#Johnny Dang & Associates

[netcarat]

The Top 8 Famous Jewelers for Rappers In Demand

Here are 8 hip hop jewelers who are famous and in demand. Know the story behind how and what made them so famous and why rappers like their jewelry.

Click here to read the blog

[flannelepicurean]

Hey. Hi. Hey. Me again. Popping in to call your attention to the Very Important Issue of DANNY AND JOHNNY SLOW-DANCING, because you know they’d be so astoundingly good at it, because they’re so attuned to each other’s moves already due to all the dang karate, and maybe it would kinda start off as a joke, and they’d be egging each other on with classic banter, but then they’d find themselves falling into a rhythm, and maybe it’s not exactly a joke anymore, maybe it’s getting kinda serious, and Danny’s starting to get confused as hell because WTF, Johnny is actually kinda…graceful…which is never a word he would have ever associated with Johnny Lawrence, but then he's like, "Oh shit,” because Johnny fucking twirls him, and then he’s like, “Oh shit,” because it makes him feel so fucking special, and then he’s back in Johnny’s arms and he’s like, “Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiit,” because he’s staring into those eyes, and his sexuality just crashed, and he wants this night to go on forever, he wants this song to go on forever, he wants to live and die and be buried in Johnny Lawrence’s arms, but eventually the music does fade, and reality creeps back in, and maybe they’re getting razzed a little by friends and loved ones and they’re being real good sports about it, but when Johnny turns to Danny and says, “Not bad, Larusso,” there’s a little something inviting behind that smirk, a little mischief twinkling in those eyes, and Danny plays it cool and tosses back a very casual, “Not bad yourself,” and he thinks to himself, Yes, nailed it, but then here comes more music, and there’s Johnny’s outstretched hand, with a very nonchalant, “How ‘bout one more?” And Danny hears himself say, “Best two outta three?” And then they’re gliding back onto the dance floor and it’s fucking MAGICAL...

[paragonrobits]

a friend asked me to give a shot at doing an entry in this tier list they linked me to, of the video games inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame since 2015, and I opted to give it a shot!

My rankings are generally biased towards games I personally enjoy playing, though I will give some commentary on their historic relevance:

S-Rank

Super Mario Bros: The game that repopularized video games in the US, that arguably began the entire platforming video game genre and all its imitators and spin-offs, that spawned a new generation of video games after the Atari Crash in the US, and still a DAMN FUN game in its own right! I simply had to put this at the top ranking. After the disillusionment caused by Atari’s failures, this game brought home consoles back in a big way to the US. 

World of Warcraft: Now, I’m not much for MMORPGs. Nevertheless, I’ve followed the lore and general information in the Warcraft setting for years now, and a couple years back, my brother asked me to play it with him. I had a ton of fun, honestly! Playing a goblin mage, I believe. WoW is notable for being THE MMORPG, and still going strong. Admittedly, nowadays many games do what it does better, and the time when it was dominant as THE single game to play is past, but it was still an enjoyable experience and I really have to like how sincere the game is about its aesthetics and campy vibe. Given that the entire setting is reputedly a reskin of a Warhammer Fantasy Battle video game that went south, it’s cheery and colorful, morally gray tone is... an interesting complication in its history. (Also, HORDE. I STAN THE HORDE VERY HARD.)

The Sims: A bit of history; I did not play this game as enthusiastically as a kid as my sister and mom did. We ALL spammed the hell out of the Rosebud cheat, though; not until recent times did I actually wind up playing the game properly, when the most recent iteration of the series was free for a while. My mom didn’t care to play the game, she just liked building houses. In any case, while my attention drifted from the game now and then, I always am fascinated by the actual gameplay of caring for your simulated humans, and the way you don’t actually control them directly. This sort of hands off experience is actually a bit similar to the ‘dungeon simulator’ genre, and while the game is notorious for enabling cruelty (something I never saw the appeal of!), it’s a surprisingly wholesome experience, and it can’t be understated how unique this gameplay was at the time.

Legend of Zelda: It’s actually rather interesting how different OG Zelda is from modern games. Not just the top down perspective (which DOES pop up, now and then); the game is non-linear and allows you to go to any dungeon at any point, completing the game at your leisure, and the story is extremely barebones compared to what we may be used to. It’s quite a far cry from the linear gameplay of gradually collecting tools and working through plots that the games are known for. Breath of the Wild is, in fact, a return to form rather than an upheaval of the formula. I’ll also admit that I have a lot of affection for the gameplay of this one, as well as Link To The Past.

Donkey Kong: When you’re talking old school, as far as what you might call the modern generation of games goes (which is to say, the games that resurged after the Atari Crash), it’s hard to go wrong with Donkey Kong. It’s certainly notable for being a weird stage in Mario’s character and something that is generally ignored; it’s just strange thinking that at one point he was supposed to be abusive towards a pet ape that went in an innocent, well-meaning rampage! Personally this one kind of breaks a mold for my S-class rankings because while I like this one fine, I don’t like it THAT much; i mostly played it in the DK 64 game, and found it very difficult and that’s stuck with me. Still, I place it here for its momentous position in placing Nintendo on the map, with the influence and revolutionary technologies and gaming mechanics they would introduce, to this very day.

Pokemon Red/Blue: Hoo boy. HOO BOY it is honestly something of an oversight that I didn't immediately shove this beauty straight to the front of the S-line because good god I love this game. It's been years and years, long since I was but a whee Johnny playing a strange new game for the first time just because there was a cool turtle creature on the cover (because I was super into turtles back then), and I still love this game. Even with the improvements made to the formula since then (getting rid of HMs, the fixes and new types introduced since) there's still something lovable about this game, even as something as basic as the official artwork that just tugs my heartstrings. This game is highly notable for being an RPG that popularized the monster collecting/befriending gameplay (so far as I know), and as an autistic person, i really appreciate knowing the whole thing grew out of an autistic man's bug collection hobby from when he was a child. Pokemon is an absolute juggernaut of a media influence, and THIS is where it all began. It's first stage evolution, you might say. And not like a Magikarp or anything. This one's more like one of the starters... appropriately enough. Final Fantasy 7: This is probably a bit of a controversial take, but FF7 was not actually one of my favorite Final Fantasy entries back in the day. I never played much more of it than the beginning missions, as my cousin owned the machine in question, and I moved out before i could play it much. Final Fantasy 3 (in the US; it's more generally referred to as 6 now) was my favorite for a long, long time, and that game pioneered many of the traits that would be associated with 7: the epic story, the complex ensemble cast, though 7 really expanded on that basic idea, and previous games were hardly shabby in that regard. 9 is my favorite of the pre-10 era, with its extreme shake ups to the mechanics of the game. No; what makes 7 stand out is that it was a shift towards making Final Fantasy a constantly shifting, unique franchise where every entry was its own thing; it introduced 3D graphics with a fun and cartoony style mixed with a story that wouldn't be out of place in a cyberpunk story, and heralds Squaresoft (as it was called at the time) splitting off from Nintendo, with its censorship policies, and doing its own thing with Sony, with a great deal more freedom to write as they pleased. The party design also stands out, which each character having their own unique function in the party while the Materia concept allows a degree of modular skills to be installed, customizing them in ways that, in my opinion, the best entries in the franchise (on a gameplay level) would revisit. Colossal Cave Adventure: I'll be honest; I never played this game, and I don't believe it's particularly familiar to me at all. However, I chose it for this vaunted spot in S-rank because games of this nature, of text-based prompt and responses, are some of the most interesting things imaginable! Games like AI Dungeon are similar in some respects, and its impressive to think just how dang old this game is, and yet it managed to pull off basically being it's own DM. It has an interesting history; created by a man who worked on the precursor to the Internet, the game was made to connect with his daughter and was inspired by recent entries into Dungeons And Dragons, and later expanded upon by other programmers. It's notable that while Zork is the sort of game that would probably involve more immediate recognition (I actually mistook it for Zork at first, from the screenshot), this game was the first of its kind, and that always deserve some recognition. Minecraft: I absolutely LOVE Minecraft, and it's rightfully one of the most popular games, if not THE most popular game, of the last couple of decades, and it's interesting to think just how unconventional it is; the game is, effectively, a LEGO simulator, and as someone who honestly always wanted tons of LEGO sets as a kid but could never afford them consistently, there's something genuinely very appealing about Minecraft's basic set up. It's open approach and lack of a goal, just gameplay mechanics that encourage you to build and do as you please, makes for a very relaxing and unusual mentality not often seen in games until this point; it doesn't even have a storyline, it simply gives you a world to play around in. Of note, Minecraft's entry seems to have relevance towards video games becoming a cultural touchstone; Minecraft's visual aesthetic leans towards both blocky LEGOs and retro graphics, and certainly proves that games don't need to strive for hyper realistic graphics to be appealing. ----- A RANK Doom: I genuinely like Doom, a lot! I still have memories of replaying this game frequently, long before Doom 2016 and Eternal were glimmers; it's just genuinely very fun to play. That said, I feel that there's other games that are a bit more historically notable and while i like this game, not quite as much as other entries. But it cant be understated that this was THE first person shooter, and more to the point, was fundamental towards game design as we know it. Of note, it pioneered the idea of a game engine, which has had tremendous impact down the road in terms of making a flexible baseline system that latergames were programmed around. Additionally, the first three episodes being free, with the additional ones being purchased as part of the full game, this was, I think, the first demonstration of a demo. Back then, we called this shareware; a game which was free but had full features locked off, but otherwise you could play it however much you wanted. There's a REASON Doom winds up on more systems than Skyrim! Ultimately, while it's not one of my favorite games, it's impact on the business of gaming and the functions of game design cannot be overstated. Pac-Man: This game, is THE game that made video games a phenomenon and its worth thinking about that and how video games as a modern institituion can be drawn, however broadly, from Pac-Man's commercial success. I should note that while I've played this game extensively, it's not something I'm particularly good at; there's a LOT going on here and its a bit much for me to handle. That's probably a strength; there's a reason people had to fake their accomplishments and falsified high scores. It's worth noting that Pac-Man is a unique thing in that it has been rereleased many times over, and every generation has found it enjoyable and fun, unlike other games that set trends only to be lost out in the end. (Goldeneye, for instance!) The Oregon Trail: Like many other people I assume, I first played this game as something available on school computers. Purportedly made as an educational game to teach students about history, this game may be notable for, among other things, being an entry point towards the idea of resource management in video games (as well as being hellishly difficult, by the standards then, but that DOES illustrate a point, does it not?). It's also the oldest, most continuously available game ever made, even now being ported to smartphones, or so I hear! It seems to be a very early example of edutainment games, and a genuinely great one at that. It probably helps that a selling point is that it doesn't really mince around with its subject matter; anyone who's played this game knows that total party kill is the default assumption, as it was in life. Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat: I place these two together as I feel that they form a duo of sorts, and defined fighting games of my childhood and modern gaming experience; name a fighting game, from Injustice to something as deliberately different as Smash Bros, and it has SOME relation to these games, even if its in terms of doing something completely different. These games set a mold for fighting games! Among other things, both games feature iconic characters as a selling point, and to this day fighting games make their mark based on how signature their characters are. Mortal Kombat is of course an incredibly violent game (though very tame, by modern standards), and its fatalities and depicitons of violence sparked thought and arguments on what video games ought to be allowed to depict, for better or for worse. It's not implausible to suggest that the overly strict restrictions on what video games could depict go back to Mortal Kombat's fatalities, specifically (since there's far worse games predating it, though too graphically primitive to be obvious). Street Fighter, conversely, strikes me as having more characterization and depth, especially as far as fighting systems go; I find it hard to be interested in many fighting games now, if they don't offer as much depth as the likes of Street Fighter 2. Street Fighter stands out for innovating multiplayer play, initially in the arcade, and its not implausible to say that the likes of Smash Bros is a descendant of sorts of the specific mentality Street Fighter brought to the table. Consider also that it is STILL a mainstay in the remaining arcades and cabinets in service today! Tomb Raider: This is a game i legit liked back in the day, and there's some part of me that's sad that the platforming, puzzle solving and focus on exploration has not really made it back into the modern Tomb Raider series, last I checked. There's probably something interesting in that Lara Croft represents a bit of an intermediate period between platforming mascots and modern Edgy Protagonists; you know the ones. Balding white dudes with vague dad vibes, but this is not a slight on Lara; she definitely has a ton of personality, even just at a cover glance. This game had a strong focus on exploration, and that's honestly something I really like. Super Mario Kart: I'm going to be controversial here; complaints about the Blue Shell are kinda overrated. It's not that different from, say, a red shell hitting you from behind when you're close to the finish line. But, jokes and old 90s memes aside, this game has some interesting status in that it started the idea of making spin-off games in dramatically different contexts; Crash Team Racing and Sonic Drift, for example, are listened as similar games. On a franchise level, this began the trend of Mario becoming a truly flexible character who could do pretty much whatever was required of him, not just the original platforming games, and its possible his imitators never quite learned the same lesson. Though one wonders what Miyamoto might have thought if he'd known how many thinkpieces he would spawn with 'why does mario go-karting with Bowser when they're enemies?'. For my part, I favor the idea that the other games are in-universe fictions they're actors on and this is their actual dynamic, or that Mario is a relaxed dude who doesn't mind playing kart games with his foe. (I mean, he's not Ridley. Bowser's easy enough to get along with.) Animal Crossing: Again, I have to emphasize that I've never actually played this game, at least on a consistent basis (and by that, I mean I MIGHT have played it on the Gamecube, once, in the early 2000s), and have to speak from what I've seen of what it sparked. And I really do like the way it really codified the sub-genre of relaxed, open-ended games where the player is free to do as they like, without much stress or fear, which is something I think more games could stand to do. On my personal list of features that my ideal video game would have, Animal Crossing would definitely offer a few ideas. I am reminded of farming simulators, such as Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley; while they are different beasts entirely, there's a familiar sense of non-combat relaxation that's pleasant to see. Spacewar!: This machine is GODDAMN old, and like an old fogey predating modern humans, it deserves our respect. It's so old, it predates Pong. Supposedly created as part of predictative Cold War models, with an emphasis on emulating sci fi dogfights, producing a game that soon proved popular, for over a decade remainign the most popular game on computer systems, and a clumsy foray into arcade gaming (that didn't pan out, unfortunately) led to the creation of Pong by its creator, which is another story all its own! And Pong is directly responsible for the idea of the video game itself; this game launched the entire video game industry as we understand it! No small feat, indeed. ----

B RANKED Sonic The Hedgehog: I must state that I DO like this game, though not as much as later entires like Sonic 3 and Knuckles, or the Sonic Adventure series; the fast paced action seems a bit hobbled by the traps and need to be careful of surroundings, which would seem to run counter towards the whole idea of GOTTA GO FAST, y'know? But the game presents an interesting viewpoint on the nature of mascot gaming; created specifically, so it is said, as a rival to Mario, Sonic was designed as a mascot with attitude, and inspired a host of imitators; he's probably the only one to escape the 90s more or less intact, and this may have something to say about his flexibility, star power, and also the fact that he's a pretty mild character, all things considered. This game certainly has its place in gaming history, giving an important place in the console wars of yesteryear. Believe me, I was a kid in the 90s, Sonic was a HUGE deal. Space Invaders: This game is noted to have catapulted games into prominence by making them household, something outside of arcades, and it shows! An interesting detail of note is that supposedly, the Space Invaders were meant to all move at high speed, but this was either too hard to play against, or too costly on the processor; it was found that by making them speed up as they were defeated, it created an interesting set of challenge. You have to appreciate game history like that. In general, its success prompted Japanese companies to join the market, which would eventually produce what I imagine was a thriving, competitive market that would eventually get us Nintendo and it's own gamechangers down the road. Grant Theft Auto 3: I'm going to be honest with you. I don't much care for this sort of game. The Saints Row series, with its fundamental wackiness, is the kind of game I really DO like if I'm going for something like this, and GTA sort of leaning towards the 'cruel for fun and profit' gameplay is really unappealing for me. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't address this game, and what seems to come up is two things: the game's sheer freedom in its open world (which certainly pushed the bar for games of that nature, and has made it a byword for gamers screwing around in a game just to see what ridiculous things they could or couldn't do) and the infamous reputation from the mature aspects of the game. Personally, I'm not much for this game's take on maturity (if I wanted to discuss a game of that nature, I'd suggest, say, Spec Ops: The Line) but I really do appreciate what this game and its series did for the open world genre, and the sheer possibilities presented for letting you do what you wanted. King's Quest: I've never played this game, but I am a HUGE fan of the point and click genre (also known generally as the adventure game genre) that it spawned; without this game, there's no Monkey Island, no Sam and Max, no The Dig or Full Throttle, or Gabriel Knight. This game was similar to previous text-based games, with a text parser to input commands, but with the distinction of a graphical interface to move their character around, which would be the seed of later games such as the SCUMM engine of Monkey Island and other Lucasarts games (which, to me, ARE Adventure Gaming). The puzzles, comedic sensibilities, and interface innovations originated with this game, and codified those later adventure games i love so much. Starcraft: This is another one those list of 'games I should have already played by now'. I'm not much of an RTS person, barring forays with games such as Impossible Creatures, Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War, and more strange entries such as Brutal Legend, and I contend that the combat aspects of 4X games like Civilization DO count on some level; the specifics of troop movement and unit strengths/weaknesses are a bit beyond me, when you get to more complex stuff. Starcraft, reading between the lines, really introduced the idea of multiplayer culture especially for RTS, pioneered the Battle(dot)net system (which I mostly recall from Diablo, if I'm being honest!) as well as the idea of relative strengths and powers for individual factions so that they became characters in their own right. It's still a very popular online game, and that says SOMETHING. Also, I tend to use zerg rushes, so I would probably play Zerg. Probably. (There is much speculation on whether or not, like Warcraft being a failed Warhammer Fantasy game, if the same holds true for Starcraft and Warhammer 40k. I lean on the side of 'probably not'; the differences are too notable. The Zerg and Tyranids have some similarties, but that's probably because they're based on the same broad hive mind evil insect aggressor trope, and they have enough differences from there to be very distinct from one another. It's not like how OG Warcraft's orcs were very obviously warhammer orcs with less football hooliganism.) Bejeweled: This is a firm case of a game that I don't play, but I really have to respect its influence on gaming as a whole. Apparently it started as a match three-type game with a simplistic formula that proved wildly popular (perhaps making a point that simpler can be more effective, in game mechanics), with a truly explosive record of downloads; over 500 million, it seems. Thus its fair to say that this game set the precedent for casual games, which have become THE market. Regardless of your feelings on that genre, this one was a real game changer. (Pun intended, absolutely.) ----

C RANK Pong: "By most measures of popular impact, Pong launched the video game industry." This line alone saws it all, I think. It wasn't the first video game, but it was one of the more early ones, and its the one that really made video games and consoles successful, gaining widespread attention from the mainstream audience, as well as getting Atari recognition (for better or for worse, but perhaps that was just a development of being on top, so to speak; maye the console wars at least kept the big three honest). It also started the arcade revolution of games, and this humble game is essentially responsible for the entire state of video games as a concept, as we know it today. Halo: No disrespect to Halo, but it's just a game series I've never quite been able to get into. Those games are very hit and miss for me; games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Gears of War and everything like that are just... hard for me to get into. It takes something specific like Borderlands or the Besthesda Fallout series, or something else, for me to get hooked, and Halo just doesn't do it for me! Nevertheless, I would be QUITE remiss if I simply dismissed it, and there's reasons for it to be inducted into the hall of fame barely three years into the hall of fame making inductees. Firstly, it was Microsoft's big entry into the console wars, and it must be said this was a MASSIVE upset and a completely unprecedented shift in the assumptions of the console wars back then; NO ONE expected microsoft to actually do this, let alone redefine gaming out of Sony and Nintendo's favor like that. At the time, PCs dominated FPS games, and Halo showed that consoles could do it just fine. It must also be said that it has a very intricate and complex system of lore, backstory and material that was quite distinctive for a new setting back in the day, and while I've seen people object to it's gameplay, I suspect that its with the benefit of hindsight; Halo offered an extremely unusual degree of freedom in achieving the goals set out for you. (Cortana also didn't deserve getting her name slapped onto that search assistant that eats up all your RAM.) Where In The World Is Carmen San Diego: Surprisignly enough, based on the article, this game was NOT an adaptation, but the source material of this character. This is where the fancy, mystery lady in the red coat started! Evidently this game was originally an edutainment game with a cops and robbers theme, and inspired by Colossal Cave Adventure from higher up on the list, and one must appreciate the effort that went into it. This one is ranked low, mostly because it didn't seem TOO notable to me. Honestly I'm surprised this is where Carmen Sandiego started. (And that she doesn't get enough credit as an iconic theatrical villain who won't go a step too far, but that's another rant.) -

D LIST

Here we are. The D LIST. The bottom of the sorting pile; the lowest of them all, the... well, the ones that I honestly don't necessarily dislike, but couldn't place higher for reasons of notability, personal interest, or perceived impact on the history of gaming. John Madden Football: Sports games, as a whole, really do NOT do it for me. I don't like real like sports at ALL (with, as a kid, a brief interest in boxing and that was just because they had gloves like Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog) so its hard for me to say that I find the history of this one all that compelling. Even so, there's some interesting elements in how this game was a sequel to a previous failed attempt, with a bold new attempt at a more arcade-style action game with a more dramatic take on the players, who would in turn be rated in different skill sets. The Madden series is STILL going so... it worked out pretty well, I'd say. (FUCKIN EA WAS BEHIND THIS ONE??? wow, EA is older than I thought.) Microsoft Flight Simulator: It's honestly a bit painful sorting this one so low, since I had many happy times as a wee Johnny playing this game back in the old days. I mean the OLD, old days. This was like, the days when Usenet was the preferred way for people to talk online. (Not me, though. I didn't talk to people, then. I was even less social than I am now, which is saying something!) All the same, I suppose that it was important to not crowd too many entries in a specific folder, and statistically, something had to keep getting knocked down, and in the end, I couldn't honestly say I still enjoyed this one enough to place it higher. Still, credit must be given where it is due; this game stands out for being an early foray into simulator gaming, showing a realistic depiction of actual flight. It has apparently been updated and rereleased many times since, which is impressive! Tetris: I like puzzles. So it might be surprising to hear this seminal game ranked so low; firstly, I like different KINDS of puzzles (like weird ones where you have to fling your sense of logic to the moon and back, or make use of gaming mechanics) and honestly this game is kind of stressful for me. You gotta keep an eye on a lot of different things flying around all at once, and constantly move things around, and that kind of attention and quick thinking does NOT come easily to me. All the same, I really have to admire how it was born from it's creator's pleasure in solving mathematical puzzles about sorting shapes into boxes, in a manner strangely remniscient of Satoshi's bug collecting that became Pokemon. Certainly the game's simplicity has proven a universally appealing thing, and may say something about the value of keeping it simple. Microsoft Solitaire: This game apparently became pay-to-get some time ago in recent computer generations, and let me tell, you, it was genuinely depressing to find that out. I remember younger decades, from the 90s and on, when this game was a regular and free feature in Windows computers fir MANY years. You got a computer, this game was on here. I was a kid, and i remember watching my mom play this game and makign the cards go WHOOP WHOPP all over the place and marveling, because I couldn't ever do the same thing. (A related note: I am terrible at this game. Go figure!) Of note, this game was massively widespread, and just EVERYWHERE, and I think everyone who ever played a computer back in those days instantly remembers it in some way. It was just... ubiquitous. Centipede: Oh, ol' Centipede. I don't mean to be mean to you. But between the likes of Pokemon and Super Mario Bros, even the arcade Donkey Kong, someone had to keep dropping down the leaderboard that is this tierlist, and unfortunately, there were other games that felt higher up than you. All the same, you're a very good game, and honestly, I like you more than some other games ranked higher for reasons of relevance to gaming history. Certainly more than anything else in D-listing. The colorful and appealing palette is noteworthy. That trackball controller! Amazing! (More games should use trackballs. They're fun and easy to use.) At the very least, Order of the Stick did a joke with you once, and that's better than anything I can do for you. All the same, you're a cool game.

[iheartsunset]

PL headcanons!? Alberto headcanon, can we? OwO

Papa Louie Alberto HCs

(Sorry if this was late, I haven’t had school all week bc of Hurricane Sally and my power’s been out for a few days and internet connection is difficult)

-Alberto Marroquin is 19 years old and has recently moved to Calypso Island from Burgerburgh to be closer to his friends and parents, Daniel and Juana. When he isn’t working at the Freezeria, he’s spending most of his free time running a prank channel online and working as a professional soccer player. He’s a member of the Calypso Fam and shared a close bond with the other members, often being noted as the smartest one (in terms of academics, that is, he’s got no common sense, that’s reserved for Okalani and Nevada to some extent).

-His personality is extremely energetic and studious, but he hates feeling competitive, although he can’t help but feel that way on any sports’ field. He is either the friend that constantly goes “Guys we shouldn’t be doing this, I think the teacher’s coming! We’re all gonna get in trouble!” or “Hey guys, I found these cool fireworks, let’s set them on fire indoors and make s’mores!” and there’s no in between. He’s also the most mischievous out of the Calypso Fam, as he likes to conduct harmless pranks all the time. If anyone was hurt because of his pranks, though, he’d feel super guilty and would do whatever he could to help make anyone get better.

-Alberto was born in Burgerburgh, but his parents’ transferred them to Calypso Island when he was 4. There, he met Utah and Gremmie after pulling pranks on them, the three soon becoming best friends. He also grew a close bond with Kahuna, Okalani, and Nevada. Alberto regularly texted and video chatted them during high school and even gave Utah some ideas for her senior pranks.

-Alberto usually reads graphic novels with Penny or dances with her in the park for their dates. They also play soccer, relax on the beach, or play video games. Alberto’s not nearly a good enough ballet dancer to keep up with her, so he and Doan take mixed genre dance classes under Timm’s guidance.

-Because of his outstanding GPA and amazing soccer skills, Alberto was scouted to attend Croquembouche Preparatory Academy in Tastyville for high school. He tearfully had to leave his loved ones behind and moved into his grandfather’s apartment in nearby Burgerburgh since his scholarship didn’t cover room and board. He was looked down on and teased by many others due to his less privileged background and his homesickness, but he met an underclassman named Penny who he began dating. He also gained recognition from multiple college scouts for his soccer skills. He was still incredibly homesick, though.

-Because of all the AP classes and dual enrollment he did, Alberto really only has to attend 2 years of college to get a degree. He’s majoring in kinesiology while still being a soccer player. That being said, Alberto still finds balancing classes, work, and his channel a real hassle.

-His senior prank was one, of not, the most infamous in Croquembouche’s history. The story varies depending on who’s telling it, but the truth is that the meaner teachers’ and students’ cars were piled up on the soccer field with caramel running down all of them. Other rumors add on that the fountain itself was filled with caramel instead of water, as were all the toilets, sinks, and teachers’ thermoses. These are all untrue, though, but Alberto was never caught.

-Any time he goes to the beach, he’ll always make someone play soccer with him. He likes to challenge Maggie, Koilee, Penny, and Cooper to marches all the time, but they’re mostly rusty on their skills or just plain tired of soccer.

-Alberto can speak some Spanish and often practices and gossips the language with Rita, Rudy, and Cecelia. He likes to use what he learned to secretly plan pranks with Utah and Gremmie (who only have a two year high school education on the language and can’t really understand him, but smile and nod anyways).

-Alberto knew dang well that Calypso Island didn’t actually have only 12 inhabitants (it actually has about 237), he just wanted to feel closer to Penny and his friends through the Freezeria job.

-Alberto doesn’t associate himself with Utah and Gremmie’s matchmaking service , but he does like to observe whatever chaos comes out of it, including Hank’s many failures wooing Johnny (they ended up together anyway) and accidentally encouraging Robby to ask out Koilee’s aunt (Koilee was NOT happy to say the least).

-He started playing soccer because his grandfather loved it and taught it to him as a child. Even though his parents and the Calypso Fam weren’t huge soccer fans, they still encouraged him. They were all basically his personal cheerleaders.

-Alberto was that dude for me, the OG is you will. Actually, the OG was Mitch for me, but whatever, stan Alberto.

(Sorry if this was too short, internet is choppy and my phobia of the dark is suffering under all the not working lights)

[b-the-president]

The influence of Vietnamese people on Hip-Hop

Rap in particular is a genre of music originating and growing in ghetto areas in the United States, which is a gathering place for the poor, black people, often associated with many social evils and gangs. In the 1970s, 10 years before it was internationally recognized, hip hop was a celebration of life slowly developing its elements and then forming a cultural activity. Thanks to its energy and momentum, hip hop has become the "key" of innovation and innovation as a multi-billion dollar project. Nowaday, I think 80% of office workers listening to Hip-Hop or Rap because it is a place where they cannot speak their minds.

In 1997, two Vietnamese guys called Khanh Nho and Thai lived in Portland, U.S.A enlightenment Vietnamese Rap.( I knew he was a refugee and he composed a song about his migration and this song called ‘The life of the young man’.) Them were the first people rap the Vietnamese language. In this song, Khanh Nho was the Vietnamese language and Thai rap the English language and that song called Vietnamese Gang. That was a not good content but Vietnamese Rap was enlightenment by this. Far away from that time 13 years later, this is the first time I heard Rap by my older brother. I was listen to Hip-Hop about 9 or 10 years when I was 5 or 6.

Another Vietnamese person lives in U.S.A but related to hip hop is Johnny Dang because he is a favourite jeweler of many celebrity in U.S.A and around the world. The most popular project of him is ’Grillz’’, did you hear it ? Grillz is Gold, diamonds, gems ... for teeth help protect and aesthetics. Drake - 'tycoon' Billboard also loves Johnny's Grillz products. Not only him, they are a lot of celebrity such as Travis Scott, Snoop Dog, Post Malong, DaBaby and a lot of rapper around the world like his products and they called him is ‘Diamond Boy’. It is an honor for Vietnamese people because it help many people know about Vietnam and Vietnamese people live in another country.

Now, rap in Vietnam is a good music because all people can listen to rap. I really like it when I was a 6 year old boy and until now. That is  a great type of music for me. If you didn’t listen to Hip-Hop before, you should turn on and relax after the hard-working day.

[mariebenz]

Prions from Brain Detectable in Skin Earlier Than Brain Damage

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Wen Quan Zou Wenquan Zou, MD, PhD Associate Professor Departments of Pathology and Neurology Director of CJD Skin Project Associate Director National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center Institute of Pathology Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland, Ohio 44106 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Would you briefly explain the significance of prion-induced diseases and why they have been difficult to diagnosis? Response: Our previous study has demonstrated that infectious prions are detectable in the skin samples of patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), the most common form of human prion disease, at the terminal stage by the highly sensitive real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay and animal-based bioassay. The prion-induced diseases are significant because they are infectious diseases that can be transmitted inter-species and intra-species. For instance, mad cow disease, a prion disease in cattle, has been documented to transmit to humans. Currently, there are no cures for these fatal diseases. The definite diagnosis of prion diseases is difficult because it mainly depends on the availability of brain tissues obtained either by biopsy or autopsy for detection of prions. Brain biopsy is highly invasive and it is difficult to be accepted by patients and their families. Even for brain autopsy, it is not always feasible because of religious and cultural limitations in some regions or countries.  MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? Response: The main findings in our current study are that the prions generated in the brain are detectable in skin tissue far earlier than the prion-caused brain damage, and that normal animals may obtain the infection via co-habitation with infected animals. These findings are important because it may open a new avenue for prevention of the disease or for efficient treatment. It is known that once the brain cells are injured, the damage is often irreversible, which could be one of the reasons why so far no compounds have been proven to be effective. So, a strategy to prevent prion-induced brain damage may be developed if the disease can be diagnosed in the skin samples before brain damage occurs. In addition, there are no epidemiological data supporting the possibility that prion disease is transmissible by co-habitation in humans. However, there is evidence that it could happen in animal prion diseases such as scrapie in sheep and goats as well as chronic wasting disease in elk and deer. Our finding of prion transmission via co-inhabitation suggests that skin may play a role in transmission of animal prion diseases.  MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? Response: The take away from our study is that skin prions could be a biomarker for early preclinical diagnosis of prion diseases.  MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work? Response: We are going to use the highly sensitive RT-QuIC and sPMCA assays to develop premortem diagnostic tools for CJD patients by examining their skin biopsy samples. To verify that our skin-based approaches are able to be used for early preclinical detection of prions in CJD patients, it is necessary to conduct a longitudinal study in asymptomatic prion protein mutation carriers to find out how early we can detect skin prions before the mutation-carriers show clinical signs and symptoms. It would be also important to further determine what role the skin may play in the interspecies transmission of animal prion diseases such as scrapie and mad cow disease.  MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Response: Unlike patients with Parkinson’s disease who may have prodromal non-motor symptoms and signs such autonomic disturbances, olfactory dysfunctions, depression and sleep disorders, no prodroma have been identified in patients with sporadic CJD. Once patients with sCJD show clinical symptoms, they are not early stage and already experienced significant brain damage. It is most likely that the skin-based longitudinal follow-up study of prion protein mutation-carriers may offer us a chance to identify those prodromal signs and symptoms in these individuals, which could also be applicable to sporadic CJD patients. Like prion diseases, misfolded alpha-synuclein and tau protein associated with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, respectively, also have been reported in skin tissues of patients with these conditions. Thus, it is most likely that skin could serve as a mirror not only for early diagnosis, but also for monitoring the accumulation of the misfolded proteins in the brain of these neurodegenerative diseases. Citation: Zerui Wang, Matteo Manca, Aaron Foutz, Manuel V. Camacho, Gregory J. Raymond, Brent Race, Christina D. Orru, Jue Yuan, Pingping Shen, Baiya Li, Yue Lang, Johnny Dang, Alise Adornato, Katie Williams, Nicholas R. Maurer, Pierluigi Gambetti, Bin Xu, Witold Surewicz, Robert B. Petersen, Xiaoping Dong, Brian S. Appleby, Byron Caughey, Li Cui, Qingzhong Kong, Wen-Quan Zou. Early preclinical detection of prions in the skin of prion-infected animals. Nature Communications, 2019; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08130-9 More on this topic The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.   Read the full article

[fugandhi]

Roseanne: A Swan Song

Roseanne had recently made an inappropriate twitter (according to somewhere online; you can look it up) remark and then deleted it, and it was a pretty awful remark from what Kim told me.

So, I love “Roseanne.” That show is my favorite television show, and has been ever since I was a young boy. I remember growing up even thinking, “Man, that kid DJ looks SO MUCH LIKE ME” with the bowl cut and everything (yeah I have humble beginnings because I’m an average person).

I don’t know why Roseanne said what she said, but I know it’s wrong to make pretty damn offensive remarks about someone based off of their appearance - Especially if it is something that has to do with their race, gender, religion, nationality, etc. I mean - that’s like totally common knowledge by now I would certainly hope.

I was not surprised when I found out that her show got cancelled. It is absolutely heart-breaking. The best American TV Family (next to The Taylors of course; Home Improvement is my Other favorite TV show; Al & Wilson are my favorites, rest in peace to Earl Hindman) is at the mercy of the American public due to Roseanne Barr’s very stupid remarks. She apologized afterwards, and of course she deleted the tweet - but we all know the damage has been done.

So - I feel kinda silly because the correlation between The Conners and the show “Roseanne” and then the actress Roseanne Barr are so closely relatable (just as my household felt growing up; even though my family is not exactly like theirs, but the growing pains were in my humble opinion) that it can be very difficult to discern where reality and fantasy are divided.

I know Roseanne is a good person. Recently in my life, prior to the Season 10 comeback from the gang - Kim & I actually bought the entire 9 season box set from like walmart or something….nothing fancy.. Needless to say - We still watch the show on our own to this day with joy and genuine happiness.

Some of the most important life lessons I’ve had to learn that helped shape me as a human being - from being a child to a man - I was able to find in this show. I have a simple family - we are all hard workers and we don’t ask for much other than a God’s honest fair opportunity just like any American, heck, any human household.

It breaks my heart knowing that Roseanne has to not only go through the Hawaii circumstance which is very, very heart-breaking in it’s own right, but then also Roseanne now faces public scrutiny for thoughtless remarks due to whatever was going on with her at the time… I don’t have any relevant context so I cannot determine why she said what she said - all I know is - she removed it, she realized she was wrong, and she apologized, and her show got cancelled and now every single person that was genuinely happy and legitimately putting their best effort forth now has to suffer under a guilty-by-association almost like a punishment they didn’t collectively deserve.

So, with all that said - I have to be transparent about my ignorance. I do not know who Roseanne was talking about - I do not watch cable tv, I do not overwhelm my heart and mind and soul with the herculean amount of bad news and bad stories that are just…. almost robotically informed to the public. Like…do news anchors stop and just friggin have mental breakdowns due to the overwhelming amount of just nonstop negative stories that they have to constantly share?..I mean dang.  Anyway, back to my point..

I don’t know who she was talking about, but I will tell you I saw the photo of the lady and I didn’t even think the joke was funny (it’s just downright mean, Roseanne). I know that Roseanne, and a lot of people, may have animosity or a lot to say towards like different people, or just anyone who may have a different belief or like different point-of-view (or I guess different way-of-life), but yeah, it’s completely wrong to just start making fun of someone’s appearance over whatever personal prejudice or personal bigotry or anti-whatever - it’s just like this: Be Good & Be Nice. It kinda goes back to the fundamentals of the household - If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say it at all - I guess this is a lesson for all of us to keep in mind. Roseanne Barr is a household-name, she is very well-known, her fame is never going away, even with this stupid thing that happened (Anyone remember that whole Baseball/National Anthem uproar?) - Roseanne has been through a lot and a person of her intelligence and strength (especially Spiritually - She believes in God and she’s like very prominent about her religious beliefs) so she will continue to create important messages in her lifetime.

As far as the negative impact her words created - she has to heal the wounds. Either way it’s none of my business - I actually just watched the last 3 episodes of season 10, Kim and I had forgotten about them due to life happening.

So - after finding out about the upsetting remarks, and then that the show was cancelled very quickly afterwards (duh) - I watched the last three episodes of season 10 - and I still enjoyed the story. The very last episode, I believe, was a perfect ending for The Conners’ story. Roseanne’s Masterpiece is Complete.

The last episode was so profoundly meaningful, for myself as a viewer, let alone watching it with Kim (who of course was crying because it’s our favorite show). The funny thing is, I thought the last episode was completely fitting despite the fact that it was not planned to be the last episode.

The original last episode, back in season 9, was very heart-wrenching - especially with the fictitious death of Dan Conner - who is like the quintessential All-American Male (OH YEAH! John Goodman you are a blessing - God Bless you, Sir!) and that left a very powerful impact for me as someone who truly admired the show from beginning to end. You know, my favorite seasons are still like Season 1 & 2. I feel the same way about Home Improvement - which I still believe to this day deserves a full-fledged comeback season too - I mean yeah - it could happen. Anyway back to Roseanne - this show was very special in it’s initial stages. The Conners are not only a reflection of the average American Family, but they are a reflection of how American folk actually behave in a general sense - very hard-working, very smart, very big hearts, and very big dreams.

The struggle for the common family is the main concept of Roseanne, and yes it’s from her own unique perspective, but she had come out with full force in honor of Mothers and Wives across the land. It was a BEAUTY. It still is. Those seasons are still true - although it’s all a fantasy - there’s real pain and sorrow and real joy and bliss throughout these episodes.

The Conners represent American Values and the growing pains of us all who have had to work and earn our keep and also open our narrow points of view to concepts outside of our comfort zones (without having to compromise our free-will or beliefs). The show is very much like a photo album, or an energetic snapshot of how each of our respective homes have been - maybe that’s why the show clicks so easily for an average person who doesn’t come from like riches and wealth - and even then - I’m sure an obvious socialite could still at least identify with the personal growth and struggles of at least one of the characters. Whether it’s Bev being chastised by Jackie and Rosie for being too much of a judgmental hoity-toity kinda basket case (with the sweetest intentions) - or if it’s Dan throwin’ a hammer through dry-wall due to coming to terms with his own mortality as a man.

This show is powerful. The performances are spot-on. The quality is there. If this show wasn’t so damn lovable then why would people not cry over these stories and these genuinely damn fine acting performances (from everyone, even down to simple featured extras). There’s a lot of talent that was either on the show or in the behind-the-scenes - that have all gone on to work on other successful projects. Roseanne has so much sway. She carries so much influence because people  believe in her. I still believe in her. I don’t believe she would go out of her way to try to hurt others - Granted - I did recall watching a video online of Tom Arnold saying “You know, Roseanne the person and the character are 2 different people - She and ABC should apologize to the American Public” - and I saw that back when it was like her 3rd or 5th episode into the last season (so maybe this is karmic debt for Roseanne? God only knows dude).

Either way - the show is still amazing and you can’t take away the incredible accomplishments & achievements of everyone involved (even people who just don’t care about it anymore - which is cool too - because at the end of the day it is purely entertainment).

It’s astonishing to witness such a social outburst from American citizens - I’m like - dude there are worse things that come out of her mouth on her friggin tv show that people seem to just laugh and forgive instantly (for the sake of their own entertainment)…however funny - sometimes ya gotta make the choice between good and bad taste. I don’t agree with what she said. I think she mouthed-off and obviously displayed her own ignorance & obnoxiousness simultaneously and then thought about it afterwards. I forgive her.

I think it’s important to display a certain sense of forgiveness and mercy - obviously she already had her show pulled from her - but she is human. She’s not perfect by any means, neither am I, and I would never choose to play Devil’s advocate, I would only want to help sustain the legacy of not only her but of John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Alicia Goranson, Sara Gilbert, Michael Fishman, Natalie West, Sarah Chalke, Glenn Quinn, Johnny Galecki, Estelle Parsons, Martin Mull, Michael O’Keefe, and the list goes on… There’s a lot of people who still believe in the values of what this TV Family symbolize & represent as the common family.

ABC was never the right place for Roseanne. Netflix would be so much more suitable - especially with the recent FOX buy-out situation that prompted Matt Groening of The Simpsons and Futurama to leave (uh yeah, Disney is trying to monopolize which is lame). I think whether or not Roseanne continues (with or without ABC) - the legacy remains strong.

To conclude, It kinda surprises me that people hold Entertainers & Comedians & Musicians to a higher level of consequences (especially in a sociological standpoint) in comparison to other aspects of society. It’s like… to me… it just seems odd that Entertainers are treated like Political Leaders, and Political Leaders are treated like Entertainers. Isn’t that Odd to anyone else? Either way, I digress. God Bless the efforts of every person, especially Sara Gilbert, who really seemed to genuinely put their hearts, souls, minds, and their Faith into their work in telling the story of the contemporary family in American society. I thank all of those people from the bottom of my heart. All good things must come to an end I suppose. In the end - no one is Perfect. I’m not. You’re not. Roseanne definitely is not (lol), but you show me someone who is perfect (other than God) and I will call them a liar. We’re all in this together people. Stay Strong.

-ATOMIK 1

“Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible.”

[heebiejbies]

Homme Fatal - Part Two

Characters: Yuta (With appearances from the rest of NCT minus the younger members)

Warnings: Mentions of violence, murder, strong language, etc. 

Word Count: 5.4k

Note: I know what some of y’all are probably thinking. “Trix, it’s about dang time!” After almost one month after the first part was posted, here’s part two of Homme Fatal. (Read that first if you haven’t already.)

Homme Fatal - A fatal man

Over the next few hours she started realizing where she was, and over the next few days, she finally remembered everything that had happened. What she dreamed wasn’t a dream, but a memory that came as a dream. Yuta did do that, but he pulled his arm away from her head before he shot her in the head—hitting her lower back in the process. Seeing as no one there knew first aid, he left her at a hospital so she could be treated for the gunshot wound he had accidentally given her. From there, after realizing how mentally unstable she was, she was put in an institution so she could be closely monitored at all times. 

“He… He ruined my life. I’m stuck here because of him… I’ll never be able to go back to normal…” In a session with her therapist, she became shockingly aware of her situation. She realized that, by him holding her hostage for all those months and making her witness all of those terrible crimes, he had forced her into a never-ending state of mania. Each night she had nightmares of him, nightmares of the things she witnessed, nightmares of each of the men that were part of her kidnapping.

“He ruined my life but… He cared about me? He would've killed me if he didn’t care about me, right?” She had a hard time explaining her feelings towards Yuta. She knew she hated him, she knew that he was evil incarnate. Despite that, though, she could still remember the fondness that he showed her. How he proclaimed his love to her, how he sometimes showed his care for her despite their situation. Her therapist brought up the aftermath of Stockholm Syndrome, and the fact that her mental state wasn’t in a normal state in the least to try and ease her thoughts. None of which made her feel better.

Jaeho and Jaewoo were avid visitors of hers. The first time they met back up with her left them dumbstruck. It was her third day in the hospital, and she had not yet seen a dentist to fix her teeth after what Johnny did to her. Her hair had thinned, her body weight nearly half of what it was the last time they saw her, she looked lifeless. She truly had become unrecognizable. She glanced up at them, her eyes void of any and all expression. They blamed themselves for not being more cautious of that man, maybe if they had been leerier of him she wouldn’t be in this position.

Yuta sat with Johnny and Sicheng in their old house. He sat sideways in a chair, his coat slung over the back of the chair leaving him in his crisp white button up and silk tie. They had ordered takeout and were busy devouring their meal like hungry wolves.

“The best part of this damn city is the take out, one hundred percent.” Yuta leaned over the table and grabbed some of Sicheng’s noodles with his chopstick, the younger man swatting him away in response. Sicheng had managed to salvage the last bit of joy in Yuta after he shot her. Ever since returning to the city, Yuta had been keeping an eye on her. He would disguise himself as a staff member so he could sneak in to see her. The first time he saw her, she was getting ready to go to the dentist to fix her teeth. He grimaced at the memory of Johnny ruining her flawless face, but he hoped that time would clear up her wounds and she would go back to how she appeared before.

Learning that they locked her up in a mental institution filled him with such indescribable rage. They were treating her as if she were insane, but she was far from that. He had brought out her true nature, he had brought out the real her. After hearing the things she spoke with her therapist about, he realized that he had done one good thing in keeping her—revealing her true personality. Countless nights he dreamed of them together once more, his partner in crime. A modern day Bonnie and Clyde if you will.

“Hey, Yuta!” Johnny threw an unknown object at his head to get his attention, “Are you thinking about that spoiled brat again?” Yuta scowled at him, everyone knew how obsessed he had become over her. The day he shot her, they thought they were in big trouble. Yuta had brought her into their hideout, she had blood seeping out from her backside and Yuta was inconsolable. He made Jaehyun drive him to the hospital, Johnny tagging along for damage control if need be.

“I will not kill her! She won’t betray me, she may not know it but she’s dedicated to me. She won’t betray us, now just keep your mouth shut!” Johnny had told Yuta to kill her numerous times in the car, the tension rising between the two made Jaehyun nervous. He had to pay attention to the road, but it was difficult to do so with two grown men screaming in the car with him.

“Yuta I don’t know why you’re so enthralled with her, she’s nothing but a-”

“You wouldn’t understand!” He had pulled his gun from its holster and aimed it Johnny’s head. Johnny’s glare did not falter, he seemed to be daring Yuta to shoot him. Yuta might have actually done it, but before he could the girl started coughing up blood. Yuta’s gun fell to the floorboard, he immediately hoisted her up into a sitting position and held a towel to her mouth to catch the blood. She had been fading in and out of consciousness since he shot her, and after coughing up blood she fell back unconscious.

“Step on it, Jaehyun!” Jaehyun did as he was told. They miraculously made it to the hospital without being in an accident or being pulled over. Yuta debated on if he should go in with her, he did this to her so he knew he should be the one to be there for her through whatever they have to do to heal her.

“You’re an idiot if you think you’re going in there! Do you want to go to jail? The first thing they will do is call the cops and you’ll be the prime suspect. Then, you’ll get all of us caught as well!” Johnny’s words hit him hard. He also had to think of himself and the guys, they were his family and he had to protect them as well.

“I’m so sorry to have done this to you. I’ll be back one day, I promise,” He kissed the top of her head, then he and Johnny took her body and laid it near the emergency room entrance. As they drove away, Yuta could see staff members running out to her and lifting her to lay her on a gurney. He watched her image get farther and farther away, before completely disappearing once out of sight of the hospital. “I promise, you will be mine again. I will make sure of it.”

“Is it wrong to have dark thoughts?” Her therapist noted that her mental state had started to decline even more. She spoke of murder and kidnapping, and cleansing the world of ‘those that were not worthy.’ He tried to reason with her that all of that was only her capture’s influence, but she shook her head. “I think… I may have always had these thoughts. They didn’t give me these thoughts, I saw those things but it was my choice as to how I interpreted them. They only hurt the bad people, they only targeted the bad people.”

“And what of you? Are you a bad person? Is your father a bad person? They targeted you as well you realize?” She thought about it, and she realized she never did find out just what in particular they wanted her father for. In her mind, she knew there had to be a reason. She always thought her father to be a good man, but thanks to her experience she began to question that.

“I don’t know, is he a bad person? I’m questioning that myself. He must have done something bad to have them target him. As for me, guilt by association?” She gave her therapist a look as if to provoke him. He had never heard her speak anything less than positive of her father, and now he grew worried for how much damage really had been done to her. He felt like a failure, like he didn’t try his hardest to save this her from her own mind. He felt defeated.

She had nightmares every night. Nightmares of the horror she witnessed, of the men she lived with for nearly a ten and a half months. She found solace in these nightmares, each one she had made her fears slowly fade away. She also had dreams of Yuta. The man whom she once loathed slowly turned into someone she yearned to be reconnected with. He was the only one who didn’t treat her as if she had lost her mind. He didn’t look at her apprehensively. He didn’t think she had gone insane. He was a figment of her imagination—a mere dream—but she knew that is how he truly felt about her. She had seen his face many times before disguised as doctors or nurses or even visitors, but she believed that those instances were only her mind wishing for him to come back.

Little did she know, all of those cases were Yuta. He had been keeping an eye on her, silently watching and waiting for the moment to take her back. With Taeyong’s blessing, he would officially make her part of their crew. He sat outside her therapist’s office and listened to see what they were talking about.

“I’ve come to the realization… I was better off with him. I was better off with Yuta and those other men.” Her therapist attempted to interject, but she stopped him before he could, “All of you treat me like I’m insane! I’m not insane! You try to make me think that I am, but I’m not! I know I’m not! This is the real me!”

“What? No, no one here thinks that. We are trying to help you!” Yuta snickered at her therapist’s pathetic attempts to reassure her. He had watched long enough to know that they were trying to make her believe that she was without a doubt insane, but Yuta knew better. He didn’t know it when he was first assigned to her, but she was very much something special. He was glad that he didn’t give her back to her father that day. Her father had been soiling her potential for too long, she needed Yuta in her life. It seemed like fate, he thought. He took back every thought he had about regretting getting her involved, he knew now that this was how things were supposed to turn out.

He and Johnny had amended their once broken relationship, Johnny now wanted to help him with getting her back. Yuta had kept each of them updated on her whereabouts and well-being, and after convincing them that she was on their side, they began planning. They called in two old friends of theirs—Doyoung and Ten—and they agreed to help with getting her out. Doyoung and Ten were the other two people in the woods watching the meeting with Mr. Lockhart. They had left the group two years before, but they closely kept their eye on the group.

Yuta, Sicheng, and Doyoung were in the institution. Yuta and Sicheng had knocked out two staff members and hid them in one of the storage closets. They situated their uniforms and exited to the hallway, making sure the coast would be clear for Doyoung.

“Alright, we are in position and ready to get the hell out of here once you have her.” Jaehyun and Taeyong sat in the woods nearby in the getaway vehicle.

“Our eyes and ears are ready.” Ten, Johnny, and Taeil were waiting in a van in an alley a half a block away from the institution, ready to reroute the signal from the security cameras and kill the alarm system, and also help if they needed more men. Ten also kept a close eye on Doyoung—who broke off from the other two insiders and was in place to cut the power—through the security cameras. “I’m ready as well.”

“Alright, guys, if this goes south I want you all to get away from here as fast as you can.” They had been planning this and scoping out the area for days. They knew exactly what to do and where to go, but Yuta had this unrecognizable fear of failure that had been born in him not too long before this.

“What did I tell you? We are not leaving you in there. You’re our brother, we got your back. If you and Sicheng get caught, we will be your backup and Doyoung will get her.” Ten and Taeil voiced their agreement, Doyoung following in suit.

“Can I just say something? I am so proud of you all. I haven’t seen us work together like this is so long. Ten, Doyoung, it’s nice to have you two back. I’d love to have you two back on my crew.” Taeyong became sentimental at the sight of every member of his crew working together like old times. Only he knew why Ten and Doyoung left to begin with, but clearly, now all of that was in the past. He mentally thanked this girl for bringing all of his men back together again.

“Alright, we are ready to go. Ten-”

“Yeah?”

“No,” Johnny sighed at the boy sitting next to him, “Not you, Ten. I was starting the countdown.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Anyways! As I was saying,” Johnny started the countdown.

“Ten”

Jaehyun and Taeyong exchanged glances, both sliding down in their seats and focusing in on the building through the trees.

“Eight.”

Ten and Taeil were ready to reroute the security cameras, and Johnny was ready to kill the alarm system.

“Six.”

Doyoung stood in the basement with a flashlight on the main power grid, ready to shut down power to the entire building.

“Four.”

Sicheng glanced over to Yuta who had a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. He could see that Yuta had bitten down hard on the inside of his cheek, probably drawing blood. He patted Yuta’s shoulder in reassurance.

“Two.”

Yuta smiled at Sicheng. They were on the floor below the one she was on, and once Doyoung cut the power and Johnny cut the alarm system, the building wouldn’t be able to go into lockdown so they could slip in and out with ease.

“Now!”

Doyoung cut the power immediately, then relied on Ten and Taeil to help him navigate his way back out of the building. He moved a large filing cabinet in front of the basement door just in case someone thought to come check the grid downstairs. Taeyong and Jaehyun kept an eye on the people that were filing out of the building in confusion, also keeping an eye out for Sicheng and Yuta.

On the inside, doctors, nurses, and patients alike had started panicking. The backup lights still worked without power, but they were not nearly bright enough to make it so people could see well. The sun was quickly setting as well, so the little outside light to help them wouldn’t stick around for much longer. They navigated through patients falling over one another, nurses trying to help them up, and doctors trying to control the situation and keep everyone calm.

They exited to the stairwell and went up one floor—the floor she was on. From here, Yuta had the way memorized. He would always take this path when he would come to see her, so even with the little amount of light, he could easily maneuver his way around. Her room was the ninth down on the right, and so far it seemed that no one was in her room but her.

The power going out didn’t phase her. If anything, she was annoyed at the fact that she could no longer see to read her book. She sighed and placed it on a table in the room, then laid back on her bed with her arms behind her head. She could hear people outside freaking out and leaving the building. ‘So melodramatic,’ She thought. She couldn’t see why patients and staff were making such a huge deal out of a simple power outage. Everyone exiting the building would only cause trouble, who knows what patients would sneak off or get lost. If anything, it would have been better to keep them all inside. Whatever they thought was going on probably wasn’t what was actually going on.

She heard one of the doctors calling for the rest of the patients to exit their rooms. With the power off, the locks on the door were no longer working so they could open their doors without needing a key card. She knew one of the doctors would check the rooms to make sure everyone got out alright. She sat up in her bed and waited, either for a doctor to come pull her out of her room or for the whole ordeal to be over, she wasn’t sure which.

Yuta and Sicheng finally made it to her door. Yuta grasped the door handle and then opened it. He shined a flashlight in her room so she could see her sitting figure. It took her a moment to realize who the two ‘doctors’ were in the room with her, but the eyes gave it away.

“You came for me,” She mused. He came over to her and sat down on the bed with her. He brought his hand to caress her cheek, in complete bliss now that they were face to face. “I promised you I would, didn’t I? I missed you so much, I never want you to be away from me for this long ever again.”

“Yuta, I hate to break up the happy reunion, but we need to get the hell out of here right now.” Sicheng brought Yuta back to reality. He pulled her body up to his and kissed her temple.

“Come on, we’re getting you out of here.” As the trio exited her room, they were shocked to see her therapist standing in the hallway. He took one look at the two men and knew that they were not staff members.

“Let go of her!” He attempted to grab her from Yuta’s grasp, but Sicheng pushed him down on the ground. They made it halfway down the hallway when her therapist called to her again, “Ms. Lockhart don’t go with those men, they’re no good! They deserve to be dead!”

“And you don’t?!” They could all hear her voice through their earpieces. She was loud enough to be heard even when she wasn’t wearing a mic on her. “The things you people do, the way you treat people, you’re the one who should be dead! You shut people up in here like animals and treat them as if they are insane and need to be fixed, and for what reason?! Because they think differently than you?! You’re worse than we are, you are the type of people that need to be cleansed from this world. Every last one of you!” She grabbed Sicheng’s gun from him and aimed it at her therapist. Her therapist moved back against the wall as she stormed over to his body. She had it aimed right between his eyes, her finger on the trigger ready to shoot.

“Don’t do this! This isn’t you! I know the real you, you’re not crazy! We were wrong, you are right, everything you think is how we should all think. We could learn a lot from you,” For a split second, her face softened and she lowered the gun, “Please don’t kill me!” With that sentence, all softness washed away from her face.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you?”

“Think about your father, what would he think?” She brought her hand to her chin and hummed, he really thought he had gotten through to her with those words and that he had secured his safety. However, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

“I don’t give a damn about what that repulsive man thinks!” She aimed the gun back at him and shot him in the head without hesitation. She watched his body fall to the ground, a trail of blood starting to drip out of the gunshot wound on his head. She couldn’t remove her gaze from his body, the first man she killed, her therapist, the one who tried to keep her from her real purpose in life. Yuta came over to her and took the gun from her hands and gave it back to Sicheng. He stood in front of her, she looked more beautiful to him now than ever before. She knew her purpose, she knew her and their purpose. She knew what they were all about, and at that moment she came to terms with this.

“You’re so perfect, I love you so much!” Yuta kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, “I’m so proud of you. Now, let’s go home.”

At the sound of a gunshot, staff members were running into the building to investigate. Luckily, the three were able to make it out with one last group of people exiting the hospital. The sun had fully set a few minutes before, so now all that could be seen was darkness and the light from flashlights doctors and nurses were using to aid them. The three snuck away from the group and into the woods, finding Jaehyun and Taeyong with the getaway car already running and ready to go.

With the three finally in the car, and Doyoung being in the van that held Ten, Taeil, and Johnny, they were ready to leave.

“Thanks, guys, you all have no idea how much this means to me.” As they got on the road back to their house, Yuta glanced over to see her peering out the window. The moon illuminated her face, for the first time in a long time Yuta could see content on her face. He ghosted his hand down her arm and held her hand tightly.

“I still can’t believe they put me in there… I’m not insane, I know I’m not. I just think differently now.” She admitting this to Yuta made him think about how betrayed she must have felt when her family and friends put her in that place—her father and Jaewoo and Jaeho especially.

“Hey, they don’t matter now. We would never do that to you.”

“Yuta’s right. We are your family now, we will never do something like that to you. We will keep you safe and protect you.” She looked to the rearview window to see Jaehyun smiling at her—dimples prominent. Taeyong, who she hadn’t known well at all, even nodded in agreement.

She took a moment to think about her predicament. She could faintly remember how those first few months with Yuta were. She could remember the terror, the fear of death that she felt on a daily basis. She also could remember how that all faded to black and was replaced with something else—fearlessness. To her, she knew that she found nothing wrong with what Yuta and his friends did. After seeing what they did time and time again, in her mind she knew that those people deserved what happened to them. Why she got involved in the first place no longer mattered to her, what mattered now was the future. She had a new-found sense of justice and righteousness.

One year later, they had moved far away from New York City. Far away from her past and the memories of her old life. She had settled into life with Taeyong’s crew well, she learned all of the ropes of the job and she fit in perfectly now. She came in handy and lately, they had a surplus of male targets and she made it easier to apprehend them.

She waited patiently for her target for the night. He had requested to meet in a public area, saying he had fears of being alone with strangers or something along those lines—not that she really paid attention to that part. They opted to meet outside of a pizzeria in the heart of the city, there would be enough people around to see if anything happened to him. She knew she had to get him into an isolated area, but she had learned enough about him to know that she would need to reel him in quickly for her to be able to do so.

Once they met up, they spent the night eating dinner and strolling around the city. Going in and out of random shops as they pleased. She talked him into going down a vacant side street, a side street where Yuta patiently awaited the two of them. This side street had no security cameras, and since no one really came down here at night there would be no witnesses. They were steps away from Yuta’s hiding spot when her target stopped at a storefront. She looked to see what he found more interesting than her and it was a news report. A news report about her father.

“Byron Lockhart was indicted today on nine counts of embezzlement and corporate fraud. Authorities also arrested Lockhart Industries’ Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer in connections to Mr. Lockhart’s crimes. Authorities are seizing all financial accounts of every executive under Lockhart Industries and a special task force has been assigned to review the integrity of the company. We will keep you updated as more information is available.” The camera cut to another news anchor, a picture of her appearing in the top corner of the screen. Her target grimaced at her picture, his head hanging down low and a sniffle could be heard.

“Are you alright?” She asked, she placed her hand on his shoulder and lifted his face up to hers.

“Oh yeah,” He wiped a tear from his cheek, “She’s just… An old friend and I really miss her.”

She looked at the TV screen to see the governor during an earlier press conference, “We have no new leads into the investigation at this time, but we will remain diligent. If anyone has any information, please call the number on your screen. We will not stop this search until she is found and brought home safely, that is a promise.”

“I’m so sorry about that.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed his back, “I’m sure they will find her alive soon, Jaeho.” She held the hand of her old friend and pulled him along with her. They passed a lone man with his head down and a hat hiding his face. He showed his face to her briefly, then she winked at him as they walked by.

Johnny waited until she led Jaeho down the alley where Yuta hid before turning around and going in behind the two. Yuta held Jaeho’s limp body up in his arms and she opened the back of Jaehyun’s van to put him in. Johnny grabbed his feet and they lifted him into the back, shutting the doors behind them and getting in the van themselves.

“That’s some friend you got there, he didn’t even recognize you,” Johnny laughed and smacked her lightly on the shoulder. She turned around to look at the unconscious figure of her old friend. Of course, Johnny had a point. Jaeho, who had been her friend her entire life, had looked her in the eyes the entire night and didn’t recognize her. She assumed that the new her truly was unrecognizable, along with the minor changes to her appearance that she made.

“Hey, are you okay?” Yuta noticed her staring at the body, wondering if she perhaps was having a slight change of heart seeing as this boy was her friend at one point. “Are you thinking anything strange?”

“No, not at all,” She reassured him and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her body against his. “His father played a role in covering up my father’s crimes, it won’t be long until authorities find out his connection to it. Until then, though, maybe having Jaeho will speed up the process.”

Yuta had finally explained to her why she was a target, she was a target because of the crimes her father had been committing for a year at the time of her first abduction. Yuta explained the situation to her in vivid detail, and she agreed that he had every right to take her. She knew it was guilt by association like she assumed. Now, after abandoning her criminal of a father and his business that was held up by lies and fraud, she was no longer guilty. She had severed her ties from that, and now she was out for vengeance. Vengeance, she thought, is the true way the world should be ruled. Regardless of who they were, if they soiled this world in any way they needed to be taken care of.

“We will lock him up in the basement and when he regains consciousness, we will begin. If he’s anything like you were, there will be one hell of a mess to clean up after I’m finished with him,” Johnny chuckled and bumped her shoulder. She watched them take Jaeho’s body down the stairs into the basement, the same basement she spent her first days in. She remembered those days. She remembered the way Johnny assaulted her, she could still taste the blood in her mouth and she could still feel the pain he caused her. However, it didn’t bother her, in fact, she found that she was very thankful to him.

“Are you alright?” Yuta could tell that she had something on her mind. Judging by the way she watched Johnny carry Jaeho to the basement, he assumed that something about this situation brought up old memories, “Are you mad at me for what I did to you?”

“What you did to me? Do you even know what you did to me?” Yuta looked at her in wonder, what had he really done to her?

“You showed me who I really am. Thanks to you, I know who I really am. The only thing I will ever be for that is thankful. The old me is dead and gone, she will never return. That ignorant girl will never be seen again. This whole experience stripped me of my fear and opened my eyes and made me truly see. See the world for how it really is, people for how they really are, and it showed me the way that things should be. I am also thankful that you allowed me to partake in the attempts to make this world a cleaner place.” She brought her hand to cup his chin, “Everything you’ve done has changed my life for the better, I can never repay you for all that you have done. This is all thanks to you.” She kissed the corner of his lips and left the kitchen. He stood there, amazed at what just happened. The person he just encountered truly was completely different than the girl he met so long ago. She had completely evolved into a different person, and he wondered if he played a role in doing this.

If this way of thinking had been planted deep in her, slowly metastasizing until she finally realized what she truly was, or if Yuta had truly driven her to the ends of all sanity and reason remain unknown. Who she once was had died long ago, and no one will truly know if Yuta is responsible. There is one thing that is for sure, though.

He truly is a fatal man.  

[nwbeerguide]

"Summer of Beer" at Phinney Neighborhood Association

Don your best tie-dye or flower power dress and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love with…BEER! Includes ten tastes from over 30 local microbreweries and cideries, plus brat bites from Barking Dog Alehouse and pub snacks. Meet the people behind your favorite brews, chat with neighbors and fellow enthusiasts, and enjoy an afternoon of delicious beverages.

 Cost:

PNA member $25 General Public $30 Designated Driver $10 21+ event

Participating Breweries:

The brews are pouring in! Keep checking back for more.

Aslan Brewing Co.: Disco Lemonade with Strawberry, Tales of Ordinary Madness, Watermelon Radler

Black Raven Brewing Co.: Kitty Kat Blues Infused Pale Ale, Squawker IPA

Bluebird Microcreamery & Brewery

Counterbalance Brewing Company: Bohemian Pilsner, Counterbalance IPA, Abigale Blonde Ale via Randall

Diamond Knot Craft Brewery: Binnacle Summer Ale, Azacca IPA

Dirty Couch Brewing: Solstice Berliner Weisse, Resolute Sour Blonde, Inflection Bourbon Sour

Dru Bru: Bavarian Style Hefeweizen, Hop Session

Floating Bridge Brewing: Cascadian Sunset IPA, Cascadian Dark Ale

Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery: #trendy kettle SOUR beer, Red Scarf India Red Ale

Fremont Brewing: Raspberry-Lemonade Summer Pale Ale, Coffee Cinnamon B-Bomb Barrel Aged Winter Ale, Brother

Georgetown Brewing Company: Bodhizafa IPA, Johnny Utah Pale Ale

Ghostfish Brewing Company: Kick Step IPA, Ghost Pepper Saison

Greenwood Cider Co.: Dry Cider, Blush Cider

Hellbent Brewing Co.: Jasmine Wheat, Dang! Citra IPA

Lantern Brewing: Orondo Furioso, Bombe Cerise

Lagunitas Brewing Company

Lazy Boy Brewing: Squeeze and Squirt IPA, Guava Blonde Ale

Lucky Envelope Brewing: Raspberry Sour, Grapefruit ENIAC IPA

Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.: Nightwatch Cold Brew Coffee Ale, Scurvy Dog Lager

Mollusk Brewing: Beach Beer Margarita Sour Ale, Grisette Americana Session Farmhouse Ale

Naked City Brewery: Yankee Drifter Summer Lager, Coconut Key Lime Kolsch

NW Peaks Brewery: Ingalls Ginger Pale Ale, Czech Dark Lager

Pike Brewing Co.: Pike Space Needle Golden Grapefruit IPA

Populuxe Brewing: Moving Day IPA, Sour Apricot Wheat

Portland Cider Company: Sangria Fruit Cider

Ravenna Brewing Company: Juan Carolita Jalapeno Kolsch, Alluvia IPA, Summer IPA

Reuben’s Brews: Latona Crush, Raspberry in Berlin, ConRadler

Rooftop Brewing Co.: Gateway Creamsicle, Makeda Coffee Porter with Theo Cocoa Beans

Salish Sea Brewing Co.

Seattle Cider Co.: Berry

Stoup Brewing: Bavarian Hefeweizen, Mighty Bine IPA

Two Beers Brewing Company: Day Hike Summer Ale

Urban Family Brewing Co.: Hexaploid, Peachsicle

Woodinville Ciderworks: PomCherry and Asian Pear

[epacer]

Crawford High School is in District 9

This map shows the location of the San Diego City Council's District 9. It includes Southcrest, Mountain View, Mount Hope, City Heights, El Cerrito, Talmadge, Kensington, College View Estates, Alvarado Estates, Rolando and the College Area.

Seven candidates battling for San Diego’s District 9 council seat

The pool of seven candidates vying to replace Georgette Gómez on the San Diego City Council are as diverse as the district they hope to represent.

Gómez, a Democrat, is currently running for congress.

City council district 9 includes the neighborhoods of City Heights, College Area, Kensington, Talmadge and Mountain View. There Democrats lead with 32,825 voters registered, compared to 20,208 independents and 8,487 Republicans.

The district is 50 percent Latino, 23 percent white, 13 percent Asian, 11 percent black and others. More than 63,000 of its people speak a language other than English, according to the San Diego Association of Governments.

The District 9 candidates are Kelvin Barrios, director for community outreach for Laborers Local 89 and a former Gómez staffer; business owner Sam Bedwell; scientist Johnny Lee Dang; community college trustee Sean Elo; business owner Andrew Gade; teacher Ross Naismith and unmanned maritime systems manager Alex Soto.

The candidates who finish first and second next month will advance to the November runoff.

Through Jan. 18, Barrios has raised $41,460; Elo raised $13,544; Dang raised $10,709; Bedwell had raised $4,071; and Naismith raised $2,000.

Gade and Soto haven’t reported raising any money.

An independent committee established by Local 89 of the Laborer’s International Union of North America to support Barrios has raised nearly $54,000 so far.

Barrios, 29, has focused his campaign on his experience in city hall as a former policy adviser for Gomez and his ability to pick up where Gomez leaves off, he said.

The Democratic candidate grew up in City Heights and said he has faced housing and food insecurity similar to what some constituents face today.

“Out of everyone that’s running, I’m the only one that has that experience of knowing City Hall, also marrying that with being involved in community groups, having grown up up here, understanding the different nexus outside of City Heights because the district is big,” he said.

Barrios said he believes the city needs to do a better job of holding contractors accountable, because poorly done infrastructure work leads to wasteful spending.

Business owner Bedwell says he does not come with “entanglements or baggage.” The Democratic candidate was born in Ethiopia, in what is now Eritrea, to a half-Italian and half-African mother and to a military father. He says his ethnic background would bring representation that has been lacking on the council.

Bedwell, 49, said elected officials have not paid attention to the district or the diverse population that lives there.

“We have the same problems over and over. It’s housing and homelessness, economic development and they persist,” Bedwell said. On housing and homelessness, Bedwell said there is not going to be a market solution, rather there needs to be a public-private partnership.

“There’s a lot of public land that’s not well used,” Bedwell said, adding that he would propose a property realignment commission to address that issue.

Dang, son of Vietnamese immigrants, says the neighborhoods in District 9 need improvements and he plans to work with local planning groups, empowering them to demand more services. Dang is not registered with any of the recognized political parties but describes himself as an independent.

Dang objects to the amount of money the city’s allocates to the San Diego Tourism Authority.

“There is a list of what the city needs to do and nowhere does it include advertising,” Dang, 34, said. “I understand that their perspective is that it will bring more money in the long run, however, look at the community and the conditions that people are living in.”

Elo, a community college trustee and executive director of Youth Will, said his experience working in government, running a nonprofit and working in the community sets him apart.

The Democratic candidate volunteered and worked with several organizations serving the residents of City Heights. Elo ran for the San Diego Community College Board of Trustees in 2016, defeating former Councilman David Alvarez.

“I’ve been in the room when Latina grandmothers and East African moms and southeast Asian moms came together to unite around getting halal food for students,” he said. “The grassroots work that is super important in District 9, I have that.”

Elo, 37, said he would bring an organizing mentality to the council office if elected. He said the current approach of “cracking down on homelessness” worries him, and he plans to take a compassionate approach by focusing on a housing first model and prioritizing veterans and foster youth.

Gade, a business owner, said he would bring bold ideas and a different approach, such as combining city departments to make city operations more effective.

“We are dealing right now with some of the most trying and testing times that local government has ever had to deal with, and so many things are changing,” Gade, 38, said. “We need to adapt. We need the city government to be proactive, not reactive.”

Gade said groups that provide services to homeless individuals need to be empowered — and held accountable.

Gade, who grew up in northern California and graduated from San Diego State University, said a top priority would be focusing on San Diego’s infrastructure. The candidate registered as Republican at the end of 2019 and changed to no party preference in February.

Naismith, a longtime resident of District 9, says his passion for the district and experience working with community members is needed at City Hall. He said there needs to be greater accountability of how the city is spending money on multiple issues, especially homelessness.

Naismith, 33, sits on the Eastern Area Communities Planning Committee board, which makes recommendations to the city on land use issues for the neighborhoods of El Cerrito Heights, Rolando, Rolando Park, Redwood Village, Oak Park and Webster.

“These positions affect a lot of people,” Naismith said. “It’s really, really important who you have in these positions to advocate for really positive change. It seems like we are talking about the same thing, election after election. When is it going to change?”

The Democratic candidate said if he is elected he plans to spend time speaking with residents.

Soto says what sets him apart are his accomplishments. The 36-year-old candidate served in the army, trained dolphins at SeaWorld and was a mixed martial arts fighter.

The Democratic candidate grew up in Chula Vista and and lives in the neighborhood of Rolando.

Soto said he would bring true leadership to District 9, which is often ignored. He questioned why Barrios is running, given that last fall Barrios admitted to illegally using money he controlled as a campaign treasurer in 2016 and 2017 to buy food and clothes.

Barrios has said he made mistakes and was compensating himself for services he had performed.

Soto said that’s one reason he is running.

“When it comes to history and District 9, and what District 9 has been through, I think this is exactly why I’m running against somebody like him,” Soto said.

He said his priority would be addressing the homeless crisis by focusing on housing individuals, adding that he built an accessory dwelling unit in his backyard. He said his experience building a granny flat showed him the process needs to be streamlined to make it easier to increase housing in the city. *Reposted article from the UT by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña of February 17, 2020

[usnewsaggregator-blog]

Raiders’ Khalil Mack, Bruce Irvin get day off from practice

New Post has been published on http://usnewsaggregator.com/raiders-khalil-mack-bruce-irvin-get-day-off-from-practice/

Raiders’ Khalil Mack, Bruce Irvin get day off from practice

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

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Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) and outside linebacker Bruce Irvin (51) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less

Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) and outside linebacker Bruce Irvin (51) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016. (AP … more

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, in Mexico City. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) less

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, in Mexico City. (AP Photo/Eduardo … more

Photo: Eduardo Verdugo, Associated Press

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ORCHARD PARK, NY – OCTOBER 29: Brandon Tate #15 of the Buffalo Bills runs with the ball as Bruce Irvin #51 of the Oakland Raiders attempts to tackle him during the third quarter of an NFL game on October 29, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) less

ORCHARD PARK, NY – OCTOBER 29: Brandon Tate #15 of the Buffalo Bills runs with the ball as Bruce Irvin #51 of the Oakland Raiders attempts to tackle him during the third quarter of an NFL game on October 29, … more

Photo: Brett Carlsen, Getty Images

Raiders’ Khalil Mack, Bruce Irvin get day off from practice

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Neither Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack nor linebacker Bruce Irvin practiced Wednesday for non-injury-related reasons, the team said.

Mack and Irvin were both present during the Raiders’ stretch period open to reporters, but both left the field shortly thereafter as players moved into position drills.

A team spokesman said Mack and Irvin were given a “rest type” day. Wednesday’s session was lighter than usual for the whole team, with no players in pads.

It came a day after the Raiders fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. 10 games into the season. Shortly after the move was announced, Irvin posted a one-word expletive to his Twitter account. Norton was Irvin’s linebackers coach in Seattle from 2012 through ’14.

Asked Wednesday to comment on Norton’s firing, Mack told ESPN: “I like to keep my thoughts private.”

Mack was listed on the injury/absence report for the first time since Week 1. He missed the Wednesday practice that week with a knee injury. Irvin had not previously appeared on the report this season.

Mack and Irvin were among five players who didn’t participate in practice Wednesday. Receiver Johnny Holton was listed on the injury report with a concussion. Holton was evaluated for a concussion in the first half of Oakland’s 33-8 loss to the Patriots on Sunday but returned later in the game and played 13 offensive snaps in total, matching his season high. Cornerback David Amerson (foot), who has missed the past three games, and right guard Gabe Jackson (ankle) also did not practice.

Linebacker Cory James (knee) and right tackle Marshall Newhouse (hip/quadriceps) were limited.

Carr’s take: Quarterback Derek Carr said he reached out to Norton via text following Tuesday’s move to “let him know how thankful I was for our time together.”

“He sounded good,” Carr said. “Obviously, as a competitor, no one wants those kinds of things to happen. But we just know that’s how this business is sometimes.

“It’s one of those things where your emotion is like, dang, you know, it sucks. But we have to move on. It’s just like when one of your best friends gets released, or gets traded or anything like that. It’s, ‘Dang, bro, love you, man, but you’ve got to move on, I’ve got to move on,’ kind of a deal. That’s how this league works. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a part of it.”

Matt Kawahara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

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