#compared to the bright community of richmond

[saltyoaktree]

the way i can see ted following in his father's footsteps after that finale

Edit: ok I've had some sleep and took some time and I don't actually think that. I still agree with the tags though

[la-sangradura]

ABOUT HOLDEN || I think in decimals and dollars, I am the cause to all your problems.

CHARACTER BASICS

NAME: Holden Pierce Markham

AGE: Twenty-Six

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cismale. He/Him

FACE CLAIM: Ben Hardy

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HEIGHT: 5′10″

DATE OF BIRTH: May 21st, 1994

ZODIAC SIGN: Gemini

LEVEL OF EDUCATION: High School Diploma, Bachelor’s in Fine Art

OCCUPATION: Art Handler at Cytherea Gallery & Narcotics Supplier

HOMETOWN: Savannah, GA

FAMILY/GANG AFFILIATION: N/A

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Judaism

CHARACTER HISTORY (TW: NARCOTICS, NARCOTICS DEALING)

The Markham family had lived in Claxton, Georgia for generations but never had a niche in their community. In fact, they were always pushed aside and driven out of their business because they weren’t any good or they seemed to piss off the wrong people. From mechanics, to farmers, to singers, to carpenters and landscapers, the Markhams never seemed to catch a break.

Holden was born and raised in his family’s small farmland where their lumber business seemed to be the only thing that stuck around for more than just ten years. However, it wasn’t enough to keep the family of five afloat and so Holden’s mother worked as a full time nanny for a family in Richmond Hill, an up and coming suburb near the city of Savannah. His father also provided aid as a farm hand for the family’s lumber as well in order to help his own business.

He spent most of his life an hour’s drive away from the rest of the world and the kind of life that only seemed to exist in the movies. He spent his days climbing trees and collecting leftover change to take a bus to Savannah where he used to try and sneak into S.C.A.D.’s campus.

However, Holden was only as nice as he wanted to be. He had been testing his luck since the day he was born. His home life, compared to those around him, bordered average. His siblings loved him dearly but he shied away from it all unless he could have at the very least paper and pen. He never seemed to know his place in the world and therefore he did everything in his power to narrow down the options. The world in those bright blue eyes was all too much for him as the things he was suppose to do seemed impossible, and the things he shouldn’t so simple. He drifted between a reputation of being a sweetheart to becoming a nuance where he eventually unraveled into a rebel that gave him the independence he sought.

 He always bordered the good boy and the bad guy. Despite his bad attitude, that seemed to be the extent of his problems. He had good grades and was accepted on a scholarship to S.C.A.D. However, this seemed to challenge so much of the rules he had been taught as a child as ultimately fell into more deviant activities than the occasional tagging on a building with a bottle of spray paint.

He had artistic talent but lacked the creativity to come up with his own style. He loved literature, but could never compose anything of his own. Holden was only ever good at copying the work of others, and it showed in so many of his fine arts lessons. 


His junior year of college he met Aspen Lynch who was impressed by his art skill despite its lack of individuality. The tuning of the way he painted and drew was what caught her eye.

Holden, naive but challenging, fell into the wrong crowd and took his talents to the streets of Augusta where he spray painted quotes in every dark corner and then took to mimicking different illegal organization symbols and emblems to confuse territories. He was then approached by those he disrupted and talked his way out of getting a serious consequence. Instead, Holden was approached with the opportunity to join.

Holden tried his best with a narcotics dealing opportunity held over his head like an axe and a halo. Unsure of what to do, his relationship with Aspen proved to be more beneficial than he anticipated. She helped him move the supply he was forced to. Aspen had already been familiar with this business and she implemented Holden’s debts into her growing reputation across the darker corners of their shared campus.

Holden’s academic progress, however, was falling apart as his art never seemed to be up to par. The family business was drowning and his parents were about to lose their farm. He considered dropping out but once again Aspen was able to offer him not only a second chance, but an entirely new path. She would help him financially as long as he would help her “turn up” certain pieces for gallery events where she had her internships and even use his skills to help her fix pieces that had been damaged beyond ethical repair and had lost significant value. Holden eventually trainer under her and another art forger. As long as Holden continued his bachelor’s degree, he would have the certifications to cushion Aspen’s success.

PRESENT DAY (TW: VIOLENCE)

The two lived together in a small apartment where they paid for their studies with their earnings in narcotics dealing and part time jobs. A friendship blossomed into an alliance that had more benefits than one.

Holden’s debt, however, came back to bite him in the ass as soon as his other situation resolved by the time Aspen had entered her master’s program. The organizations that rules the streets of Savannah knew that he was not only profiting, but it wasn’t just his burden to carry. They wanted to initiate him but the rivalries between the two groups he had pissed off took out one another.

Taking a hold of them both, they were caught in the middle of a strife between the two organizations. Holden underwent torment to give up who he was dealing to, going as far as an attempt to get him to overdose on his own supply. Aspen had been able to strike a deal again, but only one she’d break as soon as she put Holden in his truck and drove as far as she could. She used her connections in the realm of art dealing to pursue a job at a prestigious gallery and made connections to the top rather quickly once she was able to clean their money and reputation with a bright smile. After two years, the two were able to open Cytherea Gallery on the strip.

Thus far, the two have remained unaffiliated. They moved from dealing narcotics to sticking to their niche in the business which was rooted in the way they transported these lucrative goods. Modern art was broken apart and wrapped around as the unsuspecting package surrounding narcotic supplies, and with every sale, they were able to build their success and bask in the glory of what went down over the table and under. It’s earned them attention from some crime organizations because of how quickly they move product, but the two have no plans on becoming a personal asset to them.

However, Holden’s never been the same since. There was more than just a high rise blur from that night they drove across the states. Someone had been used as an example for him, and some part of him forced himself to shut his eyes when he wiped his face clean of it the next day, to focus on his shoes until the water ran clean in the public restroom sink on the pit stop. He’s always been critical and morbid, but there was always a small curl of his lip at the end of those words. Now, there’s no mockery. He believes in every cruel thing he says. 

HEADCANONS

Holden has white ink tattoos that are a single design that goes from his shoulder blades, to his shoulders, his collar bones, and the center of his chest. The designs are floral.

He hates dressing up for work when he has to attend gallery nights every Friday on the Mile.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

Clients from Cytherea Gallery seeking art, and clients seeking what they can pack in their if you catch my drifth

People he meets for coffee between shifts on the Strip

Someone he helps with gardening because whether he likes it or not, he’s a farm boy at heart 

Neighbors

[nevernevadahq]

Everyone suspects HOLDEN PIERCE MARKHAM of at least one of the cardinal sins, but in Nevada, the worst sins are bound by blood and HE has yet to roll the dice. HIS fixations on the neon lights of Nevada  started THREE YEARS ago as a NARCOTICS RUNNER. Under the desert sun, they claim the act of an ART HANDLER AT CYTHEREA MUSEUM. They’re often mistaken for BEN HARDY before those crimson colored glasses slide down their nose. HOLDS better get busy living, or they’ll get busy dying by the ripe age of TWENTY-SIX. There are no second acts in a marked life, and it’s measured out by the melody of JESUS CHRIST BY BRAND NEW.

DATE OF BIRTH: May 21st, 1994

GENDER AND PRONOUNS: Cis Man, He/Him

HOMETOWN: Savannah, GA

CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY [TW: DRUG ABUSE, ASSAULT]

 The Markham family had lived in Claxton, Georgia for generations but never had a niche in their community. In fact, they were always pushed aside and driven out of their business because they weren’t any good or they seemed to piss off the wrong people. From mechanics, to farmers, to singers, to carpenters and landscapers, the Markhams never seemed to catch a break. Holden was born and raised in his family’s small farmland where their lumber business seemed to be the only thing that stuck around for more than just ten years. However, it wasn’t enough to keep the family of five afloat and so Holden’s mother worked as a full time nanny for a family in Richmond Hill, an up and coming suburb near the city of Savannah. His father also provided aid as a farm hand for the family’s lumber as well in order to help his own business. He spent most of his life an hour’s drive away from the rest of the world and the kind of life that only seemed to exist in the movies. He spent his days climbing trees and collecting leftover change to take a bus to Savannah where he used to try and sneak into S.C.A.D.’s campus.  Holden was only as nice as he wanted to be. He had been testing his luck since the day he was born. His home life, compared to those around him, bordered average. His siblings loved him dearly but he shied away from it all unless he could have at the very least paper and pen. He never seemed to know his place in the world and therefore he did everything in his power to narrow down the options. The world in those bright blue eyes was all too much for him as the things he was suppose to do seemed impossible, and the things he shouldn’t so simple. He drifted between a reputation of being a sweetheart to becoming a nuance where he eventually unraveled into a rebel that gave him the independence he sought. He always bordered the good boy and the bad guy. Despite his bad attitude, that seemed to be the extent of his problems. He had good grades and was accepted on a scholarship to S.C.A.D. However, this seemed to challenge so much of the rules he had been taught as a child as ultimately fell into more deviant activities than the occasional tagging on a building with a bottle of spray paint. He had artistic talent but lacked the creativity to come up with his own style. He loved literature, but could never compose anything of his own. Holden was only ever good at copying the work of others, and it showed in so many of his fine arts lessons. 
 His junior year of college he met Aspen Lynch who was impressed by his art skill despite its lack of individuality. The tuning of the way he painted and drew was what caught her eye. Holden, naive but challenging, fell into the wrong crowd and took his talents to the streets of Augusta where he spray painted quotes in every dark corner and then took to mimicking different illegal organization symbols and emblems to confuse territories. He was then approached by those he disrupted and talked his way out of getting a serious consequence. Instead, Holden was approached with the opportunity to join. Holden tried his best with a narcotics dealing opportunity held over his head like an axe and a halo. Unsure of what to do, his relationship with Aspen proved to be more beneficial than he anticipated. She helped him move the supply he was forced to. Aspen had already been familiar with this business and she implemented Holden’s debts into her growing reputation across the darker corners of their shared campus. Holden’s academic progress, however, was falling apart as his art never seemed to be up to par. The family business was drowning and his parents were about to lose their farm. He considered dropping out but once again Aspen was able to offer him not only a second chance, but an entirely new path. She would help him financially as long as he would help her “turn up” certain pieces for gallery events where she had her internships and even use his skills to help her fix pieces that had been damaged beyond ethical repair and had lost significant value. Holden eventually trainer under her and another art forger. As long as Holden continued his bachelor’s degree, he would have the certifications to cushion Aspen’s success. The two lived together in a small apartment where they paid for their studies with their earnings in narcotics dealing and part time jobs. A friendship blossomed into an alliance that had more benefits than one. Holden’s debt, however, came back to bite him in the ass as soon as his other situation resolved by the time Aspen had entered her master’s program. The organizations that rules the streets of Savannah knew that he was not only profiting, but it wasn’t just his burden to carry. They wanted to initiate him but the rivalries between the two groups he had pissed off took out one another. Taking a hold of them both, they were caught in the middle of a strife between the two organizations. Holden underwent torment to give up who he was dealing to, going as far as an attempt to get him to overdose on his own supply. Aspen had been able to strike a deal again, but only one she’d break as soon as she put Holden in his truck and drove as far as she could. She used her connections in the realm of art dealing to pursue a job at a prestigious gallery and made connections to the top rather quickly once she was able to clean their money and reputation with a bright smile. After two years, the two were able to open Cytherea Gallery in Las Vegas. Thus far, the two have remained unaffiliated. They moved from dealing narcotics to sticking to their niche in the business which was rooted in the way they transported these lucrative goods. Modern art was broken apart and wrapped around as the unsuspecting package surrounding narcotic supplies, and with every sale, they were able to build their success and bask in the glory of what went down over the table and under. It’s earned them attention from the Kaplan’s because of how quickly they’ve moved their product, but the two have no plans on becoming a personal asset to them. However, Holden’s never been the same since. There was more than just a high rise blur from that night they drove across the states. Someone had been used as an example for him, and some part of him forced himself to shut his eyes when he wiped his face clean of it the next day, to focus on his shoes until the water ran clean in the public restroom sink on the pit stop. He’s always been critical and morbid, but there was always a small curl of his lip at the end of those words. Now, there’s no mockery. He believes in every cruel thing he says.

HOLDEN MARKHAM IS WRITTEN BY DANII.

[nerdydragonbarbarian]

Welcome to the web designing courses in London!!

Web designing or website designing both are similar terms. The use of digital platforms has increased the value of website designing. In creating website two terms web designer or web developer takes place. What are the basic courses of web design in West London? What are the advantages of web designing courses and why it is important nowadays? Know more about web designing courses in detail below.

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Before proceeding to website designing you should know some of the benefits.

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Designing a website and becoming an expert is one of the unique rights. Website designing through unprofessional will be less credible as compared to the one who is professional in this field. The first impression always throws a positive impact. Try to follow the rules and become an expert because website designing is in high demand. Staying in London is the best opportunity to grab for web designing in Kingston.

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A well-designed website will attract the design market and will boost up the revenue. At last, you can say the revenue-boosting facility is provided by web design Richmond in their way.

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Developing a career at the right place and at right time will save you money. A poorly designed website will give a bad impression and will cost you more. Hence being a professional and designing a high-quality website will save you both time and money both.

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The brand identity related to business is highly trustworthy and creditable. Professional websites avail the consistency with brand identity. They can communicate a better story in few amount of time.

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A simple website would add on benefit will give you additional functionality. It will provide simpler knowledge in the future run. The website functionality will provide you foundation tasks which you need to maintain at last.

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Although web design London is providing you with innovative web designing courses. Web designing can give you a better ranking by improving search engine optimization. A better website will be ranked first by Google and you can explore more in it.

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Talking about the future of website design it is a type of digital environment where the knowledge is sufficient. Without it, market value will never increase and it can give you quality content. Website designing is a controversial topic for all generations. Human intervention along with artificial intelligence can give a better understanding and scope to the website design.

Bottom line

Understand the reality of web designing and allow collaboration in a synchronized way. The future of web design is bright and responsible for all. The desired action needs to be followed to encourage the visual scope of website design.

[bloomingnightskty]

They fought slavery, prejudice, and injustice — and changed the face of medicine in America. They invented modern blood-banking, served in the highest ranks of the U.S. government, and much more. In honor of Black History Month, read the inspiring stories of 10 pioneering black physicians.

Rebecca Lee Crumpler, MD (1831 — 1895)

In 1864, after years as a nurse, Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first black woman in the United States to receive an MD degree. She earned that distinction at the New England Female Medical College in Boston, Massachusetts — where she also was the institution’s only black graduate. After the Civil War, Crumpler moved to Richmond, Virginia, where she worked with other black doctors who were caring for formerly enslaved people in the Freedmen’s Bureau. While she faced sexism and other forms of harassment, Crumpler ultimately found the experience transformative. "I returned to my former home, Boston, where I entered into the work with renewed vigor, practicing outside, and receiving children in the house for treatment; regardless, in a measure, of remuneration," she wrote.

Crumpler also wrote A Book of Medical Discourses: In Two Parts. Published in 1883, the book addresses children’s and women’s health and is written for “mothers, nurses, and all who may desire to mitigate the afflictions of the human race.”

Note: No photos of Rebecca Lee Crumpler are known to exist.

James McCune Smith, MD (1813 — 1865)

James McCune Smith, MD, was a man of firsts. In 1837, he became the first black American to receive a medical degree — although he had to enroll at the University of Glasgow Medical School because of racist admissions practices at U.S. medical schools. And that was far from his only groundbreaking accomplishment. He was also the first black person to own and operate a pharmacy in the United States and the first black physician to be published in U.S. medical journals.

Smith used his writing talents to challenge shoddy science, including racist notions of African-Americans. Most notably, he debunked such theories in Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia. Smith was a staunch abolitionist and friend of Frederick Douglass. He contributed to Douglass’ newspaper and wrote the introduction to his book, My Bondage and My Freedom.

Leonidas Harris Berry, MD (1902 — 1995)

Even as a renowned gastroenterologist, Leonidas Harris Berry, MD, faced racism in the workplace. Berry was the first black doctor on staff at the Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, in 1946, but he had to fight for an attending position there for years. “I have spent many years of crushing disappointment at the threshold of opportunity,” he wrote to the hospital’s trustee board committee in his final plea, “keeping my lamps trimmed and bright for a bride that never came.” He was finally named to the attending staff in 1963 and remained a senior attending physician for the rest of his medical career.

In the 1950s, Berry chaired a Chicago commission that worked to make hospitals more inclusive for black physicians and to increase facilities in underserved parts of the city. But his dedication to equity reached far beyond the clinical setting: He was active in a civil rights group called the United Front that provided protection, monetary support, and other assistance to black residents of Cairo, Illinois, who had been victims of racist attacks. In 1970, he helped organize the Flying Black Medics, a group of practitioners who flew from Chicago to Cairo to bring medical care and health education to members of the remote community.

Charles Richard Drew, MD (1904 — 1950)

Known as the “father of blood banking,” Charles Richard Drew, MD, pioneered blood preservation techniques that led to thousands of lifesaving blood donations. Drew’s doctoral research explored best practices for banking and transfusions, and its insights helped him establish the first large-scale blood banks. Drew directed the Blood for Britain project, which shipped much-needed plasma to England during World War II. Drew then led the first American Red Cross Blood Bank and created mobile blood donation stations that are now known as bloodmobiles. But Drew’s work was not without struggle. He protested the American Red Cross’ policy of segregating blood by race and ultimately resigned from the organization.

Despite his renown for blood preservation, Drew’s true passion was surgery. He was appointed chairman of the department of surgery and chief of surgery at Freedmen’s Hospital (now known as Howard University Hospital) in Washington, D.C. During his time there, he went to great lengths to support young African-Americans pursuing careers in the discipline.

Louis Wade Sullivan, MD (b. 1933)

Louis Wade Sullivan, MD, grew up in the racially segregated rural South in the 1930s. There, he was inspired by his doctor, Joseph Griffin. “He was the only black physician in a radius of 100 miles,” Sullivan said. “I saw that Dr. Griffin was really doing something important and he was highly respected in the community.”

Over the decades, Sullivan became an equally profound source of inspiration. The only black student in his class at Boston University School of Medicine, he would later serve on the faculty from 1966 to 1975. In 1975, he became the founding dean of what became the Morehouse School of Medicine — the first predominantly black medical school opened in the United States in the 20th century. Later, Sullivan was tapped to serve as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he directed the creation of the Office of Minority Programs in the National Institutes of Health’s Office of the Director.

Sullivan has chaired numerous influential groups and institutions, from the President’s Advisory Council on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the National Health Museum. He is CEO and chair of the Sullivan Alliance, an organization he created in 2005 to increase racial and ethnic minority representation in health care.

Marilyn Hughes Gaston, MD (b. 1939)

In a pivotal experience while working as an intern at Philadelphia General Hospital in 1964, Marilyn Hughes Gaston, MD, admitted a baby with a swollen, infected hand. The baby suffered from sickle cell disease, which hadn’t occurred to Gaston until her supervisor suggested the possibility. Gaston quickly committed herself to learning more about it, and eventually became a leading researcher on the disease, which affects millions of people around the world. She became deputy branch chief of the Sickle Cell Disease Branch at the National Institutes of Health, and her groundbreaking 1986 study led to a national sickle cell disease screening program for newborns. Her research showed both the benefits of screening for sickle cell disease at birth and the effectiveness of penicillin to prevent infection from sepsis, which can be fatal in children with the disease.

In 1990, Gaston became the first black female physician to be appointed director of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Primary Health Care. She was also the second black woman to serve as assistant surgeon general as well as achieve the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. Gaston has been honored with every award that the Public Health Service bestows.

Patricia Era Bath, MD (b. 1942)

Interning in New York City in the 1960s sparked a revelation for Patricia Era Bath, MD. Bath, the first African-American to complete an ophthalmology residency, noticed that rates of blindness and visual impairment were much higher at the Harlem Hospital’s eye clinic, which served many black patients, than at the eye clinic at Columbia University, which mostly served whites. That observation spurred her to conduct a study that found twice the rate of blindness among African-Americans compared with whites. Throughout the rest of her career, Bath explored inequities in vision care. She created the discipline of community ophthalmology, which approaches vision care from the perspectives of community medicine and public health.

Bath blazed trails in other ways as well, co-founding the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in 1976, which supports programs that protect, preserve, and restore eyesight. Bath was also the first woman appointed chair of ophthalmology at a U.S. medical school, at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine in 1983. And she was the first black female physician to receive a medical patent in 1988 for the Laserphaco Probe, a device used in cataract surgery.

Herbert W. Nickens, MD (1947 — 1999)

As the first director of the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 1986, Herbert W. Nickens, MD, set the foundation for promoting improved health among racial and ethnic minority populations across the country. When he left the HHS, Nickens moved to the AAMC, where he was the founding vice president of the AAMC Division of Community and Minority Programs, now known as Diversity Policy and Programs. He led Project 3000 by 2000, which the AAMC launched in 1991 to achieve the goal of enrolling 3,000 students from underrepresented minority groups in U.S. medical schools annually by the year 2000.

“No one in recent memory did more than Herbert Nickens to bridge the painful and persistent diversity gap in medicine," said then-AAMC President Jordan J. Cohen, MD, after Nickens’ death in 1999. The AAMC continues to remember Nickens’ legacy with three namesake awards, honoring outstanding medical students, junior faculty, and individuals who have made significant contributions toward social justice in academic medicine and health care equity.

Alexa Irene Canady, MD (b. 1950)

Alexa Irene Canady, MD, nearly dropped out of college due to a crisis of self-confidence but ultimately went on to achieve dramatic success in medicine. In 1981, she became the first black neurosurgeon in the United States, and just a few years later, she rose to the ranks of chief of neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

Canady worked for decades as a successful pediatric neurosurgeon and was ready to retire in Florida in 2001. But she donned her surgical scrubs once again to practice part time at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, where there was a dearth of pediatric neurosurgery services. Canady has been lauded for her patient-centered approach to care, which she said was a boon to her career. “I was worried that because I was a black woman, any practice opportunities would be limited.” But, she noted, “by being patient-centered, the practice growth was exponential.”

Regina Marcia Benjamin, MD, MBA (b. 1956)

Regina Marcia Benjamin, MD, MBA, may be best known for her tenure as the 18th U.S. Surgeon General, during which she served as first chair of the National Prevention Council. The group of 17 federal agencies was responsible for developing the National Prevention Strategy, which outlined plans to improve health and well-being in the United States.

But it’s not just her work at the highest levels of public health that earned her praise. Long before she was appointed “the nation’s doctor” in 2009, Benjamin worked extensively with rural communities in the South. She is the founder and CEO of BayouClinic in Bayou La Batre, Louisiana, which provides clinical care, social services, and health education to residents of the small Gulf Coast town. Benjamin helped rebuild the clinic several more times, including after damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and a fire in 2006. Of the clinic, she said she hopes that she is “making a difference in my community by providing a clinic where patients can come and receive health care with dignity.”

New section

JULIA HASKINS, SPECIAL TO AAMCNEWS

[ancientbooshartifacts]

Carpe Noctem

Author: Silent-Fields

Year: 2010

Rating: PG-13

Characters: Richmond, Anthrax & Ebola

Richmond watched as the children of the night careened about in a haze of smoke, extending their pale arms towards Heaven and Hell. After weeks of careful research, tonight was the night Richmond had decided to set out and experience his first goth club. He had chosen Pandora's Box because it offered two rooms spinning various genres, a lounge, and a very extensive bar. He was in the gothic room at the moment, enjoying the contrast of ethereal female vocals with demonic male ones echoing from the club's speakers. With his last few paychecks as Project Executive, Richmond built himself up an extensive wardrobe, favoring mostly Victorian and Edwardian inspired styles, but liking the cuts on many of the more modern clothes as well. Most of his old clothes were then donated, but he did keep a few pieces. A purple dress shirt did look quite nice with a black tie. For his debut he wore a black frock coat, a black ruffled shirt whose cuffs dangled just enough over his hands to be dramatic but not a hindrance, and a maroon waistcoat. Black trousers and pointed boots completed his outfit. He had recreated the eye make-up he had done for Denholm's father's funeral, but chose to simply line his lips' natural shape rather than draw them into a frown. He wanted to be approachable, trying for subtle indifference with a hint of misery for tonight's look. His parents had been more upset about his demotion than his new lifestyle. "You always liked The Addams Family and Tim Burton movies," his mother said with a shake of her head. "And there was that time your father took you to see Kiss. But Richmond dear, can you still support yourself?" Richmond had enough savings to cover any emergencies that may arise within the next few months and tended to live rather frugally, so the lower pay hadn't really bothered him. What had been surprising was how much more comfortable he was now, finding solace in the shadows of the night after years of corporate competition under harsh florescent. Richmond had been so lost in reminiscing that he didn't notice two girls approaching him until they were right in front of him. The taller of the two was wearing a long black velvet dress with bell sleeves, her wavy blonde hair flowing over both her shoulders. The shorter girl's black hair was pinned back with spider shaped sliver clips, and she wearing a black knee-length tank dress with zippers on the straps, fishnet stockings, and combat boots. Both wore matching necklaces, a silver dagger on a satin cord that stopped at the tops of their breasts. Drinks in hand and small purses on their shoulders, they introduced themselves. "Hello, I'm Ebola.” said the blonde, her manner stoic. "And I'm Anthrax." said the other, her tone equally void of emotion. "Richmond." He replied with a bow. Oh dear, should I have created pseudonym? Alabaster? No, sounds silly. Ammonite? Possibly too obscure. Maybe I should have used my last name, it does sound a bit more gothic . . . "We haven't seen you here before, is this your first time?" Anthrax asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Oh yes, yes it is." "They seem to be playing older stuff tonight, not a bad night to drop in. Would you care to join us in the lounge?" Richmond nodded and Anthrax's lips curled upwardly slightly, flashing the tips of a pair of fangs as she turned toward the door. Richmond followed as the girls effortless weaved their way through the dancing patrons towards the lounge. They sat on a vacant purple velvet settee while Richmond sat in an adjacent chair, the table in front of them covered with ashtrays and empty glasses. Candlelight and black fabric draped from the ceiling surrounded them. Ebola sat her glass down and fished a cigarette and lighter out of her purse while Anthrax and Richmond held on to their drinks. "So Richmond, what do you do?" Ebola asked, lighting her cigarette. She held up her free hand before he could reply. "Wait, let me guess. Computer programmer? No no, graphic designer." Richmond furrowed his brow in confusion. "Nearly every guy here works with computers," Anthrax explained. "It provides a relaxed office dress code and a pay check that supports the lifestyle." "Oh. Um, I work in IT." It felt odd saying that, as Richmond still had no idea what kind of work he was expected to do. Though it is quite nice working in the basement. "Ah." Anthrax took a sip of her drink, something dark red. "The bartender here is quite excellent, always coming up with some new delicious and deadly cocktail. I see you've gone with The Green Fairy." "I quite like absinthe." Richmond replied with perhaps too much enthusiasm. He was drinking a cocktail of the previously mentioned bartender's own design. While lounge was relaxing, Pandora's Box was primarily a dance club, and did not lend itself to melting sugar cubes into luminous green filled glasses, so he settled for a mixed drink that contained some of his favorite liquor. "Oh I'm sure you'll meet him eventually." Ebola said, rolling her eyes. Richmond looked quite confused. "Absinthe is the owner and operator of a S&M club nearby." Anthrax explained. "It's members only with the exception of a few events throughout the year." She looked him up and down. "You could probably become a member without too much difficulty." "Oh I see." Richmond wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to interpret that statement. "Um . . . are you members?" "Yes." Ebola replied, taking a drag from her cigarette. "Why, are you interested?" "Not now, maybe one day." Richmond shifted and took a sip of his drink. He noticed Anthrax looking him again and he suddenly wondered if maroon was too bright of a colour for the occasion. "This isn't just your first time here is it?" she asked. "It's your first time out a goth club." Richmond blinked. "Oh dear, was it obvious?" "A bit" she replied, her fangs once again peeking out over her near smile. "Oh. Well I am still feeling my way around the culture." he admitted "It does get associated with a lot of different things." Anthrax commented. "How did you become interested in the lifestyle?" Ebola asked, placing her cigarette on the closest ashtray. "Cradle of Fifth." he replied, hiding his grin with a sip of his drink. "May I ask you two what interested you in becoming goth?" "Sure," Ebola said with a shrug. "For Anthrax it was The Hunger, that film with David Bowie as a vampire and Susan Sarandon's lesbian scene. If that wasn't enough the moment we start the film she's shaking me asking 'What's this song? Who's that bloke in the cage??'" Anthrax glared at Ebola. "You're the one with the thing for David Bowie." She turned to Richmond, "My older brother was into the scene as well so I'd often watch him put on his make-up before he went out and developed an interest from there. As for Ebola, she fancied my brother." "That wasn't the only reason, you cow." She glared back at Anthrax before replying. "I always loved Lydia's outfits in Beetlejuice, I wanted to dress like her every day. But it was so distressing to see her so happy and normal looking at the end of the film." "Oh yes, I agree. Even if the song is very catchy." Richmond swirled his drink in his glass, watching the bright green whirlpool, wondering what question to ask next. Perhaps they know someplace that provides a more appropriate atmosphere for drinking absinthe . . . Ebola reached for her cigarette, noticing a man walking quickly past them. "Good Evening, Lord Catalyst." she called out. The man froze and turned around with a grimace on his face. He was dressed similar to Richmond, but had chosen to accessorize with a top hat and cane. "You two!" he said with a slight twitch, pointing his finger accusingly. He turned to Richmond dramatically, his cape swirling to match his movement. "Take heed my dear fellow! They are harpies, who will snatch away your soul!" He glared at the two girls on the settee. "I do not mean this as a compliment!" "Oh fuck off!" Ebola hissed. "Or shall we tell him why you're so uncomfortable around us?" Lord Catalyst jumped, his twitch increasing in intensity, and scuttled away. Both girls exchanged a look and a snicker before turning to Richmond. "I'm sorry Richmond. We . . . collect boys on occasion but tonight we were just looking for conversation," explained Anthrax. "Though you are very handsome.” Ebola added. "That's quite alright. I must say, you both have beautiful skulls." "Thank you," they replied in unison. They spent the rest of the evening chatting away in the lounge, occasionally getting up to dance when a song came on that the girls insisted Richmond must dance to. Soon the antique grandfather clock in the lounge struck three, signaling that the evening was at an end. "You've both been very helpful. Thank you." said Richmond as they exited the club, trying not to smile. "There isn't a goth rule again smiling, Richmond." Ebola said with a laugh. "Just don't make it a regular habit." After exchanging phone numbers and email addresses the group went their separate ways, with the promise to meet again soon. ----------------------------------- For the first couple of years they were always out together; going to clubs and films and tea parties in graveyards, meeting up to chat and shop and dance. Anthrax and Ebola quickly discovered Richmond had no trouble pulling, his shy demeanor combined with his theatrical delivery proved highly amusing and rather attractive to both goths and non-goths of all genders. Sometimes they would meet just to compare notes on their various conquests. As the years went on Richmond began to come out less and less, mainly communicating by email and only occasionally by phone. He would still show up to major events and travel with them for Whitby, but Richmond slowly withdrew into his own world as Anthrax and Ebola continued to venture out in to the night. ----------------------------------- Neither Ebola nor Anthrax had seen Richmond for months and after weeks of persistent emails and phone calls, he agreed to come out. Before heading to Pandora's Box they decided to meet up at a near by cafe, sitting in a booth in the back corner, for privacy as well as ambience. Always a gentleman, Richmond waited until the girls had settled before sitting down. Anthrax sat near the wall, dangling her fingers over the table candle as she waited for her tea bag to steep. Ebola stirred her coffee, watching the creamer swirl. Both waited silently, wanting Richmond to speak first. He stared at his coffee, watching the stream curl out of the mug for a while before speaking. "My old boss committed suicide. He just jumped out of a window one day." Anthrax gasped and Ebola jumped slightly. That wasn't the whole story of course, but Richmond didn't feel like explaining that the pensions at Reynholm Industries had been tampered with for years and if Denholm had chosen to think about it, there had probably been an easy way to fix them. But Denholm has always been impulsive and unpredictable, up until the last moments of his life. "The one that demoted you?" Ebola asked carefully. Richmond nodded, still not looking up at either of them. "I slept with him shortly before it happened. It wasn't anything serious; I knew that before we did anything. In a way it sort of felt like closure." Richmond took a slip of his coffee, continuing to look at the table. "I wasn't allowed to attend the funeral, but at the time it didn't really bother me. As the weeks went on though, I found myself becoming rather depressed." "How are they treating you at work?" asked Anthrax. "Oh much better, I'm allowed out during daytime hours now. I still don't talk to my coworkers much - don't really see a reason to. I'm just sort of . . . there." Richmond looked up, saw two pairs of sympathetic looking milky lenses, and looked back down. "I'm not quite sure what to do with myself now." Ebola looked at Anthrax, biting her lip slightly. They searched each other eyes for the right words. Today it was Anthrax's turn to have the epiphany, eyes widening as she turned to face Richmond once more. "Richmond, do you remember the last thing that came out of Pandora's Box?" Richmond looked up from his drink at Anthrax, allowing his frown to become one of confusion rather than despair. She reached across the table and took hold of one of his hands. "It was hope." Richmond blinked, his mouth forming a silent "Oh". Ebola reached across and took hold of his other hand, both girls squeezing before letting go. The friends finished their drinks in a comfortable silence. "I think it's the industrial room tonight my dears." Ebola said as she began to rise out of the booth. "We can dance the night away and count how many times someone samples Dune." "No complaints here." Richmond replied, waiting until Anthrax was out of the booth before standing, trailing behind them both as they walked toward the front. "Oh Richmond we must tell you about this ridiculous boy we met at The Black Spider." Anthrax turned as he held the cafe door open. "He looked a bit like you but lacked your depth. When we asked him what his favorite song was he said it was Gary Numan's Dominion Day." Richmond sneered slightly as he followed her out. "First time?" "First and last, thankfully." And so the friends set out to drink and dance, extending their arms towards the infinite possibilities that lay ahead of them, capturing the night in their pale hands.

[spider--aye]

TWDG Rarepairs week, Day 1: Flower Crowns

Ship: lujavi (Luke x Javi)

Words: 982

Warning! I don’t think I’m a too good writer :/

Javi and Luke were walking through a field. It was early spring, all snow already melted and the sun was shyly getting warmer, shining on both man and making allowing them to wear their usual clothes without bonus layers of coats. It was the first moment like this that year, yet they already left all warmer clothes in Richmond, trusting this weather to keep them warm enough. Luke was looking around, watching nature grow with a bright smile on his face, while Javi was observing the sky with his bat on his back holding his hands up. Both men were relaxed and happy to be there.

"I think spring's my favorite time of the year," Luke sighed, amazed by the surroundings.

"Not to hurt your feelings man, but it couldn't be more obvious," Javi joked, looking over to his boyfriend.

"I'll surely take it over winter any time," Luke assured, remembering that one time he almost drowned during the winter, now his least favorite season.

"Of course you would. Oh, and thank you for coming here with me. Being a leader of Richmond is nice, but often tiring," Javi sighed, happy to have some free time at least.

"You're telling me? I was trying to lead a group of 7 including me and still remember how hard it was. I don't know how you do it with the whole community," Luke replied, thinking about his small group escaping Carver for the first time.

"Honestly? Neither do I. It just... happens. And luckily you and my family is helping me," Javi smiled. He really didn't think he would be able to do it on his own, he was happy to have all the support he'd ever need.

"You know what? Let's get our minds off from leading for a moment. Anything you wanna do?" Luke suggested, wanting to relax for a bit. That's why they went for this walk in the first place after all. Javier looked around, trying to find something to do. He eventually made up his mind.

"You know what? Yeah, let's make... flower crowns," the man decided, walking over to some flowers.

"Are you serious?" Luke asked, raising his eyebrow slightly and tilting his head to the left to get a better look at his boyfriend.

"Yeah, why not? I mean, yeah, it's childish, but... you're up to it?" Javi asked, ready to sit down in flowers.

"Hell yeah!" Luke laughed and joined Javier.

Both men took one last look to see if any walkers were around and then sat in the middle of the field and looked through the flowers. No matter how bad did it sound, ever since humanity almost died out and changed its way of living, most of the plants were looking more beautiful and were finally growing bigger than ever before. The flowers were more colorful, the eatable plants had more original taste... without humanity nature was going forward.

They started working on their crowns and Luke surprised realized how good Javi was at it. It seemed like he was doing it since the day he was born. His hands were automatically picking the most colorful and big flowers and his fingers were smoothly wrapping them into the crown he was working on. Crown full of all kinds of shades, all shapes of flowers, all sorts of smells. Luke looked down on his hands and watched his crown for a moment. Then he compared it with Javier's work.

"Damn, I didn't know you were so good at it!" the man complimented.

"I had a niece, you know? Making flower crowns was a required skill with her under my wings," Javi answered, smiling at the memory of him and Mariana making crowns for everyone back when she was younger. It was helping her to relax. The only thing that could do that except for her music. He then looked at Luke's crown. "You need any help with that?" he asked politely.

"Well, it'd be nice. Turns out I don't really remember how to do it," Luke laughed, scratching his neck.

"Turns out you don't. Here, let me show you," Javi said, leaning over and taking a flower. He slowly put it in Luke's crown, showing the man how to do it. "Here, see? It's not as hard as it seems, right?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"Yeah. Thanks," Luke smiled back and tried it himself, successfully.

They both got back to their "work", mixing it up with small talks and short laughs. Only once in a while one of them was looking up and watching the field around them, looking for any walkers or Richmond's guards on their watching duty. Eventually, both crowns were done and ready to wear. They both put their works on tops of their heads and got up from the ground, slowly heading back to Richmond before anyone would notice they're gone, or at least before people would get seriously worried. Javier looked over to Luke and laughed.

"What?" Luke asked, both confused and amused by Javi's sudden laughter.

"It's just... you look hilarious!" Javi answered, still laughing.

"Right back at you, Quinn." Luke joked with a smirk and playfully punched Javi in the shoulder.

"Quinn?" Javi asked, struggling to stop laughing.

"Well, you rule here and have a flower crown..." Luke answered and finally let out a laugh he choked up a moment earlier.

And with that cheerful atmosphere, both men reached the gate and snuck in before anyone saw them. They were then walking around the whole place with their crowns still on their heads and making people question the ways they could possibly get those flowers without getting out. Actually, they kept them on for the entire day, eating and working with them like it was a normal thing. They just loved the looks people were giving them while seeing them in such an outfit.

[sonofhistory]

What is known about the Hemings children? (sally's siblings?)

Children of Elizabeth “Betty” Hemings:

Children with a Wayles slave:

Mary Hemings was born into slavery in 1753, most likely in Charles City County, Virginia. Mary’s father was most likely a slave. After the death of John Wayles in 1773, Elizabeth, Mary and other siblings were inherited by Thomas Jefferson and moved to Monticello. Mary Hemings had four children, six total: Daniel Farley (1772 - after 1827) which Jefferson gave to his sister; Molly Hemings (1777 - after 1790) which Jefferson gave to his daughter Martha as a wedding gift; Joseph Fossett (1780-1858) whose his father was William Fossett, a white workman at Monticello and Betsy Hemings, (1783. - ?), family tradition states Betsy was fathered by the recently widowed Thomas Jefferson.

There is documentation that Mary was one of the household slaves Jefferson took to Williamsburg and Richmond to care for his family, along with younger sister Betsy, when he was governor, from 1779 - 1781. Jefferson’s family took along a number of slaves as servants, including Mary Hemings. The following year Jefferson relocated his household to the new capital of Richmond. When Benedict Arnold’s forces raided Richmond searching  for Jefferson, they took Mary Hemings and other Jefferson slaves as prisoners of war. They were let go from the British later that year by George Washington’s forces during Yorktown. 

During Jefferson’s stay in Paris as American minister to France, his overseer hired out Mary Hemings, with her two younger children, to work for Thomas Bell, a wealthy, white, merchant in Charlottesville. Mary became his common-law wife and they had two children together: Robert Washington Bell and Sally Jefferson Bell. At Mary’s request, after his return Jefferson sold Mary and her two younger children to Bell in 1792 and her husband freed them and acknowledged they were his children. Jefferson kept Mary’s two older children, Joseph Fossett, age twelve, and Betsy, age nine, at Monticello where they were likely cared for by aunts and a grandmother. The couple lived together all their lives but were prohibited from marriage by Virginia law although Bell became a good friend of Jefferson. 

Jefferson gave Betsy Hemings at fourteen, with twenty-nine other slaves as a wedding gift to his daughter Mary Jefferson. Betsy lived with the Eppes family for the rest of her life. Descendants say Betsy became Eppes’s concubine from about age twenty-one after he was widowed. They had a daughter Frances and son Joseph together and other children. The names of other children were lost when a fire destroyed the plantation records. Their “relationship” continued after he married a second time five years later. Betsy Hemmings was buried next to Eppes in his family cemetery at the plantation, and her grave is marked by a tombstone similar to his. 

Though free, Mary Hemings remained in close communication with her family at Monticello and gave out gifts. She was remembered by them many years after her death. When Thomas Bell died in 1800, he left Mary and their Bell children a sizable estate, treating them as free in his will. The property included lots on Charlottesville’s Main Street. He depended on his neighbors and friends to carry out his wishes. Her grandson Peter Fossett recalled when he was a child, Mary gave him a suit of blue nankeen cloth and a red leather hat and shoes, grand compared to the attire of children of field slaves. Mary Hemings had her last days in Charlottesville, dying sometime after 1834 and her grave site remains unknown.

In 1826 Jefferson freed Joseph Fossett by his will, in recognition of his service as an ironworker. A hundred and thirty Monticello slaves were sold after Jefferson’s death to pay off debts, including Fossett’s wife Edy and their children. With the help of Mary Bell and other free family members, Fossett over several years purchased the freedom of his wife and most of his children. The family moved from Virginia to Ohio approximately 1840. 

In 2007 Mary Hemings Bell was recognized as a Patriot of the Daughters of the American Revolution, because she had been taken as a prisoner of war during the American Revolution. 

Martin Hemings, born 1755, was born and raised at The Forest, the plantation home of John Wayles. After Wayles’s death in 1773, Martin was sent to Monticello and worked as a butler for Thomas Jefferson. According to family legend, Martin Hemings was responsible for hiding the Jeffersons family silver as Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton’s troops approached Monticello in 1781. One soldier pointed a gun at Martin’s chest and told him he’d shoot him unless he told him where the governor was. Martin responded with “Then shoot.” Jefferson eventually sold Martin over an unknown dispute.

Elizabeth “Betty Brown” Hemings, born 1759, was the first of her family to come to Monticello in 1772, as personal maid of Jefferson’s wife Martha. Betty Brown was “quite a personage on the mountain.” She was also taken capture with her older sister, Mary. After almost sixty years of domestic work in the main house, she was one of the last of the Hemingses to live on the Monticello mountaintop, remaining there until the property was sold in 1831. Described as “light colored & decidedly good looking,” Betty Brown had seven children who lived to adulthood. Among these were head gardener Wormley Hughes, Monticello butler Burwell Colbert (who was freed in Jefferson’s will), and nailmaker Brown Colbert.  Her sons Edwin and Robert both became runaways after being given and sold away from Monticello. Her daughter Melinda Colbert Freeman married and lived in freedom in Washington, DC. Betty Brown died in the early 1830s, probably before her daughter Mary Colbert and son Brown Colbert chose to seek freedom in the African colony of Liberia in 1833.

Nancy “Nance” Hemings was born in 1761. In 1785 Jefferson gave her to his sister as a wedding gift. Ten years later he bought her back, as she was a skilled weaver and he had started a cotton factory at Monticello. She was sold in the later years of Jefferson’s life to David Isaacs and freed by him as he was the father of at least seven of her eight children.  

Children with John Wayles:

Robert “Bob” Hemings was born 1762. Robert became the property of Thomas Jefferson after John Wayles’s death in May 1773. A few weeks later, eleven year old Bob (as Jefferson always called him) became part of Jefferson’s domestic staff. By 1775 Robert Hemings served as Jefferson’s body servant. Bob was described as a “bright mulatto,” and accompanied Jefferson to Philadelphia in 1775 and 1776. In 1775, he was inoculated against smallpox by Dr. William Shippen, the same physician who had inoculated Jefferson a decade earlier. Until Jefferson left for France in 1784, Robert Hemings accompanied him everywhere. Hemings received some months of training under a barber in Annapolis in 1784 and gave Jefferson a morning shave beginning in 1790. 

In an advertisement Jefferson placed in 1791, he wrote of Bob, “Wanted, A Genteel Servant, who can shave and dress well, attend a gentleman on horseback, wait at table, and be well recommended.“ Bob Hemings parted from Jefferson in Boston on July 1st, 1784. Bob returned to Virginia with Jefferson’s horses and found another place as a servant and kept wages for himself. Bob accompanied Jefferson to New York in 1790 but left after three months to find a place as a servant in Virginia. Jefferson recalled him to Monticello soon after having difficulty learning his whereabouts. Bob wished to remain in Virginia because of his wife Dolly, an enslaved woman living near Fredericksburg and later in Richmond. Bob seized an opportunity to live permanently with his family in 1794. Together they had two children, Elizabeth and Martin. Why Bob was only one of two slaves to gain freedom during Jefferson’s life is unclear. 

Dr. George Frederick Stras, a French émigré living in Richmond, agreed to advance prices of Bob’s freedom and Bob agreed to pay his debt to Stras with service. Jefferson complied reluctantly with this agreement but thought Robert Hemings had been "debauched” from him and had been valued too low ($200). The deed of manumission was signed at Monticello on December 24th , 1794 and officially freed Robert. Martha Jefferson Randolph saw Robert Hemings in Richmond a few weeks later: “[H]e expressed great uneasiness at having quitted you in the manner he did and repeatedly declared that he would never have left you to live with any person but his wife.” In 1799 is when he first appears on Richmond tax rolls. Later entries showed he operated a livery or hauling business. In 1802, he lived on a half-acre lot he owned at the corner of Grace and Seventh Streets. According to Isaac Granger Jefferson, at some point, Robert “had his hand shot off with a blunderbuss,” and he died in 1819.

James “Jim” Hemings done here. 

Thenia Hemings born in 1767 was a beautiful young woman who trained as a house slave at Monticello, like her mother and sisters. She was subsequently given temporarily to James Monroe by Thomas Jefferson. Her children were not documented in Jefferson’s farm book, except she a son named Anon (not sure if there were more) who were issued linen. Thenia and her son were sold in 1794 by Thomas Jefferson officially to James Monroe. Research indicates Monroe promptly had her and child sent to Missouri prior to his departure in same year as new American Ambassador to France. It is possible that she became impreganated with Anon while temporarily working for Monroe who was not at his plantations or around his slaves often with another male slave that Monroe owned. It is believed by some Jefferson sold Thenia officially to Monroe as to put the family together as it is evident he was not inclined to break up families but did so occasionally, sadly. 

Critta Hemings, born 1769, lived at Monticello from about 1775 until 1827. Critta Hemings seems to have been a house maid and a mid-wifeas well. In 1793, when she was living in the stone workmen’s house, Jefferson gave orders for her to move out of that building to "the nearest” of the new log cabins on Mulberry Row, “as oftenest wanted about the house.” In 1802, Jefferson’s builder wrote that “the floors in the plastered rooms ought to be washed out as Critta is gone there is no person to undertake it.” Critta was absent in Chesterfield County, living temporarily with Jefferson’s daughter Maria, who had borrowed her as nurse to her infant son, Francis Wayles Eppes.It was Eppes, twenty-five years later, who bought Critta’s freedom for fifty dollars. She died in 1850. Later she married Zachariah Bowles, a free man of color. The manumission deed referred to “Critty, sometimes called Critty Bowles, the wife of Zachariah Bowles, a free man of colour” living in Albemarle County. The only references to Zachariah Bowles in Jefferson’s records are in the accounts of his steward, Nicholas Lewis. In 1790 and 1791 Bowles was paid for occasional labor in the harvest and in raising a barn. He owned his own farm of 96 acres north of Charlottesville and left a life interest in it to his wife at his death in 1835. At this time, they had living with them Martha Ann Colbert, a slave belonging to Jefferson’s grandson Meriwether Lewis Randolph who may have been the daughter of Jefferson’s butler Burwell Colbert. 

Critta’s own will, in 1847, made provision for Martha, calling her “a female slave, raised by me.” Critta had one son, James, born in 1787. He worked as a carpenter at Monticello until he ran away about 1804. Jefferson tried to persuade him to return without success. He was one of several cases of light-skinned slaves that were not chased. He made a brief reappearance at Monticello in 1815, when Jefferson noted paying him for finding a missing piece of one of his scientific instruments.  Critta died in 1850 at the age of 81. 

Peter Hemings was born in 1770. In 1794, James Hemings began training his younger brother Peter to become Monticello’s principal cook, a position that Peter Hemings then occupied from 1796 until 1809. From the President’s House, Thomas Jefferson sent a request for his cook’s muffin recipe: ”[D]irect us here how to make muffins in Peter’s method. my cook here cannot succeed at all in them, and they are a great luxury to me.“ In 1813, Peter Hemings learned brewing and took charge of the brewing and malting operations at Monticello. According to Jefferson, Peter learned brewing "with entire success” and possessed “great intelligence and diligence both of which are necessary." Confident of Hemings’s skill as a brewer, Jefferson suggested to James Madison that he send another slave of his to Monticello to learn brewing, writing that "our malter and brewer is uncommonly intelligent and capable of giving instruction." 

Peter Hemings and his wife Betsy had together at least five children. While he was cook, the family lived in a room next to the kitchen. In 1809, Jefferson instructed that Peter be given his choice of a house on Mulberry Row, and that the house be fixed up "in an entirely comfortable and decent manner." After Thomas Jefferson’s death, Peter was purchased by a relative and given freedom. He then earned a living as a tailor in Charlottesville.

Sarah “Sally” Hemings essay done here and my video on Sally here. 

Children with Irish workman Joseph Neilson:

John Hemmings was born at Monticello April 24, 1776. He trained and became a highly skilled carpenter and woodworker, making furniture and crafting fine woodwork for Monticello and Poplar Forest. Hemmings apprenticed Beverley, Madison and Eston Hemings, some Sally Hemings’s children. John Hemings was freed in 1826 by Jefferson's will and given tools to the joinery. He remained at Monticello until 1831 and died in 1833. John Hemmings was born into slavery at Monticello on April 24, 1776. His father was Joseph Neilson, a white Irish workman and Jefferson's chief carpenter at Monticello. John Hemings was considered a slave despite his three-quarters European heritage. As a child, John was a fieldworker. At age fourteen, Hemmings worked as an "out-carpenter" working in the woods and fields chopping trees and building fences, barns and three of the slave cabins on Mulberry Row at Monticello. 

At some point, John also learned how to read and write, exactly when and who taught him is unclear but unlike the rest of his family, he spelled his name with a double m. John married another Monticello slave Priscilla and they both were together for life. Priscilla served as the nursemaid for Jefferson's daughter Martha Randolph's children at Edgehill three miles away from Monticello. Priscilla lived with her husband after Martha Randolph moved to Monticello to serve in her father’s absences. The Jefferson grandchildren were fond of Peter and reportedly called him "Daddy" as well as asking him to make them little wooden presents when they visited his cabin on Mulberry Row. He wrote letters to Jefferson's granddaughter Septimia Randolph. Priscilla and John were described as extremely devout, and they held religious services in their cabin. They had no children of their own but were close with Sally Hemings's three boys. 

John Hemmings received his first instructions at age seventeen years of age in 1793 to serve in the Monticello Joinery, when Thomas Jefferson wrote to his son-in-law Tom Randolph and asked Randolph to make sure Hemmings received training from the house joiner David Watson to fashion wheels and work with wood. John later worked as a principal assistant to James Dinsmore, another Monticello joiner. John contributed to both the improvements Jefferson made to Monticello and the construction of Poplar Forest. Hemmings fashioned one of the porticles into an aviary, likely for Jefferson's mockingbirds. John usually took Sally’s sons Beverley, Madison, and Eston Hemings to Poplar Forest to teach them carpentry and joining. 1809, John assumed responsibility for the Monticello joinery. The joinery began to focus upon creating furniture, both for Monticello and for Jefferson's second home at Poplar Forest. The Monticello Joinery was responsible for desks, chairs, and tables, often created from Jefferson's designs. 

John considered a writing desk he made for Jefferson’s granddaughter Ellen Randolph Coolidge as his masterpiece, and both he and Jefferson were devastated to learn it had been lost in a shipwreck on its way to her. John created all the necessary parts for the carriage and his step-nephew completed the ironwork; while another relative step-nephew  painted the finished carriage. John trained other slaves, including Sally’s three sons. At the age of fourteen, Beverley, Madison and Eston each became apprenticed to their step-uncle and learned to be highly skilled carpenters. Jefferson and John wrote letters to each other and shared drawings about woodworking and the work being done on both of Jefferson's houses; twelve of the letters survive. John also informed Jefferson when Nace, a Poplar Forest slave, stole produce from the house garden. Jefferson rewarded John with an bonus each year, beginning in 1811. 

When Jefferson became ill, John nursed him for two months and helped him to walk. On April 16, 1826, an ailing Thomas Jefferson prepared his will. In it, he stipulated John would be freed as of a year after his death, given all the tools of his trade, and gifted a life estate in a house and an acre of land, provided he stayed close to his wife Priscilla and the new University of Virginia. When Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th, 1826. He was buried in a coffin that John Hemmings spent weeks fashioning from wood he saved in the joinery for this purpose. When Priscilla died in 1830, Hemmings spent over a year carving her headstone himself and he started drinking heavily, sunk into depression and stopped working. Hemmings continued to live and work for wages at Monticello until about 1831. Little is known of Hemmings's whereabouts after 1831. The last trace of him is a court record of Hemmings registering with the county court on September 16th, 1831. According to it, John Hemmings was just over five feet five inches tall, of a light complexion, and had a small scar on his right wrist. John Hemmings died in 1833.

Children with a Monticello slave:

Lucy Hemings, born 1777, was her mother’s last child. Her mother refused to divulge the name of Lucy’s father although there is two options:

1) Either her flame with her eldest children’s father was rekindled after the death of John Wayles or 2) She began impreganated via another slave at Monticello. 

It is most likely the latter although we cannot make any clear decisions and we’ll never know. There is nothing known of Lucy other than that she died in 1786 while her master, Thomas Jefferson was serving as Ambassador to France  at the age of only nine. 

[gibsongirlselections]

American ‘Stormtroopers’ — A Bright Shining Lie

With the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse under nightly siege from violent radicals, and Portland’s police hard-pressed to protect it, President Trump sent in federal agents to secure the building.

The reaction from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:

“The use of stormtroopers under the guise of law and order is a tactic that is not appropriate to our country in any way.”

Majority Whip James Clyburn endorsed the speaker’s equating of the U.S. law enforcement officers to Ernst Rohm’s SA thugs being deployed to do the dirty work of Adolph Hitler.

“Nobody asked the federal government to come into Portland. Nobody asked them to come to Seattle,” ranted Clyburn. “This is something that’s made up of whole cloth by this administration as an excuse for sending in stormtroopers to incite the people.”

Clyburn had earlier compared the U.S. officers sent to Portland to Heinrich Himmler’s Nazi secret police: “This president and this attorney general seem to be doing everything they possibly can to impose Gestapo activities on local communities, and this is what I’ve been warning about for a long time.”

His Gestapo comparison recalls Sen. Abe Ribicoff’s denunciation of the Chicago police of Mayor Richard J. Daley during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, after police clashed with radicals in Grant Park: “With George McGovern, we wouldn’t have Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago!”

What do the men and women of the FBI, DEA, ICE, DHS, CBP and the U.S. Marshals Service think of congressional leaders who equate them with Nazi stormtroopers and the Gestapo?

Outraged that Trump sent in federal agents to protect a building they had under siege for weeks, the Portland mob came out in even greater numbers and rioted through the weekend. Saturday night, there were solidarity riots with Portland in Seattle, Oakland, Austin, Richmond, and other cities.

Consider the depth of hatred of Trump that would cause leaders of the Democratic Party to compare U.S. law enforcement to Nazis.

Still, to date, no apologies have been heard.

Yet, as police are again being cursed and showered with debris, it is hard to see how this country reunites, and around what, no matter which party prevails in November.

In addition to the reigniting of protests and riots in urban centers there has come, in tandem with demands to “defund the police,” a surge in violent crime. Last week, Trump offered some staggering statistics:

“In New York City, over 300 people were shot in the last month alone, a 277 … percent increase over the same period of a year ago. Murders this year have spiked 27 percent in Philadelphia and 94 percent in Minneapolis compared to the same period in 2019.

“Perhaps no citizens have suffered more from the menace of violent crime than the wonderful people of Chicago … At least 414 people have been murdered in the city this year, a roughly 50 percent increase over last year. More than 1,900 people have been shot. These are numbers that aren’t even to be believed.”

As Black Lives Matter protests revive, ostensibly for greater justice for black folks, a vastly disproportionate number of victims of these urban shootings and killings are black, as are a disproportionate number of the criminals doing the shooting and killing.

The New York Times suggests that a new “Silent Majority” of 2020, unlike Richard Nixon’s Silent Majority of 1969, backs the protesters and their causes.

A dissent: While the country was disgusted and outraged at George Floyd’s death from that cop kneeling on his neck, and supported the protests and the calls for police reform, two months of leftist rampages have taken their toll.

When the protests turned into riots, when the looting and arson began, when the statues began to be pulled down, when the rampages went on and on for weeks and months after Floyd’s death, support began to wane. And it is dissipating quickly.

The country is not going to sit still for three more months of this. At some point soon, America is going to say: Enough is enough.

Moreover, Trump has turned a permanent presidential spotlight on a real outrage: The shootings and killings that go on year in and year out, and are now escalating, especially in poor black neighborhoods of major cities, and are accepted as normal by the same liberal Democrats who have misruled those cities for decades.

Trump has put this issue on the table for the indefinite future. And the ferocity of the liberal reaction testifies to the validity of the issue and the terror of the left that a consistent stand for law and order — and with the cops who guarantee it against the mobs that threaten it — might turn the tide in Middle America back to where it naturally resides.

The majority of Americans believe, and rightly so, that this is a good country. And they will eventually tune out radicals who visibly hate its heroes and history and have on offer nothing but their own inchoate rage.

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.”

The post American ‘Stormtroopers’ — A Bright Shining Lie appeared first on The American Conservative.

[kansascityhappenings]

Virginia’s attorney general admits to ‘brown makeup’ costume after calling for governor’s resignation

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has admitted to wearing ‘brown makeup’ during college in 1980.

The news comes after Governor Ralph Northam faced calls to step down after a racist photo in his EVMS yearbook was released.

Herring previously said, “It is no longer possible for Gov. Northam to lead our Commonwealth and it is time for him to step down. I have spoken with Lt. Gov. Fairfax and assured him that, should he ascend to the governorship, he will have my complete support and commitment to ensuring his success and the success of our Commonwealth,” when addressing Northam’s controversy.

Herring’s statement read :

“The very bright light that is shining on Virginia right now is sparking a painful but, I think we all hope, important conversation. The stakes are high, and our spirits are low.

I am sure we all have done things at one time or another in our lives that show poor judgment, and worse yet, have caused some level of pain to others. I have a glaring example from my past that I have thought about with deep regret in the many years since, and certainly each time I took a step forward in public service, realizing that my goals and this memory could someday collide and cause pain for people I care about, those who stood with me in the many years since, or those who I hoped to serve while in office.

In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes – and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others – we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup.

This was a onetime occurrence and I accept full responsibility for my conduct.

That conduct clearly shows that, as a young man, I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behavior could inflict on others. It was really a minimization of both people of color, and a minimization of a horrific history I knew well even then.

Although the shame of that moment has haunted me for decades, and though my disclosure of it now pains me immensely, what I am feeling in no way compares to the betrayal, the shock, and the deep pain that Virginians of color may be feeling. Where they have deserved to feel heard, respected, understood, and honestly represented, I fear my actions have contributed to them being forced to revisit and feel a historical pain that has never been allowed to become history.

This conduct is in no way reflective of the man I have become in the nearly 40 years since.

As a senator and as attorney general, I have felt an obligation to not just acknowledge but work affirmatively to address the racial inequities and systemic racism that we know exist in our criminal justice system, in our election processes, and in other institutions of power. I have long supported efforts to empower communities of color by fighting for access to healthcare, making it easier and simpler to vote, and twice defended the historic re-enfranchisement of former felons before the Supreme Court of Virginia. I have launched efforts to make our criminal justice system more just, fair, and equal by addressing implicit bias in law enforcement, establishing Virginia’s first-ever program to improve re-entry programs in local jails, and pushing efforts to reform the use of cash bail. And I have tried to combat the rise in hate crimes and white supremacist violence that is plaguing our Commonwealth and our country.

That I have contributed to the pain Virginians have felt this week is the greatest shame I have ever felt. Forgiveness in instances like these is a complicated process, one that necessarily cannot and should not be decided by anyone but those directly affected by the transgressor, should forgiveness be possible or appropriate at all. In the days ahead, honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general, but no matter where we go from here, I will say that from the bottom of my heart, I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation.”

Please see my statement below. pic.twitter.com/FBDcgxHOq9

— Mark Herring (@MarkHerringVA) February 6, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Herring, a former state senator from Leesburg, is serving his second term as the commonwealth’s 47th attorney general. He was expecting to make a run for governor of Virginia in 2021.

Herring has lived most of his life in Loudoun County. After receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia, he graduated with honors from the University of Richmond School of Law before returning to Loudoun and establishing a successful law practice in Leesburg, according to his state government biography page. 

With calls for Gov. Northam to step down, plus Lt. Gov. Fairfax and Herring facing controversy, the line of Virginia Governor Succession goes as follows:

Lieutenant Governor (currently Justin Fairfax (D))

Attorney General (currently Mark Herring (D))

Speaker of the House of Delegates (currently Kirk Cox (R))

“House of Delegates shall convene and fill the vacancy”

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/02/06/virginias-attorney-general-admits-to-brown-makeup-costume-after-calling-for-governors-resignation/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/virginias-attorney-general-admits-to-brown-makeup-costume-after-calling-for-governors-resignation/

[benjaminzanzibar]

WTW Chapter 4 - Sacrificial Lamb

Still catching his breath from the uneasiness of the previous encounter, Dalton opted to check in with Father Time. 6:31 pm. The afternoon was getting away from him, magnifying his anxieties by the minute. Back on the move, he shuffled through his manila folder to find that he still had thirty-four wrestlers to touch base with before the pre-show in an hour. His pace and his pulse quickened.

Sliding gracelessly between hallway-clogging production assistants, Dalton took notice of a rowdy squad advancing his direction. The group of five rolled an assortment of hard shell luggage behind them as their cacophony of laughter heralded their presence. Their energy was joyous yet chaotic. Dalton course corrected to intercept them with the warmest smile he could muster, polite greeting at the ready.

"Hey, guys. How are you?" The gang immediately stopped, turning full attention to Dalton and his blinding friendliness.

The central young man with a head of bleached white hair stepped forward; his locks dangling over the left half of his face. He lifted his arm dismissively and spoke with a dense Japanese accent. "So sorry. No time for autographs now."

"Oh no, no. I'm the new talent coordinator." The sentence fumbled from Dalton's mouth as he worked to enunciate his words in a well-meaning attempt at better communication. "My name is Dalton Von Erik. It is nice to meet you!" He book-ended the statement with a sizable grin and an outstretched hand.

They turned to one another and began muttering in Japanese. Dalton's bilingual status served him purpose here as he was certain that none of them spoke Klingon. Instead, while awkwardly awaiting some kind of direct response, he surveyed the group. Each member sported a distinct unnatural hair color; an easy identifier for a team all wearing similar clothing. Black pants, black coats, and a black shirt that read Sacrificial Hand. What did that mean? But before Dalton could formulate any more queries, the group refocused and the ivory mop stepped forward once more.

"So, you must be replacement for Claire?" he asked.

"Yes! I'm the new Claire!" Dalton smiled, feeling the weight of exposition drop off his shoulders. Through context, they'd know who he was and what he did. No need to further-

"Haha! Welcome to WTW, Claire!" His mouth wide with an overachiever's smile. The remainder of the group mirrored his energy, laughing witlessly before the bunch settled down. "I, Alpha Teramoto, am captain of Sacrificial Hand." He threw his arm around Dalton's shoulder aggressively, like a friendly bear unaware of its own strength.

He continued, motioning to his first follower enthusiastically. "Nightmare Igarashi. Great in ring strategy. Unbeatable submission expert." The highlighted individual was shorter, with shoulder length hair parted in the center. Half of it was electric green, fraying into bright yellow at the ends. His expression was somehow contemplative, yet empty. Teramoto continued.

"Exact twin brothers. Rose Kita. Sky Kita. WTW Tag Team Champions supreme." The identical twin brothers flashed a grin at Dalton before turning to each other with a sly expression. They each had a streak of color running recklessly through their undercuts; pink and blue respectively. "They are undefeated champions, Claire. Do not make angry," Alpha teased with a playful smirk.

The lone female member shoved her way between the brothers, her stringy Scarlet hair burned brightly against her all black attire. She ripped off her cat eye sunglasses before addressing Dalton directly, cutting off Teramoto's forthcoming introduction.

"My name is Widow Hatanaka and I demand a shot at the Women's Championship. I will accept this opportunity tonight." Her expression was surly and her posture arrogant. She stood impatiently waiting for Dalton to bow to her demand with hands on hips.

Dalton stammered in confusion.  "I... uh... I don't know if I can just-"

"Hahaha!" Alpha started laughing again. " Hatanaka, she is... excited for new season." Dalton awkwardly chuckled alongside him, trying to keep pace with his exuberance; however, discomfort grew as the faction quickly went silent. Their smiles had washed away. The air felt thick. Something was wrong.

Suddenly, and without warning, Teramoto rocketed his right fist into Dalton's abdomen, collapsing him to the floor in monumental pain. Papers scattered through the air as he hit the concrete, desperately gasping like a fish out of water. As Dalton struggled on the ground, Teramoto sauntered over before digging a foot into his throat. Desperately, Dalton grabbed upward at Teramoto's leg, still choking, as his attacker squatted over him in an intimidating display of power. The laughter was gone.

"Listen here, you worthless shit!" Alpha's voice was shockingly precise and without accent. "I want to make it clear that no matter what Richmond told you, WE are in charge of this shithole." Dalton's cheeks were painted in tears of despair, sullying his professionalism with a cowering weakness. "If Hatanaka insists on a title shot, then you fucking give her the title shot!" Dalton's head rapidly shook in agreement with Teramoto's demands as his lungs continued fighting for air. The entire group surrounded him, mocking his pain as he realized that he never wanted anything more in his life than for this to be over. "Are we on the same page, Claire?"

Dalton gave up. His failing attempts to remain in control of his own emotions crumbled. He was being held to the ground by a group of schoolyard bullies and the only thing he could do was openly cry. To the ignorant passers-by he looked defeated, but much more importantly, he felt defeated himself.

Dalton managed to smuggle a single word out through a passing gulp. "Yes."

As Alpha's foot mercifully pulled away from Dalton's throat, the laughter began again. This time, it was the soundtrack of suffering: an unwelcome wailing that would haunt his career. Never so quickly had he entertained the idea of resigning.

The demons grabbed their luggage and continued to parade down the hallway, kicking Dalton's paperwork as they gleefully sang, "See you later, Claire!" Their clatter eventually dampened in the distance before the audible buzz of WTW staff had resumed in his ear. The passing crew seemed uninterested in Dalton's suffering, leaving him to stew in his own humiliation. He slowly lurched himself up against the adjacent wall before burying his head in his hands. While the ache of the strike lingered, it was nothing compared to the agony of realizing that at thirty-five, he was still being harassed to tears. Not since he last saw his sister had he openly wept.

He hated it.

[honey-thyme-blog]

Must-see Music Festivals in USA

Elya JohnsonMust-see rap Festivals in USAEntertainment thing | july 4s 15, 2016Do you hankering to fill your activity with enduring emotions and incredible days?Do you agnate to aura young and free forever?Or you conscientious love music in individual full scope?Than we prepared specially for you a top file of the most beautiful music fests in USA! These events will parade you the power of music. climactic music which is the most fantastic thing in the world. LollapaloozaLollapalooza is held in summer in Grant Park, Chicago.This period Lolla laud the 25th anniversary and the patron prepared something special and tremendous for fans. Firstly, the lineup headed by Red sizzling Chili Peppers, Radiohead, dominant Lazer, Lana Del Rey, G-Eazy, elite Goulding, M83, Disclosure, hale and decimal of well-known and loved artists. Moreover the fair will be going quadrigeminal days rather of 3 last year. Lollapaloozais a cocktail of music, dance, theatre and handicraft fair. Music attendant is diverse heavy metal, punk rock, hip-hop. Lollapalooza discovered comparable stars as The Killers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Machine, Green Day.Want to have the big weekends of your life? Grab your friends and head to the fest! Keep deferential and carol your love out. Relax in the grass. revenue a tiny to have some snack. Refuel. along with go affair rocking hard! Music is our DNA.Burning ManJust imagine: a civil in the desert; practice of possibilities; a final of idealist and doers. The glowing Man show to be something unreal. Its a mix of everything unformal in the world: art, people, place, music, clothes, etc. in case that you have not prevail there you wont understand what inherent all about. This feast creates a unique universe in the middle of nowhere in the slate Rock desert. You wish to bear all you need for survival: sleep-place, water, food. DJs whirl music the whole bright and night, artists set their installations, and it all conclude in searing of different huge grove figures in Saturday behind sunset. Just passers-by and viewers are not confess to be in the fest. any should parade his creativity: artistic installations, body-art, awesome clothes and so on. No precedent and no limits for the fair space. You can cover where you want, you can accomplish what you wish, although all you do should be clear and devote some section of your soul to create the atmosphere of tribal heart and venerable culture with modern format. This is what regenerate you from outworld problems, changes your mind, ransom love and peace and makes you a youth of nature.If you land a contingent to saturate yourself toward this arcane world, again dont blameless pass by. You will feel the essence of life. You will mood the cosmos inside you.BumbershootThe main sense to stop Seattle is the Bumbershoot fest taking place in the interior of the city any September. mine one of a sympathetic in this region and it can be investigated steady as its acclaim only rise with a course of time. here event highlights not only music complete by local and world-famous stars alike free movies & Ryan Lewis, Death Cab for Cutie, KYGO. climactic program also contains cinematography, dance, theatre, genius interpretation and all kinds of creative work. People hit with their families, because here they expand their view of the world, enrich their inner world, taste pot cooked by big and small restaurants, enjoy refinement in life. Develop yourself from all sides. invest family anniversary at Bumbershoot!Kwanzaa FestivalOne second before unusual Year streets of American cities will be filled with inborn songs and exotic rap rhythms of wild and mysterious Africa. Black continents culture listed into the American celibate together with African slaves. This family save delicately memories of their ancestral home. On New moment s night Afro-americans celebrate the Kwanzaa festival (from Swahili confabulation matunda yap kwanza definition the first fruit of yield), directed to remember about their traditions and cultural patterns. One of the biggest events of this kind Capital municipal Kwanzaa anniversary is mostly held in Richmond suburb, Virginia. observance usually launch in the family circle. In the evening all members drape into communal African attire gather for dinner. efficient is an altar with candles, crop and another symbols of yield on a blowout table. by meal they discuss 7 basic basis of Negro culture self-determination, collective industry and responsibility, cooperated economics, tenacity for purpose, creativity and faith. Besides they organize musical of tribal music and dances, monumental services, proper and didactic and outreach campaigns. materialize and stopover Kwanzaa fest! Plunge within ancient art of so far land of the Sahara and you will assuredly be shock by bounty of our world!Author: liar JohnsonContact email: mybuytickets@gmail.comWebsite: http://mybuyticket.info/

[kristinastorey27]

The Best Watches for a Professional Business Appearance

Watches are more than a fashion accessory. They are a status symbol, especially in the business world.

There are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to picking out a watch to match your business attire. For example, you get to choose from smartwatches to classic mechanical watches. You certainly are spoiled for choice.

  Should You Go for a Smartwatch?

In 2015, the Internet was all abuzz with news about smartwatches. They were going to change the face of time-telling. It was thought that smartwatches would become mainstream tech devices like smartphones, tablets and even e-readers. However, that did not turn out to be the case. The hype was short-lived. As a matter of fact, smartwatches are no longer popular products, even among technophiles.

Companies that experienced early success have exited the smartwatch market. That’s because consumers failed to jump on board the trend. Today, fewer than 10% of Europeans own a smartwatch. Compare that with the more than 60% who use smartphones every day. It’s easy to see that smartwatches just aren’t popular among consumers.

There were a number of factors to blame. Primarily, however, it was the cost. Considering their very limited range of functions, smartwatches could not really justify their own price. We will certainly need to cross a bridge in terms of smartwatch technology. If and when that ever happens, users would have more capabilities while smartwatches would maintain an affordable price point.

“Watches are more of a fashion accessory to most people. Smartwatches are eventually going to replace watches through natural evolution,” says Daniel Richmond from Tic Watches. “Most of our suppliers are pushing smartwatches in a race to be first. But at Tic Watches we expect this to be a slow process over a number of years. A race to be first is not that important.”

So, the answer is yes, eventually. There will come a time when smartwatches will have a valuable purpose alongside smartphones. But that time isn’t now.

    Do Smartwatches Have a Business Purpose?

Currently, smartwatches do little more than provide smartphone notifications. Emails, social media messages, and news alerts can all be pushed through to your smartphone. This can be useful, depending on the line of work you’re in.

For example, if you attend meetings regularly, then you could certainly benefit from having a smartwatch. It is great technology for this type of activity. You’ll certainly want to keep up with your emails and be aware of any urgent information. However, you can’t just whip out your mobile in the middle of a meeting. This is where a smartwatch would serve you well. As you can quickly take a look at your watch without coming across as discourteous.

So, if you have the money to spare and you’re a busy professional, a smartwatch could be a great option for you. What’s more, if you are struggling to find one that actually suits your business wear, then you may be in luck. That’s because we are seeing more and more smartwatches that put fashion first.

  Smart Watches That Look Professional

One of the main reasons that business professionals have been slow to adopt smartwatches is their appearance. They aren’t particularly known for their classy look. “Industrial,” “sporty,” and “techy” are all terms that you can use to describe the way the average smartwatch looks. But “sophisticated” isn’t one of those terms.

Therefore, business professionals are sure to struggle when it comes to finding a smartwatch that suits their style. You might have to spend quite a bit of money to get a smartwatch that has the look of a classic timepiece. For example, Montblanc’s Summit smartwatch is sleek and refined, but it sells for more than £600.

However, things could change in 2018. Michael Kors has recently launched a range of smartwatches and fitness trackers that range from £329 to £399. They are still twice the price of Apple Watches and Samsung Gears. However, it is certainly a sign of changing times when one of the biggest names in fashion creates his own smartwatch.

  RELATED ARTICLE: IS YOUR APPEARANCE HONESTLY GOOD FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

  What About Hybrid Watches?

If you want a stylish, high-tech watch but aren’t yet prepared to spend more than £300, then a hybrid smartwatch could be your perfect solution. It is the compromise between a traditional mechanical watch and a smartwatch. It does not have a touchscreen, and it does not need to be charged.

You will still get notifications from your phone via a vibration, however. Plus, there will be a visual cue to let you know which app is sending the message. It also tracks your steps and monitors your sleeping habits; you can check your progress on your smartphone. They are slim, stylish and functional. And they do exactly what you want from a smartwatch.

Plenty of high-end brands are releasing their own hybrid watches. If this is something you’re interested in, check out Fossil, Garmin, Nokia and Misfit. They come in a wide range of styles. Therefore, you should be able to find one that suits your personal wardrobe. Plus, they are affordable enough that you can mix it up with a couple of different watches to suit your various outfits.

The great thing about hybrid watches is that they don’t need charging. For instance, the batteries in hybrid watches can last up to six months. So you don’t have to worry about your watch losing its charge throughout the day. Hybrid watches are just like classic timepieces with a few convenient extras. And they don’t break the bank.

  What to Look for in a Business Watch

There are certainly unwritten rules when it comes to which type of watch you should wear in a business environment. You want your watch to tell people that you are put-together professional. You want it to communicate that you are confident about your personal style. Here are some tips for picking out the ideal watch to wear to work.

Firstly, don’t overdo it. While do want to add an extra splash of pizzazz to your outfit, the way to do that isn’t with lots of crystals. You should go for an understated look in the workplace, with simple elegance. The same applies for bright colors or novelty watches. While they may express your personality, they come across as somewhat childish and unprofessional.

What you should be looking for is a watch with a leather or link strap. Gold or silver is fine. You can even add some extra details like mother of pearl or wood, as long as they are subtle.

If you are going with a leather watchband, consider your other accessories. Your belt, shoes or handbag can provide you with a starting point. Then you can aim to match your watch to any one of those items. A bit of coordination goes a long way to making you look more professional.

Next, consider the case and the face of your watch. Both Roman numerals and modern numbers are good choices. However, it is important that they don’t stand out too much. The casing of the watch should be simple and chic. Plus, it should suit the size of the band. Anything with too large of a face will diminish the professional look of the watch.

  The Exceptions Prove the Rules

Of course, there are exceptions to the rules. If you work in a more casual office, you can wear a sportier watch or a timepiece with a few funky features. However, if you work in the kind of office where you have to wear button-down shirts and blazers, then it is best to heed the above advice.

You’ll have plenty of options to choose from when picking out a watch to suit your office attire. Professional watches come in all shapes, sizes and materials. Therefore, you’re sure to find one that does a great job of not only expressing your personality but perfectly suiting your business wardrobe.

The post The Best Watches for a Professional Business Appearance appeared first on Business Opportunities.

from Business Opportunities http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2018/04/30/watches-professional-business-appearance/

[vcuramthon-blog]

VCU Health and Children’s Hospital of Richmond celebrated the opening of new Virginia Treatment Center for Children

Stephanie Frazier 

Richmond, VA-The Virginia Treatment Center for Children (VTCC), the new mental health facility, celebrated the ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 21, 2017.

Over $56 million in funding resulted in the beautiful VTCC. The Virginia General Assembly, donors, and mental health advocates have worked together to create a facility that promotes mental health in an innovative way.

The VTCC will help fight the mental health crisis in Virginia. The National Institute of Mental Health stated that one in five children will experience a serious mental health issue but 75 percent of them will not receive the treatment necessary to recover.

A Parent’s Story

Kyle, a 3-year-old-patient, was referred to VTCC after failing to meet developmental milestones and showing extreme behaviors. VTCC gave Kiva Gatewood’s son, Kyle, a bright opportunity to succeed.

“The prejudice or stigma against those with mental health problems is declining and our scientific understanding of mental illness and treatment is greatly improving,” said Joel Silverman, M.D., chairman of the VCU Department of Psychiatry. “As a result, more kids and families like the Gatewoods are seeking help and the outcomes are excellent — kids are returning to healthy, productive lives.”

“For the very first time, Kyle was able to sit still, no longer attacking himself or others,” Gatewood said. “Dr. Sood has been Kyle’s psychiatrist now for 15 years. It was her medical knowledge, research and compassion that made the difference and enabled us to care for him at home.”

Gatewood is a member of VTCC’s Advisory Council. She works to further develop VTCC for future patients and families. She adds, “VTCC is a unique, caring and judgment-free place where each person is an individual. At VTCC no two cases are treated the same, because no two brains are the same.”

“We received wonderful care in the old facility, but the stigma of mental health was exemplified in its design — much like most mental health facilities across the country,” Gatewood said. “The fear of mental health, the gloom and doom, it wanes as you enter the vibrant and light-filled spaces of the new facility. It’s one-of-a-kind, and it’s hope for the future. Our community is lucky.”

Groundbreaking Facility

The facility has transformed from a 50-year-old building that has been compared to a prison into a brand-new design. The building was based on extensive research that incorporates a soothing aesthetic, warm, and bright color palette, and home-like features in order to create an environment of healing. Natural light, outdoor space, playgrounds, and innovative safety features create a modern mental health facility.

The building includes 32 inpatient rooms for the K-12 inpatient program. 20 outpatient exam rooms provide care to the community. The therapy area of the building includes occupational, recreational, art, musical, animal, and play therapy.  A half-court gym and recreational areas provide an opportunity for the patients to get constructive physical exercise. Gardens and green space let patients enjoy the outdoors and the healing nature of the outdoors. There is also an on-site Children’s Mental Health Resource Center for families to receive information on the treatments and conditions.

The doctor has expertise in anxiety, mood disorders, depression, and mental health needs related to gender and sexuality. In 2016, VTCC saw over 900 children who required inpatient care and saw more than 7,000 outpatient visits. Children from all over Virginia have access to treatment at VTCC. Nearly 50 percent of patients come from outside Richmond and surrounding counties. The facility also has rooms for new telemedicine programs which will help extend the reach across Virginia, especially in areas that do not have their own mental health facilities.

The new facility allows VTCC to develop new programs and service to better serve the community. There is an area in the building solely for development and research in child health. The plan is to take advantage of the larger space and increase outpatient visits by 300 percent over the next two to three years.

During the opening ceremony, Deborah Davis, CEO of VCU Hospitals and Clinics, VCU Health System and vice president for clinical services at VCU said “Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU’s Brook Road Campus represents an unwavering legacy of helping children and families thrive, this new facility and the team that will work within its walls reflect our commitment to ensuring access to care for all children. We look forward to opening our doors to children and families, and to a new day for children’s mental health care in our community.”

The building is the first LEED-accredited children’s behavioral health facility in Virginia and has already been recognized for the Award of Merit in Behavioral Healthcare’s 2016 Design Showcase competition.

The new campus is 4.5 acres and is on CHOR’s Brook Road Campus. The two story, 190,000-square-foot facility will open its doors to patients and families in early 2018.

“When VCU assumed stewardship of VTCC in 1991, we recognized the importance of providing children in the community and commonwealth with high-quality mental health care,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “I am proud of the work done by the health care experts at VTCC to ensure that every child has a chance to succeed.”

[miamibeerscene]

Thanksgiving in a Glass: 7 Sage Beers You Should Try

Credit: CraftBeer.com

November 20, 2017

Many a craft brewery T-shirt is adorned with a quote about beer by a celebrated or historical figure that, alas, was never uttered by said celebrity. Benjamin Franklin said nothing about beer being proof that God loves us and Plato didn’t proclaim, “He was a wise man who invented beer.” But I am going on record as saying this: He or she was a sagacious (i.e shrewd) person who invented sage-infused beer.

Hops, assuredly, are a brewer’s preferred bittering agent and have been for the past 500 years, but foraged herbs have performed that function for over 1,000 years. In this modern era of rediscovering that beer is the ideal accompaniment to a great meal, more small and independent craft brewers are turning to their spice cabinet and herb gardens to conjure up culinary beers with savory palates to complement various dishes.

During this autumn season when we’re quick to reach for a delectable Märzen or serve a pumpkin beer at the Thanksgiving table (because who can wait for dessert to enjoy some pie), perhaps seek out one of these small handful of sage-infused beers to match the flavors in the turkey brine and/or stuffing. It’s a wonder how well this herb, itself with its distinct varieties, plays well with various beer styles.

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Triple White Sage | Craftsman Brewing | Pasadena, CA

The oldest American craft beer to utilize sage that I could find is Craftsman, where owner/brewer Mark Jilg has been foraging for native white sage in Pasadena’s nearby San Gabriel foothills since the late ’97 or ‘98. “If you spend time in that environment,” says Jilg, “particularly in late August into October it’s the predominant aromatic plant. Just before sunset. That was the inspiration.” Jilg decided an esthery Belgian tripel made sense to build this beer on. “I really like using ingredients that I pick off of the plant because there’s a certain inherent genuineness of going into the wild. We only pick a basketful, a few pounds, usually the day before we brew. We then use the sage-like an aromatic hop addition at the end of boil.” The end result, is a big 9 percent beer built on pale malts that play up the herb and the fermentation. Yet it’s comparatively dry and while it presents a fragrant bouquet, it still leaves nuance for pairing with the rich dishes you’re likely to find in a Thanksgiving spread. Pick up a growler as it’s draft-only.

White Fuzz | Hollister Brewing | Goleta, CA

Some hundred miles up the coast from Pasadena, Hollister brewer Eric Rose has used Craftsman’s beer as an inspiration for a few different beers incorporating farm-fresh white sage, which Rose feels is the perfect and most interesting variety for Belgian-style beers. Because there’s a farm that maintains a single acre of this native white sage and clips the tips as maintenance, Rose gets those oily clippings and uses them in this hazy, golden beer as fragrant as a walk through Santa Barbara’s Rattlesnake Canyon.

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Sagefight Imperial IPA | Deschutes Brewing | Bend, OR

For such a rare ingredient in beer, as expected you don’t find it in many Great American Beer Festival winning beers. But Deschutes from the high desert of Central Oregon has earned two medals—silver in 2013 and bronze in 2014—in the Indigenous Beer category. Imperial IPAs are practically indigenous to the Bend brewing scene, and this one is packed with both sage and juniper berries creating a perfumey mélange botanicals. For the IPA lovers who are more interested in hops over other herbal notes, this is the happy medium hiking through a field of sagebrush with your favorite hoppy beverage in hand.

Utah Sage Saison | Epic Brewing | Salt Lake City, UT

Credit: Epic Brewing

Utah Sage Saison from Epic Brewing, incidentally, is the other GABF-winning sage beer (bronze in the Herb and Spice Beer category in 2012). Brewed in, and exclusively for, Utah, this bready and rustic saison imparts the aroma of Simon and Garfunkel’s hit since it also features rosemary and thyme, and the herbal quality of this farmhouse-style beer makes it a winning combo with lighter or vegetarian fare at the table.

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White Downs | Brasserie Saint James | Reno, NV

This artistic saison from Brasserie Saint James transitions away from the above’s autumnal roots into winter squash. This Nevada brewery elected to use roasted butternut squash in the mash to flesh out the body and mouthfeel letting the white sage—harvested at nearby Great Basin Co-Op—become the workhorse as it’s added to the boil for maximum pungency. After more than a year in red wine barrels, where it develops its tartness though the fermentation-derived spice and funk remains, making it an exceptional complement to turkey or just about any fowl or fauna for that matter.

Sweet Potato and Sage Saison | Ardent Craft Ales | Richmond, VA

Sweet Potato and Sage Saison from Ardent Craft Ales includes fistfuls of sage from nearby Victory Farms as well as sweet and earthy tubers found in Thanksgiving’s renowned casserole. The sage does the heavy lifting of this lighter, dry beer custom-made (and available by the growler) for thirsty pilgrims in the first American colony.

Saison Savoureuse | Tahoe Mountain Brewing | Truckee, CA

From their Récolte Du Bois series, Tahoe Mountain’s Bretted farmhouse ale began not in response to the current sour trend but as eventual owner and brewer Aaron Bigelow’s homebrewed love letter to wife back in 1995. Said wife, more of a wine-drinker than a beer-lover, discovered an affinity for vinous, oaked, wild ales. This saison incorporates hand-rubbed Dalmatian sage that’s steeped into a concentrated tea (befitting the Bigelow surname) that’s then poured in after 16 months of aging in French oak red wine casks. The result is a tinge funky, a tinge tart, and wholly ideal for a family meal (Thanksgiving or Independence Day as it’s available year-round).

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Colorado Wild Sage Brett Saison | Crooked Stave Artisanal Ales | Denver, CO

Credit: Crooked Stave

Also available year-round, and now in cans no less, is Crooked Stave‘s prodigiously food-friendly wild saison, with a bright, Brettanomyces-led tartness complemented with lemongrass, is herbal and earthy. The herbs are sourced throughout Colorado’s Rockies. While there’s a pleasing hint of lemon pepper in the finish making it one you wish you could brine the whole bird in, it’s the sage that carries the day.

Dreamland Sage | Black Project Spontaneous and Wild Ales | Denver, CO

One of the most difficult to come by beers on this list since it’s released biannually, Black Project‘s Dreamland Sage’s rarity is due to being coolship-inoculated and blended solera-style. That also makes it twice as rewarding. It begins as a golden sour ale aged in wine barrels. The sage, harvested from a community garden a few blocks away, is added by the fistful and dry-saged in the keg.

Ovila Abbey Saison with Sage | Sierra Nevada | Chico, CA

Twenty miles away from Chico’s famous Sierra Nevada brewery redolent with hops you’ll find the reticent monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux. Brewed in the monastic old-world-style, this saison features malty notes befitting our daily bread as the foundation for a vibrant bouquet of native white sage grown on the abbey’s grounds. Wild grass and citrus peel notes seep through. While monks are recognized for their pious wisdom, the idea to pluck the monastery’s fresh herbs took real sagacity.

Brian YaegerAuthor Website

Brian Yaeger is the author of “Red, White, and Brew” and “Oregon Breweries.” In addition to writing for most magazines with “beer” or a beer reference in the title, he has created several beer festivals playing off local character such as the all coffee-beer and doughnut festival in Portland, Oregon, and one exclusively for wild cherry beers produced among the Mt. Hood’s cherry orchards. He earned a Master in Professional Writing (with a thesis on beer) from the University of Southern California. He once again lives in the coastal paradise along with his wife Half Pint, son IPYae, and dogs Dunkelweiß and Taz. Read more by this author

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