#The Lukens Company

[bobbyo-1967]

How Much Does The Lukens Company Charge For Printing??

31 October 2023 Vice President Erin Aguiar Client Services Division The Lukens Company 28 Shirlington Road, 9th Floor Arlington, VA  22206 Dear Vice President Aguiar: I hope this message finds you well.  Everyone I talk to has great things to say about your firm’s ability to get the job done.  Your client list is also impressive. I am writing to you today about Harry Jackson.  He is a…

[lighthandcd]

@widowedqueen; for luken to pay logan a nightly visit

as much as luken knew about the secret passageways around the castle, some far too unstable to be safe, some extremely useful to move around the castle unseen; including the ones to the royal's bedchambers — the very same that could have been used by an intruder to murder king morris, the very same that had been thoroughly investigated upon discovery of the heinous act — it would have been unwise to take them now. so luken found himself at the doors to the queen's room, flanked by guards at each side. he acknowledged them before resting his clenched fist against the wood, debating with himself at his current course of action.

it was hardly unusual of him to be here, though usually there tend to be more than one person behind the door. morris, logan and him, the three of them would occasionally imbibe in spirits behind close doors where they could be friends first and foremost, king, queen and hand, second; discussing anything under the night sky, from inconsequential things like the latest city gossip to things that could not be said in council company. he had a bottle of wine in one hand, missives in his pockets — though he was certain one would be forgotten in favour of the other.

two weeks was a long enough wait. the queen surely needed some comfort and distraction at this time, someone to vent to, someone to cry on. it wasn't all selfless on the hawitt lord's part. no, luken knew it was a betrayal of sorts against his recently deceased friend and king but he'd been harbouring thoughts of both the carnal and romantic nature about the dead monarch's wife behind his — both their — back(s) for years now. something that could never be acted upon. occasionally, he felt a stab of jealousy in his heart when he had to depart this very room knowing what was about to transpire between the two royals.

he shook his head then, dispelling all such thoughts from his mind before he knocked once. twice. then twice again. finishing it off with another a second later. his special knock that served to announce his presence without words.

[spidertalia]

Name?

Personality?

Appearance?

For Pennsylvania

omg yay ! i actually love my iteration of pennsylvania

her human name is rebecca franklin ! after rebecca lukens, known as 'america's first female ceo of an industrial company', and ofc ben franklin

pennsylvania is hardworking, intelligent, down to earth, patient, loya, calm, level headed and tolerant, but also slightly (unintentionally) curt. she's the kinda quiet, slightly stoic and hardworking type who prefers tinkering and working to being around a lot of people, essentially. she played a huge part in the industrial revolution, producing a lot of steel, iron ore and textiles- as a result, she's very skilled with machinery and engineering and loves it. she'll own cars just to tinker and improve them, she'll remodel parts of her house on occasion and will happily answer any other state's call to help with some mechanical.

she also will take any chance to complain about the weather. outside of the weather, though, she rarely complains about anything. she's delaware's little sister and gets along well with him. she also gets along well with germany and the netherlands, but will fight england on sight. she argues with new jersey a lot as well.

appearance wise, i have actually drawn her, but i'll describe her first. she stands at 5'10 or 178 cm, ironically towering over her big brother. she keeps her hair short since she works with machinery a lot and doesn't want anything happening. she's one of the physically stronger states thanks to all the physical labor she's done, and it reflects in her toned, semi-muscular body. she had at least one scar- a burn scar on one shoulder from the burning of Pennsylvania Hall. (she probably has a few small ones from machinery, but i haven't put much thought to it yet)

and here she is !

[cinaed]

December 2022 Monthly Media

* = Rewatch/reread

Anime/Cartoons

Bob's Burgers 13.09-13.10

Books

Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho  

Thirteen at Dinner by Agatha Christie

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark

The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman

Prelude for Lost Souls by Helene Dunbar

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic by F.T. Lukens

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon

Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Manga/Comics

Even Though We're Adults Volume 4 by Takako Shimura

Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun 11 by Izumi Tsubaki

Oglaf (ongoing webcomic)

Order of the Stick (ongoing webcomic)

Wilde Life (ongoing webcomic)

Movies

Glass Onion (2022)

Matilda the Musical (2022)

Mr Malcolm's List (2022)

Podcasts

Dungeons and Daddies

Not Another D&D Podcast

Theater/Concerts

Jane Anger (Shakespeare Theater Company)

Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare Theater Company)

The Tempest (Arena Stage)

TV Shows/Web Series

Abbott Elementary 2.09-2.10

Critical Role 4.41-4.43

Dimension 20: Neverafter 1-5

Ghosts CBS 2.08-2.10

Hell's Kitchen 21.08-21.09

Leverage: Redemption 2.05-2.09

Rosemary and Thyme 1.01-3.09

Why Didn't They Ask Evans 1-3

Video Games

80 Days

[noveltyreads]

Spell Bound by F T Lukens Book Review

I just finished Spell Bound and I have such a large grin on my face.

If you've seen all the advance reader praise around this book and wondered if the hype is worth it, take my word, it is. This book was full of magic, banter, laughter and love and (pun intended) I was totally spell bound. 

This book starts off slow. The main storyline follows Rook, a boy who loves magic and wishes to be a part of the world his grandmother introduced him to. He joins Antonia Hex, the most powerful sorcerer in the world at her company where they break jinxes, hexes and curses for all sorts of folk. However, Antonia has competition in her rival, Fable, another notable curse breaker and their cute but grumpy apprentice, Sun. When Fable and Antonia get into hot water with the Consortium, a government body overlooking the regulation of magic in Spire City, Sun and Rook need to get past their differences to work together to find their mentors and free them. 

The book benefits a lot from the slow build up of characterisation and backstory. For plot focused readers who like to go straight into the action, this book probably won't be for you then, but for me, a reader who thinks characters and character building is the most important element in a book and everything else comes second, I absolutely devoured this layering, character development and subtle pining. No scenes felt too quick and the romance in the book felt utterly natural, focusing on the small little moments like small, shared smiles and holding hands for the first time. For readers who love magical realism with a bit of romance, this one is definitely for you. 

I loved the dynamic between Rook and Sun. Their relationship was a frenemies to lovers sort with flirtatious banter sprinkled in. Rook was like the sunshine in the relationship whereas Sun was the grumpy one. The way the grumpy x sunshine trope played out was fun and added a playful element to the book. I loved every single interaction between these two and the chemistry was almost palpable on the page. Easily one of my favourite fictional pairings I've read this year, and maybe in general. 

This book seemingly was more tailored to the younger end of the YA spectrum but nevertheless, that shouldn't put you off. This was fun, playful, witty and such an enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book to any fans of magical realism, romance and fantasy. 

ACTUAL RATING: 4.4 STARS

[alt-air]

April 2024 Reading Roundup

One of these days I'll post this on time but this month was not it. To be fair to myself though this last week has been filled with moving preparations (one more day!!). As someone who only ever rented a Uhaul for moving, dealing with a moving company and car shipment company for an apartment thats a flight away is so much work. I feel like my life lately has just been phone calls and emails. Nonetheless, March was an unmemorable month really for me. I have been counting down the days to move while wrapping things up at work and its been so slow. I did read a lot of great books this month though so happy for that. I also discovered the awful truth of freydis moon which I then immediately read yellowface. What a crazy time that was. I did not start a journal as promised but my therapist recommended it for me so this month I'm really gunna try to start. Also special shoutout to all my friends who came together for a final hangout so to speak anyone in their late twenties knows its next to impossible for hangouts to make it out the groupchat so I'm thankful for my friends who made it happen.

Favorite books: The Angel of Indian Lake, Hijab Butch Blues, and Hexarchate Stories (jedao, cheris, and jade daniels: ill never forget you)

Nonfiction

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H.: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Standalones

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Series

Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fence Vol. 6 Redemption by C.S. Pacat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anthologies

Mother Maiden Crone: Fantastical Trans Femmes edited by Gwen Benaway: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Manga

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 1-4 by Ryoko Kui: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[rachaellawrites]

Enby Reads and A Call to Action | October Wrap-Up

I was fortunate enough to have my parents visit for a couple weeks this month. While that made for some lovely quality time, it also means that I wasn’t as focused on reading. So only two books this month. But they were both quite enjoyable!

What I’ve Enjoyed

Books

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens

I loved the humour, I loved the characters, I loved the world-building – highly, highly recommend checking this out if you like contemporary fantasy. It was a quick, easy read with a lot of heart and some honestly very clever moments.

Non-Binary Lives: An Anthology of Intersecting Identities

An insightful collection with a wide variety of voices and perspective. I definitely recommend checking this out if you’re looking for more insight into, well, non-binary lives.

What I’ve Created

Other

Explaining Why I Keep Reading P.C. Cast Books

Someone in a comment on my Out of the Dawn vlog review posed a very reasonable question: Why do I keep reading P.C. Cast books if I obviously hate them? This is my (slightly rambling) answer to that.

Squeezing in time to read during a family visit | OCTOBER 2023 READING VLOG

Only two books read this month, but I enjoyed both. And, as a happy coincidence, both feature enby folks!

And that’s all I read and made this month.

I know I usually keep these monthly wrap-ups focused on sharing my work or offering recommendations, but given the events around the world this month, I wanted to take a moment to give a call to action.

Gaza is under siege. 2.2 million civilians in the occupied territory of the Gaza strip have been subject to relentless bombing, resulting in thousands and thousands of deaths, injuries, and displacements. Moreover, access to fuel, water, medicine, and electricity is largely cut off, with only very, very minimal aid making it across the Egyptian border into Gaza. Phone and internet have also been completely cut off. The Palestinians in Gaza are in desperate need of humanitarian support.

What can you do:

Contact your representatives and urge them to push for an immediate ceasefire.

Boycott companies supporting Israel and its campaign against Gaza. You can find a list here.

Share news from Gaza that you see on social media. Israel and other world powers can control mainstream news media, but they have much less power on social media.

Innocent civilians are suffering and dying needlessly. We need to do whatever we can to help.

[thetoxicgamer]

Rainbow Six faces ’embarrassing’ 7-team NA League as Parabellum’s fate looks secured

Chris "Lama" Lamarucciola, co-founder and former CEO of Parabellum Esports, said on May 25 that he was leaving the esports sector, four weeks after firing almost all of the company's employees. Following several months of complaints from staff and players about delays in payment, Parabellum Esports’ parent company, React Gaming Group, dropped both of Parabellum’s Rocket League and Counter-Strike rosters in March and then laid off all the organization’s staff on April 28. This left massive question marks surrounding the organization’s remaining Rainbow Six lineup, which had been competing in the BLAST North American League tournament and had received an in-game weapon skin just three days earlier. While Lamarucciola initially said that the team would continue in the Parabellum Esports Discord, this seems significantly less likely now after his exit from the esports industry and one of the team’s players leaving to join Oxygen Esports. In a tweet, Lamarucciola said that he had “stepped down from position at React as of Monday” and would be leaving the esports industry. He did keep the possibility of a return open, however, saying “If pB does return, I have informed RGG that I will be available to support the transition, whatever it will look like.” https://twitter.com/itschrislama/status/1661732512530591745 This news comes just a day after Phish left Parabellum to join Oxygen Esports, replacing Jacob “Sweater” Bravico. Phish joined Parabellum for his rookie stage on March 7 as part of a promising rebuild for the team. Now his exit comes without a word from Parabellum’s social media accounts, which haven’t been updated since the layoffs. This leaves two veteran players, Gabriel “LaXInG” Mirelez and Alexander “Skys” Magor, as well as two rookie players, Chris “Spiff” Park and Brady “Spiker” Lukens, left as a part of Parabellum. Skys posted a “looking for team” post on May 1, however. This is sad news for many NA fans, as the organization had crafted a perfect underdog story in Rainbow Six after jumping in to save the Altiora lineup at the beginning of 2021, attending the 2021 Six Invitational as the only non-professional team, and then fighting their way into the NAL from the tier-two Challenger League tournament. More recently, the team had a very disappointing string of results with a last-place finish during stage one of the NAL and just two wins against professional opponents since last September. Should Parabellum be unable to field a team for stage two of the NAL tournament in September, this would make it the fourth organization since the end of the 2022 season to leave the professional North American scene, joining TSM, Astralis, and XSET. With M80 joining in this time, this sets up a possible seven-team NAL stage, a new low for the region. After initially announcing an expansion from eight to ten teams for NA League’s 2020 season, the region fluctuated between eight and nine teams during 2020 and 2021 due to organizations such as Evil Geniuses, eUnited, Tempo Storm, and Luminosity Gaming leaving the scene. Finally, in 2022, the promotion of Parabellum from the Challenger League tournament meant the 10-team goal was finally reached. Just a year later, the NA League could fall all the way down to seven teams, a figure only seen before during a six-week period in 2019. Branded ’embarrassing’ by fans, this collapse in the competition has reignited the continuing question in the community over just how enticing Rainbow Six esports is for organizations and whether they can expect any more teams to exit the tournament through the remaining three-month off-season before stage two starts in September. As for possible replacements in the tournament, Ubisoft opted to run the NAL with eight teams this year rather than inviting two organization-less Challenger League teams into the competition and keeping the 10-team count. This was a rather unpopular decision at the time, especially considering the BLAST Brazil League includes a team without an organization called LFO Brazil. If Parabellum does exit and no replacement can be found, it is possible Ubisoft revisits this decision to avoid the NA League from shrinking further. Read the full article

[hagleyvault]

It’s another chilly, snowy winter Friday at Hagley Library, so here’s a literal icebreaker to move us along to the weekend and, hopefully, warmer days ahead. This photograph shows the SS Manhattan, a ship built in 1962 as an oil tanker at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, but which began retrofitting operations in 1968 for a new life as an icebreaker. 

When retrofitting was complete in 1969, they made the Manhattan the largest American merchant ship in history, the largest icebreaking ship in history, and well-suited for its next journey; becoming the first commercial ship to traverse the Northwest Passage. 

The ship made its journey later that year, setting off an international incident over Canada and the United States’ disputed sovereignty claims to the region. The goal of the journey was to test the feasibility of the route as a permanent, year-round transport option for Alaskan oil shipments. Canada’s desire to make exclusive claims to the waterway rested in part on the nation’s concern over pollution and clean-up liabilities had the SS Manhattan failed in its objective and  loosed its cargo into the sea. 

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. The 1969 voyage successfully transported oil across the Northwest Passage without incident, and another voyage was made in 1970. The Manhattan sustained considerable damage during both trips, however, making the costs of shipping via this route unsustainable at the time.

This photograph is part of Hagley Library’s collection of Lukens Steel Company photographs (Accession 1972.360). Lukens Steel Company was a medium-sized producer of specialty steel products and one of the top three producers of steel plate in the United States. The company is noted for being the first industrial company in the United States led by a woman, Rebecca Lukens (1794-1854). 

A selection of material from this collection has been digitized, including woodcuts showing the early history of the mill, interior and exterior views of factory buildings, various depictions of machinery, employees both at work and leisure, floods in 1955 and 1973, and twentieth-century aerial views of the Coatesville plant. Other digital items depict the owning families, company anniversary celebrations, and philanthropic activities supported by Charles Lukens Huston. The collection has not been digitized in its entirety. To view the digitized items online now, click here to visit its page in our Digital Archive.

[spywriter27]

@jasonwalsh-jimstreet-domluca liked for a starter

It’d been a few weeks since they might, it was a good night, good company, good food. They exchanged numbers had a couple quickies. Lukens partner was judging him hard for his brief escapes from the apartment.

“Don’t judge me.” Luken said, glancing in the rear view, “don’t roll your eyes. One day I’ll bring him home, maybe, I don’t know. You know you don’t help when you peed on the last guy.” His new section thought they were weird, how he and Bandit could carry on a conversation just based on the dogs eye contact.

In his experience that just meant the two of them were good together. It also meant they were picking up the callouts while everyone else “trained” he was almost positive it was code for running the obstacle course and texting. It didn’t matter, they were two calls down and ready for lunch.

“Hey if you’re lucky, maybe he’s here getting his own lunch. Or someone will have something illegal and you can get a treat for embarrassing them.” Because that was his rule, if it was harmless they didn’t do anything, if it was dangerous they called a uniform. “Oh come on now don’t be pouty. Hey I’ll get you bacon, yeah that’s what I thought.” He grinned, clipping the leash on Bandit before the dog jumped out of the car and they headed inside.

[lal-ffxiv]

LFRP // Luken Meharianni

The Basics //

Age: 20′s

Birthday: Some sun under the 3rd or 4th Umbral Moon.

Race: Miqo’te

Gender: Non-Binary

Orientation: Bisexual

Marital Status: Single

Server: Zalera

Physical Appearance //

Hair: Dark brown, near blackish.

Eyes: One amber, One golden.

Height: 5′6″

Build: Lean.

Distinguishing Marks: Petal tattoos across bridge of nose and on corner of eyes.

Common Accessories: Cheap jewelry, fine daggers and engraved grimoire.

Personal //

Profession: Freelancer.

Hobbies: reading poetry, watching sunrises, night fishing, causing trouble for local authorities. 

Languages: Any well enough to fake fluency. 

Residence: None.

Birthplace: Central Shroud.

Raised: Twelveswood, Limsa Lominsa and surrounding ports.

Religion: Bitter Theist  Atheist 

Patron Deity: None

Fears: Himself. Never being good enough. Dying. Never having peace.

Relationships //

Spouse: None

Children: None

Parents: Living, but estranged.

Siblings: Twin, Luka E’res.

Other Relatives: None

Pets: Tulwar, wolf pup. Luna/Sphene/Dala, Carbuncle. Company Chocobo, Kweh’Kwark. Fat Chocobo, Maíz.

Traits //

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between /  Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Additional Information //

Smoking Habit: regularly (clove), but tries not to.

Drugs: In recovery.

Alcohol: In recovery.

Other: Lucien Lyzehbal is the name he lived by until the Calamity. After deserting at The Battle of Carteneau, he lived in hiding. When that became impossible started a another life across the Ruby Sea. It was a life wasted in things he regrets deeply. Once he turns to Eorzea, he continues to live his new life as Luken Meharianni under the new appearance of a Seeker of the Sun.

RP Hooks //

Seeing Eye to Eye; Have a past agreement with Luken or calling in a due debt? Luken has grown up in the criminal underground, and such living does not come without I.O.Us. An pre-established relationship like that is possible if in the right place at the right time. 

Ear To The Ground; As previously mentioned Luken grew up learning the inner workings of the underground, and how to network those links. Luken is always looking to build his book of contacts when he meets someone. It always good to have friends in high and low places. 

Jack of All Trades; Luken is independent criminal up for hire. From forgery, thievery, and smuggling. Luken has done it all. There a only fields of work Luken no longer works such assassin, courtesan, and slaving. However, any can be done for the right price, or when necessity calls for it. 

Time is Money; While Luken does not do well working in organization, but sometimes one can’t avoid it. If there is more reward than risk involved.

A Wallflower; Luken meets many people from a simple pocket picking to meeting a mark. In general, Luken always attempts to be open and chiasmic with new people. From greeting onwards, Lukens tries to adapt his personality to the situation. This would be away to meet Luken that doesn’t need to involve his life of crime. Although, it is always bound to come in some way or form.

Contact Information  ––– –

Tumblr DM is preferred for reaching out. I have most experience with RP over discord. I am open to other forms though. Yet, I am hard to meet up for in-game RP for schedule reasons. Ideas are not limited to Hooks. If you are interested, but have other ideas, let me know! :0)

{More about Luken…} [More about The Mun]

[reading-writing-revolution]

Heather Cox Richardson

Trump dominated the news today, which is usually a sign of negative news stories and his need to create distractions from them.

There were certainly negative news stories. The acting inspector general for the State Department is resigning, effective Friday. Stephen Akard took office less than three months ago after Trump fired his predecessor, Steve Linick, apparently at the urging of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Linick was investigating Pompeo’s emergency declaration to permit an $8.1 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia over the objections of lawmakers of both parties.

Linick was also investigating the story that Trump asked the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain, Robert “Woody” Johnson, to ask the UK’s then-Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell, to bring the British Open to Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland in 2018. The British Open is a valuable event: in 2019, it brought more than 100 million pounds to the host town where it was played. (This translates to more than $130 million.)

The report about this attempt to use the power of the government for Trump's financial interests was about to come out when Linick was fired. The second-in-command at the UK embassy, deputy chief of mission Lewis Lukens, whom Johnson pushed out of his position after Lukens called the golf course request unethical and possibly illegal, gave an interview to Rachel Maddow tonight. He said State Department leadership is unwilling to try to stop this sort of self-dealing amongst Trump’s appointees because they know they will lose.

Akard gave no reason for his departure, but it might well be connected with either of these investigations.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating potential insider trading over the late July launch of Kodak Pharmaceuticals, a new branch of the old camera and film company intended to begin the process of bringing the production of drugs back to the United States.

Under the Defense Production Act, the Trump administration provided a $765 million loan to support the launch of Kodak Pharmaceuticals. The deal shot Kodak stock upward by more than 2,757%. But there was suspicious activity around this deal. The day before Trump’s announcement of it, the Eastman Kodak Company gave its CEO, Jim Continenza, 1.75 million stock options. Indeed, since May, when talks with the administration about manufacturing the ingredients for pharmaceuticals began, Kodak handed out 240,000 stock options to board members.

Kodak says the timing of the options was a coincidence: the board's compensation committee meeting happened to fall on the day before the announcement. When asked by a reporter about what had happened at Kodak, Trump says he “wasn’t involved in the deal.” This afternoon, the co-director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement Steve Peikin announced he is stepping down. He did not give a reason.

In an interview on the Fox News Channel, Trump said that schools should reopen because children are “almost immune from COVID-19.” Facebook removed the video because “this video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation.” The Trump campaign tweeted the video, and Twitter, too, required the account to delete it, blocking the account until it did.

Former acting US Attorney General Sally Yates testified today before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is investigating the 2016 FBI investigation of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. Yates defended the FBI’s observation of Trump’s former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn. That investigation was necessary to see if Flynn's interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak endangered national security, she said. By promising to end US sanctions against Russia imposed by the Obama administration after Russia invaded Ukraine and then attacked the 2016 election, "General Flynn had essentially neutered the US government's message of deterrence," Yates said.

In the hearing, Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) argued that the FBI interview conducted in January 2017, after Flynn’s conversations with Kislyak had come to light, were simply an attempt to reopen a closed case to hurt Trump. Yates reminded him that the FBI had decided to close the Flynn case before the Kislyak conversations, and those chats changed the landscape. "They were absolutely material to a legitimate investigation…. Interviewing General Flynn was right at the core of the FBI's investigation at this point to try to discern what are the ties between the Trump administration and the Russians."

Yates called the attempt of the Justice Department, now overseen by Attorney General William Barr, attempt to dismiss the Flynn case after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI “highly irregular.”

As so many of recent Republican investigators have, though, Graham seemed less concerned with learning what happened than with establishing his own narrative. He interrupted Yates so many times both another Senator and the witness herself called him out on it.

And then there were the distractions.

With the White House and House leaders unable to reach an agreement on a coronavirus bill, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporter Wolf Blitzer that if Congress could not pass a bill, Trump would issue an executive order to cover the issue.

The Constitution establishes that all appropriations bills must originate in the House of Representatives. The House did, in fact, pass a coronavirus bill back in May, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to take it up. Now he is sitting out the last-minute negotiations as lawmakers try to find a way to help out the roughly 32 million Americans currently receiving unemployment benefits, since the $600 weekly boost the federal government has added since the spring has ended.

With the Republican National Convention in disarray, Trump today floated the idea of giving his speech accepting the nomination from the White House because, he says, the Hatch Act prohibiting the use of public office for partisan purposes does not apply to the president.

This prompted pushback from members of both parties. The Hatch Act prohibits the use of public office for partisan purposes. While the president and the vice president are indeed exempt from that act, none of the staff that would have to be involved are. Further, using the White House to give a major campaign speech is a major breach of both tradition and decorum. It’s likely that Trump floated this idea as a distraction from the ongoing bad news about coronavirus, or some of the other stories circulating that reflect badly on the administration.

The distractions did not manage to cover up for this:

Tonight, the New York Times broke the story that the Manhattan District Attorney subpoenaed Trump’s records from Deutsche Bank last year and the bank handed them over. Deutsche Bank was the only bank willing to work with Trump after his many bankruptcies. It lent Trump or his company more than $2 billion in the past twenty years.

Earlier this week, we learned that the Manhattan district attorney’s office is looking not only at hush money paid to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to keep them quiet about sexual affairs with Trump, but also at the crimes of tax fraud, insurance fraud, and bank fraud. The district attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr, is pushing to get Trump’s tax returns to cross-check them with the Deutsche Bank records.

At about 7:30 tonight, the New York Attorney General’s Press Office announced that Attorney General Letitia James will be making “a major national announcement” tomorrow at 11:30 AM.

[othmeralia]

Talk about a girl boss! 

Rebecca Lukens is commonly referred to as the first woman CEO of a major industrial company in the United States.

Rebecca’s father, Isaac Pennock, started The Brandywine Iron Works, an iron mill factory, and went into business with Rebecca’s husband, Dr. Charles Lukens, who left medical practice to join the company. Rebecca and Charles had six children together, however, shortly before the birth of their last child, Charles passed away. Her father passed away a year earlier and this left Rebecca as the sole owner of The Brandywine Iron Works.

Rebecca completely turned the company around, taking it from the verge of bankruptcy to the country’s premier manufacturer of boilerplate. By 1834, she had witnessed the arrival of the railroad, paid off all company debts, and began to expand the business. This time was pivotal for not only Rebecca, but the iron industry in the United States, as she became one of America’s few female iron masters and America’s first female industrialist. She was the first woman to own and operate multiple businesses at the same time! These included: a farm, the iron works company, a freight agency, store, and warehouse.

Rebecca established quite the legacy for herself. She even has a boat named after her! Her intelligence and business skills allowed the Brandywine Iron Works to survive and succeed, turning into one of the most influential steel sites in the United States. The company’s name later became Lukens Steel Company, then renamed again as ArcelorMittal. It is the oldest steel mill still in business today. 

A woman in steel--Rebecca Lukens by Robert W. Wolcott

The National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum

[swanlake1998]

Dance Magazine Article: The Singular Elegance of American Ballet Theatre's Calvin Royal III ​

Date: June 11, 2020

By: Marina Harss

In an iPhone video of a Romeo and Juliet rehearsal made in early March, Calvin Royal III stands in a corner of an American Ballet Theatre studio, arms reaching far into space, chin slightly raised in welcoming anticipation. There is such warmth and openness in his stance, you can understand why Juliet would want to hurl herself halfway across the stage into his arms. He looks directly into the eyes of his partner, Cassandra Trenary, and then lowers her into a swoon.

"He approaches everything with a sincerity that I love," Trenary says later. "No matter what he dances, he is always authentically himself."

Royal and Trenary were meant to make their debuts in the ballet on April 4, in Abu Dhabi. The following month, he was scheduled to perform as Romeo to Misty Copeland's Juliet, and make his Albrecht debut, at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House. But then the COVID-19 crisis hit, bringing the entire world to a halt and putting all premieres on an indefinite hold.

Royal—tall, lanky, with a silken, elegant way of moving and a gentle and open stage manner—would seem ideally suited to play Romeo. There is a quiet persuasiveness to his dancing. He doesn't show off. Instead, he imbues each movement with an aura of beauty and lyricism. As Kevin McKenzie, the artistic director of the company, puts it, "Calvin has an inner light."

Romeo is a role Royal has craved since he began to study dance. At times, though, he has wondered whether the opportunity would ever arrive. Royal wasn't a prodigy. His ascent has been gradual, even painstaking at times. You get the feeling he has earned every role, every opportunity through determination and the integrity of his dancing, but without ever losing that grace that makes him such a joy to watch onstage. He is hungry without being driven by ambition.

His quietly serious way of working has been one of the constants of his career. "Slow and steady, every day a little bit better, and absolutely consistent," Raymond Lukens, who taught him at the ABT-affiliated Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, says of his approach.

Royal didn't get his start in ballet until age 14, at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. Before that, he had been a serious piano student. It was his grandmother Linda, a social worker and a lover of classical music, opera and dance, who first encouraged his artistic tendencies. When he was 10, she bought him a Yamaha electric keyboard for Christmas. "I'll never forget it," she says. "He called me one Sunday morning and said, 'I want you to listen to something.' " On the other end of the line, he started to play Beethoven's Für Elise. He had learned it by ear.

Royal excelled at his piano studies, but also loved to move. For a few years, he took part in a local production called The Chocolate Nutcracker, which included hip hop, West African and other styles of dance. One of his fellow participants encouraged him to audition for the high school dance program. Without ever having taken a formal dance class, he was accepted.

There was so much to learn, he sometimes felt he might never catch up. "I think it intrigued him that ballet took so much effort," says Suzanne Pomerantzeff, his main teacher at Pinellas. The intellectual challenge drew him in as much as the physical.

That focus carried him through some difficult times at home. In his sophomore year, he injured his back in a car accident and had to sit out ballet classes for several months, excruciating given he had only just begun to make progress. He would take notes on the side, "visualizing dance in my mind," as he puts it. Dance became a lifeline, a source of steadiness and hope.

In his junior year, he competed in Youth America Grand Prix, where he was spotted by Lukens and Franco De Vita, of the JKO School. "I was immediately struck by his elegance, his musicality and his coordination," remembers De Vita, who offered him a scholarship.

After a year in the school and two and a half in ABT II (now the ABT Studio Company), he got into the main company, initially as an apprentice, at 21. He was still getting his technique where he wanted it to be—quick footwork and beats were a challenge for his long, lithe physique. ("I wanted to move like those little guys," he says, "but it wasn't easy with these legs.")

But he also wondered whether he fit the typical mold of a principal dancer at the company. "It was only when I came to New York that I started to become more aware of race in ballet," says Royal. In Florida, his ballet classes had been mixed. In New York City, less so. When he first joined ABT II, he overheard other dancers from the company making snide comments about a fellow African-American dancer there. "Oh, well, I guess they needed a black girl,' " he heard one of them say.

He began to wonder whether he might never be given the chance to prove himself as a leading man by McKenzie and the rest of the artistic staff. "Will they see me as Romeo or Albrecht? Not only because I'm black, but also because I'm gay?"

At the time, he says, the company culture was different: "There was this sense of machismo, and this idea that the guys had to look sort of like football players." Ethan Stiefel, José Manuel Carreño and other powerhouses in that vein were company stars. Just a few years earlier, in 2003, the company had put out a video, Born to Be Wild, that depicted its male dancers as testosterone-driven guys who rode motorcycles and posed as matadors.

Since that time, much has changed. Fewer international stars come through ABT; a new generation of home-bred principals has risen to the top, and they are anything but cookie-cutter. (Only one, however, is black: Misty Copeland.) Rigid notions about what Romeo or Siegfried should look like have finally begun to relax, to the benefit of the dancers.

Royal's particular qualities have been recognized and put to artistic use, especially by choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, ABT's artist in residence. In 2013, Ratmansky gave him a major role in his evening-length Shostakovich Trilogy. Three years later, he created an extra-ordinary, melancholy solo for him in Serenade after Plato's Symposium. The solo showcased the gracefulness of Royal's port de bras, the inwardness of his dancing, and his capacity to communicate thought and emotion through movement. Others have danced it, but none with the same poetry.

Royal also leads one of the three debut casts of Ratmansky's newest ballet epic, Of Love and Rage, originally scheduled to have its New York premiere during the company's spring season at the Met. That too will have to wait, for now.

The poetry in Royal's dancing is related to his deep, subtle musicality; music flows through him. It's not surprising that his partner, ABT pianist Jacek Mysinski, is a musician. Their work spills over into their downtime; Mysinski practices at home, and they talk about the ballets in the rep. When Mysinski is playing from the pit during a performance, Royal can feel his presence, he says: "It's almost like having him at my side, almost like a partner."

Royal was promoted to soloist in 2017, nearly seven years after joining. At some point along the way, he admits, he had begun to spin his wheels. "I got my hopes up and then I got my hopes shattered. I even started thinking about exploring other options, maybe another company or something completely different."

What kept him going, he explains, were outside projects that fueled his creativity and imagination, as well as his confidence. He danced for several seasons with Daniil Simkin's touring group Intensio. And, perhaps most meaningfully, he became a repeat visitor to Damian Woetzel's yearly Vail Dance Festival in the Rockies, where he got to dance a completely new repertory: works by Balanchine and Merce Cunningham, new creations by Pam Tanowitz and others.

"Year after year, he has become ever more himself onstage," says Woetzel, who has become an important mentor. "His level of comfort in everything he does has become expansive." This year, he selected Royal to be the festival's artist in residence, leading workshops, performing in various premieres and taking part in initiatives related to the challenges boys face in ballet. "I see a real leadership quality in Calvin," says Woetzel.

Last summer at Vail, Royal danced excerpts from Apollo, one of the pinnacles of the male repertoire. A few months later, McKenzie asked him to make his debut in the full piece in New York, with ABT. It was a remarkable moment—he looked completely at home in the role of a young god. He may have to wait a little longer for his debut as Romeo, but his time, it seems, has finally come.

[lifewithchronicpain-original]

Major pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt and Johnson & Johnson are often singled out for their role in the nation’s opioid crisis. But wholesalers, pharmacies and other parts of the drug distribution system are also coming under increased scrutiny.

This week the former president and former compliance officer for Miami-Luken, an Ohio drug distributor, and two West Virginia pharmacists were arrested after being indicted with conspiring to distribute controlled substances.

Miami-Luken supplied pharmaceutical drugs to over 200 pharmacies in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee. According to the DEA, the company generated over $173 million in sales annually.

Prosecutors say Miami-Luken distributed opioid pain medication “outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.”

Between 2011 and 2015, the company allegedly ignored “obvious signs of abuse” by distributing more than 2.3 million oxycodone pills and 2.6 hydrocodone pills to a pharmacy in Oceana, West Virginia, a town of less than 1,400 people. (Read more at link)

Bolding mine. It’s important to remember that these companies were allowed to self regulate and had profit motivated reasons to ignore abuse. Instead of implementing common sense regulations the cdc decided to release the guidelines restricting the use of opioids causing pain patients to suffer and some to commit suicide. That never made sense to me.

[intoxicatiing]

ooc. luken has a Thing for Ruby’s neck. he’s always touching and kissing it when they’re alone together, and Loves breath play with her, but even when they’re with company, he’ll rest his hand on the back of her neck, running his fingers along it or just laying it there. And she stiffens her neck, grits her jaw, can’t stand the touch of it and goes quiet.

it’s a subconscious power play of his as much as it is a show of affection (in his own possessive way that isn’t at all okay) and he adores seeing her stiffen under his touch.