#but John hasn’t described one whites/colored only sign

[barbie-tings]

I’m a black Arthur Lester truther and it’s a cold, lonely place out here💔all of this white man fan art is a massive jumpscare everytime

[wheres-sam]

I binge-watched the spn anime because of the brain rot

It’s bad except for the parts that are good, and it’s pretty to look at. Here’s a comprehensive list of pros and cons. Spoilers ahead!

Pros:

- more psychic kid backstories: Max (Nightmare), Lily (Darkness Calling), Jake (Loser)

- more psychic Sam

- more Azazel

- basically if you want more about the psychic/demon kids, watch the anime

- more young Winchesters

- the monsters, the superhuman abilities, the fight scenes, it all looks really cool animated. (But PSA it’s violent. It doesn’t shy away from blood and gore.)

- Sam and Jessica backstory

- more of the brothers being cute and funny together

- Missouri isn’t forgotten

- includes some Japanese legends/mythology

- the impala looks great in every scene. They did Baby good

- the “Supernatural” intro title

- the outro sketches of the boys hanging out with Baby

- Episodes adapted from the original show are different, but I like some of the changes? It’d be boring if it was an exact retelling and the visual medium wasn’t utilized. (I know I said spoilers before, but this is when they get detailed. If you wanna skip over, I’ll tell you where they STOP.)

Nightmare goes more into the abuse Max has suffered. Instead of locking Sam in a closet, Max sends Sam through the floor and covers the hole by breaking his bed in half, and it’s extremely sexy how Sam shoves the 2 halves apart with his mind. Later on Dean puts bandaids on Sam and they talk about demons loudly in front of a fast food intercom.

In My Time of Dying highlights the guilt Sam feels over Dean. In both the og and the anime John verbally blames Sam for not shooting Azazel, but where in the og Sam goes right on arguing, in the anime he reels back for a moment like he was slapped. Dean’s spirit touches Sam’s shoulder, and Sam knows immediately that it’s Dean. He doesn’t even question it. Instead of “Are you here?” it’s “I know you’re with me. I can feel it.” And I love that. Dean figures out right away he’s dealing with a reaper, and the reaper takes on the appearance of Mary to convince Dean to move on to the afterlife. Instead of a Ouija board, Sam uses a laptop to talk to Dean, and the first word Dean types is “Sammy!” Dean is so fond of his little brother and Sam is so baby.

Rising Son is an anime only episode, but it draws inspiration from John’s journal. Dean has a proper breakdown over his dad’s death and the possibility of having to kill Sam. Ms. Lyle, Sam’s favorite teacher who turns out to be possessed, is explored. John takes Dean hunting, and in the journal Dean hesitates to shoot a buck, and little Sam shoots it thinking it was endangering Dean. In the anime, Dean’s cornered by a moose and Sam makes it explode with his mind and it’s so !!! How little Sam’s first words are, “I’m glad you’re okay. It didn’t hurt you?” The boys are covered in blood and guts and Dean’s like 👁👄👁 “Why are you here? Did you do this?” And then Sam starts freaking out a little, the shock sets in. “I don’t know. I don’t know, honest.” And he’s staring at his hands, and I am a big fan of Sam showing superhuman signs as a kid. Like in the journal, Ms. Lyle tries to take Sam. She gives Sam the illusion of a choice to come with her or stay with Dean, and Sam chooses Dean. This ep is pretty much when John figures out Sam has demon blood. He kills another hunter that wants to kill Sam.

Crossroad is based on Crossroad Blues, and I love how the crossroads demon shows up. It’s hard to describe, but it’s so neat, like she’s walking underneath Dean in this mirror world, and then the mirror world takes over the regular world, so you really get this sense of otherworldly seclusion, existing outside of time.

What Is and Should Never Be shows Dean is a firefighter in his ‘Mary never died’ world, and Sam got to play soccer growing up like he wanted. The brothers hold each other after Dean is saved from the Djinn.

AHBL part 1. When Azazel shows Sam that he fed Sam his blood, Sam gags and slaps a hand over his mouth, and I like that reaction more than the live action. The psychic kids get to go more anime with their powers, and that’s a lot of fun. They don’t need weapons. Ava slams Sam into the brick side of a building and cuts him without touching him. Jake snaps Ava’s neck with one hand and then catches Sam in his arms. When Jake attacks Sam, there’s no gun or knife. He’s relying on his super strength, his fists. Sam throws his arms up to protect himself, and (accidentally?) pushes Jake back with his mind, and the collision creates a crater in the ground. Jake puts his fist through Sam’s chest to kill him. It’s brutal and it’s rad as fuck. These kids are terrifyingly powerful.

The Sam and Dean reunion before Sam is killed is not as emotional as the live action imo, but what the anime does intrigues me. Hurts in a different way. Because Sam is stunned after he uses telekinesis again, on Jake, and when he hears Dean behind him Sam freezes. He doesn’t look relieved to see Dean, but wary and weary. It’s Dean taking steps towards him, not the other way around, and it has to be because Sam doesn’t know if Dean saw him push Jake back. Sam doesn’t know how Dean’s going to respond to all this, to him, having powers that come from a demon, the demon, Azazel. Sam hasn’t had a chance to process anything. He’s scared. He’s tired. And the way the anime focuses on Sam’s eyes here. Gah. “Dean. Dean, I’m...” I’m sorry. I’m all right. I’m glad you’re okay. I’m a monster. There’s also this one shot between Sam and Azazel that sends me because of how anime it is.

AHBL part 2. I love how Sam brought back to life is animated, with all the color returning to his face and a light wind rustling his hair and his lips parting to indicate his soul returning to his body. Jake attacks Dean, and, a lot like how Sam activates telekinesis to save Dean from Max in Nightmare, Sam gets a burst of superhuman strength. He rips Jake’s arm off and tackles him to the ground and beats him to death, punches holes into his body, and it’s so savage and bloody and scary, and I love it. The Devil’s Gate opening looks so cool animated. Same goes for Dean shooting Azazel with the Colt.

Not to turn this into a meta post, but I also noticed how the last couple times Sam uses his powers they’re colored green-yellow, the same colors as Mary’s ghost when she reveals herself in the anime’s Home, and I don’t know if that’s intentional, but it’s neat how it draws a connection to Sam’s biological family instead of Azazel’s blood.

The Spirit of Vegas is like Bad Day at Black Rock, but Dean has all the bad luck instead, and it shows off the silly cartoony physics that make animation fun. The boys sleep outside and split a chunk of bread for dinner. Also this lil bit of Dean’s hair tied in a bow.

- (STOP) the brothers are pretty. I am not immune to animated Sam and Dean Winchester.

Cons:

- Jensen doesn’t voice Dean until the last 2 episodes

- The English dialogue is really bad sometimes. I wish I could’ve watched the sub, but I couldn’t figure out how to change the language

- Some character designs are really different from the live action, and maybe that’s petty, but if you’re gonna change the characters diversify them? Don’t just make them unrecognizable white people

- Missouri’s design as a stereotypical witch doctor is racist

- Gordon is replaced by some British guy named Jason?? Why

- There’s an LGBT character who is not accepted by her family and, while that bigotry is always shown to be negative and she dies the hero of the episode, she still dies ://

- In the English dub Lily’s gf is made into her roommate instead. Idk about the sub

- Bobby’s pretty much a totally different character

- Sam and Dean are OOC sometimes

- Dean’s hair usually looks darker than Sam’s and it drives me crazy

- The storytelling is, overall, not nearly as good as the live action

- The non-Japanese lore in some episodes makes no sense. Sometimes it’s just plain ridiculous?? Like there’s a giant robot made of cars and scrap metal controlled by a demon? ? I wish I was making this up

- Meg’s role is severely reduced

- No Harvelles or Roadhouse

- Shadows are overused, but maybe that’s because the og show is so dark?

- I don’t mind the art style. I like the aesthetic, but I wish it was a little more expressive. It doesn’t do Sam’s puppy eyes justice.

- AZAZEL’S SHADOW?? PROPORTIONS?? PEA SIZED HEAD

- Idk why they mashed season 1 and 2 together? The story feels rushed

- there’s not as much chemistry between Sam and Dean, but that’s a given without J2 on screen

- Nobody tells you!! That there’s scenes after the credits!! And some of them are important! Why are important scenes after the credits??

The anime would not be good on its own, without the heart and depth the live action brings, but it works as supplementary material you can cherry pick from. I would watch more if there were more episodes.

It hasn’t turned me off from wanting an spn anime. I’d like to see it continued or redone, with updated animation and better scripts. There’s a lot of potential in exploring more about the psychic kids and Sam’s powers, storylines that were cut short in the og show. Animation is a great medium for showing off the supernatural, getting creative and creepier with the designs, dramatic with the fight scenes, without having to worry about bad CGI. I don’t want a live action reboot, but I think a redone animated series could be a lot of fun! (As long as it’s not an excuse to make any romantic ships take over. SPN is a platonic love story, and I like it that way.)

If you made it to the end here and are interested in watching the spn anime, you can watch it for free on the CW Seed app! You can probably stream it elsewhere, but idk where!

[quirkwizard]

QuirkWizard Character: Katsute Nayami

Name: Katsute Nayami (Never Fear) Alternative Name: Fukahi (Inevitable, Inescapable)

Appearance:

-Katsute is for, all intense and purposes, a rather average looking man. His blonde hair, blond goatee, and overall lack of distinguishing features makes it easy for him to blend into a crowd. Though this only makes his eyes standout even more. Having a more orange color to them and that always seem to be looking into someone rather than at them.

-His general ensemble changes depending on his work. Out of his persona, he's often seen in an outfit that would describes a tourist, with an open floral print shirt, white shirt, and shorts. In his persona, he wears an all black suit with his hair slicked back, along with a red demon mask that covers his face.

Story:

-Katsute was born into the Nayami yazkua family. At around age eighteen, when heroes started to become an all-consuming business, most of the Yakuza were either arrested or went underground. Katuste's father did try to go on the straight and narrow with the few legitimate businesses he did have since he was very good at covering his tracks. Unfortunately, both Katsute's mother and father were killed in a car bombing before that could happen.

-Katsute was left as the heir of clan, as per his father's last wishes. Once there, he decided what the clan need was a kind of rebranding in order to fit in with the new order of things. Instead of continuing down the path of crime, the would help people as an association. However, they wouldn't truly give up their illegal activities. Eight years after Katsute became the head, an up and coming villain tried to extort the organization for money, as it was believed that they had some left over from their yakuza days. While he was advised to call the heroes, Katsute knew that doing that would be seen as a sign of weakness and took matters into his own hands. That villain never bother them again. And while most of the time is spent as Katsute, there are times that call for Fukahi.

-Since then, he has built a reputation of being completely invincible. Not so much out of deeds, but of words. Feeling that other groups would try to take advantage of him or his group, Katsute had people spread many false leads about his abilities. Some saying that his Quirk made him invincible, his Quirk was based around moon cycles, or even that he didn't have a Quirk at all and all the strength he had was natural. All of it was to cultivate an image of mystery and fear surrounding him.

Personality:

-Outside his persona, Katsute is often seen is a kind but lazy man. A guy who has his heart in the right place, but doesn't have the will or the brains to properly pull it off and is too goofy to take any situation seriously. Inside his persona, Katsute rarely ever speaks, often letting his actions and his mask do the talking. Most of his focus is diverted to looking as frightening as possible as to empower his Quirk.

-Katsute has been seen as contradictory, something that comes across in several of his actions. He has an extreme aversion to any kind of maiming or killing, as both ideas sicken him to his stomach. Though he has little hesitation about committing acts of violence against criminals. He has a tendency to joke around even in serious situations is only matched by him becoming unusually aggressive in uncalled for scenarios. Katuke does have a love and passion for what he is doing, even if it means painting a school or burning down a drug lab. He’s even offer former criminals jobs when he isn’t beating down another criminal. Those around him are unsure if this is just part of the act, or something that is festering naturally.

-Katsute puts a great amount of value and respect on his three closest subordinates. As far as he is concerned, he would be nowhere without their guidance. Though the same kind of admiration is given to his other subordinates, it is only to a lesser degree.

Quirk: Fear Factor

This Emitter type Quirk that allows the user to become stronger and more durable the more the user is feared by those around them. If enough people feared the user, they would even be able to fight on par with some of the more physically able heroes. The Quirk doesn’t alter the physical appearance of the user, making it seem like the user hasn’t changed at all and could even be used as a kind of surprise attack. While this does have a myriad of uses, it comes with its fair share of drawbacks. Besides only having a medium range, those nearby must be afraid of the user. Meaning if anything breaks that perception, such as the user saying or doing something humorous or nonthreatening, the user will begin to lose power. While the user does get stronger the more people that are terrified of them, there is a limit on how powerful the user becomes.

Costume:

-Hito Mask: A red oni mask with golden teeth and horns. Specific instructions were made to block out the eyes. Its purpose is to not only block Katsuke's face, but to better exploit his fearful visage.

-Bullet Proof Vest: A vest that Katsuke wears underneath his suit. Meant to both protect him and give him the illusion of invincibility.

Strengths:

-Acting: Katuske thrives in lies. He is able to switch over from afterschool special Katsuke to mob boss Fukahi in a matter of moments. He is, of course, best at acting both emotionless and terrifying in order to get his Quirk to work.

-Organization: Katsuke is one might describe as a natural born leader. He good at finding the right people for the right job, something that pours into both his both of his personas. On top of that, Katsuke has a knack for finding people he wants to work with, seeing potential in someone after meeting with them for a short time.

Weaknesses:

-Ignorance: Outside of his natural leadership, Katsuke is rather ignorant. When faced with a problem he cannot solve, such as computers or financing, he will pawn it off towards someone else who can. This has led Katsuke to rely on heavily others to solve his problems rather than trying to solve it himself. 

-Overlap: Given that he has spent so much time in both his persona and actual self, there are times when one side spills over into the other. Like when he told a joke to someone he was interrogating or when he used his “Fukhai voice” when talking to a potential investor. Incidents like these can be seen as quite bad for either side given the image each of them has cultivated.

Stats: Strength: 2/5 Speed: 2/5 Intelligence: 1/5 Technique: 5/5 Cooperation: 3/5

Trivia: -His favorite food is pizza. -He is twenty eight years old. -His blood type is O. -His favorite pastime is painting. -His two major inspirations are John Wick and the Green Hornet.    ~His overall style and fear filled persona is from John Wick.    ~His backstory and style of vigilante justice is from the Green Hornet. -His business is called Upper Hand -Despite his many activities, Katsute rarely sees a dime of what of what his groups makes. Choosing to live a simpler life, most of what he would make is either given away or put back in to the organization. -He only has two crimes on his record, though charges were dropped both times. One count of vandalism and one count of breaking and entering. The first is when he spent half an hour painting the wrong building, and the other was when he tried to use a brick to get into his apartment after he lost his keys, only for it to be the neighbor’s.

[chloe-gayzer]

a l l o f t h e m

The Basics

1. Give their full name, and describe them or post a picture! (Height, build, hair, eye, and skin color, etc.)

Adora Daisy Addicks. She’s got brown eyes, a swimmer’s body, scars up and down her back with a few on her arms. Darker skinned and has a lovely black afro.

2. How old are they?

23

3. Sexuality and gender?

Lesbian, cis woman

Pre-Game

1. How did they end up at the Hope County Sheriff’s Department? How long have they worked there?

It was sort of a chance opening thing that she applied for and got. She had to move to the area, but she decided it was worth it. She hasn’t been there more than 2 months when the shit goes down for Joseph.

2. Relationship with Pratt, Hudson, and Whitehorse?

She isn’t the biggest fan of Pratt. He’s too loud and she’s sound sensitive when her hearing aids are in. She has to turn them down near him.

Hudson becomes one of her closest friends! She knows sign so they can talk a little easier than Adora can with others. Helps that they’re both lesbians.

Adora things Whitehorse is pretty cool! At first she’s a little iffy, but he becomes a sort of bonus father figure. Which is cool cause she already has two dads.

3. Do they have an education?

Yep! Gotta to be a cop.

4. Where are they from? Did they speak a different language there?

Washington. The state. Knows english and ASL fluently. Is trying to learn other forms of ASL. Knows some spanish.

5. Is there anyone outside the valley that might have come looking for them?

Her dads. They would’ve come for her and her brother Adam.

6. Did they have a religious background of any kind?

She’s Jewish! She does her best to keep kosher whenever possible. She observes the holidays too, going home to her dads whenever possible.

Inside Hope County

1. What was going through their head when the helicopter went down and during the subsequent chase?

She was sure she’d die. She sort of doesn’t care it’s her death, it’s more a brief thought of “my family will be so sad” before she passes out, along with disappointment in herself for leaving Adam alone.

2. Were they afraid of Joseph and Eden’s Gate? Angry?

Angry more than anything. As a Jewish lesbian of color, she’s been yelled at by white christian men most of her life. She’s got practice.

3. Did they trust Dutch?

Yeah. She isn’t sure why she does, but then she meets Jess and is like “oh this is a family i can trust. It’s genetic”.

4. How did they feel about their team being taken by the cult, did they count them as lost, did they want them back, did they not care?

Her priority was Hudson. She’s not close with Pratt, she doesn’t care about the marshall, but Hudson she puts at the top of her list. She’s one of the only people that keeps Adora from feeling alone in the county.

5. How did they take to the idea of being part of, if not leading, the resistance?

Sort of a “may as well” sort of thing. She’s a hardy type of person and if she can help, she will. Her entire religion has multiple religions based out of “they tried to kill us and they failed”.

6. Which companions did they recruit, and who did they travel with the most?

Jess was first and she never left Adora’s side after that. She got everyone, but Jess was the only one who if you saw Jess, Adora was probably nearby.

7. Did they have time to find romance amidst the chaos? How did they do it?

Yes. She, well, walking into the lumber mill, killed some peggies, opened a cage and was suddenly head over heels, completely smitten, and every other way to say it, with one Jess Black. It took a bit, but they most definitely ended up an item. I’ve got so much planned for them, actually.

8. Feelings about Joseph?

She despises this man with every fiber of her being. She casually hated him for his whole deal before, but what really sealed it is how he talks about killing his infant daughter. She wants nothing more than to end him.

9. Feelings about the other Seeds?

Jacob: She hates him. A fuck ton. A whole lot.

John: More hate! For what he did to Hudson and for the word on her chest. She wears WRATH proudly. She will be wrathful and angry and she will have her justice.

10. How did they handle having to kill animals and other humans? Had they done it before?

She’d gone hunting before. That’s not an issue. With humans, it was tougher, but for every peggie she killed, she saved more innocents. If you kill a killer, the number of killers in the world remains the same. That’s why you kill as many killers as you can.

11. Which canon ending did they choose in-game, and would you have changed the ending at all?

Fighting.

But Adora is not the Judge. Adora did not get taken by Joseph. Adora made it to the prepper hideaway she’d found and shared with Jess, Grace, and Hudson. In my ending, all of them make it there and Pratt is the Judge.

Personal

1. Favorite weapon(s)?

Bow and Sin Eater

2. Stealth or firepower?

Stealth!

3. How did they spend their time, when not fighting peggies?

She loves to fish. She fishes whenever she can.

4. Where did they live during the events of the game?

Started out sort of in Dutch’s bunker or where ever she could find a safe place to sleep, eventually ended up finding an abandoned bunker that was still stocked (the owner probably having been killed by peggies). She turns it into her own hideaway, letting only three others (Jess, Grace, and Hudson) know where it is.

5. Any other facts you want to share about your Deputy!

She’s deaf! She was captain of her swimming team through grade school and college. I’ve got an entire story planned out for her and Jess after they get out of the bunker.

[sallysklar]

Janresseger: Can We Hold Onto Our Values as We Struggle to Survive in the Trump-DeVos Holding Pattern?

Janresseger: Can We Hold Onto Our Values as We Struggle to Survive in the Trump-DeVos Holding Pattern?

I was dismayed recently when I sat down to read some excellent proposals for addressing child poverty in the United States.

Here are two alternative proposals from the National Academy of Sciences. Both are prescriptions for cutting our national child poverty rate in half within a decade. Each proposal would combine a different set of policy strategies; each combination of ingredients would achieve the same very laudable result:

“Increase the Earned Income Tax Credit along the phase-in and flat portions; convert the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to a fully refundable tax credit and concentrate its benefits to families with children with the lowest incomes; increase the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by 35 percent…; and expand the supply of Section 8 Housing… Vouchers to supply affordable housing for 70 percent of eligible families.””

“Increase the Earned Income Tax Credit by 40 percent; convert the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to a fully refundable tax credit and concentrate its benefits to families with children with the lowest incomes; replace the Child Tax Credit with a monthly child allowance of $225 per month…; establish a new child support assurance program that provides a minimum payment of $100 per month per child; increase the federal minimum wage to $10.25 per hour… and index it to inflation; and restore program eligibility for non-qualified legal immigrants for Medicaid, SNAP… TANF…, SSI, and other benefits.”

I am sure that, if the people at the National Academy of Sciences who wrote the report say so, either of these prescriptions on its own would cut child poverty in half within the decade. My despair when I look at these plans, however, is that today there is an utter absence of national political will to ensure that Congress would move on any one of the specifics, let alone any combination of them.

Nor do I have any hope that even well-informed people on the street could possibly get a handle on what all these programs are and how they would work together to help our children. We need leaders who can help us understand what each of these programs is, how they would fit together, and—most important—why they matter.  And for those of us who care about the future of education, we need to be reminded that child poverty—not failing public schools—is what threatens the future of too many of our children.

Our collective ignorance about what such programs are and how they would help our children is particularly worrisome today, because the best we can look for is to be trapped in a holding pattern right now.  It is dangerous that we are forgetting the very tools that someday may help us address child poverty. We obligated today merely to be grateful when things are not quickly getting worse.

In the area of K-12 public education—which directly affects 50 million of our children—President Trump’s education budget proposal flat-funds Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These are the huge formula programs that help schools serve children in poverty and children with disabilities. The President’s proposed budget also flat-funds Head Start.  For two years now, Congress has agreed to maintain these programs, and there is some assurance Congress will continue to do so. (House Democrats recently proposed adding $4.4 billion to the FY 2020 federal budget for education, including an increase in Title I, although any House education budget is unlikely to be approved by the Republican-dominated Senate.)  We must find ourselves grateful for the preservation of the status quo, even though all this flat-funding means the programs are falling behind in inflation-adjusted dollars.

On Sunday, the Washington Post‘s Laura Meckler described today’s holding-pattern in stark terms.  What she portrays is a crisis in leadership and values, not merely a paucity of programs. In a profile about Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Meckler assures us that DeVos has emerged as among the few survivors in Trump’s Cabinet: “(‘T)he president shows no signs of asking her to resign, reflecting in part his lack of interest in the issue of education and the department responsible for it… This account of DeVos’s endurance in the Education Department’s top job is based on interviews with eight people with direct knowledge of the secretary’s relationship with the president and with an understanding of the inner workings of the White House and education agency… DeVos has benefited from Trump’s lack of interest in education, officials say… Also bolstering DeVos’s standing: She hasn’t had a single personal scandal. She’s a billionaire and travels by private plane, but she pays for it herself. She donates her salary to charity. Even detractors say that in person, DeVos is pleasant and easy to be around.”

We have a President who doesn’t care about education, and we can extrapolate: a President who doesn’t care about children.  Fortunately Congress has refused to go along with an ideological agenda that features education as an exercise in individual freedom, privatization, and marketplace choice.  We have to be grateful for the holding pattern even as we worry about the plight of poor children.

At the same time those of us concerned about a crisis in urban public schools also know that school achievement is affected by factors in the lives of children outside school. The National Education Policy Center’s Kevin Welner and researcher Julia Daniel delineate many of the primary challenges for children that threaten their engagement with school: “(W)e need to step back and confront an unpleasant truth about school improvement. A large body of research teaches us that the opportunity gaps that drive achievement gaps are mainly attributable to factors outside our schools: concentrated poverty, discrimination, disinvestment, and racially disparate access to a variety of resources and employment opportunities…  Research finds that school itself has much less of an impact on student achievement than out-of-school factors such as poverty.  While schools are important… policymakers repeatedly overestimate their capacity to overcome the deeply detrimental effects of poverty and racism… (S)tudents in many… communities are still rocked by housing insecurity, food insecurity, their parents’ employment insecurity, immigration anxieties, neighborhood violence and safety, and other hassles and dangers that can come with being a low-income person of color in today’s United States.”

These are, of course, the problems the National Academy of Sciences suggests we can address with either of their prescribed mixtures of policy investments. Nobody in this holding pattern of Trump Times, however, has been able to frame poignantly our public responsibility for addressing the needs of what First Focus identifies as 13 million children living in poverty today in the United States. Good leadership is desperately needed to develop the political will in a society barely coping with an executive branch gone mad.  As the Mueller report and its implications wash over us, at a time when our president foments hatred at the southern border, and in a society driven more and more by individualism and entrepreneurship, can we recover some kind of commitment to the public good and our collective obligation to our society’s children?

Here are some values we ought to be thinking about.

The late Benjamin Barber describes today’s realities for children and their schools—a reality that has grown more serious than it was when he wrote these words in 1998: “In many municipalities, schools have become the sole surviving public institutions and consequently have been burdened with responsibilities far beyond traditional schooling. Schools are now medical clinics, counseling centers, vocational training institutes, police/security outposts, drug rehabilitation clinics, special education centers, and city shelters… Among the costs of public schools that are most burdensome are those that go for special education, discipline, and special services to children who would simply be expelled from (or never admitted into) private and parochial schools or would be turned over to the appropriate social service agencies (which themselves are no longer funded in many cities.)  It is the glory and the burden of public schools that they cater to all of our children, whether delinquent or obedient, drug damaged or clean, brilliant or handicapped, privileged or scarred. That is what makes them public schools.” (“Education for Democracy,” in A Passion for Democracy: American Essays, pp. 226-227)

John Dewey names the principle that has traditionally grounded our society’s commitment to the well being of our children and their public education: “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children… Only by being true to the full growth of all the individuals who make it up, can society by any chance be true to itself.” (The School and Society, 1899, p. 1)

Over the past year, there was one public outcry on behalf of children that was loud enough to overcome the inertia of just trying to hold on for two more years.  Thank you teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, Denver, Los Angeles, and Oakland for your walkouts—state by state and district by district.  You who spend your days in our public schools helped us see the damage being imposed on children by huge classes along with the absence of counselors, school nurses, social workers and librarians. And you reminded citizens in many states that their taxes are needed as a public obligation to support their children and to keep a well-qualified and experienced staff of teachers in the public schools that serve their children.

There was also one simple public protest that may point to a strategy for changing the conversation. Before the 2018 election for governor of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools supplied thousands of parents statewide with very simple yard signs that said: “I Love My Public Schools and I Vote.” Without sinking into the policy weeds, the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools very plainly confronted and replaced Scott Walker’s years-long agenda to privatize and otherwise undermine public schools. Perhaps a wave of yard signs helped reframe the agenda: Tony Evers, the state school superintendent, defeated Walker and now serves as Wisconsin’s governor.

elaine May 2, 2019

Source

Janresseger

Janresseger: Can We Hold Onto Our Values as We Struggle to Survive in the Trump-DeVos Holding Pattern? published first on https://buyessayscheapservice.tumblr.com/

[elescritora]

New Year, 'Getting to know you'

Haven’t done one of these in a while. I was tagged by @mo-nighean-rouge.

Nicknames: Bee, Mimi, Mazza, Rie-Ho

Zodiac: Aries (Taurus cusp, as if that makes a difference) or Year of the Rooster

Height: 5’ 9”

Time: midnight, AEST

Favorite band/artist: Michael Franti, The Waifs, Indigo Girls, Scissor Sisters, Mika, Mozart, Roxette, Adele, Queen, Vivaldi, Elton John, Billy Joel, Women in Docs, Linda Perry, ABBA, Juzzie Smith, a whole lot of trashy dance music from any decade (but especially the 80s), Simon and Garfunkel... omg I could go on. Super eclectic is the gist of it.

Song stuck in my head: The Sound of Silence (it gets stuck in there at least once a fortnight without me even having to hear it)

Last thing I googled: “Ehlers Danlos Syndrome”+ adrenaline

Other blogs: nothing else in use on this platform

Do I get asks: rarely, but it’s been known to happen on the odd occasion

Why did I choose this username: I was trying to encourage myself to get back into writing, but it turns out I need uninterrupted time rather than encouragement. The enthusiasm is there’s but so are the kids. I do at least manage to write about 50% of my plots down these days. My OneNote overfloweth.

Following: 174; I should purge, some of these are old and inactive.

Average amount of sleep: 3-9hrs (yes, when you live like a queer Maria von Trapp, your sleep really is that variable, and it’s all dependant on other people who are no taller than my waist)

What I’m wearing: pjs - old stretchy grey singlet, knee-length cotton pants with a weird black and white geometric pattern.

Dream job: Writer. Editor. Actor. Professional negotiator. Farmer. Animal refuge owner.

Dream trip: Europe, the whole lot - we are actually going to do a several-year long slow trip as a family in about 7 years when the kids are older. I also want to see some more of my own country - the Daintree and Tasmania specifically - and go properly round New Zealand, through SE Asia, Polynesia, and to Peru. If the USA gets less Trumpy, that might get back on the list one day. I saw such a tiny bit when I was living there.

Fave food: Chocolate (even my sign name references chocolate). I’m also a big fan of cake, cinnamon doughnuts, pavlova, pumpkin and carrot soup, pierogi, Thai pumpkin curry, vegetable laksa with tofu puffs, and mango pico de gallo. And lots more. I really really like food.

Languages you speak: English and ASL. You’d think being Australian I’d know Auslan, but my wife is American and that’s how I learned. My Auslan is dreadful. Ironically, she is now fluent. She’s like Jamie with sign languages.

Play any instruments: violin, piano, guitar, recorder, glockenspiel, and my voice. Note that I haven’t played the first three in a number of years, but I could pick them up again with a bit of work.

Hair color: medium brown, and this year the grey is starting to become visible. It’s mostly in my sideburns and temples, I wish it made me look distinguished instead of mad professor-like.

Most iconic song: Iconic in what sense? I trained myself to pull my finger out and work hard when I hear Elton John’s ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ (like Pavlov’s dog, it comes on and I stop procrastinating and get cracking).

Random fact about me: I lived in an all-girls college (dorms) in my first two years at uni. I came out to my closest dorm neighbours in my second year. The four girls who were supposed to be my best friends - we did EVERYTHING together - were the only people who had an issue, and they ostracised and gaslighted me so subtly yet consistently that I had nothing much concrete to tell other people. I even started to doubt myself. I couldn’t tell my family because I was still closeted with them. It tainted my whole college experience, and I was so glad to leave. If you asked them now I don’t think think they would be able to recognise what they did or why they did it. They’d just just say we grew apart. Sometimes I wonder if the ringleader did it intentionally and the others followed, or if they practically gaslighted themselves.

Describe yourself as aesthetic things:

- the smell of the earth after a summer afternoon thunderstorm

- mango juice running down your chin

- the sensation of a Lindt ball liquefying in your mouth

- the bright blue patches of sky visible amidst the gum tree leaves when you look straight up from the base of their trunks

- a cannonball into a swimming pool, water up the nose and totally submerged

- a bloody-minded passionfruit vine that persists in winding round the palm trees

- rubbing a kitten's soft fuzzy ears

- crisp cicada shells on a rough tallowwood

- late pineapples in autumn, mulberries in winter, jasmine in spring; frangipani in summer.

Tagging: anyone who hasn’t done this and feels like it - I suspect most people have by now.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Last week, we introduced a method for evaluating Democratic presidential contenders, which focused on their ability to build a coalition among key constituencies within the party. In particular, our method claims there are five essential groups of Democratic voters, which we describe as:

Party Loyalists, who are mostly older, lifelong Democrats who care about experience and electability.

The Left.

Millennials and Friends, who are young, cosmopolitan and social-media-savvy.

Black voters.

And Hispanic voters, who for some purposes can be grouped together with Asian voters.

The goal is for candidates to form a coalition consisting of at least three of the five groups.

I certainly wouldn’t claim that this is the only way to evaluate the field; rather, it’s part of what we hope will be a fairly broad toolkit of approaches that we’ll be applying as we cover the Democratic candidates at FiveThirtyEight over the course of the next 18(!!) months.1 Furthermore, in reality, the various ideological and demographic constituencies within the Democratic Party are more fluid than this analysis implies. Nonetheless, it has influenced my thinking — the coalition-building model has made me more skeptical about the chances for Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar, for instance, but more bullish about Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke and Cory Booker. In this article, I’ll go through a set of 10 leading contenders and map out their potential winning coalitions; we’ll tackle some of the long-shot candidates later on this week.

Let’s start with the man who has led most polls of the Democratic field so far, former Vice President Joe Biden. One lesson from the 2016 Republican primary might be to approach the polls with more humility. If a candidate is ahead in the polls for a sustained period of time — as Trump was for much of late 2015 and early 2016 — maybe we journalists ought to give a certain amount of credit to that, rather than just chalking it up to high name recognition or becoming overly wedded to some theory about how voters are “supposed” to behave.

With that said, there are some trouble signs for Biden. He performs worse among those voters who are paying the most attention to the primary, suggesting that his high name recognition compared to most other candidates is a significant factor in his lead.

And I’m not sure it’s going to be very easy for Biden to expand his coalition beyond the 25 percent or so that he’s getting in polls now. Presumably many of those voters are Party Loyalists, a group for whom he’s a good fit. Biden also has strong ratings among black voters, perhaps in part as a result of his being Barack Obama’s vice president — although his handling of the Anita Hill hearings and hawkish stance on criminal justice issues could give him problems among black voters if his record is subjected to greater scrutiny.

But where does Biden go after that? Could he gain support from The Left? Maybe a bit, but his dalliances with economic populism are more rhetorical than substantive; Biden’s voting record, and it’s a long one, is fairly centrist on economic policy. Could he win over Hispanic voters? Perhaps, as Hispanics sometimes back establishment-friendly nominees (like John Kerry in 2004), but Biden’s home state, Delaware, doesn’t have very many Hispanic voters (it has quite a few African-Americans, by contrast) and I’m less willing to give credit to a politician who hasn’t historically had to develop a relationship with a minority constituency. Still, a (Hillary) Clintonian constituency of Party Loyalists, black and Hispanic voters is probably Biden’s best bet.

When I originally conceived this article, I’d planned on splitting the Democratic electorate into three rather than five groups, which I’d roughly thought of as “white Hillary Democrats,” “white Bernie Democrats” and “nonwhite Democrats.” You can probably see why I abandoned that framework. One of the problems with it is that it groups blacks, Hispanics and other racial minorities together when (as in 2008) they sometimes gravitate toward different candidates.

But another problem is that what I had thought of as “white Bernie voters” is also really two different groups: Voters who belong to The Left and those who belong with the Millennials and Friends group. In 2016, Sanders got slightly more than 40 percent of the Democratic vote nationally, which corresponds to winning clear majorities of those two groups, plus making some inroads with younger black and Hispanic voters later on in the campaign. This year, he’s polling at a little less than 20 percent. The most obvious interpretation is that, while Sanders has held on to much of his support on The Left, millennials were mostly just looking for an alternative to Clinton, and they are now considering abandoning Sanders for younger, flashier alternatives such as Beto O’Rourke and Kamala Harris.

So how does Sanders form a winning coalition? He probably does need the millennials to return to his camp, which might happen if the field narrows and his major competition is, say, Joe Biden — but it would be trickier against a Beto or a Harris or a Cory Booker. (Hence the Beto-Bernie wars.) And finding a third coalition partner is even trickier. Party Loyalists are liable to be bitter over his treatment of Clinton in 2016 and over the fact that Sanders is not actually a Democrat. Even groups such as unions — important bridges between The Left and the establishment — have been hesitant to support Sanders’s candidacy.

As for black and Hispanic voters, maybe Sanders can hope that his weak performance among those groups in 2016 was more a matter of Clinton’s strengths than his own liabilities. Sanders’s favorability ratings are reasonably good among black and Hispanic voters, in fact. But a recent survey of influential women of color found very little support for Sanders — and in contrast to four years ago, he’s now running in a field that will likely contain a number of black and Hispanic candidates. Overall, Sanders looks like a candidate with a high floor but a low ceiling, and one who would probably benefit from the field remaining divided for as long as possible.

Warren has somewhat similar problems to Sanders, including having to build a relationship with black and Hispanic voters after being elected from an extremely white state — and having already made a misstep on issues of racial identity when she took a DNA test to “prove” she had Native American ancestry.

But she potentially has a higher ceiling because she’s more likely to win support from Party Loyalists, given that she’s a Democrat rather than an independent, and that she doesn’t have baggage from 2016. She’s also ever-so-slightly to Sanders’s right in a way that places her closer to the median Democratic voter.

The most likely winning coalition for Warren, in fact, probably involves the three predominately white groups: The Left, Party Loyalists and Millennials and Friends. (One of the things that helps her with millennials is that Warren has a bigger and better social media presence than you might assume.) Her path is tricky; she probably needs Sanders to founder. And that’s before getting into the gender dynamics surrounding her campaign and whether misogyny might hurt her chances. But she has a head start, having been the first of the big names to take official steps toward running and having hired key staffers in Iowa and elsewhere, which could give her more time to figure out a winning approach.

O’Rourke has one of the more obvious three-pronged coalitions: He’d hope to win on the basis of support from Millenials and Friends, Party Loyalists and Hispanics. The groups might support him for somewhat different reasons, and O’Rourke won’t win any of them without a fight, but he has a clearer path than the other Democrats we’ve mentioned so far.

O’Rourke really did help to motivate a surge in young voter turnout in his Texas Senate race last year; voters aged 18-29 were 16 percent of the electorate in 2018 as compared to 13 percent in the previous midterm in 2014. And overall turnout was up 80 percent as compared with 2014. O’Rourke won young voters overwhelmingly, whereas in 2014, Democratic nominee David Alameel had actually lost that group to Republican incumbent John Cornyn. O’Rourke also has one of the better social media presences among the Democratic contenders.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party establishment has been encouraging O’Rourke to run, presumably because they see him as electable and potentially able to raise gargantuan sums of money for the party. Electability is a fuzzy concept, and one should be careful not to let “electable” become a synonym for “good-looking white guy” and vice versa. With that said, O’Rourke’s performance in Texas was quite strong relative to the partisanship of the state — even though he lost to Ted Cruz (by just under 3 percentage points), it was the best performance for a Democrat in a high-profile statewide Texas race in years. His policy views are a bit squishy, but that could also be an advantage of a sort — the same could be said of Obama in 2008 and Trump in 2016.

There’s liable to be a Big Discussion at some point about Beto’s authenticity among Hispanic voters. O’Rourke has a Hispanic nickname, Beto, but his given first name is Robert and he doesn’t actually have any Hispanic ancestry. With that said, he represented a district in El Paso that is almost 80 percent Hispanic, and he beat an incumbent Hispanic Democrat to first win the seat in 2012. He also won 64 percent of the Hispanic vote against Cruz (who is Cuban-American2), which is pretty good in a state where the Hispanic vote can be more conservative than in other parts of the country. (Alameel won just 47 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2014, by contrast.)

The candidate who looks best according to the coalition-building model is probably not O’Rourke, however. Instead, it’s California Sen. Kamala Harris, who potentially has strength with all five groups.

Harris, who is of mixed Jamaican (black) and Indian descent, was easily the top choice in the survey of influential women of color that I mentioned earlier. So while I don’t automatically want to assume that nonwhite candidates will necessarily win over voters who share their racial background — it took Obama some time to persuade African-Americans to vote for him in 2008 — Harris seems to be off to a pretty good head start. And her coalition not only includes black voters, but also potentially Asian and Hispanic voters. Harris did narrowly lose Hispanic voters to Sanchez, a Hispanic Democrat, in 2016 (while winning handily among Asian voters). But her approval ratings among Hispanic voters are high in California, a state where the group makes up around a third of the electorate.

If black voters and the Hispanic/Asian group constitute Harris’s first two building blocks, she’d then be able to decide which of the three remaining (predominately white) Democratic groups to target to complete her trifecta. And you could make the case for any of the three. Harris polls better among well-informed voters, which could suggest strength among Party Loyalists. She’s young-ish (54 years old) and has over 1 million Instagram followers, which implies potential strength among millennials. (And remember, Democratic millennials highly value racial diversity.) Harris’s worst group — despite a highly liberal, anti-Trump voting record — might actually be The Left, the whitest and most male group, from which she’s drawn occasional criticism for her decisions as a prosecutor and a district attorney.

Overall, however, this is a strong position for Harris. As Slate’s Jamelle Bouie points out, it may actually be a strategic advantage to be a black candidate in this Democratic primary in 2020.

If Harris rates strongly by this system, then it might follow that New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who is also black, would look strong as well. Indeed, Booker may be somewhat overlooked by the pundit class. He’s been pretty explicit about the fact that he’s eventually going to run for the nomination. And he scored strong favorability ratings in a recent survey of Iowa voters, although he isn’t yet many voters’ first choice.

With that said, there are a couple of areas in which Booker could fall a bit short of Harris. New Jersey doesn’t have as many Hispanic or Asian voters as California does (and Booker isn’t part Asian, as Harris is). And if The Left has some problems with Harris, it’s liable to have a lot of problems with Booker, who many leftists see as being too close to Wall Street and to big business. Winning on the basis of a coalition of black voters, Party Loyalists and Millennials and Friends is certainly plausible for Booker, but he doesn’t have quite as many options as Harris does.

As I said earlier, I don’t think this five-corners metric is the only way to judge the candidates. And there are other heuristics by which Klobuchar, the Minnesota senator, might better positioned. For instance, if Democrats are looking for a candidate who forms the best contrast to Trump, she has a pretty good case, as a woman from the Midwest who comes across as temperamentally moderate and without a lot of Trumpian bombast.

But I’m not quite sure how she builds a winning coalition. Klobuchar is potentially a near-perfect choice for Party Loyalists, who are liable to see her Midwestern moderation as being highly electable, especially after she won her Senate race by 24 percentage points last year in a state where Trump nearly defeated Clinton. Beyond that, though? Minnesota is a pretty white state, so Klobuchar doesn’t have a lot of practice at appealing to black, Hispanic or Asian voters. Her voting record is fairly moderate — she’s voted with Trump about twice as often as Booker has, for example — so she’s not an obvious fit for The Left. Millennials, perhaps? Her social media metrics so far are paltry — she has just 140,000 Twitter followers, for example — although (not totally unlike Warren) she has a goofy relatability that could translate well to Instagram and so on.

Klobuchar’s chances probably depend more on “The Party Decides” view of the primary than the more voter-centric vision I’ve presented here. In that view, party elites and Party Loyalists are leading indicators for how the rest of the party will eventually vote. One can imagine Klobuchar gaining traction if she performs well in Iowa, for instance. That’s a lot of “ifs,” however, whereas other candidates would seem to have more straightforward paths.

Another Midwestern senator, Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, in some ways has a more obvious route toward building a coalition. Like Klobuchar, he can make some good arguments about electability, having been elected three times in an increasingly red state, potentially making him an appealing choice to Party Loyalists. But he’s also a tried-and-true economic populist, who would be able to build alliances with The Left, and he’s reportedly a top choice among labor unions.

Where Brown might pick up the third group for his coalition is harder to say. Ohio has a reasonably large black vote, so he may be able to appeal to African-American voters. His limited social media presence and rumpled demeanor wouldn’t seem to make him a natural fit for millenials, although rumpledness didn’t stop Sanders from gaining traction with millennials four years ago. Domestic violence allegations against Brown, stemming from his divorce in 1986, have historically not moved the needle against him in his Ohio campaigns but could be a concern to younger voters, especially younger women, if they’re litigated on the national stage.

Gillibrand, who looks increasingly likely to run, sometimes gives the impression of having conducted an analysis like the one you’re reading in this article and taking a color-by-number approach to the Democratic primary. But it can come out a bit awkwardly. On the one hand, Gillibrand has the lowest Trump Score of any senator, meaning that she has opposed Trump more often than any other Democrat in the upper chamber. On the other hand, she once took relatively conservative stances on gun control, immigration and other issues when serving in Congress as a representative from upstate New York. On the one hand, she uses leftist and feminist terms such as “intersectional” to describe how she sees the future. On the other hand, she has ties to Wall Street (as many New York Democrats do).

Gillibrand’s most natural path might be to start with Party Loyalists and build out a coalition from there. But her calls for Sen. Al Franken to resign — issued after several women accused him of groping them — reportedly triggered a backlash among some donor-class Democrats, who [warning, editorial comment ahead] apparently don’t care how stupid they look for blaming a woman for a man’s #MeToo problems.

With all that said, Gillibrand potentially has a reasonably high ceiling. In New York state, she has high favorability ratings among nonwhite voters and an especially large gender gap in how voters view her. So if she isn’t getting a lot of buzz among white male Democratic pundits, you should be a little bit wary about concluding that the lack of buzz is representative of the broader Democratic coalition.

We’re getting toward the end of what you might consider the top couple of tiers of Democratic candidates. And I’m not quite sure whether to consider Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, as one of the frontrunners or as more of a long-shot candidate. In the recent Selzer/Des Moines Register poll of Iowa, almost two-thirds of likely Democratic caucusgoers didn’t have an opinion about Castro either way. And neither his tenure as mayor nor his job as HUD Secretary necessarily required him to weigh in on the major issues of the day. So for better or worse, he’s starting out with a relatively blank slate and a malleable policy platform.

Castro does have the advantage of being potentially the only Hispanic candidate in the race. He’s a good speaker, having given the keynote address at the 2012 Democratic convention. And he’s been relatively explicit about his desire to run — he may even officially declare his intentions in the next few days. A coalition of Hispanics, Party Loyalists (if he can persuade party elites about the importance of the Hispanic vote) and Millenials and Friends might be Castro’s best option. As it happens, that’s also O’Rourke’s coalition, so the two Texans could represent a problem for one another.

There’s about an 80 percent chance that the Democratic nominee will be one of the 10 candidates I just mentioned, according to betting markets. Still, that does leave some room for a long shot, and there are literally dozens of other Democrats who are contemplating a presidential bid. There are also some candidates, such as Georgia’s Stacey Abrams, who don’t seem especially likely to run, but who could be formidable if they did. We’ll cover some of those other Democrats in “lightning round” fashion in a third and final installment of this series later this week.

[smolmccartney]

Questions from @dutchisland)

Far Cry 5 Deputy Ask Meme

The Basics

1. Give their full name, and describe them or post a picture! (Height, build, hair, eye, and skin color, etc.)  Dahlia “Dollie” Collins (Picture included) Height: 5' 5” /165 cm Build: Slim, with slight curves, think ballerina with a slightly bigger chest and hips. Eyes: Dark brown, big. They are the most noticeable feature of hers. Hair: Medium brown, slightly wavy, just past her shoulders, worn in a bun mostly.  (See picture) Skin color: Pasty white Birthday: July 22 Zodiac: Leo (Based on birth time, technically a Cancer-Leo cusp)

2. How old are they?   25 years old

3. Sexuality and gender?   Cisgender Female, Demisexual

Pre-Game

1. How did they end up at the Hope County Sheriff’s Department? How long have they worked there?  After graduating, they were the job that called and hired her first. Besides, getting out of the city seemed exciting.

2. Relationship with Pratt, Hudson, and Whitehorse?  Friendly professional relationship, she will go to bars and stuff with any of them at any given time, even meet up outside of work. She and Pratt are closer, they are on a first name basis (where the others are on a last name basis)

3. Do they have an education? Bachelor degree from the University of Chicago 

4. Where are they from? Did they speak a different language there? Chicago, Illinois, and no second languages (at least fluently). Knows a bit of Japanese and Korean. 

5. Is there anyone outside the valley that might have come looking for them?  Not really, her parents have passed and her relationship with her family was never the closest.

6. Did they have a religious background of any kind? Raised by an Irish Catholic mother, after her passing she became Atheist.

Inside Hope County

1. What was going through their head when the helicopter went down and during the subsequent chase?  During the crash: Well, FUCK.  This is how it ends, I die in a crash?   During the chase she only had one thing on her mind, getting the FUCK out of there at any cost.

2. Were they afraid of Joseph and Eden’s Gate? Angry? Not afraid per say, but he makes her feel unsettled, as most super religious people tend to. Same goes for the Project. Once they started getting violent with her, then that feeling turned into one of utter annoyance.

3. Did they trust Dutch? She neither trusted or distrusted him, but at least he didn't have a gun in her face when she came to. That was a good sign.

4. How did they feel about their team being taken by the cult, did they count them as lost, did they want them back, did they not care?  Of course she wanted them back, and she would try to get them back, but if she couldn't she would force herself not to feel too bad, as she is one person against an entire cult.

5. How did they take to the idea of being part of, if not leading, the resistance?  Slightly annoyed, she never wanted or cared to lead anything, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

6. Which companions did they recruit, and who did they travel with the most? She eventually recruited all of them, but traveled most with Adelaide and Sharky, as well as all three Fangs for hire.

7. Did they have time to find romance amidst the chaos? How did they do it?   She actually did, with Sharky.  It wasn't love at first sight for her, but it was for him. However, being demisexual and spending a lot of time with him led to her making that needed connection on a mental level, and once she realized he actually is a great person, and honestly adorable, she let herself fall for him.

8. Feelings about Joseph?  Thinks he's a maniac, what did you expect?

9. Feelings about the other Seeds?  Neutral toward Jacob oddly enough, she notices his far less obvious religious devotion, in a way respects that he loves his brother enough to do what he does.  Can't stand Faith because she can't be trusted worth a damn.  John, she would maybe sleep with, but that temper of his would send her reeling on a regular basis, huge deal breaker.

10. How did they handle having to kill animals and other humans?  Animals are there for resources, she would always try to make it a one shot kill for humane reasons. As for people, they tried to kill her first, so of course she had no qualms defending herself.

11. Which canon ending did they choose in-game, and would you have changed the ending at all?  She would have preferred not killing the Seeds, and instead get them the mental help they so desperately need.

Personal

1. Favorite weapon(s)?  Sniper rifles of any kind, it's her specialty.

2. Stealth or firepower?   Stealth and sniping.

3. How did they spend their time, when not fighting peggies?  Relaxing at home, playing video games, watching anime, eating at restaurants and shopping. Also, spa and salon days. Despite the stereotypes of her job, she's actually quite feminine and high maintenance.

4. Where did they live during the events of the game?  With Sharky in Boshaw Manor.  He absolutely insisted it would be the safest place for her, and since she didn't mind him anyway, why not? It was during time at home that they really bonded before beginning their romance.

5. Any other facts you want to share about your Deputy! . - She is also quite a fan of disco music, as well as EDM and dance, but she likes a little something from most genres. - She comes from wealthy upbringing and is accustomed to a certain lifestyle, but she learns from her lover that money really doesn't get you EVERYTHING, but she would love to spoil him if they were together aside from the cult business. -She is quite sexually inexperienced for her age.  She knows what things mean but she hasn't actually DONE much, which delights Sharky in being able to be her first for a lot of things. Will add more facts when I think of them

[lookwhatilost]

cool, i have an hour to kill so im jst going to answer this dumb ask meme that i saw on my dash under a cut, bc i definitely do not have enough followers to engage w stuff like this the normal way

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?  spotify

is your room messy or clean? messy

what color are your eyes? brown

do you like your name? why? i’ve hated it for as long as i can remember. thinking it’s jst the combination of it being an unusual first name, being picked on for it a lot bc kids are mean, and having everyone around me insist that i’d love my name come adulthood bc it never ended up happening. i still want to change it legally but i have to figure out something i won’t tire of. “jackie” is working for now but idk abt committing to that one

what is your relationship status? disinterested

describe your personality in 3 words or less turbulent

what color hair do you have? dark brown

what kind of car do you drive? color? blue honda civic

where do you shop? forever 21, h&m, a few places online

how would you describe your style? trying too hard

favorite social media account i like kbnoswag on twitter lmao

what size bed do you have? queen

any siblings? jst col and my two step sisters

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? probably anchorage bc it’s scenic, the housing/rental market is abt the same as it is here, but the wages tend to be higher

favorite snapchat filter? when they make special versions of the dog filter for different holidays... i love those

favorite makeup brand(s) nyx mainly

how many times a week do you shower? i do it every day but if im in a shitty place mentally, i wont on my days off

favorite tv show? bojack horseman

shoe size? 9

how tall are you? 5′7″

sandals or sneakers? sneakers

do you go to the gym? i work out but i dnt go to a gym bc i’ve always had exercise equipment at home and my apartment has a fitness center, so i cant justify paying for a membership

describe your dream date i dream abt other things

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? $70

what color socks are you wearing? blue

how many pillows do you sleep with? 4 bc i love only using 2 and then kicking the other ones off my bed somehow when im asleep

do you have a job? what do you do? yeah, i’ve been doing hair for 4 odd years now

how many friends do you have? a decent handful but i only consider myself very close w two of them

whats the worst thing you have ever done? a lot probably but nothing rly sticks out to me as the objective “worst”

whats your favorite candle scent? yankee candle makes one called “golden sands” and i like that one a lot

3 favorite boy names/3 favorite girl names for various rzns i’d rather not answer the baby names question. pass

favorite actor? i can’t think of one off the top of my head, but i like jim carrey a lot

favorite actress? amy adams!

who is your celebrity crush? i’m not invested in famous ppl like that, but if you asked me this when i was 12, i’d have said pete wentz lmfao. probably my only one ever

favorite movie? this is hard lol. arrival, interstellar, and gone girl come to mind, though

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? i do. difficult to pick favorites bc i like more nonfiction stuff... i liked a brief history of time a lot

money or brains? brains. i have my own money

do you have a nickname? what is it? jackie is technically a nickname i guess. fati calls me “salvadore” and i hate it w a passion

how many times have you been to the hospital? a lot but i’ve only stayed there for an extended period 3 times

top 10 favorite songs stop they’re all special to me in different ways... 

do you take any medications daily? i did for a while

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) oily

what is your biggest fear? nothing that hasn’t already happened lol

how many kids do you want? none

whats your go to hair style? i cut it into a bob periodically and let it grow out until it annoys me, rinse and repeat til i die

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc) average?

who is your role model? no one. all people are jst people

what was the last compliment you received? probably someone calling me smart or something. i hear it a lot but i dnt rly believe it

what was the last text you sent? “yes binch”

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? probably pretty young if i was ever lead to believe it period. i dnt remember ever having any faith in that

what is your dream car? i had my dream car and it was more of a hassle than anything. a good metaphor for life, probably

opinion on smoking? cigarettes? do whatever you want. weed? do whatever you want, but stop saying it cures cancer. meth/crack? maybe you should chill

do you go to college? that didn’t work out

what is your dream job? being able to sustain myself without one

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? suburbs definitely. lived in rural areas before. driving 30 minutes one way to the grocery store is not something i ever feel inclined to experience again.

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? depends on what they are

do you have freckles? yes

do you smile for pictures? only when my mom makes me

how many pictures do you have on your phone? 2377

have you ever peed in the woods? no

do you still watch cartoons? i mean bojack is a cartoon. but ones for children, no

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? stan wendy

Favorite dipping sauce? chick fil a sauce

what do you wear to bed? long old tshirt and this jacket i have from middle school typically lol. i have 3 actual pairs of pajamas though

have you ever won a spelling bee? i’ve never had an opportunity to even enroll in one. my schools never ran them

what are your hobbies? i read and write a lot, still trying to kill the rolling stone 500 albums list, i paint sometimes, jst general Bitch Desperate For Escapism things

can you draw? i used to a lot more than i do now but i’m still halfway decent at it

do you play an instrument? guitar & bass. i’m better at bass. i’m better at guitar hero but that dznt count

what was the last concert you saw? fall out boy i think? i’m having trouble remembering if that was before or after roger waters

tea or coffee? both but tea is a little easier to make so i drink more of it

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? bux. jesus christ

do you want to get married? not planning on it

what is your crush’s first and last initial? i’m too disillusioned to feel that way abt ppl rn

are you going to change your last name when you get married? definitely not

what color looks best on you? pastels

do you miss anyone right now? yeah but it dznt matter

do you sleep with your door open or closed? closed

do you believe in ghosts? absolutely

what is your biggest pet peeve? when customers make a scissor cutting motion w their hands when they’re describing their haircut to me. it’s sooooo weird and stupid and idg why so many people do it

last person you called` ian

favorite ice cream flavor? mint chocolate chip

regular oreos or golden oreos? regular

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? i hate sprinkles bc they are pointless

what shirt are you wearing? a tank top

what is your phone background? my lock screen is a pic i took of the lacey street theater in fairbanks the first time i was there. my background is a pic i took in denali when i was there w ian

are you outgoing or shy? i want to socialize but i dnt know how. shy i guess?

do you like it when people play with your hair? no, honestly i find it rly unpleasant

do you like your neighbors? katie and alexis are the best drinking buddies anyone could ask for. isaac is great. everyone else i could take or leave

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? yes and both

have you ever been high? yeah

have you ever been drunk? constantly

last thing you ate? 1/2 of a jimmy johns veggie club

favorite lyrics right now uhhhh idk i dnt get stuck on music like that

summer or winter? winter

day or night? night

dark, milk, or white chocolate? i dnt rly like chocolate

favorite month? october

what is your zodiac sign gemini

who was the last person you cried in front of? ian

[shorthaircutsmodels]

Mila Kunis's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles - 15+

Mila Kunis's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, No the only thing that matters now are the hairstyles that have been released such as Mila Kunis's short hair with baby bangs and Jenna Dewan's stylish bob. Both beautiful women styled their hair on the night by the same hairdresser Chad Wood. The 33 year old actress wore a white singlet and denim jumpsuit without her husband Ashton Kutcher and their two children.

Mila Kunis's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles

Mila Kunis's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, Just last week Ashton revealed details about the couple's first kiss saying On The Howard Stern Show that as he initially thought the couple's romance was nothing serious. I was still smoking and he had given up smoking and it was as if he wanted me to hunt for cigarette smoke so he could breathe.

Mila Kunis's Short Haircuts

Mila Kunis's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, And I was like: w Ok I remembered. So I started doing this slowly through the night it got closer and closer. Actress Mila Kunis is a celebrity beauty but the Hollywood a Lister doesn't mix much. Indeed the 35 year old star of cult flick Bad Moms has worn her hair the same length and the same rich chocolate color for as long as we can remember. Please imagine Mila Kunis for a moment.

Mila Kunis's Short Hairstyles

Mila Kunis's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, What do you see. Long centrally separated waves and gorgeous giant eyes. OK well he still has giant eyes. Hello Giggles noted that Kunis's new French girl outbursts may be clip on but either way those short haircuts and trendy styles are a sign of what's to come this summer.

Mila Kunis's Haircuts

Mila Kunis's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, Since Kunis went out with the new 'do searches for terms like Mila Kunis hair Mila Kunis bang and Mila Kunis Billboard Music Awards have spiked on Google making short hair clearer with bangs caught people's attention. Everyone from Selena Gomez to Dua Lipa to Kylie Jenner has gone under the scissors in recent months and now Mila Kunis is jumping on the bob bandwagon.

Mila Kunis's Hairstyles

Mila Kunis's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, Check out our gallery of Mila Kunis hairstyles over the years. Get hair inspiration from this star from 70's show to find a hairstyle that will look as good as you.

Mila Kunis's Short Hair

Mila Kunis is known for her exotic beauty and her signature long wavy locks. But on Monday the 33 year old actress and mother of two surprised us all when she released her side by side chin length bob as she ran a casual target with her daughter Wyatt.

Mila Kunis's Hair

Thursday on instagram instagram hairstylist Chad Wood shared a photo on his Instagram of Kunis new do flaunting the Bad Moms star's more angular take on the trend. Mila Kunis has remained true to her roots throughout her two decade tenure in Hollywood literally. Mila Kunis blonde hair But we're not the only ones with the same mindset: like Solange's bleached curls and Emma Roberts champagne highlights many celebrities are coming out with new hairstyles for the new season. Now another star is showing off her latest transformation. Mila Kunis new haircut 2020 - 2021 He finally got up and started his schooling. Her father Mark Kunis recognized his daughter's acting talents and enrolled her in Beverly Hills Studios for acting classes. This is where Mila met the future agent who hired her. Mila Kunis with blonde hair One of Mila's first acting gigs was a cute 1993 children's commercial for Lisa Frank products. In this ad Mila Kunis had a look of all sorts a slight 80 targeted for children in her long and curly black hair. She then moved on to various minor roles on. Mila Kunis hair 2020 - 2021 Television such as our live and 7 Days Of Heaven where she was often seen half up with her long dark curly hair or with a fishtail braid. She also had small roles in films such as honey and Gia in which she played a young. Mila Kunis straight hair Angelina Jolie with long thick black hair and impressive eyes that really elevate her scenes. The defining moment of his career was when he took on the role of Jackie in show 70. Her character Jackie was pampered and spoiled. And she played with gusto while she showcased 70 different. Hair variations of her long raven hair which was mostly long and. Mila Kunis natural hair Wavy for most of the show's seasons. That's why most people are so familiar with his look. The pregnancy news won't come as a shock to fans both Mila and Ashton have been vocal about their love of parenting. Starting in 2020 - 2021 and ending in 2020 we have found 12 newsworthy hairstyles that Kunis has rocked in the past. Mila Kunis with short hair From air dried waves along with lavender eyeshadow to Hollywood favorite Bob start swiping to see every iteration of the Mila Kunis cut. Everyone from Selena Gomez to Dua Lipa to Kylie Jenner has jumped on the bob bandwagon in recent months and now Mila Kunis is. Mila Kunis hair colour joining them. Thursday on instagram instagram hairstylist Chad Wood shared a photo on his Instagram of Kunis new do flaunting the Bad Moms star's more angular take on the trend. As seen in the photo The Kunis Bob has shorter wavy textured ends at the back than it does at the front. Her straight hairstyle looks perfect and elegant. Mila Kunis hair color With all this talk about blunt bobs look at everyone doing sharp chops we feared the long bob would come to an end. But leave it to Mila Kunis and her stunning new ultra flattering haircut to lob back. Cue adult lobe. This hair is the 'Miss Congeniality' of the world and works wonders with every hair type. Mila Kunis haircut 2020 - 2021 Nadine Nadine Johns Alcock Mila Kunis went crazy on the internet when she got her shortest cut in June and while we love her we love even more how she looks on the adult stage. Her hairdresser took to Instagram to share her now lob with the caption fresh for her haircut. A group of other stylish trend setting women in. Mila Kunis bangs Hollywood show off their own undulating sledges styled in loose waves including Vanessa Hudgens Hailey Baldwin Sarah Paulson and Selena Gomez. Because Kunis did a big hair change last night at the 2020 - 2021 Billboard Music Awards with raven black cropped bob and crazy short bangs. Yeah boom. Her new hair first appeared on. Mila Kunis wavy hair Instagram last night with a photo posted by hairdresser Chad Wood. Headline: bangs and bobs are definitely the theme this year. He was most likely referring to Jenna Dewan's new super chic bob which was also in charge of wood. As someone who was fatally afraid of having another blast after trying them when they were babies and crying until they were young I leaned on Mila for a beautiful brave look. Mila Kunis gray hair However the mother of two married to Ashton Kutcher with whom she shares a daughter and son underwent a transformation cutting her long brunette locks into a lob namely a long bob. And she also came out of hiding one night to get a photo with t Swift. Please look at these photos and consider cutting your hair immediately. Mila Kunis curly hair Mila Kunis boosted Beauty shares on Monday night as she took on Bob one of the biggest hair trends of the season. The 32 year old wowed fans with her glossy black tresses worn into wavy short bob hair as she attended the Bad Moms premiere. Thanks. This season the haircut of choice for cool girls everywhere is undoubtedly a sleek textured bob. Mila Kunis new haircut Back in June Mila Kunis shocked the world when she cut her signature long locks into a shoulder length bob and earlier this week the Bad Moms actress debuted the short crop courtesy of celebrity hairstylist Renato Campora. The Internet has since been abuzz with headlines that read “Mila Kunis debuts cool mom Bob and Mila Kunis new mom Bob is very stylish and doable. What exactly is mom bob. Mila Kunis bob haircut However as she ran errands yesterday the mother of two looked completely different leaving her long hair for a short blunt bob. The 2020 - 2021 Billboard Music Awards have had memorable moments with notable celebrities but we won't be focusing on that here. Mila Kunis long hair However it seems the Black Swan actress hasn't gone for the chop yet. Instead she appeared to be rocking Mila's faux bob style with her shoulder length tresses pinned just to create a short look effect. They moved to Los Angeles when she was just seven years old. It was a difficult time for Mila Kunis. Mila Kunis red hair In an interview with Hello magazine she said she cried every day because she couldn't understand a single English word. When asked to describe the experience he said: Imagine being blind and deaf at the age of seven. We're more than ready for our summer beauty style to go into full hibernation mode. Mila Kunis black hair That means Air drying hacks are packed away sun kissed ends are prepared for chops and marked on our seasonal colour swap calendar. While we wouldn't call it a cut maybe more cut we're particularly obsessed with her slightly longer locks styled in these soft waves. Mila Kunis ponytail Take that to your stylist now because we promise it will be the haircut everyone gets this fall. Ghd is the director of National Education for Australia and New Zealand. More what. Thanks to her versatility her middle hair can seamlessly transition from gym to a night out with minimal effort. Preparing for an appearance on. Mila Kunis hair short The Ellen Show Kunis met with celebrity hairstylist Renato Campora who gave her a trim that completely updated her long bob. It can earn you much envy admiration and make you more feminine. The great hairstyle is an ideal option for people with all facial structures and is suitable for all situations. The style is simple but stylish and looks fabulous. The cut looks like a blunt chop that makes a perfect canvas for Kunis's ultrasleek waves. Mila Kunis light hair According to Wood's caption Just in time for CinemaCon's final night in Las Vegas on Thursday night Kunis cut her locks. It can be quite romantic and stylish. The striking shoulder length hairstyle is fairly simple to create and maintain with appropriate tools and products. Comb hair smooth. For people with long curly hair all you have to do is straighten the hair and brush it smooth and smooth. Mila Kunis updo Create some side swept bangs to match the majestic style. Create various layers to add volume to the entire view. Cut the edges to make the hairstyle softer and softer leaving only long layers. To complete the look stylist Rob Zangardi dressed the actress in a black blouse and high waisted skirt covered in black and emerald sequins both by Sally. Mila Kunis grey hair Lapointe while make up artist Tracey Levy gave Kunis a peachy smoky eye with a coordinating Sparrow nude lip. Once in a while though Mila would change her hairdo when asked for the role. In September 2020 Elle reported that Kunis was rocking a dirty yellow hairstyle with teal tips. Read the full article

[alysharichardss]

Before You Speak.

      As children we are taught to think before we speak. However, as. many of us age we disregard what it is we say, how we say it and who we say it to. This is evident in use of microaggressions. The StJohnsNow “Microaggressions” video shares the stories of numerous students and their experiences with  microaggressions. St. John's students define it as intentional or unintentional discriminatory insults directed towards and individual (0:10). These insults are frequently made against minorities based on racial and ethnic identities. microaggresions are problematic because they are insults passed off as casual that often play into the idea that the minority is less than the majority in terms of worth.

    The power of language and influence of discriminatory insults were not out of the ordinary to me. When I was six, my mom signed me up for a camp called ‘fun for kids.’ Like many other children I was amused by the sandboxes, slides, the life-size dollhouses they had, and the bright chalk waiting for me on the pavement. More than anything I wanted to play. I’m always told that children don’t see color, and to be honest six year old me had no idea what it meant to be black. What I did know was that every person looked different. I knew my hair was unlike most, and I didn’t think much of it, until my first day of camp.

     It was hot, no… it was sweltering but the heat wasn’t bothersome to me. I couldn’t wait a second longer to play with the other kids. My twin sister Alyssa and I skipped and galloped towards the dollhouses. My skipping came to a halt as we were both greeted by an unfriendly expression. “Hi!” I exclaimed. I asked the girl staring back at me if we could join her in the playhouse, to which she responded with a swift “no.” I was confused. She continued, “I only play with people who have straight hair.” I watched numerous girls walk in after me to play, but she let them enter because their hair was straight. 

     Her comment upset me, I didn’t understand what my hair had to do with anything. I found myself sitting on a bench staring at every girl who walked in and out of the dollhouse. I compared myself to them. I wanted to look like them because if I looked like them I’d be able to play.  I remember believing that somehow they were above me. Her comment was the root of my self-hate as a child. My curls became undesirable to me and I believed they were something that needed to be “fixed.”

      In Hilton Als’ “GWTW”an African American writer sheds light on his experiences as a black man in our society. Als describes feeling “watched” because of his skin color (Als 3). He goes on and describes being at parties with white people they say “We’d know you anywhere. You’re so big so distinctive”(ibid.)! Als states, “when they mean something else all together… you are: big and black.”(ibid.). Als describes negative racially motivated insults that are passed off as casual, which are microaggressions. Als’ experience is problematic because those that made the comments were oblivious to the fact that their words had implied something negative, and racially stereotypical. This is one of the biggest problems with microaggresions people don’t know what they are, how offensive they are, or how commonly they are used in conversation regularly. 

     The situation above was the first of many microaggressions I would experience growing up. discriminatory and stereotypical insults were expressed to me by my teachers and my peers. Frankly, I had no idea how to deal with it. “Why did your mom let you come to school with your hair like that…let me fix it,” said my after school program teacher Ms. Diamond. “Are you sure you didn’t steal Julia’s homework?”  Mrs. Herman asked me. “You talk white,” said my best friend Dina. “Why are you black girls so loud?” Said another.”  These comments often insinuated different things, all of them hurtful. Was something wrong with my hair? Did other black students not doing their work mean I stole my white peers because she didn’t do hers? Did I laugh loudly because a joke was funny? Or was it because I’m black? These comments made me feel “less than” those who they came from. They pointed out things about myself that I couldn’t change. As I’ve grown, my personal experiences with microaggressions have lessened. Until the other night. 

     I have just started my freshman year in college. It hasn’t been too hard for me to adjust here socially. I’ve made two friends, both of whom are of Dominican descent. When I look at them I see them simply for who they are. What has never crossed my mind is what they think when they see me. A few nights ago, after an extremely draining day, I joined a group FaceTime call with my friends Logan, Camrin, Amy, Rayonea, and Sierra. I haven’t seen them in what has started to feel like ages we all attend different universities. 

     While catching up we laughed together as we did at home as we began discussing friendships that we made. Logan mentioned that there are two “types” of black people at UCONN. What he said brought me discomfort. There was a silence. “You know what I mean… there are the athletes and there are thugs.” 

     I’ve been friends with Logan for four years he is Japanese and Italian. He often takes pleasure in playing Devil's advocate when it comes to racial issues, so the fact that this comment came from him was not surprising. However, it was extremely unsettling to me that he genuinely did not find any issue with what he said. His statement dehumanized an entire race and it enraged me. My friends asked him what he meant, and he said: “You know, the ghetto ones or the basketball players.” I told him to stop, as his reasoning was not any better than his first statement “Athletes and Thugs.” I wondered if this was how everyone viewed African American youth, not as a person but as one of two things, ghetto or a basketball player. I laughed the comment off, which is a horrible habit I possess when I am angry or uncomfortable. We started discussing something else, and shortly thereafter we all hung up. Like many instances of prejudice in the world today, his comment was ignored and swept under the rug. Unfortunately, his thoughts and words are not only limited to the conversation I had. Nor are they limited to his university. 

    Microaggressions are widespread and numerous students at St. John’s University have experienced them. There is a portion in the StJohnsNow video when an African American student recalls people's attitudes towards him when he states he is attending St. John’s University (a division one school). The replies are often, “You must be playing ball up there”(1:34). He continues, “but when I tell them I got there on scholarship they’re shocked, they’re like oh wow really, you” (1:46)? The judgment that this young man faced is similar to the judgment that Logan passed. Most often people jump to conclusions and assume young black male students are athletes,  and only athletes based on stereotypes. Another young man was placed into a box based on his race because of a misconception. These statements that are presented as casual are in fact offensive. They are microaggressions. 

     Microaggressions are dangerous. They embody everything that racism stood for, from prejudice to discrimination. Next time you speak to an individual I encourage you to consider what your words mean and what they may imply. Discriminatory and prejudice comments are harmful to any individual who experiences them. Be mindful of your use microaggressions, because words are forever.

[bountyofbeads]

Nancy Pelosi’s Failure to Launch https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/opinion/trump-whistle-blower-impeachment.html

Three excellent editorials on the latest Trump criminal activity and the need to impeach. We have more than enough evidence to impeach this president!! It's time to muster the political will and courage to do so for the sake of our Democracy and future generations!!

"It is time for the Democrats to stop worrying about the tactics of election and decide just what it is we stand for. What are our principles? Are we for good government, or are we just about winning? Concentrating only on the upcoming presidential election will give this back-door president another fifteen months of opportunity. The question is not whether we have "the votes": the question is what do we believe? We keep saying, "If you see something, say something." It seems that now is the time to "Do something." The whole world is watching!"

"I see a parallel between Mitch McConnell's refusal to let any bill onto the Senate floor unless he has the president's assurance that he will sign it, and Nancy Pelosi's refusal to institute impeachment proceedings against Trump unless she is assured of the support of at least some Republicans and the general public. Both have given up their power as leaders of their party and become enablers of the most dangerous president in our country's history."

Nancy Pelosi’s Failure to Launch

The House speaker’s hesitation on impeachment empowers a lawless president.

By Michelle Goldberg | Published Sept. 23, 2019 | New York Times | Posted September 23, 2019 7:45 PM ET |

Elizabeth Warren on Friday evening sent out a series of tweets that, in addition to calling out Donald Trump for his criminality, rebuked Congress for enabling him. “After the Mueller report, Congress had a duty to begin impeachment,” wrote Warren. “By failing to act, Congress is complicit in Trump’s latest attempt to solicit foreign interference to aid him in U.S. elections. Do your constitutional duty and impeach the president.”

Warren was not impolitic enough to refer directly to the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, but the implicit criticism was clear. It was also well deserved. Pelosi’s calculated timidity on impeachment is emboldening Trump, demoralizing progressives, and failing the country.

The House speaker is a master legislator, and by all accounts incomparable at corralling votes. But right now, Democrats need a brawler willing to use every tool at her disposal to stop America’s descent into autocracy, and Pelosi has so far refused to rise to the occasion. As Representative Jared Huffman tweeted, “We are verging on tragic fecklessness.”

Part of Pelosi’s rationale for not impeaching after the release of the Mueller report was that such a move didn’t have majority support in the country or bipartisan support in Congress. Her allies worried that were Trump to be impeached in the House but not convicted in the Senate, he could emerge stronger than ever. Many Democrats in swing districts wanted to steer clear.

These were reasonable concerns, but inaction signaled to Trump that he would face no consequences for obstructing justice or for seeking a foreign power’s help in undermining a political opponent.

Now Trump has used the power of the presidency to do just that. We don’t yet know all the details in the whistle-blower report filed by a member of the intelligence community, which is now being kept, possibly illegally, from Congress. But there’s little question that the president tried to pressure the government of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden; both Trump and his ranting disgrace of a lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, have admitted as much on television.

The idea was to try to force Ukraine to provide grist for a thoroughly debunked right-wing conspiracy theory that as vice president, Biden targeted a Ukrainian prosecutor on his son’s behalf. While Trump was strong-arming the reformist Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, his administration had frozen $250 million in security aid that the country desperately needed to defend itself against Russia, which invaded in 2014. It doesn’t matter if there was an explicit quid pro quo; Zelensky knew what Trump wanted from him. Trump deployed American foreign policy to extort a vulnerable nation to help his re-election campaign.

Trump’s latest defilement of his oath of office has pushed some previously reluctant Democrats, like the House Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff, toward impeachment. Schiff reportedly coordinated his recent pro-impeachment comments with Pelosi, yet she remains resistant to moving in the same direction. One of Pelosi’s advisers told the CNBC reporter John Harwood that her impeachment calculus hasn’t changed, saying, “See any G.O.P. votes for it?” It was almost as if the adviser was trying to troll scared, desperate Democrats, rubbing their faces in the speaker’s baffling determination to give Trump’s party veto power over accountability.

The most Pelosi has done is to write that if the whistle-blower’s complaint is kept from Congress, the administration “will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation.” Given the impunity Trump has enjoyed so far, this does not seem like a threat with teeth.

Ultimately, no one can know the political consequences of impeachment in advance. I find it hard to imagine how months of televised hearings into a widely hated president’s comprehensive corruption could help him, but I can’t see the future. Perhaps impeachment in the House without removal in the Senate would allow Trump to convince some voters he’s been exonerated, though so does the failure to impeach him at all.

Polls show that impeachment doesn’t have majority support, so there’s a political risk for Democrats in trying to lead public opinion rather than follow it. But surely there’s also a risk in appearing weak and irresolute. Already, frustration with Pelosi in the Democratic base is threatening to curdle into despair. “I see the grass-roots activists who helped build the wave last year really wondering what they built that wave for,” Ezra Levin, co-founder of the progressive group Indivisible, told me.

In the end, our system offers no mechanism besides impeachment to check a president who operates like a mob boss. It’s true that Democrats will remove Trump only by beating him in 2020, but he is already cheating in that election, just as he did in 2016, and paying no price for it.

A formal impeachment process would, if nothing else, give new weight to Democratic claims when they go to court to enforce subpoenas or pry loose documents the administration is trying to hide. It would show that Democrats are serious when they say that Trump’s behavior is intolerable, and potentially allow them to seize control of the day-to-day narrative of this rancid presidency. Trump does not want to be impeached — a Monday Politico headline says, “Trump’s team is trying to stop impeachment before it starts.” It’s hard to imagine why any Democratic leader would assist them.

Donald Trump vs. the United States of America

Just the facts, in 40 sentences.

By David Leonhardt | Published Sept. 22, 2019 | New York Times | Posted September 23, 2019 7:45 PM ET |

Sometimes it’s worth stepping back to look at the full picture.

He has pressured a foreign leader to interfere in the 2020 American presidential election.

He urged a foreign country to intervene in the 2016 presidential election.

He divulged classified information to foreign officials.

He publicly undermined American intelligence agents while standing next to a hostile foreign autocrat.

He hired a national security adviser who he knew had secretly worked as a foreign lobbyist.

He encourages foreign leaders to enrich him and his family by staying at his hotels.

He genuflects to murderous dictators.

He has alienated America’s closest allies.

He lied to the American people about his company’s business dealings in Russia.

He tells new lies virtually every week — about the economy, voter fraud, even the weather.

He spends hours on end watching television and days on end staying at resorts.

He often declines to read briefing books or perform other basic functions of a president’s job.

He has aides, as well as members of his own party in Congress, who mock him behind his back as unfit for office.

He has repeatedly denigrated a deceased United States senator who was a war hero.

He insulted a Gold Star family — the survivors of American troops killed in action.

He described a former first lady, not long after she died, as “nasty.”

He described white supremacists as “some very fine people.”

He told four women of color, all citizens and members of Congress, to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.”

He made a joke about Pocahontas during a ceremony honoring Native American World War II veterans.

He launched his political career by falsely claiming that the first black president was not really American.

He launched his presidential campaign by describing Mexicans as “rapists.”

He has described women, variously, as “a dog,” “a pig” and “horseface,” as well as “bleeding badly from a facelift” and having “blood coming out of her wherever.”

He has been accused of sexual assault or misconduct by multiple women.

He enthusiastically campaigned for a Senate candidate who was accused of molesting multiple teenage girls.

He waved around his arms, while giving a speech, to ridicule a physically disabled person.

He has encouraged his supporters to commit violence against his political opponents.

He has called for his opponents and critics to be investigated and jailed.

He uses a phrase popular with dictators — “the enemy of the people” — to describe journalists.

He attempts to undermine any independent source of information that he does not like, including judges, scientists, journalists, election officials, the F.B.I., the C.I.A., the Congressional Budget Office and the National Weather Service.

He has tried to harass the chairman of the Federal Reserve into lowering interest rates.

He said that a judge could not be objective because of his Mexican heritage.

He obstructed justice by trying to influence an investigation into his presidential campaign.

He violated federal law by directing his lawyer to pay $280,000 in hush money to cover up two apparent extramarital affairs.

He made his fortune partly through wide-scale financial fraud.

He has refused to release his tax returns.

He falsely accused his predecessor of wiretapping him.

He claimed that federal law-enforcement agents and prosecutors regularly fabricated evidence, thereby damaging the credibility of criminal investigations across the country.

He has ordered children to be physically separated from their parents.

He has suggested that America is no different from or better than Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

He has called America a “hellhole.”

He is the president of the United States, and he is a threat to virtually everything that the United States should stand for.

Trump and Election Interference, Whistle-Blower Edition

Many elements are murky, but something clearly stinks.

By Nicholas Kristof | Published Sept. 21, 2019 | New York Times | Posted September 23, 2019 7:45 PM ET |

There’s so much we don’t know about the whistle-blower complaint concerning President Trump. But here are four things we do know:

First, it seems that an experienced intelligence official was so deeply disturbed by Trump’s interactions with the president of Ukraine as to feel the need to blow the whistle.

Second, the inspector general for the intelligence community, Michael Atkinson, who was appointed by Trump and has long experience on national security issues, found the whistle-blower’s concern to be legitimate and urgent.

Third, the whistle-blower complaint came after Trump and his associates  hounded Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to undertake a corruption investigation involving Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. The  Ukrainian summary of a July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky included this cryptic sentence: “Donald Trump is convinced that the new Ukrainian government will be able to quickly improve image of Ukraine, complete investigation of corruption cases, which inhibited the interaction between Ukraine and the USA.” The Wall Street Journal reports that in that phone call, Trump pressed Zelensky about eight times to work with Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani to investigate the Bidens.

Eight times! Nevertheless, he persisted!

Fourth, Trump withheld $250 million in military assistance urgently needed by Ukraine to fend off Russian aggression, although Ukraine didn’t learn of this until August. He released the money after the whistle-blower complaint and after members of Congress intervened.

So for all the murkiness, let’s be clear: This stinks.

(Trump’s position is that his phone call with Zelensky was “pitch-perfect” and “It doesn’t matter what I discussed.”)

Thus it appears that after benefiting from Russian interference in the 2016 election, Trump then tried to coax Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election. It’s particularly egregious that Trump seemed eager to trade $250 million in American taxpayer dollars for Ukrainian help in tarring a Democratic rival.

Giuliani has helpfully acknowledged  that he urged Ukraine’s government to investigate whether Biden’s diplomatic efforts were meant to help Hunter, who had been involved in a gas company in Ukraine. (There’s no evidence of this.) Giuliani also pushed Ukraine to reinvestigate old corruption charges that ensnared Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and to conclude that this was a political attack on Trump.

In effect, Trump apparently tried to use American diplomatic might and the leverage of military assistance to get Ukraine to exonerate Manafort for 2016 and smear Biden for 2020.

The incoherence of the Trump-Giuliani position is underscored in this interview Thursday evening on CNN:

Chris Cuomo: Did you ask the Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden?

Rudy Giuliani: No. Actually, I didn’t …

Cuomo, 24 seconds later: So, you did ask Ukraine to look into Joe Biden?

Giuliani: Of course, I did.

Trump has been credibly accused of using the presidency to enrich himself (summits at Trump properties!), to protect himself from law enforcement (appeals to James Comey, offers of pardons!) and to punish perceived adversaries (Amazon, CNN, Andrew McCabe). Now he may have harnessed the power of the presidency to gain political advantage.

This is bombshell layered upon bombshell. On top of the initial accusation by the whistle-blower is the refusal of the acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, to obey federal law and relay the matter to Congress within one week.

The law is very clear, but it’s also true that Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both suggested that there might be situations involving classified information where a president should not follow the statute. These are very tricky questions of executive power versus congressional oversight.

Jeffrey Smith, who was the C.I.A.’s general counsel under Clinton, told me that despite the technical legal arguments, there should still be ways to allow oversight, especially if the core issue is a commitment that the president has made to a foreign power.

Smith cited a time when he was at the C.I.A. and a matter came up that did not technically require reporting to Congress but still raised troubling questions. After some soul-searching within the agency, it provided a briefing to the “gang of eight” congressional leaders, and Smith told me that the same would be appropriate today.

Look, this whistle-blower’s complaint will leak. The Trump administration’s recalcitrance will simply make it all the more newsworthy.

When historians review Trump’s term, I think they will see combat between an out-of-control president and various U.S. institutions, such as the courts, the Civil Service, law enforcement, the intelligence community, the House and the news media, which generally have done a credible job of standing up for laws and norms and against one-man rule. The only institution Trump has co-opted completely is the Republican Party in Congress.

Today’s struggle over the whistle-blower may be remembered as a central battle in that epic confrontation. The core question is whether our president can get away with weaponizing the federal government to punish political opponents, or whether legal constraints and congressional oversight can keep him in line.

This is a test of our political system, and the next few months will determine whether we pass.

[hollywoodx4]

Sticking with the Schuylers (43)

Hi to all of the new readers who’ve just caught up...I don’t know where you’ve all come from but thank you so much for taking that time (all that time omg) to read this series. :) And as always for your lovely comments because they make me so happy I can’t even believe it.

 1  2  3  4   5   6   7   8   9   10   1112   I  13  14   15   16   17   18A  18B   18CI  19   20   21   22   23   24   25  26   27  28   29   I  30  31  32 33 34 3536  37  38  39 40  41  42  I  

Tagging: @linsnavi  @butlinislin @adothoe

Warnings: This story is pretty heavy on mentions of both physical and emotional abuse.

The yellow wallpaper had always been a bit much in this room; once spacious for an apartment, the girls’ back bedroom was closed off by bunk beds and clothes that littered the floor. The sunny yellow had been a forced compromise between soft pink, radiant purple, and electric orange in a conflict that just could not be solved. Shoving three girls into one room was far harder than the three boys across the hall. The Laurens boys had agreed on nearly everything when they were younger, from paint color to room arrangement to what time the lights would go off at night. Whether or not the male agreement had come from Luis’s forceful older brother style only the boys knew.

With Valeria’s girls, nearly everything had been an argument. Amaia, as the oldest, felt as if her vote in these matters counted more. She was always busy with her studies and her older friends, so much so that she'd often kick her two younger sisters out of the room to have ‘well-deserved privacy.’ Mari had just wanted to please everybody, as long as their opinion would include her small unicorn nightlight by the doorway. She could not sleep without it, and as much as the glow annoyed the older girls there was no sense in arguing with fear.

Emily had always been the headstrong one; she had no time for the arguments of others. If something annoyed her, she would be the first to let her sisters know. When it came time for a remodel of the bedroom they were severely outgrowing she'd made a compelling argument in favor of the orange paint she so loved, one which went in one of her mother’s ears and out the other. She had been listening to the fighting all day; they’d translated it to their play with their dolls and spat crumbs of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at each other. If the sisters couldn't agree, then Valeria would choose.

Tweety Bird yellow was the first sign of failure seven year old Emily had faced. She helped to paint with a scowl on her face which only grew in its stormy size when Amaia admitted how much she ended up admiring the color, and when Mari dutifully placed her unicorn nightlight back in its place. She still hated the color, even after Valeria let her choose orange sheets, or Mari gave her the bottom bunk so that she could build herself a little alcove. The walls were still glaringly, stupidly yellow, and nothing she said could change that fact.

She still hates the color of the room.

Emily no longer loves electric orange, at least not as much as she had as a child-definitely not so much as to paint a wall with the color. The walls in her own apartment are a standard white, a few smatterings of brick exposed here and there. The plainness of it all is a clear juxtaposition to the sea green sofa and red armchair and eclectic side-of-the-road furniture that make the living room pop with screams of mismatched color. It is still better than canary yellow, soft and unapologetic. Her slightly broken bedside lamp is far superior to Mari’s unicorn nightlight (which is still plugged in to the girls’ room at the Laurens’s, much to Emily’s chagrin). And all of it; her currently obnoxious roommates, the lack of privacy, the aggravating commute to the NYU campus…everything is better in comparison to putrid yellow.

Although this night, this back-and-forth with John, comes close to winning that space of annoyance.

Her brother is honest. From the moment she’d been able to walk, Emily had known that fact. Back then, when she was a follower to his sandbox adventures, he’d often wave her away with a roll of his eyes. She was too much for him; too clingy and too little and comparatively a lot to handle. She likes to think back on these moments, to remind him of those days as if they are completely over. That pull toward her Irish twin brother is not that intense anymore. She’d far outgrown her puppy-dog ways and hair in pigtails and bows. What she hasn’t outgrown, however, is her need for his guidance-whether she’d like to admit it or not.

               John puts around the apartment, shuffling in front of the couch with a spring in his step. The freckles that dot his cheeks lift and pull along with them, in a dance that taunts her with its unrelenting optimism. Emily’s posture slouches on the couch, so much so that her head is now resting on the cushion. Her feet, adorned in mismatched black and white socks, are propped on the coffee table so that the space between her hips and her toes is suspended in the air. She crosses her arms over her chest, drawing out a long and heavy sigh as he crosses her path once more.

               “You’re going to run out of oxygen with all of that sighing, you know.”

               “Shut up, John.” There’s a change in his eyes, one that is immediately noticeable although Emily can only see the corners of his eyes. It’s a filament flash, flickering in a burst only long enough to bring attention to itself. And then it dies, dissipates slowly although its bright and teasing warmth remains a stain on her vision as he wheels around to look at her.

               “I mean it, this is serious stuff-you might want to lose that attitude before all of this drama kills you.”

               “Okay, mom.”

               “Emmy,”

               “-Could you just shut the hell up and clean your apartment, please? Let me enjoy this peace before the ‘Little Women’ get here.” Her eyes are dark and laden with an unrelenting sarcasm that comes through the way they roll in her head; from the way that cynicism seeps through the alto tone of her voice as she attempts to win the argument. If she hadn’t been dragged here under the false pretense of just getting drunk with John and Alex, there would be nothing she’d have to win. After being lied to so outright, however, there is so much to make up for.

               Emily Laurens cannot see past the lie; there were seemingly no intentions in John’s mind other than attempting to fool her into thinking this night would be an easy, fun little getaway from the chaos her life had currently driven her into. That had been fine. She’d been excited for that. This next layer adds in an entirely new level of annoyance she hadn’t been expecting. Sitting on the couch waiting for an unsolicited night of socialization makes her blood boil and her body ache with anxious tension. She had never been one for surprises, or even socialization for that matter. John is well aware of the fact. He’s known his sister’s aversion to new situations for her entire life. This doesn’t seem to matter now, while he sends her optimistic grins every so often as they wait for their guests to arrive.

               The sisters are first, much to Emily’s dismay. They file into the room in a poetic synchronization that is almost sickening for her to witness. Angelica leads them, making their entrance by holding the door for her sisters and sending a loud greeting through the room. Eliza is next, holding a platter with some form of pastry that she brings straight to the kitchen. Then she’s saying hello to everyone individually. Her pause is brief with Lafayette, who nods before turning away from her completely. With John she stays much longer, spending a deal of time whispering in his ear. Emily crosses the apartment to greet her, shaking her hand with a bright smile and a warmth that sends John back a few steps. It is a bit taxing, the show she is putting on, but the way she makes herself radiate positivity is not hard when she feels it coming from every portion of Eliza’s being. Whether that positivity is as genuine as the public makes it out to be is an entirely different analytical nightmare-one she’d rather discuss with Alex than his ‘work the room’ girlfriend.

               The last through the door is Peggy-Emily can just barely make out her head of springy coils as she bounds through the door behind her sisters, her voice loud and raucous and immediately calling for Hercules. She makes herself comfortable almost as easily as Eliza had, kicking her feet up on the ottoman, her frame dwarfed as she curls herself into Herc’s side to show him something on her phone.

               There isn’t a word to describe the sensation that wraps itself around Emily’s body, coiling and twisting and fighting herself in such a raucous way that she pauses mid-conversation with John in an attempt to gather her thoughts. He calls her name, a quiet echo that doesn’t quite reach her well enough to resonate, or pull her from her state of shock. A soft canary yellow-failure-adorns Peggy’s waffle-knit sweater, which is far oversized with the way it dips down just above her knees. She tucks her legs under one another, taking a sip from Lafayette’s cup as her voice bounces off of the walls with a jovial sort of freedom. Emily scoffs, turning to her brother as her own hair flips over her shoulder in soft waves, an accidental embodiment of her own annoyance.

               “Can I just go? I mean you guys are pretty evenly matched now, I’d say. Why make the numbers uneven?”

               “Alex is still coming.” His voice is low, and although he completely ignores her requests she knows what his answer will be. It isn’t as if he would hold her hostage here in this tiny apartment, or force her to do anything at all. The door is only a few footsteps away, and with a good enough excuse she wouldn’t make a complete ass of herself if she just slipped away before the party even started. But then there is John…her brother, her closest friend. He pats her shoulder and nods, as if he knows the thoughts that are running through her mind at that very moment. His own collected energy moves through her in waves that keep her grounded to the floor. And then he knows, he’s aware of the fact that while she may not want to stay, she certainly doesn’t want to go back to her apartment right now. This is what he uses to tether her here. Her brother is too smart for her sanity.

               He pours her the drink of the night, concocted by Hercules after a binge of Food Network shows that had, by some magnificent stretch of fate, drastically improved his skills in the kitchen. This drink he totes proudly along, standing by the kitchen urging the newcomers to fill their glasses from the slow cooker. None of the roommates are sure where the device had come from, but Herc had pulled it out and dusted it off early this morning. It filled the room with the aromatic scent of apples and citrus and cinnamon, one that filled mugs and kept their company warm with its temperature (and the salted caramel vodka).

               “This is what you’ve been raving to me about all these years?” Emily smirks as she remembers the calls. Even from the first year of college, back when he’d lived in his crappy shared jail cell of a dorm with Alex and a communal bathroom, game night is something he’d talked very highly about. She’d never come before-back then, it had been strictly a guy’s night. She’d always wondered what the hype had been about. Now, she is able to witness it. John is a lax, leaned back presence within it all, sipping on his drink and letting the warmth of the room wash over him.

               “Yes.”

“So…you sit and get drunk and play video games?”

               “Basically.”

               “Well, now I can say I’ve seen it all. Nerd.” It’s a warm word, spoken with the affection shown through a roll of her eyes and a brush of her knuckles on his hair, ruffling loose tendrils away from its ponytail. He shoves her toward the couches then, plopping her down in an empty spot before sitting on the arm next to her.

               “Go. Socialize. Forget about her. Have fun.” Emily turns to see her forced company, expression flat and unchanging as she’s met once again with bouncing curls and the color of that painful bedroom wall.

               The door opens again half an hour later, a voice loud and resounding off the walls breaking the streak of billowing laughter coming from the living area as Angelica drives her little kart backward down the Mario racetrack. The tone of argument is sharp and cutting, lawyerly jargon spilled between tight lips and angered tones. His shoes are kicked off at the door and the chill of the outside air comes along with them. The game is paused as the conversation ends, with a huff and the plunk of a cellphone down on the kitchen counter.

               “Oh…hi, everyone.” Alexander stands still, his face reddened by embarrassment and a hint of anger left over with the conversation he had been having on the phone. His eyes are widened with the sting of surprise upon seeing the apartment filled with people.

               “You made it!” John is the first to greet him, shaking his head with a chiding smile. From the slight gape of Alex’s mouth he is sure that his friend had once again forgotten what day it is, maybe even where he lives. Alex shakes his head and pulls his jacket off, hanging it on a hook by the door before slipping next to Eliza on the loveseat. He takes a sip from the cup she has in her hand, kissing her forehead affectionately. Emily sits up in her chair as she watches the interaction. From her place on the couch she can see the slight tightening of the sister’s muscles, the way she crosses one leg over the other and keeps her eyes trained on the game.

               “We were wondering if you were going to show up.” Emily isn’t sure if the others in the room have caught it, the snag in Eliza’s tone as her fingers find the hem of Alex’s sweatshirt. The timbre of her voice raises on the last word, not in question but silent speculation. It’s enough to make Emily lean back on the couch, biting her lip with widened eyes as she whispers a curse under her breath.

               “You saw that too?” Peggy’s shaking her head, her voice just as low as their eyes remain trained on Alex and Eliza in curiosity. He leans over to whisper something in her ear and she pulls away, shrugging and keeping her attention away from him. Alex’s posture shifts-realigns itself so that he is able to wrap a hand around her waist. His head tilts but his voice remains too soft to be heard from their side of the room.

               “What’s he saying?” Peggy leans herself closer to Emily, shoulders brushing as she begins her own side-conversation with John’s sister. Emily seems to be just as invested in this as she is, eyes trained on the couple in sideshow speculation that none of the other company pays any mind to. The only break in contact is when Peggy is passed a controller, urged to beat Hercules as reigning champion. She steers wildly between watching her sister and the screen, Emily whispering updates consisting of broken-up information ceased from bad lip reading and assumption.

               “I don’t know what’s happening but now he’s getting up to get a drink. Man, your sister looks pissed. I didn’t know she had that kind of look in her.”

               “Oh, great. Are her arms crossed?”

               “No, she’s kind of...hold on, just look.” She puts a hand over Peggy’s, just long enough for her to spare a glance Eliza’s way. She groans under her breath, speaking through half-closed lips in an attempt to keep their conversation private.

               “That’s not good. She’s never testy like this. And that little leg kick she has going on? Nervous habit. It used to drive me crazy when we were younger.”

               “What did my brother do now, do you think?”

               “Who, me?” Emily ducks as the weight of John’s hand pats her head repeatedly, leaning into her and smothering her in a hug. “Look at you, making friends. Are you having fun yet, Emmy?”

               “Please leave me alone and move over before I punch you, Johnny.”

               Eliza lets out a slight laugh at the interaction on the other side of the room, where John and Emily have begun to wrestle each other with strength meant to embarrass rather than hurt. The room is filled with a sense of peace-of a calm she hadn’t felt in days. It does not wash over her in the way she had thought. It does not move into her body. The serenity travels around her in bursts of wind that come with Herc’s laughter, or Angelica’s celebration of another drunken victory. She can practically see it, the way its warm hues of color swirl around her. They never quite reach her, rather sway and ebb around an invisible shield constructed without her knowledge. She reaches out, attempts conversation that seems near impossible to continue. When Alexander gets back she grows silent again, trading her attempts at normalcy to let her head rest back against his chest.

               He can feel the hesitation in her movement. It’s minute, barely any different from her usual self. But he’s known her so long, and loved her so fiercely, that these details scream out at him in an immediate alarm. Her shift in position is only disguised by a yawn; where she’d usually curl herself into him or splay her legs across his lap, she keeps herself in line with the television and the games at hand. When his hands move to the waves that fall over her shoulders she is still. Where there would once be a kiss or a whispering of words laced in her dulcet tones there is merely a smile which barely reaches her cheeks. Alexander is left with one hand feeling stupid, coiling her silken strands of dark honey around fingers itching to wrap themselves around her. He sips from his drink instead, letting the boiling cider course a path down his throat. The burn does not shock him as he’d hoped. This is not a dream.

               He clears his throat, then, although the drink has not offended his palate. In an attempt to decipher what is going on he leans down to whisper the question into Eliza’s ear. He is met with an immediate chill as he pulls away from him, shaking her head.

               “Not here,” she says. Between the lines of her words her voice wavers, and it is only when her eyes finally meet his that he can see that she’s cried today-not so recent to allow puffiness or moisture within them. At the corners of her eyes there is a slight redness, where she must have been rubbing away the emotions he hadn’t been there to help her with. He wonders how many times this has happened since he’s moved, but the thought tugs too harshly at his heart. He doesn’t want to know.

               “Do you want to come over after or are you busy?” He nods, a response to the first question he can only make with movement. She does not return the warmth to his chest, then, as he expects. Alexander watches as Eliza rises from their recliner and grins at his sister, squeezing herself on the floor in front of her and Peggy.

               “Trouble in paradise?” Alexander jumps as the thickness of a familiar French accent sounds in his ear. Lafayette’s voice is a trumpet; although quiet in volume it rings with brassy tones that do not play gently with his ears. They reach a level he’d define as crass, if he’d be daring enough to utter the words. Instead he tightens the corners of his mouth, lowering his eyes at his roommate.

               “Fuck off, Laff.” Although Alex’s voice is terse and condescending his friend does not get the hint. He props himself up daintily on the arm of the recliner, leaning with one arm stretched along the back to keep himself up. From this vantage point he is able to look down on Alex; to see the path of his eyes cross the room to Eliza. It is almost hopeless, the way his once independent and reckless friend has transformed into a mess from just one turn of his girlfriend’s nose. This is the farthest Lafayette has seen him stray from himself; where a tomcat once sat is now a tiny, mewling kitten just waiting to be told what to do next.

               “Fine, I’m backing off. Just don’t waste your life on this one, okay? I’ve lived it.”

               Alex’s knuckles tighten around the nearest stitch of fabric he can find, gathering the cushion of the couch in his hands and squeezing as he lets out a breath of annoyance. The back of his head pinches where his hairline ends and his neck begins, and he counts in slow numbers with the silent movement of his lips. There are thousands of responses coursing through his mind, curses and filth and shouting that would get him into more trouble than it is worth. The only words he can manage are incoherent, mumbled and condensed versions of the image of a tirade just the skipping of a breath away.

               Lafayette doesn’t speak to him for the rest of the night.

               He does speak to everybody else, save Eliza. He rolls over her in conversation, passing through any form of contact even after she wins the tournament against him. She does not seem to be bothered, or even take notice of it. Eliza is passive; she floats through the haze of the party with only small additions to conversation, keeping her spot on the floor and stopping Hercules after he attempts to refill her drink for the third time. She builds a calm façade, one which is executed with flying colors through most of their friends.

               When the night is over she is the last of the guests to leave. Her sisters trail in front of her, laughing and hollering through the bitter night air in a tipsy sort of haze. Emily walks with them, teetering on sneakers not quite meant for the moisture of fresh, powdery snow. She takes Eliza’s place in the cab, squeezing between Angelica and Peggy with the first genuine smile seen from her all night. Her heart warms at the sight, and she waves the car off as Alex steps off the curb to hail their own.

               It is quiet; the air is thin and her breathing comes in a sporadic rhythm she is unable to control. While his hand hesitates to hold hers, moving on and off of his own lap, she glues her eyes to the window before accepting it. There is something foreign, a comfort that reaches her heart with simultaneous unease. She allows her mind to drift outside of the window, to a time much different than the rolling of tires against dark asphalt and the hum of classic rock coming through the radio. She remains in this place as she leads him up the stairs, through the door that had once been theirs. His askew letter A still accompanies the tightly curled E on its surface, and it sends Alexander some semblance of peace.

               The peace is disrupted by a broken sort of familiarity when Eliza opens the door. Their home-her home-seems barren although it has been decorated by a keen eye and her mother’s guidance. Alexander takes his shoes off at the door, propping them on the drying mat as he watches her mill about the room. Her nerves have manifested into tiny habits at this point; the straightening of cushions, a pull at her hair, until he can’t take it anymore.

               “Please just tell me what’s wrong.” His voice breaks a silence that had been coated in an eerie sort of vibe, one he hadn’t realized until his tenor cut through it, awkward and inquiring. Eliza sighs, nodding. She pauses in her wandering to fall back onto the coffee table, a foot clad in a long wool sock tapping the hardwood floor.

“I just….I think I’m just adjusting to this whole living apart thing, but I haven’t seen you in a while, and,”

“I miss you too, I miss this,”

“-You never showed up on Wednesday.”  Her interruption is so sudden, its pace so quick, that he has to stand still and let it run over in his mind before he can process it. His eyebrows quirk, just for a moment, before his jaw drops. “I called you, but you never picked up. I feel like texting would’ve been useless since you haven’t been lately, and then I called John and he said you were at the library.”

He had been. Wednesday was a more bustling day, from work to class and back again. But Wednesday had always been their day. They’d catch up on their shows, order takeout…no matter what happened during the week, he could always count on Wednesdays. And she could always count on him.

               Shit.

               He had left work and gone straight to the library, fragments of his current case study swirling in his mind just waiting to be deciphered. He hadn’t meant to stay long, only an hour or so. But suddenly the lights brightened, and his vision grew hazy. Suddenly he was the only occupant of the gigantic room, the minute sound of his breathing the only trace of life within it. He hadn’t even known what day it was then, hadn’t connected the dots from the similarity in his schedule to he and Eliza’s night. He’d forgotten. The realization hits him with an immediate apology, one that comes tumbling from lips that ache to brush against hers, to make her disappointment disappear.

               “I just wish…we haven’t talked all week. I know you’re busy, and I know how your schedule gets, but I just missed you. You weren’t calling me back, and then you didn’t come on Wednesday, and,”

               “I am so sorry. You don’t deserve that, Eliza, I swear. I never want you to feel like you don’t mean everything to me, or that I don’t care about you or I’ve forgotten you. It’s just been crazy lately and that’s no excuse, there’s no reason I shouldn’t have been there Wednesday night. I could never say sorry enough.”

               His eyes are wide and apologetic, with the depth she had gotten lost in just four months before knocking her off of her feet again. Her hand meets his shoulder, trailing down his arm in comfort and attempting to get his rampant rant of words to stop. Alexander nods at her silent concession, slow and meticulous as his anxiety yields to the calm of her touch. It’s uncertain, the way his heartbeat returns to the typical racing the lift of her cheeks brings him. It doesn’t seem fair. But she’s there, her fingers brushing the back of his hand, and he’s forgiven.

               “Well we have tonight, right? You can stay, we can pretend this whole moving out thing never happened…” She bites down on her lower lip then, looking up at him through eyes slightly widened by suggestion. He is sold; saying no to her had never been much of an option. Even if he had wanted to, by some stretch of an imaginary world, she always managed to draw him in. He wraps his arms around her waist, the taste of apple cider made sweeter by her lips as she hums in response to his touch.

               They have tonight; he lets himself fall to the couch, Eliza toppling over him, as his promise is painted in breathless words against her neck. There is simplicity in his presence, a fill in the hole she had created with necessity in place of her own desires. With Alexander there, his body pressed against hers and his love demonstrated so clearly, she is at peace.

[tsundere-sims]

Nicole Xiao

Basics Name: Nicole Xiao L’Ane she was born Xiao Nicole L’Ane but she switched her first name and her second name, her surname is luxembourgeois Ethnicity: Eurasian (father of pure luxembourgish family established in China for years and Chinese mother) (mother is daughter of Bengali father and Chinese mother living in Laos for decades) so (dad -> white & asian mom-> bengali and chinese) Age: 22 Sexuality: Straight, grey-aromantic Employment: Writer Birthday: 7 janvier 1995 Sign: Capricorn Eye Color: Amber Hair Style/Color: straigt black shoulder length hair Height: 5’03 Clothing Style: conservative, colorless (brown sometimes) Favorites Color : pale brown Animal: rodent Movie: Westerns,Japanese horror films & Asian actions film Game: pc games Music: alternative rock, blues, rocknroll, Electro pop, basically all her playlist Drink: milk tea Food: All Chinese street food involving pork Thoughts Your First Thoughts Waking Up: I don't waste time, I wake up and go no time to wander What You Think About the Most: my adoptive parents John and Authrine What You Think About Before Bed: Why Liun and I can move to welcome 3 more people to live with us You Think Your Best Quality Is: My apathy really, I love the fact that I have the ability to dissociate and be immune to what hurts others the most, the people I'm close too feel comfortable telling me anything, bc most of the time it don't phase me and I never judge nobody, I'm like a blank page….” Childhood memories/Relationships/Idols/etc. Nicole fave memory as a child is the birth of her little sister Vili as her and Liun felt lonely since brother was always at school and mom work 3 job and is only home sumdays, they took care of her like their 3rd twin. Mother (Xue Han): She was not close to her mom at all bc she was barely home working 3 jobs first at a local laundry from 12 to 4pm, in a hotel from 6pm to 10pm and as waitress from 10pm to midnight, therefore she slept at their aunt house and left Nicole,Liun and baby Vili alone with their brother who went to school from 9am to 6pm. So they barely had time to bond plus the mom had an exhorbitant love for money when she married she just did bc he impressed her with his family rich reputation in China and the fact he was half white(she was very ashamed of her Bengali heritage in a white beauty supremacy Laos & China) so she urged to marry him and weirdly she had a child shortly after as a “surprise” (huh she was pregnant before meeting him she took the opportunity by marrying what she thought was a rich man to make him believe the baby was HIS and secure the wealth she wanted) after the marriage she realized Qiang was not a direct heir of the “L’Ane” family wealth but just a cousin of the Heir he had an argument with and they cut him out of financial support, they became lower middle class, by that time she was pregnant with twins and didn't announced to Quiang, who signed paper saying that his family had just one Child and no plans of another bc China population was too much and birth had to be limited. They recieved 5,000 for accepting the “agreement” not to have children but then she announced her pregnancy after Quiang decided to hide the kids by not declaring them at birth, just the time to get a lawyer to annul the agreement. Fearing to get arrested bc Quiang didn't find a lawyer that will accept to be paid a lower middle class family revenue she declared the children, Quiang accepted but left the house not taking care of the newborn twins for 5 month, And Xue had to payback the 5,000¥ so she took a job and had her family track Quiang down they found him, homeless and hungry he came back home w no explanation and was a stay at home dad for the twins and Xue worked. To payback the money he secretly got into the Chinese mafia and sold drugs and firearms in secret places. Him & Xue never talked in that period he hated her to have put them in this situation of payback and she hated him to have lied about his wealth. Within 2 month they paid back now everybody's just acted like this never happened and the subject wasn't talked again. Xue stopped the working and rebecame the stay at home mom, Quiang continued to mysteriously bring much money home but Xue didn't question it as they became upper middle class and her lifestyle was fancy. Quiang was depressed bc he wanted out of the mafia but that's impossible unless death, he put Kein in a high private school. But 2 years later the twins were 3 year old, Quiang brutally left the house, they got kicked out their wealthy mansion and back to their lower middle class life, Xue was in the last stage of her pregnancy and Kein was not kim led out of school as it was vacations but for the rentrée Xue had to find a solution she send the twins to her aunt and went work in the capital while pregnant. And continued to work after Vili birth that she left at the aunt house and Keon still went to school. The mother was close the twins as baby but unable to bond as they grew very mature at the age of 3. And even know Xue is like a old connaissance who gave them up for Nicole. Father (Quiang L’Ane): Weirdly she gets along beat with Quiang even if he was an on and off dad she as no difficulty or awkwardness talking to him maybe because Nicole is Schizoid she really not is big on social relations so even if he don't talk to her in weeks she won't hold no grunges against him, talking is very spontaneous with Quiang and Nicole it's that personal daughter-dad bond that only them can get. After he left when she was 3, he came back a month after her sister birth and secretly took them (Nicole,Liun & Kein) with the permission of the aunt who stayed with vili and told nothing to Xue, and they stayed with him and he will introduce them to “cousins” Wen & Lam and he frequently did that half month without Xue ever knowing the only time he came see her was to file for divorce BROTHER/SISTERS: Nicole and Kein where very close he was the perfect big brother at least he tried, stealing stuff for them to eat, reading them stories celebrating their birthday by telling every neighborhood who gave them flowers, coming to take them after school everyday being the funniest and indépendant from anybody. When they got adopted he was way more depressed than Liun (who wanted her momma) and Kevin didnt understand how she felt nothing he got bullied at school bc he couldn't talk English and always fought and got in trouble after school because in China he always hang out with his dad and dads friend ( who he didn't know where mafia and Chinese Gamgsters) so he had a strong character. The bullying didn't last and he was the most feared/respected at school. So at home it had an effect on how he didn't interact with sisters or adoptive parents (who he HATES) anymore from his high school years. When he went to college he got back to his old self as he saw his dreams of big study came true slowly bc he makes himself remember how his dad made everything to have him in school and how proud his momma was so he got right to the only memory of his parents that he had his sisters. Just has everything went good John and Authrine went to Laos with all the children for vacations and they linked up with Xue, Liun,Kein and Ovi were the happiest and Nicole was very apathic with her mom but was polite. So they linked up and spent few days with her she asked about college for Kein then (OF COURSE) for some money as if what she was sent monthly by the rich family was not enough. And she revealed in an argument with Quiang that Kein wasn't his son after Quiang came out of nowhere to say hi to his kids, and Quiang revealed that Wen and Lam were his children. This was what déclenched an identity crisis for Kein he took the first plane back to New York and didn't give any news to anybody but a text to John and Authrine saying he is fine and back in college. They didn't question it. So that he was already lost to he was in high school he was back broken in the identity crisis stage with no answer to who brought him to this world and it's been 2 year he hasn't talk to any of his sisters or adoptive parents or “biological” parents nobody came after him because he sends news every month from a cab somewhere in NYC Your character’s relationship with their mother or their father, or both. Was it good? Bad? : Were they spoiled rotten, ignored? Do they still get along now, or no?: Where (and when) did they grow up? How did they view it as a child, and did that change as they matured? How do they feel about the place now? : Describe their best and worst memories from childhood : Who was their idol growing up?: What were they like as a child?: How do they feel about their family? How does their family feel about them?: Do they have siblings/cousins?: Sex/Romance What are they attracted to in a partner?: Do they have any particular fetishes or kinks?: Is there anything in particular that they won’t do?: Have they ever hurt someone they loved?: Do they fall in love easily?: Who is their current partner, and what attracted the character to them?: What kind of a relationship is it?: Misc Questions (less personal) Do they have any allergies? : What is their weapon of choice if they had to use one?: What is their preferred method of transportation?:. What kind of weather makes them happy, and what kind makes them sad?: What languages do they speak?: Do they eat a healthy diet? A varied one?: As a child, what did they want to be when they grew up?: What do they do when they need comfort?: What are they like when they are drunk?: Where in their body do they keep stress or tension?: Do they have any pet peeves or dislikes, and how do they react to encountering them?: Do they like to travel?: How well do they take criticism? How do they react to others noticing their flaws?: What are they like when they get sick? Do they have a particular system (ears, lungs, etc) that illness gravitates to?: How do they react to being physically injured or undergoing medical treatment?: 1: What’s your OC’s biggest insecurity and how would they react if someone pointed it out to them? 
2: If your OC wants to buy a firearm, what it might be for?
she owns one and it’s for protection (it was a gift from one of her brothers) 3: Does your OC behave differently around different people, if so with whom and how? 
4: Would your OC want to involve themselves in humanitarian work ? If yes, then for what? If not, then why not? 5: How would your OC generally react to someone being verbally abusive towards them for no apparent reason?
 6: Does your OC have a realistic image of their own intelligence?
 7: Does your OC have any irrational phobias? 
8: How is/was your OC’s relationship with their parents? 9: Does your OC feel a pressure to achieve or are they content and calm with doing what 10: Does your OC guard their emotions by being tough? If not how would they?
 11: How would your OC react to hearing they’re adopted? 12: What is one of the most primary things your OC feels that is missing from their life?
 13: What kind of situations does your OC avoid the most?
talking about feelings 14: If your OC gets into a fight with their best friend, would they wait for their friend to make up with them, or would they try to make up with their friend?
 15: Does your OC consider themselves a good person?
 16: Is your OC good at giving others validation of their feelings and making them feel understood?
 17: Does your OC suffer from any mental health issues?
 19: What boosts your OC’s confidence the most?
 20: Does your OC hurt others often unintentionally? If yes, how?
 21: Does your OC hurt others often intentionally? If yes, how?
 22: How does your OC usually show affection? Are they openly romantic or more restricted with their affectionate emotions?
 23: Does your OC tend to hide something about their personality/essence when meeting new people? If yes, what?
 24: How would your OC react if they got humiliated by someone in a group of people? 25: How would your OC process the grief caused by the death of a loved one?
 26: What is the most intense thing your OC has been battling with?
 27: Does your OC practise any kind of escapism? If yes, what kind?
 28: How would your OC react if a bully stole their lunch money in high school?
. 29: How does your OC behave on the face of a conflict?
 30: What makes your OC defensive quickest?

[thefuturebelongs]

All 150. Do it.

Yes, grey face.

Honesty hour: Ask me anything and ill be 100% honest, all questions answered.“PUT A NUMBER IN MY ASK!” (all answered q will be permanently posted in my dash)

1. Who was the last person you held hands with? - my girlfriend
2. Are you outgoing or shy? - more often shy but it depends on who I’m with
3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? - haha can I say the featured guests at ClexaCon?
4. Are you easy to get along with? - I would like to think so
5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? - definitely
6. What kind of people are you attracted to? - kind people, who have no big ego or only talk about themselves
7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? - I better be
8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind? - always Isaiah
9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? - nope
10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? - ha my girlfriend last night
11. What does the most recent text that you sent say? - 👋🏼👍🏼🌅
12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now? - Unstable by Zak Abel, Time of Your Life by Pitbull, Gone by Jr Jr, Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw and Nothing by Nat Vanlis
13. Do you like it when people play with your hair? - absolutely
14. Do you believe in luck and miracles? - ehh not really
15. What good thing happened this summer? - like last summer? Since it’s January right now. Uhh well besides the Navy dropping me and me getting hurt… I had fun at Chicago pride!
16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? - of course
17. Do you think there is life on other planets? - definitely
18. Do you still talk to your first crush? - HAHA. No
19. Do you like bubble baths? - I guess? Haven’t taken one in years
20. Do you like your neighbors? - one of them, the rest are meh
21. What are you bad habits? - I’m fabulous at procrastinating
22. Where would you like to travel? - Iceland, Australia, Toronto, Vancouver, Hobbit town, Egypt, morocco, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Peru, should I continue?
23. Do you have trust issues? - yes and no. It depends on the person 
24. Favorite part of your daily routine? - I don’t have a daily routine
25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with? - ha the whole mid section
26. What do you do when you wake up? - go to the bathroom
27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? - nah. I wish I tanned as easily as my father though 
28. Who are you most comfortable around? - I have a few select friends I can always be my self around
29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? - not that I remember
30. Do you ever want to get married? - someday
31. Is your hair long enough for a pony tail? - very much so
32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? - hahahahahaha
33. Spell your name with your chin. - Lizzie (I guess I was close enough to the letters where autocorrect took over. And I was too lazy to not use it)
34. Do you play sports? What sports? - uh I played soccer for about 12 years, swam for 15 years, then a few years of softball and basketball. Now I just rock climb ha. 
35. Would you rather live without TV or music? - without tv
36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? - yes
37. What do you say during awkward silences? - I don’t ha
38. Describe your dream girl/guy? - someone who is compassionate, loves to laugh but knows when to be serious, doesn’t tease me ha , has a sense of adventure, is a good friend to their friends
39. What are your favorite stores to shop in? - meh I kind of just go wherever at this point
40. What do you want to do after high school? - well seeing as I graduated high school almost 7 years ago, I went to college
41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? - it depends on what they did to ruin the first chance
42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean? - either I’m super tired or I’m grumpy
43. Do you smile at strangers? - haha yes
44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean? - ohhh… Space
45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? - eggs
46. What are you paranoid about? - my future. And my knee
47. Have you ever been high? - nope
48. Have you ever been drunk? - a few times
49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? - no?
50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore? - uh like a cream color with green striped sleeves
51. Ever wished you were someone else? - eh who hasn’t
52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? - my drive. How hard I push myself 
53. Favourite makeup brand? - whatever works on my face
54. Favourite store? - Barnes and noble 💁🏻
55. Favourite blog? - no idea
56. Favourite colour? - charcoal ha. Or seafoam. 
57. Favourite food? - authentic Chinese or Italian 
58. Last thing you ate? - uh chocolate and black raspberry ice cream last night
59. First thing you ate this morning? - haven’t gotten up yet actually
60. Ever won a competition? For what? - I’ve won some races In swimming
61. Been suspended/expelled? For what? - nope and nope
62. Been arrested? For what? - never
63. Ever been in love? - currently am
64. Tell us the story of your first kiss? - oye. Sixth grade, was “dating” my friend Andrew and none of our friends believed we were “together” so as we were leaving the pool at about 6pm they dared us to kiss hahah
65. Are you hungry right now? - always hungry for breakfast food
66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends? - one or two Tumblr friends are pretty cool
67. Facebook or Twitter? - meh Facebook
68. Twitter or Tumblr? - Tumblr
69. Are you watching tv right now? - no
70. Names of your bestfriends? - Alisa, Bethany, Rachel
71. Craving something? What? - surprisingly I’m not craving anything
72. What colour are your towels? - like a dark seafoam ha
72. How many pillows do you sleep with? - currently, 3
73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? - nope
74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have? - I used to have a bunch, now probably like 4
75. Favourite animal? - cuttlefish
76. What colour is your underwear? - dark blue
77. Chocolate or Vanilla? - chocolate ice cream but vanilla shake
78. Favourite ice cream flavour? - white mint chocolate chip
79. What colour shirt are you wearing? - black
80. What colour pants? - black
81. Favourite tv show? - it changes… law and order svu, bones, sex and the city, M*A*S*H*
82. Favourite movie? - way too many to list
83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2? - there’s a second one?
84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street? - mean girls 
85. Favourite character from Mean Girls? - I love anything Rachel mcadams 
86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo? - Mr. Ray
87. First person you talked to today? - Alisa
88. Last person you talked to today? - well today only just started
89. Name a person you hate? - I don’t hate anyone. Well, I hate Trump
90. Name a person you love? - Alisa
91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now? - Trump
92. In a fight with someone? - not that I know of
93. How many sweatpants do you have? - only 2-3
94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have? - way too many
95. Last movie you watched? - ha Resident Evil Retribution
96. Favourite actress? - so many
97. Favourite actor? - slightly not as many
98. Do you tan a lot? - I used to
99. Have any pets? - 2 French bulldogs 
100. How are you feeling? - sleepy and sick
101. Do you type fast? - I would like to think so
102. Do you regret anything from your past? - I regret a lot but it’s in the past so nothing can be done now
103. Can you spell well? - I like to think so. 
104. Do you miss anyone from your past? - Isaiah. Everyday 
105. Ever been to a bonfire party? - who hasn’t. They’re the best 
106. Ever broken someone’s heart? - yes
107. Have you ever been on a horse? - 4/5 times
108. What should you be doing? - getting up ha
109. Is something irritating you right now? - the workers outside
110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt? - yes
111. Do you have trust issues? - yes and no. I trust people but then I either trust too much or not enough. I’m. It the best at communicating 
112. Who was the last person you cried in front of? - probably my girlfriend
113. What was your childhood nickname? - Lizzie. But my mother calls me pest or wubby 
114. Have you ever been out of your province/state? - yes. And country
115. Do you play the Wii? - not anymore really
116. Are you listening to music right now? - no
117. Do you like chicken noodle soup? - chicken and stars is where it’s at
118. Do you like Chinese food? - 是啊
119. Favourite book? - extremely loud and incredibly close
120. Are you afraid of the dark? - if in a new place, sort of
121. Are you mean? - I try not to be ha
122. Is cheating ever okay? - absolutely not
123. Can you keep white shoes clean? - minimal effort is made
124. Do you believe in love at first sight? - I believe in list at first sight
125. Do you believe in true love? - no
126. Are you currently bored? - not really
127. What makes you happy? - yummy breakfast food
128. Would you change your name? - I don’t like my name but I would never change it. So much effort
129. What your zodiac sign? - libra ♎️
130. Do you like subway? - not as much as jimmy johns
131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? - I don’t have a best friend of the opposite sex anymore..
132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? - you already asked this
133. Favourite lyrics right now? - I have no idea
134. Can you count to one million? - that’s way too much effort but yes
135. Dumbest lie you ever told? - that’s way too precise of a question. 
136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed? - closed
137. How tall are you? - 5'6ish
138. Curly or Straight hair? - inbetween
139. Brunette or Blonde? - dark brown almost black ha
140. Summer or Winter? - fall
141. Night or Day? - day
142. Favourite month? - October or April. Baseball yo 
143. Are you a vegetarian? - I love steak
144. Dark, milk or white chocolate? - dark always
145. Tea or Coffee? - coffee
146. Was today a good day? - today just started but it’s snowing out so… Meh
147. Mars or Snickers? - snickers
148. What’s your favourite quote? - the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams 
149. Do you believe in ghosts? - no
150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line - Despite its role in philosophical debates over the nature of our universe, the real advantages of the Copernican system is simply that the equations of motion are much simpler in the frame of reference in which the sun is at rest.

[collegeeducationnewsllcusa]

Matthew Lau: Should we tax universities for the damage they do?

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FP comment

Many of the processes at many universities are negative rather than positive external effects

Author of the article:

Matthew Lau Politically correct nonsense is rampant in Canadian universities, as evidenced by the Queen’s University naming controversy last year. Photo by Ian MacAlpine / The Whig-Standard / Postmedia Network

Article content

Many people, especially the left, enthusiastically support carbon taxes. In theory, a carbon tax could make sense, as the English economist Arthur Pigou noted a hundred years ago, if carbon emissions cause material social costs by causing harmful global warming. The words “if” and “could” and “theoretically” do a lot here, and good evidence suggests that carbon taxes are harmful rather than useful; however, the idea of ​​Pigovian taxes on negative externalities is logically sound. And the idea of ​​Pigovian subsidies for activities that generate material social benefits is based on the same consideration.

Problems arise, however, when governments exaggerate the extent of externalities to justify economic interference, or misjudge the direction of the externality and end up subsidizing what they should be taxing, or vice versa. The global warming externality used to justify Pigovian taxes on carbon emissions and Pigovian subsidies on wind and solar power is perhaps the best example of such a government error. But another one that is increasingly suggesting it is massive government subsidies for many university programs.

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Subsidies to post-secondary education are often justified, at least in part, on the grounds that such education enhances culture, promotes civic education, and cultivates better social and political leaders for the benefit of society as a whole. But evidence to the contrary continues to mount. The latest is from Yale University, where a recent psychiatrist gave a talk on “The Psychopathic Problem of the White Mind,” in which she described in glaring detail her fantasies of killing white people. The talk was clearly a form of brain pollution, not a social benefit, and should therefore not be eligible for Pigovian subsidies.

Fortunately, psychiatrists’ insane fantasies are not representative of the average university lecture, yet many of the goings-on at many universities are negative rather than positive. Examples are the enforcement of politically correct ideologies, the imposition of the waking culture, the frequent censorship of nonconforming ideas and the shrill declarations of climate emergencies. Schools “increasingly teach students to become campaigners for social justice rather than broadening their intellectual horizons,” as Professor Francis H. Buckley recently wrote.

Buckley, once a professor at McGill, teaches at the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University in Virginia, where the university’s faculty senate voted five years ago when the law school was renamed after the late Conservative Supreme Court Justice Renamed on the grounds that Scalia allegedly made “numerous publicly abusive comments about various groups – including people of color, women and LGBTQ people”. No examples of offensive remarks were given, however, an uncomfortable fact which, when brought up by a law professor in the faculty’s Senate meeting, interrupted his colleagues and prevented him from speaking further.

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Politically correct nonsense is as prevalent on the Canadian campus as was seen in the Queen’s University naming controversy last year. A university advisory committee spent two months advising people and then released a 65-page report recommending that Sir John A. Macdonald’s name be removed from the law school building. The report quoted people who said the building’s name “perpetuates violence, racism, colonialism and whiteness.” Indigenous, racialized and marginalized groups, according to the report, said this “creates feelings that range from exclusion to trauma”. The word “trauma” or a variation of it was used 13 times in the report. You might conclude that if the name of Canada’s first prime minister causes such widespread trauma, Queens may not be ready for serious intellectual exploration.

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In an essay published last year by the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal in Raleigh, North Carolina, researchers Joy Pullmann and Sumantra Maitra describe how “the rise of the activist professor at the academy helped create a pattern the redesign of the departments has led to “goals from the search for truth to the engine for socio-political change.” But even where professors are really good teachers and not ideological propagandists, as Thomas Sowell has argued, “the knowledge that a diploma is supposed to represent can, actually only isolated fragments of knowledge about the humanities, natural or social sciences, whatever narrow topics the respective professors of the students wrote in their dissertations, books or scientific journal articles. “

The negative externalities of many university programs are often large and the positive externalities limited, so that Pigovian taxes at universities can be more sensible than Pigovian subsidies. Of course, as with the CO2 tax, the Pigov taxes at universities could go too far. But let’s at least cut the subsidies.

Matthew Lau is a writer from Toronto.

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source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/matthew-lau-should-we-tax-universities-for-the-damage-they-do/