#for the record this started being written in June of 2024

[merchantziro]

One month ago, the Justice League were contacted by the United Nations to act as a neutral party overlooking a major court case regarding an American government branch known as the Ghost Investigation Ward being sued by a small town in Illinois known as Amity Park for discrimination among other claims.

However the further they research this case... The more bizarre this entire case became.

That's what one Richard "Dick" Grayson thought to himself as straightening his blue tie on his dark black suit, he knew taking the Bar Exam and becoming a Lawyer would prove to be useful one day.

Dick: (*Sigh*) (Alright, my first time operating on such a high profile case like this. Hopefully all that vocal chord training that Babs gave me would make sure I could tango with the big league lawyers.)

Dick: (B had to pull a few strings, but soon was able to get me slated to stand as the Defense Attorney for the Ghost Investigation Ward.)

At that moment Tim strolled up in one of his more casual suits, likely there was moral support.

Tim: Relax Dick, you'll do fine. Batman chose you for a reason remember, just don't let those nerves of steel get to you and focus on your chords of steel.

Dick: ...Right, I can't lose sight of what's important now.

Grayson turned to see the representative of his "client", two agents of said organization.

Operative K: This is such a farce! After everything we've done for Amity to protect them from those spooks, and THIS is how they repay us?

Operative O: This has got to be the work of those ghosts! They must be manipulating the city as the town finally fallen for their tricks!

Dick: Calm down, the both of you. If it's true that your organization has nothing to hide, then sit back and relax.

Operative O: And we're sorry for having to waste you and the Justice League's time, I assure you.

Dick: Alright, I know lawyers are supposed to trust their clients but let me make one thing crystal clear. Just because I'm your defense attorney, doesn't mean I'm not here to defend you. I'm on the side of justice, nothing more.

Operative K: ...We have nothing to say other than we've been doing everything for the safety of humanity.

Dick: ...

Tim: ...Good luck and... Make sure don't forget what I told you last night alright? I'll be in the gallery watching.

Dick: Got it, thanks Timmy.

After a bit, the trial eventually began as Dick stepped foot into the Courtroom and took a deep breath.

An elderly looking judge banged his gravel as he looked up, he was a fair and impartial Judge given a heavy background check by Bruce and the UN before being pulled from California. Records say he has handled many bizarre cases in his time.

Judge: The court is now in session for the trial of Amity Park vs the Ghost Investigation Ward.

Richard slicked back his hair as he took as he took a deep breath before looking nodding as he looked up at the judge.

Dick: The defense is ready, your honor.

On the other side, a figure with ruby red eyes and skin as paper white as his hair. He stood in his dark blue suit. According to reports he was-

Von Karma: The prosecution is fully prepared, your honor.

Judge: My word... Mr. Von Karma? I thought you were-

Von Karma: Disbarred? Hmph. Indeed I was your honor. However I have been allowed as a representative for Amity Park a chance to step back into the courts after a decade.

Dick: (Manfred Von Karma, a legendary prosecutor who had garnered a reputation for his nigh unbeaten record of 40 years and his intense aura of intimidation prior to being found guilty of murdering defense attorney Gregory Edgeworth, before being exposed by then rookie defense attorney Phoenix Wright in the trial of prosecutor Miles Edgeworth.)

Judge: But... Mr. Von Karma, are you even legally allowed to prosecute on this case? You were disbarred after the events of the PW-4 Case before your sentence after all.

Von Karma: This case is a very unique one your honor... As I'm sure you can already tell by the number of capes in the gallery! Besides... While I reluctantly admit that I indeed lost my right to prosecute, I was employed by the King of the Infinite himself due to my record.

He presents a badge resembling the standard Prosecutor's Badge but one of a silver color with a mix of black and green accents instead of golden with a mix of white and red accents. A small logo mixing a P with a D was in the center.

Dick: (Hmm... So they have their own legal system in the world of the dead, and with a logo like that PD... Could it be referring to this King?)

Nightwing flashes back to talking with John Constantine on the Watchtower.

Constantine: The King of the Infinite, is recorded as a being by the name of Pariah Dark. A tyrant who was sealed away long ago by the Ancients in the Coffin of Forever Sleep.

The Hellblazer sighs wearily as he takes a swig from his flask.

Constantine: Unfortunately rumor has it he's recently taken up the throne again and become more active in recent times.

Constantine: Thankfully he hasn't done anything yet, but... It's best we prepare for the worst if he does.

Dick: (Pariah Dark... Best to make a note of that for future reference.)

Ghost Prosecutor's Badge - A version of the badge prosecutors are given. Von Karma claims to have been given it by the Ghost King, implying a legal system exists on the other side of life. Has an odd symbol on it mixing P & D.

Judge: I see. Well I suppose if there are no objections, Mr. Grayson?

The defense attorney shook his head.

Dick: The defense has no objections. Though I must admit I am quite curious to see where this trial goes.

Judge: Very well then, Mr. Von Karma if you please?

Von Karma: ...If I must. The entire town of Amity Park, Illinois has accusations against the United States Government, specifically the Ghost Investigation Ward branch, for discrimination and crimes against the realm of the dead.

Judge: The realm of the dead?

Von Karma: Indeed your honor, the prosecution would like to call up the detective assigned by the United Nations, the Batman himself!

Judge: Very well. Mr. ...er Man, may you-

Batman: Already here and had the proper preparation time, your honor.

Batman was suddenly already standing in the witness stand. Richard smirked as he noticed Bruce probably already arrived while they were discussing Von Karma and if he was allowed to prosecute.

Judge: AHHH! ...Ahem. (*Cough*) Thank you detective.

Von Karma: Name and occupation for the record.

Batman: Batman, protector of Gotham City, one of the world's greatest detectives, and a founding member of the Justice League.

Judge: I assume you're not gonna tell us who's under the mask?

Batman: ....

The Judge chuckled nervously with some humor.

Judge: ...Can't blame a guy for trying, right?

Von Karma: Detective Batman, testify to the court on what your investigations have shown you about Amity Park and their relationship with the Ghost Investigation Ward.

Judge: I assume you didn't try to manipulate the testimony Mr. Von Karma?

Von Karma: I am a changed man your honor, and I wouldn't risk damaging my case when I have my own minor stake in the matter.

Judge: Your own stake? ...Very well, but know I have my eye on you.

Von Karma nodded.

Von Karma: Duly noted, your honor.

As they discussed, Nightwing didn't fail to catch his father gazing at him slightly in response.

Batman: Hmph? (Dick?)

Dick: Hmm? (Yeah?)

Batman: ...Tch. (...Be prepared.)

Dick: Sigh. (Gotcha.)

WITNESS TESTIMONY

-- "The Facts of this Case." --

Batman: ...Very well. Amity Park, Illinois was a town that has rumors claiming to have been haunted for centuries.

Batman: But it wasn't until recently that ghosts had begun to appear due to the research of two ecto-scientists, Dr. Jack Fenton and Dr. Maddie Fenton.

Batman: They built a portal designed to view a different dimension, one of the dead. They called it the Ghost Zone, home to many ectoplasmic beings that were able to get through the portal.

Batman: For one reason or another however, the ghosts remained off the Justice League's radar due to the calls for help being rerouted somehow.

Batman: The Ghost Investigation Ward was supposedly assigned to try and keep the situation contained and under control.

Batman: But Amity Park residents claim they have been discriminating against their kind, as well as committing crimes against the dead. But they have refused to elaborate.

Batman: If you ask me, personally I think there's a lot more to this story neither side is telling us for one reason or another.

END TESTIMONY

Judge: ...A dimension of the dead? My word. If I didn't know any better with all these aliens, metahumans, and other heroes running around, I'd almost think this was a bad bluff from Mr. Wright.

Dick: (Alright, probably the first thing I should do is to establish the facts. I know Bruce wouldn't lie to me or let any potential underhanded from Von Karma get him to fold. Time to start asking some questions and see where they lead us.)

Judge: Very well then. Mr. Grayson, you may begin your cross examination.

CROSS EXAMINATION

-- "The Facts of this Case." --

Batman: ...Very well. Amity Park, Illinois was a town that has rumors claiming to have been haunted for centuries.

HOLD IT!

Dick: Haunted for centuries?

Batman: According to the Justice League Dark, our supernatural experts, the location of Amity was built upon was incredibly unique.

The Dark Knight pulled out a report.

Batman: This report by them mentions how it was built upon an area that was at the weak point of the veil between dimensions. Which made it more likely to see ghostly activity due to such conditions making it easier for ghosts to appear there.

Judge: l see... The court accepts this report as evidence.

JLD Report - A report by the Justice League Dark on Amity Park being built upon an area that was the weak point between our world and the "Ghost Zone".

Batman: Now then, as I was saying...

Batman: But it wasn't until recently that ghosts had begun to appear due to the research of two ecto-scientists, Dr. Jack Fenton and Dr. Maddie Fenton.

HOLD IT!

Dick: Ecto-scientists? What can you tell us about these two?

Batman: According to my own research into their background, both have been obsessed with hunting and researching ghosts for years as far back as their days at the University of Wisconsin. They originally attempted to create a prototype of their Ghost Portal that failed and instead left a friend, Vladimir Masters, infected with "Ecto-Acne". ...They never spoke to Vlad again until recently a year or so back.

Dick: Vladimir Masters? You mean the millionaire and head of DALV Co?

Batman: Indeed. This brings us to discussing the portal itself...

Batman: They built a portal designed to view a different dimension, one of the dead. They called it the Ghost Zone, home to many ectoplasmic beings that were able to get through the portal.

Dick: Can you perhaps tell us more about this Ghost Portal?

Batman: Unfortunately we're still examining it to get a better understanding of the inner workings but what we know for sure is it's designed to puncture a hole into the veil where it was weakest. This allowed them to form a rift that can lead between our world and the realm of the dead.

The hero then presented a photograph showing the Ghost Portal. Dick's eyes widened at it a bit at the sight of the green

Dick: (That portal. That familiar shade of GREEN. It looks just like- No, I can't let myself lose focus of what's important.)

Ghost Portal Photograph - A photo showing the Fenton Ghost Portal. Acts as a gateway between our world and the Ghost Zone. The rift is a familiar shade of green.

Batman: However ghosts have been leaking out of it and begun causing more issues around Amity. Leading into my next point....

Batman: For one reason or another however, the ghosts remained off the Justice League's radar due to the calls for help being rerouted somehow.

HOLD IT!

Dick: Rerouted, so Amity Park was left to fend for itself?

Batman: Correct, ghosts of all kinds coming through and we were unfortunately left unaware of a potential threat.

Judge: My word, that's terrible. I can't imagine what it would be like to have my town attacked by malicious spirits.

Von Karma: ...

Batman: Well Amity wasn't left completely defenseless as Ghost Hunters were there to help. These included the Fentons, a mysterious vigilante known as the Red Huntress, and... The Ghost Investigation Ward.

Batman: The Ghost Investigation Ward was supposedly assigned to try and keep the situation contained and under control.

HOLD IT!

Dick: Can you elaborate to the Court on my client, the Ghost Investigation Ward?

Batman: The GIW are a branch of the United States Government like the FBI or CIA, except their speciality lies in studying ghosts.

Dick: So a government branch was assigned to the Amity Park case, yet the Justice League weren't contacted or even informed of the possible threat?

Batman: ...Apparently, though they have refused to tell us what reason they could have had beyond that we would have "gotten in their way".

Dick: Hmm... Hmph!?

Dick notices Von Karma tilting his head confused.

Von Karma: ...What? Are you not going to rush to your own client's defense?

Dick shakes his head.

Dick: Not yet. I'm merely here because Batman, and by extension the United Nations, trusted me to help establish the facts of this case regardless of guilt or innocence. Whether the GIW are innocent or guilty remains to be seen, justice will arrive all the same.

Von Karma: ...You sound so much like him.

Dick: Huh?

Von Karma: ...It doesn't matter, proceed with your cross examination.

Dick: (That was... Odd. What did he mean by "him"?)

Batman: But Amity Park residents claim they have been discriminating against their kind, as well as committing crimes against the dead. But they have refused to elaborate.

Dick: Those are... Quite serious accusations. Do you have any ideas what they could mean by that.

Batman: Unfortunately the GIW haven't been forecoming with their actions and the town of Amity has refused to tell me information due to belief that I will twist their words into something against them. Neither side has been negotiable with the heroes, and it's becoming aggravating.

Dick: ...Same with me unfortunately, due to the fact I'm legally supposed to be representing the GIW.

Judge: Hmmm... Understandable. Do you have anything further to comment on then, Mr. Batman?

Batman: If you ask me, personally I think there's a lot more to this story neither side is telling us for one reason or another.

HOLD IT!

Dick: What do you mean by that?

Batman: As stated before, Amity Park hasn't really been straightforward with our investigation. I believe it's due to a grudge the fact their calls never reached us

Dick: Right you mentioned before in your testimony they were rerouted. Do you know where they were sent to?

Batman: We are unsure, it's like our entire system to keep watch for danger somehow has been blocked to watch this one specific area of Illinois. Even when the town was supposedly dragged into the Ghost Zone temporarily, the Justice League never heard a peep.

Dick looked down in thought.

Dick: (But the Watchtower's systems are beyond anything in the world! How could one town slip through the cracks?)

Dick: (...Wait. Through the cracks?)

Dick: ...!

The Judge slams his Gavel.

Judge: Alright, thank you Mr. Batman. Does the Defense have any final remarks before we move on.

Dick: Just one. Mr. Batman, for the record can I ask you to reiterate a statement you said earlier?

Batman: ...Which statement?

THE GHOST INVESTIGATION WARD?

THE GHOST PORTALS?

THE AMITY PARK CALLS?

Dick: I'd like you to reiterate the part where you claim the Justice League did not receive calls from Amity Park.

Judge: Mr. Grayson, is this going somewhere?

Dick: I assure you this is, your honor.

Judge: Very well, Mr. Batman?

Batman: ...Alright.

Batman: It's like our entire system was ignoring Amity Park like it didn't exist. We are unsure of where these calls were rerouted to however.

OBJECTION!

Dick slams his hands on his desk as he smirks.

Dick: Mr. The Batman, what if I told you I might be able to provide you an answer on where they were sent.

Batman: ...! You do?

Batman gripped the witness stand.

Dick: I would like to share a recording I took of something interesting I perceived while investigating the GIW base. I had noticed a crack in the wall and heard voices faintly on the other end before I got closer.

It shows multiple agents talking into front of a massive computer screen with a bunch of calls.

Agent: Hello? ...Ghosts? Don't be ridiculous Ghosts don't exist. (Click)

Agent: What can we do for you? ...Sir this isn't funny, please call us when there's an actual emergency. (Click)

Batman: Hmmm... Are those Emergency Hotline responders?

Dick: I thought the same thing, and that it was weird they were denying the existence of ghosts despite their role as Ghost Hunters... but something interesting came up before I stopped.

Agent: Is there an emergency? ...Ma'am, for the final time we will not be getting involved in whatever tourist publicity stunt Amity Park is trying to do. Stop trying to waste the time of the Justice League. (Click)

Dick: "Stop trying to waste the time of the Justice League."

Batman: ...Then that means...

Von Karma: ...That they were...

Dick: Indeed.

Dick slams his hands on the desk before pointing a finger forward.

Dick: I have reason to suspect the GIW were involved in a mass cover up, hiding Amity Park and it's situation from the Justice League by having agents impersonating the Justice League's Emergency Hotline!

Batman: ...

The court of heroes erupted into chatter before-

OBJECTION!

Von Karma snapped his fingers, silencing the court as it rang loudly.

Von Karma: Interesting... Very very... Interesting. So you truly are cut from the same cloth as the rest of her knights...

Dick: ...! Huh!? (Her... Knights?)

Von Karma: But even still, do you have evidence that proves the GIW were covering it up.

Dick: But the recording-

OBJECTION!

Von Karma: Could have been staged or forged in an attempt to make the Justice League look good to Amity Park!

Von Karma slammed a hand on the desk.

Von Karma: Unless you have cold irrefutable evidence to back this up and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Ghost Investigation Ward were covering up Amity from the Justice League?

Dick: ...

Judge: ...Mr. Grayson, do you have anything at all?

Dick: ... (Do I have anything concrete that proves they were hiding the town from the Justice League? No... Not yet. Unless... What is it that Tim said yesterday?)

The Nightwing thinks back to last night in the Manor, when Dick was looking over his case.

Tim: You know, when the pieces don't look quite right and I find myself going nowhere fast... There's always one thing that never fails to help me turn things around in my deductive skill.

Tim takes a sip from his coffee cup full of energy drink.

Tim: I turn my thinking around, look at it from a different angle. I stop asking myself WHY something happens the way it did, and instead ask WHY WOULD something happen the way it did.

Tim: "Once you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." A great detective from centuries ago once said that.

Dick: Eliminate... The impossible...

The Judge: Mr.... Grayson?

Dick slammed his desk, with a look of resolve in his eyes.

Dick: I believe the defense just might have something your honor!

Von Karma: ...?

Batman: ...

Dick shook his head to clear his thoughts before taking a deep breath.

Dick: (Concentrate Nightwing. Don't ask yourself what the Court Record has that proves the GIW WERE covering up Amity, but what proves the GIW had A REASON to cover it up.)

The Judge: Very well Mr. Grayson. What proves that the GIW were indeed covering up Amity from the Justice League?

TAKE THAT!

Dick pulls out a lawbook.

The Judge: A... lawbook?

Von Karma: ...! Wait, what are you-

Dick: Now, I don't have strict physical evidence that proves the GIW were indeed covering up Amity. But I can pose a motive to why they would.

Batman: Hmm?

The Judge: I don't follow. Explain please, Mr. Grayson.

Dick begins looking through the lawbook to pull up a specific page.

Dick: If you recall earlier, the detective himself said something earlier during the Cross Examination earlier that caught my attention.

Batman: But Amity Park residents claim they have been discriminating against their kind, as well as committing crimes against the dead. But they have refused to elaborate.

HOLD IT!

Dick: Can you elaborate to the Court on my client, the Ghost Investigation Ward?

Batman: The GIW are a branch of the United States Government like the FBI or CIA, except their speciality lies in studying ghosts.

Dick: So a government branch was assigned to the Amity Park case, yet the Justice League weren't contacted or even informed of the possible threat?

Batman: ...Apparently, though they have refused to tell us what reason they could have had beyond that we would have "gotten in their way".

Dick: Now, during my investigation I was asking a good friend to help me with some research when we discovered something that I couldn't understand the meaning of.

Dick: The Federal Anti-Ecto Control Acts, also known as simply the "Anti-Ecto Acts" for short.

Batman: The... What?

The Judge: I've never heard of that act before?

OBJECTION!

Von Karma growls, looking confused.

Von Karma: This is madness! You would throw your own client under the bus like this? What type of defense attorney are you to have no loyalty to your client?

Dick: One who hunts down the truth ruthlessly to unbury it, no matter how ugly it might be.

Von Karma: ...

Von Karma had no response instead of pausing before looking down at his desk in thought, a shadow obscuring his eyes making it difficult to read his expression.

The Judge: I fail to follow, what do you mean, Mr. Grayson?

Dick: It was apparently passed some months ago, and it states that any being that contains a certain level of Ectoplasm in their being is to be declared as a ghost, and thus must be contained by the Ghost Investigation Ward.

Batman: Wait, but that would mean...

The Judge: Hmm? I see. But what does that have to do with hiding a city from the Justice League and a motive Mr. Grayson?

Dick: Allow me to point it out for you, your honor.

Dick: This law cites documents of research into what a ghost is by definition of the law and that they are supposedly non-sentient shades manifestated out of ectoplasmic energy and malicious shadows formed from post-human consciousness.

Dick: The Anti-Ecto Acts would bring the GIW into conflict with the Justice League because of this...

TAKE THAT!

Dick: The Metahumans Protection Act, spearheaded some time back by the Justice League due to J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, being captured and experimented on by the government and to establish peaceful relations with the United Nations as the official and legal protectors of the planet.

Batman nodded.

Batman: Indeed, it was to ensure protection of any and all Metahumans, Aliens, and other creatures such as hyper-intelligent animals from being unethically contained and experimented on for their powers, mutations, or odd biologies. To make sure regardless of who they were, they would still be accepted and to deter anyone seeing them as anything lesser for people with gifts or people who weren't human but still sapient.

Dick: The Justice League would have most certainly "gotten in their way" as The Federal Anti-Ecto Control Acts blatantly infringe upon the Metahumans Protection Act by declaring anyone with enough ectoplasm as non-sentient! They would have slowed them down.

Dick: That more than establishes a clear motivation for this cover up, the reason Amity is suing for crimes against the dead.

Nightwing pointed a finger forward as he felt the rush of adrenaline.

The Judge: ...

Batman: ...Tch. (I raised you well.)

Von Karma: ...

The Judge: So... This would indeed establish the GIW would have a concrete reason.

The Judge: However... Do you have any direct evidence of the GIW using the Anti-Ecto Acts to infringe upon the Metahumans Protection Act?

Dick: ...! Well I... No, not at the moment.

The Judge shook his head.

The Judge: Then while you have raised a concerning oversight in the Meta Protection Act and your argument does seem to hold some water, unless you have something that proves it then unfortunately all you have proclaimed so far is conjecture, Mr. Grayson.

The judge then turned to the prosecution.

The Judge: Mr. Von Karma, do you have anything you wish to add?

Manfred, who seemed lost in his own thoughts thinking about something snapped out of it and immediately cleared his throat as a faint dark smoke came from his mouth.

Von Karma: ...! Eh!? (*Cough* *Cough*) Unfortunately the prosecution also lacks any evidence in this regard, your honor.

The Judge: I see... In that case this line of logic shall be dismissed for now unless you have obtained something more substantial than two conflicting Acts.

Von Karma snapped his fingers, regaining his composure.

Von Karma: In any which case, the prosecution is ready to call their next witness to testify against the GIW.

Dick: (That was odd? What was... No, don't get caught up in whatever is up with the prosecution. Focus Grayson.)

Dick: And just who will you be calling up?

Von Karma: A High School Senior and the daughter of the Fenton Parents responsible for the Portal, Jasmine Fenton, to talk about the GIW and the incidents that occurred across Casper High School.

The Judge: Very well, Mr. Von Karma. How long would it take to call the witness to the stand?

Von Karma: She's already prepared to be summoned, but I would only require 15 minutes to go over her testimony with her... No more, no less.

The Judge: Very well... The court shall go into temporary recess to allow Mr. Von Karma to prepare the witness. However due note my earlier statement still stands if you are caught trying anything funny, Mr. Von Karma.

Von Karma: ...Understood.

The Judge bangs his gavel.

Dick eventually stepped out back into the lobby, but not without catching Bruce giving him a look as he stepped out of the Witness Bench.

Dick: ...

Dick then moved back to the Defendant Lobby, as he arrived to find Operative K & Operative O who looked particularly ticked off.

Operative O: What the hell was that about Did you get possessed by one of those no good ghosts too!?

Operative K: And why did you have to talk about the Anti-Ecto Acts and the GIW like that!? Whose side are you on!?

Dick: Like I said, the side of justice. The Justice League deserved to know about Amity, about the Anti-Ecto Acts and how they conflict with the Metahuman Protection Act...

Batman: I couldn't agree more, Mr. Grayson.

Batman suddenly appeared behind them from nowhere, Dick wasn't surprised but the two agents clearly jumped at Bruce's gruff and cold tone.

Operative O: Ah! How in the-

Dick: Ah hey Mr. Bats. Did you need something?

Batman: I need to discuss something with you in private if it's alright.

Dick nodded before being led to a little side closet by his father.

After a moment the Dark Knight let out a sigh of relief and seemed to relax a little, even though he was still in his Batsuit... Dick knew Bruce was lowering his guard a little.

Bruce: You doing alright chum?

Dick followed suit.

Dick: Just fine B, just... Almost broke there near the end.

Bruce: Yeah, I do appreciate you bringing the Federal Anti-Ecto Control Acts to our attention and the method of the GIW hiding Amity from us... However unfortunately unless there's solid evidence against them, our hands are tied.

Dick: Right, I just hope Von Karma has solid evidence against them but...

Bruce: Considering Von Karma didn't have anything to shoot them down with, it's likely he didn't have any direct evidence against them either.

Dick: Maybe he did actually...

Bruce: Hmmm?

Dick: Call it a hunch but I think he might have been saving that argument to use himself, but he either didn't have anything substantial at that point... Or maybe he's got something to hide for Amity's sake.

Bruce: Something I'll look into later. In any case, I'll do some research into these Anti-Ecto Acts and talk to the JLD about it first. Meanwhile, you've got a case to see through til the end.

Dick: Right.

As they stepped out they were hit by a flash photography, revealing Tim with his phone as he gave a shit eating grin.

Tim: You two idiots starting up a rumor that Dick Grayson is secretly dating The Batman and was making out with him in a closet or what?

Dick could feel his phone vibrate like crazy that he had to silence it. It honestly didn't take being one of the world's greatest detectives to know it was his siblings going wild over the "incriminating" photograph.

Dick: Tim!

However before Dick could be an older brother, he heard the Bailiff call for him speaking he then seemed to salute.

Bailiff: Court with resume in 3 minutes. Please make your way into the courtroom. The trial is about to begin!

Dick nodded and lost all motivation, he'll plot his revenge later when he wasn't supposed to be professional.

Dick: (Alright... Time to see what you've got Von Karma!)

And with that, Dick stepped back into the Courtroom...

To be continued.

(Eh maybe don't count on it.)

A small town in Illinois is suing the American government for discrimination against their race. Desperate to get out of this, the government tasks the Justice League with investigation.

[hooked-on-elvis]

APPRECIATION POST

ELVIS AND THE BLUE MOON BOYS: As told by Scotty Moore.

On a December 27th SCOTTY MOORE was born.🎈 I'm a little late but I wanted to celebrate this special month and date still in 2024. So here's a little summarized story, from Scotty's POV, of how it all started to happen in the music industry for him, Elvis, Bill and D.J,, our dear Blue Moon Boys. The story of how Rock and Roll music was born when initially three young men formed a trio in mid-1954.

I must begin with an observation: "That's Alright, Elvis: The Untold Story of Elvis' First Guitarist and Manager, Scotty Moore" by Scotty Moore as told to James L. Dickerson, from where this excerpt above comes from, is a GREAT book! A definite Elvis and Rock and Roll music fans "must read." I'm yet to read Bill Black's story in "Don't Be Cruel, Elvis: The Bill Black Story" by Paul F. Belard and DJ Fontana's memoir book ("D.J. Fontana remembers Elvis")... but I'm taking my time enjoying Scotty's book for now. It's full of details and I'm impressed with each little part of his (their) story in those pages. People are not usually that interested in musicians as much as in the lead singers, specially if they're not musicians themselves, like me - but Scotty Moore had a very interesting life, besides the book is so well written, honest and fun you can't seriously feel it's even close to being uninteresting. Reading Scotty's book I never had the feeling of wanting to skip the story to the part where Elvis comes into the picture because Scotty's own story is that incredible! I mean it. Anyhow, I'm just sharing how much reading Scotty Moore's story was so important to me and made me feel a deeper appreciation for the Rock and Roll history as a whole and also it helped me better understanding Elvis as a person and how he came to be the legendary artist he became. I didn't finish the book yet, but I can tell from where I am in my readin that having Scotty, Bill and D.J.'s support, guidance and friendship was crucial to the rise of Elvis Presley as we know.

For the record, it actually started with Scotty Moore chasing his dream, cutting a record at the Memphis Recording Service and being asked to audition Presley afterwards. To think Scotty wasn't even supposed to be born! Haha... we'll get to that.

PICTURES: Three-months and five-years old Scotty Moore.

Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was fond of music since he was a child. One of Scotty's bigger brothers gave him his guitar as a farewell gift when Scotty was five years old and his brother, Ralph, the youngest son in the family prior to Scotty being born, joined the US Navy (picture 1 is Scotty wearing a Navy uniform his brother sent him while he was serving). Scotty Moore had four siblings, three boys and a girl. In ascending order of age, they were Carney, Mildred Lee, Edwin and Ralph. His sister, Mildred, sadly passed away when she was only fourteen years old and Scotty wasn't even born yet. It was a hard time for the Moore family, but that sad event in their story was the reason why Scotty existed. Scotty's father, Winfield Scott Moore, found relief for his grief in music, playing fiddle and the banjo, instruments he taught himself how to play. Later he would teach his children how to play guitar. His mother, on the other hand, never got over losing her only girl. Scotty's brothers were born respectively in 1911, 1913, 1915 and 1917. Mildred, born in 1913, died in 1928. A couple of years later, Mattie Moore, Scotty's mother was already thirty-eight years old while her husband and Scotty's father was forty. Regardless of their age, she was so inconsolable over losing her only girl child, they decided to have another baby, hoping for another girl. That's when Scotty was born, in 1931. Scotty laughed when sharing this story. His parents never treated him as if he was a mistake, always showed him the same love they had for all the other children. However, being born with a huge gap regarding the other children in the family (Scotty's brothers were already 20, 16 and 14 when he was born), was not that easy. He felt left out simply because his siblings were in different moments in life than he was. Growing up as the only children in their household possibly contributed a lot to Scotty's relatively reserved, cautious, sober but highly creative personality.

The Moore family — L-R: Edwin, Scott (father), Carney, Ralph, Mattie (mother) and Scotty.

Given the circumstances surrounding his family, as the Great Depression hit hard, Scotty and his brothers grew up watching his father playing music in square dances and parties to help supplement the family's income. Eventually all the boys were involved with music, joining their father in a family band and playing together to help making ends meet. Like them, Scotty grew to love music but found in his guitar more than a way to unwind or to make a few bucks, he actually got serious over playing music and eventually went to dedicating most of his free time to improve his guitar skills.

"Scotty wanted to go fast. He wanted to play music you could dance to. It was as if there was some yet undefined, an inner rhythm simmering inside him, something wild and raw trying to break out into the light of day."

Excerpt "That's Alright, Elvis: The Untold Story of Elvis' First Guitarist and Manager, Scotty Moore" by Scotty Moore as told to James L. Dickerson.

Growing up, Scotty did not find his vocation in school. In his words, he "didn't dig" the school, being an average student. He dropped school for one year after completing the ninth grade, dedicating his time working in the family's farm, but not enjoying the work decided to go back to finish his high school education. In January 1948 Scotty followed his older siblings' steps and decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He was only sixteen at the time — the minimum age to join the Navy was eighteen or seventeen, with parent's permission. Therefore, Scotty had to lie about his age. He was lucky his father was supportive. According to Scotty, that was the only time his father lied, to help him. At the age of sixteen, Scotty Moore was a Navy man, still he never left his guitar aside. During his time in the Navy, Scotty formed different bands. One of them even had a fifteen-minute radio show on radio station KPRO in Bremington, Washington, and also played at clubs and parties off-base.

"When he played song the way they were written, they somehow came out different - faster, more energetic. On the outside, Scotty was cool and collected, and shy country boy. On the inside, he was bubbling with emotion. Music was his release. No one had ever heard music the way Scotty heard it; no one had ever felt it the same way."

Excerpt "That's Alright, Elvis: The Untold Story of Elvis' First Guitarist and Manager, Scotty Moore" by Scotty Moore as told to James L. Dickerson.

PICTURE: (1) The USS LST-855, the first ship on which Scotty served in China, and its officers. (2) Later, Scotty served in Japan and Korea on board of the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge. Picture shows Scotty (left) with musician friends on board of the USS Valley Forge.

Scotty had to become a man fast, the Navy training and his time serving were enough to achieve that. Still, when he returned home to Tennessee after being discharged from the Navy on December 4, 1952, with a China and a Korean service medals in his collections, he was still headset to make music his life and main source of income. By 1954, while he worked at common jobs to make a living, after all at the tender age of 23 he was already a former Navy man, married (then to Bobbie Walls, his second wife) and had two children from his first marriage (to Mary Durkee) he needed to support — Linda Moore, born in December 16, 1950 and Donald Moore, born also on December 16, but in 1952 — Scotty had been trying to gather musicians to play in his free time around Memphis and its neighborhood. Those musicians groups had many different formations, none in particular and no official band for a while. it was upsetting since Scotty took playing music seriously. He looked for musicians as passionate and dedicated to music as himself to form a band and, eventually, he would find those musicians who would encourage him to pursue his dream even further.

Scotty's first real band, a band he formed (under contract and all, quite unusual at that time for small bands) and to which he was the manager to, was the Starlite Wranglers — Lead vocals by Doug Poindexter, Bill Black on bass, Millard Yow on steel guitar, Clyde Rush on guitar and Thomas Sealy on fiddle. Just like Elvis but prior to him, Scotty did cut a record with his band at Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service facilities (Sun Records) in Memphis, Tennessee, in May 1954. That's how he got acquainted with Sam. The songs they recorded were "My Kind Of Carryin' On" (A-Side) and "Now She Cares No More For Me" (B-Side).

However, the Starlite Wranglers did not succeed as Scotty hoped for. Still, he continue to perform live in small gigs with his band, concerts he would book himself. At that moment, it was enough satisfying that he had a band with a real record out but he wanted better, he needed more. Scotty continued to visit Sam Phillips at Sun Records, hoping the man could get him a better chance to succeed in the business next time around. One summer day in 1954, Scotty was asked by Sam Phillips to audition Elvis Presley for him, to find out if Elvis was worth his time, money and records producing skills, following the suggestion of Sun Record's secretary Marion Keisker, who had been chatting with Elvis back and forth since he got into the studio in July 1953 looking to cut a private record as a gift to his mom, as he said. Marion was enchanted by the young's man politeness and lovable personality but also with his persistence in making music his real job. Scotty, on the other hand, knew nothing about Elvis, had never seen him until that point. He decided to invite Bill Black to help him out with the audition at Scotty's home (983 Belz street, North Memphis), a house that shared the same neighborhood as Bill Black and his wife's home. It happened on a Sunday afternoon: July 4, 1954. That same day, after the audition, Scotty gave his approval to Sam Phillips and they all got together at Sun Records. That's when "That's All Right, Mama" a 1946 blues song originally recorded by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup was covered... but at Elvis, Scotty and Bill's brand new style.

PICTURES: 1. Scotty Moore's home in 1954, at 983 Belz street in Memphis, TN. The street was renamed and now (as far as I know) it's the Eldridge street, North Memphis. 2. Bill Black's home at the same neighborhood (967 Belz street). Moore and Black were neighbors in mid-1954 after the Blacks (Bill and his wife Evelyn) told Scotty and his then wife, Bobbie, about a home available for rent there. They first auditioned Elvis in Scotty's home on July 4, 1954, according to Scotty "Elvis arrived shortly after noon." ••• Credits (pictures): Mike Freeman on Flickr, pictures taken on February 21, 2011. Additional info: Youtuber Billy from "Spa Guy" channel visited the address. Here's a video uploaded in 2017 that shows the sites: "Elvis Presley Audition Scotty & Bill."

Scotty had a long story with music of his own prior to Elvis coming into his life. He knew much more about the music industry than Elvis at that point when they met (mid-1954) and so did Bill Black, both already used to entertaining small audiences in honky tonks, which proved to be just what Elvis needed, jovial musicians with a passion for music as strong as his own, but people that could school him on the business.

The trio was a perfect match. Elvis' voice and the attention he got, the curious gazes from both youngsters and adults, interested not only in his voice but also in his flashy looks and unusual movements onstage, combined with Scotty's management skills and Bill's boldness to experiment with sounds and the great enthusiasm and energy he brought onstage, encouraging the rather shy young Elvis to let loose and show everyone his true self, was like the stars were finally aligned when those three met. When Elvis already had a deal with Sun Records and was finally a music artist as he dreamed of becoming, a member of the trio gathered by Sam Phillips to which Scotty Moore naturally took over the management responsibilities (in contract signed on July 12th, 1954 just a few days after Elvis' first audition with Bill and Scotty), due to his previous experience as a band manager. Initially, Scotty Moore was the only person actually booking gigs for them. The easiest way for Scotty to introduce his new band to the public was by incorporating the trio as "special guests" to the Starlite Wranglers shows. One of the sites they played at was the Bon Air Club, a bar at the outer rim of the city (Memphis) limits. That was before Elvis and The Moon Boys could even have a name, as it would be for a little while...

The group's name soon after would come. Taken from the B-side of "That's All Right, Mama", "Blue Moon of Kentucky," a Bill Monroe hit from 1946 that was recorded at Sun Records by Elvis and the boys just a couple of days afterwards, on July 6, 1954.

"With 'That's All Right, Mama,' Elvis took a blues song and sang it white. With 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' he did the opposite: he took a country song and gave it a bluesy spin."

Excerpt "That's Alright, Elvis: The Untold Story of Elvis' First Guitarist and Manager, Scotty Moore" by Scotty Moore as told to James L. Dickerson.

Already on the road, a little while afterwards the three added a drums player to the group, D.J. Fontana. They'd met and become friends during the Louisiana Hayride gigs, where D.J. was an in-house drummer on its Saturday night radio broadcast. Hidden behind the curtains onstage for a Louisiana Hayride performance of Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys, on October 16 1954 at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, LA, D.J. had his first taste of what it was like to play with the boys. D.J. said about playing with them: "I figured the best thing for these guys was to stay out of the way, why would I clutter it up with cymbals? I'll just play the back beat and stay out of their way. They already had the good sound."

Scotty's management on Elvis' career didn't last long, tho. As a local musician with no connections in the business that could give the band a national break, Elvis' management contract was given to the deejay Bob Neal, a friend of Sam Phillips, and, not long afterwards, to Colonel Parker, who would take over Elvis' destiny from then on. Scotty shares in his book that the moment he talked to Parker he could feel Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys as they were was not far from becoming history. He wasn't wrong. but that's another story. The boys still had time to be featured in some of Elvis' most remarkable films released in the 50s, as "Jailhouse Rock" (1957), and definitely left an everlasting mark in music and a legacy that'll never be forgotten.

It was crazy being a musician for Elvis Presley, sure, but those three guys rocked and, IMHO, the Blue Moon Boys are the responsible ones for Elvis getting to be so demanding on hiring his musicians when he went back to performing live, in 1969, after the end of his Hollywood acting career and a hiatus from live performances that lasted seven years. At the beginnings, Scotty said there was a point [at the peak of the Elvis Mania in the 50s] where they couldn't hear any music during the concerts, so they had no option but to guide themselves by Elvis' moves onstage to get an idea of what part of the songs they were supposed to be playing. D.J. Fontana said he could hear the music but couldn't see the other musicians when he started playing with the boys. Elvis couldn't hear himself in most of the shows in the 50s, specially when things got bigger and wilder from 1956 on. Elvis was a perfectionist and he expected his musicians to follow his lead onstage. He would gesture to them whenever he wanted a change in the pace or sound... when to begin playing, when to pause, when to lower the music, when to come to an end. Elvis liked how intuitive, quick and responsive to him Scotty, Bill and D.J. were onstage, and that established his standard for what good live musicians were made of. Other than a perfectionist, Elvis was quite methodical character in work. He wasn't one to get easily convinced into changing his way of doing things if he liked the way they worked before. That's another great insight Scotty's book gives us. As the band was originally composed by three members, they didn't have a lot of instruments to fill the sound in records, so Sam Phillips decided to put Elvis' vocals at the same level as the instruments as he produced their records. Elvis liked how that sounded, so much so that he just hated when people (and I mean Colonel Parker) wanted to bring his vocals front and put the instruments more or less in the background, which happened in some of his later records. Colonel Parker reasoned with that saying Elvis' fans wanted to hear Elvis' voice, nothing more and Elvis didn't agree in the slightest. Other example of Elvis being resistant to changes in the music business was in 1969 at the American Sound studio, when the way of producing records was very different than in the 50s, being more common to tape the parts of the songs separately (backing vocals, instruments and leading vocals) because that gave a better opportunity to explore with the sounds to the music producers, allowing them to reach different sounds than recording songs with all of the musicians playing and singing together in the same room as in a live concert could give. Elvis had a little bit of a hard time accepting it. He loved how the 50s music was made. That, my friends, is how the Blue Moon Boys era and his experience recording at Sun Records was dear to the King's heart.

Well, not so full of dates and details but that's it. Just a summarized story of the beginnings of Rock and Roll music in the 50s. In Scotty's book it's all way more interesting, I guarantee you. The point is... those guys were a force of nature together. They were different, fresh, exciting... as a team. It was not only about the lead singer for a while. Scotty was quite shy and modest, yet very mature and serious over playing music, while Bill Black was fun and energetic onstage, giving Elvis the encouragement to act more wild and bold onstage too, little by little but quickly becoming as untamed as he could be, inspiring fear and frenzy into the "square" 50s society. EP learned a lot about how to be an exciting entertainer at that time.

Scotty, Bill and DJ... I will always appreciate your efforts and dedication to music. You were extremely important, taught and guided Elvis while he was finding his way in the industry. Your place in history is permanent, and so is our gratitude. Don't be fooled, my friends, we still feel the direct impact Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys caused in the entertainment industry. They rocked our world.

I specially will always appreciate Scotty Moore being stubborn on his passion with music. In a world where so many people are wannabes, so many try to make it and give up when things get rough and life happens, Scotty's vision and creativity helped change the course of music forever. It wasn't easy. Scotty, just like Elvis in a future time, lost his (first) wife - among other reasons - because of his music inclination. Scotty and Bill were a reflection of what Elvis was, if we take a closer look at their private lives. As I said before, they matched. It was meant to be.

Happy heavenly belated birthday, Scotty. I hope I did justice sharing a little bit of your story. I am an admirer of your work. Even not knowing the least about music technicalities, I know enough to be certain your guitar playing talent inspired many great musicians that would come after you. Your story is unique and so special. I feel blessed knowing a little bit of who you were and how you felt. God bless your soul, dear Scotty. ♥

[foxes-that-run]

Paper rings

Paper Rings is about love over wealth and luxury. Paper rings are simple and unglamorous, but also can be fragile. Paper being temporary and disposable. The song mixes good and bad to say that Taylor choses an imperfect life with this person. Taylor described it as not having modern influences when it does and being punk, a word that fits this song better than reputation but Taylor used in Time. It's was hinted at on Reputation which makes me wonder if it was a Reputation vault track. It copies the sound of Hilary Duff's 2015 Breathe In Breath Out which Taylor mentioned on Tumblr:

Paper Rings was hinted at in the Me! Lyric Video with a Paper Ring with two polaroids (it mentions photo frames) and has a Spotify Story:

"I wrote "Paper Rings' with this idea of throwback sounds. We didn't want to use any sounds that were very modern on this song. This song talks about true love, and if you really find true love, you probably don't really care what the symbolism of that love is. Material things wouldn't matter to you anymore if you found someone that you just wanted to live your life with. "

In the iHeartRadio Secret Session (Audio in the video above) Taylor said:

[...]"imagining that I was a wedding band at a reception, playing the love songs that the bride and groom wanted to hear in, like, 1978 or something. It's called 'Paper Rings.' The whole song is just basically reminiscing on fun memories. [...] there's some fun, kind of, punk, like inspired by punk girl groups and the way they used to sing, shouting them in a really unapologetic way. [...]

A 1978 Wedding Band is a very specific reference. So thinking of songs from 1978... This wedding blog lists a few like Just What I Needed – The Cars, released in 1978 and one (H tweet) and was also in The Wedding Singer. Blondie is a clear reference for the Lover aesthetic and the song. Blondie released One Way or Another in 1978. (Before the 1D cover). The Ramones Blitzkrieg Bop is an earlier influence for it.

...also did she say Punk? as in the 2023 Time Magazine:

When was it written

Like all of Lover it is copyright 2019 for its release. It was Easter egged in the Call It What You Want Lyric video on 2 November 2016 and in the Reputation magazine hinting pretty strongly that it was at least partly written with Reputation.

It was recorded at Conway, LA, & Metropolis in London. London Boy was also recorded in both. Taylor didn’t record reputation at Metropolis but KOMH and a few lover songs were at Conway.

Live performances

Paper Rings was a surprise song in Minneapolis on 23 June, 2023, the other surprise song was If this was a movie. Taylor also performed it as a mash up with Stay Stay Stay on 21 July, 2024. It was not played the few Lover promo shows.

Rings

The Spotify Visual features a huge ring, pearls and beehive. When talking about the song Taylor talked about not caring about a ring if you truly loved someone, and the lyrics 'I like shiny things, but I would marry you with paper rings'. So why this visual with a huge ring and perfect life? To me this is about giving those things up, which fits the 'unapologetic' punk feel. This idea is also in the LAWYMMD video. Maybe rejecting a proposal with a shiny ring for a more youthful love.

Lyrics

The moon is high Like your friends were the night that we first met Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet Now I've read all of the books beside your bed

In the iHeartRadio intro Taylor said the song was reminiscing on fun memories which these first verses are. These are the sections which match Breathe in Breathe out. which has lines that start with “I remember..” while Hilary was looking back on a lost love Taylor is reminiscing on a current love, it sounds both nostalgic and new.

Some fans do gymnastics to make them about a specific muse but they are very generic but I’ll add that Joe was not with friends at the Met Gala, he was with a costar that knew Taylor better.

The wine is cold Like the shoulder that I gave you in the street Cat and mouse for a month or two or three Now I wake up in the night and watch you breathe

This verse continues the reminiscing, I like the use of cold shoulder and street compared to the intimacy of watching someone breathe. Also this line reminds me of the Hilary Duff song title.

Kiss me once 'cause you know I had a long night (Oh) Kiss me twice 'cause it's gonna be alright Three times 'cause I've waited my whole life (One, two, one, two, three, four)

This verse is the most like a wedding band, and one Taylor mentioned when talking about the song that Jack does the count in. Taylor has not used ‘be alright’ very much:

22 - Everything will be alright, if you keep me next to you

Shake it off - Saying, "It's gonna be alright."

Call it what you want - They took the crown, but it's alright

The Archer - But what if I'm alright, right, right, right here?

Death by a Thousand Cuts - I ask the traffic lights if it'll be alright

The 1 - And it's alright now

Fresh Out the Slammer - But it's gonna be alright, I did my time

I look through people's windows - Does it feel alright to not know me?

I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want, and I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this

The refrain is where Taylor would chose a simple paper ring over a fancy ring or wedding. When talking about the song Taylor described this as the ring not mattering, but to me paper is more temporary, it’s not a wedding but a tentative commitment of sorts. Taylor also describes the relationship as non traditional with “this” an ill defined situationship.

Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want In paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams Oh, you're the one I want

The one I want implies again there is someone Taylor is choosing this person over, she’s forgoing something shiny for this relationship. Yet the theme of reminiscing implies this is not a new relationship. Darling is not used a lot.

Picture frames are also uncommon in Taylor’s work, only HYGTG, Run and this song have a framed picture to mean a relationship. The Me! Lyric video had 2 Polaroids with the paper ring, very 1989/reputation-esque, one of her holding a cat and one with friends.

How You Get The Girl: With pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks

In the winter, in the icy outdoor pool When you jumped in first, I went in too I'm with you even if it makes me blue Which takes me back To the color that we painted your brother's wall

Taylor will follow this partner anywhere even when it’s not always easy or pleasant. More on the wall and icy pool below.

Honey, without all the exes, fights, and flaws We wouldn't be standing here so tall, so

In this verse their relationship has some history of "exes, fights, and flaws" they’ve overcome. Similar to “one I want” this is not a simple we met and went from friends to this, they have history.

Icy outdoor pool

I have a post on the icy pool. Which is something Harry has been known for (also in Hampstead Heath Pond) long before Joe did handy exposition for this. Taylor said on 2 June 2018 in Chicago ( Harry was in the City) "2 New Years Eve's ago I found myself in the midst of a very like incredible 3am moment where you think you are invincible and you end up like jumping in a pool in the winter and you feel super untouchable in that moment" Taylor Nation cut this part out.

The house Taylor rented in Hampstead in December 2016 has a pool and she included photos in the Rep Magazine. A post on that.

Blue Walls

I have a post on this blue wall line and that it is a metaphor for being emotionally isolated. She also referred to blue painted walls in:

Everything Has Changed - And all my walls stood tall, painted blue

The Lover photoshoot hints that it is metaphorical:

If you think these rep book photos are of Taylor actually painting a wall and not a photoshoot I have some ice to sell you.

I want to drive away with you I want your complications too I want your dreary Mondays Wrap your arms around me, baby boy

In the bridge Taylor tells how she wants good and bad, a similar idea to on New Years Day about wanting someone to clean up bottles after the party, or dreary Monday’s here. Again with complications, this is not a fresh relationship between 2 single people.

Drive is a Haylor theme also and this line reminds me of Style’s “let’s get out of the town” and finally taylor calls the muse “baby boy” .. perhaps she is singing about someone who’s ‘younger than her ex’s but acts like such a man, so.

[gardenwalrus]

'Here There & Everywhere'

'Here, There and Everywhere' also had its genesis in John's sleeping patterns. In this case Paul arrived at Kenwood for a songwriting session and John was still in bed. Since it was a nice June day, Paul asked someone to make him a cup of tea and went to sit by John's swimming pool while he waited. I sat out by the pool on one of the sun chairs with my guitar and started strumming in E, and soon had a few chords, and I think by the time he'd woken up, I had pretty much written the song, so we took it indoors and finished it up. But it's very me, it's one of my favourite songs that I've written.

- Paul McCartney in Barry Miles, Many Years From Now (1997) Chapter 7 ['Here There And Everywhere' was recorded 14-17 June 1966]

Q: It's been said that 'Here, There And Everywhere' was influenced by the Beach Boys. Is that accurate? PAUL: “It’s actually just the introduction that’s influenced… John and I used to be interested in what the old fashioned writers used to call the verse, which we nowadays would call the intro… this whole preamble to a song, and I wanted to have one of those on the front of ‘Here, There and Everywhere.’ John and I were quite into those from the old-fashioned songs that used to have them, and in putting that [sings “To lead a better life”] on the front of ‘Here, There and Everywhere,’ we were doing harmonies, and the inspiration for that was the Beach Boys. We had that in our minds during the introduction to ‘Here, There and Everywhere.’

- Paul McCartney interview with David Leaf (1990) (x) [John and Paul first listened to the album Pet Sounds on 19 May 1966]

& memories of John’s compliment

One of my special memories is when we were in Obertauern, Austria, filming for Help!. John and I shared a room and we were taking off our heavy ski boots after a day's filming, ready to have a shower and get ready for the nice bit, the evening meal and the drinks. We were playing a cassette of our new recordings and my song 'Here There And Everywhere' was on. And I remember John saying, 'You know, I probably like that better than any of my songs on the tape.' Coming from John, that was high praise indeed.

- The Beatles Anthology [The Beatles were in Obertauern 13-22 March 1965]

PAUL: The best times? [...] One of the nicest little moments I remember from those years was when John had said he liked 'Here, There And Everywhere' better than any of his songs at the time - there were those silly little things.

- The Beatles Anthology p.354

PAUL: ... I suppose what else I liked was I remember being on a skiing holiday… Well, it wasn’t actually, it was when we were doing Help! It was a skiing thing in Austria. I remember John and I sharing a room, and we played that album, what was it, ‘Rubber Soul’ or ‘Revolver’? Clash: That one was ‘Revolver’. PAUL: We played it on a tape cassette, and he just sort of said, ‘Oh, I really like that one.’ That was very rare for John; he didn’t throw compliments around, so I remember thinking, ‘Oh great, it must be good!’ I respected that he liked it.

- Interview with Clash magazine (9 September 2009) (x)

'...and one memory is that we were filming the film Help! and I was in a cabin in our room after being skiing in Austria, and John and I were listening to our album, and 'Here There And Everywhere' came on. I remember John saying "You know, that's probably my favourite song of yours." So that was a good compliment, and I always remember that.'

- Paul McCartney Live Q&A (28 April 2017)

'Here There And Everywhere was one of my songs on [Revolver]. And I remember John sort of, just when it finishes... "That's a really good song, that. I love that song." And I was like 'Yes! He likes it!' I've remembered it to this day. It's pathetic really.

- Interview with CBS 60 Minutes (2018)

& quote within The McCartney Legacy, volume 2 (2024) that mentions John praising Paul's songs in Austria but doesn't explicitly mention 'Here There And Everywhere'

[loki-is-my-kink-awakening]

Fic Writing Review 2023

Words and fics

154,766 words written

55 fics worked on

32 fics published (one shots and finished multi-chapter)

1 wip multi-chapter updated.

My busiest writing month was April with 33,341 words.

Average words per month was 14,772.

Words written per Fandom

47,911—Loki

39,877—Stranger Things

24,343—Witcher

22,741—Our Flag Means Death

11,151—Midnight Mass

6,536—MCU (wider than Loki)

2,217—The Last of Us

Ao3 fics published

33 fics published or updated

89% one shots

11% multi-chapter

31 completed fics

2 unfinished WIPs.

110,863 words published in 2023.

I completed 2 multi-chapter fics this year, with Petals In A Storm being my first ever finished multi-chapter fic.

Published Fics by Fandom

15 (43%)—Loki

12 (34%)—Witcher

3 (8.5%)—Midnight Mass

2 (5.75%)—Stranger Things

2 (5.75%)—Our Flag Means Death

1 (3%)—The Last of Us

Top 10 Fics by Kudos

Praying for Salvation (Midnight Mass)

In Any Shape or Form (Loki)

One On The Way (Witcher)

A Barking Dog Seldom Bites (OFMD)

Let Time Pass (Loki)

Fighting To Get To You (Witcher)

Silky Heat (OFMD)

Dream of Me (Loki)

Jaskier Sandwich (Witcher)

What My Heart Just Yearns To Say (Witcher)

My fandom fic events in 2023

OFMD Reverse Big Bang—fic published in June

Steddie Big Bang—fic in progress, due January 2024

Fandom Trumps Hate—fics in progress, due December.

Notes and tags below the cut

I started counting my words written in March, so my figures from January and February are a rough calculation and I’m probably being too harsh on the final count.

I also had a really stressful few months during a team restructure, so I’ve not been great at keeping an accurate record the whole year, which I regret because it took a lot more time to pull this together because of that.

Read all this and have questions for me? Feel free to send me an ask.

Now I’ve bored you with all my stats, here's the deal for those I’ve tagged below.

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

Now for the tags: @dancingwiththefae @ptork66 @artaxlivs @mojowitchcraft @mimisempai @rins-love-wins @insert-witty-user-name-here @lgwilt @dewdropreader @starport-seven-five @cha-melodius @dreamycloud @waterhorseyblues-ao3 @chaos-monkeyy @mirilyawrites @inwantofamuse @dapandapod @dapperwerewolf @gleamingsilence @flootzavut @flordefandom @kell-be-belle @limerental @iwillbringyouruin @flawney @karolincki @jayofolympus @naumaxia-art @rauchendesgnu @pherryt @bravelittlenippa

and anyone else who's read this and wants to do it.

[itsnotablogsblog]

BENNY BLANCO AND SELENA GOMEZ -Rumors on how Selena does not love Benny-

So for a whole week, I have been getting bashed with videos and rumors on how Selena doesn’t really in fact love Benny. But the question is if these rumors are true.

Hi. Hello and welcome back to another great week of tumblr content. Although this might not seem like a Bad Omens drama or tea thing recently.

Let’s head on into this conversation

Let’s start from the beginning.

Benny Blanco might not be so attractive to other people, but his talent and charisma in what he puts out in his music for others to sing, hit millions of streams from different artists. Including Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, and Katy Perry.

Although he had history being friends with Justin long before he met Selena Gomez, their relationship ended as soon as he started dating Selena. But what exactly made Selena fall in love with Benny?

In the Mid- year of 2023 they seemed to take their relationship private for months after she met Benny on a song he produced for her called “Same Old Love”

This also included another song on February 28, 2019 with J Balvin and Selena Gomez titled “I Can’t Get Enough.”

His proudest songs he ever recorded in the studio includes “Diamonds” and working with Ed Sheeran.

In depth he goes in and explains his accomplishments with Rhianna. Before Uber was a thing, Benny goes and explains that Rhianna only had 20 to 30 minutes to record a song with Sia.

Within the span of 15 minutes they had a beat and song titles already made. Now that’s an achievement.

But what made Benny want to date Selena? Honestly I think their contributions into recording her music started it all. Although Selena had to get a kidney transplant from her friend at the time, and dealing with Lupus, overall I think Selena just wanted someone there for her.

Things didn’t go official until June 8, 2023 when Selena came out with her new song called “Single”

Written and produced by Benny Blanco and Cashmere Cat. Gomez would later on reveal on her social media in December of that same year she’d been dating Benny for six months. This would mean they were dating before she released her song.

She also made sure he would be on the guest list for her inaugural event which was a campaign for her Rare Beauty Makeup.

December 7, 2023. She made an instagram post confirming her relationship with Blanco. The following year would later on be revealed.

It may seem like Benny and Selena’s relationship skyrocketed news coverage for months. In the span of 2024, fans have seen and watched their relationship grow and develop as to what it is today.

So where exactly do these rumors come from?

On an Episode of “Hot Ones” by First We Feast. Benny and Selena are the honored guests. But not later on in the video the host asks Selena what is one song that Benny produced. She would later on reply “I’m such a little baby. I’m going to stop being this way.” As to dodging the question.

People have come to sense that she really doesn’t care about Benny, knowing that Benny looked at her in disappointment. His smile faded away re-establishing the response to “she’s being dramatic” not knowing how to reply to what she just said.

Fans Come to Speculate that the engagement might not work out long term.

Countless of videos surrounded the media on Tik Tok, of people bashing their relationship with “Benny I hope you see this.” To “Selena doesn’t love you.”

Knowing from the single they released together titled “Ojos Tristes”

This blew up the internet like crazy. Stating that Selena hasn’t fully healed by her and Biebers relationship and that she was just using Benny as a coping mechanism or rebound.

Theory # 2

The Marriage Might Not Happen

Benny and Selena might not make it through the cut in their future together. Of course this means bringing Benny in her drama from decades ago, she seems pretty unsure on if she actually wants to marry Benny.

With countless of interviews to Jimmy Fallon. Selena always seems to dodge the question to the host. Which is “when is the wedding?”

Selena seems to be pretty anxious into answering that type of specific question and answers with a different approach to the answer that isn’t exactly what they were looking for.

Benny on the other hand, has been seen heart broken by how she’s handled the situation. Leaving him even more disappointed and upset that Selena doesn’t want to answer the question.

Theory # 3

She’s Regretting her decision

This may seem far fetched but from what I’ve been seeing lately i made a theory on maybe she regrets her decision being with Benny.

Yes she loves him, but she seems to not love him the way he loves Selena. She may see him as a great person, but maybe the feelings aren’t really attached.

I’ve been in one before and let me tell you, it does not always end well. You are left feeling guilty that you haven’t done enough, or even second guess where the commitment or communication went wrong. Having feelings for someone isn’t the same as not having feelings for another. You end up giving your heart and feelings while the other is bread-crumbing the relationship.

Bread-crumbing relationships aren’t the best.

Now what’s in it for Benny?

It seems like Benny genuinely cares and loves Selena giving her his time and attention everyday. Taking her out to eat, buying food for her, cooking, buying her a $225,000 engagement ring. Other forums say that the ring could have estimated to almost $640,000 to $1 million.

Now that. I mean if a man isn’t loyal enough to do that, then why does Selena second guess the option of marriage?

Honestly selling her B ring in one of her giveaways…

Did she really like the B ring to start? Why would you auction off a B ring?

Now ah. Let me say. That Benny used to hang out with Hailey and her friend.

Now the rabbit hole of questions and answers to this discussion only went a bit further.

Honestly I don’t know much about the history of how Benny dated one of Hailey Biebers friends named Elsie Hewitt.. but here we are.

Wait this adds to the question.

Oh Benny….

So not only guys he was friends with Justin Bieber, but he did in fact date Elsie Hewitt in 2019 but later on broke up with her in 2020. The reason of it was disclosed to the public due to their private relationship.

So where was Selena?

In 2019 allegedly she was dating Niall Horan at the time. But none of it was confirmed, although there were numerous sightings of them together.

No wonder Selena doesn’t move on. She’s been dating like crazy not giving her enough time to heal.

2008 she dates Nick Jonas

2009 later on with Taylor Lautner

December 2009-April 2014 Justin

2014 Orlando Bloom

Later in the same year she goes back to date Justin until October of 2014.

A year later she dates Zedd for three months.

Goes back to Niall in 2015 of December

January 2016 Samuel Krost

March 2016 Charlie Puth

Goes back to Orlando Bloom that same year

January and October of 2017 The Weeknd

Goes back to Justin that same year for the final time only to break up in 2018.

Let’s continue

October of 2019 (allegedly) goes back to Niall

October of 2021 maybe Chris Evans?

August 2022 Andrea Lervolino

September 2022 Drew Taggart from the chainsmokers

March of 2023 Zayn Malik (Rumored)

I don’t know guys I don’t think she is fully on healed. This timeline says a lot. She went from Zayn Malik. To Benny Blanco in the span of 2023.

A person just doesn’t start a relationship like that, or do they? That’s only hurting her more than rather healing.

I just wish Benny the best of luck.

[sneasedtomeetyou]

Before we get started, allow me to explain some terms used on this masterlist!

Injected canon refers to an event that has had significant details altered since the original posting, or has been backdated to have occurred during a time period despite being written at a later point. These often won't have original posts to link to as they were written later, and original posts may actually contradict later posts. Injected canon versions of these posts should always be assumed to be the definitive iteration for this blog.

Lost pages refers to older posts/arcs that may be difficult to find due to some older posts being improperly tagged or privated as Casi's characterization has changed over the years—certain events referenced in these posts may have been decanonized but they themselves were not something I was willing to entirely remove. These may become listed as injected canon later if I have time and motivation to fill the blanks.

Off-page means an event occurred on some other platform and the record is not publicly available. Some of these are posted later as fics, some are not, and some contain material I consider inappropriate for this blog. Instead of links to their archive tag they may have links to the respective fics. These fics will also be listed in the fics section.

What isn't here? Posts and interactions that are entirely decanonized will not be listed here in the directory, though remainders of them may still be present on the blog. You are welcome to ask me if a certain event or post has been decanonized, but I reserve the right to not always give the full explanation as to why.

Entries include the name of the arc, the rough dates that the event occurred the status of the arc, and a link to the recap page. Recap pages give a summary of the events of the arc and if available link to the archive tag. Relevant content warnings are displayed underneath the arc information and on the summary pages themselves. If an arc is labeled as containing references to sexual content, no details of said content are included in the summary, only mentioned as having happened in some capacity. Actual recap posts will also be tagged like any other content post, as will any AO3 links posted.

If links are not provided it's because the recap isn't completed yet. Check back in another time!

Arc Recaps (In Chronological Order)

2023

Power Outage - Jan 1-4 Lost Pages!

Unova Vacation - Jan 9-16 Lost Pages!

Indigo Introductions - February 24 Off-Page!

Lissie is Missing! - June 24-28 Off-Page!

cw(s): kidnapping, medical experimentation, presence of organized crime, heightened emotional state pokereality, high stakes pokereality

Wandering Spirits - September 18-30 Injected Canon!

cw(s): possession, paranoia, depersonalization, discussions of death, heightened emotional state pokreality, altered perception pokereality

The Masquerade - October 31 Off-Page!

cw(s): references to sexual content, catfishing

Road Trip - December - Early January 2024 Archived!

cw(s): references to sexual content, panic attacks, emetophobia, alcohol, memory loss, references to organized crime, heightened emotional state pokereality, altered perception pokereality

2024

A Valencian Detour - April 14-October 25 Archived!

Hurricane on Valencia - Early October Lost Pages!

The Gluttonous Cramorant - Early October Off-Page!

Casi in Team Phobia - October 24-26 Archived!

Return to Unova - October 26 Archived!

2025

Mist of Dreams - January Ongoing!

Sneaking Suspicions - February Ongoing!

Fics

A Slight Miscommunication - Linked to: Road Trip

Hurt/Comfort. Antidotesshipping (Casi-x-Amy). Casi and Amy attempt to focus on their future together, but they can't help being haunted by the ghost of their pasts.

cw(s): references to sexual content, panic attacks, emetophobia, alcohol, memory loss, references to organized crime, heightened emotional state pokereality, altered perception pokereality

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Jesse Singal

Published: Mar 22, 2024

Yesterday CNN published an article by senior writer Tara John about the UK National Health Service’s newly skeptical stance toward youth gender medicine. The main takeaway, which is big news to observers of this debate, is that the NHS will no longer provide puberty blockers to young people, other than in research contexts. (As for cross-sex hormones, a relatively strict-seeming regime is set to be implemented, and they will be offered to youth only “from around their 16th birthday.”)

As myself and a number of others pointed out, the article contains a sentence that is, in context, rather wild: John writes that “Gender-affirming care is medically necessary, evidence-based care that uses a multidisciplinary approach to help a person transition from their assigned gender — the one the person was designated at birth — to their affirmed gender — the gender by which one wants to be known.” But of course, whether youth gender medicine is medically necessary and evidence-based is exactly the thing being debated, and anyone who has been following this debate closely knows that every national health system that has examined this question closely, including the NHS, has come to the same conclusion: the evidence is paltry. That’s why so many countries, including Sweden, Finland, the UK, and Norway have significantly scaled back access to these treatments for youth.1 So it’s very strange to see this sentence, which reads as though it comes from an activist press release, published in a news article in CNN, an outlet that generally adheres to the old-school divide between news and opinion.

There’s a strong case to be made that CNN’s sentence, as written, is false. Gender medicine is at best unproven, when it comes to the standards society (and regulatory bodies) expects medical researchers to adhere to. The situation with youth gender medicine is particularly dicey, given that this is a newer area of medicine suffering from an even severer paucity of quality studies.

It would be bad enough for this sentence to have appeared in one article on one of the most important news websites in the world. But here’s the thing: this wasn’t the first time. Rather, this exact sentence, and close variants of it, has been copied and pasted into dozens of CNN.com stories over the last few years, as a Google search quickly reveals. 

This sentence, and its close variants, appear over and over and over. I asked my researcher to create a list of all the instances he could find. Here’s what he sent back, in reverse chronological order.

1. England’s health service to stop prescribing puberty blockers to transgender kids by Tara John (March 15, 2024)

2. First on CNN: Major medical society re-examines clinical guidelines for gender-affirming care by Jen Christensen (February 26, 2024)

3. Record number of anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in 2023 by Annette Choi (January 22, 2024)

4. Gender-affirming surgeries in US nearly tripled from 2016 to 2019, study finds by Jen Christensen (August 23, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

5. Trump-appointed judge blocks parts of Indiana ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth by Sydney Kashiwagi (June 17, 2023)

6. The debate on the American right isn’t about classified documents. It’s about fear of transgender rights by Zachary B. Wolf (June 15, 2023)

7. 19 states have laws restricting gender-affirming care, some with the possibility of a felony charge by Annette Choi and Will Mullery (June 6, 2023)

8. Alabama governor signs bill placing limits on transgender athletes in college sports by Rebekah Riess and Dakin Andone (May 31, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

9. Missouri attorney general drops controversial emergency rule that would have banned gender-affirming care for children and many adults by Andy Rose and Nouran Salahieh (May 17, 2023)

10. Maryland governor signs bills protecting abortion rights and gender-affirming care by Liam Reilly and Kaanita Iyer (May 3, 2023)

11. Oklahoma governor signs legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors by Jack Forrest and Joe Sutton (May 2, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

12. Missouri judge pauses enforcement of limits on gender-affirming care for trans youth and adults for 15 days by Devan Cole (May 1, 2023)

13. Transgender health care restrictions hit roadblocks in 3 states as gender-affirming care becomes marquee issue for state GOP leaders by Dakin Andone (April 27, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

14. The clock is ticking in Missouri as health care providers race to establish care regimens for trans patients by Alisha Ebrahimji, Kyung Lah, and Anna-Maja Rappard (April 26, 2023)

15. Missouri judge temporarily blocks limits on gender-affirming care for trans youth and adults from going into effect by Devan Cole (April 26, 2023)

16. Gender-affirming care, a ‘crucial’ process for thousands of young people in America by Jen Christensen (April 25, 2023)

17. Advocacy groups sue to block an emergency rule limiting gender-affirming care that’s expected to go into effect this week in Missouri by Michelle Watson, Claudia Dominguez, Taylor Romine, and Kyung Lah (April 25, 2023)

18. Utah state senator’s home vandalized in possible retaliation for transgender bill, police say by Rebekah Riess and Sara Smart (April 22, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

19. North Dakota governor signs gender-affirming care ban for most minors by Michelle Watson and Jack Forrest (April 20, 2023)

20. Indiana and Idaho enact bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth by Sydney Kashiwagi (April 6, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

21. Kentucky GOP overrides governor’s veto of youth gender-affirming care ban by Jack Forrest (March 29, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

22. Kentucky governor vetoes ban on gender-affirming care for youth by Kaanita Iyer and Paradise Afshar (March 24, 2023)

23. Georgia’s governor signs ban on certain gender-affirming care for minors by Maxime Tamsett, Pamela Kirkland, and Jack Forrest (March 23, 2023) — start slightly modified to fit sentence structure, otherwise identical.

24. Florida sued over bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth by Devan Cole (March 23, 2023) — has a slightly more measured framing, opening with “LGBTQ advocates and many physicians regard. . . ”

25. Missouri AG seeks to restrict gender-affirming care for minors by Raja Razek and Shawna Mizelle (March 21, 2023) — has a slightly more measured framing, opening with “LGBTQ advocates and many physicians, however, regard the treatment as. . . ”

26. New Mexico governor signs bill protecting access to reproductive and gender-affirming care into law by Paradise Afshar and Kaanita Iyer (March 18, 2023)

27. Minnesota governor signs order protecting access to gender-affirming health care by Chris Boyette and Jack Forrest (March 8, 2023)

28. Tennessee governor signs ban on gender-affirming care for minors by Shawna Mizelle (March 3, 2023) — has a slightly more measured framing, opening with “LGBTQ advocates and many physicians regard the treatment as. . . ”

29. Democratic AGs condemn DeSantis administration for asking Florida colleges for information on students receiving gender-affirming care by Devan Cole (March 3, 2023)

30. Mississippi enacts ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors by Devan Cole (February 28, 2023)

31. GOP lawmakers escalate fight against gender-affirming care with bills seeking to expand the scope of bans by Devan Cole (February 13, 2023)

32. South Dakota governor signs bill prohibiting gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors by Sydney Kashiwagi (February 13, 2023)

33. Woman faces federal charge for calling in a false bomb threat to a Boston hospital providing gender-affirming care by Sonia Moghe (September 16, 2022)

34. Boston Children’s Hospital says it’s gotten violent threats over care for transgender children by Jen Christensen (August 17, 2022)

35. Texas can continue investigating families seeking gender-affirming care for their transgender children, state Supreme Court says by Alisha Ebrahimji, Ashley Killough, and Raja Razek (May 13, 2022)

I haven’t triple-checked every single one of these, but it’s undeniable that effectively the same words have appeared in about three dozen CNN articles since May of 2022, which was already years after the present wave of European nations rethinking these treatments had begun. 

When I asked CNN about this, I heard back from someone there who explained on background that it’s standard for outlets to provide reporters with guidance about accurate and appropriate language. While that’s true, it doesn’t really answer my question. Sure, it’s not unusual for an outlet to have a house style, sometimes enshrined in a stylebook, that provides rules about how to refer to, for example, individuals in the United States who lack legal status. They used to be called “illegal immigrants,” and now they’re often called “undocumented immigrants,” or language to that effect. This is a fairly normal process by which language changes and, sometimes as a result of a push-pull between outlets and advocacy groups, outlets decide which changes to make and when. So you may or may not agree with the fact that many outlets have switched from “biological sex” to “sex assigned at birth” when discussing trans issues, but the underlying process of switching from one phrase to another is standard and occurs in many areas. 

This is quite different. You do not generally see the same complex sentence pasted over and over and over into news stories written by different authors and published in different sections. I asked CNN if it could provide me any other examples of CNN.com publishing the same sentence in multiple stories by different authors, and posed the same question in an email to Virginia Moseley, the CNN executive editor who, according to the website, “oversee[s] international and domestic news operations across platforms.” I didn’t hear back about this.

This copy-paste job is journalistically problematic for a number of reasons. For one thing, it suggests that CNN has decided, at the editorial level, that its institutional stance is that youth gender medicine is “medically necessary” and “evidence-based.” While they’re being used somewhat colloquially in these articles, these terms have fairly specific definitions in certain medical and legal contexts, and treatments only qualify for such designations if they have exceeded a certain evidentiary benchmark based on solid published research. That is not the case here — far from it, actually. As written, this is a deeply misleading sentence.

The language also puts CNN writers in an awkward position. Does each and every bylined author of these stories believe that youth gender medicine is “medically necessary” and “evidence-based”? Maybe they do (which would be disturbing), but the fact is that they didn’t write these sentences — they, or one of their editors, grabbed that language from somewhere else and pasted it in. They are effectively outsourcing their own judgment on a hotly contested controversy to their employer. This is not what journalists are supposed to do, and, at the risk of repeating myself, it’s significantly different from a reporter rolling their eyes when using language like “undocumented immigrant” or “sex assigned at birth,” rather than their own preferred verbiage. Those are rather small-stakes linguistic quibbles, different not only in degree but in kind from the question of whether or not youth gender medicine is medically necessary and evidence-based. And it goes without saying that a CNN reporter who does develop doubts about youth gender medicine is likely to be deterred from investigating further by the fact that their bosses have already decided that this is the way they’re going to cover this subject — say the line, Bart. Why bother?

It’s a pattern, unfortunately. Many outlets dug themselves into a deep hole on this issue by simply acting as stenographers and megaphones for activist groups rather than doing their jobs. And now that there is ever-mounting evidence undercutting the loudest activist claims, climbing out of this hole is going to be awkward. But there’s no other option, really. Because right now there’s absolutely no reason to take CNN.com seriously on this issue — the site has proven, demonstrably, that it doesn’t take itself seriously on this issue. 

--

1 The sentence doesn’t specifically mention youth gender medicine, but that’s clearly the context in which it was presented. The sentence wouldn’t be accurate as applied to adult care either, anyway — an independent systematic review commissioned by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health came back with rather dismaying results about the quality of research there as well, more info on which here.

==

It's nothing but a religious recitation.

[wrestlingisfake]

Wrestling Dontaku night 2 preview

Hirooki Goto vs. Callum Newman

Goto is defending the IWGP world title. I've been watching New Japan Pro Wrestling for a little over ten years now, and it's tough for me to think of a weaker match for their top title in all that time. They spent most of those ten years establishing Goto as an also-ran, and then suddenly put him on top at 45 years old, after most of the better candidates were gone. Newman, 22, has had only twenty singles matches since he started with New Japan in 2023. In those bouts, his record is 6-14, and his last win was July. It's as if WWE booked a world title match between Carlito and Malik Blade.

As near as I can tell, Newman is a last-minute substitute, filling a spot designed for Jeff Cobb. Last month, Cobb and Newman won the IWGP heavyweight tag title, and Cobb challenged Goto for the world belt. That seemed kind of strange considering the widespread report that he was already listed on WWE's internal roster. I don't know if New Japan was trying to swerve the fans, or if they really believed Cobb would work the Dontaku tour. In any case, Cobb abruptly left, and New Japan booked Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Newman & Great-O-Khan for the vacant tag title, and Goto vs. Newman for this show. Newman won the tag match, and now he's looking for a clean sweep.

To be clear, I like both guys. The match should be fine. But Goto's title reign has not done much to dispel the notion that he's a journeyman, his challengers have generally felt second-rate, and Newman doesn't even feel ready to to be a second-rate challenger. Even if Newman scores an upset win here--which is practically the only way to justify doing the match--it won't mean much because it's "just" Goto, and not a real tippy-toppy guy.

I don't know how New Japan gets out of this rut. They're not heating Goto up with this title reign. They haven't set things up where Newman will get hot by beating Goto. So all they can do is set up someone who's already hot to crush Goto, preferably at the Dominion show in June. Gabe Kidd would be my pick for that spot, but I can't really believe this company will put him on top. And knowing New Japan, they're content to stay in the rut for a while, to play the long game.

As for this match, I think Goto has to win. The only question is whether Newman looks better coming out of it than he did a month ago.

Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

Last month Tsuji, the IWGP global champion, challenged Uemura to face him for the title. Since they came up as Young Lions around the same time, they've had fifty singles matches to date; so far the record is Tsuji 16, Uemura 12, and twenty-two time-limit draws. However, only three of those matches took place after both men returned from excursion. In 2024, Uemura beat Tsuji in the Tokyo Dome and the G1 Climax, but Tsuji humbled Uemura in a hair vs. hair match.

Both of these guys are being groomed to lead New Japan into the future, although right now it's tough to tell which of them is going to really be king of the hill. My gut feeling is that it's too soon for Tsuji to drop the belt. But one of these days Uemura is going to beat him and I won't see it coming, and today could easily be that day.

Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI & Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Shota Umino & Tomohiro Ishii & Taichi & TAKA Michinoku

Just shy of the 19th anniversary of his first with the promotion, Naito will be exiting New Japan Pro Wrestling after this match. Bushi, who joined Los Ingobernables de Japon because he would have retired unless he could align with Naito, is leaving too. A lot will probably be written about whether New Japan or Naito was at fault for failing to keep him under contract, but right now I have no idea what's going on. I think the situation won't become clear until we know where Naito and Bushi will go to next, and I'm not convinced their destination is in WWE or AEW.

As for the match itself, it seems like a pretty paint-by-numbers eight-man tag. We've seen big names in New Japan, like Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada, announce a sudden departure and then leave with a win. To me this is an opportunity for Naito to give the rub to Umino on his way out, but that doesn't mean they'll bother to do that. One way or another, I expect LIJ to stand tall after the match and do one last fistbump.

Hiroshi Tanahashi & YOH & Toru Yano & TAJIRI & Ryota Chikuzen vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa & Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita & Hartley Jackson

This is sort of an epilogue to last night's match between Tana and Sabre. Tana, Yoh, and Yano are teaming up with two guys from Kyushu Pro Wrestling, a local promotion in Fukuoka, where this show is taking place. Chikuzen, 52, is originally from Fukuoka, so that explains what he's doing here. Tajiri, 54, is a legend from the dying days of ECW, and also that one time in WWE when he sprayed green mist at Triple H, which was really funny. My official prediction is Tajiri sprays mist at every single guy on the other team and stacks up all five of them to pin them at the same time.

Konosuke Takeshita & Rocky Romero vs. El Phantasmo & Oleg Boltin

Last night, Phantasmo retained the television title against Takeshita in a 15-minute draw; next week they'll meet again for Take's NEVER title. Rocky turned on ELP last month and has been aligning with Takeshita and the Don Callis Family. Judging from last night, he's seems to be playing the heel manager role, as if he's a substitute when Callis himself can't make it to Japan. In any case, Rocky is no match for Boltin, and I'm sure that will spell disaster for him here.

Starlight Kid & AZM & Yuna Mizunmori vs. Hazuki & KOGUMA & Maika

This is a special showcase for the World Wonder RIng STARDOM promotion, and most of these women are coming off of big matches on April 27 in Yokohama. Kid defeated AZM to retain the wonder title and solidiy her position as leader of their faction, Neo Genesis. Despite that loss, AZM is set for a STRONG title match against Mina Shirakawa and Mercedes Mone next week in Los Angeles. Mizunmori is from a completely different unit, Cosmic Angels, so I'm not sure what she's doing on this team.

Hazuki and Koguma are FWC (Fukuoka Double Crazy), so they're the hometown heroines. They failed to capture the tag title last week, so it's back to the drawing board for them. Maika also had a big loss at Yokohama; she's representing ExV, so I'm not sure why she's teaming with two women from STARS.

I've never seen a bad Stardom match, but I've also never really gotten into the product, so I figure everybody will run around all over the place and it'll be cool, and then I won't remember any of it the next day. I have no idea who will win.

Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Master Wato

O-Khan and Yoshi met at the start of this tour, when O-Khan and Callum Newman beat Yoshi and Hirooki Goto for the vacant heavyweight tag title. Wato is the only one in the match who's being promoted for the next tour, the Best of the Super Jr. tournament. Young didn't make the cut for the tournament, so that kind of tells you he's the one who should lose the match.

Taiji Ishimori & Gedo vs. Mentai Kid & Batten Burabura

Ishimori is coming off a vicious ten-man cage match last night, and Gedo is a 56 years old. Their opponents are representing Kyushu Pro. I don't think the outsiders can win here. Even if they scored a big upset, the only purpose would be to heat them up for a future New Japan show, but why would NJPW book them outside of their home turf? So yeah, Ishimori should pick up the winning fall.

Ryusuke Taguchi & Katsuya Murashima vs. Hitamaru Sasaki & Jet Wei

This is scheduled for the pre-show. Taguchi, an aging veteran, and Murashima, a Young Lion, are teaming against two wrestlers from Kyusuhu Pro. Sasaki, like Taguchi, is also a bit long in the tooth, and I always have to remind myself that Wei is from Taiwan, not Japan. I would assume the New Japan team wins, although having a Young Lion on your team is always a weakness, even against two guys from the minor leagues.

[noahsbookhoard]

📚June 2024 Book Review (Part 2/2)📚

June had been a very busy month so I read very little. I think in compiled reading time, those three books were less than a week which was frustrating a bit, but July and August will largely make up for it!

Jusqu'à ce que mort s'ensuive by Olivier Rolin

Starting with a one page mention of two real figures in Les Misérables, Olivier Rolin tracks back the two 19th century socialist activists Emmanuel Barthelemy and Frédéric Cournet, their life, their flight to England and their mutual hatred to the point of one killing the other.

This book and I met by total coincidence. The book club I am part of likes to organise bookswaps: we get paired at random and each chose in the other one's wishlist (we are all on the same book tracking site) a book we'd like to read. While reading we take notes to send the other and exchange books this way. This is how I discovered this book.

It isn't exactly a novel, but it isn't exactly a historical research either: the two characters, who are mentioned in one page in Les Misérables, are two real political activist from the 19th century. But their very real life are as fabulous as what Victor Hugo had written for his fictional revolutionaries: there's force Labour prisoners, barricades, daring prison escapes, exile to London, Karl freaking Marx himself and a pistol duel.

The two main revolutionaries, Frédéric Cournet and Emmanuel Barthelemy are more or less on the same side but from very different background (one is a former Navy officer, the second is a factory worker) and with very different methods (the former worked with the Parliament and Victor Hugo in the flesh, no less; the later was more a cudgel and explosive kind of guy). They could never have met if they hadn't had to flee France for London and crossed path. It led to Cournet insulting Barthelemy, Barthelemy to claim compensation, and the both of them to face in a duel. I won't say who won't because that's 50% of the fun in this book: you feel like you are reading the latest adventure historical novel when it all actually happened as is, to the last dialogue line.

Indeed Olivier Rolin did extensive research into both of the men: he found records, letters, minutes... and he transcribes it into an accurate as possible account of their lives an meetings, there aren't any dialogues in less it had been recorded in an trial transcript or another source and he honestly admits when there were gaps in the records, contradicting sources or untrustworthy accounts. He traveled too, to Paris and London to see what remained of the places his protagonists saw or lived in. It makes for some interesting anecdotes about both cities as he apparently can't help but dig the most remarkable yet true stories everywhere he goes.

I goes to show that sometimes life is just so much more like fiction than fiction itself. The book is also a tribute to Victor Hugo's political commitment and those who held the same belief in the Republic during some tumultuous political times in France.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

A retelling of the Trojan War from the point of view of Patroclus, from his childhood to his death, following his life, love and fight alongside Achilles.

One day back in June I got sick and decided to indulge: instead of just staying miserable in bed, I'll be miserable AND crying my eyes out.

I already read The Song of Achilles last year and it was love at first sight. I thought it couldn't get better but I discovered the audiobook and fell in love again. Frazer Douglas has a really soothing voice and infuse it with so much emotion without ever being melodramatic. I listened to the whole thing while half dozing, crying a little (a lot) and enjoying my sick day as much as humanly possible.

It's sweet, it's soft, it's sad, it's a strong contender for favorite book of all time in my list. And that time it made a shitty day a little less shitty.

Having now read the Illiad I could appreciate the story so much more (I wasn't in any state for comparative analysis but I noticed what scene inspired Madeline Miller) and feel the sad scenes twice as hard. The foreshadowing (can it be called foreshadowing when the story has been known for a few thousand years?) and the knowledge that what must happened would happen because Fate spares no one is just as heartbreaking the second time around. Madeline Miller's poetry makes it so poignant, it just took my heart out and did whatever it wanted with it for 11 hours and 15 minutes.

Tangential rant but my only regret about this book is the cover: I hate all of the english edition cover; the breastplate (above), the helmet and the bow and arrow, I like neither of them. But the french pocket edition is soooo pretty...

Look at this! It's a crime I can't have this on an english edition...

The Umbrella Academy Vol. 1 to 3 by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

On October 1st 1989, 43 children are born of mothers who had not been pregnant the minute before. Sir Reginal Hargreeves adopts seven of them, certain that they wouldn't be ordinary, and raise them to become a team of child vigilantes: the Umbrella Academy. Years later the team has broken down but the siblings come together for their father's funeral. In the meantime a menace looms over the planet.

Just this once won't hurt: I watched the show before reading the book! So, once again, my opinion will be tinted. I haven't watched the last season and the few reviews on this site do not encourage me too but at least the comic was a really fun read!

Season one of the show follows the first volume of the comic pretty well, but I liked how the graphic style of Gabriel Ba added to the alien atmosphere of the story, which was lost in the adaptation. Luther's half monkey body and Vanya's human violin form were a big plus in the book.

The Second one was fun, I loved getting for of Five and his space travel adventures. The treatment of the aftermath of volume 1 was really good too, it takes its time while the show rushes on a little. It also has all the gory dark stuff that never would have made the cut with Netflix but add to the danger of Hazel and Cha-Cha.

I was less convinced by the third volume. I felt it less cohesive somehow. I liked some of the plot, the Hotel is a really cool idea but the rest of it fell a bit flat. There's too much different story to follow you can't focus on everyone, the book can't either so some were less developed than they deserved to be. It might be because it was so long in production but this was sad, I wanted to like it more than I did.

However I discovered while digging a little for this review that a fourth volume is in production! I am really excited to get more time in this universe!

[tunespeakapp]

Dierks Bentley: 9/14/24 “It was my second time seeing Grammy nominated, ACM, CMA, CMT winner and Opry member Frederick Dierks Bentley 48 from Phoenix Arizona LIVE. The first was at the Blind Horse Saloon during the ‘Beers On Me Tour’ in 2021 toward the tail end of the pandemic where Bentley packed 2,000 maskless fans into the tiny Greenville venue. The weather was perfect for an evening featuring full sets by three Country Music artists, Hurricane Francine having since past with its remnants remaining stalled over Memphis. I had entered a contest on Bentley’s Facebook Page back in June granting one winner a pair of tickets. On August 30th I received an email that I was the solo winner out of 167,180 entries and to claim my seats at will call under the artist’s guest list. The 31-stop ‘Gravel And Gold Tour’ which began in Fort Worth and ends in Milwaukee made its 28th stop at Simpsonville’s outdoor amphitheater. The tour is Bentley’s 16th major tour and brings with it all the bells and whistles with a 6-man band and 55 crew members. With 10 albums in his 23-year career with 41 charted singles including 18 #1s, the headliner’s set list was bound to deliver all the favorites. Arriving early I stood just outside the gates to hear the VIP Pre-Show acoustic mini-set. Upon entry and claiming my 10th row center seat I walked up to take in a close-up of the stage. The stage featured an E-shaped rear riser featuring a center ramp and two end ramps ending in sets of stairs. A small pit separated the reserve seating from the stage. 100+ lights enclosed the stage on the top and sides. The drumhead featured the tour logo ‘DIERKS BENTLEY GRAVEL & GOLD 2024 TOUR’ as well as the translucent video wall in the forefront. At 6:56 p.m. the stage lights illuminated as the first opener Tanner Usrey and his 4-man band took to the stage to the recorded sounds of Guns N’ Roses ‘Welcome To The Jungle’. It was my second time in 8 days seeing Tanner perform LIVE, the first was in Columbia with Koe Wetzel. Beginning with ‘Blackberry Wine’ from the Twisters Movie Soundtrack the Country/Southern Rock/Americana singer from Prosper Texas was off to a 30 minute / 6 song set. ‘My name’s Tanner Usrey from Texas, thanks for being here.’ Usrey drew the majority of his material from his lone studio album ‘Crossing Lines’ 2023 released on Atlantic Records. The set unlike Columbia’s which featured a cover of Rod Stewart’s Faces ’Stay With Me’ ended with a rousing version of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’. Tanner quit his job in 2019 starting off all on his own pounding the pavement for gigs and put 100K on his van in the first year and a half. He’s certainly paid his dues and has proven to be a worthy opener for the likes of Dierks and Koe! After a rather quick stage turn the lights went down to the recorded sounds of Ed Sheeran’s ‘BLOW’. A LB logo designed to look like a Lee jeans back pocket patch appeared on the video wall and two smaller screens to the left and the right illuminated to follow the LIVE action footage. ACM and CMA award winning Singer/Songwriter Kenneth Mobley Brice Jr 45 from Sumter South Carolina with 5 studio albums with 21 singles including 8 #1s took the stage for a 1 hour / 10 song set. Besides his own material, he has also co-written singles for artists like Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and the Eli Young Band. His ‘More Than a Memory’ recorded by Brooks became the first song ever to debut at number one. Beginning with ‘Soul’ a top 20 hit from 2021 we were off to an evening of all-charted singles. Lee wearing a WAYLON cap and guitar strap which read ‘Words Fail Music Speaks’ quickly won over his home State crowd. ‘It is so hood to be back in my home state!’ The set featured a total of 6 number ones including ‘I Don't Dance’ ‘Hard To Love’, ‘I Drive Your Truck’ dedicated to our military and first responders, ‘Rumor’, and ‘One Of Them Girls’. The sixth was ‘I Hope You're Happy Now’ a number one for Carly Pearce which she invited him to sing with her. ‘If y’all know it I’m gonna need you girls to maybe take care of her part cause I can’t exactly fold her up and put her in my back pocket and take her around the country with me.’ Brice was both tough and tender. One of the more tender moments were when he utilized the video screens to backlight his silhouette looking toward the audience as the amphitheater illuminated with cell phone lights. Another was his solo piano work on ‘I Don’t Dance’ exclaiming, ‘What a beautiful night y’all, come on.’ Mid-set Brice switched guitars, his strap in Clemson orange and purple revealing his football number ’55’. Lee attended Clemson University on a football scholarship. He played special teams there as the long snapper, but after an arm injury, he decided to focus on a country music career. Brice has come full circle playing a full set of all hits in his home state, a great evening for the local performer achieving stardom status. A half hour stage turn uncluttered the stage set leaving only Bentley’s equipment and amps in the forefront. At 9:11 p.m. the lights went dark as the lights lit up all red, the sounds of a plucking banjo made the mood complete. The center of the video wall opened up in all white light as Dierks made his appearance slowly walking down the ramp and taking his rightful place front and center. Beginning with ‘Gold’ the only song from the latest release bearing the tour’s name Dierks was off and running to an hour and thirty-five minute / 18 song set. It’s lyrics ‘I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll’ sent a clear message that the artist was speaking of himself metaphorically. The next song ‘Lot Of Leavin Left To Do’ with a dueling acoustic guitar match with Ben Helson continued the irony. ‘How we doin tonight Greenville? Simpsonville, I guess is the new hot spot in Greenville.’ In ‘I Hold On’ Bentley held up and kissed ‘this here flat top guitar’. He swapped out the lyrics, ‘singing every country song’ to ‘singing every Lee Brice song’ and challenged the audience to sing their loudest to the song’s chorus. He paused to honor his VIPS in attendance, his Aunt Barbie, his friend George, and his banjo player’s daughter Sidney. ‘I got family in the front row, it’s a big show.’. ’To get this party up to the next level, I’m gonna have to trade this instrument for my preferred instrument where I do my best work.’ “Nobody plays the red solo cup like I do.’ The song was ‘Am I The Only One’ with a mash of Toby Keith’s ‘Red Solo Cup’. 16 keg shaped mini-video screens made the song come alive. Bentley called for a beer shot-gunning contest choosing a representative from each side of the audience, one male and one female. Turning over the discarded cans, the man was the clear winner as he drained the remaining contents of each to the floor of the stage. ‘It’s 2024 everybody gets a medal’ he determined! The hits rolled on, ‘Living’ and ‘Say You Do’ a pair of number ones, and ‘Burning Man’ and ‘Gone’ a pair of number twos. ‘Do you guys like the blue-grassy more country stuff?’ Bentley asked as he positioned banjo and fiddle to his left and guitar and bass to his right. His cover of Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl’ which he recently recorded for the country tribute album ‘Petty Country’ would determine the answer to the question. The sole answer only spoke to who the American Girl was, not the style of music, ’I’m pretty sure she’s a South Carolina Girl!’ ‘Black’ was performed behind a special effect video wall, and ‘Up On The Ridge’ mashed in New Grass Revival’s ‘Callin' Baton Rouge’. Charlie Worsham (former Old Crow Medicine Show) took the lead, and the band took over the spotlight leaving Dierks in the dark. Dirks called for a humbs up or thumbs down vote between him and the band, then introduced them one by one. Likening the all-Nashville band to the 6 players of a hockey team there was Charlie Worsham on guitar and mandolin; CMA Fiddle Player Of The Year Dan Hochhalter on guitar and fiddle; Tim Sergent on 5-string banjo, pedal steel, lap steel, and dobro; team goalie Steve Misamore on drums; and Cassady Feasby on bass. Bentley introduced himself as the obvious team’s center. A trio of number ones ended the regular set, ‘5-1-5-0’, ‘Somewhere On A Beach’ and ‘What Was I Thinkin’ his first #1 released back in 2003. A mash-up of ‘Beers On Me’ was interwoven. As road attendants tossed cans of Bud Lites from the wings Dierks caught them all one-handed without dropping a single one and tossed them out to folks in the front row of the pit for a toast. Thanking the crowd, he exited the stage leaving the lights dimmed obviously for an encore. The stage lights brightened to all blue as Bentley reappeared dressed in an airline captain’s hat and jacket with aviator glasses. Taking his place a top a on a scissor-riser center stage with a backdrop of an airplane’s cockpit and instrument panel he performed ‘Drunk On A Plane’ tossing out Mardi Gras beads into the audience. Exiting the stage the second time the band reappeared entering from the center of the video wall resembling the side door of a van as their alter egos ‘Hot Country Knights’. Dressed in colorful 90’s clothing, tight jeans and wearing wigs, dancing about with a headless bass and keytar as instruments they performed a medley of all 90’s covers [.T-R-O-U-B-L-E / I Like It, I Love It / Meet In the Middle / Little Rock / Heads Carolina, Tails California / Achy Breaky Heart / Man I Feel Like a Woman / Friends in Low Places]. The over-the top ending brought down the house leaving folks in all smiles and laughter as we exited the venue back to the future with a renewed sense of hope drawn from our past!” Review and photo by DAve (Concerts #928-930)

[newmusicradionetwork]

Patti Spadaro Band "Glass Shatters"

Patti Spadaro, known for her introspective, heartfelt songwriting and creative lead guitar work, brings a hopeful perspective to her music, aiming to inspire and unite. Her organic grooves, memorable original compositions, and spontaneous jam sessions are the trademarks of the Patti Spadaro Band, a group that firmly believes in the uplifting and transformative power of music. Her latest single, “Glass Shatters,” set to release on June 8, 2024, is a celebration of women and the historical milestone of the first female Vice President. Written by Spadaro, the track was recorded at Blue Door Recorders in Pittsburgh, showcasing local talent including Anne Celedonia (keys/vocals), background vocalists Cherylann Hawk, Jill Simmons & Alison McTavish, drummer and recording engineer Eric Kurtzrock, and bassist Ryan Black. The album “Bringing Me Back” features Spadaro’s passionate guitar work and vocals, harmonizing with singer Jill Simmons (Brown Eyed Women). The album is lifted by the drumming finesse of Jim Donovan (Rusted Root) and Eric Kurtzrock, with keyboard contributions from Skip Sanders (The Clarks, Bill Deasy). The tracks delve deep, exploring themes of self-discovery, integrity, love, freedom, joy, and passion. Spadaro’s musical journey started in Pennsylvania before taking her to the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, where she stood out as one of three female guitar students among 700 male counterparts. She later made waves in Los Angeles, releasing three albums, performing in renowned clubs, festivals, and beach bars, and touring extensively along the West Coast and throughout the southwestern US. Her band made a significant impact, securing extensive radio airplay and being named as one of LA’s Top Five Bands by KTLA-TV. Despite the success, she answered the call of her roots, returning to Pennsylvania to raise her two daughters and continuing her musical career. She released two more albums and continues to record and perform. Spadaro also imparts her knowledge of yoga, meditation, and Mindfulness in Music through college courses. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with various artists, performed at numerous venues and festivals, and opened for legendary acts like Little Feat, Eddie Van Halen, Melvin Seals & JGB. Her musical influences span various genres and eras, including Bonnie Raitt, Tedeschi/Trucks, The Grateful Dead, Natalie Merchant, John Mayer, Phish, Little Feat, The Allman Brothers, Michael Franti, Sara Bareilles, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews Band, Counting Crows, and many more. Additional Artist/Song Information: Artist Name: Patti Spadaro Band Song Title: Glass Shatters Publishing: Patti Spadaro Music Publishing Affiliation: BMI Album Title: Bringing Me Back Record Label: MTS Record Label: MTS Michael Stover 3236587449 masika@aol.com Radio Promotion: National Record Promotion 3236587449 larry_weir@sbcglobal.net Read the full article

[betterexams4]

Essential Elements of a Perfect Diary Entry for Class 9th

Writing a diary entry is a common task in English assignments for students in Class 9th. It not only helps in improving writing skills but also serves as a reflective practice. To craft the perfect diary entry, it is crucial to understand its essential elements. This guide will provide you with a comprehensive look into creating an impressive diary entry, optimized for the keyword Diary Entry Format.

1. Understanding the Diary Entry Format

Before diving into the specifics, it’s important to understand the basic structure of a diary entry. Typically, a diary entry includes:

Date: This should be written at the top of the entry.

Day and Time: Mentioning the day and time adds context and a personal touch.

Content: This is the main body where you express your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Signature: Conclude with your name or initials.

2. Starting with the Date, Day, and Time

Date: Always begin your diary entry with the date. This helps in keeping a chronological record of events and reflections.

Day and Time: Including the day and time adds a layer of authenticity. For instance, writing “Monday, 8:00 PM” gives a clear idea of when the events took place.

3. Crafting an Engaging Opening

The opening lines of your diary entry should grab attention. Start with a summary of the day’s events or your current feelings. For example:

“Today was an unforgettable day…”

“I am feeling quite overwhelmed right now…”

4. Describing the Day's Events

The core of a diary entry revolves around the events of the day. Here’s how to describe them effectively:

Chronological Order: Describe events in the order they occurred. This makes the entry easy to follow. Detailing: Include relevant details to paint a vivid picture. Instead of saying “I went to a party,” elaborate with “I went to a friend’s birthday party at a beautiful park. The decorations were stunning, and the cake was delicious.”

5. Reflecting on Emotions and Thoughts

A diary is a personal reflection. It's essential to delve into your emotions and thoughts. Ask yourself questions like:

“How did this event make me feel?”

“What were my thoughts during this moment?”

For example: “Attending the party made me realize how much I cherish my friendships. I felt a deep sense of happiness being surrounded by my close friends.”

6. Including Personal Insights and Learning

A diary entry becomes valuable when you include personal insights and learning from the day’s experiences. Reflect on what you learned and how it impacted you:

“I learned the importance of being present in the moment.”

“This experience taught me to appreciate the little joys in life.”

7. Concluding the Entry

Your diary entry should have a clear conclusion. Summarize your thoughts and end on a reflective note:

“Overall, today was a lesson in gratitude and joy. I hope to carry this positivity into tomorrow.”

8. Adding a Signature

Adding your signature at the end personalizes the entry. It can be your full name, first name, or initials.

Example of a Perfect Diary Entry

Here is an example to illustrate the discussed elements:

Date: 25th June 2024 Day and Time: Tuesday, 9:00 PM

Today was an unforgettable day. I woke up to the sound of birds chirping, feeling a sense of excitement. The morning started with a hearty breakfast prepared by mom, which set a positive tone for the day.

In school, we had a surprise test in mathematics, and to my delight, I scored well. This boosted my confidence immensely. The highlight of the day was attending my friend Anna’s birthday party. It was held at the Central Park, adorned with beautiful decorations. The cake was delicious, and I had a great time dancing and playing games with my friends.

Attending the party made me realize how much I cherish my friendships. I felt a deep sense of happiness being surrounded by my close friends. Reflecting on today, I learned the importance of being present in the moment and enjoying life’s little joys. Overall, today was a lesson in gratitude and joy. I hope to carry this positivity into tomorrow.

- [Your Name]

Tips for Writing an Effective Diary Entry

1. Be Honest and Authentic

Your diary is your personal space. Be honest about your feelings and experiences. Authenticity makes your diary entries more meaningful.

2. Keep it Personal and Reflective

Focus on your personal experiences and reflections. Avoid turning your diary into a mere log of activities.

3. Use Descriptive Language

Use descriptive language to create vivid imagery. This not only makes your entry interesting but also enhances your writing skills.

4. Be Consistent

Regular writing improves your skills and creates a comprehensive record of your thoughts and experiences.

5. Maintain Privacy

Remember, a diary is personal. Keep it in a safe place to ensure your privacy is maintained.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Being Too Formal

A diary is a personal document. Avoid using overly formal language. Write as you speak.

2. Skipping Details

Details add life to your diary entries. Don’t skip over them; instead, focus on including as many relevant details as possible.

3. Neglecting Emotions

A diary is not just about what happened, but also how you felt. Make sure to include your emotions and thoughts.

Summary

Crafting the perfect diary entry involves understanding the Diary Entry Format and incorporating essential elements like engaging openings, detailed descriptions, personal reflections, and a clear conclusion. By following these guidelines, students in Class 9th can enhance their writing skills and create meaningful diary entries that serve as a cherished record of their thoughts and experiences.

[evoldir]

Fwd: Job: UCalifornia_Berkeley.LabTech.PoisonFrogDrosophila

Begin forwarded message: > From: evoldir@evol.biology.mcmaster.ca > Subject: Job: UCalifornia_Berkeley.LabTech.PoisonFrogDrosophila > Date: 24 February 2024 at 06:16:26 GMT > To: rdmpage@gmail.com > > > We have a full time lab tech position open with a start date in June. The > employment period is 12-18 months with a possible 6-month extension and > includes full benefits. Salary is $24.65 - $29.33 and commensurate with > experience. Details below. Unfortunately the position cannot provide > visa sponsorship. > > Research in the Tarvin Lab (www.tarvinlab.org) integrates studies > of natural history with genomics and phylogenetics.  Specifically, > our research aims to elucidate causal genetic mechanisms underlying > novel traits, to characterize phenotypic diversification at macro and > micro-evolutionary scales, and to identify factors that promote and > constrain results of the research contribute to foundational knowledge > of animal physiology that can shape our understanding of evolution, > molecular biology, and pharmacokinetics. > > This position will involve animal husbandry for poison frogs and fruit > flies in addition to conducting experiments and lab management tasks > as part of poison frog research and experimental evolution research > with Drosophila melanogaster. Our work couples a comprehensive set > of physiological assays with high resolution genome sequencing and > transcriptomics to unravel the mechanisms of chemical defense evolution. > The position also includes other managerial tasks and research assistance > related to research projects being conducted by graduate students, > undergraduate students, postdocs, and the PI. > > In addition to gaining hands-on experience in animal husbandry, genomics, > and experimental research, this role offers exposure to interdisciplinary > collaboration within the Department of Integrative Biology and Museum > of Vertebrate Zoology. This position presents avenues for professional > growth through the opportunity to attend seminars, lab meetings, and > engage with experts across diverse fields. > > *Application Review Date* > > The First Review Date for this job is: 03/07/2024. For full consideration > please apply by 3/15/2024. The position is open until filled. > > *Responsibilities* > >   - Assisting in the husbandry, maintenance, and record keeping of 70 >   isogenic fly lines and several species of poison frogs. >   - Assisting in physiological assays and genomics of fly and frog >   populations. >   - Managing lab inventory, ordering supplies, complying with >   institutional safety and animal care regulations. >   - Assisting others in the lab with miscellaneous tasks. > > *Required Qualifications* > >   - Highly organized and interested in learning new skills. >   - Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. >   - A knack for creative approaches to solving problems. > > *Preferred Qualifications* > >   - Previous experience working in a fly or frog lab (or similar >     husbandry experience). >   - An interest in pursuing a graduate degree in biology. >   - Bachelor's degree in Biology or related area and/or equivalent >     experience/training. > > > Apply by Mar 15 via jobs.berkeley.edu - search for job #65179 > > Rebecca (Becca) D. Tarvin > > Assistant Professor, Department of Integrative Biology > Assistant Curator of Herpetology, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology > 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building > University of California Berkeley > Berkeley, CA 94720-3160 > Office: (510) 642-0308 > Lab website: www.tarvinlab.org > Twitter: @frogsicles > > Senior Associate, AmphibiaWeb > > Rebecca Tarvin

[kcyars99]

I know that it’s been weeks since my Spotify wrapped but I thought it would be a good idea to talk about my top songs

first track: “Everything” is a Song by Lena Byrd Miles and Otis Kemp from the album Meet Me In Miami released on June 14, 2024. After traveling on tour together, Kemp was looking for someone to bring this song he had in his archives “to life”. Would you believe that the two completed the song over Facetime? Co-written by Otis, his colleague Candice, and his niece, this song affirms that when something is meant to be, it will be!

second track: “killing in the name “ rage against the machine. I already mentioned this in my previous post so I’m going to keep it slightly brief. Here’s some fun facts: On February 21, 1993, the BBC Radio 1 DJ Bruno Brookes accidentally played the uncensored version of the song on his Top 40 Countdown, leading to 138 complaints.Brookes was recording an advertisement for the following week's Top 40 Countdown while the song played. In November 2008, the song was played over the speakers in an Asdasupermarket in Preston, Lancashire, prompting complaints from customers. Asda issued an apology.

Oh and one more thing: remember the Christmas campaign for this song to be number one in the uk Christmas charts and it ended up being successful thus ending the X factor uk chart Christmas chart streak after four years? During BBC Radio 5 Live show the group performed an uncensored rendition of the song in mid-December 2009, despite the hosts asking them to censor the expletives.

Knowing this group, you know where this is going

During the crescendo of their performance, frontman Zack De La Rocha started out only singing "I won't do what you tell me", with a pause where he normally sings "fuck you", but after a few lines, he screamed the lyrics, "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me" repeatedly. Hosts Nicky Campbell and Shelagh Fogarty apologized afterwards

third track: Nobody but God is a gospel song by by Faith City Music and Tim Bowman, Jr. from their album Welcome to Faith City released on October 28, 2022. This hype up gospel track contains lyrics like about the importance of God and there’s nobody like Him:

Deliverer

Healer

He’s God Almighty

Savior

The Enemy

Must Flee

When I Call on His Name

Fourth track: "Not Like Us" is a diss track written and recorded by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on May 4, 2024, through Interscope Records, amidst his feud with Canadian rapper Drake. It is Lamar's fifth installment in his series of diss tracks directed at Drake and it premiered less than 20 hours after his previous single, "Meet the Grahams".

Primarily produced by Mustard, with additional work from Sounwave and Sean Momberger, "Not Like Us" is a hyphy-influenced West Coast hip hop song composed of a prominent bassline with lively, synthesized strings and finger snaps. Lyrically, it continues the themes first introduced in "Meet the Grahams" by doubling down on allegations of Drake's pedophilia and sexual misconduct, (“certified loverboy, certified pedophile” ) while also criticizing his cultural identity and relationships with artists based in Atlanta, Georgia. (“You’re not a colleague, you’re a f***ing colonizer “)

Lamar first performed "Not Like Us" during The Pop Out: Ken & Friends, where he played the track five consecutive times. An accompanying music video, directed by Dave Free and Lamar, was released on American Independence Day.

The lyrics to "Not Like Us" were written solely by Lamar. It begins with him whispering "psst, I see dead people", a reference to The Sixth Sense (1999); he previously referenced the film on "Euphoria". Using various metaphors and allusions to his native Southern California, Lamar then dives into a barrage of attacks targeting Drake's alleged inappropriate sexual behavior with minors. His personal incidents with J. Cole, Lil Wayne and tennis player Serena Williams are also touched on. Lamar uses Drake's album Certified Lover Boy (2021) to label him and his OVO crew as "certified pedophiles". Specific targets were aimed at Chubbs, his head of security; PartyNextDoor, the first artist he signed; and Baka Not Nice, who was charged with six human trafficking offenses in 2014.

Lamar also takes several opportunities to challenge Drake's cultural identity. The chorus of "Not Like Us" has alluded to him stating that "rap practitioners" such as Drake are unlike his caliber, "one that organically abides by the given morals of Black culture". Lamar further suggests that Drake's portrayal of Blackness likens him to Brad "B-Rad G" Gluckman from the film Malibu's Most Wanted(2003). In the third verse, Lamar flips Drake's comment about how he raps like he is about to "get the slaves freed" in "Family Matters" to not only claim that he misused the term "slave", but to also accuse him of exploiting Black artists from Atlanta for street credibility and financial gain. He uses his previous collaborations with Future, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Quavo and 2 Chainzas examples of him forming "calculated strategies" over "authentic connections"—actions Lamar considers to be a form of colonization.

This song was praised for its contagious production, Lamar's vocal performance, and scathing songwriting. Due to its call and response lyrics, hyphy beat and anthemic nature, this song also became popular in sports, concerts, awards shows, and this years presidential election more specifically for the Democratic Party and during during Kamala Harris campaign for president as a form of a diss towards republican candidate (and winner of the election) Donald Trump and members of the Republican Party who supported him. Nevertheless it’s a song of the summer and the year for a reason

Fifth track: "Back in Blood" is a song by American rapper Pooh Shiestyfeaturing fellow American rapper Lil Durk. It was released through Atlantic Records and 1017 Records on November 5, 2020, as the lead single from the former's debut mixtape, Shiesty Season (2021), and two days before his twenty-first birthday.

With its sinister piano beat and violent lyrics about seeking revenge through violence , it’s become an iconic hit with lil durk verse being the most memorable part of the song. “You can’t come back to your hood, huh? (Nope)” - this line May be a chief keef diss. In a prior song, All these n***** with late rapper King Von, Lil durk recites “You can’t even go to your hood” as a sneak diss to chief keef as Keef was robbed in his own hood for not giving back to them.

“He was dissin’ on my cousin, now his a** all in that wood, huh? (Boom, boom, boom)”- Lil Durk presumably refers to MUBU Krump, a fellow rapper from his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. MUBU was disrespecting(“dissing”) Durk’s cousin and fellow labelmate, OTF Nunu, who tragically got shot and passed away in May 2014. Using the theory of karma, MUBU’s actions backfired at him later and he also died in May 2018 from a shootout.(in other words in lil durk cases, mubu messed around and found out.)

Book his a**, I wish he would come (P***y)

V. Roy pop up out that cut with that new Glock, I wish he would run (Grrah, grrah-grrah)- “V. Roy” is a well-known alias of Lil Durk’s longtime friend and fellow labelmate King Von, who is also from his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. The rapper was known for keeping a weapon with him at all times. This is because the place is known for its extremely high rate of killings and gang violence.

Pretty brutal lyrics that take no prisoners. And let’s not forget this line “Pooh Shiesty, that’s my dawg, but Pooh, you know I’m really shiesty (My n***)-“Shiesty” is another word for greedy or disrespectful. Durk shows that he relates to Shiesty by identifying with his name and the meaning behind it. Following the release of “Back in Blood,” this line became a viral sound on TikTok, with many users creating their own videos to the track.

[nigeiadigitalmarketingcompany]

2:00PM Water Cooler 8/1/2019

Digital Elixir 2:00PM Water Cooler 8/1/2019

By Lambert Strether of Corrente

Patient readers, I’ll have more on politics after I throw in a laundry! –lambert

“Trump’s Bid to Dismantle Global Trading System Poised for a Win” [Industry Week]. “Thanks to a U.S. veto on new appeals judges, the WTO’s dispute arm is expected to start slipping into the institutional equivalent of a coma at the end of this year. That has set off a scramble by the European Union, Canada and other countries to set up a temporary alternative allowing the use of arbitrators rather than three-judge panels to hear appeals. But by creating that system, WTO members may be giving Trump and aidesーwho, like him, have deep-rooted skepticism of multilateral institutionsーthe very thing they want. Arbitration would above all provide the flexibility the U.S. is after, Vaughn said. It would see disputes treated as individual cases, avoiding the precedent-dependent system the WTO appellate body has become.”

“Inside the lose-lose trade fight between Japan and South Korea” [Nikkei Asian Review]. “[There is a] growing ‘Boycott Japan’ movement spreading across South Korea. South Koreans have also stopped buying cars, beer, cosmetics and just about anything else bearing the label ‘Made in Japan.’ Some are even canceling their summer holidays…. Well-organized protests are not uncommon in South Korea, and they tend to pass relatively quickly. But these boycotts — which in South Koreans’ minds are tied with the emotionally-charged issue of wartime labor and a sense that their most successful companies are under attack — may be different. The movement kicked off shortly after the decision by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration on July 4 to tighten controls on exports of three chemicals essential for making semiconductors and flat panel screens used in smartphones and TVs. By choking off supplies of the chemicals — Japan’s market share for two of them stands at more than 90% — the Abe administration was essentially taking aim at the engine that powers South Korea’s high-tech economy.”

“USDA gave almost 100 percent of Trump’s trade war bailout to white farmers” [New Food Economy]. • Deceptive headline erases class: “The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has documented that the program has disproportionately helped wealthy landowners and a recent analysis by Donald Carr, a senior advisor for EWG, argues that the MFP has deepened the disadvantages of black and minority farmers.”

Politics

“But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?” –James Madison, Federalist 51

“They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery.” –Frank Herbert, Dune

“2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination” [RealClearPolitics] (average of five polls). As of July 30: Biden continues rise at 32.2% (32.0), Sanders flat at 16.2% (16.2%), Warren up at 14.3% (14.0%), Buttigieg flat at 5.6% (5.5%), Harris up at 10.8% (10.5%), others Brownian motion. Sanders opens a little daylight between him and Warren, for the first time in two weeks.

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2020

Sanders (D)(1): “Sanders Calls Out CNN for Airing Pharma Commercials During 2020 Debate” [Truthout]. “Pointing to the PAHCF commercial — which is part of a six-figure ad campaign against Medicare for All — Warren Gunnels, Sanders’s staff director, tweeted, ‘If Medicare for All was on trial, the entire corporate media would have to recuse itself for a y-u-g-e conflict of interest.’”

Williamson (D)(1): “Marianne Williamson isn’t funny. She’s scary.” [Vox]. “In her book A Return to Love, Williamson wrote that “sickness is an illusion and does not exist,” and that “cancer and AIDS and other physical illnesses are physical manifestations of a psychic scream.’”

The Debates

“Only 7 Candidates Have Qualified for the Next Democratic Debate” [New York Times]. “The Democratic National Committee has set stricter criteria for the third set of debates, which will be held on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 in Houston. If 10 or fewer candidates qualify, the debate will take place on only one night. Candidates will need to have 130,000 unique donors and register at least 2 percent support in four polls. They have until Aug. 28 to reach those benchmarks. These criteria could easily halve the field.” • The seven are: Biden, Booker, Buttigieg, Harris, O’Rourke, Sanders, and Warren. Castro, Klobuchar, and Yang are close.

“Can Someone Please Vote CNN Off the Stage?” [Bloomberg]. “Ten of the Democrats debated on Tuesday night. But the debate was dominated by Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and Don Lemon – CNN’s moderators…. ˛After Tuesday night’s event, I have to believe that there are plenty of people at the Democratic National Committee – and plenty of candidates and their staff – who are fed up with debates that put the TV stars first. I wouldn’t be surprised, especially if things go badly over the rest of the cycle, if both parties start thinking seriously about running their own shows in 2024.” • Yes, it’s always possible to make things worse. Why not go back to the League of Women Voters? The very last thing I want is the DNC exerting even more control over the process, and I would bet there are plenty of voters who think just the same about the RNC.

Obama Legacy

“Obama Presidential Center would have ‘adverse impact’ on historic Jackson Park, federal review concludes” [Chicago Sun-Times (DG)]. “The project would diminish the ‘the historic property’s overall integrity by altering historic, internal spatial divisions that were designed as a single entity’ by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the [Federal Highway Administration] concluded. It also concludes the ‘size and scale of new buildings’ would ‘diminish the intended prominence of the Museum of Science and Industry building and alter the overall composition and design intent of balancing park scenery with specific built areas.’ … The finding puts pressure on the Obama Foundation to find a way to ‘resolve adverse effects’ and turns up the heat on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to order the foundation to make those changes. ‘The Obama Foundation has yet to show any interest in compromising on any of this. It may take [Lightfoot] to bring them to the table,’ said Margaret Schmid, co-president of Jackson Park Watch. ‘It means there are lots of new obstacles facing this proposal. A big question is, does Chicago want to go on record as having allowed a project that has major adverse impacts on this important historic park or can the project be redesigned to be compatible with this historic landscape?’” • A classic permitting battle. Go forth and do likewise with your local fossil fuel infrastruture project!

Stats Watch

Jobless Claims, week of July 27, 2019: “New claims are steady and low and consistent with strong demand for labor” [Econoday]. “This report together with this morning’s Challenger report point to decreasing layoffs and increasing strength for jobs.”

Challenger Job-Cut Report, July 2019: “Increasing strength in the labor market is the indication from Challenger’s job-cut count” [Econoday]. “Yet weakness in manufacturing and related equipment investment, not questions in the labor market, is what the Federal Reserve cited as central to yesterday’s rate cut and here the news is not upbeat.”

Institute For Supply Management Manufacturing Index, July 2019: “Extending a straight slope down, ISM’s index fell” [Econoday]. “This report, together with very similar results from the manufacturing PMI sample released earlier this morning, do support the Federal Reserve’s concerns over manufacturing and specifically confirm Jerome Powell’s remarks at yesterday’s press conference that business contacts in the manufacturing sector, citing global slowing and tariff effects, are reporting trouble.”

Purchasing Managers Manufacturing Index, July 2019: “Markit’s US manufacturing sample has been moving steadily from slowing conditions to nearly stagnant conditions” [Econoday]. “The lack of confidence is affecting staffing levels which for this sample posted their first reduction in six years. Production moved forward last month but at the expense of backlogs which edged lower.”

Construction Spending, June 2018: “The construction sector has been a stubborn disappointment all year, failing to show much life despite strong conditions in the domestic economy and favorable financing rates” [Econoday]. “This report brings up questions of possible contraction in foreign investment in US real estate and whether construction, like manufacturing, is being pulled down by global slowing and related tariff effects.”

Banking: “AI is a road to customer success—but banks need to create guardrails too” [American Banker]. “Customers today yearn for a personalized human experience tailored to their needs, wants, and expectations – whether they are in your branch, dialing into your call center, or contacting you over social media. Advanced technologies can help banks create such experiences.” • Yeah, I’m yearning for a personalized human experience delivered by a human.

Banking: “Digital banks are racking up users, but will they ever make money?” [Quartz]. “The UK has become something of a laboratory for newfangled digital banks, which are attracting thousands of new customers each day. But there are some big questions: Will bigger legacy banks eventually learn the fintech firms’ tricks? And will the so-called neobanks ever become profitable?… ‘I’ve heard of situations where core banking platforms are written in COBOL and the coders are starting to die out,’ said Michael Kent, CEO of money transfer startup Azimo and a founder of Tandem, a neobank. ‘They’re spending billions and billion and billions to try to fix that huge technical debt.’” • I’m sure writing everything from the ground up in Node.js will solve everything.

Credit: “Sorry, you’re not getting $125 from the Equifax settlement, FTC says” [MarketWatch]. “The Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday that, due to an overwhelming response, cash payments aren’t going to be anywhere near $125 each, and urged consumers to sign up for the free credit monitoring offered as an alternative.” • So, if I have this right, I now have to give Equifax even more of my data, as compensation for the data they lost? More: “‘A large number of claims for cash instead of credit monitoring means only one thing: each person who takes the money option will wind up only getting a small amount of money,’ the FTC said in a blog post Wednesday.” • What kind of settlement is that? What was the FTC thinking when it drafted it? Wikipedia notes: “Most people get little benefit from paying for regular credit reporting.” Who on earth wouldn’t want the [family blogging] cash?

Housing: “LGBTQ-centric neighborhoods offer home price premiums, studies suggest” [Los Angeles Times]. “[G]ayborhood residents can cash in big — up to 294% more value for their homes compared with those in surrounding metro areas, as shown in the [Zillow] analysis of 36 housing markets, released in May.”

Shipping: “The world’s biggest shipyards are forging a new landscape for buying and building ocean vessels. The impending mergers of the shipbuilders in South Korea and in China will create two behemoths that will control around 46% of the global market among the world’s top 10 yards” [Wall Street Journal]. “That will give the combined Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. and the merged China Shipbuilding Industry Corp. and China State Shipbuilding Corp. weightier control of the global market for ships over smaller competitors.”

Manufacturing: “Airbus SE is trying to speed up its supply chain while rival Boeing Co. is just hoping to get part of its production line moving at all. Airbus increased its quarterly profit more than fivefold despite bottlenecks that have hobbled the company’s ability to step up the delivery pace… Airbus has been struggling to produce more of the largest version of its A321 single-aisle aircraft, and delays in deliveries have aggravated airlines’ capacity issues caused by the grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX” [Wall Street Journal]. “Airbus increased its deliveries by 28% in the first half of the year to 389 planes but still must deliver about 500 jets the rest of the year to meet its financial targets. Airbus may face pushback from parts suppliers. Slower traffic growth has suppliers to both Airbus and Boeing getting cautious about supporting higher aircraft production.”

Fodder for the Bulls: “The Next Bailout May Come From Consumers” [Conor Sen, Bloomberg (FluffytheObeseCat)]. “Now that we know the saving rate is at 8.1%, rather than 6.1% as believed a month ago, we can see how different this environment is for households versus the past two cycles. In December 2000, on the brink of the 2001 recession, the saving rate was 4.2%. In December 2007, as the great recession was beginning, the saving rate was 3.7%. The saving rate would have to fall by around 4% — equivalent to around $750 billion i.. n annual consumption — before households would find themselves as tapped out as they were then…. With the saving rate high relative to the last 25 years, households aren’t in the position where they need to save more. So if an economic shock originated elsewhere — if corporations or the government found themselves needing to save more — households could spend more.” • The comments are interesing: “Too bad all that saving is only in the top 10% of incomes,” “The problem with the suggestion that savings rate is up… up for who? We have auto loan defaults higher than ever. There is a disconnect between who is saving and who is not… my guess is the savers are not spenders and will not spend us out of an economic slowdown.” What do readers think?

The Biosphere

“Life is tough” [Aeon]. “Extremophiles tell us that everything we think we know about the fragility of life is wrong. Life is indeed extraordinary, not to mention precious and deserving of reverence – but not in any sense miraculous. The word extremophile didn’t exist until the 1970s. It entered wide circulation only after 1979 when the US Navy’s submersible Alvin revealed ecosystems prospering in deep-ocean hydrothermal vents. The Alvin scientists discovered organisms living in superheated water and largely metabolising hydrogen sulphide, which until then had been thought toxic and incompatible with life…. Extremophiles are in a sense antitheological and a cure for life-worshipping mysticism, another nail in the coffin that proclaims living things to be divinely created because they couldn’t possibly derive from natural processes. They also expand the possible playing field within which life initially evolved.”

* * *

First Philly, now these. Summer heats up the pipes, or something?

“Kentucky gas explosion: One person killed, 5 injured” [CNN]. “A gas explosion rocked a Kentucky community Thursday morning, leaving one person dead and lighting at least six homes on fire, according to local authorities…. Gilliam said authorities believe the explosion was the result of a rupture of a 30-inch gas transmission pipeline, but it will take time to definitively determine the cause.”

“Explosion, fire at Exxon Mobil Baytown plant injures 37” [Houston Chronicle]. “A fire at an Exxon Mobil plant in Baytown Wednesday morning injured 37 people and sent a plume of smoke over a Houston-area chemical facility for the fourth time since April. It was the second fire this year at an Exxon Mobil facility in Baytown. The company’s operations in the east Harris County city have a history of environmental violations stretching back to 2013. The cause of Wednesday’s fire was not immediately known, although the company said the blaze began with an explosion.”

“Boom Goes the Plastics Industry” [Sierra Club]. “Facing intensifying global efforts to curtail the use of oil and gas for transportation and energy—and at the same time seeking markets for the torrent of oil and gas from the US fracking boom—the fossil fuel industry is looking to plastics as a lifeline. Today, 14 percent of oil and 8 percent of gas is used for the manufacture of petrochemicals, the essential feedstock of plastic production. The International Energy Agency predicts that by 2050, 50 percent of the growth in oil demand will be related to petrochemicals… ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco, among the world’s largest fossil fuel companies, are betting big on plastics. … The American Chemistry Council reports that since 2010, plans for 333 new chemical-manufacturing projects have been announced in the United States, representing more than $200 billion in capital investments; the industry association notes that “much of the investment is geared toward export markets for chemistry and plastics products.’”

Guillotine Watch

“Backlash at barefoot Prince Harry and ‘hypocrite Greenerati’: Eco-warrior elite who turned up at secret climate change Google camp in 114 private jets, helicopters and mega yachts are mocked for leaving their own carbon footprint” [Daily Mail]. • As usual, the Daily Mail headline tells the entire story, but for more detail: “A host of A-list celebrities faced an angry backlash today after they travelled to a climate change conference in Italy in a fleet of supercars, expensive yachts and more than 100 private jets…. h The event, created by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, sees some of the world’s wealthiest business leaders and tech gurus discussing various issues in morning sessions before relaxing in the Italian sunshine in the afternoon.” • Poor optics! The guest list is amusing, too.

“Where the Wealthy Go in Private Jets, From Bahamas to Barbados” [Bloomberg]. “Private jet flights climbed almost 10% last year, according to an analysis of 30 island destinations by real estate broker Knight Frank and aviation adviser WingX. Private jets flew to islands in the Americas almost 30,000 times, making them the world’s top hub for non-commercial aviation, led by the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the Cayman Islands… The Philippines, Maldives and Bali were the top destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, which saw private-jet arrivals increase more than 80%, reflecting a wealth boom in which China minted a new billionaire roughly every other day.”

“Harvard has the highest number of ultra-rich alumni — by an insane margin” [MarketWatch]. “Harvard is in an Ivy League of its own, with more than 13,650 estimated [Ultra-High Net Worth (UHNW)] alumni worth $4.769 trillion — more than double the figure for Stanford…. Wealth-X reports that almost 80% of this group made their own fortunes, rather than inheriting it. In fact, most of the UHNW alumni (84%) were self-made…. [J]ust 244 of the 2,153 billionaires in the world are women, and women account for just 6.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs.”

“Jeffrey Epstein Hoped to Seed Human Race With His DNA” [New York Times]. “On multiple occasions starting in the early 2000s, Mr. Epstein told scientists and businessmen about his ambitions to use his New Mexico ranch as a base where women would be inseminated with his sperm and would give birth to his babies, according to two award-winning scientists and an adviser to large companies and wealthy individuals, all of whom Mr. Epstein told about it. It was not a secret. The adviser, for example, said he was told about the plans not only by Mr. Epstein, at a gathering at his Manhattan townhouse, but also by at least one prominent member of the business community.” • Lifting the lid on elite networking and money-grubbing. Epstein’s Harvard sweatshirt is prominently displayed in the photographs that accompany the article…

Class Warfare

“As Alaska’s budget uproar rolls on, a top Dunleavy adviser has seen it before” [Anchorage Daily News]. “But say the name “Donna Arduin” to an Alaskan these days and they’re likely to know exactly who you’re talking about. Arduin has been in the spotlight since Gov. Mike Dunleavy hired her as his top state budget executive shortly after his election in November, at a salary of $195,000. Her reputation preceded her: Arduin, 56, has an almost 30-year career as an itinerant ‘budget fixer’ of sorts, working for a series of Republican governors to balance state budgets, often by instituting drastic spending cuts…. “I joined government to shrink it,” Arduin said in a profile published in her Duke University alumni magazine in 2006. (The profile ends with Arduin whispering under her breath “get a job” to a panhandling man.)” • She sounds nice. The same alert reader who submitted this link also sent this note about the Alaska ferries:

I am one of the ferry passengers who has been stranded due to the shutdown of the ferries. I am currently on an island which is only accessible by boat and plane, and since the government-operated ferry is out of service, and there is no private ferry which can get me closer to my destination, plane is the only option. I have booked a flight ticket out, which will be my first time on an airplane since 2014. I am in a better position than many of my fellow passengers. Many other passengers have vehicles, which cannot be moved by airplane. Some of them were also riding the ferries to get medical care not available in their home communities, and are concerned about being able to make their doctor’s appointments. Some of them are also going to take a much bigger financial hit than I will. Of course, those of us who are not Alaska residents (or who are leaving Alaska) will not need to deal with this situation anymore once we manage to leave Alaska. The coastal communities of Alaska will continue to feel the repercussions as long as there is a loss of ferry service, especially if the severe budget cuts make the loss of ferry service permanent.

“Labor of Love”‘ [The Baffler]. “”Full Surrogacy Now,” the rallying cry, is a radical demand for the dissolution of notions like ‘biological parents’ and their opposites, (underpaid) (hired) (invisible) gestational surrogates. ‘We are the makers of one another,’ [Sophie] Lewis writes. ‘And we could learn collectively to act like it. It is those truths that I wish to call real surrogacy, full surrogacy.’ …. The problem, in Lewis’s view, isn’t that women are risking their lives and paid shockingly low wages to bear the offspring of others, efforts which are considered ‘generous’ instead of ‘a job,’ before being erased from family histories entirely. The problem is that we haven’t spent any time considering what the fact and endurance of surrogacy from at least the transatlantic slave-trade days to the present might say about unwaged pregnancy. After all, pregnancy is—well, labor.” • Hmm.

No aristocracy here:

Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of Beyoncé, just scored her first Billboard Hot 100 hit with "Brown Skin Girl."

She's 7. pic.twitter.com/nAnZLeXi2r

— AJ+ (@ajplus) August 1, 2019

News of the Wired

The historical record:

O thank goodness, someone has finally made a documentary about ANSI arthttps://t.co/CSBJGEZP5j

— Jason Scott (@textfiles) July 31, 2019

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Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Today’s plant (Eric W):

Eric W writes: “The pitcher plant is from early April in Maine. Wow.” Indeed!

* * *

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2:00PM Water Cooler 8/1/2019

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