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[tramontane-fire]

I realize this is an unusual sentiment in the Year of our Lord 2023 but my inbox had better have emails in it tomorrow.

[jeswii]

Sinnam Kevu - Chapter 1- Questions

Summary:  Random snips from my brain for the Trooper story about a trooper who grew up on a planet that in the last war was a constant battle ground between the Republic and Empire. She's been fighting the Empire since as soon as she could walk. Semi slow burn for F!trooper x Aric.

Chapter: 1/?

Chapter Summary:  From the rookie in the team to the leader of the squad after the rest of the team's defection causes Aric to have some questions about the pull his new CO has.

Notes: The planet Sinnam is from, Trelin, is a planet I made up. It's located in the outer rim and is a popular trading hub that became a point of interest for both the Empire and Republic in the last war.

Cross Posted on Ao3

~~~~

The Senate Tower. Not somewhere Sinnam was excited to set foot in again, but this was where the hunt for Tavis and the others sent her. So far, she had avoided him. Up until the day she couldn't.

After neutralizing the nerve agents a city gang collected, she retrieved a call from the General. There were a few Senators that had uncovered what had happened to Havoc Squad and now are filing for an informal inquiry. She was mandated to speak there, but the more of her mission that was public, that harder it was going to get.

When she entered that room, she knew there was no coincidence as to who was there. One of the three Senator was a man she's been avoiding for years.

"Lieutenant Kevu, make yourself comfortable." He stated "On behalf of the Senate of the Galactic Republic, I want to thank you for appearing on such short notice for this informal inquiry."

She took a seat, not letting herself appeared fazed. "I'm just doing my duty Sir."

"I assure you we will not hold you from your duties any longer than necessary Lieutenant."

They asked pretty basic questions. Did she serve with them? Did they defect? Where they unstable? Could anyone have seen it coming? Did it have anything to do with Ando Prime?

Sinnam avoided most of the questions, trying to keep with damage control. Then she was dismissed.

But that didn't stop him. "Lieutenant," He said following her out of the conference. "I was wondering if we can have a word in private?"

Private. That was the only time they talked wasn't it? "Anything you want to say to me you can say in front of Sergeant Jorgan. If you can't, then we have nothing to talk about."

He paused a moment "Congrats on the promotion."

"Thank you" She said firmly

A silent set between them. She wasn't going to put the effort into carrying this conversation. The man rubbed his beard "I know you couldn't tell me you were on Coruscant but since you're here and I know you're here maybe we can have dinner some time? You still haven't tried my cooking."

Cooking. As in they would be in his home. "I'm sorry Senator, I don't see much of an opening in my schedule right now and given your inquiry into Havoc Squad I'm not sure it would be appropriate."

"Okay." He cleared his throat "I'll likely see you later Lieutenant."

"Until next time Senator."

Aric had to hurry down the hall when that conversation ended. Sinnam's pace sped up to put some distance between them. She stopped at the refresher before going to Garza's office to get a minute to herself.

Grabbing the sink, she sighed. In the mirror she examined her own face. Half Zabrak. Half human. No one noticed the human part but she did. Her eyes weren't quite right. "Just one asshole Sin. Can't let him get to you."

The door creaked open and closed "I'll say." Aric commented "I don't mean to pry into your personal life, Sir, but he seems too old for you and given the inquiry it's not professional. I know you're young for a CO, but that's a big mistake. And that's all ignoring that he's a Senator and they always complicate our operations."

A laugh escaped her. She could berate him for being in the woman's bathroom right now but that wasn't going to help. "I appreciate the concern Sergeant, I'm afraid you're understanding of the situation is backwards."

He crossed his arms "Want to explain it?"

All the cheeriness in her expression dropped. "We have to report in. I appreciate the concern."

~~~~

The topic wasn't brought up again until they were on their way to save a senator from Wraith.

He took a seat across from her in the main room "You know, I reviewed your record before that ZR-57 op. Been meaning to discuss it with you. Been fighting the Empire since you could carry a blaster, running with a rebellion on a backwater. Did good there, running them off the planet. So you can kill Imperials, but that guerilla mentality won't cut it in the big time."

Sinnam shrugged "You saw how I handled things. I know what I'm doing."

Coruscant and Ord Mantel went to plan, he'll give her that. "Taking on that sep army single handedly takes guts, not leader ship. I saw you second guessing yourself about those cyborgs. A leader has to choice between completing the mission and loosing men. Completing the mission and civilian casualties. You have to have your head on straight and know where that line is."

Her jaw tightened as he talked. "I do"

"When this squad grows past you and me, people are going to have to trust your orders to the letter." He added "Not question them. They need to have their full trust in you and for that to happen you have to have full trust in yourself. A squad needs that kind of commitment to operate effectively."

Well this was going well then. "Are you saying you don't trust me?"

He shook his head "I will always give you a hundred percent. That's not the issue. Havoc Squad is the Republic's most elite outfit. We tackle the missions no one else can handle. Traitor or no, Tavis is a tough act to follow. You think you're up to it?"

"Certainly." She said firmly.

He paused a few minutes. Sinnam didn't mind the quiet, in fact she generally preferred it, but she was getting a bit weirded out. "Is something else bothering you?"

Jorgan nodded "That Senator. Arnus. You said I had it wrong. I didn't see another explanation until I remembered something strange in your service record. Your father wasn't unlisted, it was classified. Even for me before the demotion. Either he's high in the military or a senator with some pull."

A lump formed in her throat and she looked away from him. She could shut him down and not talk about this, but her and Jorgan were on the same team together.

She needed to trust him.

But she needed protect herself as well. She composed herself and looked back to him with a confident demeanor. "Jorgan, am I supposed to be connecting dots from that last conversation to this one or are these two different points?"

He shrugged "It crossed my mind."

That was one of her biggest worries. "Nepotism? Seriously?"

"He classified his name for a reason."

She rolled her eyes "Do you know how I met him?" She didn't wait for Jorgan to respond "Back when I enlisted in the Republic, in basic training, there was an accident and when I was being treated there were some medical complications. The doctor took a DNA test to try to find a match for my father. We found him, he sent records and a million credits for me to never talk to him again or tell anyone. It was an election year."

His brow knit together "What did you do?"

Years ago, she had shame for what she did. Now, after the fact, she knew she couldn't change it. Might as well stand in it. "I was sixteen. That was more money than I've ever seen and my home planet had been ravaged by the Empire. The Republic wasn't working fast enough for me. I took the money. Paid off my mother's medical bills. Gave my baby brother a college fund. Sent the rest to Trelin relief. Didn't talk to him again until a few years later."

"Sixteen?" He asked

She's come this far, might as well finish it "Yes. You can add lying on my application to the military to that report about suspected nepotism and incompetence. I'm two years younger than the Republic thinks. Couldn't enlist until I'm eighteen but fighting on Terlin had finished. We won."

He shook his head "I said it crossed my mind, not that I'm writing you up."

Sinnam got up from her seat and grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen that was in the same room they were already in "Such a fine line you walk. So it's just accusing me of nepotism?"

Her sarcastic comments weren't something he was expecting in private. When she arrived on Ord Mantel he had heard from her last commander that she was always professional. So far he'd seen it too.

Until now "Look, you've got a great record. From rebellion to enlisted, you've risen fast. You're just young. Apparently even younger than I thought. And the leader of the most elite squad is a lot of pressure for anyone. I just wanted to know. You could have done everything I read. Or someone might have overstated for a payday."

This could get messy if he really didn't trust her. "My biological father has nothing to do with my military career. Even if he cared enough to do it, the risk of someone exposing that is far too much risk for him. He doesn't want any tracible connection between us. Or did you not notice how he offered to cook? He doesn't want to be seen in public with me."

Now he was starting to feel a bit guilty "Alright."

She took a deep breath "Are we done then?"

Jorgan nodded "I'll see you when we arrive, Lieutenant."

~~~~

The Senator was safe. Wraith escaped. Garza sent them to another world. The journey there was two days long. The first full day was silent on the ship. The two of them avoided each other until a sparing session the two of them had planned before the tense conversation about nepotism. Basic hand to hand training to better understand each other's skills before they're relevant in the field.

Sinnam dressed down into a t-shirt and shorts. Jorgan had never seen her outside of uniform. There were scars that trailed up her neck and face that he saw but there were far more on her arms and legs. Deeper, older, and more intensive.

While she was stretching out, she saw him starring at her leg specifically. "An orbital strike on our holdout on Balmorra three years ago."

He remembered reading about it. Hospitalized it for five months. "They pulled out not long after that didn't they?"

Her head dropped. She could feel the heat across her body once again. "It was in Imperial hands by the time I woke up a week later. Only survivor of my unit and we didn't even help those people."

"That's rough."

She stood up straight and stretched out her neck "It's what I signed up for."

They nodded to each other and started circling the mats. "No claws right?" She asked with a smile

He shrugged "Wouldn't need them anyways."

A laugh escaped Sinnam as she took a shot at him. Straight for his hips. They struggled each other for control of who would hit the mat. "Sure about that?" She asked as she tripped him over her foot set behind his leg as he took a step back.

Jorgan fell to the ground and fought against a pin. In the situation he got himself into by not watching her close enough it was going to be hard.

After a few moments of struggling he tapped the mat.

Sinnam got off of him and helped him up to his feet. "Not bad Aric." He said with a heavy breath

He wiped sweat from his brow and stretched out his shoulder "Aric?"

"It's your name isn't it?" She asked with a smile "We're off duty for another thirty hours. No point to stay so up tight. We can have a bit of fun, actually enjoy each other's company. As long as you're okay with that."

"Sure. Off duty."

She laughed again. He didn't know he would like her laugh so much. "Is relaxing and making friends really that hard for you?"

He cleared his throat "No, it's not that. Just after what I said, I wasn't sure you'd want to be friendly."

Sinnam shrugged and grabbed a bottle of water "I figure if you're not sure about my rep, I'll just do what I do and you'll see. I got nothing to prove, you don't have an issue with me when we're on the job, and we're going to have a lot of time together. No point holding a grudge over something that I admit does look sketchy."

Tossing it over to him, Aric caught the bottle and took a sip. After, he tossed it back. "You did take his money."

She took a drink from the same bottle and paused "Fair. Want to go another round?"

~~~~

Nothing like a nice ache from getting thrown down on the mats a few times. Aric was stretching back out when they were done "Got to hand it to you Sir, I didn't think I'd go oh for three against you. I thought I'd at least get one."

She chuckled as she took a seat "Sorry Aric, one of us is a scrapper and the other spent half of his career as a sniper."

He threw a towel at her "Thanks Sir."

Pulling it off her face, she shook her head "Hey, you did pretty well for a sniper." She used the towel to dry her face "And you know it wouldn't kill you to call me Sinnam."

"I know Sir."

[blogspersonal707]

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Space AU previews

For the wonderful @hexadecimal00. Here are previews of the 3 space AUs I currently have in the works. This includes the start of chapter 1 for each of them. None of these have been edited yet, so they may contain errors.

Starbound: 

Kakashi flipped through the folder that Tenzo had dropped on his desk. “Why am I being handed a file for a twelve year old?”

“Because said twelve year old damaged the air recycling unit in sector seven. He says it was a prank, but someone higher up thinks it warrants an investigation.” His kohai told him as he sat down across from him. “And you get the crap assignment since you pissed Ibiki off.”

The silver haired man wanted to groan. He knew he should have taken that mission to Snow when he’d had the chance. “You know that wasn’t my fault, Tenz. Genma was the one drunk off his ass who thought it was a good idea to mess with his desk.”

 “Yeah, but you didn’t stop him, so he’d holding you partially responsible. Next time, rat the asshole out. You know how he gets when he drinks.” Kakashi stared down at the assignment in his hands. Yeah, he knew how Genma was and how pissed Ibiki would be.

“Who the hell is Iruka Umino?” He was listed as his point of contact for the investigation. He was listed as a chunin, but there was no other information.

Tenzo shrugged. “Don’t know, but it sounds like your problem.”

“You’re so cruel, kohai!” Kakashi snapped the file shut and headed for the door. “See if I ever take you out for drinks or dinner again.”

“Again? Last time, you conveniently forgot your wallet. The time before that you accidentally let the waiter scan my chip for the bill. I can’t afford going out with you anymore, you ass.” He made a rude gesture towards his senpai.

Kakashi blew him a kiss as the door shut behind him. Naruto Uzumaki was the nightmare of sector seven and now the boy was his problem. He pushed aside the twinge of guilt that rose up as he thought of his mentor, Minato. Now wasn’t the time for regrets. Civilians and soldiers alike gave him a wide berth as he walked through the halls of the space station. Konoha was one of the largest stations in the galaxy and the pride and joy of the Daimyo. It orbited the planet of Fire and was home to a large section of Fire’s shinobi. There were several civilian sections as well, those critical to helping run the station.

His first step was finding this Iruka Umino and finding out how a chunin got saddled with the problem child. The guards at the sector entrance didn’t even stop him. It helped that he was well known in Konoha. The large scar that bisected his eye and silver hair made him easily recognizable. He stopped at the first computer he came across and typed in the chunin’s name, scanning his chip to gain access to the man’s location on the station. He frowned when it directed him to a classroom. He double checked the directions and confirmed the chunin was supposed to be there.

It was late enough in the day that there were no children in the room when he entered. He found a dark-haired man slumped over the desk grading what looked like schoolwork. “Iruka Umino?” He looked up at Kakashi, a bit startled. A scar cut across his tanned face, adding a roguish element to an otherwise plain looking face. He was cute with his hair pulled out of his face, not that Kakashi had taken note of that. He was wearing a standard uniform for a chunin, but he filled it out well. Kakashi shook himself, reminding himself he wasn’t here to check the man out. “I’m Kakashi Hatake. I’m here to talk to you about the incident involving Naruto Uzumaki.”

Far, Far Away (inspired by the Mandalorian):

The cantina feel silent as he entered, but that was common. Half of the so called customers were probably in someones’ bingo book, which meant the sight of his armor and mask was enough to bring their focus entirely on him. His fingers ached to touch his blaster, an old habit that he found soothing, but he’d better not risk it with this crowd. They looked trigger happy. His current bounty wasn’t any of them so he ignored them, other than to assess them for threats. No, he had his eyes set on one Iruka Umino, barkeep of this particular shit hole. He recognized him immediately by the scar that bisected his face. This job was too easy.

He could feel the gaze of everyone in the cantina as he slowly made his way to his target. Instead of engaging him outright, he took a seat at the bar. The tension in the room immediately became more relaxed as it became clear he wasn’t there to fight, not yet at least. Iruka made his way over to him, face full of forced cheer. “What can I get you?” He asked with a smile. Wolf could see the fear behind that smile, but his voice had been steady. His face was too open, too easy to read, but he had guts enough to speak directly to him. Interesting.

“Information,” he said simply.

Iruka laughed. “Well, I don’t know what information you think you’re going to get out here, ANBU, but I can tell you what I know. For a price of course.” Everyone had their price. It was a lesson Wolf had learn far too well over the years.

“Just trying to track down some parts to fix my ship. Figured this was the best place to start asking around.” It was a plausible enough cover story. His ship was older and constantly in need of repairs. If you broke down in a backwater place like this, parts would be hard to come by.

“You’re in luck then. We had one place that you might be able to scavenge a few things from. It’s mostly scraps, so hopefully you can scrap together what you need. If you need something more, you’re going to have to head into the main city. You can rent a speeder, get there in a few hours.” The man sounded like he genuinely wanted to help, which was perplexing. The kind man in front of him did not match the information he’d been given. Maybe he had a better poker face then he’d first assumed.

Wolf slid a handful of credits across the bar. “Think you can take me there once you get off?”

Iruka leaned across the bar, getting far closer than most dared to. “Depends, you going to help me with that?” Help him with what? He wondered before realizing his choice of words. So he wanted to flirt, eh? Not the first to get off on the thought of being with an ANBU.

“Depends. Is that extra?” The words left his mouth before he could second guess himself. He wasn’t much of a flirter, but his efforts paid off when the man laughed.

“You can’t afford me, ANBU.”

“Call me Wolf.”

Safety First:

Kakashi almost hated going back home because it was always more of a headache than it was worth. Admiral Sarutobi had ordered him back for a debriefing after his latest incident with Sand. There had been a lot of run ins with them over the last six months as they had stepped up border surveillance. Their Admiral had been acting oddly for months and the higher ups were worried something was going on. Sand had few livable planets in their system, but their access to rare materials made them important enough to be a part of the Galactic Alliance. Though the GA was more or less worthless in Kakashi’s eyes since it wasn’t a true alliance and had done little to stop the last few wars.

His vessel was refueling which gave him just enough time to stop by his favorite bookstore and grab a bite to eat. As much as he loved Konoha, he ached to be off world. Too many memories here. He pushed aside his dark thoughts and focused on his excitement about finally picking up Jiraiya's newest book. He was already a decent way into the book by the time he headed back to the hangar where Konoha’s Pride was docked. Refueling should be done which meant he could leave within the next hour. Since it was just a quick stop, his crew had mostly opted to stay onboard.

His cheery mood lasted until he saw Anko waiting for him with a man he only vaguely recognized, surrounded by several bags. She used to be a good field agent and probably would have made captain if she hadn’t taken on a desk job. They were friendly enough, but she looked like she was here in a professional capacity. Anko worked in the Tower which meant he as much as he’d hoped he’d be able to leave without further bureaucracy, she was most likely coming to add more crap to his plate.

“Captain Hatake, it’s been a while.” Anko grinned at him as he approached. He wished he could share her enthusiasm. “I tried to catch you before you left, but you really booked at after your meeting with Admiral Sarutobi.” He shrugged rather than responding to her. Maybe if he didn’t add anything she would get to the point faster. “Right, well, I wanted to introduce you to your new CO.” She gestured to the man standing next to her.

“CO?” He asked finally taking stock of the other man. He was younger than Kakashi by a few years, well groomed, and had a very serious look on his face. The only thing of note about him was the scar that bisected his face.

“Compliance Officer. The Admiral should have mentioned you were getting a new crew member. He will be over seeing any safety issues on Konoha’s Pride.” He half recalled the old man mentioning something about some staffing changes. He honestly hadn’t paid much attention to the information.

“No thanks. I don’t need a CO. I decide what happens on my vessel.” He said, dismissively.

“1257. An exploratory vessel, Destiny, was returning from a mission on Gamma 5. The captain received a report that there were some electrical fluctuations. He decided they weren’t a safety issue and the crew entered cryo sleep. The fluctuations caused their alarm system to fail. During this time their oxygen recycling system went down. A secondary alarm system managed to wake the crew, but hypoxia had already set in. The entire crew of 57 died. I could name a dozen more incidents like this, but that won’t be necessary since Konoha's council has deemed it necessary for every vessel to have a CO, even military vessels. So you really have no say in the matter, Captain Hatake.” The man was smiling, but there was a hardness behind his words.

Kakashi tried to stare him down, but he didn’t even flinch. Maybe he has dismissed the man too quickly before. “I will be speaking to the Admiral about this.”

“Please send my regards to Admiral Sarutobi. I’ll be boarding now, if that’s fine with you, Captain.” He was still utterly polite, but Kakashi felt like he’d just been told to fuck off.

These are still in the works as I am trying to finish up some of my older stuff, but I just wanted to share some of what I’ve been working on. 

[carole-lombard-screwball-queen]

Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. She was the highest-paid star in Hollywood in the late 1930s and in 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 23rd on its list of the greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema.

Lombard was born into a wealthy family in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but was raised in Los Angeles by her single mother. At 12, she was recruited by director Allan Dwan and made her screen debut in A Perfect Crime (1921). Eager to become an actress, she signed a contract with the Fox Film Corporation at age 16, but mainly played bit parts. She was dropped by Fox just before her 18th birthday after a shattered windshield from a car accident left a scar on her face. Lombard appeared in fifteen short comedies for Mack Sennett between 1927 and 1929, and then began appearing in feature films such as High Voltage (1929) and The Racketeer (1929). After a successful appearance in The Arizona Kid (1930), she was signed to a contract with Paramount Pictures.

Paramount quickly began casting Lombard as a leading lady, primarily in drama films. Her profile increased when she married William Powell in 1931, but the couple divorced amicably after two years. A turning point in Lombard's career came when she starred in Howard Hawks's pioneering screwball comedy Twentieth Century (1934). The actress found her niche in this genre, and continued to appear in films such as Hands Across the Table (1935) (forming a popular partnership with Fred MacMurray), My Man Godfrey (1936), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and Nothing Sacred (1937). At this time, Lombard married "The King of Hollywood", Clark Gable, and the supercouple gained much attention from the media. Keen to win an Oscar, Lombard began to move towards more serious roles at the end of the decade. Unsuccessful in this aim, she returned to comedy in Alfred Hitchcock's Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) and Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942), her final film role.

Lombard's career was cut short when she died at the age of 33 aboard TWA Flight 3, which crashed on Mount Potosi, Nevada, while returning from a war bond tour. Today, she is remembered as one of the definitive actresses of the screwball comedy genre and American comedy, and icon of American cinema.

Lombard was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on October 6, 1908 at 704 Rockhill Street. Christened with the name Jane Alice Peters, she was the third child and only daughter of Frederick Christian Peters (1875–1935) and Elizabeth Jayne "Bessie" (Knight) Peters (1876–1942). Her two older brothers, to each of whom she was close, both growing up and in adulthood, were Frederick Charles (1902–1979) and John Stuart (1906–1956). Lombard's parents both descended from wealthy families and her early years were lived in comfort, with the biographer Robert Matzen calling it her "silver spoon period". The marriage between her parents was strained, however, and in October 1914, her mother took the children and moved to Los Angeles. Although the couple did not divorce, the separation was permanent. Her father's continued financial support allowed the family to live without worry, if not with the same affluence they had enjoyed in Indiana, and they settled into an apartment near Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Described by her biographer Wes Gehring as "a free-spirited tomboy", the young Lombard was passionately involved in sports and enjoyed watching movies. At Virgil Junior High School, she participated in tennis, volleyball, and swimming, and won trophies for her achievements in athletics. At the age of 12, this hobby unexpectedly landed Lombard her first screen role. While playing baseball with friends, she caught the attention of the film director Allan Dwan, who later recalled seeing "a cute-looking little tomboy ... out there knocking the hell out of the other kids, playing better baseball than they were. And I needed someone of her type for this picture." With the encouragement of her mother, Lombard happily took a small role in the melodrama A Perfect Crime (1921). She was on set for two days, playing the sister of Monte Blue. Dwan later commented, "She ate it up".

A Perfect Crime was not widely distributed, but the brief experience spurred Lombard and her mother to look for more film work. The teenager attended several auditions, but none was successful.[11] While appearing as the queen of Fairfax High School's May Day Carnival at the age of 15, she was scouted by an employee of Charlie Chaplin and offered a screen test to appear in his film The Gold Rush (1925). Lombard was not given the role, but it raised Hollywood's awareness of the aspiring actress. Her test was seen by the Vitagraph Film Company, which expressed an interest in signing her to a contract. Although this did not materialize, the condition that she adopt a new first name ("Jane" was considered too dull) lasted with Lombard throughout her career. She selected the name "Carol" after a girl with whom she played tennis in middle school.

In October 1924, shortly after these disappointments, 16-year-old Lombard was signed to a contract with the Fox Film Corporation. How this came about is uncertain: in her lifetime, it was reported that a director for the studio scouted her at a dinner party, but more recent evidence suggests that Lombard's mother contacted Louella Parsons, the gossip columnist, who then got her a screen test. According to the biographer Larry Swindell, Lombard's beauty convinced Winfield Sheehan, head of the studio, to sign her to a $75-per-week contract. The teenager abandoned her schooling to embark on this new career. Fox was happy to use the name Carol, but unlike Vitagraph, disliked her surname. From this point, she became "Carol Lombard", the new name taken from a family friend.

The majority of Lombard's appearances with Fox were bit parts in low-budget Westerns and adventure films. She later commented on her dissatisfaction with these roles: "All I had to do was simper prettily at the hero and scream with terror when he battled with the villain." She fully enjoyed the other aspects of film work, however, such as photo shoots, costume fittings, and socializing with actors on the studio set. Lombard embraced the flapper lifestyle and became a regular at the Coconut Grove nightclub, where she won several Charleston dance competitions.

In March 1925, Fox gave Lombard a leading role in the drama Marriage in Transit, opposite Edmund Lowe. Her performance was well received, with a reviewer for Motion Picture News writing that she displayed "good poise and considerable charm." Despite this, the studio heads were unconvinced that Lombard was leading lady material, and her one-year contract was not renewed. Gehring has suggested that a facial scar she obtained in an automobile accident was a factor in this decision. Fearing that the scar—which ran across her cheek—would ruin her career, the 17-year-old had an early plastic surgery procedure to make it less visible. For the remainder of her career, Lombard learned to hide the mark with make-up and careful lighting.

After a year without work, Lombard obtained a screen test for the "King of Comedy" Mack Sennett. She was offered a contract, and although she initially had reservations about performing in slapstick comedies, the actress joined his company as one of the "Sennett Bathing Beauties". She appeared in 15 short films between September 1927 and March 1929, and greatly enjoyed her time at the studio. It gave Lombard her first experiences in comedy and provided valuable training for her future work in the genre. In 1940, she called her Sennett years "the turning point of [my] acting career."

Sennett's productions were distributed by Pathé Exchange, and the company began casting Lombard in feature films. She had prominent roles in Show Folks and Ned McCobb's Daughter (both 1928), where reviewers observed that she made a "good impression" and was "worth watching". The following year, Pathé elevated Lombard from a supporting player to a leading lady. Her success in Raoul Walsh's picture Me, Gangster (also 1928), opposite June Collyer and Don Terry on his film debut, finally eased the pressure her family had been putting on her to succeed. In Howard Higgin's High Voltage (1929), her first talking picture, she played a criminal in the custody of a deputy sheriff, both of whom are among bus passengers stranded in deep snow. Her next film, the comedy Big News (1929), cast her opposite Robert Armstrong and was a critical and commercial success. Lombard was reunited with Armstrong for the crime drama The Racketeer, released in late 1929. The review in Film Daily wrote, "Carol Lombard proves a real surprise, and does her best work to date. In fact, this is the first opportunity she has had to prove that she has the stuff to go over."

Lombard returned to Fox for a one-off role in the western The Arizona Kid (1930). It was a big release for the studio, starring the popular actor Warner Baxter, in which Lombard received third billing. Following the success of the film, Paramount Pictures recruited Lombard and signed her to a $350-per-week contract, gradually increasing to $3,500 per week by 1936. They cast her in the Buddy Rogers comedy Safety in Numbers (also 1930), and one critic observed of her work, "Lombard proves [to be] an ace comedienne." For her second assignment, Fast and Loose (also 1930) with Miriam Hopkins, Paramount mistakenly credited the actress as "Carole Lombard". She decided she liked this spelling and it became her permanent screen name.

Lombard appeared in five films released during 1931, beginning with the Frank Tuttle comedy It Pays to Advertise. Her next two films, Man of the World and Ladies Man, both featured William Powell, Paramount's top male star. Lombard had been a fan of the actor before they met, attracted to his good looks and debonair screen persona, and they were soon in a relationship. The differences between the pair have been noted by biographers: she was 22, carefree, and famously foul-mouthed, while he was 38, intellectual, and sophisticated. Despite their disparate personalities, Lombard married Powell on June 6, 1931, at her Beverly Hills home. Talking to the media, she argued for the benefits of "love between two people who are diametrically different", claiming that their relationship allowed for a "perfect see-saw love".

The marriage to Powell increased Lombard's fame, while she continued to please critics with her work in Up Pops the Devil and I Take this Woman (both 1931). In reviews for the latter film, which co-starred Gary Cooper, several critics predicted that Lombard was set to become a major star. She went on to appear in five films throughout 1932. No One Man and Sinners in the Sun were not successful, but Edward Buzzell's romantic picture Virtue was well received. After featuring in the drama No More Orchids, Lombard was cast as the wife of a con artist in No Man of Her Own. Her co-star for the picture was Clark Gable, who was rapidly becoming one of Hollywood's top stars. The film was a critical and commercial success, and Wes Gehring writes that it was "arguably Lombard's finest film appearance" to that point. It was the only picture that Gable and Lombard, future husband and wife, made together. There was no romantic interest at this time, however, as she recounted to Garson Kanin: "[we] did all kinds of hot love scenes ... and I never got any kind of tremble out of him at all".

In August 1933, Lombard and Powell divorced after 26 months of marriage, although they remained very good friends until the end of Lombard's life. At the time, she blamed it on their careers, but in a 1936 interview, she admitted that this "had little to do with the divorce. We were just two completely incompatible people". She appeared in five films that year, beginning with the drama From Hell to Heaven and continuing with Supernatural, her only horror vehicle. After a small role in The Eagle and the Hawk, a war film starring Fredric March and Cary Grant, she starred in two melodramas: Brief Moment, which critics enjoyed, and White Woman, where she was paired with Charles Laughton. “We would have married,” said Carole Lombard during her interview with magazine writer Sonia Lee for Movie Screen Magazine in 1934 about her relationship with Russ Columbo, the famous singer killed in a tragic accident whose movie and radio career she had been guiding.

The year 1934 marked a high point in Lombard's career. She began with Wesley Ruggles's musical drama Bolero, where George Raft and she showcased their dancing skills in an extravagantly staged performance to Maurice Ravel's "Boléro". Before filming began, she was offered the lead female role in It Happened One Night, but turned it down because of scheduling conflicts with this production Bolero was favorably received, while her next film, the musical comedy We're Not Dressing with Bing Crosby, was a box-office hit.

Lombard was then recruited by the director Howard Hawks, a second cousin, to star in his screwball comedy film Twentieth Century which proved a watershed in her career and made her a major star. Hawks had seen the actress inebriated at a party, where he found her to be "hilarious and uninhibited and just what the part needed", and she was cast opposite John Barrymore. In Twentieth Century, Lombard played an actress who is pursued by her former mentor, a flamboyant Broadway impresario. Hawks and Barrymore were unimpressed with her work in rehearsals, finding that she was "acting" too hard and giving a stiff performance. The director encouraged Lombard to relax, be herself, and act on her instincts. She responded well to this tutoring, and reviews for the film commented on her unexpectedly "fiery talent"—"a Lombard like no Lombard you've ever seen". The Los Angeles Times' critic felt that she was "entirely different" from her formerly cool, "calculated" persona, adding, "she vibrates with life and passion, abandon and diablerie".

The next films in which Lombard appeared were Henry Hathaway's Now and Forever (1934), featuring Gary Cooper and the new child star Shirley Temple, and Lady by Choice (1934), which was a critical and commercial success. The Gay Bride (1934) placed her opposite Chester Morris in a gangster comedy, but this outing was panned by critics. After reuniting with George Raft for another dance picture, Rumba (1935), Lombard was given the opportunity to repeat the screwball success of Twentieth Century. In Mitchell Leisen's Hands Across the Table (1935), she portrayed a manicurist in search of a rich husband, played by Fred MacMurray. Critics praised the film, and Photoplay's reviewer stated that Lombard had reaffirmed her talent for the genre. It is remembered as one of her best films, and the pairing of Lombard and MacMurray proved so successful that they made three more pictures together.

Lombard's first film of 1936 was Love Before Breakfast, described by Gehring as "The Taming of the Shrew, screwball style". In William K. Howard's The Princess Comes Across, her second comedy with MacMurray, she played a budding actress who wins a film contract by masquerading as a Swedish princess. The performance was considered a satire of Greta Garbo, and was widely praised by critics. Lombard's success continued as she was recruited by Universal Studios to star in the screwball comedy My Man Godfrey (1936). William Powell, who was playing the eponymous Godfrey, insisted on her being cast as the female lead; despite their divorce, the pair remained friendly and Powell felt she would be perfect in the role of Irene, a zany heiress who employs a "forgotten man" as the family butler. The film was directed by Gregory LaCava, who knew Lombard personally and advised that she draw on her "eccentric nature" for the role. She worked hard on the performance, particularly with finding the appropriate facial expressions for Irene. My Man Godfrey was released to great acclaim and was a box office hit. It received six nominations at the 9th Academy Awards, including Lombard for Best Actress. Biographers cite it as her finest performance, and Frederick Ott says it "clearly established [her] as a comedienne of the first rank."

By 1937, Lombard was one of Hollywood's most popular actresses, and also the highest-paid star in Hollywood following the deal which Myron Selznick negotiated with Paramount that brought her $450,000, more than five times the salary of the U.S. President. As her salary was widely reported in the press, Lombard stated that 80 percent of her earnings went in taxes, but that she was happy to help improve her country. The comments earned her much positive publicity, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent her a personal letter of thanks.

Her first release of the year was Leisen's Swing High, Swing Low, a third pairing with MacMurray. The film focused on a romance between two cabaret performers, and was a critical and commercial success. It had been primarily a drama, with occasional moments of comedy, but for her next project, Nothing Sacred, Lombard returned to the screwball genre. Producer David O. Selznick, impressed by her work in My Man Godfrey, was eager to make a comedy with the actress and hired Ben Hecht to write an original screenplay for her. Nothing Sacred, directed by William Wellman and co-starring Fredric March, satirized the journalism industry and "the gullible urban masses". Lombard portrayed a small-town girl who pretends to be dying and finds her story exploited by a New York reporter. Marking her only appearance in Technicolor, the film was highly praised and was one of Lombard's personal favorites.

Lombard continued with screwball comedies, next starring in what Swindell calls one of her "wackiest" films, True Confession (1937). She played a compulsive liar who wrongly confesses to murder. Lombard loved the script and was excited about the project, which reunited her with John Barrymore and was her final appearance with MacMurray. Her prediction that it "smacked of a surefire success" proved accurate, as critics responded positively and it was popular at the box office.

True Confession was the last film Lombard made on her Paramount contract, and she remained an independent performer for the rest of her career. Her next film was made at Warner Bros., where she played a famous actress in Mervyn LeRoy's Fools for Scandal (1938). The comedy met with scathing reviews and was a commercial failure, with Swindell calling it "one of the most horrendous flops of the thirties".

Fools for Scandal was the only film Lombard made in 1938. By this time, she was devoted to a relationship with Clark Gable. Four years after their teaming on No Man of Her Own, the pair had reunited at a Hollywood party and began a romance early in 1936. The media took great interest in their partnership and frequently questioned if they would wed. Gable was separated from his wife, Rhea Langham, but she did not want to grant him a divorce. As his relationship with Lombard became serious, Langham eventually agreed to a settlement worth half a million dollars. The divorce was finalized in March 1939, and Gable and Lombard eloped in Kingman, Arizona, on March 29. The couple, both lovers of the outdoors, bought a 20-acre ranch in Encino, California, where they kept barnyard animals and enjoyed hunting trips. Almost immediately, Lombard wanted to start a family, but her attempts failed; after two miscarriages and numerous trips to fertility specialists, she was unable to have children. In early 1938, Lombard officially joined the Baháʼí Faith, of which her mother had been a member since 1922.

While continuing with a slower work-rate, Lombard decided to move away from comedies and return to dramatic roles. She appeared in a second David O. Selznick production, Made for Each Other (1939), which paired her with James Stewart to play a couple facing domestic difficulties. Reviews for the film were highly positive, and praised Lombard's dramatic effort; financially, it was a disappointment. Lombard's next appearance came opposite Cary Grant in the John Cromwell romance In Name Only (1939), a credit she personally negotiated with RKO Radio Pictures upon hearing of the script and Grant's involvement. The role mirrored her recent experiences, as she played a woman in love with a married man whose wife refuses to divorce. She was paid $150,000 for the film, continuing her status as one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses, and it was a moderate success.

Lombard was eager to win an Academy Award, and selected her next project—from several possible scripts—with the expectation that it would bring her the trophy. Vigil in the Night (1940), directed by George Stevens, featured Lombard as a nurse who faces a series of personal difficulties. Although the performance was praised, she did not get her nomination, as the sombre mood of the picture turned audiences away and box-office returns were poor. Despite the realization that she was best suited to comedies, Lombard completed one more drama: They Knew What They Wanted (1940), co-starring Charles Laughton, which was mildly successful.

Accepting that "my name doesn't sell tickets to serious pictures", Lombard returned to comedy for the first time in three years to film Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941), about a couple who learns that their marriage is invalid, with Robert Montgomery. Lombard was influential in bringing Alfred Hitchcock, whom she knew through David O. Selznick, to direct one of his most atypical films. It was a commercial success, as audiences were happy with what Swindell calls "the belated happy news ... that Carole Lombard was a screwball once more."

It was nearly a year before Lombard committed to another film, as she focused instead on her home and marriage. Determined that her next film be "an unqualified smash hit", she was also careful in selecting a new project. Through her agent, Lombard heard of Ernst Lubitsch's upcoming film: To Be or Not to Be (1942), a dark comedy that satirized the Nazi takeover of Poland. The actress had long wanted to work with Lubitsch, her favorite comedy director, and felt that the material—although controversial—was a worthy subject. Lombard accepted the role of actress Maria Tura, despite it being a smaller part than she was used to, and was given top billing over the film's lead, Jack Benny. Filming took place in the fall of 1941, and was reportedly one of the happiest experiences of Lombard's career.

When the U.S. entered World War II at the end of 1941, Lombard traveled to her home state of Indiana for a war bond rally with her mother, Bess Peters, and Clark Gable's press agent, Otto Winkler. Lombard was able to raise over $2 million in defense bonds in a single evening. Her party had initially been scheduled to return to Los Angeles by train, but Lombard was anxious to reach home more quickly and wanted to fly by a scheduled airline. Her mother and Winkler were both afraid of flying and insisted they follow their original travel plans. Lombard suggested they flip a coin; they agreed and Lombard won the toss.

In the early morning hours of January 16, 1942, Lombard, her mother, and Winkler boarded a Transcontinental and Western Air Douglas DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport) aircraft to return to California. After refueling in Las Vegas, TWA Flight 3 took off at 7:07 p.m. and crashed into "Double Up Peak" near the 8,300-foot (2,530 m) level of Potosi Mountain, 32 statute miles (51 km) southwest of the Las Vegas airport. All 22 aboard, including Lombard, her mother, and 15 U.S. Army soldiers, were killed instantly. The cause of the crash was determined to be linked to the pilot and crew's inability to properly navigate over the mountains surrounding Las Vegas. As a precaution against the possibility of enemy Japanese bomber aircraft coming into American airspace from the Pacific, safety beacons used to direct night flights were turned off, leaving the pilot and crew of the TWA flight without visual warnings of the mountains in their flight path. The crash on the mountainside occurred three miles outside of Las Vegas.

Gable was flown to Las Vegas after learning of the tragedy to claim the bodies of his wife, mother-in-law, and Winkler, who aside from being his press agent, had been a close friend. Lombard's funeral was January 21 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. She was interred beside her mother under the name of Carole Lombard Gable. Despite remarrying twice following her death, Gable chose to be interred beside Lombard when he died in 1960.

Lombard's final film, To Be or Not to Be, directed by Ernst Lubitsch and co-starring Jack Benny, a satire about Nazism and World War II, was in post-production at the time of her death. The film's producers decided to cut part of the film in which Lombard's character asks, "What can happen on a plane?" out of respect for the circumstances surrounding her death. When the film was released, it received mixed reviews, particularly about its controversial content, but Lombard's performance was hailed as the perfect send-off to one of 1930s Hollywood's most important stars.

At the time of her death, Lombard had been scheduled to star in the film They All Kissed the Bride; when production started, she was replaced by Joan Crawford. Crawford donated all of her salary for the film to the Red Cross, which had helped extensively in the recovery of bodies from the air crash. Shortly after Lombard's death, Gable, who was inconsolable and devastated by his loss, joined the United States Army Air Forces. Lombard had asked him to do that numerous times after the United States had entered World War II. After officer training, Gable headed a six-man motion picture unit attached to a B-17 bomb group in England to film aerial gunners in combat, flying five missions himself. In December 1943, the United States Maritime Commission announced that a Liberty ship named after Carole Lombard would be launched. Gable attended the launch of the SS Carole Lombard on January 15, 1944, the two-year anniversary of Lombard's record-breaking war bond drive. The ship was involved in rescuing hundreds of survivors from sunken ships in the Pacific and returning them to safety.

In 1962, Jill Winkler Rath, widow of publicist Otto Winkler, filed a $100,000 lawsuit against the $2,000,000 estate of Clark Gable in connection with Winkler's death in the plane crash with Carole Lombard. The suit was dismissed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Rath, in her action, claimed Gable promised to provide financial aid for her if she would not bring suit against the airline involved. Rath stated she later learned that Gable settled his claim against the airline for $10. He did so because he did not want to repeat his grief in court and subsequently provided her no financial aid in his will.

[dreamingsushi]

Before we get married - Episode 1

Before I start my recap of this episode, let me mention that it is not the first time I watch it!  I first had a look at it a few weeks ago with a friend and I must say it was quite a weird experience.  Anyways.  Whan I saw the previews of the drama, I was quite intrigued by it because the theme and the plot seemed a little bit different from what we are used to and I thought it would be interesting to watch.  We’ll see from now on.

The first episode starts slowly by outlining for us the characters.  On one side, we have Chu Kehuan, apparently a very successful business man, while on the other side we have Zhou Weiwei, your average white collar it seems.  Both main characters have their first encounter in and out of a cab.  Zhou Weiwei is hurrying out of the car while Chu Kehuan is trying to get in.  On her way to meet some director, Zhou Weiwei bumps into a kid on a skateboard and spills the whole content of her purse including the taxi bill.  Since she needs to keep it to get reimbursed by her company, she runs after it.  That little piece of paper does have a will of its own as it flies from left to right back and forth.  Naturally, it’s Chu Kehuan that picks it up for her and as a quite arrogant little rich guy, he makes fun of her.

There, I’m already a little bit disappointed : the male lead is a rich little jerk and the female lead is scrapping every penny to live. I wish we wouldn’t have the rich-poor pattern, even though I don’t think Zhou Weiwei is poor, from her apartment and job I guess she would be from the middle class.

Destiny could have stopped her magic right there, but after they part and Chu Kehuan get in the cab, he finds Zhou Weiwei’s red planner.  Instead of asking the driver to wait and to get off the car a few seconds to hand it back, he keeps it.  That scene is really weird.  It’s like “Oh! A planner!  Nice, I’m going to keep it!” Maybe Chu Kehuan is just a really indifferent person?

Well not when it comes to his work and his opponent.  Apparently Chu Kehuan is the run for a CEO position against Shu Mingge, another investment expert I believe.  To build up the tension, we have then getting set up in their office, as if going on the finals on a box-ring.  I think the whole preparation could have been edited out, it’s a waste of time.

We switch right away, before knowing who is going today’s big bet, to another office filled with overexcited workers trying to buy some camera that’s at a really good price.  Nice product placement there!  This scene is to introduce another character though and probably the most boring character ever : doesn’t own a credit card, believes cellphone is enough to take pictures, paper money is better than virtual money.  I think we have here a guy very much in love with money.

Better news! That office is also Zhou Weiwei’s office and boring guy... Well it’s obviously her boyfriend.  While on the bus, previously which I didn’t mention, she texted him, saying she wanted to meet with him after work.  He answered : “Even though today is a week day that we are not appointed to meet, I also want to see you.” I can’t stand the guy already.  He is a bore.

Up till now, it seems I really hate that show...  Well it only has been 12 minutes, maybe it’s going to get better!

Another little scene of the competition between Chu Kehuan and Shu Mingge.  Chu Kehuan is obviously losing with the value of the stocks he invested in going down, but he looks quite confidente still.  Pass.

Good.  Zhou Weiwei finally realizes that she lost her planner.  She goes to her roommate asking about it.  Han Kefei really is portrayed as a sex-addict.  Earlier in the morning, she’s showering with a guy that slept over, now she’s in a conference room trying to seduce (it looks a lot more like she’s forcing him to be there though) an employee.  Shouldn’t a manager like that be fired?  Why is she doing this in the conference room?  Why is she so violent about it?  I mean, what is happening there... Abusive boss in every way and Zhou Weiwei just tells her “you even eat what’s raw.”  I know they are roommate, but shouldn’t she report her to high ups?  I really don’t understand a thing about this.  Why is everybody so abnormal?

Again to the competition, Shu Ming gets cocky and naturally, that is when his stocks start dropping as Chu Kehuan’s are climbing higher.  No big surprise.  Lots of shocked faces, lots of slow motions to show the face expressions.  And finally, Chu Kehuan looks human and he waves his fist for victory.  So unlike him, but thanks for the effort for not being too sure of yourself.

And what better to celebrate this big win than playing tennis with a friend!  I must agree with you, being a CEO is the best.  Money making wise.  Workload wise, I can’t say.  And is anywhere better than the locker room to look through Zhou Weiwei’s planner?  He says he’s looking so he can find her, but by the way he’s flipping through, he’s going way too much in detail.  Her name and phone number are probably on the first page...  Ah, no, her business card is a the bottom of the planner.  Good job.  I must remark here that it looks like a bullet journal and I really love that because I love bullet journaling myself.  Bonus point for the bujo.

Well it seems Zhou Weiwei has a really bad memory and that’s why the planner is so important to her.  During her meeting, she can’t open the ppt for her project because she doesn’t remember the password for it.  The meeting is about to be cancelled when she is called by... no one else but Chu Kehuan!  So nice of him to bring the planner to her at her office building.  Not nice of him to try to hit on her.  Is it true that in western country, inviting somebody for coffee means you want to hook up?  To me it has always been a way to thank somebody for something they did for me.  I don’t know, maybe I should change my thanking methods...  Well, let me tell you that we are going for another love-hate relationship.  No clichés.  But at least, the meeting is saved.

So on her date with her boyfriend, she is clearly embarrassed by how cheap he is.  Then a collegue pass by the street and the try to hide : turns out it’s forbidden to date somebody from the company.  What a crappy rule : where do you expect your workers to find their partner if not at work?  Anyways.  It’s their three year anniversary, they are happy and the best way to celebrate is... by scanning old receipts to see if they can win some money.  Haha, Weiwei’s face is so funny, how romantic.  She definitely hates that her boyfriend is so cheap.  I can’t believe she still puts up with him.  Well at least it’s to buy a house together, I guess he is serious about her at some point.

Oh... I totally forgot.  The guy started dating her because on their first date, she paid her part of the meal they had together.  Darling, dump him.  This is so cringy, it’s not romantic.

Her three year anniversary gift?  A cup he bought with points he saved...  CHEAP.  CHEAP. CHEAP.  And when she wants to stay the night, he says no because it’s not Saturday and they agreed they would spend the night together only on Saturday.  DUMP HIM.  I know she most likely will somewhere in the future, but it’s already taking too much time...

At least she is unhappy with it so after she leaves she goes to a solo KTV.  I so want to try these, it’s like my dream.  Naturally, outside the cabin, BAM!  Chu Kehuan is there.  Fate is really strong between those two already, they bump into each other pretty much everywhere. Kehuan obviously also thinks so.  Three meetings in one day, that’s an amazing fate.  But he needs to ruin it by reciting by heart everything he saw about Weiwei’s finance.  He is so annoying.  Weiwei’s reaction in that particular moment the most realistic part of the whole episode so far.  I have to congratulate Puff Guo for her acting, I enjoyed it very much.  Well actually, even though Weiwei’s reactions are most of the time weird, I have to say the acting is on point.  At that point, I think the script is just strange.

Anyways, she gets mad and when she tries to go, she rips her shirt open.  I watch the scene a few times, I don’t get how it happened, she didn’t touch anything.  Maybe it was too tight on her, I don’t know.  Anyways, her underwear is showing, she’s shook.  For the first, Kehuan acts like a gentleman and cover her breast with his jacket.  If they were a couple, it would be such a sweet moment.  Please redo it 15 episodes later.  Thank you goodbye.

So she goes back home, tells the story to her sex addict roommate, gives herself a pep talk in front of the mirror : girl, it’s about time you realize you’re not happy.  Kehuan is annoying, the character is so unrealistic to me up till now, but at least, he knows how to turn somebody’s mind upside down.

The next, dear Kehuan keeps on calling Weiwei on the phone.  It’s really childish honestly.  Doesn’t he have anything more important to do?  Like, maybe... I don’t know... working?  Well at least we know he has a party that night and he makes his subordinate make sure that Weiwei attends.  Naturally, because it’s fate, the guy knows Weiwei’s roommate, seems like they had a thing sometime.  Well anyways, he convinces her to make Weiwei attend the party so they can find her a boyfriend.  This is so twisted.

So they go to the party, Weiwei tries to leave when she sees Kehuan, her friend threatens her to end their friendship if she leaves, twisted, twisted, twisted.  Lots of wine drinking.  Somebody teach them how to drink wine.  Please.  I don’t even drink wine and it bothers me.  And then they... THIS IS TWISTED OKAY?  WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS DRAMA??  They bring a crane game.  It Kehuan grabs a teddy bear successfully, he gets to sleep with any girl he wants at the party.  IT’S DISGUSTING!  I JUST CAN’T. NOPE.  THIS IS WRONG!!

As expected, he grabs one.  I don’t need to see the reste of the episode to know who he will ask out.  Yuck.  Dude, your morals are wrong.  Yup.  Of course, she doesn’t want to.  So instead he gives her three chances to grad a teddy bear to refuse him?  Okay.  NO.  And the crowd is cheering so she wouldn’t catch it?  What is this?  This is so inappropriate.  I don’t think something like that should be allowed in a drama.  And it wouldn’t be a drama if she didn’t loose.  They end up in a BDSM room and I am just thinking... what the hell am I watching...  At least, he just handcuffs her to the bed.  AS IF THIS WAS NOT BAD ENOUGH ALREADY...  He leaves the key hanging too far away for her to reach it.  In the process, we learn that he has a girlfriend.  Poor girl, I wouldn’t want to date somebody like that.  Dirtbag.

After he leaves her like that, he sees on his phone thousands of phone call, from whom I assume is his girlfriend.  I feel another twisted relationship coming.  Maybe it makes him regret or whatever, but he goes back to free Weiwei.

She runs to her boyfriend, but she can’t bring herself to tell him what happened even though she insists on staying over even though it’s not a Saturday night.

Kehuan gets home to his girlfriend, locked outside because she forgot the door’s key.  I can already tell the relationship is so unhealthy.  She basically worships Kehuan and if she could, she would be his slave.  That’s really not a good start.  I can already see he’s bored with her.  Two unhappy couples.

The episode ends on Weiwei deleting Kehuan’s invitation on a social media to be friends or to follow her, I couldn’t recognize the app.

Overall...  This is twisted.  I will try the next episode, the preview are still intriguing me, but so far I am not enjoying it so much.  I hope it gets better soon.  If ever you decide on watching, just be prepared : this drama is kinda more adult like.  It is definitely not for a younger public.

Thanks for reading, see you on another episode!

[amylynn2511]

How I save & generate cash back with mobile apps & credit cards

[Money]

Money. This is probably what everyone is most concerned with and stressed about nowadays. The most important thing is making it and the second most important thing is saving it.

{Cash Back}

I generate cash back two ways: rewards from credit and charge cards and using apps. I often “double dip” by linking my cards to apps. For example, the Swagbucks gives 5% back when you shop on Amazon. My Amazon card also gives 5%. Several apps give cash back by either forwarding digital receipts or scanning in the paper copies. When I need to shop on Amazon, I open the Swagbucks app, click on the Amazon link, log on, and make the purchase charged to my Amazon card. I use credit cards that give me rewards for every purchase I make. I either use a general cash back card or a retailer-specific card, like an Old Navy or Children’s Place card. This month I have made over $200 in rewards. I have redeemed them for free cash (PayPal or Visa cards), statement credits, gift cards (Grubhub or other restaurants) and I even got my son’s birthday present for free on Amazon with my rewards points! I make sure the purchase is within my budget, however. I do not just make a purchase to make a purchase—I don’t want to end up in debt or end up paying interest. Instead of using cash or my debit card, I just use my credit cards within my budget then send the money either at the end of the week or by their monthly due date. I do always carry some cash both for emergencies and for tipping.  

 <Apps>

These are the apps that I currently use to generate cash back with my everyday purchases. I have posted them linked both to my referral codes as well as without. If you use my referral code, we both get free money. If you don’t use my referral code you can of course still sign up, however neither of us will get the bonus.

 Dosh—Referral | No Referral—Securely link credit and debit cards. Shop in-store and online and Dosh deposits up to 10% cash back into your Dosh wallet. Set it and forget it.

Drop—Referral | No Referral—Securely link your credit and debit cards. Shop in-store and online. Play Supercharge once daily to gain more points. Select five of your favorite places to shop and get extra points whenever you use your cards there. These are your “Power Offers.” Redeem points for gift cards. Set it and forget it.

Ebates—Referral | No Referral—Securely link credit and debit cards for in-store cash back. Shop online through the Ebates site or app by clicking on the retailer’s link. Earn up to 40% cash back. There are also promo codes and deals.

Swagbucks—Referral | No Referral—Shop through the Swagbucks site or app by clicking on the retailer’s link to earn cash back. You can also play games, answer survey questions or watch TV shows and movies to earn money. I just queue up videos and leave them running in the background and open up a new tab on my browser.

Shopkick—Referral | No Referral—Earn cash back in the form of ‘Kicks’ when you walk into a store by checking in to the store on the app. Earn more points by scanning selected products with the app. Earn even more points by scanning in your receipt.

Ibotta—Referral | No Referral—Select certain products on the app that you are going to grocery shop for. After purchasing those items on your next grocery run, scan in your receipt as proof.

Checkout 51—Referral | No Referral—Select certain products on the app that you are going to grocery shop for. After purchasing those items on your next grocery run, scan in your receipt as proof.

SavingsStar—No Referral Needed—Link your store cards. Select certain products on the app that you are going to grocery shop for. After purchasing those items on your next grocery run, scan in your receipt as proof.

Coupons—No Referral Needed—Link credit and debit cards. Select certain products on the app that you are going to grocery shop for. Coupons are linked directly to your card.

ReceiptHog—No Referral Needed—Scan in any receipt for coins. Get bonuses to spin the slots to win free shopping trips and more. Take surveys for extra coins. Redeem coins for gift cards or cash via PayPal.

CoinOut—Referral | No Referral—Scan in any receipt from any retailer for any amount and instantly get cash deposited into your wallet.

FetchRewards—Referral | No Referral—Scan in any receipt for any amount from any grocery store, convenience store, club store, drugstore, or liquor store. Points are automatically added. Redeem points for gift cards of cash cards.

ReceiptPal—No Referral Needed—Scan in any receipt for any amount from any retailer for points. Also forward e-receipts for points.

Target—No Referral Needed—If you shop at Target you can use the app to find sale items and clip digital coupons called “Cartwheels.”

** Combine Cartwheels with the mobile coupons you clipped in Ibotta, Checkout 51, SavingsStar, and Coupons**

** Sign up for the Red Card, a debit card (this is NOT a credit card, you do NOT need good credit or even ANY credit for this card) that links to your checking account and gives you 5% off everything in the store

(Linking your regular debit card allows the apps to see your Red Card transactions)

>>Scan your Target receipt into the appropriate apps<<

***I recommend making Target one of your Power Offers for Drop. Combined with the Cartwheels, Power Offer, Red Card, mobile coupons, and cash back, this is a money-making store!***

 To continue with the Amazon example from above, if I needed to make a purchase from Amazon I would click on the Amazon link through the Swagbucks app to get 5% cash back. I would make a purchase using my Amazon credit card to get 5% cash back. ReceiptPal would track the e-receipt and give me points. When my product arrived, I would take a quick picture of the receipt to scan it into ReceiptHog, FetchRewards, and CoinOut. If there were a promotion for the retailer Amazon going on through the Drop, Dosh or Ebates app, I would receive an additional percentage of cash back when I paid off my Amazon credit card bill at either the end of the week or end of the month because all of my other accounts are linked. If there happened to be a coupon available for the product I selected, I could select on any or every app it was available on—Ibotta, Checkout 51, SavingsStar, and/or Coupons—then scan the receipt in there too for additional cash back. If Amazon had a coupon available on their site I could use that as well as a mobile coupon from each of the couponing apps, cash back from each of the rebate apps, and finally I would pay with the cash back rewards credit card.

<Credit Cards>

I use my credit cards for every purchase I make unless I am tipping someone—then I tip them in cash. By law under the FCBA, the maximum liability for fraudulent credit card transactions is $50. When a credit card is used, the money being used isn’t yours—it is borrowed money from the issuing bank. If your card is stolen, the credit card company is going to fight to get their money bank. With a debit card, you must fight to get tour money bank.

 Under the EFTA, the potential liability for fraudulent activity on a debit card is virtually unlimited. This is also why I do not keep much money in my checking account. I keep it in savings or a money market. I also do not link these accounts to my debit card. To access the money in these accounts, I need to either log into my bank’s website, mobile app, or visit a branch. While banks and credit unions do have FDIC insurance and investigate reported fraudulent activity that is reported, these investigations take time. It is better to wait for a new credit card than to have your liquid assets tied up.

 I generate cash back in these six essential areas:

Grocery store purchases

Even for a family who uses WIC and/or SNAP to make most or all of their grocery purchases, if they shop at a supercenter and also purchase their non-food goods at the supercenter, a rewards card offering 3-5% cash back combined with the couponing, rebate, and receipt rewards app will help them save a lot of money.

Gas/convenience store purchases

For gasoline and convenience store purchases, I combine this with the rewards program offered by the gas station down the street from my house to save even more money.

Dining out

There are credit cards targeting dining out specifically and some that have the rotating option of dining out and some that have it as one of its many perks.

Travel, flight, hotel booking

Cards for travel, flights, and hotel booking are usually very specific unless it is an American Express card. American Express offers excellent benefetis not only for travel, hotel, and flights, but overall having any American Express card in your wallet is very beneficial as a consumer for the many perk.

Retail

Retail cards are very specific and are the ones that I own the most of. I took an evening and looked over our bank statements and saw where we shopped the most. For our family it was Target (debit card), Old Navy, Amazon, Children’s Place, Express, Best Buy, JCPenny because of the Sephora inside their store…and there were a few more that had some good perks. I spread out the timing of applying for the cards because too many inquiries at once are bad for your credit. I always try to find the product we need or really want used first, but if we need it immediately or cannot find it, I go to one of our preferred retailers and use our rewards credit cards to purchase it. This gives us a lot of perks. Last summer I was able to get seven free tops from Old Navy with all the points that I had! I used my Amazon points this month to get my son’s birthday present for free, and the month prior to that I used the cash back I had saved up from Christmas shopping to pay off what would have been three months’ worth of credit cards bills!

Everyday/miscellaneous

For everyday spending, like hitting the drive-thru for coffee or a Happy Meal for the kids, a card that is tailored for straight cash back or offers that as an addition to other perks is ideal.

 Nerd Wallet is a great app to not only compare credit cards, but they offer free credit monitoring through TransUnion VantageScore as well as cash back rewards when you link all your cards. They will also monitor your spending habits to help you track your financial health and growth if you link your accounts.

 {Savings}

Track and examine expenses

Create a budget

50/30/20

 Stick to the budget

 Use skills, knowledge, and tools that you can with the resources at your disposal to help you stick to your budget

Government and community aide programs

Rebate, coupon, rewards apps

Begin Saving

Loose change

Apps

Automatic transfers

Weekly transfers

Leftover discretionary funds

Separate accounts

 One general rule of thumb is the 50/30/20 rule. It is advised that no more than 50% of your net (take home after taxes) income should go to necessities (rent, utilities, insurance, household supplies, minimum credit card payments etc.), no more than 30% should go towards discretionary spending, and the remaining 20% of your income should go towards financial goals such as savings, retirement, educational planning, and getting out of debt faster. These exact percentages of course will not work for every situation—nearly 80% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck, most have less than $1,000 in their savings account, and with the typical worker earning about $44,500 per year, having the recommended 3-6 months’ worth of salary saved up in a savings account, putting away the recommended maximum of $5,500 per year in a retirement account and still being able to make ends meet is drastically unrealistic if not impossible.

 To start saving any money, you must know where your money goes. Look at your expenses for the past few months. What are you spending money on? What are your necessities that you absolutely must pay for each month, and how much do they cost? I’ve included a generic Excel budget sheet that you can plug numbers into each month. You could also use an app on your phone, a different Excel template, a table in Word, or just plain old pencil and paper!

 Next, where do you think you could save money—either by cutting back or completely cutting out? Could you car pool? What about using Netfix, Hulu, and/or Amazon Prime instead of paying for a cable package? Could you stream Pandora for free instead of paying for YouTube Red, Sirius XM, or Apple Music? You can trim and shift some things around plus combine it with the savings and earnings from the rewards, couponing, and rebates apps.

 After trimming your expenses, fill in the rest of your budget sheet trying to get as close to the 50/30/20 ratio as you can. It is okay if you can’t get perfect percentages. You need to eat, and you need a place to live. Your well-being and happiness are most important.

 Now that you have your ideal budget, how are you going to stick to it? There are plenty of Apps to help you. I use Mint and WalletHub along with an Excel spreadsheet. I need to see things on paper, but I love the ease of automation as well. Both Mint and WalletHub offer free credit scores as well as insight into which credit card offers would be best for your situation. They let you know when your bills are due next and when the due date is coming up. WalletHub also monitors your savings and gives you tips on how to improve your credit.

 You could further automate your savings with the Qapital (Referral | No Referral) app. In the first six months I started using this app, I saved up an additional $1,500 without thinking about it! Qapital automatically saves for you using the rules that you set. You can have it transfer a certain percentage of your pay, transfer a certain amount, round up each purchase, only transfer when you make certain purchases, follow the 52-week savings plan, and many others. You could simply have your bank account make scheduled transfers for you. You could transfer a certain percentage or amount yourself. You could throw loose change into a jar everyday then turn it in at the end of the year. At the end of the month, any leftover discretionary funds you have you could transfer into savings. You could follow the 52-week plan. You could do a combination of a few or all these things!

 (For the 52-week savings plan, you begin on Week 1 by saving $1. The next week begins Week 2 by saving $2. For Week 3 you save $3, then Week 4 $4 and Week 5 $5…at the end of 52 weeks (one years’ time) you have saved $1,378!)

<Credit Monitoring>

 It seems excessive, but I use several apps at once to monitor my credit because they report to different bureaus and update at different times. If I notice something wrong, I can dispute the error through the app. I only use the free apps.

NerdWallet

WalletHub

CreditKarma

CreditSesame

Experian

Your complete credit report is free once per year at Annual Credit Report.

[jerseydeanne]

Thousands of stories have been written about me, most of them bull***t. I’ve given two interviews. This is my third. Things have been made up, spun around and others are outright lies…

THE FICTION I’m a drunk because I’ve been photographed buying beer.

THE  FACTS I buy beer for the guards at the gatehouse at the compound where I live. Sharon Osbourne accused me of being an alcoholic the other day. How dare she? I drink the occasional glass of red wine with dinner because it’s good for my heart. How can Sharon Osbourne criticise me? My family might be dysfunctional but it’s nothing compared to hers.

THE FICTION I faked my heart attack. When reporters called the Chula Vista Medical Center where I was treated they denied I’d ever been in there.

THE FACTS You have a right to privacy when you go into hospital. I didn’t want my name out there but they [reporters] still found me. I had to escape through a building site at the back of the hospital and then I went to a safe house, a tiny rented flat, which is where I watched the wedding. I have the medical bills to prove I had a heart attack. The insurance bills were $140,000 and I have to pay $20,000 of it as excess.

THE FICTION Meghan lived with her mother after we divorced when she was six and I only had limited contact with her because I was working all the time.

THE FACTS Meghan lived with me from the age of 11 until she went off to college after High School. Before that I saw her all the time. I dropped her off at school every morning when I went to work and arranged for someone to bring her to the set [of TV shows he worked on such as Married, With Children and General Hospital) after school. We were very close. I took her to her dance and drama classes. I would help build sets for her drama classes. I would help stage her shows. I’d always take her to CC Browns. It’s shut now but it was an ice cream parlour on Sunset Boulevard. We also went to Hamburger Hamlet. Then we would rent old dance movies. We watched every Busby Berkeley movie. She loved them. She wanted to be a dancer at first.

THE FICTION I live on McDonald’s meals.

THE FACTS I eat a mostly fish-based diet. I go to McDonald’s because when you’re my age after a two-hour drive it is a good place to pee. I get take-out fish from McDonald’s. I’ve lost 40lb since my heart attack. I eat fish and vegetables and stay on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet. I’m not ‘the weirdo schlubby dad living in a shack in Mexico drinking beer and eating McDonald’s’.

THE FICTION I’m a loser who mooches off my daughter and the Royal Family.

THE FACTS I have been nominated for eight Emmys [the television equivalent of the Oscars] and won three. I’ve travelled all over the world. I did declare bankruptcy before I went down to Mexico but that was because I was in credit card debt and I wanted to wipe the slate clean. They were trying to charge me 28 per cent on the credit card debt and I refuse to pay that kind of crazy interest. I’ve never taken a penny from Meghan and I’ve never cashed in on the Royal Family. I’ve been offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to do talk shows and I’ve turned everything down.

I don't want money, I want my life back

Thomas Markle has not been paid for talking to The Mail on Sunday – and is adamant that he wants nothing from his daughter or the Royals.

For today’s interview, he asked that a donation be made to a charity of Meghan and Harry’s choice. The 74-year-old is now planning to leave Mexico and set up home ‘in a place where no one can find me and nobody knows me’. ‘I don’t want to be followed,’ he said. ‘I don’t want stories made up about me. I want my boring old life back. I feel like I’m damned if I do talk and damned if I don’t.

‘If you want to stay away from me then I will stay away from you. For two years I’ve been living in hell. I’ve been vilified, stories have been made up about me, I’ve been followed everywhere. I just want my quiet, boring life back.’

THE FICTION I’m a self-pitying narcissist who’s been talking constantly to the Press.

THE FACTS This is only the third interview I’ve given. All the other stories are crafted from the three original stories and most of them are lies. I’m not crying or feeling sorry for myself.

THE FICTION I have several illegitimate children.

THE FACTS They are simply close friends. One child is the daughter of my ex-housekeeper and her nice husband who are good friends to me. Every time I try to help someone it gets turned into something tawdry.

THE FICTION I was not involved in Meghan’s life.

THE FACTS Meghan herself has talked about how I was there. I don’t have to say it. She says I was there. The social activism she is so proud of is something I always encouraged.

We bought turkey dinners and took them to the homeless. We would drive up and down Hollywood Boulevard and hand meals out to the needy. She’s talked about that. When she was given a form at school to fill out her race and it was black or white she didn’t know what to mark down because she didn’t want to hurt her mother’s feelings or mine. She came home and said ‘I don’t know what to do.’ I told her: ‘Make your own box.’

+4

I buy beer for the guards at the gatehouse at the compound where I live, and I drink the occasional glass of red wine with dinner because it’s good for my heart

I addressed her birthday card to 'Duchess Meghan' and wrote 'I didn't fake my heart attack'

by Caroline Graham

Despite all the harsh words that have passed between them, Thomas Markle clearly still dotes on Meghan.

So much so that the 74-year-old sent his daughter two birthday cards to celebrate her 37th on August 4, when she and Harry attended the wedding of his friend Charlie van Straubenzee and Daisy Jenks.

Mr Markle says that he was concerned his daughter may have read false reports that he faked his heart attack.

+4

Pictured: Meghan with half-sister Samantha at her 2008 graduation

Meghan's half-sister Samantha Markle defends their father Thomas Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00PreviousPlaySkipMuteCurrent Time0:00/Duration Time3:29FullscreenNeed Text

Subsequent surgery prevented him from attending the Royal Wedding in May.

‘I don’t know if she believes it or why she would believe it but it’s bull***t, like so much that has been written about me,’ Mr Markle said.

‘I wanted to reach out to her on her birthday.’

One card was covered in flowers, he revealed.

‘I wrote, “I didn’t fake the heart attack. I really wanted to be with you. Love, Daddy.” ’

The other was a jokey card with ‘singing animals’ which read: ‘Happy Birthday, love Daddy.’

Mr Markle sent them via Federal Express to an address he had been given by a palace official before the rift with his daughter began.

‘I addressed them to “Duchess Meghan”,’ he added. ‘I’ve heard nothing.’

+4

Mr Markle said: ‘I wrote, “I didn’t fake the heart attack. I really wanted to be with you. Love, Daddy.” ’

This is written by tom 

[yogurtlaw4]

Hawaii History Inspect Regulations

Numerous employers decline to believe that any person can change or the history they see regard to be the person in front of them. I understand your feelings and can connect to every convicted felon out in culture. I'm an ex-correctional police officer and also I enjoyed my task however a few years back an incorrect report of a criminal offense got me discharged and my certification withdrawed from the state of Georgia. And when I look for jobs im an honest male as well as I inform them what happen and also still I obtain no reasonable opportunities for these tasks. Due to the fact that they work with lawbreakers does not suggest they do not look at the nature of your crime, simply. This is a large reason you need to know what's in as well as how to review your credit record. Letting the candidate know that he or she has the right to contact the background check company to contest any type of incorrect findings. The NCIS also can reject a weapon transfer based upon applicable state laws. As an example, if your state has a law prohibiting the possession of a details type of weapon, NICS can reject your transfer although belongings of that gun is not restricted by government regulation. mainly since a lot of founded guilty lawbreakers already understand they are not qualified to possess a gun.

This item will certainly not get rid of adverse credit report from your credit rating record. By recognizing where hawaii employment background check stands beforehand, you can take actions to enhance your credit rating so that when you do begin your following job search, you'll prepare.

When authorizing you for a loan, an employer credit report check is various than what a financial institution may see. The company does not see an overall credit score so they won't recognize if you're shaking a perfect 850 or a poor credit rating of 450. You might struggle paying off financial debt as well as boosting your credit rating score if you can't obtain a much better work since of your credit report. Considering that it was terrible you possibly have a tougher time than an individual with a non fierce background. Scroll down on that site, it takes a 2nd to get to the listing however locations you became aware of like residence depot as well as Starbucks are on there. In the meantime if you drive you can always obtain a friend to sign up for an on demand job like uber consumes, doordash, delicacy etc . I don't recognize if you are in a city where there is need but that's what I carried out in NY while i got on the run. I called them and also they said they had sent out the bill to my home, however I hadn't paid it. It's important to do this prior to you apply for a job due to the fact that you could discover a blunder, or something a lot more ominous like identification burglary, on your credit record. You can say no to an employer credit report check, though you must be aware that the employer then has the lawful right to stop the application procedure as well. Companies aren't the only ones besides lending institutions to request a credit score record. Landlords, insurer and also utility business might also ask for a minimal credit score report to demonstrate your ability to settle a loan on time. In this situation, having a great debt record may assist you get a lower rate or stay clear of paying a deposit. That won't injure your credit scores if you use for five work as well as they all check your credit report. This is very important to note if you will acquire a residence or make a big purchase as well as do not wish to do anything to impact your credit score. I had the ability to make $50 some days yet $150 on others, in 3 to 4 hours. Depend upon the orders that involve your phone, the ideas and the city you operate in. But that's good for cash right away while you identify something more steady. Level 2 history check describes a nationwide and also state fingerprint based check. It is mandated for employees that are holding settings of responsibility as well as depend on. Yes, a felony will always come up, there is no way to hide it, unless you have your records expunged. I could not operate in my name but i had access to work under someone else's name via the app. Once they sign up you just pick up the orders and drop off. Due to the fact that you have the order on your phone you have gain access to, it's presumed. Obviously you have to work out what to pay the person letting you operate in their name. If you're up for a promotion, your present company deserves to conduct a credit check, even though you're already a worker. You additionally need to authorize a type saying that you've consented to an employer credit score check. hawaii criminal background check when they carry out a credit history check without obtaining approval initially. Many, if not all tasks that need a safety clearance will likewise need a credit check. As an example, in Connecticut, employees who have accessibility to greater than $2,500 well worth of assets consisting of prescription medicines as well as various other drugs may have their debt checked. Although the majority of financial institutions as well as lenders report your costs to all 3 debt bureaus, it's still a good concept to draw all 3 credit scores reports if you have not examined your debt in a while. For example, once I was examining my credit scores record as well as noticed that there was a $76 medical bill from my old doctor's office.

[jobsearchtips02]

Jobless Numbers Are ‘Eye-Watering’ but Understate the Crisis

With 4.4 million added last week, the five-week total passed 26 million. The struggle by states to field claims has hampered economic recovery.

An unemployment office in Arkansas. State agencies have scrambled to deal with a deluge of claims.Credit…Houston Cofield for The New York Times

April 23, 2020Updated 1: 39 p.m. ET

The grim economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic jumped on Thursday when the government reported another 4.4 million people filed new unemployment claims last week, bringing the five-week total to more than 26 million.

The relentless increase in the jobless ranks has intensified the debate over when to lift restrictions that have helped halt the virus’s rapid spread but placed the economy in a stranglehold.

The weekly tally for new filers dropped from the previous week. Still, as Torsten Slok, chief international economist at Deutsche Bank Securities, said, “At all levels, it’s eye-watering numbers.” Nearly one in six American workers has lost a job in recent weeks.

As large as the latest figures from the Labor Department are, they still don’t capture the full extent of the layoffs because of continuing lags in processing claims.

State agencies have scrambled to handle the overwhelming flood of filings as well as a set of federal eligibility rules instituted to deal with the crisis. Those problems will affect the shape of the recovery when the pandemic eases, Mr. Slok said.

Laid-off workers need money quickly so that they can continue to pay rent, and credit card bills and for groceries. If they can’t, he said, the hole that the larger economy has fallen into “gets deeper and deeper, and more difficult to crawl out of.”

Reports of delays, interruptions and glitches continue to come in from workers who have been unable to get into the system, from early filers who complain they have yet to receive any money and from applicants who say they have been unfairly turned down and unable to appeal.

“Speed matters” when it comes to government assistance, said Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust. Speed can mean the difference between a company’s survival and its failure, or between making a home mortgage payment and facing foreclosure.

There is “a race between policy and a pandemic,” Mr. Tannenbaum said, and in many places, it is clear that the response has been “very uneven.”

States manage their own unemployment insurance programs and set the level of benefits and eligibility rules. Now they are responsible for administering new federal emergency relief benefits that provide payments for an additional 13 weeks, cover previously ineligible workers like part-timers and freelancers, and add $600 to the regular weekly check.

Florida has one of the worst records for benefit payments in the country, paying less than 16 percent of the claims filed since March 15, according to the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

Pennsylvania finally opened its website for residents to file for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program a few days ago, but was incorrectly telling some applicants they were ineligible. The state has also given no timetable for when benefits might be paid.

And Ohio, struggling to meet the demand, won’t start processing claims covered under the expanded federal eligibility criteria until May 15. Recipients whose state benefits ran out, but who can apply for extended federal benefits, will not begin to have their claims processed until May 1.

With government phones and websites clogged and drop-in centers closed, legal aid lawyers are fielding complaints from people who say they don’t know where else to turn.

“Our office has received thousands of calls,” said John Tirpak, a lawyer with the Unemployment Law Project, a nonprofit group in Washington.

People with disabilities and nonnative English speakers have had particular problems, he said.

Even those able to file initially say they have had trouble getting back into the system as required weekly to recertify their claims.

Colin Harris of Marysville, Wash., got a letter on March 31 from the state’s unemployment insurance office saying he was eligible for benefits after being laid off as a quality inspector at Safran Cabin, an aerospace company. He submitted claims two weeks in a row and heard nothing. When he submitted his next claim, he was told that he had been disqualified. He has tried calling more than 200 times since then, with no luck.

“And that’s still where I am right now,” he said, “unable to talk to somebody to find out what the issue is.” If he had not received a $1,200 stimulus check from the federal government, he said, he wouldn’t have been able to make his mortgage payment.

Millions of additional claims are expected to stream in from around the country over the coming weeks, with only piddling hiring to offset the losses.

States are frantically trying to catch up. California, which has processed 2.7 million claims over the last four weeks, opened a second call center on Monday. New York, which has deployed 3,100 people to answer the telephone, said this week that it had reduced the backlog that accumulated by April 8 to 4,305 from 275,000.

Florida had the largest increase in initial claims last week, although the state figures, unlike the national total, are not seasonally adjusted. That increase could be a sign that jobless workers finally got access to the system after delays, but it is impossible to accurately assess how many potential applicants have still failed to get in.

Pain is everywhere, but it is most widespread among the most vulnerable.

In a survey that the Pew Research Center released on Tuesday, 52 percent of low-income households — below $37,500 a year for a family of three — said someone in the household had lost a job because of the coronavirus, compared with 32 percent of upper-income ones (with earnings over $112,600). Forty-two percent of families in the middle have been affected as well.

Those without a college education have taken a disproportionate hit, as have Hispanics and African-Americans, the survey found.

Josalyn Taylor, 31, learned that she was out of a job on March 16. “I clocked in at 3 o’clock, and by 3: 30 my boss called me and told me we were going to shut down for three weeks,” said Ms. Taylor, an assistant manager at Cicis Pizza in Galveston, Texas. The restaurant has yet to reopen.

Two days later, she applied for unemployment insurance, but she kept receiving a message that a claim was already active for her Social Security number and that she could not file. She has tried to clear up the matter hundreds of times — online, by phone and through the Texas Workforce Commission’s site on Facebook — with no luck.

“I used my stimulus check to pay my light bill, and I’m using that to keep groceries and stuff in the house,” said Ms. Taylor, who is five months pregnant. “But other than that, I don’t have any other income, and I’m almost out of money.”

The first wave of layoffs most heavily whacked the restaurant, travel, personal care, retail and manufacturing industries, but the damage has spread to a much broader range of sectors.

At the online job site Indeed, for example, postings for software development jobs are down nearly 30 percent from last year, while listings for finance and banking openings are down more than 40 percent.

While new layoffs are expected to ease over the next couple of months, the damage to the economy is likely to last much longer. In a matter of weeks, the shutdown has more than erased 10 years of net job gains — more than 19 million jobs.

Health and education are going to revive relatively quickly, said Rick Rieder, chief investment officer for global fixed income at BlackRock, but leisure and hospitality are going to take a lot longer.

“A lot of the people who have been furloughed won’t come back,” he said. “Companies will either close or decide not to take back those workers.”

Over the past decade, the employment landscape has shifted substantially as new types of jobs have appeared and old categories have disappeared. The U.S. economy is now “going to go through another period of evolution,” Mr. Rieder said.

Updated April 11, 2020

When will this end?

This is a difficult question, because a lot depends on how well the virus is contained. A better question might be: “How will we know when to reopen the country?” In an American Enterprise Institute report, Scott Gottlieb, Caitlin Rivers, Mark B. McClellan, Lauren Silvis and Crystal Watson staked out four goal posts for recovery: Hospitals in the state must be able to safely treat all patients requiring hospitalization, without resorting to crisis standards of care; the state needs to be able to at least test everyone who has symptoms; the state is able to conduct monitoring of confirmed cases and contacts; and there must be a sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days.

How can I help?

The Times Neediest Cases Fund has started a special campaign to help those who have been affected, which accepts donations here. Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities. More than 30,000 coronavirus-related GoFundMe fund-raisers have started in the past few weeks. (The sheer number of fund-raisers means more of them are likely to fail to meet their goal, though.)

What should I do if I feel sick?

If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

Should I wear a mask?

The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

How do I get tested?

If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.

How does coronavirus spread?

It seems to spread very easily from person to person, especially in homes, hospitals and other confined spaces. The pathogen can be carried on tiny respiratory droplets that fall as they are coughed or sneezed out. It may also be transmitted when we touch a contaminated surface and then touch our face.

Is there a vaccine yet?

No. Clinical trials are underway in the United States, China and Europe. But American officials and pharmaceutical executives have said that a vaccine remains at least 12 to 18 months away.

What makes this outbreak so different?

Unlike the flu, there is no known treatment or vaccine, and little is known about this particular virus so far. It seems to be more lethal than the flu, but the numbers are still uncertain. And it hits the elderly and those with underlying conditions — not just those with respiratory diseases — particularly hard.

What if somebody in my family gets sick?

If the family member doesn’t need hospitalization and can be cared for at home, you should help him or her with basic needs and monitor the symptoms, while also keeping as much distance as possible, according to guidelines issued by the C.D.C. If there’s space, the sick family member should stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom. If masks are available, both the sick person and the caregiver should wear them when the caregiver enters the room. Make sure not to share any dishes or other household items and to regularly clean surfaces like counters, doorknobs, toilets and tables. Don’t forget to wash your hands frequently.

Should I stock up on groceries?

Plan two weeks of meals if possible. But people should not hoard food or supplies. Despite the empty shelves, the supply chain remains strong. And remember to wipe the handle of the grocery cart with a disinfecting wipe and wash your hands as soon as you get home.

Can I go to the park?

Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home. Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.

Should I pull my money from the markets?

That’s not a good idea. Even if you’re retired, having a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds so that your money keeps up with inflation, or even grows, makes sense. But retirees may want to think about having enough cash set aside for a year’s worth of living expenses and big payments needed over the next five years.

What should I do with my 401(k)?

Watching your balance go up and down can be scary. You may be wondering if you should decrease your contributions — don’t! If your employer matches any part of your contributions, make sure you’re at least saving as much as you can to get that “free money.”

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/jobless-numbers-are-eye-watering-but-understate-the-crisis/

[takingitbakmag]

Business Loans For Bad Personal Credit

  Don’t EVER trust nor believe any business or organization that promises approval for loans, credit line, and credit cards.  The fact is, if your FICO scores are less than 620 points, you have very little to no chance at all in obtaining a credit card with a respectable credit limit.  I mean, $200 at most with a Capital One secured or unsecured credit card.  But, you’d have to invest a sort of initial fee to build trust and agree to their terms.  What you have to understand is...  whatever situations caused you to default on paying your bills where credit was used or major utilities defaulted on without correction thus far, you need to set up a manageable payment plan directly with the company(ies) and pay them off immediately!  Your first step:  You would need to get a printed copy of your credit score ASAP and evaluate everything on that list.  

Often times looking at our FICO score is like approaching Math class in high school.  The large numbers scare us!  One day you take a look at every item on your list and beside it you will find full chronology (time, date, amount) of what you did, when you paid.  When you missed a payment(s) and other notes made by companies owed you will have a better understanding as to what is going on.  Often times we display bouts of anger when it come to our debt because we may not be aware of a form of PTSD that is triggered when telemarketers and debt collectors contact us via dreaded phone calls and/or email correspondence.  When you feel you have lost control of your financial records and livelihood it is quite understandable why you feel overwhelmed and maybe even lose hope.  I'm not going to lie to you!  Many companies have unsavory account specialists that call, harass, and threaten individuals to pay their bill.  Frankly, anything to scare the individual into a form of hibernation (if you will).  This sort of retaliation from companies is a horrible way to do business not to mention bring an individual to filing a suit against that same company and the agent responsible for such intimidation tactics.  This behavior is beyond unnecessary and unsavory.

Everyone wants to holler when the consumer pushes back!  Many of us would rather not be taken down to this hectic level of stress and aggravation, while others may just take their chances.  And why not?  At this point, the individuals have nothing left to lose but time.  And THIS is what companies are afraid of.  Without sending you down this destructive path you should look into googling free credit report sites so you can take the first step to reclaiming your financial freedom.  If you do not have the stomach for going it alone.  Consider asking a friend, family member or even contact one of the 3 major credit burue and have them recommend a representative to walk you through the process of correcting the data.  These days they offer an array of services including removing old or false information, credit protection, fraud/scam deterants and so much more.  Of course these services range in price and services.  If you find that you can not afford the services at this time, you should still obtain a full copy of your credit report and examine it until you can afford to pay for the services.  If you’re like me, then you may be a “Do It Yourself” kind of person.  Fret not!  This is not rocket science.  Call the companies listed as those you are indebted to and speak with their financial department.  Workout a payment plan.  Hell, you can even negotiate your true debt down to a reasonable price and py a fraction of the original amount owed.  

Remember, companies are interested in recapturing their money.  Paying off debt can also be a negotiation, just as long as you make it understood that these companies are at risk of not receiving any money at all.  Make sure you have at least part-time employment at the very least to work with.  It may take some time, but it is a reward you will be glad you’ve worked out now so it won’t continue to haunt you later.  Another point I would like to breifly touch on is “Applying for credit”.  Often times your email feed is flooded with spam offering unsolicited credit card offers.  When you know you have bad credit, don’t fall for it!  Each application you fill out and use your personal social security number for is an opportunity for companies to pull your credit report just to deny you in the end.  When your credit report is pulled, what happens is your score drops anywhere from 20 to 50 points.  The more your score drop, the more time it will take to build it back up.  It takes 6 months to a year of consistent ON TIME bill payments to bring you up on the positive scale.  It only take a few seconds to drag your score down to a bare minimum where after a while the credit burea will send you a letter saying they will no longer pull your report for their purposes and send you many, many, many letters in the mail or even flyers to build your credit in a minimum 6 months time for a lot of money.  So, whatever you do...  Don’t apply to any more credit card companies until you atleast build yourself upto a respectable 550 FICO score.  That way, you will atleast qualify for an option to obtain a secured credit card which is like a cross between a credit card and a debit card.  Secured credit cards are an instrument to help you learn to control your spending and learn to pay your bills on time.  It teaches you to respect money in a whole nother light.  More on this in my next installment.  Until then, Be wise.  Be weary.  And be aware.

#Peace

[savvyherb]

A Young Man Nearly Lost His Life to Vaping

Gregory Rodriguez thought he had the flu when he went to the emergency room on Sept. 18, feeling feverish, nauseated and short of breath.

He woke up four days later in a different hospital, with a tube down his throat connecting him to a ventilator, and two more tubes in his neck and groin, running his blood through a device that pumped in oxygen and took out carbon dioxide. The machines were doing the job of his lungs, which had stopped working.

“I was basically on the verge of death,” he said.

Mr. Rodriguez, 22, a college student, is one of the nearly 1,300 people in the United States who have become seriously ill because of vaping. Like him, about 70 percent are young men. And also like him, many vaped THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Vaping is odorless and easy to hide, and Mr. Rodriguez slipped into doing it constantly, inhaling enormous amounts of THC and craving more. He decided to talk about it in the hope that his story might be a warning to other people under the false impression that vaping is safe.

“I want people to stay as far away as they can from vapes, especially THC vapes,” he said.

Lung illnesses linked to vaping were first recognized during the summer. The exact cause is still unknown. Toxic chemicals released from vaping fluids, or from the battery-powered vaping devices themselves, are among the suspects.

So far, 29 deaths have been reported. The youngest to die was a 17-year-old boy from the Bronx.

Image

Gregory Rodriguez has been home since Sept. 30. “When I climb stairs, it feels like climbing a mountain,” he said. “When I run a couple of steps, it feels like I ran a marathon.”CreditHilary Swift for The New York Times

The lung damage looks like a chemical burn, the kind of injury caused by industrial accidents or the mustard gas used as a weapon in World War I, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic.

So far, no vaping product is in the clear.

Mr. Rodriguez said he started smoking marijuana toward the end of high school. He has struggled with anxiety and depression, and marijuana, he said, “gave me some relief.”

But the smell gave him away, and his parents would not allow it in the two-bedroom apartment he shares with them and his older brother in Jamaica, Queens.

After about two years, friends suggested that he try vaping THC. He ordered a few vaping devices from Amazon, and found local THC dealers.

“When you’re in college, you always know somebody who knows a guy,” he said.

He would text a dealer and they would meet, usually in the dealer’s car. A cartridge holding a gram of THC oil cost $40, which Mr. Rodriguez would pay in cash, money he had earned from a part-time maintenance job at Kennedy Airport.

Vaping THC was “like a miracle,” he said. The high came on faster and felt more intense than when he smoked marijuana. Best of all, he said, “It was discreet.” There was no odor, so he could vape in his room, at school, on the street, just about anywhere, and no one would know. The device was small enough to hide in his hand. He also thought vapor would be safer for his lungs than marijuana smoke, even though it sometimes made him cough violently.

Vaping made it easy to take in more and more THC. When he smoked marijuana, a joint or blunt or pipe lasted only so long. But with a THC cartridge, he could vape for hours, with no need to roll a new joint or reload a pipe.

Eventually, Mr. Rodriguez was vaping much of the time. “I was never without it,” he said. His favorites included flavors like Fruity Pebbles and Sour Patch Kids. The few times he ran out, he could think about nothing but getting more, and sometimes, one of his legs would start shaking. A cartridge that would last most people four or five days, he would finish in a day or two.

“It was a habit, an addiction,” he said.

It is possible to become addicted to marijuana or dependent on it, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

A computer-science student, he explored the dark web to find THC vendors with lower prices than he paid on the street, and turned money from his bank account into Bitcoin, to make purchases that would be encrypted and untraceable. On the electronic order forms, he requested the best and strongest THC available.

Boxes of cartridges, 25 for $400, started arriving in the mail early last summer. The return address was a house on a residential street in Ventura, Calif.

The products had a variety of labels, including Dank Vapes, the same name reported by many other people who got sick. It is not actually a brand, but a label that sellers can put on any product. Some of the other cartridges may have been counterfeit versions of brands that are legal in some states. No one knows what is in the knockoff products or who makes them, health officials say.

In August, distraught over the death of a dog his family had for 13 years, Mr. Rodriguez began vaping even more heavily.

In September, he started feeling ill, with headaches and severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. He waited several days, hoping to recover, but did not. He felt too sick to vape.

On Monday, Sept. 16, he went to the emergency room at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital, part of Northwell Health. Doctors said he probably had a stomach virus and sent him home.

Two days later, he felt worse, and had become alarmingly short of breath. His father, on the way to work, dropped him off at the emergency room at about 5 a.m. Embarrassed about vaping, and worried that it was illegal, Mr. Rodriguez did not tell anyone.

“I was hesitant to believe the vapes could be the cause of this,” he said.

The oxygen level in his blood was way below normal. He was given oxygen. Doctors suspected a lung infection, though they were puzzled because he was young and healthy and had not traveled overseas recently.

His mother, who works nights, arrived at the hospital a few hours later. She insisted that he tell the doctors about his vaping.

His condition deteriorated. By afternoon, he was on a ventilator. He still did not improve. By the next morning, his blood oxygen had sunk to levels low enough to cause organ failure, or even stop his heart.

“A 22-year-old gentleman, and he was, essentially, dying in front of me,” said Dr. Syed H. Iqbal, a specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital.

It fell to Dr. Iqbal to tell Mr. Rodriguez’s family how dangerously ill he was.

“It was terrible,” Mr. Rodriguez’s mother, Martha, said. “I will never forget the doctor’s face. I prayed, ‘Please, God, don’t let him go.’” She told the doctors to do anything needed to save her son.

Dr. Iqbal recommended a desperate measure called ECMO, a machine that would pump oxygen directly into Mr. Rodriguez’s blood and take carbon dioxide out — breathing for him while, if he was lucky, his lungs recovered. The hospital in Forest Hills did not have it, but the main campus of Long Island Jewish Medical Center did, and sent out an emergency team with the machine in an ambulance. As soon as Mr. Rodriguez was connected to it, his blood oxygen shot up to normal levels, Dr. Iqbal said.

Mr. Rodriguez was transferred to the main campus of Long Island Jewish Medical Center and was on the machine for four and a half days.

“Gregory was in danger of dying,” said Dr. Mangala Narasimhan, a lung specialist there and Northwell Health’s regional director of critical care.

“I think he was our 19th case,” she said. “It’s hitting us pretty hard, and that’s just the ones who are severe enough for us to know about.”

Mr. Rodriguez had extensive damage to the air sacs in his lungs, and widespread inflammation.

Dr. Narasimhan’s team treated him with steroids to quell the inflammation, and other medicines to open his airways. They also performed procedures to wash the secretions out of his lungs.

“The stuff coming out of his lungs looked like flan or custard, it was so thick,” Dr. Narasimhan said. “It was a lot of inflammatory cells. We had to do multiple rounds of washing his lungs out every day. After a few days, his lungs started to heal, and started working again.”

She said doctors do not understand why Mr. Rodriguez, like many other patients, had vomiting and diarrhea before the lung symptoms set in, but she said it may be a systemic response to a toxic substance or irritant that moves into the bloodstream after vaping and spreads around the body.

Mr. Rodriguez spent 12 days in the hospital. He has health insurance, and the family has not seen a bill yet, but they imagine the cost of his care will be astronomical.

He returned home on Sept. 30.

“When I climb stairs, it feels like climbing a mountain,” he said. “When I run a couple of steps, it feels like I ran a marathon. The doctor said that what will help is I’m still young and I can get back into shape. Every day I get physically much better. It becomes easier to walk. I practice my breathing exercises.”

He went back to classes at Queensborough Community College a week and a half after leaving the hospital.

But psychologically, he is having a tough time, feeling anxious and depressed, and unable to sleep. His mother has taken a leave from her job to stay with him while he recovers, and his distress worries her.

“I feel like I am, in a way, going through withdrawal,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “I am going to therapy for substance abuse, and getting the help I need.”

He thinks marijuana products should be legal and regulated, so that people can be sure they are safe.

While he was unconscious and attached to the machines, his mother took a cellphone photo of him, so that she could show it to him later.

“The doctors and my parents told me the severity of my case,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “As you can imagine, I was a little bit shaken up. I had no idea what I was putting into my lungs.”

The post A Young Man Nearly Lost His Life to Vaping appeared first on Savvy Herb Mobile Cannabis Platform.

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[luraia]

Geek.Kon 2017 (year 11) Review~

I went to this convention for the first time hoping to regain that small, intimate con feel.  And was sorely disappointed.  

I think my worst choice was in rooming with staffers.  These people gossip and throw shade at each other (behind their backs so it’s not the ‘fun’ kind of shade) all day, every day.  I know you’re all volunteers and not being paid, but you ARE supposed to be the ‘professionals’ during the weekend.  Instead, I was inundated with complaints (from the guest relations staff I was rooming with) about the con chair (who seemed like an okay guy the three times I met him), the treasurer (who apparently did nothing but hand over a credit card without keeping track of what was spent), and the scheduling people (who, I will admit, horribly dropped the ball in their department).  IN THE SCHEDULING DEPARTMENT’S DEFENSE - they only had two months to do the ENTIRE schedule.  But if I were in their shoes, all of my waking hours would be spent in getting that thing proof read and accurate, and then, and only then!, would I send it to the printers.

As for the panels, they were the same old, same old.  I know I’ve been going to the conventions in the mid-west for over 10 years... but seriously.  Someone has to have an original thought for a panel!  I love voice actors and guests panels, but do something so your attendees can interact with them.  A Q and A is fine, but spice it up a bit with challenges maybe?  I’ve never cared for cosplay panels, but I know they’re popular.  However, I feel like they’re only fun for fangirls and the people cosplaying on the panel.  

On a different note, security at Geek.Kon is very lax.  But I think that’s because literally NOTHING happened.  Not one scare.  Not one harassment issue.  Not one report of someone hitting someone else with a boken or unsheathing a sword unnecessarily.  So!  I would say that that part of the convention was a massive success!  Whatever security at this convention is doing - KEEP DOING IT!

The guests were pretty decent, and surprisingly well liked by attendees this year.  All were amazingly gracious, and entertaining.  My one note would be one I’ve made already - get them interacting with your attendees more!

Cosplay is on the slow side, but I think that’s because the convention is so small still.  I don’t think there are many prizes for cosplay contest winners, so the draw for entering is based purely on bragging rights.  However, despite that, I saw some pretty cool cosplays and met some really cool and open people!  I experienced no issues with people being shy to ask for photos.  And everyone was more than happy to share opinions in a kind, constructive way.  

The other complaint I have about Geek.Kon is the lack of HYPE!  You really need an awesome and ENTHUSIASTIC public relations staff to get your panels and events some NOTICE!  The facebook page and website were very dull and slow to upload.  And if they did upload something of interest (like the Pinball tourney), not enough information was given!  I would have saved my money to enter if I knew what day and time, but that wasn’t given out until an HOUR BEFORE HAND.  Discouraging, to say the least, for someone who grew up playing pinball.  

I will say that their charity auction this year was truly hilarious!  There was a $5 bill up for auction that went for at least $25~!  Which just shows that people WANT to have more gag or ‘surprise’ elements when it comes to their auction.  I’d suggest a live charity auction on Sunday to boost last day attendance (which was sorely lacking).  

My last bit of criticism is TIMING!  If you plan a panel for 12:30pm, make sure that panel STARTS at 12:30pm.  This glaring issue was horribly apparent during closing ceremonies.  It was set to start Sunday at 3pm... All the guests were there on time.  All the staff.  All the sound people.  And all the attendees who wanted to be there were there at 3pm too.  But the ‘show’ didn’t start until the con chair showed up almost 20 minutes late!  His excuse was that there ‘was a problem’ he had to deal with.  But none of the staffers I knew mentioned anything of the sort later on.  My point is - is BE ON TIME!  And give your attendees chance to get out of the room so new people could get in!  If you want to be considered a bigger convention, act like it.  Plan like it.  

Ending on a better note though!  Geek.Kon’s video game room and their table top gaming room are both TOP NOTCH!  I just wished they’d UTILIZED IT!   They had at least three or four brand new games from different producers to show off... and none of them were advertised!!  The Geeks Vs. game (a spin off of Cards Against) alone would have drawn a HUGE late night audience, but was it featured as a demo?  Nope!  They need to let the people who bring the game SHOW IT OFF!  Either in a pre-recorded video to be released prior to convention time.  Or DURING the convention.  My point is - is that if you have something that’s probably good, you need to bring a HYPE MAN to the forefront!  Scream it from the roof tops during the con.  Make sure it’s properly written about in your PROGRAM BOOK!  Or on your APP!  Ask the guests to pre-view the game and then HYPE it at every panel if they liked the game!  Otherwise, sales for that group are just going to drop and they won’t opt to return.

Anyway - what I’m getting at, is that Geek.Kon has SO MUCH GODDAMNED POTENTIAL!  Their hotel layout is ideal for a convention for one!  All they need to do is to THINK LIKE A LARGER CON!  Most of the staffers have been to other ones before and SHOULD be bringing ideas in from there.  However, the lack of communication within staff shows in their convention.  Nothing memorable happens with a divided and contentious staff.  I vote that they start from scratch, or pull from other mid-western conventions for some experience.  

Otherwise, their con will just be another disorganized flop within a couple of years.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Dial M for Murdoch: exhaustive account of the UK tabloids' criminality and the resulting coverup #5yrsago

Tom Watson and Martin Hickman's Dial M for Murdoch is a timely, informative, infuriating insider account of the News International phone-hacking scandal that has occupied the news-cycle, off and on, for several years now (and shows no sign of slowing down). Watson, a veteran Member of Parliament -- and frequent target of the Murdoch press and its hackers and snoops -- was an early and consistent voice of alarm over the scale and illegality of the Murdoch tabloids' investigative methods. He's uniquely well-situated to tell this story. His co-writer, Martin Hickman, is a veteran investigative reporter who covered the story for the Independent. They make a good pair, and the narrative is relatively smoothly told and, at times, is very powerfully written.

The Murdoch papers -- and other UK tabloids and papers -- wield tremendous influence in the halls of British power. Dial M traces the intimate connections between the press and senior ministers, elected officials, and -- crucially -- the police in the UK. As the flagship Murdoch tabloid, News of the World attained the highest circulation of any English-language paper, and seems to have led the world in illegal investigation techniques as well. The early inklings of the scope of the company's criminality were systematically understated by the press, underrated by the police, pooh-poohed by officials (from every party), and buried.

But the story wouldn't die. There were just too many victims, a sympathetic poster-child for everyone -- dead soldiers and their families, terrorist bombing victims, royals, the families of murdered children, and so on. It was impossible for Scotland Yard to maintain its "nothing to see here" posture, not with so many different stakeholders and so many upwellings of outrage. It didn't help that the most senior police officers on the case were doing various kinds of business with Murdoch, or retiring into cushy sinecures as high-paid columnists and consultants. Neither could the impotent Press Complaints Commission maintain the fiction that it had investigated, censured, and cleaned house.

Murdoch's many enemies were willing to bring the fight, risking their private lives, risking their personal fortunes. Vindictive Murdoch executives drew up enemies lists, ordered deep background checks on Parliamentarians and attorneys, sent high-powered lawyers to lean on witnesses, set private eyes to follow Murdoch's opponents in secret, or dispatched obvious PIs to watch them openly and intimidatingly. Watson and Hickman are exhaustive in documenting the slimy depths plumbed by Murdoch's high-placed lieutenants and their thugs in their efforts to maintain the years-long suppression of the investigation.

They were ultimately undone by their own arrogance. You can't defend yourself by throwing your accomplices under the bus forever. Eventually, some of the minions on whom you've pinned the blame will start whispering your secrets to others. Likewise, you can't pin the blame on your fancy lawyers, insisting that they investigated your operation and gave it a clean bill of health -- they won't sit still for it. You can't just hack everyone who accuses you of hacking.

Indeed, the scale and arrogance of the Murdoch companies' illegality was both their undoing, and is the major problem with Dial M for Murdoch. Despite the authors' valiant efforts to be both exhaustive and engrossing, sometimes the sheer litany of the names of the hacked, the officials who participated in the coverups, the bribes and corruption -- well, it gets a little repetitive. This is the banality of evil, 350 pages' worth. The fact that it's hard to keep it all straight when it's delivered in sequence, with the benefit of hindsight, tells you a lot about how this managed to slip off the front pages so many times over the years. The revelations can be so similar that it's hard to remember that this is actually a fresh outrage, not just a re-reporting of last week's lies and crimes.

My other problem with Dial M is its unwillingness to set out an explicit agenda in defense of a free press. For all that the tabloids have gotten away with murder for decades, Britain has one of the most censorious and litigant-friendly environments when it comes to press freedoms. This is the land of the "superinjunction," where corporate criminals can order the news of their misdeeds to be vanished into the memory hole. This is the land where spurious libel claims can be used to silence science writers like Simon Singh and Ben Goldacre, who document the (sometimes literally) murderous quackery of "alternative medicine" gurus. Britain has the unwelcome distinction of being the world's center for "libel tourism," a place where despots can come to punish journalists who reveal their misdeeds.

One consequence of the Murdoch scandal has been a renewal of the call for "press regulation," to rein in the tabloids. But what the tabloids did was already illegal -- it didn't just violate a "code of conduct," it violated the actual statutes on the actual lawbooks. The problem wasn't that they slipped through a legal loophole: the problem was that they had the cooperation of crooked prosecutors and cops, and the collusion of highly placed officials, both elected and appointed. The problem wasn't the absence of a law, it was the absence of legal enforcement.

For example, Dial M paints Max Mosley as something of a hero of the fight against Murdoch. Mosley, a wealthy celebrity who'd been libeled by the tabloids, refused to settle and refused to back off, and spent a fortune bankrolling much of the legal action against Murdoch. For this, he is justly lionized by the authors. But Mosley also proposes far-reaching Internet censorship rules, and advance notice and "arbitration" whenever the press publishes stories about public figures, and an opportunity for those figures to seek injunctions against publication. I kept waiting for the authors to point out that one risk of the Murdoch scandal is that Britain's moneyed and powerful will seize on the opportunity to reverse the trend toward libel reform and other free-speech rules, and to demand expansions to the already onerous censorship and libel regime the country labours under.

Instead, Watson and Hickman walk a fine line between praise and condemnation of the press, without ever articulating what a "good" press should do, or what regulation they favour. There are plenty of opportunities for this, too: after all, the Guardian's Nick Davies was a key investigator of the scandal, and the authors credit him with bringing Murdoch to heel, at real personal risk. I wanted them to explain how they would create a policy or precedent that would let Davies investigate Murdoch at full tilt, but not be so broadly defined as to legalize the investigative techniques used by the Murdoch press. Indeed, the book opens with a quote from Bob Woodward, who brought down a president by publishing illegally leaked confidential material -- what system would protect Woodward and not Andy Coulson?

The other "other shoe" that never dropped in Dial M was a critique of the way that our IT systems are designed to be such juicy and easy targets for scumbags and crooks. It goes without saying that there's no excuse for the Murdoch invasions. But what on Earth are all these rich and powerful people doing sending unencrypted emails? Why do ministers of the government use voicemail servers operated by big, dumb phone companies like Vodaphone, instead of privately maintained Asterix instances run by Parliament's IT department (who, presumably, couldn't be tricked into resetting a voicemail PIN merely by calling up and saying, "It's Bob in tech support, and I'm on the other line with the Home Secretary and she's forgotten her PIN, can you reset it for me, mate?"). How is it that lawyers and clients send cleartext documents to one another, and how is it that ministers and civil servants keep the nation's most important information on unencrypted hard drives? It's one thing for an individual celebrity (or the bereaved parents of a murdered child or a felled soldier) to lack the wherewithal to protect themselves, but when it comes to officials and their staff, it's both inexcusable and inexplicable. Maybe the Murdoch snoops would still have gotten something on them with long lenses and PIs who shadowed them from home to work. But the fact that a crew of creepy dolts were able to sit in their basements hacking thousands of important and official phones and computers at a time is not merely an indictment of their employers at the tabloids. It should be a wakeup call to the establishment to put its house in order, get some training, and use the decades-old technology (that comes stock on every GNU/Linux box) in their official dealings.

Leaving aside those omissions, Dial M is a fabulous and infuriating read. If you have been trying in vain to keep all the crooked dealings straight, here, at last, is the scorecard you've been looking for. It's the perfect background reading for the nightly news, and I can't wait for a sequel once this business has been resolved (however long that might take!).

Dial M for Murdoch

https://boingboing.net/2012/05/15/dial-m-for-murdoch-e.html

[demikbrayus]

How to Get Your First Credit Card

Whether you’ve just graduated high school or college or are at some other point in your young adulthood, you may have considered getting a credit card. It can be a great tool in building your credit, but also represents a major financial responsibility.

Plus, how do you even qualify for your very first credit card?

There are actually quite a few ways to accomplish this. After all, everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about getting approved for your first credit card — plus some tips on how to use it responsibly.

How do I start my credit?

If you’ve never had a credit card or a loan in your name, you probably don’t have much of a credit history. In fact, it can take a few years to build up a truly robust credit history and start earning a higher credit score.

How can a credit card help you achieve this goal?

Having a positive payment history is the strongest factor in determining your credit score. That helps you qualify for better interest rates and terms in the future when you need another type of financing, like a refinanced student loan, a new auto loan, or even a mortgage.

Once you start paying your credit card bill on time each month, you’ll start to get positive entries on your credit report. Over time, that adds up.

Now it’s important to note that as long as you pay your minimum balance due each month by the due date, it counts as an on time payment.

But here’s the catch.

Even though your entire balance isn’t due, anything you don’t pay starts to accrue interest. So the next month, your balance will be higher, even if you don’t make any new charges on your credit card.

Using Your Credit Card Responsibly

Because your credit card debt can quickly skyrocket if you keep using your card without paying everything off, it’s important not to use it for things you can’t actuall afford. Yes, it’s a nick backup for a financial emergency.

But make sure you have a plan of how you’re going to repay each purchase.

If you’re just getting your first credit card as a way to build your credit, then all you have to do is use it to pay one bill a month. You can set your credit card bill to be paid automatically through your checking account or create a monthly reminder. That way, you can take advantage of those on-time payments, which account for a large amount of your credit score.

Remember, even one late payment can cause a major drop in your credit score.

Create a plan that allows your credit card to work for you, not against you.

How do you get a credit card for the first time?

There are typically two ways you can get approved for your first credit card, especially if you’re under 21 years old. See if any of these two methods are a possibility and you’ll have a much easier time qualifying.

Use Verifiable Income

One of the biggest factors credit card companies look for is verifiable income because it shows that you have the financial means to pay your minimum balance each month. Unfortunately, stipend from your parents doesn’t count, so if you’re in college and get cash from home each month, that won’t help you get a card.

Basically, you need to have some type of job, whether it’s part-time or full-time. You may also be able to report scholarship or grant money, but not your student loans. That’s considered debt, not income, even if you haven’t reached the repayment stage yet.

When it comes to reporting verifiable income, you need some sort of documentation, whether it’s tax statements or pay stubs. You may not be asked to provide these, but you need them on hand in case they are actually requested by the credit card company.

Use a Cosigner

Whether you don’t have much verifiable income or you simply want a larger line of credit, consider using a cosigner for your credit card application. This can be a family member or even a close friend who has an established credit history and is willing to share the responsibility of the credit card with you.

Now, a few words of warning before you start calling your parents or older siblings and asking them to be your cosigner. Any activity on the card equally impacts both of your credit reports. The debt will be listed on both of your reports, as will any late payments. You’re both on the hook so if you decide to default on the card, your cosigner will also start getting collections calls.

Just the same, if your cosigner has access to the account, he or she could potentially make charges that you’ll be responsible for paying off. So this strategy should only be used with someone you inherently trust and who understands the potential consequences of sharing a card with you.

What is the easiest credit card to get?

Many branded credit card companies have student cards available. Just be sure to compare your options because these specialty cards frequently come with high interest rates or annual fees.

It’s also good to check with your bank if you already have a savings or checking account. Sometimes that existing relationship can get you the approval you need. Here are some other options to consider when searching for your first credit card.

Retail Cards

Just about any major chain store offers a store credit card these days, whether it’s a department store or a specialty store. They’re often easy to get approved for because they start off with low limits. You can usually even apply right at the checkout counter.

But just like anything, retail cards come with some limitations.

You can usually only use a retail card in that particular store, or sometimes in other stores within a retail group. For example, if you get a Gap card, you can also use it at Old Navy since they’re in the same brand group.

Just be sure, however, that you don’t use your retail card as an all-access shopping pass, especially just to access some type of rewards bonus. You still need to pay off the balance each month, otherwise you’ll likely be paying above average interest.

Secured credit cards

You probably won’t get approved for a card that targets people with excellent credit, since you don’t have much of a credit history at all. Instead, consider taking out a secured credit card. You have to pay a deposit, which is held in a bank account and equals your spending limit.

However, you can’t use that money to pay off your balance. It’s used as collateral in case you start missing payments on your card. But if you’re having trouble getting approved for other credit cards, a secured card can be a good first step before you move up to an unsecured card.

Bottom Line

When you first start applying for credit cards, expect to get denied. It’s likely to happen if you don’t have any credit history. But be strategic with your applications. Don’t shoot for top tier rewards programs, because you’re very unlikely to get approved for cards that require excellent credit.

Instead, do your research. Every credit card application temporarily reduces your credit score by a few points. Pick ones that are targeted towards your demographic and also apply for them around the same time. They’re often counted as a single inquiry by the credit bureaus.

By using these few tips, you can start building your financial history with your first credit card. Go forth and use it responsibly!

The post How to Get Your First Credit Card appeared first on AAACreditGuide.

from Credit And Credit Repair https://aaacreditguide.com/first-credit-card/

[memidgenotsofteroreasier]

In a nutshell

An 8p.m. flight (me with paper I.D. was frisked and searched). My grand went along to help drive and be a sounding board. The red-eye arrived at 5a.m. Sunday Morning. Her boyfriend sent mean, nasty break-up texts that didn’t show until she turned on her cell as we were landing. She had a sit-down moment after we deplaned. After we retrieved her luggage, she went in search of other smokers to light up (they take lighters), rented a car, used GPS to find the place. The car was there, and we called a tow truck and made a clean get-away. She hadn’t even locked it. Took it to a dealer...that. Was. Closed.

 Problem. No key. I had so little confidence in her that I didn’t want to go back and ask for it (plus I didn’t want to even look at her. The wretch). We called a locksmith, then the police. By then she had reported it missing. The dispatcher suggested we go to the house and officers would meet us there. We took all her personal items out and set them on the porch. She coughed up the key, then said choice things about my manner of going about the repossession. Which is rich. There was a ‘check engine’ light on. Nothing we can do about it. We drove away and returned the rental car.  I had a Trip Tik from AAA. It was useless.

Our next stop was unscheduled: Kalamazoo, where a half-life friend lives. We got a motel room. In the morning I had the idiot light analyzed at both Autozone and Firestone, where tires were necessary. Check out time was 11 a.m. I was bailing water out of the well where the spare sits at exactly then in 40 degree weather. Using a threadbare hotel towel. I gave them a friendly hint that the towel should be retired at 11:20 when I came to get the kids and luggage. They gave me my $20 cash deposit. I tipped them in the room. The two are 22 and 20, and would make a cute couple. He asked to go along with us. I half wanted to say yes!

My friend Anne in Des Moines IA was the next stop for the night. She said "you take strange vacations!" She fed us leftovers and we turned in for the night. at 5:13a.m. I woke and looked at the clock, then turned right to go use the bathroom. . . and fell into a step-down between the living room and kitchen. I was too groggy to remember. I’ll never ever forget. Pegged my patella and the right arm stopped my fall so that I am sore in those two places. She dosed me with Ibuprofen and after 5 pills over a 24 hour period, I could walk. Call this a vacation yet?

I still have kin in Oklahoma City. Don Clark (who died shortly after Margie my cousin) did not answer his phone when I called before leaving. Their grand lives there, a college student. She told her mother Debby that it was the best Valentine’s present (they hosted visitors all the time). For us, it was a godsend!

Albuquerque was the next logical stop on the 40 where we had a sit-down dinner at Genghis Khan. Econo Lodge was freeway-close. I soaked in a tub to ease my aching limbs. Next, we pressed on through AZ and a stop at my cousin Bill's south of Flagstaff. Turn left at Ash Fork! He raises Beefalo on a ranch of 12 acres (has his eye on more land for his 23-head herd). He was recently bereaved. His life’s love succumbed to cancer on 1/23 (almost as good at March 4th, which is the most purposeful and resolute day of the year). Her sister was trying to get her to take water after her last--nasty--dose of medicine and she, who had been incoherent, said “Jesus has my cup!” and would take no more)..

The journey through Arizona on back-road mountains, one lane in each direction, thrilled, especially knowing that the brakes need to be replaced. Once on the flat, we ate up the milles to familiar territory and home.

The reckoning is $733 plus $50 for a checked bag on Spirit Air! I notified the bank and credit union and brought $200. After dropping off my grand, I made a squirrel-line dash to the Car Max for the dismal news that they will give me $1,600. There is an OR between our names on the registration. The wretch paid $3,300 on the loan. With $13,400 remaining that is a  $12,800 difference. We rented a car, bought gas, paid for hotel fees, and meals. This is more’n a Smalll Claim. When I sue, I hope they add pain and suffering to the penalty. You don’t do this to old folks.