#andrew knows he has to shadow the 43 year old and

[delurkr]

I love how neither Andrew nor John trusted the other to handle a simple conversation with Vince in the bar

[tabloidtoc]

People, May 10

Cover: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade

Page 3: Chatter -- Mindy Kaling on technology woes, Amy Adams on wanting to go into acting because of Grease, Gal Gadot on telling her daughters Maya and Alma about her pregnancy, DJ Khaled on using Rihanna's skin-care line, Christie Brinkley on showing off her body on Instagram at age 67, Whoopi Goldberg on writing a superhero movie about an older Black lady

Page 4: 5 Things We're Talking About -- Michael Keaton returns as Batman, Jane Fonda recalls her first and best kiss, Maya Rudolph would give Bridesmaids another go, the stars of ER scrub in one more time, popcorn and donuts team up

Page 7: Contents

Page 8: StarTracks -- one day before Prince William and Princess Kate's youngest child Prince Louis turned 3, Kensington Palace released a new portrait of the little royal to mark the occasion; Kate snapped the photo of Louis, who wore a school uniform and backpack as he rode his bike outside their home in London ahead of his first day of preschool

Page 9: JoJo Siwa and mom Jessalynn went for a roller-coaster ride at Disney's Hollywood studios in Florida, Madonna in a three-piece Gucci suit for dinner at West Hollywood staple Craig's

Page 10: Stars on Set -- Rachel Brosnahan was pretty in pink while filming season 4 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with costar Alex Borstein in NYC, John Cena flashed a peace sign when he took a coffee break while filming The Suicide Squad spinoff series Peacemaker in Vancouver, Tika Sumpter and James Marsden shot an action-packed scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in Vancouver

Page 11: Katie Holmes was spotted on a Connecticut set preparing to film the drama The Watergate Girl in which she'll play Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks, Awkwafina and Bowen Yang filmed the upcoming season of Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens in NYC, Melissa Benoist suited up for Supergirl in Vancouver

Page 12: Brooke Shields who is recovering after breaking her femur in a gym accident walked arm in arm after a lunch with husband Chris Henchy, Britney Spears and boyfriend Sam Asghari posed for a photo before attending a friend's wedding

Page 15: Stars in the Sun -- Maren Morris flaunted her new tan while enjoying a tropical getaway, Simone Biles and boyfriend Jonathan Owens cuddled up during a trip to Florida, Lindsey Vonn caught some waves and some rays while paddleboarding in Tulum, Derek Hough cooled off in the ocean during a beach day in L.A., Brie Larson enjoyed a dip while on vacation in Hawaii

Page 17: Scoop -- Life After Their Split -- how Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are moving on

Page 18: Inside Caitlyn Jenner's run for governor

Page 20: Heart Monitor -- Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young ready to wed, Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor going public, Zac Efron and Vanessa Valladares split, Billie Eilish and Matthew Tyler Vorce new couple?

Page 23: Jana Kramer and Mike Caussin's messy divorce

* Susannah Constantine -- my royal friendship with Princess Margaret

Page 24: Open House -- French Montana

* Baby Boom -- the latest on Hollywood's growing families -- Marie Kondo and Takumi Kawahara welcomed a son, Nick and Lauren Carter welcomed their third child

Page 27: Ed Helms talks life after The Office

Page 29: Passages, Why I Care -- Lisa Kudrow is working with doctors at UCLA to end the stigma surrounding mental health issues

Page 31: Stories to Make You Smile -- most cats can't stand the water but 8-month-old Marlin can't get enough and his Instagram is @carolinejarvis, a first grader's airplane kits give wings to kids' travel dreams

Page 35: People Picks -- Tom Clancy's Without Remorse

Page 36: Limbo, One to Watch -- Shadow and Bone's Jessie Mei Li

Page 37: Pose, Pet Stars

Page 38: The Handmaid's Tale, Thomas Rhett -- Country Again: Side A, Q&A with Olivia Holt

Page 39: The Mosquito Coast, Inspiring America: The 2021 Inspiration List

Page 41: Books

Page 42: Oscars 2021 -- The Return of Glamour -- the show was unconventional, just 170 guests were allowed in L.A.'s Union Station, and COVID restrictions were strictly enforced, but stars did their part to bring back some movie magic

Page 43: Andra Day

Page 44: Fabulous Fashion -- crop tops, ball gowns and bows ruled the red carpet -- Angela Bassett, Zendaya, Carey Mulligan, Maria Bakalova

Page 45: Margot Robbie, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Amanda Seyfried

Page 46: Behind the Scenes -- Regina King -- the actress closed out awards season in a custom Louis Vuitton creation

Page 48: Shine Bright -- there's no such thing as too much bling -- Laura Pausini, Vanessa Kirby, Zendaya

Page 49: Maria Bakalova, Daniel Kaluuya, Glenn Close, Tiara Thomas

Page 50: Very Well Suited -- these sharp dressers put their own twists on the tuxedo -- Lakeith Stanfield, Colman Domingo, Paul Raci, Tyler Perry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Kim

Page 53: Getting Ready with Andra Day

Page 55: Getting Ready with Angela Bassett

Page 56: Romance on the Red Carpet -- these couples only had eyes for each other -- Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher, Halle Berry and Van Hunt, Chloe Zhao and Joshua James Richards, Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza

Page 57: Steven Yeun and Joana Pak, Leslie Odom Jr. and Nicolette Robinson, Paul Raci and Liz Hanley Raci, Aaron Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova

Page 58: Best in Show -- there were A-list stars, groundbreaking moments and social distancing as Hollywood gathered safely to honor the best movies of the year -- Reese Witherspoon

Page 61: Alan Kim, Angela Bassett, Rita Moreno

Page 62: Major Moments -- these artists broke barriers during the most historic ceremony ever -- Emerald Fennell, Chloe Zhao, Daniel Kaluuya

Page 63: H.E.R., Anthony Hopkins, Yuh-Jung Youn with Brad Pitt, Mia Neal

Page 65: Yuh-Jung Youn and Daniel Kaluuya and Frances McDormand, Elton John and Dua Lipa, Andra Day and Winnie Harlow

Page 66: Cover Story -- Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union -- Dream Team -- the actress and NBA champ open up about protecting their family, fighting for what's right and why they're stronger than ever

Page 72: George Floyd's Killer Found Guilty -- We Can Breathe Again -- friends and family of the Minneapolis man killed by police rejoice after a jury's verdict and vow with supporters to keep fighting systemic racism

Page 76: Bethenny Frankel -- what I know now -- the irrepressible former Real Housewives star and businesswoman is newly engaged and back as a boss with a new show

Page 80: A Son Lost to Suicide, A Father's Mission -- we loved him every day, but it wasn't enough -- after the shocking death of his 12-year-old son, Brad Hunstable has a message for parents: talk to your kids about suicide

Page 84: Andrew McCarthy -- I was never suited for fame -- the beloved actor, and author of a new memoir, looks back on his enduring films, surviving his '80s stardom and how his affiliation with the so-called Brat Pack was a mixed blessing

Page 88: Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton's 10-year anniversary -- remembering the big day -- those who made the wedding a fairy tale share their memories

Page 92: Country Singer Thomas Rhett -- fame, family and finding my way -- the star opens up about overcoming struggled with his wife Lauren in their 8-year-marriage and learning to put their family first

Page 98: Murdered Soldier Vanessa Guillen's Fiance -- every day I pray for justice -- a year after losing the love of his life, Juan Cruz is determined to make sure the Army specialist's legacy is never forgotten and that her tragic death inspires lasting change

Page 102: George W. Bush -- painting with a purpose -- the former president avoided making waves, until his party's nativist prompted him to use his art to celebrate immigrants

Page 106: Pop Star Julia Michaels -- how I learned to love myself -- the singer talks falling in love, managing anxiety and writing hits for Britney Spears and Selena Gomez

Page 116: One Last Thing -- Josh Duhamel

[nogodsxrkings]

1920; Ryan Industries

Andrew Ryan

NAME.     Андрей Раяновский  (Andrei Rianofski) AKA.     Andrew Ryan,  André AGE.     43 FACECLAIM.     Vincent Pierce RESIDENCE.     West Egg OCCUPATION.     businessman,  and self - proclaimed revolutionary PERSONALITY.     egocentric,  optimistic,  unrealistic,  arrogant,  inspirational,  workaholic RELATIONSHIP STATUS.  divorced

BIOGRAPHY.

In the before;  Andrew was one of the wealthiest and most admired men in the world,  but often found himself in the scrutiny of the public eye because of dabbling in politics while having very unorthodox political  (and social)  views.

In the now;  Andrew is cut from the same corn as he was in 2019,  an immigrant who pulled himself from the depths of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and most admired men in the world.

He is a shrewd and merciless businessman,  who has recently started dabbling into politics.  While his objectivist beliefs aren’t very popular,  money buys anything  (even votes)  and the people of this age seem much more ... susceptible to his beliefs. 

Anatoli Ryan

NAME.     Anatoli Ryan AKA.     Ana,  Tole AGE.     20 FACECLAIM.     Dacre Montgomery RESIDENCE.     West Egg OCCUPATION.     beginning artist PERSONALITY.     rebellious,  insecure,  repressed,  can come off as kind of moody,  selfish RELATIONSHIP STATUS.  single

BIOGRAPHY.

In the before;  although he was born to the Andrew Ryan,  Anatoli’s existence was kept mostly in the shadows to avoid him from being used against his father.

He grew up fast,  and he went off - track even faster once his parents divorced.

When reaching the age of approval,  Anatoli decided to course - correct himself by signing up for the military despite  (or maybe even because of)  Andrew’s objections.

New Year 2019 was going to be Anatoli’s last night of freedom before getting drafted to a faraway country for the first time,  and he was going to make the very best of it!

In the now;  Anatoli is very much the same as his 2019 counterpart.  Still Andrew Ryan’s son,  still hidden away in the shadows.  Only this time he’s found himself rebelling against the divorce of his parents and being in his father’s shadows by trying to make a name for himself as an artist.

Andrew is … less than happy with this decision,  especially when he finds out Anatoli often finds himself in the less  'respectable’  parts of town.  But this only seems to make him pursue his newfound  ‘career choice’  more!

Jack Jolene

NAME.     Jack Ryan Jolene AKA.     baby face AGE.     18 / 19 FACECLAIM.     Hunter Parrish RESIDENCE.     Manhatten OCCUPATION.     barman,  occasional prostitute  PERSONALITY.     kindhearted,  rebellious,  optimistic,  protective,  can get volatile in high - tension situation RELATIONSHIP STATUS.  single

BIOGRAPHY.

In the before;  Jack is the illegitimate son of Andrew Ryan and a female prostitute named Jasmine Jolene.  Otherwise,  there is very little known about him.

In the now;  Jack was born and raised in a small room above the bordello that his mother worked at,  picking up jobs like cleaning bar tables and bartending upfront as soon as he was deemed  ‘old enough’.  

He loved his mother dearly,  and she did everything in her might to bring him up as well as she could while juggling jobs.

He remembered a man in a suit often coming by and giving them money,  which only increased after his mother had died.  Part of him knows this man must be his father,  but Jack doesn’t dare to ask.

[brittanyyoungblog]

100+ Love Quotes for Him to Let Him Know You Care

No matter how old your relationship is it can always benefit from some simple words of affirmation. But while feelings come naturally, it’s not always the case for words. If you’re having trouble finding the words to express how you feel to your man, don’t worry—we found them for you.

Here are some of our favorite love quotes for him to let the man in your life know how important he is to you.

1. “My heart is and always will be yours.”–Jane Austen

2. “If I had to choose between breathing and loving you I would use my last breath to tell you I love you.”–DeAnna Anderson

3. “The scariest thing about distance is you don’t know if they’ll miss you or forget about you.”–Nicholas Sparks

4. “I would rather spend one lifetime with you, than face all the ages of this world alone.”–J.R.R. Tolkien

5. “I love you as one loves certain dark things, secretly, bet`ween the shadow and the soul.”–Pablo Neruda

6. “Promise me you’ll never forget me because if I thought you would, I’d never leave.”–A.A. Milne

7. “Morning without you is a dwindled dawn.”–Emily Dickinson

8. “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” –Friedrich Nietzsche

9. “Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.”–Khalil Gibran

10. “All love shifts and changes. I don’t know if you can be wholeheartedly in love all the time.”– Julie Andrews

11. “Love is energy of life.”–Robert Browning

12. “Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.”–James A. Baldwin

13. “Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise.”–Samuel Johnson

14. “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.”–Robert Frost

15. “If you wish to be loved, show more of your faults than your virtues.”–Edward G. Bulwer–Lytton

16. “Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow.”–John Lennon

17. “The inner reality of love can be recognized only by love.”–Hans Urs von Balthasar

18. “Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries.”–Truman Capote

19. “Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”–Zora Neale Hurston

20. “We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.”–Orson Welles

21. “The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.”–Hubert H. Humphrey

22. “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”–William Shakespeare

23. “Nobody can predict the future. You just have to give your all to the relationship you’re in and do your best to take care of your partner, communicate and give them every last drop of love you have. I think one of the most important things in a relationship is caring for your significant other through good times and bad.”–Nick Cannon

24. “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”– Mignon McLaughlin

25. “One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”–Paulo Coelho

26. “Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.”–Helen Keller

27. “Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone–we find it with another.”–Thomas Merton

28. “Unconditional love really exists in each of us. It is part of our deep inner being. It is not so much an active emotion as a state of being. It’s not ‘I love you’ for this or that reason, not ‘I love you if you love me.’ It’s love for no reason, love without an object.”–Ram Dass

29. “The heart asks, and love answers”–Amelius

30. “True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice.”–Sadhu Vaswani

31. “The garden of love is green without limit and yields many fruits other than sorrow or joy. Love is beyond either condition: without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh.”–Rumi

32. “We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.”–Tom Robbins

33. “Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.”–Mother Teresa

34. “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”–Alfred Lord Tennyson

35. “Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.”–Oscar Wilde

36. “Life is a game and true love is a trophy.”–Rufus Wainwright

37. “Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.” –Ann Landers

38. “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”–Marc Anthony

39. “Love is a really scary thing, and you never know what’s going to happen. It’s one of the most beautiful things in life, but it’s one of the most terrifying. It’s worth the fear because you have more knowledge, experience, you learn from people, and you have memories.”–Ariana Grande

40. “Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree.”–Samuel Taylor Coleridge

41. “I believe in true love, and I believe in happy endings.”–Christie Brinkley

42. “Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes.”–Friedrich Nietzsche

43. “No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible.”–George Chakiris

44. “:True love doesn’t come to you it has to be inside you.”–Julia Roberts

45. “Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness, of hatred, of jealousy, and, most easily of all, the gate of fear.”–Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

46. “Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet.”–Katharine Lee Bates

47. “True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does.”– Torquato Tasso

48. “Love consists in giving without getting in return; in giving what is not owed, what is not due the other. That’s why true love is never based, as associations for utility or pleasure are, on a fair exchange.”–Mortimer Adler

49. “Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom.”–Rabindranath Tagore

50. “I love you more than my own skin.”–Frida Kahlo

51. “What I love most about this crazy life is the adventure of it.”–Juliette Binoche

52. “True love bears all, endures all and triumphs.”–Dada Vaswani

53. “True love is no game of the faint–hearted and the weak. It is born of strength and understanding.”–Meher Baba

54. “Two things you will never have to chase: true friends & true love.”–Mandy Hale

55. “In love there are two things—bodies and words.”–Joyce Carol Oates

56. “Only true love can fuel the hard work that awaits you.”–Tom Freston

57. “True love that lasts forever yes, I do believe in it. My parents have been married for 40 years and my grandparents were married for 70 years. I come from a long line of true loves.”–Zooey Deschanel

58. “Love is something far more than desire for sexual intercourse; it is the principal means of escape from the loneliness which afflicts most men and women throughout the greater part of their lives.”–Bertrand Russell

59. “We loved with a love that was more than love.”–Edgar Allan Poe

60. “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”–Antoine de Saint–Exupery

61. “We are most alive when we’re in love.”–John Updike

62. “Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.”–Ursula K. Le Guin

63. “Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the Gods.”–Plato

64. “Love has no age, no limit; and no death.”–John Galsworthy

65. “True love–that is, deep, abiding love that is impervious to emotional whims or fancy–is a choice. It’s a constant commitment to a person regardless of the present circumstances.”–Mark Manson

66. “True love bears all, endures all and triumphs!”–Dada Vaswani

67. “There is no remedy for love but to love more.”–Henry David Thoreau

68. “Love in its essence is spiritual fire.”–Lucius Annaeus Seneca

69. “Love cures people–both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.”–Karl A. Menninger

70. “Love is the power to see similarity in the dissimilar.”–Theodor Adorno

71. “Love is space and time measured by the heart.”–Marcel Proust

72. “If it is your time, love will track you down like a cruise missile.”–Lynda Barry

73. “The highest function of love is that it makes the loved one a unique and irreplaceable being.”–Tom Robbins

74. “True love, especially first love, can be so tumultuous and passionate that it feels like a violent journey.” –Holliday Grainger

75. “The romantic love we feel toward the opposite sex is probably one extra help from God to bring you together, but that’s it. All the rest of it, the true love, is the test.” –Joan Chen

76. “It is only with true love and compassion that we can begin to mend what is broken in the world. It is these two blessed things that can begin to heal all broken hearts.” –Steve Maraboli

77. “True love is quiescent, except in the nascent moments of true humility.” –Bryant H. McGill

78. “Love is love’s reward.”–John Dryden

79. “Love is metaphysical gravity.”–R. Buckminster Fuller

80. “I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.”– Marilyn Monroe

81. “True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.” –Erich Segal

82. “Love is my religion–I could die for it.”– John Keats

83. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mind are the same.” –Emily Brontë

84. “Love is a better teacher than duty.” – Albert Einstein

85. “Love can be unselfish, in the sense of being benevolent and generous, without being selfless.”– Mortimer Adler

86. “Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.” – Voltaire

87.  “Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries.” – Truman Capote

88.  “Love is the ultimate expression of the will to live.” – Tom Wolfe

89. “Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.”–Lao Tzu

90. “Love has no errors, for all errors are the want for love.”– William Law

91. “Being in love is the only transcendent experience.”–Armistead Maupin

92. “Choose your love, Love your choice.”–Thomas S. Monson

93. “They say true love only comes around once and you have to hold out and be strong until then. I have been waiting. I have been searching. I am a man under the moon, walking the streets of earth until dawn. There’s got to be someone for me. It’s not too much to ask. Just someone to be with. Someone to love. Someone to give everything to. Someone.” –Henry Rollins

94. “So you do believe in true love? she whispered. I took a deep breath, I think I have to, I said, blinking back tears. Without it, we’re all going nowhere.” –Juliet Marillier

95. “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.”–Robert Frost

96. “Love is the attempt to form a friendship inspired by beauty.”–Marcus Tullius Cicero

97. “Love is a game that two can play and both win.”–Eva Gabor

98. “There isn’t any formula or method. You learn to love by loving–by paying attention and doing what one thereby discovers has to be done.”–Aldous Huxley

99. “You have half our gifts. I the other. Together we make a whole. Together we are much more powerful.”–Joss Stirling

100. “Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep–burning and unquenchable.”–Bruce Lee

101. “Love is but the discovery of ourselves in another, and the delight in the recognition.”– Alexander Smith

102. “I can’t promise you forever, because that’s not long enough.”–Jason Dorsey

103. “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.”–Robert Munsch

The post 100+ Love Quotes for Him to Let Him Know You Care appeared first on The Date Mix.

from Meet Positives SMFeed 8 https://ift.tt/2CUkXXq via IFTTT

[bomberlandia]

Part I: Ranking Every Bomber Since 2015

Welcome to Bomberlandia’s first ever look at every Essendon player that pulled on a jumper since 2015, featuring historian and lifelong Bombers diehard Dr. Dan Eddy. As far as I can tell, there’s never been an undertaking where someone has ranked every Essendon player for a period of time. In 2002 Simon Matthews wrote a book and ranked the 60 greatest Bombers players of all-time. I’m sure there have been other variations of that. But those books don’t include every player for a period of time. And some of those books need to be revised or revisited.

This is what got me curious about looking at the last five years of Essendon players and who sits where and who has made an impact. Also, apart from being something to read during the postseason I think these rankings will help explain Essendon’s story from 2015 until now by taking stock of who’s come and gone, who’s been able to stay the journey and which players failed to deliver.

I could never do these kind of rankings on my own. It’s an unreasonable task. For this I enlisted the help of prolific book writer Dan Eddy, someone who has analyzed Essendon through an historic lens and someone who really knows his AFL stuff.

The hope with this first initial crack is that it becomes an annual postseason tradition, where rookies and current players can improve their ranking or if things don’t work out, they can potentially fall. These rankings come at a time where the Bombers haven’t had a lot of success. But there’s a lot of players that have had opportunities to prove themselves since 2015. We’re now starting to see some of the kids step up like Andrew McGrath, Jordan Ridley, Kyle Langford, Darcy Parish, Sam Draper, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Irving Mosquito. These developments have been intriguing to observe.

Quite often with rankings they can get bogged down in statistics, and sometimes that’s the only way to separate one player from the next, but numbers sometimes don’t tell the whole story of what a player means to a football team. What we’re looking for are things like longevity and service to the team, elite skills, and sure, accolades. But we’re coating all of that with gut feels. And to be frank, this list is not perfect or definitive but it’s a start and most of all it will be fun to digest. We acknowledge there’s certainly some players too high and too low but we’re ok with that.

Here’s Part I of Ranking Every Essendon Player Since 2015.

Players ranked from 85 to 39

85. Nathan Grima 84. Tom Jok 83. Jonathan Giles 82. Jonathan Simpkin

JR: This quartet feels like the right way to kick off this list at the back end. Giles, Simpkin and Grima were top-ups for the 2016 season. Jok is the most interesting “what could have been” talent. Bombers picked him with their first pick in 2018 and called him an “exciting and raw prospect.” He played one game and was then delisted. What happened to Jok? I wish I had an answer.

DE: I realise Grima was taken at a time when we were desperate for players, but we should never have picked him up. Ranks with our worst ever selections, in my view.

81. Ned Cahill 80. Mitch Hibberd

JR: It’s early days for Ned but he shows promise. He could evolve and become a household name. Mitch Hibberd, with limited opportunity, looks more at home as a solid VFL contributor (saying that based on very small looks).  

DE: I agree on both fronts. Wait and see with Ned. As for Mitch, nothing wrong with his size but not sure he will be capable of holding down a senior spot over the long-term.

79. Sam Michael 78. Alex Browne 77. Tom Cutler 76. Sam Grimley 75. James Polkinghorne 74. Andrew Phillips 73. James Gwilt

JR: Browne was one of the banned supplement saga players who only managed 11 games in five years and was entering his prime in 2015. Browne injured his ACL in the 2014 pre-season and never fully got back into the mix. Probably had the most promise and potential in this section of players.

DE: I had high hopes for Cutler when we recruited him from Brisbane, as I felt his size could be of advantage to our list. But his first season was a disappointment. Hopefully in year two he can have more impact. Gwilt was another, like Grima, who we should never have recruited.

72. Jake Long 71. Kobe Mutch 70. Brandon Zerk-Thatcher

JR: Long and Mutch failed to take the next step but BZT had a season of growth and should progress to be a Top 40 player.  

DE: Tough gig for Jake Long, trying to emerge from his famous father Michael’s long shadow (pun intended). I’m glad he got to wear red and black, though, even if his time at the club was brief. If BZT keeps improving his fitness and builds on his strength, will be interesting to see how far he can go.

69. Jason Ashby 68. Ariel Steinberg 67. Elliott Kavanagh 66. Josh Begley 65. Mark Jamar 64. Brayden Ham 63. Nick O’Brien 62. Ben McNeice 61. Craig Bird 60. Tayte Pears

JR: I really thought Josh “Fridge” Begley was going to be something at Essendon. I watched a pre-season game against the Suns in his rookie year and he was clobbering blokes, laying tackles and kicking goals. He kicked the sealer against the Crows during a comeback win at Etihad in Round One that same year. His departure was perhaps more about list balance or not developing as quickly as the Bombers hoped. Tayte Pears was a very solid player. Unfortunately he was decimated by injuries which prevented his development. He could never get to that next level he needed to be at to cement his spot in the team. Ultimately his ailments curbed his progression

DE: Lots of players here who had impacts, but unfortunately were unable to sustain levels of consistency. I liked Pears, so was disappointed that injury cruelled him as he was entering his prime. Wasn't quick, but gave his all. I agree with your summation of Begley. When I first saw him, I was super excited about the possibilities. But, for whatever reason, didn't come on as hoped.

59. Mathew Stokes 58. Shaun Edwards 57. Nick Kommer 56. Irving Mosquito 55. Matt Leunberger 54. Will Hams 53. Jacob Townsend 52. Ryan Crowley 51. Jackson Merrett 50. Michael Hartley

JR: Like Chapman, the Cats got the best out of Mathew Stokes. In 2016 he came in as a top-up player for a “one-time only” season. He kicked 6.5 which was better than his previous year at Geelong. If we’re nickel and dime’ing here, Townsend’s 9.5 in his first year with Essendon nets him a higher ranking. I can see his position improve with a retooled forward line that will include a fit Stringer, Stewart and Peter Wright.

DE: Wasn’t a Crowley fan before he came to Essendon as one of those famous ‘top-up’ players. But have great admiration for him for what he did for our club during its time of need. Same with Stokes. Townsend has been disappointing in terms of his output, but too much was probably expected of him in our ineffective, underperforming forward line this year. Mozzie promises plenty, so hopefully he keeps improving year on year.

49. Dylan Clarke 48. Josh Green 47. Jayden Laverde   46. Will Snelling

JR: A former Essendon coach once told me that Laverde should be a lot better than he is but the Bombers haven’t done enough to develop him. This makes me curious then: what’s Laverde’s ceiling? Of all the Bombers’ peripheral players, Laverde stands out with his contested work. Inconsistent? Sure. And he’s not a no.1 key forward. But there’s something there. I think he has more to offer than McKernan. He could be a Mihocek. 

DE: Great to see Snelling receive another contract, as he was one of few shining lights during the car crash that was the 2020 season. Laverde has plenty of potential, just needs to become more consistent. That we haven't had a stable forward structure for some time probably hasn't helped him, but I see good upside if we keep a full list on the park.

45. Matt Dea 44. James Stewart 43. Aaron Francis 42. Matt Guelfi 41. Paul Chapman 40. Jason Winderlich

JR: Chapman was thrown a life-line and bagged 30 goals in two seasons. That’s pretty special. It’s not Michael Long’s run down the wing and goal in the ‘93 Grand Final special, but that’s a solid output from a then 34-year old when the club needed it. Winderlich was plagued by constant injuries – back, ACL, and more back troubles. His leg speed was phenomenal when fit.

DE: Thought Dea was terrific for us, and Chappy provided important leadership during dark times. Francis has such potential, but lacks consistency and impact. Wish Stewart got more of the ball, as that would help us up forward where we desperately need a couple of dominant key pillars. 

39. Jake Carlisle

JR: So, we end Part I of this journey with an anti-climatic Jake Carlisle. A guy who could take contested marks with ease, yet, could make you loathe him in an instant with his off-field “theatrics” My final memory of Carlisle was when he shouted “this club is f – ‘ed” in a match against the Giants in 2015 and that’s not a good memory to have of any player. I’m glad he no longer plays for the Bombers. 

DE: Carlisle could have been an all-time great defender at Essendon, but his final season was a major let-down and I was really disappointed in how he departed. In the end, I was glad to see him go. Like you JR, I lost total respect for him after that comment, and wasn't surprised with what happened a few weeks later at St Kilda.

________________________________________

Historian Dr Dan Eddy is the author of 12 books, including “King Richard” and “Always Striving.” A life-long Bomber supporter, you can follow him on Twitter @DanEddyBooks35 and read his sports books at www.daneddybooks.com.  

[seesgood]

The Ryan family (if it's too much at once I can send it in pieces)

MUN NAME & AGE  Emile  &  24

CHARACTER NAME  &  AGE  Andrew Ryan  &  43 FACECLAIM  Vincent Pierce WHERE THEY LIVE  West Egg

WHO WERE THEY IN 2019

One of the wealthiest and most admired men in the world who is having trouble keeping his son’s both safe and hidden from the public.  He is also losing many of his admirers because of dabbling in politics while having very unorthodox political  (and social)  views.

WHO ARE THEY IN 1920

Just as in 2019,  Andrew is  an immigrant who pulled himself from the depths of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and most admired men in the world.

He is a shrewd and merciless businessman,  who has recently started dabbling into politics.  While his objectivist beliefs aren’t very popular,  money buys anything,  even votes.

CHARACTER NAME  &  AGE  Anatoli Ryan  &  20 FACECLAIM  Dacre Montgomery WHERE THEY LIVE  West Egg

WHO WERE THEY IN 2019

Born to one of the wealthiest and most admired men in the world;  Anatoli’s existence was kept mostly in the shadows to avoid him from being used against his father.  He grew up fast,  and he went off - track even faster once his parents divorced,  soon course - correcting himself by signing up for the military.

New Year 2019 was going to be Anatoli’s last year of freedom before getting drafted,  and he was going to make the very best of it!

WHO ARE THEY IN 1920

Much the same as his 2019 counterpart,  Anatoli Ryan is still the son of Andrew,  only now rebelling against the divorce of his parents and being in his father’s shadows by trying to make a name for himself as an artist.

Andrew is … less than happy with his son’s endeavors,  especially when he finds out Anatoli often finds his pleasure in the less  'respectable’  parts of town.

CHARACTER NAME  &  AGE  Jack Jolene  &  18 / 19 FACECLAIM  Dacre Montgomery  WHERE THEY LIVE  Manhatan

WHO WERE THEY IN 2019

The illegitimate son of Andrew Ryan and a female prostitute named Jasmine Jolene.  There is very little known about Jack.

WHO ARE THEY IN 1920

Jack was born and raised in a small room above the bordello that his mother worked at,  picking up small jobs like cleaning bar tables and bartending upfront as soon as he was deemed old enough.  He loved his mother dearly,  and she did everything in her might to bring him up as well as she could while juggling jobs.

He remembered a man in a suit often coming by and giving him money,  which only increased after his mother had died.  Part of him knows this man must be his father,  but Jack doesn’t dare to ask.

welcome to the 20′s, gentlemen ! 

[comic-movieheroesranked]

Cinematic Comic Characters Ranked! (Year 2009) Part Two

It’s rough coming right after a fantastic year of movies (2008) but 2009 did pretty well for itself. Terminator Salvation is our only sequel and we also get an X-Men spinoff with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Kids favorite shows come out with Astro Boy, Dragonball: Evolution, and G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, and we got a couple of thrillers with Whiteout and Surrogates. We also get the debut of the controversial Watchmen! Let’s get started with numbers #60-41!

*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ALL HIGHLIGHTED MOVIES ABOVE*

60. Master Roshi (Dragonball: Evolution)

"You are the only one who can do it."

It was like Grandpa Gohan never even died once Roshi showed up as his replacement. They both train Goku, they both understand the elemental fighting style, and they both tell horrible jokes. The only difference between them is that when Roshi dies, he gets to come back!

59. Sparx, Robotsky, and Mike the Fridge (Astro Boy)

"Viva La Roboto-lution!"

Sparx, Robotsky, and Mike the Fridge are the founding members of the RRF, an rebel organization that aims to free robots from their human slavery. They're able to recognize that Astro is a robot and 'save' him from the surface kids. Even though their heart is in the right place, the trio never actually do anything that helps Astro and his friends, but that doesn't stop them from trying again and again and again.

58. General Clayton M. Abernathy/Hawk (G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra)

"When all else fails, we don't."

A war veteran, General Hawk has moved on to lead the G.I. Joes in their missions to save the world. After temporarily adding Duke and Ripcord to the team, Hawk does his best to protect the valuable nanobite warheads but ends up getting defeated by Storm Shadow. The beatdown supposedly leaves him in a coma and he doesn't show up again until he bails the team out of the French prison. He leads the team against Cobra in the final battle before officially adding Duke and Ripcord to the team.

57. The Prophet (Surrogates)

"We're not meant to experience the world through a machine."

The Prophet is a man who starts cult following by people who refuse to use surrogates. He has them believe that they are an abomination and an act against God. Turns out The Prophet is actually a surrogate himself, belonging to the surrogates creator, Lionel Canter. The Prophet is just one of the many tools he uses to put on end on the surrogates forever.

56. Fred Dukes/Blob (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

"Did you just call me... Blob?"

Another member of Stryker's team, Fred Dukes is so strong he can take out a tank missile and it wouldn't leave a scratch on him. After retirment he really lets himself go, becoming the Blob most comic fans are familiar with. He has the information Logan wants but refuses to give it up after he thinks Logan makes fun of his weight. He ends up beating the shit out of Logan in a boxing match but once Logan gets the upper hand and wins, he tells him everything he needs to know.

55. Hamegg (Astro Boy)

"They're robots! They do what I say!"

Hamegg used to create robots for Astro's father, but then moved to the surface world so he could participate in the robot fights. He adopts all the orphan kids he finds and sends them find him parts for the perfect fighting robot. He seems like a nice guy, but in the end he's only nice to his own species. He's able to find out that Astro is a robot and quickly throws him in the ring to get him destroyed. He's stopped by ZOG who then takes care of him while the surface kids go rescue Astro.

54. Grandpa Gohan (Dragonball: Evolution)

"Always have faith in who you are."

Grandpa Gohan was that grandpa who most have been really popular when he was younger so he still cracks jokes now that he's older. He was really nice to take Goku in after the other came flying down to Earth in a meteorite as an infant and started training him how to fight. Didn't expect him to die as fast as he did, but he pops up one more time after Goku 'dies' to tell him he's not actually going to stay dead.

53. Russell Haden (Whiteout)

"You crazy bitch!"

I think it's funny that this guy had the audacity to call Carrie a crazy bitch for threatening to cut off his fingers when he literally killed three people within a couple of days and was willing to kill more. I didn't like Haden at first glance so when Carrie finds out he was the killer, I wasn't that shocked. And I know the scenes where he chased Carrie outside were suppsoed to be serious but I couldn't help but notice that even at the brink of death BOTH of them continued to follow safety procedures when it came to clicking themselves to the safety rope. Of course we see the reason why when Carrie cuts Haden's rope free and he ends up getting blown away by 100 mph winds until he slams his upper body into the facility's pillars, killing him instantly.

52. Andrew Stone (Surrogates)

"You left us no choice but to take you out."

In charge of the police force, Andrew Stone is an old man who uses a younger, more attractive surrogate to do his day-to-day activities. When the creator of the surrogates threatens to shut the whole thing down, his partners give Andrew the weapon to kill him. Andrew hires a amateur hitman who ends up killing Canter's son instead. After being found out by Greer, Andrew pays for his crimes when Canter confronts and kills him.

51. Rex Lewis/The Doctor/Cobra Commander (G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra)

"The time has come for the cobra to rise up and reveal himself."

You know what's always interesting about mad scientists? They always get obsessed with the scientific breakthroughs that would destroy all of humanity instead of helping it. Like can we get a breakthrough in cancer? No, but here's a breakthrough with mind-controlling soldiers and city-destroying nanobites. What's also a trip is that The Doctor willingly goes for it, unlike some of the villains who turn out to be mind controlled. He just loves being evil so it's no one's surprise when he takes command of Cobra himself by the end of the film. Too bad he literally gets arrested right after.

50. Mai (Dragonball: Evolution)

"I could disrupt them."

Piccolo's little assassin who would've been just as boring had it not been for all the fights she ended up having. I'm assuming she's the one that breaks Piccolo free from his prison before she joins him in hunting down the Dragon Balls. She hardly talks but she has a cool trick of turning into people as long as she has a part of their DNA. She uses it on Chi-Chi to get the remaining Dragon Balls. In the end she's shot dead by Yamcha after she nearly kills Bulma.

49. Hershel Dalton/Heavy Duty (G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra)

"Don't make me shoot a woman."

Heavy Duty was kinda my least favorite Joe member-if we're not counting Cover Girl who was there for like, five seconds. I didn't necessarily NOT like him because he was always there when the team needed him and packed a mean punch when it came down to it. He was just a bit boring. Even when he leads all of the Joe's in an ocean fight against Cobra, I found myself more invested in everyone else's mission.

48. Robert Pryce (Whiteout)

"I think you warmed up to me."

I'll say it, I thought Pryce was going to turn out to be the killer the whole time. With the whole backstory on how Carrie's last partner betrayed her, I figured Pryce was going to do the same. He didn't, he was actually innocent. You know what else he was? Useless. He didn't do a damn thing to help solve the case except give Carrie something to worry about. Ok, he did figure out how to get them all out of the plane but Carrie would've figured it out eventually so there really was no reason for him to come down from his UN headquarters.

47. Jennifer Peters (Surrogates)

"It's not safe to be without a surrogate."

Jennifer is Greer's partner on the police force and assists him on Canter's son's murder case. She's seen to be a loyal partner, caring about Greer when his surrogate is destroyed but she's taken out of the game early when Canter kills her in her real body. Her surrogate hangs around and does most of the work when it comes down to Canter destroying the world but is shot down before Greer can really stop her.

46. Zane, Widget, Sludge, and Trashcan (Astro Boy)

"Yay, Astro!"

Zane, Widget, and Sludge are the main surface kids who befriend Astro when he shows up to their world and Trashcan is the robot dog that accompanies them. They become family to Astro, which is nice to see after his father decides not to accept him. Trashcan forever is trying to out Astro as a robot, but when the truth comes out even the dog is sad to see Astro get captured by President Stone. The kids join Cora to rescue Astro and end up interacting with citizens of Metro City once the city falls onto the Surface World.

45. Star (Terminator Salvation)

*silently survives like the young Queen she is*

Star is definitely one of my favorite kids to be portrayed in an apocalyptic world. She's mute, but that doesn't mean she's useless. She has a weird ability to sense when a terminator is nearby, something that helps her and Kyle survive. Plus she actively participates in keeping herself alive, not just relying on the adults. At one point she loads up Kyle's guns and even hands Marcus a flare to blow up a giant machine trying to kill them.

44. John Wraith (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

"Hey be nice! Or be your approximation of nice."

Probably the friendliest of Styker's team, John Wraith's abilities of teleporting allow him to stop any type of sneak attack from the enemy. He retires and spends his days with Fred Dukes until Logan shows up. John travels with him to New Orleans to find Remy Labeau, but runs into Victor instead. You'd think with his powers, he'd win easily, but Victor is able to predict his moves and crush his spine. He takes a sample of his blood to be used on Deadpool.

43. Yamcha (Dragonball: Evolution)

"Ow, my balls!"

Yamcha kind of came out of nowhere to rob the main group of their belongings, until he agrees to help them out in exchange for him being added to the nonexistent profit they think they'll make once they find all seven Dragon Balls. He sticks around mainly because he has a thing for Bulma, but he bravely helps the group try to fight off Piccolo from destroying the world.

42. The Terminator (Terminator Salvation)

"attacks naked*

I always wondered how the future John Connor was going to meet The Terminator and what he was going to do. I didn't expect the answer to get his ass handed to him, that's for sure. The new and improved Terminator takes on both Connor and hybrid machine, Marcus, easily, all while being completely nude. He manages to mortally wound Connor but ends up freezing after being drenched molten hot magma.

41. Bobby Saunders (Surrogates)

"We just saved about a billion lives there."

Bobby works for the police force and is the only human in the department who doesn't use a surrogate. Against the whole thing he stays in his watch room and looks for crime, coming up with a code to temporarily block a user from their surrogate. This comes in handy at the end when Greer uses the code from saving every human on Earth from dying when a virus destroys all their surrogates.

[rueur]

Morning Pages (06.01.2017)

Friday 6th Jan - 6:43 a.m.

I’m up earlier today because I’ll need to go to Craigieburn to celebrate my cousin’s birthday with some good old-fashioned morning prayer, which I’m looking forward to. A little bit. I don’t like being up this early, but I guess I’ll have to get used to it some time before the new semester starts. I also had a weird night last night. I had a nightmare where there was this event I’d attended, with a musical show (sorry, I just had to turn my alarms off, they were going off again at 6:45) and the performers were all kinda demonic. They gave out these little boxed things, and I took one home with no suspicion because at the time, the musicians didn’t look fishy at all. Fish is swimming very vigorously, by the way. He wants food. I cannot feed him yet, it’s too early.

Anyway, I took this boxed thing home and opened it up and almost immediately, this little rubber something shot under my bed or under a cabinet or something, and I lost it. So I kneeled down near this crack and peered into it and saw this tiny rubber creature thing. I tried to pull it out with one finger, because that’s all that would fit under this cabinet, and I couldn’t. Then my mother walked in and she was Asian. I mean my actual mother is already Asian, but she’s South-Asian. Sri Lankan. My mother in this dream was Chinese or something. Not my real mother. But I accepted it in the dream. So I told my mother that the rubber thing had fallen underneath the cabinet and she feigned disappointment for me, and then left. As soon as she’d left, the rubber thing started to point back at me! With a long and thin finger. I grabbed it and pulled and the rubber thing instantly started to stretch out and out. It just kept stretching like a window climber, or one of those stretchy, sticky hands you get at $2 shops. I just took a pause in my writing. I’m really groggy right now, sorry. This is not my most ideal mood for writing, but I know that’s exactly why the morning pages are supposed to be so helpful.

Anyway, yes, the thing just kept on stretching. I kept pulling, and all the while calling out to my mum to come and look at this stretchy living thing. But my mum never came. The thing was also squealing, like a happy baby or something, but very alien. Then I got up off the floor, and went to find my mum to tell her it’s ALIVE. I find my mum sitting quietly in the living room, staring down at her hand which has cramped in on itself. It looks like a claw, like deformed. I ask her what’s going on, and she just shows me her hand, and for some reason we both correlate her cramped hand to the newfound movement of the rubber thing, like the rubber thing is taking her muscles. Then I said ‘We have to finish the game’ and my mother says ‘NO’ and she’s terrified. Then I think I woke up, and it was 5:03 a.m.. I tried falling back to sleep for ages but it didn’t work. I kept seeing shadows in the dark, and it was also sweltering and I’d buried myself under this thick blanket in my sleep for some reason. I was sweating like you wouldn’t believe and I just flicked on the lamp, got up out of bed, and splashed my face with some water before trying to fall back asleep. I don’t know when I fell asleep again, but it wasn’t easy. I probably got under an hour’s sleep before waking up again.

I was supposed to tell you about Andrew today! From Thailander. He was one of my more memorable regulars who worked at an office on the street, Lonsdale Street. He’d call in ahead of time so that his food was ready when he got there because I’m assuming he had a very small lunch break. He’d usually order the spiciest stir-fry and then ask for it to be ‘extra spicy’. Pick-up for Andrew! I knew him after his second pick-up order with me, because he was so lame. A typical dad telling typical dad-jokes, seeing him every lunch rush was honestly a highlight for me. He was tall, slightly muscular build, with gray hair and a slightly receding hairline. He looked to be around forty, maybe just under middle-aged; quite young. Then I stopped working the lunch shifts and I didn’t see him for a couple of months before I finally quit. On my two week’s notice though, my bosses were definitely overworking me, giving me more shifts than I could handle alongside school. I was working the lunch rush again, and I got a call in my last week. Pick-up for Andrew! Jokingly on the phone, I asked if he wanted the food ‘extra spicy’ because he didn’t say it that time, and he laughed. He said no, though. But he came in and immediately said ‘I thought it was you!’ and I was just very happy to see him. We had a proper conversation that final time because I told him it was my last day, and he congratulated me. He said he hadn’t actually been to Thailander in a while before that day because he’d had a complaint they’d never dealt with, namely that one of their stir-fries was supposed to have green beans and when he got it there were absolutely no green beans at all. I told him we hadn’t had green beans in the kitchen for a while so I didn’t know why it was still on the menu and he said I was paying attention and that was good. He grew up in Eltham, he told me. I said I lived in South Morang, and we were complaining/praising what it meant to live at the end of the train line. He now lives in Sandringham, he said. That’s where I’ve wanted to live more than anything: by the beach, close to the city. South Melbourne. Here I’ve spent my entire life in the north. As north as you can get.

I seem to have a lot more to say this morning than last, I think. Or maybe I have an equal amount to say. I gave you stories yesterday, and one continuation of a story and a dream today. I think that’s pretty standard. I went home yesterday, to get some more clothes because I was running out of clean clothes in Northcote. I don’t want to use the washing machine here because it’s communal and downstairs and I’m shy. My anxiety has very much come with me to Northcote and into the new year. Anyway! I rode home and was incredibly sweaty on my arrival. I changed and hung out with my brother for a bit, listening to his music. He’s getting into Australian hip-hop. I am proud. Then my sister and Anthony, her boyfriend, came home with some groceries and my sister said they were going to start a workout soon, if I wanted to join them. I said yes, because honestly I haven’t been doing too much in the way of staying fit whilst I’ve been in Northcote. I have a running track and a bike track in South Morang, and it took me a while to establish those too. Northcote has the All Nations Park though and I don’t know if I can leave that when I’m done house-sitting because it’s so BIG and BEAUTIFUL. I’ll definitely be spending more time in Northcote even after the summer, I think.

So we braced ourselves, all four of us, and did this thirty-minute workout. It was actually quite fun! We used the Nike training app on my sister’s phone, and a spotify playlist she’d put together for gym sessions (very techno, very upbeat). At the end of it, I used the sweat towel they’d offered me beforehand (before the workout, I’d just laughed at it and said I wouldn’t need it). Then my sister made this amazing pumpkin ravioli/gnocchi lunch with mushrooms and spinach. It was amazing, and there were no leftovers. Then I had a bath with the rose bath salts and fizzes that I was given for Christmas by Anthony’s family. It was heavenly, and worked a wonder on my sore muscles at the time. But this morning, upon waking up and leaving my bed, I realise that my legs and arms are still so, so sore!

I had a bath, packed all my things up and made my way back home once more to Northcote. My clothes didn’t fit in my backpack (which was full of fresh underwear and toilet paper), so I folded them and fitted them into a plastic bag which I then tied tightly and hung from the handlebars on my bike. As suspected, they hit my front wheel A LOT and the bag developed a lot of holes. Luckily, none of my clothes tore. On the way home from High Street, however, I had to hold the plastic bag with both arms to stop the bag tearing any further and spilling my clothes out onto the floor.

I just had to plug my laptop in. It was on 8% and it had started to go red. I just checked Facebook, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t take breaks from this stream-of-consciousness stuff, I know. It was an accident. I downloaded tinder again, to talk to strangers around me while I’m living on my own, because whilst I do like having all this time to myself it still does get a little bit lonely. And Ikaros is working all the time. Actually, he’s working Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, but he can somehow stretch that out so that it feels like he’s working ALL the time. I worked like six days a week for Thailander, and still made time for him. It hurts my feelings, I’m not going to lie. But I’m not here to talk about my love life. It’s not too great right now. Which is why I haven’t told him I’m on tinder. I’m just on tinder because I’m generally lonely. I want to meet people! And I’ve met and friended two interesting people so far: Lauren and Lucas. I’ll tell you about them later though, I just wanted to say two things before I run out of space for this morning.

Ikaros called me last night when he was walking down the hill, on his way to the bank. We were on the phone for an hour. One time I was on the phone to Malith for 4 hours! And I don’t even think that’s the longest, honestly. Anyway, he was talking to me about work. It’s been tough these past few days. Then I told him about my Artist’s Way challenge and the morning pages. Then he found an interesting calico cat on the street and that overshadowed my enthusiasm for being creative. And then he told Cameron to invite me to this thing on Saturday night that Ikaros actually never wanted to go to in the first place, and I had to lie to Cameron on his behalf and just tell him I was busy on Saturday night instead. So I went to bed feeling really icky. I don’t know what’s happening with this relationship. One thing is certain though: right now, it’s draining me.

[flauntpage]

Alex Cora Never Lost His Edge

Little remains to be said about Alex Cora’s performance as manager of the 2018 Boston Red Sox—now with 117 wins on the year—that hasn’t been said already, in glowing, effusive terms, over and over again. Managers are most often in the headlines for their missteps; the work of a good manager, in making the decisions that need to be made and keeping lines of communication clear in the clubhouse, would seem to be largely invisible. But Cora has bucked that trend this postseason. He has made bold decisions—Rick Porcello and Chris Sale out of the bullpen, Brock Holt and Rafael Devers into the lineup, Craig Kimbrel for six outs, Eduardo Nuñez to pinch-hit. These decisions would have been questioned and scorned unto infinity had they backfired. None of them have.

If the Red Sox win the World Series this year, it will be because they were the best team in baseball. They had the pitching staff, headed by Sale and Price, with Kimbrel’s shadow looming in the back end of the bullpen. They had a lineup almost without flaw, with Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez leading the onslaught. But the best team doesn’t always win in the postseason. In the postseason, even the slightest edge can be the difference between defeat and the ultimate victory. And with rookie manager Cora at the helm, the Red Sox have seized every edge and clung to it.

Not that long ago, in 2011, Alex Cora was a light-hitting utility infielder for the Washington Nationals. When he sat down for an interview with MASN, the first line of questioning was not about his current status, nor about the 13 seasons of major league experience behind him. It was about his college days: with the University of Miami, Cora had been the top-rated defensive infielder in all of college baseball.

The 13 seasons Cora had managed to stay in the major leagues were, indeed, largely on the virtue of his defensive talents, his ability to play multiple infield positions well. His bat never quite measured up. Cora’s best season at the plate came in 2002, when he batted .291/.371/.434 with five homers: a good line, but one still too light on power. Two years later, he would slash .264/.364/.380 in his final season with the Dodgers, the team that had drafted him in 1996.

After that season, Cora never played full-time again. He had a stint in Cleveland, then in Boston. He was part of their World Series championship campaign in 2007. But he was also viewed by Red Sox fans and media members as a symptom of that team’s inability to find a real everyday shortstop. Cora was just another name passing through an endlessly revolving door. He played much the same role in his season-and-change with the Mets. The Mets released him mid-season in 2010; the Rangers picked him up, then released him less than a month later. He found his home for 2011 only with the Washington Nationals, a team coming off a 69-93 season.

Still, after all that—after almost a decade of being relegated to occasional appearances, Cora professed a belief in his ability to play every day. He prepared for every game as though he were going to be a starter; if anything, he suggested, his constantly precarious role led him to be even more prepared. “If you lose that edge,” he told MASN, “in a month or two months you’re gonna be out the door.” It was the same edge that, when the Mets went 2-9 on a July 2010 roadtrip, led him to chastise a player for joking around with reporters. It was the same edge that showed when he described his transition to a bench role in these terms: “Someone decided I wasn’t good enough.”

Cora played in 91 games for the 80-81 Nationals, finishing the season with a paper-thin .224/.287/.276 line. In January 2012, as yet unsigned by a major league team, he announced his retirement from the Puerto Rican Baseball League’s Criollos de Caguas, with whom he had played every year since the winter of 1996-1997. Los Criollos have been in Cora’s hometown of Caguas since 1938, winners of 18 league championships and five Caribbean Series championships. Cora was part of two league championships, one a decade removed from the other. His retirement from his hometown team signalled the beginning of the end. A month later, he signed with the Cardinals. They released him at the end of spring training, and thus the book closed on Alex Cora, professional baseball player.

Cora stayed around the game post-retirement. He was the general manager of Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic team, was both manager and general manager of Los Criollos, did analysis on ESPN. He interviewed for a few managerial positions. None materialized. Until, in November 2016, he was announced as the bench coach of the Houston Astros. A year later, in the middle of an Astros postseason run that would culminate in a World Series victory, Cora was announced as the new manager of the Boston Red Sox. He would be taking the helm of a team that had shown the talent, but failed to achieve the postseason heights expected of them. He would have the spotlight of the Boston media on every decision he made. It was a challenging situation for any manager, let alone someone managing for the first time. With the World Series as a goal, the decision to hire a rookie was questionable.

What has Cora done in his year as manager? He’s advanced the team’s use of analytics in their game-planning. He relaxed limitations on self-expression. He used his platform to deliver desperately-needed aid to his hurricane-stricken hometown in Puerto Rico, and spoke out when the devastation the island experienced was dismissed by the President. The Red Sox have had dynamic, charismatic young stars for a few years now. Under Cora, they have finally seemed to embrace the full extent of the talent they have—both on the field and off. Even the doubters and Sox-haters have to have been converted somewhat by this postseason run: the stunning catches, the clutch home runs, the two-out magic. They are a special team. It will take some kind of comeback from the currently listless Dodgers to knock them out of this groove.

And guiding them, putting the pieces in place for the Red Sox to succeed as brilliantly as they have, has been Cora. He, the 43-year-old first-time manager, has already led the Red Sox to the best season in franchise history. No matter how this series ends—should the magic run out, the decisions start to backfire, the Dodgers offense regain its pulse—that alone is worth celebrating. A World Series title would only put a crown on that achievement.

Less than a decade ago, sitting on the bench, Cora continued to prepare as though he were a starter. To believe that he was good enough, that he deserved to be playing and winning. Now, sitting on the bench, he gives the Red Sox the edge he nurtured as a player all those years. Now everyone knows just how good he is.

Alex Cora’s most memorable moment as a player was in 2004, that final season before he was permanently relegated to the bench. On a May evening at Dodger Stadium, batting in the bottom of the seventh, he battled Cubs pitcher Matt Clement for 17 pitches before sending the MLB-record 18th out of the ballpark. Throughout the entire ordeal—through foul ball after foul ball, the crowd’s anticipation rising after each pitch—Cora’s expression remained the same. Cool and focused, mouth set, he barely seemed to be breaking a sweat.

When he connected on that 18th pitch, Cora tossed the bat aside with an ease that was almost casual. It was only when he’d rounded the bases, turning to face his teammates waiting for him at the top of the dugout steps, that he finally smiled.

Alex Cora Never Lost His Edge published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[ramrodd]

Why do so many liberals pretend the deep state does not exist?

COMMENTARY:

The structure of this question suggests that Steve Wetzel is Conservative in a crypto-Nazi agitator kind of way: it is constructed to misdirect attention away from the GOP Deep State.

There is both a Democrat Deep State and the GOP Deep State.

The Democrat Deep State is horizontal and is a broad coalition of philosophically aligned interests that Howard Dean was able to mobilize in 2008 with his 50 State Strategy to elect Obama. Rahm Emanuel took more credit for it’s performance than comes close to reality and he, Emanueal, squandered Obama’s first two years lining up his next political career like Andrew Cuomo did when he was running HUD for Clinton. His people, Emanuel’s, are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez most virulent opponents and includes Obama.

The Democrat Deep State is a shadow of the Democrat machine LBJ left for Herbert Humphrey, which almost won thanks to George Wallace, and more or less totally disintegrated with McGovern. With the exception of Carter’s administration, the Democrats haven’t had a coherent or sustained domestic program since Watergate. Obama’s election proved that the Democrats don’t need an FDR-LBJ deep state political machine to place quality people in office and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represents a re-boot of the Nixon-Carter “Affirmative Action” process that was transforming the Military Industrial Complex to an Aerospace-Entrepreneurial Matrix that is a legacy of the Democratic Socialism of Eisenhower’s 1956 Presidential Platform that Reagan inherited and the crypto-Nazis around him began replacing with the predatory Tory Socialism of Reaganomics that created the 2008 economic crises and promises to do the same as a result of the 2017 Tax Reforms. Tory Socialism is the core economic paradigm that Obama and Clinton share with Trump, McConnell, Ryan and the House Freedom Caucus, the singular difference being that Obama/Clinton structure their policy around “altruism” as defined by Ayn Rand and Trump/McConnellRyan/Freedom Caucus structure their policy around Ayn Rand’s “Virtue of Selfishness”.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Democratic Socialism is based on the economics of Jesus. That’s why it’s radical.

After 13% of the voting public migrated out of the Democrat Deep State with George Wallace, they began to drift into the GOP Deep State, attracted to the enthusiastic racial bigotry 0f Nixon’s cultural warfare being generated by people like Pat Buchanan, who was obviously influenced by George Lincoln Rockwell during the protests at Glen Echo Park in 1954 and the success of McCarthy-Cohn in creating a lynch mob, and G. Gordon Liddy, who was an example of the crypto-Nazi element in J. E. Hoover’s FBI and all the other plumbers and 43 future felons. And, in 1972, with the rise of the Corleone family values in the collective ethos of the Harvard Business School, most of the rising generation of crime families began to migrate into GOP politics and Wall Street. And this migration was preceeded by the 1971 Powell Memo that outlined the operational agenda of the GOP Deep State, which was preceeded by the 1960 Sharon Statement, which is William F. Buckley’s crypto-Nazi manifesto establishing the modern Conservative movement and organizing the Young Americans for Freedom, which is a farm system for developing corporate crypto-Nazi career activists distributed generally through business schools and political activism at the grass roots.

And all this was in place when the crypto-Nazis that came to town with Reagan and before the GOP Deep State, as it now exists (that Steve Wetzel’s question attempts to shift attention to the Democrat Deep State) began to coalesce around Donald T. Regan as Secretary of Treasury, who was manipulating markets as SecTreasury and put it on steriods as Reagan’s Chief of Staff until Nancy recognized his treachery against her husband and America, and fired his ass.

But she couldn’t destroy the GOP Deep State that Regan left in place. Hedrich Smith’s “Who Stole The American Dream” interview captures the important elements of his book and fills in my outline of the formation of the GOP Deep State after 1971.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26HKiCR_VJA&t=8s

Noiw, elements of the GOP Deep State are identical to the Democrat Deep State and are legitimate structures of a democratic process in the context of the Hegelian synthesis of the US Constitution (the fact that the Framers anticipate Hegel reflects the especial qualities of that instrument and how Trump is trying to sabotage it for his narrow personal benefit should not be lost in the gabble of the crypto-Nazi disinformation I associate with the NRA’s version of the 2nd Amendment). Newt Gingrich copied the tactics of the Trotsky insurgency process the SDS was using as a Conservative community organizer to create GOPAC and hijack Congress with the Contract with America, which was modeled on Marx’s Communist Manifesto. Newy brags about it and GOPAC is just as legitimate as moveon.org.

But beneath these benign structures, the people behind Roger Stone, Gover Norquist, Steve Bannon and even behind Robert Murdoch and Steve Koch, are the elements which manage and distribute the Dark Money made possible by Citizens United and the enormous cash flows of the Pro-Life/Creationists Evangelical Calvinists who share John Piper’s business model and has become an essential conduit for the money laundering of Eurodollars moving to Wall Street hedge funds which employ the fiction of algorithms to hide the sources of their above average performance and cash distributions. And, at this Dark Money level, the conspiracy between the Russian criminal elements that are conducting the cyber-attack that the late election exposed hooks into the GOP Deep State. This is a transnational agenda that is engaged in destabilizing constitutional authority all over the world to create the social collapse Steve Bannon thinks is neat and John Galt makes the $ign of the Dollar over.

And this is another one of those things Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez disrupts with her cash free primary victory: Democrats have never had to rely on the big money advertising-communication strategy that the Conservatives have, because their agenda is to enrich the culture and not to polarize it, but the Democrat leadership, the Obamas and Clintons and all the down-ballot old boys, have gotten a bit too cozy with this dark money cash flow and that’s why Ocasio is considered a radical: she isn’t on the payroll and all the major players are fully vested in the status quo.

Personally, as an Eisenhower Republican, I am all in for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez specifically because of the progressive Democratic Socialism of Eisenhower’s 1956 Presidential Platform, where he doubles-down on the New Deal,

The fact that Obama and Clinton don’t recognize this is far more important than any Democrat collusion to ignore the Democrat Deep State. From what I know of the intellectual pretensions of Democrats over the year, I can believe they don’t know any better, but the fact that Steve Wetzel is trying to misdirect the conversation away from the GOP Deep State is connected to Trump’s “witch hunt” attempt to suborn Mueller’s investigation.

The good news is that Steve Wetzel probably isn’t a Russian bot.

[randomrichards]

Northwestfest; Edmonton’s annual documentary and media arts festival. From May 5-14th, movie goers previewed ground breaking and entertaining documentaries from around the world.[1] This year presented the theme of Resistance is the Only Option, showcasing documentaries focusing on some form of resistance, whether it’s hockey star Theo Fluery lobbying for stricter laws against child molesters (Victor Walk) or Jane Jacobs’ battle for the soul of New York City (Citizen Jane). This festival even has a trilogy of documentaries centering around a Scottish homeowner’s battle against Donald Trump (You’ve Been Trumped, You’ve Been Trumped Too and A Dangerous Game). While not all the films follow this theme, it does serve a common theme. After watching these films, I’ve decided to write a countdown of the 5 films I’d recommend the most. [1][1] Among them the Academy Award Nominated Life, Animated. 5) TOKYO IDOLS Examining the teen pop idol phenomenon in Japan, Tokyo Idols strips the glamour to reveal the unsettling side of the fanbase. With ages ranging from 12-19, A select few girls don Lolita attire and sing pop songs. Many gain a major cult following, with some performing on stadiums. It seems like no different than your other teen pop stars. At least in North America, the fan base are around the same age as the singer. In Japan, however, the fanbase consists of grown ass men ranging from aged twenty to middle aged. Their obsession puts Bieber’s fans to shame. Many follow their favourite idols across the country, worshiping their idol like she was Venus. Then they wait in line for autographs and photo ops. Hell, they even pay just for a handshake. You don’t know whether to regard this as sad or horrifying, especially when you see a middle aged man cover his walls with photos of Idols. But we begin to see their humanity through Koji, a 43 year old fan who leads the “Brothers”, a fanbase of idol RiRi. With a large fanbase at his domain, he leads a campaign to elevate Riri from an Idol to a serious artist. Through his one on one interviews, Koji becomes the modern tragic figure, an awkward, depressed man for whom this fanbase is his sole place of belonging and where a paid handshake is his only means of communicating with women. Admitting to having no personal life, Koji would have been heartbreaking if his life wasn’t so creepy. What makes this complicated is that RiRi is actually a brilliant young entrepreneur who knows how to manage her career. Now turning 19, Riri now wants to be taken seriously as a singer, throwing off the Idol label. Director Kyoko Miyake uses the Idol phenomenon to condemn Japan’s sexualization of young girls. As one analyst states, Japan seems to be determined to protect male sexual fantasies, which would explain how you see middle aged men gazing at a 12-year-old Idol. It also depicts people’s disconnection with each other, most notable the disconnection between men and women. It should be noted that some people will find this film too creepy to watch and I don’t blame you. 4) OUT OF THIN AIR Aka Iceland’s Making a Murderer. Let me present the scenario; In December 1975, 2 men mysteriously disappeared, sparking a national crisis in a small country not used to disappearances. After a tough search, six young people confessed to the murder of the two missing folks, bringing the investigation to an end. That is, until you take a second look at the evidence. The case doesn’t seem so cut and dry when the confessions start to contradict each other, further emphasized by re-enactments. Soon, it becomes clear the suspects were subjected to questionable interrogations and extended periods of solitary confinement. What we get is an unflinching depiction of the consequences of a justice system that cares more about making arrests than serving justice. It also brings up some uncomfortable questions about memories. Not understanding their rights, the suspects were placed under such severe pressure that they start internalizing the accusations. Soon they start distorting their own memories until they believe themselves guilty. In a heartbreaking interview, one suspect finds herself with no faith in her own memories. Add the fact that she may have lost decades of her life for a crime she didn’t commit. 3) 78/52 When it comes to entertainment documentaries, it’s always a challenge to prove the best one. This year includes a showcase of movie scores (Score: A Film Music Documentary), a look at Robbie Knievel (Chasing Evel: The Robbie Knievel Story) and celebration of a literary LBGT icon (The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin). I decided to go with 78/52, an examination of the immortal shower scene from Psycho. Well, it’s more accurate to say the film’s both an analysis of the whole movie and an examination of the legacy. With detailed journey and interviews from the likes of Eli Roth, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Bogdanovich, behind the scenes of the film, this is a must see for fans. But when it gets to the shower scene, we are given a glimpse to the minutia of intention that goes into every shot. And we do go into a lot of details from finding the right fruit to create a stabbing sound effect to how to hide Mrs. Bates’ face during the shower scene. You’ll come to understand why it took seven days for a one minute scene. What makes this film unique is the delivery. The interviews were show in black and white, shot in a Bates Motel room. Surprisingly, this adds to the mood of the documentary. 2) SHADOW WORLD “The thing about politicians is that they’re very much like prostitutes. But only more expensive.” From the mouth of an arms dealer, these words summarize the theme of this vicious takedown of the Global Arms Trade. Based on the book by Andrew Feinstein, Shadow World examines the history of arms lobbyists and its roles in wars and conflicts. The film goes into too much detail to go into. At its core, the film focuses on the Western Governments arms deals with Saudi Arabia. From there, we see world leaders from both ends of the spectrum being in the pockets of the Arabic prince and various arms industries including BAE Systems and Red Diamond. We see how this has lead to the manufacturing of war, undermining diplomacy. Not to mention the United States having a higher arms budget most 1st world countries put together. I’d recommend watching also watching Do Not Resist, where you see how the arms budget led to the over militarization of police. 1) DISTURBING THE PEACE Sometimes the bravest thing a soldier can do is lay down his/her arms, as the ex soldiers of Israel and ex-freedom fighters of Palestine prove in this captivating and hopeful documentary. Born in a land of conflict, these people witnessed tragedy at the hands of the other side. They joined forces on their sides to defeat their enemy. But somewhere along the way, they were reminded of the “others” humanity. Thus, begins a series of events that lead them to come together to form an activist group determined to break the cycle of atrocities and begin the first step to peace. Directors Stephen Apkon and Andrew Young presents their lives with sincere empathy. Each activist brings us into his/her childhood tragedies, one Israeli ex-solder recalling having to take refuge in a bomb shelter and a Palestinian ex-freedom fighter watching his little brother gunned down by Israeli soldiers. From these moments, they are seduced into different ideologies. Then comes the epiphany moments for all of them, when they start seeing the humanity of the other side. This leads to them meeting each other, truly seeing each other as human beings, and eventually friends. They eventually stand hand in hand in a series of sit ins, demanding peace between their nations. But as this film proves this is not an easy feat. First, they had to get past their own prejudices, with the Israeli thinking the Palestinians were setting them up for a trap. But then they face the very ideologies they once followed. Israeli activists constantly face their screaming, extremist neighbours accusing them of treason for quitting the army. In a film’s best moment, one Palestinian activist debates his non-violent methods to his wife, who remembers the atrocities the Israeli solders committed against her neighbours. Still, they stand around the walls, calling for the soldiers to lay down their arms and join their brothers. [1][1] Among them the Academy Award Nominated Life, Animated.

[dillydallydance]

Let’s say I synced my year on the lunar calendar, which will give a kind of excuse for this year’s delay in publishing lists (an exercise that still tickles my rational/irrational relationship to music).

This year saw the beginning (and then a complete neglect) of dddance+microclimat office playlists. The year in music then revolved much more than usual on single songs, one-hit discoveries, music blogs, spotify+deezer recommendations, etc. A few numbers explanation: In a way the list could have been quite long, but here are the 100 most played/curious songs. Ranking mattered only for the first 75, so it starts in alphabetical order. This is a much different exercise than ranking albums: I focus on replays, songs I shared, songs that were contagious to others.

Here is the playlist in full:

via SPOTIFY

ALSO ON DEEZER HERE

Adult Jazz – Eggshell

Bess Atwell - Cobbled Streets

Cass McCombs - Opposite House

Drake - One Dance

Explosions in the Sky - Desintegration Anxiety

Flume - Smoke & Retribution (feat. Vince Staples & Kučka)

Francis and the Lights - Friends (feat. Bon Iver)

Griefjoy - Scream Structure

Her - Five Minutes

Honus Honus – Santa Monica

Justice - Safe and Sound

La Femme - Le Sphynx

Lady Gaga – Joanne

Mark Pritchard - Beautiful People (feat. Thom Yorke)

Masasolo - Really Thought She Loved Me

Midnight Faces - Heavenly Bodies

Miya Folick - I Got Drunk

Nicolas Jaar - Killing Time

Niki & the Dove - So Much it Hurts

Plants and Animals - No Worries Gonna Find Us

Two Door Cinema Club - Bad Decisions

We Are Wolves - Wicked Games

Wilco - If I Ever Was a Child

Wild Beasts - Get My Bang

Wild Nothing - Reich Pop

75. Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover)

Always start the list with a pretty good joke. I know this album is 2015, but this single is 2016, and I danced on that in the office, sang it in a Karaoke in Tokyo and here I am a single-only Adele fan !

74. Rihanna - Work (feat. Drake)

73. Leonard Cohen - You Want it Darker

72. Larry Gus - At Your Desk

71. Moby & The Void Pacific Choir - Are You Lost In The World Like Me

70. Childish Gambino - Redbone

69. Car Seat Headrest - Fill in the Blank

68. Suuns – Translate

67. Radiation City – Separate

66. Preoccupations – Anxiety

65. Massive Attack - Voodoo in My Blood (feat. Young Fathers)

64. Bat For Lashes - Sunday Love

63. Animal Collective - Golden Gal

62. Islands - The Joke

61. James Blake - I Hope My Life

60. Kendrick Lamar - untitled 06 | 06.30.2014

59. The Avalanches – If I Was a Folkstar

58. Yeasayer - Gerson's Whistle

57. Peter Bjorn and John - Breakin' Point

56. Palace Winter - Positron

55. Prism Tats - Death or Fame

54. Deakin - JUST AM

53. Funeral Suits - Tree Of Life 

52. Los Porcos - Do You Wanna Live?

51. Dinner - Turn Me On

50. Bibio – Petals

49. Local Natives - Past Lives

48. Izzy Bizu - Someone That Loves You

47. LUH – I&I

46. The Kills - Doing It To Death

45. Blood Orange - “Best to You” (ft. Empress Of)

44. Cullen Omori - Synthetic Romance

43. Metronomy - Back Together

42. Methyl Ethel - Idée Fixe

41. PJ Harvey - The Wheel

40. Father John Misty - Real Love Baby

39. Mind Enterprises – Girlfriend

38 Devendra Banhart - Middle Names

37. Money - You Look Like a Sad Painting on Both Sides of the Sky

36. James Supercave - Virtually a Girl

35. Christine and the Queens - It

34. Beyonce - Formation

33. Austra - Future Politics

32. The Palms - Push Off

31. Michael Kiwuanuka - Love & Hate

30. Porches - Be Apart

29. The Weeknd - Starboy (feat. Daft Punk)

28. Globelamp - Controversial/Confrontational

27.The 1975 - Somebody Else

26. The XX - On Hold

25. Yoko Ono - Soul Got Out of the Box (feat. Portugal. The Man)

24. Anohni - Drone Bomb Me

23. Kanye West – FML

22. Júníus Meyvant - Color Decay

21. Operators - Cold Light

20. David Bowie - Blackstar

19. Julien Doré - Le Lac

18. Rae Sremmurd - Black Beatles (feat. Gucci Mane)

17. Jarryd James - Do You Remember (feat. Raury)

16. Andrew Bird - Left Hand Shake (feat. Fiona Apple)

15. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - In a Black Out

14. Georgia - Move Systems

13. Empress Of - Woman Is a Word

12. Beck – Wow

11. The Last Shadow Puppets – Aviation

10. Glass Animals - Life Itself

Glass Animals discuss How to be a Human Being with sass and swag, tackling the ridicule of some scenes of “life itself”, with a sense of derision felt equally in lyrics, synths and guitars. You can bounce your ass off as he admits “I can't get a job so I live with my mum / I take her money but not quite enough / I make my own fun in grandmama's basement / Said I look mad, she said I look wasted”.

09. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Hot Coals

This band involves quite a bunch of people, but rarely do they connect as much as they do on "Hot Coals", a jazzy, expansive number that breezes through a tickled intro, sexy and lively arrangements, percussive transitions, a piano-horns climax and a quiet landing that revolves around one of Alex Ebert’s rare displays of seriousness and humility (he’s usually quite annoying). The line "Stay the fuck in my heart" is aggressive, while the massive build-up is softly supporting it. The song is in full possession of the band’s collective skills.

08. Damien Jurado - Exit 353

Visions Of Us On the Land marks the end of a prolific album trilogy. Jurado’s voice is unique: tearful and brittle on acoustic songs. It’s also interrogative and existential, when he tackles the grandeur of of a spiritual journey, as on “Exit 353”. “You were with me all along / I let go and you held strong” is a transcendent contrast to the final part of the song where he acknowledges, in a loop, “I was alone there / I was alone then”. His state of grace, on the land, in the country, or within himself, becomes ours in a true grasp of communal beauty.

07. Loney Dear – Hulls   +    SOHN – Rennen

I don’t know how to characterize Loney Dear’s music, especially as I discovered him with “Airport Surroundings”, a song quite at odd with the rest of his catalogue. But this guy can haunt with all sorts of minimalism (hear the early “Harm” and “Distant”). ‘Hulls’ does that in a ferocious way, disturbing with piercing pulses and sharp words about estrangement. It climaxes subtly, sharing in part the tortured violence of not being loved back.

“Rennen” from Sohn picks up the same mood as with his previous album, Tremors. It’s isolated (this time literally, as Christopher Taylor secluded himself in Northern California to record his new album). It’s icy, nocturnal and pretty damn soothing. As the rest of the album again shows him to be clumsy in motives and styles, his voice is self-assured of its beauty, and emerges as one of the most pristine foreground to the kind electronic anxieties he puts forward.

06. Radiohead Burn the Witch – Daydreaming - Decks Dark - Present Tense

I always use the stupid first-grade imagery of music that makes you float, but if a band truly has the power to challenge gravity’s configuration, Radiohead reshuffle again the palpable arrangements of upright rock/electronic music, with guitar, bass, synth and drum sounds all muddled to uplift Yorke’s newfound transparency. It’s not to say that the band settled on a desirable balance between clarity and ambiguity, but a few, scarce moments of contrast bring the most rewarding seconds on the album: as “Identikit” is set afloat by Ed’s back vocals (and that choir!), Jonny conflicts the tones up and down with one of his crudest electric solo (see also the final of “Decks Dark”, with raw bass and guitar lines framing an highlight on the album). It’s Jonny too that, bringing magnificent string orchestrations, makes the record sound pastoral and idyllic even in its gloomiest moments. The contrasts are truly atmospheric, and serve as a support to a clear theme of “lightness”, persistent in the lyrics (am I really writing about Radiohead and lightness?). “Present Tense” offers such mutation in the singer’s cynicism, in a way that one can actually believe him when he sings “Don’t get heavy / Keep it light and / Keep it moving”, backed with some of the loveliest and charming music ever penned by the band (choir vs. echoed vocals vs. old-fashioned continental fingerpicking). Such words ultimately make me the most liberated too, as if I’ve watched old cousin struggle for more than 20 years, reaching a point where he embraces enlightenment: “With my spirit light / Totally alive / Totally released”.

05. M83 – Solitude

The retro-looking music of M83 always toyed with a form of adolescent, dream-like purity. It’s lovely when it’s innocent and doesn’t make sense. The whole world discovered that it could also be exhilarating with 2011’s “Midnight City”, or saturated with immature happiness on Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. M83 gives the music for those who want to feel small and silly in a big world. But this year’s Junk also proved that the cool-irony gets clumsy when that vintage obsession is overblown. Yet, “Solitude” is all that: it’s excessive and immoderate. It’s superb, grandiose, melodramatic, and lavish. And to the credit of Gonzales, it’s also immensely skilled and savvy.      

04. The Tallest Man on Earth – Rivers

A sweeter voice, less Dylan, evermore Matsson. Fingerpicking magic. The song is delicate and poignant. The bareness of its first half is slowly lifted by soft horns and subtle piano notes. This guy is steadily good.  

03. Whitney - No Woman

At the moment when I feel that indie music has not many ways left to re-characterize itself (indie is a ‘character’, right?), two former Smith Westerns guys come out with the perfect indie-folk song, making that indie thing as relevant as ever. And they do so without reinventing a single ingredient: a vacillating falsetto, inexpensive Em-A-G chords known for bringing down cynicism in an instant, a mythic-american narrative of isolation and drifting the land looking for a sense of purpose. It’s solitude without pathos (thanks to those horns). It’s sad and beautiful. It’s humble and hopeful. It knocks you down in less than 4 minutes, simple, competent and candid. I shared this song the most this year, usually with the same immediate response: “yeah, I’m hooked too”.

02. Frank Ocean - Pink + White

The fact that I’m not so passionate about R&B or soul music kept me unreasonably distant from Frank Ocean. It trickles down also (shamefully) as an involuntary estrangement with some of the most relevant black voices elevating the contemporary cultural discourse. I mean, I can go to sleep to Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” and wake up to Kendrick’s “Alright”, but I missed out on the latest of D’Angelo, Miguel, and yes, Solange and Beyonce. “Channel Orange” is revered on every sides of the universe, but it surprisingly never gave me the thrills. I read of how much of a talented singer-songwriter he is, and can’t deny any of the praises thrown at his relevance and his voice. But a few blogposts from him also hinted at a profound humanity, which kept me curious to whatever he (seldom) chooses to sing about. And here I am in 2016, finally joining the collective applauses, abusing of his ineffable empathy, worshiping the true beauty of his sensibility. Compared to the previous album, the R&B tag isn’t that obvious, probably due to the album’s deliberate minimalism. He dissolves any need for labels, cuts instead his flesh open, and makes his bowels sing along some of the most creative melodies of the year. It’s raw yet meticulous, comforting yet secretive, avant-garde yet immediately rewarding. Blond ended up as one of the albums I replayed the most this year. The combination “White Ferrari” and “Seigfried” are so well crafted in introspection and intimacy, it’s like you can hear him bleed (also, thanks Jonny Greenwood). I’m guilty of choosing also the duo of “Ivy” and “Pink+White” in particular, especially as the latest is the most immediately likable song here. But damn, how willingly am I grooving along the pristine voice, breezing with the chill and sensuous summer melody. It’s 2016’s song for walk-grooving on bass and piano tempos, set adrift on dreamlike lyrics and imageries. This is smooth smooth smooth. I’m glad I’m now fully onboard with this Ocean guy.

01. Bon Iver - 33 "GOD"

What the fuck is this guy singing about? “Holocene” was arguably one of the prettiest songs of the last decade, but there is this line about “laying waste on Halloween” that makes it surprisingly mundane. The whole ‘mood’ of such songs aligns with the Divine, yet any attempt to dissect it (maybe no one should) shows rather a collection of references to everyday places and times. It is an undeniable signature of Justin Vernon that whichever mediums he works with (may it be the resonance of elementary guitar chords, the cold echoes of autotune, or stretched electronic pulses), human-scale alienations will dominate, and will be collected into a transcendent ‘mood’. And for me Vernon is exactly that: not much of a skilled musician, but a skilled collector, a curator. Fragments of sounds and words are built in such a universal and relatable image-space; vaporous lines draw contours of quotidian episodes; passages are momentarily crafted between memories and estrangements. He gives order to what are merely fleeting impressions of the world. In “33, ‘GOD’”, when Vernon juggles aptly from sacred allusions (“I could go forward in the light”) to everyday realisms (“Well I better fold my clothes”), his questions, struggles and uncertainties briefly take shape as an engaging and responsive ghost figure. The most enduring appeal of Vernon is to do so without veering into overconsciousness, without sounding like a self-professed guru of ‘crystal healing’ bullshit (or in the case of this song, “bird shit”). Like most, I breastfeed shamelessly on the allusive accessibility of the opening piano line, or the immediacy of words like “I’d be happy as hell if you stayed for tea”. But later these tangible trajectories quickly dissolve in foreground/background disorienting dialogues. Vernon’s vision traces a mythical path in such conflicting suggestions, a path that varies with each listening, and probably will vary with the next albums to come. His voice, as always, will remain the only trustable, guiding structure.

In only 10 years, Vernon positioned himself as that father figure, for me and the music industry. Has it been only 3 albums? He gave voice to many with his own festival in Eau Claire, and assured his presence through numerous collaborations of all scales (from Kanye to this year’s Francis and the Light). Bon Iver were once revered as an easy folk band, but it appears ‘logical’ and ‘in line’ with this ascension that “22, A Million” is their most experimental and obscure record. It’s quite claustrophobic in fact compared even to the cabin made “C Em Am Em” sing-along progressions. This voluntary opacity isn’t a surprise also for bands struggling with 2nd or 3rd albums, panicked with stardom (or grammys). The result is too often a naive form of conceptual obscurantism, a way to shout something like: “People give me credits, but I’m not obvious. I’m genuine. I’m fucked up. I’m a dark creator.” To be honest, it is slightly the case here: the album’s cryptic visuals and song titles are mysterious (or fucked-up) for about 2 minutes, but perdure as uninteresting, unnecessary packaging gimmicks. Still, the album, and “33, ‘GOD’” in particular, ranks on the good side of the catchy-experimental trend, as Vernon got us accustomed to use his pervasive vulnerability as the code-cracking tool to float over the opacity of his text. It is an intimate, subtle, relationship, and here again his trademark voice will succeed to draw you as close as always.

LISTEN TO THE COMPLETE PLAYLIST HERE

via SPOTIFY

ALSO ON DEEZER HERE

.

[flauntpage]

Alex Cora Never Lost His Edge

Little remains to be said about Alex Cora’s performance as manager of the 2018 Boston Red Sox—now with 117 wins on the year—that hasn’t been said already, in glowing, effusive terms, over and over again. Managers are most often in the headlines for their missteps; the work of a good manager, in making the decisions that need to be made and keeping lines of communication clear in the clubhouse, would seem to be largely invisible. But Cora has bucked that trend this postseason. He has made bold decisions—Rick Porcello and Chris Sale out of the bullpen, Brock Holt and Rafael Devers into the lineup, Craig Kimbrel for six outs, Eduardo Nuñez to pinch-hit. These decisions would have been questioned and scorned unto infinity had they backfired. None of them have.

If the Red Sox win the World Series this year, it will be because they were the best team in baseball. They had the pitching staff, headed by Sale and Price, with Kimbrel’s shadow looming in the back end of the bullpen. They had a lineup almost without flaw, with Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez leading the onslaught. But the best team doesn’t always win in the postseason. In the postseason, even the slightest edge can be the difference between defeat and the ultimate victory. And with rookie manager Cora at the helm, the Red Sox have seized every edge and clung to it.

Not that long ago, in 2011, Alex Cora was a light-hitting utility infielder for the Washington Nationals. When he sat down for an interview with MASN, the first line of questioning was not about his current status, nor about the 13 seasons of major league experience behind him. It was about his college days: with the University of Miami, Cora had been the top-rated defensive infielder in all of college baseball.

The 13 seasons Cora had managed to stay in the major leagues were, indeed, largely on the virtue of his defensive talents, his ability to play multiple infield positions well. His bat never quite measured up. Cora’s best season at the plate came in 2002, when he batted .291/.371/.434 with five homers: a good line, but one still too light on power. Two years later, he would slash .264/.364/.380 in his final season with the Dodgers, the team that had drafted him in 1996.

After that season, Cora never played full-time again. He had a stint in Cleveland, then in Boston. He was part of their World Series championship campaign in 2007. But he was also viewed by Red Sox fans and media members as a symptom of that team’s inability to find a real everyday shortstop. Cora was just another name passing through an endlessly revolving door. He played much the same role in his season-and-change with the Mets. The Mets released him mid-season in 2010; the Rangers picked him up, then released him less than a month later. He found his home for 2011 only with the Washington Nationals, a team coming off a 69-93 season.

Still, after all that—after almost a decade of being relegated to occasional appearances, Cora professed a belief in his ability to play every day. He prepared for every game as though he were going to be a starter; if anything, he suggested, his constantly precarious role led him to be even more prepared. “If you lose that edge,” he told MASN, “in a month or two months you’re gonna be out the door.” It was the same edge that, when the Mets went 2-9 on a July 2010 roadtrip, led him to chastise a player for joking around with reporters. It was the same edge that showed when he described his transition to a bench role in these terms: “Someone decided I wasn’t good enough.”

Cora played in 91 games for the 80-81 Nationals, finishing the season with a paper-thin .224/.287/.276 line. In January 2012, as yet unsigned by a major league team, he announced his retirement from the Puerto Rican Baseball League’s Criollos de Caguas, with whom he had played every year since the winter of 1996-1997. Los Criollos have been in Cora’s hometown of Caguas since 1938, winners of 18 league championships and five Caribbean Series championships. Cora was part of two league championships, one a decade removed from the other. His retirement from his hometown team signalled the beginning of the end. A month later, he signed with the Cardinals. They released him at the end of spring training, and thus the book closed on Alex Cora, professional baseball player.

Cora stayed around the game post-retirement. He was the general manager of Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic team, was both manager and general manager of Los Criollos, did analysis on ESPN. He interviewed for a few managerial positions. None materialized. Until, in November 2016, he was announced as the bench coach of the Houston Astros. A year later, in the middle of an Astros postseason run that would culminate in a World Series victory, Cora was announced as the new manager of the Boston Red Sox. He would be taking the helm of a team that had shown the talent, but failed to achieve the postseason heights expected of them. He would have the spotlight of the Boston media on every decision he made. It was a challenging situation for any manager, let alone someone managing for the first time. With the World Series as a goal, the decision to hire a rookie was questionable.

What has Cora done in his year as manager? He’s advanced the team’s use of analytics in their game-planning. He relaxed limitations on self-expression. He used his platform to deliver desperately-needed aid to his hurricane-stricken hometown in Puerto Rico, and spoke out when the devastation the island experienced was dismissed by the President. The Red Sox have had dynamic, charismatic young stars for a few years now. Under Cora, they have finally seemed to embrace the full extent of the talent they have—both on the field and off. Even the doubters and Sox-haters have to have been converted somewhat by this postseason run: the stunning catches, the clutch home runs, the two-out magic. They are a special team. It will take some kind of comeback from the currently listless Dodgers to knock them out of this groove.

And guiding them, putting the pieces in place for the Red Sox to succeed as brilliantly as they have, has been Cora. He, the 43-year-old first-time manager, has already led the Red Sox to the best season in franchise history. No matter how this series ends—should the magic run out, the decisions start to backfire, the Dodgers offense regain its pulse—that alone is worth celebrating. A World Series title would only put a crown on that achievement.

Less than a decade ago, sitting on the bench, Cora continued to prepare as though he were a starter. To believe that he was good enough, that he deserved to be playing and winning. Now, sitting on the bench, he gives the Red Sox the edge he nurtured as a player all those years. Now everyone knows just how good he is.

Alex Cora’s most memorable moment as a player was in 2004, that final season before he was permanently relegated to the bench. On a May evening at Dodger Stadium, batting in the bottom of the seventh, he battled Cubs pitcher Matt Clement for 17 pitches before sending the MLB-record 18th out of the ballpark. Throughout the entire ordeal—through foul ball after foul ball, the crowd’s anticipation rising after each pitch—Cora’s expression remained the same. Cool and focused, mouth set, he barely seemed to be breaking a sweat.

When he connected on that 18th pitch, Cora tossed the bat aside with an ease that was almost casual. It was only when he’d rounded the bases, turning to face his teammates waiting for him at the top of the dugout steps, that he finally smiled.

Alex Cora Never Lost His Edge published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[flauntpage]

Alex Cora Never Lost His Edge

Little remains to be said about Alex Cora’s performance as manager of the 2018 Boston Red Sox—now with 117 wins on the year—that hasn’t been said already, in glowing, effusive terms, over and over again. Managers are most often in the headlines for their missteps; the work of a good manager, in making the decisions that need to be made and keeping lines of communication clear in the clubhouse, would seem to be largely invisible. But Cora has bucked that trend this postseason. He has made bold decisions—Rick Porcello and Chris Sale out of the bullpen, Brock Holt and Rafael Devers into the lineup, Craig Kimbrel for six outs, Eduardo Nuñez to pinch-hit. These decisions would have been questioned and scorned unto infinity had they backfired. None of them have.

If the Red Sox win the World Series this year, it will be because they were the best team in baseball. They had the pitching staff, headed by Sale and Price, with Kimbrel’s shadow looming in the back end of the bullpen. They had a lineup almost without flaw, with Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez leading the onslaught. But the best team doesn’t always win in the postseason. In the postseason, even the slightest edge can be the difference between defeat and the ultimate victory. And with rookie manager Cora at the helm, the Red Sox have seized every edge and clung to it.

Not that long ago, in 2011, Alex Cora was a light-hitting utility infielder for the Washington Nationals. When he sat down for an interview with MASN, the first line of questioning was not about his current status, nor about the 13 seasons of major league experience behind him. It was about his college days: with the University of Miami, Cora had been the top-rated defensive infielder in all of college baseball.

The 13 seasons Cora had managed to stay in the major leagues were, indeed, largely on the virtue of his defensive talents, his ability to play multiple infield positions well. His bat never quite measured up. Cora’s best season at the plate came in 2002, when he batted .291/.371/.434 with five homers: a good line, but one still too light on power. Two years later, he would slash .264/.364/.380 in his final season with the Dodgers, the team that had drafted him in 1996.

After that season, Cora never played full-time again. He had a stint in Cleveland, then in Boston. He was part of their World Series championship campaign in 2007. But he was also viewed by Red Sox fans and media members as a symptom of that team’s inability to find a real everyday shortstop. Cora was just another name passing through an endlessly revolving door. He played much the same role in his season-and-change with the Mets. The Mets released him mid-season in 2010; the Rangers picked him up, then released him less than a month later. He found his home for 2011 only with the Washington Nationals, a team coming off a 69-93 season.

Still, after all that—after almost a decade of being relegated to occasional appearances, Cora professed a belief in his ability to play every day. He prepared for every game as though he were going to be a starter; if anything, he suggested, his constantly precarious role led him to be even more prepared. “If you lose that edge,” he told MASN, “in a month or two months you’re gonna be out the door.” It was the same edge that, when the Mets went 2-9 on a July 2010 roadtrip, led him to chastise a player for joking around with reporters. It was the same edge that showed when he described his transition to a bench role in these terms: “Someone decided I wasn’t good enough.”

Cora played in 91 games for the 80-81 Nationals, finishing the season with a paper-thin .224/.287/.276 line. In January 2012, as yet unsigned by a major league team, he announced his retirement from the Puerto Rican Baseball League’s Criollos de Caguas, with whom he had played every year since the winter of 1996-1997. Los Criollos have been in Cora’s hometown of Caguas since 1938, winners of 18 league championships and five Caribbean Series championships. Cora was part of two league championships, one a decade removed from the other. His retirement from his hometown team signalled the beginning of the end. A month later, he signed with the Cardinals. They released him at the end of spring training, and thus the book closed on Alex Cora, professional baseball player.

Cora stayed around the game post-retirement. He was the general manager of Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic team, was both manager and general manager of Los Criollos, did analysis on ESPN. He interviewed for a few managerial positions. None materialized. Until, in November 2016, he was announced as the bench coach of the Houston Astros. A year later, in the middle of an Astros postseason run that would culminate in a World Series victory, Cora was announced as the new manager of the Boston Red Sox. He would be taking the helm of a team that had shown the talent, but failed to achieve the postseason heights expected of them. He would have the spotlight of the Boston media on every decision he made. It was a challenging situation for any manager, let alone someone managing for the first time. With the World Series as a goal, the decision to hire a rookie was questionable.

What has Cora done in his year as manager? He’s advanced the team’s use of analytics in their game-planning. He relaxed limitations on self-expression. He used his platform to deliver desperately-needed aid to his hurricane-stricken hometown in Puerto Rico, and spoke out when the devastation the island experienced was dismissed by the President. The Red Sox have had dynamic, charismatic young stars for a few years now. Under Cora, they have finally seemed to embrace the full extent of the talent they have—both on the field and off. Even the doubters and Sox-haters have to have been converted somewhat by this postseason run: the stunning catches, the clutch home runs, the two-out magic. They are a special team. It will take some kind of comeback from the currently listless Dodgers to knock them out of this groove.

And guiding them, putting the pieces in place for the Red Sox to succeed as brilliantly as they have, has been Cora. He, the 43-year-old first-time manager, has already led the Red Sox to the best season in franchise history. No matter how this series ends—should the magic run out, the decisions start to backfire, the Dodgers offense regain its pulse—that alone is worth celebrating. A World Series title would only put a crown on that achievement.

Less than a decade ago, sitting on the bench, Cora continued to prepare as though he were a starter. To believe that he was good enough, that he deserved to be playing and winning. Now, sitting on the bench, he gives the Red Sox the edge he nurtured as a player all those years. Now everyone knows just how good he is.

Alex Cora’s most memorable moment as a player was in 2004, that final season before he was permanently relegated to the bench. On a May evening at Dodger Stadium, batting in the bottom of the seventh, he battled Cubs pitcher Matt Clement for 17 pitches before sending the MLB-record 18th out of the ballpark. Throughout the entire ordeal—through foul ball after foul ball, the crowd’s anticipation rising after each pitch—Cora’s expression remained the same. Cool and focused, mouth set, he barely seemed to be breaking a sweat.

When he connected on that 18th pitch, Cora tossed the bat aside with an ease that was almost casual. It was only when he’d rounded the bases, turning to face his teammates waiting for him at the top of the dugout steps, that he finally smiled.

Alex Cora Never Lost His Edge published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/