Elbe played by Eddie Redmayne

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Saturday, 30th September

Welcome, 안녕하세요, こんにちは, नमस्ते 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 30th September through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

30th September 2021 🗓️ : Death - Koichi Sugiyama Koichi Sugiyama, Japanese composer and orchestrator (b. 1931) "Koichi Sugiyama (すぎやま こういち, Sugiyama Kōichi, April 11, 1931 – September 30, 2021) was a Japanese composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was best known for composing the music for the Dragon Quest franchise, along with several other video games, anime, film, television shows, and pop songs...."

Image licensed under CC BY 3.0? by (See the source column)

30th September 2018 🗓️ : Death - Kim Larsen Kim Larsen, Danish rock musician (b. 1945) "Kim Mellius Flyvholm Larsen (23 October 1945 – 30 September 2018) was a Danish rock and pop musician. He was a major selling Scandinavian act with over 5 million albums sold. ..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Simon Wedege Petersen

30th September 2013 🗓️ : Death - Janet Powell Janet Powell, Australian educator and politician (b. 1942) "Janet Frances Powell AM (née McDonald, 29 September 1942 – 30 September 2013) was an Australian politician. A native of Nhill, Victoria, Powell was educated at Ballarat Grammar School and Nhill High School. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Bjenks

30th September 1973 🗓️ : Death - Peter Pitseolak Peter Pitseolak, Canadian photographer and author (b. 1902) "Peter Pitseolak (1902–1973) was an Inuk photographer, sculptor, artist and historian. Pitseolak was Baffin Island's first indigenous photographer...."

Image by Charles Gimpel

30th September 1923 🗓️ : Birth - Donald Swann Donald Swann, Welsh-English pianist and composer (d. 1994) "Donald Ibrahim Swann (30 September 1923 – 23 March 1994) was a British composer, musician, singer and entertainer. He was one half of Flanders and Swann, writing and performing comic songs with Michael Flanders...."

Image by Photograph by Bill Doll and Company, a New York-based publicity agency

30th September 1814 🗓️ : Birth - Lucinda Hinsdale Stone Lucinda Hinsdale Stone, American feminist, educator, and philanthropist (d. 1900) "Lucinda Hinsdale Stone (pen name, L. H. S.; September 30, 1814 – March 14, 1900) was an early American feminist, educator, traveler, writer, and philanthropist. Stone was the first woman in the United States to take classes of young women abroad to study, that means to illustrate history and..."

Image

30th September 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Gregory the Illuminator "Gregory the Illuminator (Classical Armenian: Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ, reformed spelling: Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ, Grigor Lusavorich; c. 257 – c. 328) was the founder and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He converted Armenia from Zoroastrianism to Christianity in the early fourth century..."

Image licensed under CC BY 2.5? by G.dallorto

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

I Love Trouble

S. Sylvan Simon’s I LOVE TROUBLE (1948, TCM, YouTube) does not open promisingly. A woman (Lynn Merick) spots a private eye (Franchot Tone) following her, and they share a scene so arch and overplayed it may make your teeth hurt. The mystery with noir and comic elements was written by Roy Huggins from his novel THE DOUBLE TAKE so much in the Raymond Chandler tradition the more famous author considered suing for plagiarism. Tone, who co-produced, settles into a more acceptable style, but there’s something missing. When he leers at a pretty girl, it’s overplayed again. And at one point, he says, “You’re good. You’re very good,” a line right out of THE MALTESE FALCON (1941), only he doesn’t have the layers Humphrey Bogart brought to the line. He’s not Bogart. Hell, he’s not even Dick Powell, who knew how to underplay his more comic and lecherous lines, too. Instead, he keeps veering into screwball comedy. The plot: private eye Stuart Bailey (a character retooled by Huggins for 77 SUNSET STRIP) is hired to find out why politician Tom Powers’ wife (Merick) is getting threatening letters about her past. He’s variously mugged, bribed and seduced to put him off the case, and even finds an informant murdered. Along the way, he meets gambling hall owner Stefan Geray (very good), his hired guns John Ireland and Raymond Burr (rocking a fedora in one of his first roles), the wealthy Eduardo Cianelli (also quite good) and a trio of Columbia’s best contract women: Janet Blair, Janis Carter and Adele Jergens. They’re all beautiful and do well in their roles, but everyone takes a back seat to Glenda Farrell as Tone’s wise-cracking secretary. When he asks her if she’s ever had the feeling she’s being watched or followed, she says, “Not nearly enough.” I can identify with that.

[fxviet102]

S&P 500 chìm sau bài phát biểu của Powell và lời khai của Yellen, liệu đô la Mỹ có tăng trở lại?

S&P 500 giảm 1,6% sau quyết định lãi suất của Fed. Chủ tịch Jerome Powell đã cố dội gáo nước lạnh vào việc đặt cược cắt giảm lãi suất. Trong khi đó, lời khai của Janet Yellen làm tăng thêm ác cảm rủi ro. Thị trường châu Á – Thái Bình Dương dường như đang chuẩn bị cho sự biến động tiếp theo. Thị trường đảo ngược lợi nhuận khi quyết định lãi suất của Fed S&P 500 đã giảm 1,6% vào thứ Tư sau quyết…

[thesecrettimes]

US Lawmakers Probe SEC, Treasury, Federal Reserve Over Revolving Door With Crypto Industry

U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns about the revolving door between financial regulators and the crypto industry. “Over 200 government officials have moved between public service and crypto firms,” the lawmakers said, adding that they include 31 Treasury Department officials and 28 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officials.

Revolving Door Between Financial Regulators, Like SEC, and Crypto Industry

Five U.S. lawmakers have sent a letter to seven financial regulators inquiring about measures they are taking to prevent the revolving door between their agencies and the crypto industry. The letters, dated Oct. 24, were signed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL). The letters were sent to Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Rostin Behnam, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Acting Chair Martin Gruenberg, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)’s Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael J. Hsu, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra. “We write seeking information about the steps your agency is taking to stop the revolving door between our financial regulatory agencies and the cryptocurrency (crypto) industry,” the lawmakers wrote. “The crypto sector has rapidly escalated its lobbying efforts in recent months, spending millions in an attempt to secure favorable regulatory outcomes as Congress and federal agencies work to craft and enforce rules to regulate this multi-trillion dollar industry.” They explained: As part of this influence campaign, crypto firms have hired hundreds of ex-government officials … and we are concerned that the crypto revolving door risks corrupting the policymaking process and undermining the public’s trust in our financial regulators. “According to the Tech Transparency Project, over 200 government officials have moved between public service and crypto firms, serving as advisers, board members, investors, lobbyists, legal counsel, or in-house executives,” the letter details. The lawmakers added that they include at least 31 Treasury Department officials, 28 SEC officials, 15 CFTC officials, six Federal Reserve officials, five OCC officials, three CFPB officials, and two FDIC officials. The letter continues: These officials join at least eight former members of Congress, 79 former congressional staffers, and 32 former White House officials who are currently advising or lobbying for crypto interests. “Americans should be confident that regulators are working on behalf of the public, rather than auditioning for a high-paid lobbying job upon leaving government service. The rapidly spinning revolving door out of government and into the crypto sector, however, undermines both imperatives,” the lawmakers stressed. Their letters conclude with a list of questions concerning each agency’s guidelines to prevent a revolving door with the crypto industry. For example, one question asks about what ethics and transparency rules are in place to ensure the integrity of agency officials. Another question concerns how each agency protects its policies from being unduly influenced by current or former employees’ potential conflicts of interest. The regulators were asked to provide answers by Nov. 7. What do you think about the revolving door between financial regulators and the crypto industry? Let us know in the comments section below. Read the full article

[forexbeginnersworld]

US stocks plummet amid rising inflation and COVID-19 cases

US stocks plummet amid rising inflation and COVID-19 cases

US indices fell on Thursday, after stocks plummeted due to rising inflation and regional coronavirus outbreaks. To be more specific, the energy and technology sectors led Wall Street lower, so S&P 500 sank 0.3%. But despite the ongoing increase in inflation, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank will adopt a flexible stance on monetary policy, as they expect a short spike in price…

[hummingzone]

Stock futures slip as Wall Street wraps up first week of second-quarter earnings

Stock futures slip as Wall Street wraps up first week of second-quarter earnings

Futures contracts tied to the U.S. stock indexes slipped during the overnight session Thursday evening as Wall Street neared the end of the first major week of second-quarter earnings reports. Contracts linked to the S&P 500 lost 0.1%, while Dow futures lost 32 points. Nasdaq 100 futures shed less than 0.1%. The moves in the overnight session came as investors pored over the first batch of…

[aboutanancientenquiry]

Herodotus as political philosopher, but also as critic of the American Empire

Herodotus and the Philosophy of Empire Hardcover – July 2, 2008

by Ann Ward (Author)

Baylor University Press

“In Herodotus and the Philosophy of Empire, Ann Ward treats the classical writer not as a historian but as a political philosopher. Ward uses close textual analysis to demonstrate that Herodotus investigates recurring themes in the most important forms of government in the ancient world. This analysis of The Histories concludes with reflections on the problems of empire, not only for the Persians and the striving Athenians, but for our own government as well. To this end, Ward contrasts Herodotus on empire with the assumptions underlying speeches and writings of Paul Wolfowitz, Colin L. Powell, Joseph S. Nye, Jr. and Robert W. Merry.”

Reviews

Ann Ward's Herodotus and the Philosophy of Empire is a rich and comprehensive analysis that beautifully captures the political urgency of Herodotus' insights. Ward's fresh angle on the topic of empire adds profoundly to the literature on Herodotus as well as to studies in historiography, and will prove to be an invaluable resource for students of politics and history alike. --Norma Thompson, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Lecturer, Yale University This original study makes the provocative case that Herodotus, to an even greater degree than Thucydides, illuminates the permanent grounds of democracy's greatest spiritual strengths and most dangerous imperial temptations. Herodotus is shown to be not merely the proverbial father of history but, what is more, the fertile father of democratic theory, especially in its international dimensions. --Thomas L. Pangle, Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies, University of Texas Ann Ward's  Herodotus and the Philosophy of Empire stands out as perhaps the most ambitious of recent works on Herodotus. --The Review of Politics Volume 71 Issue 4 (Fall 2009) This is a lucid, learned and creative reading of Herodotus' comparative analyses of Egyptian, Scythian, Persian, and Spartan regimes. This book will inspire not only a return to Herodotus' text, but also a reflection on contemporary American debates on 'human imperialism' and pragmatic security. --Janet Coleman, Professor of Ancient & Political Thought, London School of Economics and Political Science

Source:https://www.amazon.com/Herodotus-Philosophy-Empire-Ann-Ward/dp/1602580073

[welcome-to-original-towns]

This is copied from @spare-teeth’s similar post with permission, and is just a reference sheet for the various towns and residents kept track of on this blog. It’s partially for reference for others, but also for me, since I don’t have a great memory. The emojis by each town aren’t anything official, just as a better visual division between sections.

Feel free to ask me to update or add anything! My brain is a fried egg so I tend to get things mixed up sometimes lol

🎆 Night Vale (Canon)

• No ocs that I can think of

🌇 Desert Bluffs (Canon)

• Simon S. Strexberg (kindcolors) - he/him

• Aliza (kindcolors) - she/her - DB!Abby - potter - Kevin’s sister - Janet’s mother - Sloan’s partner

• Janet (kindcolors) - she/her - DB!Janice - student - Aliza’s daughter

• Eden Haldeman - he/him - DB!Earl Harlan

• Ramona Haldeman - she/her

• Miley Phan - she/her - DB!Michelle

• Miranda - she/her - DB!Maureen

🏜 Red Mesa (Canon)

- kindcolors

• Conrad Ripley - she/her - radio host - Atticus’s sibling - Claudette’s partner

• Claudette the Ufologist - she/her - Conrad’s partner

• Atticus Ripley-Campbell - he/him - 2nd grade teacher - Conrad’s brother - Harrison’s father - Marvin’s husband

• Marvin Campbell - he/him - mechanic - Avery’s brother - Harrison’s father - Atticus’s husband

• Harrison Ripley - he/him - student - Atticus, Marvin, and Sloan’s son

• Belle Phillips - Conrad and Atticus’s mother

• Edith Hayes - she/her - baker and girl scouts leader - Rachel’s mother

• Rachel Hayes - she/her - student - Edith’s daughter

• Lady Jupiter - she/her - retired actress and leader of Red Mesa -

• Sloan Clary - she/her - veterinarian - Harrison’s mom - Aliza’s partner

• Rod - she/he/they - radio intern

• Myles - he/him - radio intern - Mason’s partner

• Mason Lee - pronouns not listed - records store owner - Myles’s partner

• Terrance the Bartender - they/them

• Enzo - he/him - Claudette’s team member (ufologist)

• Mimi - she/they - Claudette’s team member (ufologist)

• Agent Maury - he/him

🌲 Pine Cliff (Canon)

• Carmen the Hauntologist (doctorspiral) - he/him

• The Spirit of the Thing (doctorspiral) - she/him/its

• Old Man Joseph (doctorspiral) - he/him

• Old Man Joseph’s reapers - they/them

• Jacobi - he/they

🌵 Cactus Park (Canon)

mudstoneabyss

• Lady of Solstices/Sylvia (joyous-heresy) - she/it/they

• Sofia - she/they

• Kaleb Stoker - she/him

• Cypress the Astrologist - they/them

• Anabella Stoker - she/her

• Stanley Krelborne - he/him

🪨 Stone Meadow (Canon)

- kindcolors

• Cash Miller - he/him - radio host - Ashton’s sibling - Cassidy’s partner

• Cassidy the climatologist - he/they - Cash’s partner

• Ashton Miller - she/her - SM!Abby - front desk worker - Cash’s sibling - Grace’s mother - Scott’s partner

• Scott Crawford - he/him - waiter - Grace’s father - Ashton’s partner

• Grace Miller - she/her - student - Ashton and Scott’s child

• Margo Lee - she/her - records store owner - Madge’s partner

• Madge - she/they - radio intern - Margo’s partner

• Elliot Hunt - he/him - butcher

🔱 Maritime Canyon (OC)

- lesbiancervidologist

• Camille Cordelia - she/they/he

• Victoria the Marine Biologist - she/her

• Tony Cisco - he/him - Camille’s brother in law

• Shelby Cordelia - he/him

• Priscilla Crane - she/it

• Pearl Crane - she/her

• Vincent Cordelia - he/him

💠 Glacier Meadow (OC)

- spare-teeth

• Arthur Mendoza - he/it/they

• Abdel the Paleontologist - they/them

• Callie Mendoza-Hendrickson - she/her

• Theodosia Mendoza-Hendrickson - she/her

• Marina Marigold - she/her

• Mr. Isaiah - he/him - GM!Old Woman Josie

🪁 Lilac Dune (OC)

- mudstoneabyss

• CATALYST/Catie - she/it

• Chandler the Roboticist - he/they

• Siobhan Carlton - she/her

⏳ Sandstone Cavern

- sentient-cloud

• no named ocs yet as far as I know

🔀 Helix Caverns

- rabid-catboy

• no named ocs as far as I know

🌙 Lunar Hill

- mudstoneabyss

• Theodore Terranova

• Huron the Thanatologist

🌈 Rainbow Plateau

- kindcolors

• Casper Powell - he/him - radio host - Amanda’s sibling - Cyrus’s partner

• Amanda Powell-Cook - she/her - therapist - Casper’s sibling - Joan’s parent - Spencer’s partner

• Spencer Powell-Cook - he/him - Joan’s parent - Amanda’s partner

• Joan - she/her - student - Spencer and Amanda’s child

🏞 Yucca Valley

- kindcolors

• Audrey Park - she/they - radio host - Cyrus’s sibling - Jean’s parent

• Cyrus Park - pronouns not listed - programmer/anthropologist - Audrey’s sibling - Casper’s partner

• Jean Park - student - Audrey’s child

Discontinued towns

🌾 Gold Fields

- The maker of this town seemed to make it pretty clear they didn’t want to be associated with the wtnv fandom anymore, and are no longer on tumblr to my knowledge. I feel shifty about deleting all of their original town related posts since I can’t get in contact with them to ask about this, but if I they tell me to do so at any point, I will. This is only kept as context/acknowledgement

• Hesperia Hildegard - she/they

• Hilda the Zoologist, she/her

• Intern Paris, they/them

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

November 24, 2020

Heather Cox Richardson

The stock market, which has been strong thanks to the good news about coronavirus vaccines, jumped to a record high today on news that President-Elect Joe Biden is planning to nominate Janet Yellen to head the Treasury Department. She will be the first woman to lead the department, and is considered an especially strong pick, particularly at this moment. Yellen is a labor economist and monetary policy expert who cares deeply about issues of inequality, and is respected by members of both parties. She served as the Chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, and headed the White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Bill Clinton.

Yellen’s strong piloting of the Federal Reserve won her support on Wall Street, while she is also popular with labor interests: many analysts credit her with the strong labor market of the Obama years that continued until the pandemic. Former Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn, who advised Trump on economic policy, tweeted that Yellen “is an excellent choice…. [S]he will be the steady hand we need to promote an economy that works for everyone, especially during these difficult times.” Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), known as a progressive, tweeted that the choice of Yellen is “outstanding…. She is smart, tough, and principled…. [S]he has stood up to Wall Street banks….”

Yellen’s expected nomination is yet another Biden pick that emphasizes stability and a return to a government to which Americans had become accustomed before Trump’s election. The Biden-Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris administration appears ready to use the government to help ordinary Americans.

That return to our traditional position appears popular among financial markets as well as with ordinary voters. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped with the Yellen news, but it had topped 30,000 earlier, shortly after Pennsylvania certified its votes for Biden. Investors like political stability. Trump’s erratic behavior threatened to make business success depend not on ability but on political favoritism, which business leaders actually don’t like because it enables a political leader to pick winners and losers. Recently, the president’s attacks on our democratic system have undermined confidence so that Biden’s certified win was a relief (although later in the day Trump tried to take credit for the stock market high).

Yesterday, officials at General Motors noted that the Trump years had made the government lag behind popular opinion. They abandoned their former support for Trump’s rollback of emissions standards and sided with California in its quest to modernize our automotive fleet. CEO Mary Barra wrote to leaders of environmental groups, saying: “We believe the ambitious electrification goals of the President-elect, California, and General Motors are aligned to address climate change by drastically reducing automobile emissions,” she wrote. “We are confident that the Biden Administration, California, and the U.S. auto industry, which supports 10.3 million jobs, can collaboratively find the pathway that will deliver an all-electric future.”

The outgoing Trump administration is not taking the rejection of their policies lying down. It appears officials are trying to use their last months in office to undermine Biden and Harris, making sure they enter office with crises at hand and a limited number of options for dealing with them.

As coronavirus roars across the country, the administration remains committed to the idea of simply letting the virus take its toll until vaccines are available. Vice President Mike Pence, the head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, briefed reporters last Thursday for the first time since July, assuring them that while infection rates are rising, “[W]e approach this moment with the confidence of experience. We know the American people know what to do.”

In the last week, the United states has seen 1.2 million new infections, bringing our total to more than 12.5 million. We are approaching an official death count of 260,000, and are losing about 1500 people every day. Doctors in Utah are having to ration care; Minnesota, Kansas, and Missouri are short of beds in intensive care units; Texas had to mobilize 36 National Guard personnel to help clear an overflow of bodies at the El Paso morgue.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warns that fatalities could get worse. “Two to three thousand deaths a day times a couple of months, and you’re approaching a really stunning number of deaths," he told Yahoo News. But, he noted, “It isn’t inevitable…. We can blunt the curve” by wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing until the newly announced coronavirus vaccines are widely available.

And yet, Republicans continue to downplay the dangers of the virus, although 8 of the 53 Senate Republicans have themselves tested positive for it. Last week Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) called a request from Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) that another senator wear a mask to protect nearby staffers “idiotic” and “an ostentatious sign of fake virtue.”

More than 125 economists this week wrote an open letter calling for a new coronavirus relief package to tide the country over until coronavirus vaccines can stem the economic crisis, especially as measures passed back in March will expire with the end of the year. They are simply echoing the many calls for such a measure, including ones from Trump-appointed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. But while the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a new $3 trillion bill back in May, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has declined to take it up, and has not been able to bring Senate Republicans together to back their own version. Now, he has sent senators home for Thanksgiving without taking up a bill.

Today negotiators for the House and Senate hammered out a deal to keep the government funded past the December 11 shutdown date, but while Democrats still remain hopeful they can include coronavirus relief measures in the package, Republicans are pessimistic.

Last week, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin went further to divorce the government from supporting the economy in this perilous time. He announced that he was suspending the Treasury’s lending powers at the end of the year, taking away a crucial backstop for businesses and local governments. He is also clawing back from the Federal Reserve about $250 billion appropriated under the original coronavirus relief bill in an apparent attempt to keep it out of the hands of the Biden team. That money will go back to Congress, which would have to reappropriate it in another bill to make it available again, which the Republican Senate shows no sign of being willing to do. Republicans have expressed concern that the Biden administration could use the appropriated money to bail out states and local governments, which by law cannot borrow to tide them over.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce objected strongly to Mnuchin’s actions. In a public statement, it said: ““American businesses and workers are weary of these political machinations when they are doing everything in their power to keep our economy going. We strongly urge these programs be extended for the foreseeable future and call on Congress to pass additional pandemic relief targeted at the American businesses, workers and industries that continue to suffer. We all need to unite behind the need of a broad-based economic recovery.”

David Wilcox, who holds a PhD in Economics from MIT and is the former chief economist for the Federal Reserve, was blunt. He told journalist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, “The most obvious interpretation is that the Trump administration is seeking to debilitate the economic recovery as much as possible on the way out of the door.”

This is why Yellen’s nomination is being greeted with such relief. Observers expect her to back government spending to address the devastating effects of the coronavirus on the economy, while her background in monetary policy will help her craft a coordinated response between the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department.

—-

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[massielandnetwork]

Important Economic Trends During Anarchy

2021 – Let the Games Begin

14. A Christian Secession – Poetic Justice equals Reality Checks

News broke this week that the General Counsel of Coca-Cola resigned abruptly last week over his aggressive championing of the Critical Race Theory. I guess the fizz went out of Coke and they decided they did not want to “Go Woke and Go Broke”. Poetic Justice?

China’s Wuhan Virus vaccine reportedly has an effective rate of 40% or less and fewer than one-third of Chinese have had even one shot of that two-shot vaccine. India is suffering an enormous increase in Wuhan Virus infections which multiple “variants” creating havoc. Some analysts are combining those facts and forecasting that China may be in for a Pandemic crisis since those two countries share a common border. Another case of Poetic Justice?

The U. S. Chamber of Commerce is dominated by large U. S. Corporations. Haters of Trump, in the November 2020 election the U. S. Chamber of Commerce backed many Congressional Democrats and Biden. Biden’s $6 Trillion proposed bills mostly wasteful spending unless you are part of the Democratic Party entourage. To pay for these monstrosities, Biden and gang want to raise taxes on …drum roll please …big businesses (and others). Poetic Justice – yessir.

Also, in the tax crosshairs are anyone that owns any asset such as a home, stock, farm, or business. Not only do the Demented Marxists (DM) want to raise capital gains taxes, but the DMs also want to reduce the estate tax exclusion down to $1M per person. That combination will significantly diminish investment activity and reduce future job growth by punishing anyone who works hard, builds a business, and invests their money. Another reality check full of pain.

If Biden and his merry band of DMs succeed in passing these proposals, it will take decades for the U. S. economy to recover AFTER this stupidity is reversed. If it is ever reversed. Marxism or Socialism has NEVER succeeded. Only an idiot would claim China is an economic success because reality is that China is a debt fueled, economic house of cards.

Do not believe the Democratic propaganda machine about Biden’s ratings. The unreported facts are:

1. Biden’s speech before Congress was viewed by so few folks it makes the NBA’s viewership look superb.

2. Senator Tm Scott’s speech was phenomenal and obviously on target because the DM’s went ballistic to the point that Biden was forced to state the next day that Americans are not racist. Meanwhile his administration continues to push the Critical Race Theory (CRT) which says all whites are bad because they are racists.

3. Idaho became the first state to ban CRT from being taught in its schools. At least four more states have followed suit. Where is Virginia’s government on CRT? – Oh, stupid me, we are controlled by DMs.

4. Five white farmers in Wisconsin have filed suit claiming discrimination over Biden’s proposal to forgive the USDA debt of black farmers.

Here are some critical economic events.

1. Due to the stimulus already in the economy, economic growth has surged to a level almost equivalent to where the USA economy was in January of 2020. That is the good news.

2. The bad news is that economic growth is being retarded by those stimulus programs that made unemployment provide folks a higher income than if they were working. So, workers are staying home and enjoying the government/taxpayer money. Pay people NOT to work and they do not work. Somehow the DM’s have a hard time grasping that equation.

3. Because of the shortage of workers, employers are raising wages and offering bonuses. Great for the employees. Also, a source of inflationary pressure.

4. Supply chains are distorted because of perceived shortages which encourages buyers to buy extra to their actual needs which in turn exacerbates the shortage because producers cannot keep up with the surging demand. Think toilet paper a year ago. Computer chips are a recent example. Auto manufacturers are having to shut down plant because why cannot get the computer chips they need.

5. I hope you belly laughed like I did when Biden talked about the government getting into the production of computer chips. The government is doing such a great job with the Postal Service and applying the same techniques to our medical care, solar power that I hope we dodge the bullet of the government fouling up the computer chip industry.

Compared to Trump who actually solved problems rather than just talking about them being problems, the contrast with the politicians in Richmond or DC is stark. DM politicians just want to get paid for talking about a problem, scoring rhetorical points, and have a fund raiser about the problem, but they never solve the problem. The focus is all about money, how much is theirs.

Keep watching the activity about the fraudulent election last November.

a. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the Michigan Secretary of State exceeded her authority when she approved a variety of changes to the state’s election laws. Was the “certified” election in Michigan a fraud? YES.

b. The Arizona legislature authorized recount of 2.1 Million votes in Maricopa County, Arizona is rolling despite the DMs attempt to prevent it.

c. It is fun watching the DMs oppose audits in Wisconsin and Georgia. Odd behavior if there is nothing to hide.

d. Lawsuits have been filed and counter filed by Mike Lindell, Sidney Powell, and Dominion (the voting machine company). Stay tuned, much more to come.

114 days into the DMs’ coup (it is the longest 114 days EVER), here are some quick observations of recent events that will impact our economic future:

1. Financial analysts are beginning to evaluate when The Fed starts reducing their Quantitative Easing (QE). Last week two camps began to evolve – one expecting the reduction in QE to start in June and the other estimating in October of this year. The significance is that a reduction in QE will mean higher interest rates. Higher interest rates mean a slower real estate market and ultimately lower real estate prices.

2. Watch the 10-year Treasury which fluctuated back to 1.70%. Without QE, interest rates would be higher. Various sources estimate that by the end of 2021 the 10-year Treasury will be 2.5% to 3.0% and mortgage rates will increase to 4.0% to 4.5%.

3. The down stock market on Tuesday, May 4, was the result of Janet Yellen commenting that the robust USA economy might cause The Fed to allow interest rates to rise sooner than official Fed statements. The stock market recovered when she “clarified” her statement. BUBBLE ALERT !!!

4. When bubbles burst, shortage becomes surplus overnight.

Unsustainable things continue until that unpredictable moment when they stop. In a financial crisis “Cash is King”. Get prepared.

A great piece of land remains The Best investment long term unless the DMs get us to full-fledged Marxism. Capitalism builds wealth, Marxism/Socialism consumes it in self destruction. Pray for a return to honest elections in the USA. God is in control. Men make plans, but God ALWAYS wins.

“For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish.”

(1 Peter 2:15) New Revised Standard Version, Oxford University Press)

Stay healthy,

Ned

May 5, 2021

Copyright Massie Land Network. All rights Reserved.

[mfackenthal]

Do you know if anyone in the choices fandom listens to 1980s music?

Hello Nonny,

I love this question!  The short answer is ... yes, I do!  Me! I love 80s music.  Madonna, Queen, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Kool & the Gang, Springfield, Hall and Oates, Chicago, Toto, Michael and Janet Jackson, Bonnie Tyler, Phil Collins, Wham!, a-ha, Whitney, Starship,  ... need I go on?  I’m an 80s child and I have no shame in admitting that. 

The long answer ... umm ... I’m sure there are others?  Let’s see if I can come up with names ...

I know that @maxattack-powell and @lizeboredom love to talk about music.  We’ve had some great conversation about music and I’m fairly sure that both of them will have an appreciation for 80s music. 

I know that @ao719 is often inspired by music.  You could probably send her a song and it would somehow end up in a fic about Liam or Thomas ;)

I don’t know this for certain but I’m fairly sure @jovialyouthmusic likes music - it’s in her handle name ;) 

Others that I have talked to or have seen discussions on their page about musical influences are ...

@whenyourheartskipsabeat, @darley1101, @ritachacha, @boneandfur, @walkerismychoice, @bobasheebaby, @theroyalweisme, @hopefulmoonobject, @tmarie82, @blackcatkita,

If you love 80′s music or if you have written anything with an 80′s song as the influence - please comment on this answer!

Thanks, as always, for stopping by Nonny!

~Megs~

[billehrman]

A Supercharged Recovery

A Supercharged Recovery

We have gained more conviction that the economic recovery will be supercharged and more profitable than initially thought. We expect trillions of additional stimulus, businesses to reopen soon, pent-up demand filled, employment and wage increased, inventories rebuilt, global trade improvements, and capital spending increases. What’s more, the Fed stays all in, letting the economy run hot for several years.

Don’t forget that we already have multi trillions of excess liquidity in the system with a savings rate around 14%. Individuals and businesses have a tremendous capacity to spend, and it does not hurt matters that interest rates are so low.  After listening to 75 or so fourth-quarter earnings calls, we have more conviction that operating margins/earnings/cash flow/returns on capital/equity will increase substantially over the next few years, which will support higher stock prices. We favor companies leveraged to the economy.  

The key to the sustainability of the recovery is everyone getting vaccinated. The news on that front continues to get better as we expect several new vaccines, increased availability in the hundreds of million doses range, and better logistics such that all Americans could be vaccinated by the summer and all in the world by year-end. The number of cases/deaths has peaked, which should continue as the weather warms and millions get vaccinated, getting us closer to herd immunity. We will probably need annual booster shots to sustain our immunity, which may favor JNJ’s one dose vaccine down the road.

The Democrats are focused on passing a large, additional stimulus plan one way or another by early March before some unemployment benefits expire. If reconciliation is used, we would expect the plan to be closer to $1.5 trillion, which is huge, on top of the nearly $1 trillion plan passed last month, which has not yet fully hit the economy. It did not help the Dems that the CBO came out with projections of the Federal deficit hitting $2.3 trillion for fiscal 2021, which is interestingly lower than their forecast six months ago due to a more robust economic forecast and lower interest rates.  Fortunately, low-interest rates, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, make stimulus plans more affordable. We would expect Biden’s administration to push for several trillion demand focused stimulus plans over the next twelve months, such as infrastructure, which will boost growth/employment/profits above current estimates. Hence, our supercharged recovery with significant earnings gains as volume/operating margins increase meaningfully.

Fed Chairman Powell spoke last Wednesday at the Economic Club of New York, reiterating that the Fed will continue to bolster the U.S economy through low-interest rates along with large bond purchases. The critical comment was the Fed is unlikely to “even think about withdrawing policy support” by raising rates or reducing bond purchases for the foreseeable future as long as unemployment, which he measures at 10%, is elevated. He repeated his call for more fiscal stimulus as “the essential tool for this situation.” He then emphasized that doing too little is a greater risk than doing too much. The Fed really does have our backs.

The economy may already be accelerating as openings in key states has improved over the last few weeks. Even though the recent employment data was weak (rearview mirror), weekly unemployment claims have continued to improve sequentially, which along with the most recent increase in job openings, portends better days ahead. The most recent wholesale sales/inventory data showed a further decline in the I/S ratio to 1.29, a multi-year low. We would expect the economy to benefit incrementally from the recent stimulus checks, with more on the horizon, boosting consumer demand and production. It is clear from listening to managements’ earnings presentations that the economy improved sequentially from the third quarter to the fourth quarter and again into the first quarter of 2021, even before the near $1 trillion stimuli impacted economic activity. Don’t forget that trillions more are coming in 2021. Whoa. The Fed will let it rip.

We are focused on corporate operating margins, profitability, and cash flow. Herein lies the underlying story. Management on virtually every earnings call draws attention to improving their competitive position, operating margins, cash flow, and capital/equity returns. If successful, these companies will be revalued in the marketplace and outperform the averages. Here is where hard research will pay off, which is our strength. We see most improvement off the bottom, favoring the economically sensitive companies as they will benefit from internal changes and higher operating rates/pricing power. Weak capital spending over the last few years has already led to shortages in some areas like the semis. We have entered multiyear industrial commodity and agricultural cycles, which will lead to much higher prices/profits in these areas. We are there!

Investment Conclusions

We are on the cusp of a new economic cycle as we get our arms around the coronavirus. This recovery will be supercharged as we enter with trillions of excess liquidity and additional stimulus, record-low inventory levels, substantially pent up demand, a synchronous recovery worldwide boosting trade, and a fed, as well as all monetary bodies, staying all in permitting growth to run hot. We have an administration that wants to boost growth and improve relationships abroad. At her word, we take Janet Yellen that any tax changes would not hurt our global competitive position, which is meaningful. We need to encourage employment, capital spending, and research.

We expect profit growth to be surprisingly robust over the next two years, with S&P earnings increasing from $140/share in 2020 to over $200/share in 2022 as operating margins improve from around 10% to over 12%. Corporations also focus on their cash flow and returns on capital/equity, which we expect to improve meaningfully. All of this will be good for the market, which we still find undervalued with rates so low and liquidity so high. There remains over $6 trillion in cash and money market funds and over $40 trillion in bonds, which could reallocate to some stocks since most portfolios remain underweighted equities.

Areas of concentration include global industrials/capital goods/machinery, industrial/agricultural commodities, technology, financials, transportation, and several special situations. The common thread in our holdings is great management, winning strategies, rising margins, profits, cash flow, returns on capital/equity well over the market itself—all good for sustained outperformance. We own no bond expecting the yield curve to continue steepening.

Focus your investments to ride the wave of a supercharged recovery.

Our weekly investment webinar will be held on Monday February 15th at 8:30 am EST. You can join the webinar by entering https://zoom/us/j/9179217852 in your browser or dialing +646 558 8656 and entering the password 9179217852.

Remember to review all the facts; pause, reflect and consider mindset shifts; look at your asset allocation with risk controls; do independent fundamental research and …

Invest Accordingly!

Bill Ehrman

Paix et Prosperite LLC

Paixetprosperite1@gmail.com

917-951-4139