#Miles Bledsoe

[spacenutspod]

Students from Universidad Católica Boliviana prepare to traverse the course at the 2024 Human Exploration Rover Challenge at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.Credits: NASA/Taylor Goodwin NASA announced the winners of the 30th Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) April 22, with Parish Episcopal School, from Dallas, winning first place in the high school division, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, capturing the college/university title. The annual engineering competition – one of NASA’s longest standing challenges – held its concluding event April 19 and April 20, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The complete list of 2024 award winners is provided below: High School Division  First Place: Parish Episcopal School, Dallas Second Place: Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology, Reno, Nevada Third Place: Escambia High School, Pensacola, Florida College/University Division  First Place: University of Alabama in Huntsville Second Place: Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Third Place: Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina Ingenuity Award  University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida Phoenix Award  High School Division: East Central High School, Moss Point, Mississippi College/University Division: North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota Task Challenge Award  High School Division: Erie High School, Erie, Colorado College/University Division: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota Project Review Award  High School Division: Parish Episcopal School, Dallas College/University Division: University of Alabama in Huntsville Featherweight Award  Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island Safety Award  High School Division: NPS International School, Singapore College/University Division: Instituto Especializado de Estudios Superiores Loyola, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic Crash and Burn Award  KIET Group of Institutions, Delhi-NCR, India Jeff Norris and Joe Sexton Memorial Pit Crew Award  High School Division: Erie High School, Erie, Colorado College/University Division: Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina Team Spirit Award  Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Most Improved Performance Award High School Division: Jesco von Puttkamer School, Leipzig, Germany College/University Division: Universidad Católica Boliviana – San Pablo, La Paz, Bolivia Social Media Award  High School Division: Bledsoe County High School, Pikeville, Tennessee College/University Division: Universidad de Piura, Peru STEM Engagement Award  High School Division: Princess Margaret Secondary School, Surrey, British Columbia College/University Division: Trine University, Angola, Indiana Artemis Educator Award Sadif Safarov from Istanbul Technical University, Turkey Rookie of the Year Kanakia International School, Mumbai, India More than 600 students with 72 teams from around the world participated as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Participating teams represented 42 colleges and universities and 30 high schools from 24 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 13 other nations from around the world. Teams were awarded points based on navigating a half-mile obstacle course, conducting mission-specific task challenges, and completing multiple safety and design reviews with NASA engineers.  “This student design challenge encourages the next generation of scientists and engineers to engage in the design process by providing innovative concepts and unique perspectives,” said Vemitra Alexander, HERC activity lead for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. “While celebrating the 30th anniversary of the challenge, HERC also continues NASA’s legacy of providing valuable experiences to students who may be responsible for planning future space missions including crewed missions to other worlds.” HERC is one of NASA’s eight Artemis Student Challenges reflecting the goals of the Artemis program, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration. NASA uses such challenges to encourage students to pursue degrees and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  HERC is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC – with many former students now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry.     To learn more about HERC, please visit:  https://www.nasa.gov/roverchallenge/home/index.html    -end- Gerelle DodsonNASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-4637gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov Taylor Goodwin Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034taylor.goodwin@nasa.gov Share Details Last Updated Apr 22, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related TermsSTEM Engagement at NASAArtemisGet InvolvedMarshall Space Flight CenterOpportunities For Students to Get InvolvedPrizes, Challenges & Crowdsourcing

[svalleynow]

Fire in Lusk Community Injures Two

Wednesday afternoon, around 5:15, Dunlap Fire responded to a mutual aid request from the Lusk Volunteer Fire Department located in southern Bledsoe County. The Lusk department had a residential fire, which also included a camper. Pikeville VFD, Brayton VFD, Nine Mile VFD, Bledsoe EMS, and Bledsoe EMA also reported to the scene. The home was a total loss. One resident and one firefighter were…

[recentlyheardcom]

California Wildfire: Thousands of People Evacuated, Charge grows to five as flames rage on The fatality assistance from a north The golden state swine enhanced to 5 with the exploration of human remains, thought to be those of a missing out on the senior lady and also her 2 grandchildren, also when the fire brigade battled to satiate fires that ruined whole communities. Greater Than 38,000 individuals remained under discharge orders on Sunday around the city of Redding, regarding 160 miles north of the resources of Sacramento, from a fire that has actually ruined greater than 500 structures and also remained to be damaged greatly on the 7th day. Carr Fire, the most dangerous and also most damaging of almost 90 fires melting from Texas to Oregon, has actually charred almost 84,000 hectares (34,000 hectares) of drought-dried plant life given that eruptions last Monday. Greater Than 4000 frameworks were endangered by fire, authorities claimed. The climate on Sunday is not anticipated to supply fireman’s alleviation as it will certainly strike greater than 100 levels Fahrenheit (377 Celsius) with reduced moisture and also gusty winds, claimed National Weather condition Solution. From Saturday evening there was a military of about 3 500 firemen and also an armada of 17 falls helicopters had actually taken care of to reduce the barrier line about simply 5 per cent of the fire’s boundary. Also Read: 11 Dead, 5 Others Missing After Duck Boat capsizes on Table Rock Lake Near Branson The firemen claim that the uneven actions of the follower, high wind dirt and also triple-digit temperature levels, has actually made complex initiatives to consist of burning. On Thursday, the fire was whipped in a storm-like craze of gale-force winds that ran fires throughout the Sacramento River in the western end of Redding, as countless locals took off for their lives in a disorderly discharge. The close-by city of Keswick, with a populace of regarding 450, was minimized to cinders and also 2 firemen were eliminated. On Saturday, the authorities reported Redding that they were looking for 17 individuals. Shasta Area Constable Tom Bosenko, later on, verified the exploration of 3 bodies in a fire-fired house on the borders of Redding. Also Read: WhatsApp fights with the message forwarding in a proposal to prevent India Lynch crowds Bosenko claimed that they had actually not yet been favorably determined however thought to be residues of 3 sufferers determined by loved ones in information media records such as 4-year-old James Roberts, his 5-year-old sibling Emily and also their granny Tune Bledsoe,70 [19659014] The L.a Times reported that Bledsoe’s household claimed she frantically placed a damp covering on the youngsters when their house shed. The youngsters’ mommy, Sherry Bledsoe, was estimated by Sacramento and also claimed, “My youngsters are deceased, that’s all I could claim,” when she left the Constable’s workplace on Saturday. Inning accordance with the paper’s account, Tune Bledsoe’s spouse Ed Bledsoe wept as he advised to attempt to go back to the household residence after leaving for driving a situation on Thursday, simply to find out that the fire shut them. He informed the paper that he was speaking to the youngsters on the phone when he failed to return in time to conserve them. Also Read Western Aid: Syrian “White Helmets” fly to Jordan with Israeli I spoke with them up until the fire obtained them,” he was estimated. “I attempted to reach them, I attempted to pertain to the fire.” Up until now this year, fires have actually shed almost 4.3 million hectares (1.7 million hectares) throughout the nation, much less compared to in 2015 however still above the standard of 3.7 million hectares (1.5 million hectares) for the exact same duration in the last years. The golden state has actually been struck hard by a number of tough floodings that intimidate big populaces. Among these Cranston fires brought about an uncommon closure

of much of Yosemite National forest recently while one more required mass discharge from the Idyllwild hill eastern of L.a. Also Read: Charlotte Hornets: Breaking down Hornets pick Miles Bridges

[roscoenstella]

Chris Bledsoe's Original UFO & ALIEN ENCOUNTER Report

Chris Bledsoe’s original MUFON CMS report. I interviewed Chris not long after he reported the incident along the Cape Fear River, NC near his home. Fayetteville, NC – 2007-01-08 – 6:00PM: My son and 3 other men were over a mile off the main road on the Cape Fear River fishing all afternoon Just before dark my son wandered into the woods to maybe spot deer feeding in the afternoon. I decided to…

[astonishinglegends]

Ep 209: The Phantom Horse of Greensboro

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

– Revelation, Chapter 6, Verse 8, King James Version

Description:

Many of us have taken an adventurous expedition to check out some local, notorious spot to see if we could witness or sense some evidence of a past famous or infamous incident.  Most of the time, one only returns with a minor anecdote or pictures of an ordinary location bereft of anything noteworthy.  The more realistic purpose is not so much to find a ghoulish memento but to imagine what it must've been like to have been there when it happened.  But what if such an outing starts with strange coincidences and ends with the adventurers enduring a paranormal event seemingly unrelated to the original incident?  This is the sort of tale we'll hear from our good friend, graphic designer, and illustrator Tommy Beaver about the time some friends went to check out the scene of a horrific crime that happened in Summerfield, North Carolina, almost 13 miles northwest of Greensboro.  On June 3, 1985, the incident in question occurred when at the end of a murder spree and police pursuit, Fritz Klenner and his first cousin, lover, and accomplice, Susie Newsome Lynch, ended their standoff detonating a bomb in their Chevrolet Blazer.  Klenner and Lynch had blown themselves up along with Lynch's already deceased two sons who were in the vehicle rather than face arrest.  The site of this shocking finale was what the friends were hoping to explore, but their souvenir was an unsettling experience they'll never forget.  Strangely, a mysterious white horse suddenly appeared to encounter the group, except that this creature may not have been a horse at all.  Many people have claimed to see a spectral white horse, and the ancient Britons believed a sacred white horse was one's ride to the afterlife.  Yet these friends may forever wonder, as will we, what was the connection of this beast to the tragedy if there is one?  And if this wasn't a horse as we know it, what sort of monster haunts the location of one of North Carolina's most ghastly crimes?

Location:

The intersection of Strader Road & North Carolina State Road 150 in Summerfield, near where Fritz Klenner and Susie Newsom Lynch blew themselves up in their Chevy Blazer after a crime spree and police pursuit on June 3, 1985, and where Tommy’s friends saw the mysterious “horse.”

Location Video:

Reference Links:

Illustrator and Graphic Designer Tommy Beaver’s website, tommybeaverdesign.com

“Summerfield slaughter 30 years ago ended in deaths of couple, two sons” from the Greensboro News & Record

Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder, a novel by Jerry Bledsoe, 1988

The púca, pooka, phouka of Irish/Celtic folklore

The kelpie of Scottish folklore

“Horses in Celtic Mythology” from Transceltic.com

“Have ghost HORSES been captured on video? Teenagers believe they spotted ethereal equine scene at one of Britain's most haunted sites” from DailyMail.co.uk

“Phantom Horses” on real-british-ghosts.com

Related Books:

Please help out our good friend Stan Gordon, by purchasing his books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble – you’re gonna love ‘em!

At Barnes & Noble:

Silent Invasion: The Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot Casebook

Astonishing Encounters: Pennsylvania’s Unknown Creatures, Casebook 3

Really Mysterious Pennsylvania: UFOs, Bigfoot, and Other Weird Encounters, Casebook 1

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Credits:

Episode 209: The Phantom Horse of Greensboro. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2021 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[oldgodspod]

#AnotherWorldOctober Day 1: Full Moon Vibes

The spooky season is upon us! As you may have seen announced previously, throughout the month of October, I (Cam) will be participating in the #AnotherWorldOctober creative challenge. I'll be posting my work here daily.

This is day 1: Full Moon Vibes. We'll start out with a special treat: Steve read it and decided it must be narrated.

Featuring "If the Beasts Should Hunt Us" by Lonesome Wyatt and Rachel  Brooke, used with permission.

Transcript, for those who like to have them:

October comes to Appalachia with chill, damp mornings and mostly balmy afternoons sliced through with a crisp breeze and the rustling of leaves. She sets the woods ablaze with a riot of russet color — reds and oranges and yellows and browns of every shade — and blows the sweet aroma of woodsmoke through the hollers of an evening. This October comes with a Harvest Moon, hanging full and swollen and bright over Appalachia, shining her light into every holler and branch. The full moon sings in the blood of the very Green itself, and of course, those touched by it.

In Esau County, Virginia, it finds young Deeley Hubbard in her family home in Boggs Holler. She’s in the yard out back of the cozy house left to her by her mamaw, Glory Ann Boggs, setting out Mason jars full of fresh, clean spring water on an old stump in the yard. From a branch of the twisty old apple tree, she hangs a little charm she’s made for a young couple in town who, despite their most enthusiastic efforts, have found themselves unable to conceive a child. 

Deeley hasn’t lived in Esau County long, and though many of the older folks seem hesitant to rely on her just yet — which just makes good sense; she’s still learning the healer’s craft, after all, studying the books and notes her mamaw left behind — those closer to her age have been more willing, and she’s found a pretty warm welcome overall. Her daddy’s cousins, the Bledsoes, have been particularly kind, driving out to introduce themselves as soon as the word was out that she’d come to live in Boggs Holler, and regaling her with funny stories about her daddy growing up. She feels a sense of home — of roots — here that she’s never felt before.

It’s a cool night — the first real cool night of the season — but Deeley doesn’t mind the chill. She smiles as she gazes up at the glowing orb in the clear, velvety dark sky. Despite the late hour, she’s wide awake and full of vigor — she’s still a young girl, after all — and when the moon calls, she answers, leaving the yard behind to run into the familiar woods that surround the Boggs property. She need not fear the woods here — this is home, and this patch of Green watches over its own.

A ways south, a dozen or so miles outside Baker’s Gap, Tennessee, Marcie and Ellie Walker have made similar preparations, restocking the contents of a particular cupboard in the big kitchen pantry of the imposing log house known officially as Pleasant Evenings Enterprises, and locally as simply The Walker House. The various tools of their work set out to soak up the blessings of the Hunter’s Moon, the two sisters sit in rocking chairs on the back porch of the Walker House, and they listen. 

From a few miles off, up in the woods, they hear it: the singing of wolves. Marcie and Ellie listen intently for a moment, neither speaking, ears attentive to every howl and yip, every nuance and tone of that feral chorus… and then they relax. The voices of wolves are sonorous, and tend to echo — it’s hard to know for sure what direction they’re coming from — but the Walker sisters have kept a watchful eye on this situation for a good many years, and they’ve learned the trick of it. The song they hear isn’t coming from the abandoned, overgrown holler known as the Clutch, nor does it sound like the hunting song — the blood song — they’d once learned to dread. It’s a song of kinship. Somebody’s found a shape that feels like home — and a family to share that with — and that’s always cause to celebrate. They’re just kicking their heels up a little bit is all. And good for them. 

And speaking of kicking up their heels — “It’s an awful nice night, Ellie,” Marcie says. “I think I might pour myself a little sip of that apple wine Miz Lunsford traded us for the eggs last week. Fancy a glass?” 

Her sister smiles, stretches her legs and props her heels up on the porch rail. “I think I might have a drop or two, yes,” Ellie says, reaching into her coat pocket for her pipe and tobacco. “It is a damn fine night.”

Marcie returns from the kitchen a few minutes later, holding two jelly jars about half filled with their neighbor’s tasty home brewed apple wine between two fingers. She’s draped two quilts over the other arm — fine night or no, it’s a bit chilly out on the porch — and hands one of each to Ellie. Cozy and content, the sisters settle in to enjoy the night, and the moon, and the chorus of eerie and beautiful lupine voices.

And in the hills and hollers around Bakers Gap, the wolves run, full tilt and full of joy — the joy of the hunt, the joy of the pack, the joy of the moon-called Green.

[purkinje-effect]

The Anatomy of Melancholy, 76: Coincide

Table of Contents. Third Instar, Chapter 7. Go to previous. Go to next. TWs: Prescription medication and the reasons for it, smoking, honeymooning type behavior.

“...[H]ow complicated and unpredictable the machinery of life really is.” -- Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle

_______________________

For the next few days, ‘Choly and Sticks formed a routine. They'd have breakfast, search and research, and then play tourist when their constructive efforts petered out. All kinds of strange things found themselves on the shelves of Ant Lane’s shops, from deteriorated phone books to crystal butter dishes.

Angel sanctioned a temporary renewal of ‘Choly’s Mentats habit, as treatment for the persisting migraine that wouldn’t let up, even after he got his neck and shoulder back in place. Pain on its own could’ve laid him out, but the sensory dysregulation ruined him. If not for the Mentats, he couldn’t have possibly accompanied Sticks and Angel to comb the mall. But he refused to sit out on their mission. Between his aggravated photophobia and their failure to produce any concrete results, he’d become most snippety and cantankerous.

At least they’d put their hands on some toothpastes and mouthwashes. Not that it mattered much without the core ingredient.

Turning in close to closing, they returned downtrodden to the Anchor Inn. Orqueida had not been at the Concierge desk since that first night, but there she was. Sticks steadied ‘Choly while he dismounted from Angel. The trio approached the desk at the ghoul’s suggestion.

“Good evening, milady.” Sticks produced his sack of pulls from his apron. “I believe we should go ahead and pay on our rent for another week.”

She eyed some papers on her desk with detachment.

“One-ten, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What!” ‘Choly nearly slapped off his own glasses in animation, and stewed rubbing at his nose. “--We’re not sticking around past our rent. They’re not here.”

Orqueida complied with the request and set to counting out another week’s pay. Looking between the two men, her curiosity ran amok of her entrepreneurial temperament. The makings of drama brightened her misaligned eyes.

“Just ‘cause you don’t feel well doesn’t mean things are grim on all fronts. I can keep looking even if you’ve got to stay in bed all day. We haven’t even bothered with the Flea Market yet.”

“He’s right, you know,” Angel seconded. “You’re pushing yourself too hard, Sir. Please trust that your best interests are ours as well. We know how much these devices stand to improve your quality of life. Have some faith, Sir--in us, as well as in our task.”

“Angel’s right, too. We threw in the towel today without having a little fun. Why don’t you find something in the Gift Shop, Mindy? My treat.”

“The Gift Shop?” Orqueida repeated, squaring her shoulders when their attention remembered she was there. She smiled, eager to attend them. “You’re in luck. I went out scavenging the Nashua ruins this week. I just restocked this morning.”

‘Choly rolled his eyes, but none of them saw it as he resigned.

“Why not?”

Orqueida walked them down a center hall to a space with installed shelves. Stools provided a few small table arrangements of objects. Odd metal and ceramic objects populated the stall. Divorced from their origin, ‘Choly struggled to recognize much of what these things once decorated, but identifying a few things helped his understanding a majority of the Gift Shop’s merchandise was salvaged architectural hardware and ornamentation. One of the three walls displayed metal bas relief faces and scenes, reminiscent of a taxidermy wall. Remnants of large scale bronze sculptures also littered the collection, ranging from broken arms still toting Revolutionary War weapons to a tricorner cap upturned still containing the top half of some man’s head.

“Fascinating.” Angel marveled at everything from a distance. Chuckling to himself, Sticks flapped a large door hinge at the Mister Handy. “Sir... I’m not sure that’s what those are for.”

“You said you’d been to town.” ‘Choly picked up an intricate brass doorknob and inspected it for no other reason but weariness. “You didn’t happen to find any medical gear, did you?”

“I wasn’t going to ask, but...” Orqueida wrung her hands in front of her. “What could you possibly be so desperate to find, that you couldn’t find it here? That you’d stay at Anchor an entire extra week, without looking into leasing?”

Sticks produced the Walden catalogue from his apron pocket and turned it to the page. ‘Choly grabbed it and rolled the booklet back, to hold it out to point. Orqueida eyed the page. Their demeanor invited unease, but she seemed to gain something from regarding the product photos.

“...So that’s what that thing was,” she murmured, holding her chin.

“Wait, what’s what thing!” ‘Choly grabbed her arms with both hands and looked up at her in snapping desperation. “What did you have!”

Orqueida convinced him to let go, but he didn’t apologize. She pulled the catalogue from him, but hesitated to point at the neck brace.

“I had... that part. Brought it back because it’s got good leather. Junk doesn’t sell in the gift shop, though, so I gave it to my boyfriend. He seemed to know what it was, but he didn’t explain and I didn’t ask. It’s medical equipment? You’re more ill than you let on--”

The unlikely breakthrough sheared any civility ‘Choly could’ve mustered.

“Your boyfriend! Who’s your boyfriend? Where did you find it? Please tell me it was in tact.”

“Geez, Mindy.” Sticks put a hand to his lower back, hoping to cool him down. “Let her get a word in, would you?”

The group fell silent while they tried to figure out whose turn it was to speak. Orqueida shook her head slowly.

“There weren’t any other pieces like that where I found it. My beau’s Liam Bledsoe. He runs the Gate City Clinic. You can’t miss it. It’s at the Lantern Intersection between See’s and The Hall. Lower Level.”

‘Choly removed his glasses to massage his nose bridge.

“The Clinic. I asked you the night we got here, if we needed to go there. It could’ve been our first stop.”

“I didn’t find it until yesterday.” Orqueida’s features skewed at him. “Liam wouldn’t have had it. I’m surprised you haven’t found any of the other parts yet. I’ve seen stuff like this before. It’s been a while, but I can confirm it’s been here.”

“So we are on the right track.” Sticks smiled and tapped ‘Choly’s back. “You really are wonderful, Orqueida.”

“Well, hopefully he’s still got it. Don’t praise me just yet.” She sighed, her face long but invested. She walked them back to the lobby. “I’d escort you there, but I need to be here for the last wave of check-ins. You’ve got about half an hour before curfew. Don’t worry if you run over. I can walk you back. See’s will understand.”

“Thank you, madam. Wish us luck!”

Angel warmed her demeanor, and she smiled and nodded.

“Maybe another day, you can consider buying a piece of Nashua history to take with you. But we’ll revisit that. You should get going.”

“See you in a bit,” ‘Choly appreciated, sheepish.

‘Choly didn’t bother mounting Angel to walk the short way to the Lantern Intersection. With how miserable he felt, he would’ve had more trouble getting back down. Across and diagonal from Grey & Gould, the Clinic occupied a large corner store space. When they entered, two older Laners were just leaving. A dozen beds and mismatched patterns and sizes of standing curtains lined up one side of the establishment, while a small seating area and some desks occupied the other. The bite of tobacco smoke and iodine chafed them.

Off to the window side of the Clinic sat an impassive gangling thirtisome man with a slicked pale rattail. He had on a half-unbuttoned banded collar seersucker shirt with rolled sleeves. When he glanced up over his beaklike nose from the folder he’d scrutinized, the cigarette in his mouth went limp.

“You had better need medical attention, to be bothering me so late.”

“...Sort of,” ‘Choly replied. “It’s complicated.”

“We need medical supplies,” Sticks added. “We’ve been referred to you.”

He sucked at his smoke, then held it in one hand to exhale, still skimming the file in his lap.

“Unless you’re looking to unload some, you’re out of luck. I can’t spare anything directly related to patient care.”

Sticks produced the catalogue, and showed their acquisition goal.

“Orqueida said you had a piece of this stuff. ‘Choly here needs it.”

The wood chair clacked to the polished concrete, to rest on all four legs, as Liam stood to approach. His deep-set eyes squinted at the page.

“I just today got that. I’m not interested in selling it.”

‘Choly feared their grasp slipped, and he squirmed. Everything felt hyper-real, too crisp and clear, too sharp for his senses.

“If you need chems,” he blurted out, “I’ve got a few Med-X, Rad-X, and Addictol. I’d even fork up some Mentats, if it’s convincing.”

Liam just kept staring at the catalogue.

“A trade is more my tune.”

“He can practically be a roaming pharmacy.”

“Well, if you know a drugstore or clinic that hasn’t been cleaned out within twenty miles, be my guest to scav. Though I imagine if you’re here, you’ve either already tried, or chems aren’t your fix.”

‘Choly hemmed, weighing the emotional toll and feasibility of what spilled out of him next. The consequences of normal, common drugstore chems were predictable, marginal, compared to what concerned him.

“It’s a shame the Walden Drugs warehouse is leveled. We didn’t just come to Nashua seeking medical equipment. We were hoping its chem lab survived. You haven’t got a chemistry setup, have you? I could help replenish some of your pharmacy stock. I’m a chemist. Was a chemist. Am? ...It’s complicated...”

Liam soured with a sneer and flattened brow.

“You really are a chemist? You’re not yanking me around?”

“Certified and seasoned.”

“I’m the only experienced medic left. It’s been over a decade since we had a chemist. It would be fantastic if you could provide that kind of labor, even if it’s just for a day or two. We could use just about anything you can cook up. For example, without Med-X, I’ve been forced to offer patients Hub petals for pain care lately. One step above chewing bullets, depending on the need.” The medic made eye contact with him. He puffed again at his smoke, careless of the ashes. “You must have expected a large setup from a warehouse. You didn’t intend to set up shop in the Satellites, now, did you?“

“The property’s location would have been its only consequence,” Sticks assuaged. “I’ve always preferred doing business with Ant Lane.”

“It is a shame,” he nodded, quiet. “Lab equipment’s mostly glass. If the building’s leveled, all that’s got to have shattered. ...Would’ve been a hell of a windfall.”

“You didn’t say whether you’ve got a lab here.” ‘Choly doubted the appropriateness of pressing Liam on it, but he had to get traction any way he could.

“A small one, yes.” He sighed, impatient. “You didn’t say why you’d need a surgical brace like that. It’s for post-op recovery. Heavy duty stuff. Are you expecting some kind of major surgery in your future?”

“It’s a gross oversimplification, but I’ve been exposed to lots of untested chemicals. I would demonstrate my joint laxity, but this cervical migraine has me too far gone to even think about loosing something, let alone resetting it. I’m at my limit right now. Please just tell me you’ve got any of the surgical orthotics. And please tell me Orqueida correctly said it was the cervical brace in particular. If I have to go one more day with an otherwise preventable vertebral subluxation, I will no longer be accountable for my behavior.”

“He’s been nigh insufferable,” Sticks whispered to Liam.

Liam took it all in, his understanding building into more agreeable nods. He walked off to a door in the back. He returned with a foot-wide length of canvas, lined and edged in leather, its ends eyelet-laced together. He sat at a stool halfway between the door and where the two men stood, and beckoned that they meet him. Sticks helped ‘Choly sit on the edge of the bed there, a small mattress atop a desk.

“I see a lot of visitors who don’t adjust to the rad-eaters’ glass so well. Migraines are somewhat common. I suppose I may as well examine you.”

‘Choly let Liam place a palm on his forehead, check his blood pressure by the wrist, and grip a few joints without manipulating anything out of place.

“I’ve been taking Mentats for the migraine these past few days,” ‘Choly admitted. “I’ve got awful photophobia on account of the cataracts, and I can’t imagine that the weird gold light helps with that, either.”

Liam motioned in encouragement that ‘Choly list off his symptoms. ‘Choly did so, and tried to show him the vitals page of his Pip-Boy. The medic largely disregarded anything not said aloud, snubbing digital diagnostics.

“I haven’t heard of anything like this before. I do think you’re right to take Mentats. When I have them, that’s what I recommend for migraines caused by the lighting here. But the light sounds like it’s only exacerbating existing issues.”

“I’m hoping we can locate a full set of that style of orthotics. I intend to wear it long-term. At least, until I can determine if my condition’s permanent.”

“If you open your shirt, I’ll help you into it. They’re a bit fussy. Promise it’s been properly sanitized.”

‘Choly’s heart fluttered.

“I already have a lesser orthotic corset on. I don’t need to remove it, right?”

“And it’s not too different from putting that on, is it?” Sticks squeezed over to watch. “I need to watch. Er, ‘cause I’m going to be the one helping.”

“As long as I can get at your shoulders and collarbone for the fitting, that’s all I need. And I’m not the best teacher, but you can watch. Whatever.”

‘Choly complied with the best posture he could, stunned. He tried to observe without being able to watch.

“You weren’t kidding.” Liam identified 'Choly’s errant vertebrae with intuitive, firm presses all along his neck and spine. ‘Choly couldn’t possibly sit still enough, hearing Liam’s detached dislike of the task. “Wicked unprecedented hypermobility. It would take next to nothing for me to manipulate your spine with just my hands. Eh. Hopefully, I helped with the alignment that the collar will hold.”

The medic latched the busks on the side and lined it up, hands feeling either side of ‘Choly’s jawline. He adjusted the lacing accordingly as he tightened it into place. As the collar fit his contours, ‘Choly felt drawn into place, comforted by its rigidity and pressure.

“Not too tight, is it?”

“It’s... perfect.” ‘Choly ran a hand over the boning seams, at a loss for words how much better he already felt. Restricting the amount he could turn his head would do wonders for it staying put. “Thank you.”

“Don’t think me crass, but I’ve got to ask.” Liam bent down a bit to meet ‘Choly’s seated eye level. “I can’t tell your gender.”

‘Choly’s eyes widened as he assessed the best answer. The fact a reflexive response didn’t come, he couldn’t tell if stress tripped him up, or if he suddenly didn’t quite know. He hated that Sticks didn’t chime in, but at the same time, he appreciated it.

“Most people in my life have called me a guy. That’s fine.”

The answer interested Liam. It interested ‘Choly more.

“Hey.” Sticks wagged a finger at Liam. “You didn’t state your price.”

Liam sat back down. He pulled a drawer of the desk, and extinguished his cigarette in an ashtray in it. He then fished his pack of cigarettes from inside his sleeve. Only once he’d lit a fresh one did he glance to Sticks. Leaning forward, he fidgeted with his lighter and the pack.

“I’ll accept the Med-X and Addictol. You guys can keep the Mentats. It’s for his migraine.” He glanced to ‘Choly. “And I’ll accept your agreement to help me turn around my inventory. I’ll pay you for anything you can cook up or otherwise bring me.”

“You don’t want the Rad-X?”

Considering Sticks’s selfish interests in outfitting him with these leather-and-canvas pieces, ‘Choly couldn’t help but regard the medication as prophylactic in their own way. He wondered whether other ghouls in the mall needed such a thing.

“No need for it mostly. We’ve got a stand of maple nearby, sound shelter, and clean water. Rad remedy’s one of the only things we have in surplus.”

“I... I’ll sleep on it.” ‘Choly remembered to button back up. His breath snagged as he turned all this over in his mind. “I don’t see why not, as long as I’ve got the accommodations and the materials. I’ve got to pull together the funds to afford the rest of a full set as we find it, right?”

“I can keep an eye out for those, as well, as long as you’ll recompense me for the trouble. You might certainly do well to consider more contemporary clothing choices, too, if you’re going to wear the collar daily. It doesn’t really look to get along with a prewar dress shirt.”

When ‘Choly got to the top two buttons, he couldn’t help but agree, and forfeit completing the task. Liam leaned in to get a handshake, firm but jerking.

“I wasn’t expecting to take on a new patient tonight, and I definitely wasn’t expecting to find a prospective business partner. How are you feeling about things?”

‘Choly warmed to smile, nodding.

“I’m confident. You wouldn’t believe how much more confident.”

“Good. Hm. Where all have you looked so far? They’re not so rare.”

“We’ve focused on clothing and armory,” Sticks said. “We haven’t managed to look through the entire mall just yet.”

Liam shook his head and sucked at his cigarette, eyes shut. He gestured with a dismissive assertiveness.

“You’re on the wrong track. You need to try junk vendors. Ask people for their scrap leather. Sure, it’ll turn up baseball mitts and wrecked leather jackets and shit, but you’ll eventually turn up other pieces of this set without a doubt. I will tell you a secret about this place: Just about nobody here knows what they’ve actually got, and even fewer know what other people are actually selling.”

“You’ve been a tremendous help,” ‘Choly appreciated. “You and your girl both.”

“It’s less trouble than you think.”

“I do want to make it clear that ‘Choly and I work together.” Sticks imposed his own handshake to cement things. “Sticks and Melancholy. I take care of things for him. Consider me a... an acquisition expert.” He grinned, standing broadly. “I’m even better finding homes for things.”

“I can see what kind of invoices I can draft in the morning, for the two of you to work on filling. In the mean time--”

Liam stood with a big, bright grin. Plucking the cigarette from his mouth, he waved his open arms to Orqueida, who’d arrived with an armful of food. She motioned for Angel to come inside, so she pulled the rolling door shut and locked it. Then she set down the oiled fabric bag of food to embrace her boyfriend.

“You got ribs tonight,” Liam reveled, his aquiline nose deep in the sack. “Fantastic celebratory meal.”

“Oh, so something to celebrate, then! I didn’t get dinner for you two,” she apologized. “Figured you’d already eaten. You can have a handpie if you want.”

“We have,” ‘Choly waived. “Don’t worry about us. We should get back, so you can enjoy it hot.”

“Speak for yourself. I’d like a handpie.” Orqueida gladly gave Sticks one.

“Angel. Angel, come here. I need your storage.”

“Oh, that thing’s yours. I should’ve known. Orqueida can’t stop talking about it.”

“I’m something of a hot topic, it seems.” Angel let him inside. “I’m glad we could provide you some medically necessary goods, Mister Bledsoe.”

‘Choly set out the requested medication on the exam bed, and Liam flipped cartons open on them to guarantee complete packages.

“Hopefully much more than that,” Liam grinned through this smoke.

“Were you done?” Orqueida asked, brightening. “I don’t want to run you off.”

“Speak for yourself,” Liam chuckled. “The sooner they can scram, the sooner I can sit down to Radstag and Blight. It’s past curfew anyway. You know how much I hate See’s getting nosy, love.”

“I’m starving, really,” she admitted. “Let’s get you gone, then.”

“Come see me sometime before lunch. Say, eleven or so. That’ll give me time for my morning appointments and such.”

“Enjoy your dinner.”

The Concourse became another place altogether, once the visitors emptied out. ‘Choly expected the halls to fall quiet, with people winding down to sleep after long days, but the opposite seemed true: Laners could socialize and unwind after closing shop for the day. During the day, the mall felt like a mall for the most part, but at night, its community ties wove it to life.

“I’m glad Liam was able to help you,” she told them, at a hush. “It sounds like you’re a help to him as well.”

“Don’t praise me just yet,” ‘Choly grinned.

To circumvent the Anchor Inn’s rolling doors, she let them in through the employee access, and led them through the office hall to the lobby inside.

“I’ll praise you all I like, Melancholy. Good night.”

“Good night,” the trio all whispered.

Once they heard the door shut, Sticks pulled ‘Choly in, with a firm grip on the collar’s lacing. He grinned heatedly at him, eyes inviting a passionate kiss. His other hand wandered to the small of ‘Choly’s back. ‘Choly wrapped his arms around him, to draw it out.

“Words fail me,” ‘Choly finally murmured, smiling into Sticks’s chest. “The first step to feeling normal again.”

Sticks swept him up bridal style without warning, spurring laughter in the two which bystanders, had they had any, might easily have mistaken for drunken tomfoolery. The ghoul pecked away at him delightedly, intent do do far more behind closed doors. Angel chuckled a bit once it was certain ‘Choly was okay carried back to the room in this way.

It hoped to itself, “Maybe a bit better than normal.”

Go to Next »»»

[warofshadowstheorder]

Chapter 06

Bledsoe bolted up on her cot after being startled awake by the wailing siren.  She froze, which always happened when she heard a blaring siren, as she was taken back to a time two years ago when she was with the anti-counterfeiting department.  She and her team had been investigating a counterfeiting ring operating within the country, and after months of investigation, surveillance, and undercover work, they had discovered the base of operations for the group and were prepared to strike.

Bledsoe and the rest of the strike team were huddled together inside a van a short distance from the sight as the team leader gave out final instructions and made coordinations with local law enforcement for backup, having not informed them of the raid previously as they suspected corruption and worried that someone within the local departments would tip off their target.  Once the team leader finished the final brief, the driver quickly moved for the base.

Once the vehicle stopped, the side door opened and the agents, in full body armor, quickly exited and moved to the door of the house serving as the counterfeiters base.  As a few agents scattered around the house to cover possible exits, the team leader moved to the front door.

“This is the United States Secret Service,” the team leader bellowed out, “you’re under arrest!  Come out with your hands up!”  The agents paused and listened for activity, hearing nothing the team leader turned to an agent armed with a shotgun and gestured him forward.  The agent moved ahead of the others, with Bledsoe right behind him, and blew the hinges off of the door.  The agent then moved aside for Bledsoe to kick down the door and move in.

Her marksmanship already well known at this point, Bledsoe had been selected to move in first and secure the area.  She entered and immediately checked every corner of the front room before announcing it clear and moving toward the next portion.  The agents had been briefed that the most likely location for the actual operation was the basement, as they moved toward the staircase that would lead them there, the door swung open and two men brandishing submachine guns emerged.

Bledsoe quickly brought them down with three well-placed shots and prepared to move to the door.  What none of the agents had seen was the person hiding in the backroom adjacent to the basement staircase.  Without moving from his position, he fired two shots at Bledsoe.  The counterfeiters had armed themselves with armor-piercing rounds, this became obvious to Bledsoe and the other team members when the fired rounds pierced her vest and exited through her chest.

Bledsoe’s body went cold immediately as her legs gave out and she fell to the ground.  Dropping her weapon, she instinctively brought her hands over the exit wounds and began to go into shock.  As this happened, she registered some of the sounds around her.  She felt herself being dragged by her ankles away from gunfire and fleetingly saw agents moving down the stairs.  When she stopped moving, she was outside on top of the grass in the front yard.  She could see two agents looking down on her as they removed her vest and reacted dramatically to the sight of her wounds.

Immediately afterwards, she saw the blinking lights and registered the sound of the siren of an ambulance pulling up and shortly thereafter felt hands firmly pressing down on her chest just above where her hands rested.  Her lips trembled involuntarily, as if she were shivering, and she became aware of a doctor attempting to communicate with her.  She could hear her talking to her, but couldn’t understand any of the words being spoken.  Bledsoe tried to respond, but couldn’t.  To her immense fear, she began to feel herself drifting away as if falling asleep.

As she began to balck out, she felt a sensation of warmth in her chest and assumed the worst.  The last thing she could remember thinking was, “please, not now.”

Bledsoe hated sirens and the memory they conjured, but she was disciplined enough that the freezing only ever lasted a few seconds.  She snapped out of her trans and strapped on her shoulder holster before running outside to find out what was going on.  Even though night had fallen, the heat and humidity outside were enough to make someone long for winter.  The siren drowned out the nerve-wracking sound of the Cicadas, but also weighed heavily on Agent Bledsoe.  She made her way to the source of the noise.  Despite the uneven terrain and oppressive heat, she was fit enough that running there wasn’t a problem.

The compound was riddled with activity and orders being shouted.  Searchlights panned the facility.  Doors burst open spilling out armed men running in all directions.  The sound of guard dogs barking added to the prevailing environment of pandemonium.  It uncomfortably reminded her of the fiasco at the pavilion, she wondered if this sort of thing followed “Clark Kent” everywhere he went.  She looked around and saw Taylor running out of the facility holding a handkerchief over his nose.

“Taylor!” she called out running over to him, “What’s going on out here?”

“When did you slip it to him?” Taylor asked removing the handkerchief for a moment to speak.

“Slip who what?” Bledsoe asked genuinely confused.

“When did you slip your friend Clark Kent whatever he used to get out of the cuffs?”

“You mean,” Bledsoe asked amazed and ignoring Taylor’s accusation, “he’s escaped?!”

“Of course he has,” Taylor said again lowering the handkerchief, “wasn’t that your plan the entire time?”

“What’s your problem?!” Bledsoe said frantically, “Just tell me what happened!”

“Not that it matters to the accomplice,” Taylor started, removing and reapplying the handkerchief, “but after his lawyer left I went back in to try to get him to flush out his accomplice…”

“You didn’t waste time asking him about me did you?!” Bledsoe angrily interrupted.

“Believe me it crossed my mind,” Taylor answered spitefully, “but I was trying to get the other assassin.  He kept giving me smart mouth answers, so I went over to beat it out of him.  The bastard had freed one of his hands and broke my nose before he knocked me out, got the rest of his irons off and made his way out.”

“He broke your nose again?” Bledsoe asked with a hint of a giggle.

“Shut your goddamn mouth bitch!” he said angrily, “and get the hell out of my sight!  So help me God, I will see you ousted from the Service if it takes me the rest of my life!”

Taylor’s words pierced Bledsoe to her core.  All she could do was stand and spitefully glare at him, her eyes seeming to penetrate his soul.  They soon had enough of their confrontation and felt they had more important matters to attend to.  Bledsoe turned her back and hustled off into the darkness.  Taylor muttered something and hurried off toward the guards securing the entry gate.

Bledsoe stood where she was and looked out at where Taylor had gone.  She was no traitor, but she knew Taylor and how determined and stubborn he could be when he had his mind set on something.  She had been content with knowing that at least one of the murderers was in custody, but now that he was gone she couldn’t take it.  She wasn’t going to just leave and go on suspension.  Knowing that she would be a complete wreck under those conditions, she decided that she would leave in the morning as planned, but not before doing a little sightseeing.

“Why can’t we see him?” one of Odin’s pursuers yelled out, “His jumpsuit should be showing up in the light.”

“If he was wearing it,” came a reply, “the guy knocked out his interrogator, broke into the storage locker, and cleared out all his personals.  He’s probably back in that all black getup he was wearing.”

Back in the same clothes he wore at the pavilion and clutching an incendiary grenade he had nabbed from the detention facility, Odin disappeared into the shadows as he ran around the perimeter of the facility to the east end opposite the entry gate, throwing off his pursuers long enough to make his way down to the sea.

He surveyed the night sky, taking in the stars and their positions, before looking back at the detention facility.  After scanning the shoreline for landmarks, he pulled the pin on the grenade, turned away from the water, and threw the grenade as far as he could before creeping into the water leaving minimal ripples.

“Look over there,” one of the search party members called out after the grenade had detonated, shooting flames into the air, “head for the flames!”

The search party converged to the flames as if they had been moths, but found nothing.  Taylor showed up on the scene just after the advanced guard.

“Where is he?!” Taylor asked already knowing the answer.

“You tell me sir,” one Marine said, “we just got here and you know as much as we do about what happened.”

Taylor paused for a moment and scanned the area, looking for any sign of where Odin had gone.  He knew the night sky favored the man on the run, so he figured the best thing to do was remove that advantage.

“Tell the choppers to have their lights on,” Taylor barked out, “I want a perimeter set up with a five mile radius from where we’re standing!  Do you have generators?”

“Affirmative sir,” a Marine said, “we could have searchlights set up all along the perimeter.”

“Do it!” Taylor instructed, “We’ve got to catch this bastard before he has a chance to get anywhere near a car, boat, or plane.  The only way he’s getting off this island is in a shark’s belly or with an armed guard escort.”

“You heard him!” a Marine captain shouted out, “we need a full perimeter with a five-mile radius from here!  We need searchlights and generators along there and I want guards and dogs there before I can recite the Corps motto!  Move!”

Choppers and jeeps scrambled in all directions.  Marines and MPs moved all over the area setting up the perimeter and doing everything humanly possible to catch their mark.  Searchlights were set up at several key points along the perimeter that had been established by Taylor and the others in a matter of minutes, and everyone living anywhere near the bay knew that something was going on.

The helicopters continued to swarm around, their lights panning the ground and the silvery surface of water searching anxiously for any sign of life.  But it seemed even the scorpions had gone into hiding with all the commotion.  Odin had proven himself to be dangerous at the pavilion, and the details of his escape and what he had been able to accomplish prior to leaving the facility left all who knew about him concerned by what else he was capable of.

After the perimeter was set up, MPs and other Marines were sent from the different points and made their way toward the Detention Facility, checking every scrap of ground along the way.  No stone was left unturned, and the search continued unrelentingly.  Every different spot returned the same result…no trace.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the Washington Post:

A decade ago on April 20, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig leased by BP was working a mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico when a surge in pressure and a blowout triggered a fire that killed 11 crew members and unleashed the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

For much of that summer, many Americans were transfixed by an online “spill cam” that broadcast live images of the crude oil billowing out from the broken blowout preventer. Many Americans called for a boycott of BP, heavy penalties or the end of federal leases.

Today, however, attention has shifted to President Trump’s efforts to undo safety steps taken by the Obama administration to prevent such a spill from happening again.

In 2016, the Obama administration imposed the Well Control Rule, a package of safety measures including backup mechanisms on blowout preventers, regular tests of safety equipment, and independent inspectors so that the public no longer relies on the companies to police themselves.

Since coming into office, however, the Trump administration demonstrated it would roll back those rules by eliminating the need for independent inspectors. That followed the issuance of approximately 1,700 waivers to an industry the administration’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said was bearing “unnecessary burdens.”

The blowout preventer “was the main mechanical failure that, along with many operational mistakes, led to the series of events that produced the catastrophe,” said Paul Bledsoe, a public policy strategist who served as a senior staffer on the presidential commission that investigated the accident. “It brings us sort of back to the self-policing procedures that were in place before the disaster.”

Yet in the decade since the spill, much has changed — and much hasn’t.

[thefilmstage]

Have we ever given Paul Bettany the credit he deserves? One thinks back to his stellar turns in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, The Reckoning, and Dogville. No major awards consideration, instead a plump superhero role in the world’s most successful franchise. 

In Alan Ball’s Uncle Frank, Bettany appears more comfortable than he’s been in years. Set in 1973, young Beth Bledsoe (a great Sophia Lillis) speaks of her love for her Uncle Frank (Bettany) in voiceover. “He was the only adult who looked me in the eye,” she tells us. Frank is well-read and lives and teaches in New York City, a million miles away from the Bledsoe’s hometown of Creeksville, South Carolina. Frank is kind to all, though his family regards him at a distance. After he gives young Beth some cogent advice, we skip four years to find her living in NYC and going to NYU on a scholarship.

Continue reading our Sundance review of Uncle Frank.

[preathsamton]

this week in woso:

tobin wore a shirt

after swiping right on every defender in a 100 mile radius jill finally deleted her tinder and got back together with her ex-boo ali

you’ve seen sam kerr stuck in paris

you’ve seen hayley raso stuck in australia

now get ready for jill ellis’ opinion on morgan brian stuck in 2015

aubrey bledsoe beats out her sister abby for nwsl save of the week

orlando’s comeback plans to involve the signing of fetal draft pick baby girl dwyer-leroux

us soccer releases their rebuttal to the uswnt players lawsuit which simply reads “bitches”

[dyingotek]

Dear SAB writers,

I was raped by two different men in my life. One was a close family friend when I was five and the another by my then boyfriend. He was a person I trusted and that I thought cared about me. But the first time I was drunk around him, he took advantage. So you made it very personal for me when you included Bay getting raped by a person that she was very close with because it's exactly what happened to me. So fuck you for trying to make a sob story for the guy that raped her. Fuck you for making her look like the bad guy for it. And fuck you for making it seem like it's okay for her friend to date her rapist just because her mom is sick.

[stllimelight]

Mid-Life Crisis Rages in Absurd Comedy 'Sylvia' -- A Mix of Tricks and Treats

Mid-Life Crisis Rages in Absurd Comedy ‘Sylvia’ — A Mix of Tricks and Treats

By Lynn Venhaus Managing Editor Oh, that puppy love. American playwright A.R. Gurney’s absurd comedy “Sylvia” presents a marital conflict caused by a pretty pooch. In this case, the mutt takes on human form and talks in perfect English. To buy into the conceit is to believe the female fur child in its interaction with her male best friend, and it’s apparent they are a tad too close.

That’s the…

[jethroandalex-blog]

SBC Heartthrob Has A Medical Emergency During Training Camp!

Jennifer Lawrence: We got news from Debra Messing & Teri Polo that a Heartthrob had a Medical Emergency during training camp and was rushed to the hospital right away where he remains in Critical Condition.. Matthew Lawrence: He told me that he didn't want Breakfast or Lunch and then he told me that he was fine.... Liam Hemsworth: I told Miles that he has to eat something but he kept on ignoring me.. Kris Wu: I am gonna go to the Hospital later on to go check on him... Blake Michael: Yeah This was scary and I hope he is okay.. [Meanwhile, In the Hospital]; Nat Wolff: Miles come on please wake up... (Starts crying) Austin Mahone: Miles We told you to eat something... Taylor Ball (Assistant Doctor): We run some test on Miles and He is suffering from Expedited Hunger & Hydration.. We are keeping him here overnight and should be able to go home tomorrow... Austin Mahone: Thanks Doctor for the update. Nat Wolff: I am so happy that Miles is gonna be okay.... Austin Mahone: Yeah I told him to eat something & drink some water to keep hydrated... [Earlier at the Scene of the Incident- 2:20pm] Ryan Seacrest: Welcome to Our Track & Field Practice. Mario Lopez: Yeah We will have some fun Today... Miles Heizer: I am ready for this.... Justin Bieber: Come on now let's start this practice. Giovanni Lawrence: Yeah I am all ready for it.. Frankie Muniz: Get Ready on your mark Get Set and GO!!!!!!! Justin Bieber: Yeah I am in first.. Giovanni Lawrence: Justin not for long cause Here I come.... Miles Heizer: Guys I am not feeling okay and I think i am about to pass..................... [Pass Out] Avan Jogia: OH MY GOD!? Miles. Justin Bieber: Miles? Giovanni we need to go back to check if he's okay... Giovanni Lawrence: Okay.. Brian White: Stand Back give him some air... Jake T. Austin: Okay now The Paramedics is on their way.... We need to move him to some shady area to get him out of the sun.... Brian White: Okay... Matthew Lawrence: Huh Jake & Brian Miles hadn't eat nothing all day and he only had one glass of tea that's it... Jake T. Austin: I think he might be suffering from Hunger & Hydration Brian White: Jake I think you might be right... Barry Watson (Head Doctor): Everybody stand back give Miles some room to breathe... Justin Bieber: WOW!!! This is some scary stuff going on right now..... Tempestt Bledsoe (Head Anti-Bullying Official): Yeah and I hope Miles makes a Full Recovery and get back to us Soon.... Jennifer Lawrence: This is the end of it... We need all your thoughts and prayers right now for Miles to feel better soon... So we need you guys & girls out there pray for Miles to make a Full Recovery from this.... The End.....

[deanmiles13]

I WANNA’ BE ELECTED

“THE TIME I CADDIED FOR ALICE COOPER AND LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT!!!”

I Wanna Be Elected! Well not really. You see.... I was working at a shop that had been bought by Neil Lomax. He was a Portland native, who had graduated from P.S.U. and had a career in the NFL. The Cardinals to be specific. Which, had relocated to Phoenix Arizona in 88.

Home of J.F.A., The Meat Puppets and the great Mighty Sphincter. Oh and George Lynch, and Rob Halford. And the one and only Alice Cooper.

Now, almost everyone knows that Alice is a serious golfer.  And that’s where we are going with this story. Not really a Rock and Roll story except for when I hound him with trivia questions, later. So, back to Neil. Super sweet man and excellent human being. He was heading to play a golf event that Alice would be at, in Phoenix one weekend, and he said, “Hey Dean, going to see your buddy Vince Fernier. See, Neil actually thought his name was ALICE COOPER. I corrected him one day and he loved VINCENT. He even came back from this event with a framed Hatch Show Print poster of the event. He let us display it in the shop when he got back. I was hoping he didn’t care for it and would part with it. But alas, my reward was yet to come. He actually had another golf tournament and I sent him down with a copy of Killer.

It came back signed and I was stoked. But there would be more....

So, then Its Neil’s turn to have his big golf event “The Quarterback Shootout”. 

It’s an annual charity event he is really known for in Portland. A meet and greet with NFL legends and local celebs. The big ones I can recall are Drew Bledsoe, Marcus Allen, Charles Barkley, Jim Plunkett.

Having worked with Neil for a while, he had events and people would help and volunteer from work. The big event was this golf thing. Everyone fought over caddying for Charles Barkley. He was big tipper. The real cool thing was, this year Alice was coming up for it as a favor to Neil. No one at work was stepping up to caddy for him. What I knew about golf fit into a golf tee.

I imagined me out there fumbling around and dropping clubs to the sound of all that iron clanging and people laughing. So I was petrified, to say the least, when it was decided that I was going be Alice Cooper’s caddy. They demanded that the “residential rocker” at work, handle this rock royalty on the links.

Well the thought of me on a golf course was as foreign to my mind as being a surgeon, so I spent the morning getting ferociously stoned at home. The event was held at Heron Lakes Golf course and I lived pretty close. I got to the golf course and met up with everyone from work and just kinda waited.

Some people were already on the part where you tee off and practice. The driving range?!?!? You can see I’m out of my element here!

Anyway, we are kinda waiting for our assigned celebs to show up when a car pulls up, out comes this really petite person. All in black with their back to me. I was unable to make out who it was. They turn around and it’s Alice. People cheer and they hand me his clubs. This is the first time I have EVER held golf clubs. I used a golf bag for my drum stands to carry to many clubs, but this was the first time the had actual clubs in it. 

He signs some stuff and is escorted my way, and I’m on the driving range. The first thing I tell him after we are introduced is “Alice, there is NOTHING I can tell you today to help you in any way on the course today!!!” He smiled and said “ I think I got it.”

That put me at ease right away.

We made our way to a practice area of sorts and already, people were coming up for autographs. I got the impression I would be doing a little security work today as well.

That was no problem actually since I had done set security on movie sets and all sorts of events. And he was approached by all sorts of people. Old, young, and everything in between. The first person I remember to approach held out a cassette and said “I took your music to Vietnam with me!” Alice stopped on a dime and just talked right to the guy. Not to/at him, but TO HIM!!!.

I could tell right away that this dude was genuine. Little kids with Todd McFarlane/Alice Cooper dolls would come up and he would sign the smallest signature. Taking time with everyone he took a photo with. He had a line for everything. After the photo was snapped he would say “Now, I may not show up in the picture when you get it developed.” He was, in a word “PROFESSIONAL”

This is a guy who hung out with Harry Nelson, Keith Moon, Salvador Dali.

I mean, he was on the Muppets for cryin’ out loud!!!

I know we were paired up with Jim Plunkett and played against Drew Bledsoe and Rick Mirer. Jim was an old school NFL dude and was here to have a good time. Drew Bledsoe did some things that day that I thought really were uncool. For someone being asked to a charity event, to sign autographs and take pictures, he was acting like he was being put out. It was interrupting his game. That was the whole point of this thing. You could saddle up next to the celebs and say hi and a bit more. It’s what they paid for, quite frankly. He was taking his golf game a little too serious if you ask me. Jim and Alice had wagers going as to who could drive the ball the farthest and stuff like that. Alice was a petite guy and Jim was a bigger dude.

Alice won the drive contest. The main thing that I took a way that day was answers to a load of questions that I had. Some prepared and most just off the top of my head.

As I relate some of these, just realize, that I’m paraphrasing what was said. He was so totally open and honest with me, it was quite staggering to be honest. I would feel horrible if anything was misinterpreted. 

I started by asking about Johnny Rotten doing the liner notes on a Rhino Box set and he said “Johnny hates EVERYONE.... EVERYONE! Except ME! I can’t believe it. 

I guess him and Sid used to play Dead Babies on acoustic guitars to make pocket money.” 

I was like, Oh, it’s on! We proceeded to hole one, and I started chronologically with his career and headed back to Detroit. I asked about Ted Nugent, Bob Seger, MC5 and Iggy. He said “I’ll open for anyone! The Stones! The Who! But not Iggy! He just wipes the crowd out. Uses them up and wrings em’ out, and I can’t come on after that.”

I asked about his song “Only Women Bleed” and he said that was a number one multiple times, multiple countries, for multiple people.Tina Turner had a hit with it and he was proud of that.

I asked if he was a WHO guy or a STONES guy. He said “Listen to the opening of Elected.” DUH!!!

There were some interesting crowd interactions. From, two young dudes that wanted to have him sign a joint they had, to the McFarlane dolls and everything else. I told kids with the joint, there was no way... Then I mentioning it to Alice and he said “Yeah, it’s like right when you quit smoking weed and your friend comes over with 8 ounces and says “Hey, I’m leaving town for a few months, can you hold onto this for me?!?!” 

This one women came up to us and was yelling to get his attention. Frankly, I was a little sketched about having to “deal” with her. We go over, she says “Can you sign something for me?” He says “Of course, what do you want signed?” She starts pulling scarp pieces of paper out of her pocket and I mean like a match book, a receipt, and just whatever. So he signs whatever it was and we walked away. He is being real silent, like in his head and he said “Man, that was 40 miles of rough road!!! I often wonder what I would be like if I had kept drinking and what not ?!?!”

That was probably one of the most profound things he said that day. I asked him when he quit drinking and he said, when his daughter was born. I too had recently quit with drinking and found this to be sort of a bonding moment for us. I remember that I had brought some items to have him sign. A postcard and an album etc. But the cool thing was I asked him at the last minute if I could have the ball he had used for the whole game. That was awesome, and I still have THAT. 

I had all the stuff I wanted to asked and had kinda prepared the questions in my head, but it was the interaction with his fans that was really neat to see. The two young women who came up and started to bow and say “We’re not worthy, we’re not worthy.” I had kind of spaced the whole Waynes World thing, and when I told him “Oh man, I kinda forgot about that!” He replied “ I didn’t!!”

I asked if he gets that from people all the time, seeing as it was a whole new generation of exposure sorta thing. He said “No! It’s just that, when you get a movie script and you just see your scene, it’s not like you get to see the whole movie. It’s just me, backstage, Mila-wa-kay- and then we split.”

I’m still not really picking up what he’s putting down... “So when they asked us what we wanted, we just took my day fee for the movie and didn’t worry about any “back end” so to speak. So what happens? The movie goes on to make 18 million opening weekend.” He was not kidding... you could see that this one hurt.

I had mentioned a quote from him in Rolling Stone, I had recently read in which he commented on Marylin Manson. He said “Yeah... Real original. Call your self a girl name and put makeup on. Where have I heard that one before?”

Not in a rude or snide way, but in a kinda joking way. With a smile... I guess that’s what it all came down to that day. Here was a man who had done it all, seen it all, drank it all, and snorted it all. And in the end, he was alive, enjoying something that kept him sane (golf). Now, he’s out the other side, meeting people, saying HELLO - HOORAY!!! Let the show begin!!!

He was so at ease with it all and it was a true pleasure to watch him “work”. When anyone ask, what was he like?

I just say... “In a word - KILLER”

He was a man who seemed very content where he was. I mean if you weathered a storm like he did and lived to crawl from the shipwreck and right yourself for a second, third career?!?!? 

Man... that’s it!!!  That’s a success.

Telephone is ringing......

[whitepolaris]

World’s Largest Twins

On December 7, 1946, trucker Frank “Throttle Boy” McCrary became a proud day when his wife, Virginia, gave birth to two boys. Billy Leon and Benny Loyd McCrary soon grew into normal rambunctious kids, just like all the kids in their hometown of Hendersonville, NC. Except for being identical twins, there was nothing particularly unusual about them. Until they were nine, that is. 

At that age, they both contracted measles. The disease, though extremely rare today, was so common in the mid-1950s that most people regarded it then as little more than a kind of childhood rite of passage. But it hit the McCrary boys severely, and later it was discovered that the disease had somehow damaged their pituitary glands. One of the myriad things this tiny glad does is regulate growth, and with their regulators damaged, the boys began growing at full throttle. 

Less than a year, they each weighed more than two hundred pounds. By the time they entered high school, they had doubled that to four hundred pounds apiece, and soon they had passed the five-hundred-pound mark. Walking became so difficult that they got around on minibikes. A photography taken of the two of them on their bikes wound up in Life magazine, and their careers as showmen were launched. 

With their massive size to provide an ongoing spectacle everything they did-dancing, telling jokes, wrestling, or just getting up out of a chair and moving around-seemed awesome and spectacular. Audiences would gather, whether in Las Vegas or their own hometown, to watch the eight-hundred-pound twins do nearly anything. Life on such a scale was often difficult,  however. According to Jerry Bledsoe (in North Carolina Curiosities), they had to drive individually in “separate, reinforced, and specially equipped cars. . . . Their own furniture had to be reinforced and they carried small jacks to put under motel beds to keep them from collapsing.” 

The twins refused medial attention that might have cured their problem because their livelihood depending on staying very big. Billy died when he was only thirty-two. He fell from his minibike and suffered injuries that led to a serious infection and then death. His brother Benny died of “natural causes” in 2001, at age fifty-four. They are buried side by side in a grave epic proportions at Crab Creek Cemetery at the foot of Jeter Mountain Road, about eight miles west of Hendersonville. The Guinness Book of Records had proclaimed them the World’s Largest Twins.