#minnesota x wisconsin

[abcwordsurge]

I'm not sure which fact makes me more upset: that Google tried to correct the ship name I literally just made up, or that it was right

[bargainsleuthbooks]

Are you on Threads yet? You're missing out! Join the Conversation #SocialMedia #Bookthreads #WriterThreads

Are you on Threads yet? Here's what I'm up to when I decide to hop on my favorite Social Media site. #Bookthreads #WriterThreads #GenXThreads #WestWingRewatch #BookReviews #CanningSeason #DisabilityThreads #LGBTQIAally

I don’t do much social media these days unless it involves posting my reviews to various platforms. One site I’ve loved since the beginning is Threads, because it reminds me of the old Facebook, having conversations with like-minded people. When I am on social media for fun, it’s on Threads. There’s a wonderful community for Librarians, Reviewers, Readers, and Authors. #WriterThreads and…

[thegroovyarchives]

70′s/80′s/90′s Local Television New Year’s Station IDs/Bumpers Part 4 1. KNXT-TV, Los Angeles, California, 1972 2. WGN-TV, Chicago, Illinois, 1977 3. WMBB-TV, Panama City, Florida, 1984 4. WPVI-TV, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1984 5. WCCO-TV, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1985 6. WGBS-TV, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1989 7. WVTV-TV, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1990 8. WCBS-TV, New York City, New York, 1990 Part 1 (x) Part 2 (x) Part 3 (x)

[yugsly]

does miss mitternacht have a german accent too, or are the german ties just in her name?

She is written to sound like a mom with a thick Minnesota/Wisconsin accent x)

[lilydalexf]

🌲👽 X-Files Survival/Wilderness Fic Recs

Here are some very good X-Files survival or wilderness fics. Because @thatsaprettycoolposter and @pookie-mulder asked! This list does not include post-colonization fics, which are also all survival fics of a sort. Enjoy!

Alligator Moon by jordan big monster in swamp attacks FBI agents

Antidote by Rachel Howard and Karen Rasch Strange doings in a tiny western town bring Mulder and Scully out to investigate. Once there, they uncover a deadly experiment that may cost both of them their lives.

Backtracking by Kel and Scetti What do Charlie Scully, the Alien Bounty Hunter, and Jesse "the Body" Ventura all have in common? Last April you could have found all three of them in Minnesota.

By the Wind Grieved by Karen Rasch Months have passed and Mulder is back. But things are not as they once were. He doesn’t know who he is or what Scully and he are to each other. Together they must reclaim the past before their enemies take away their future.

A Cabin in the Woods by @leiascully Mulder and Scully, on the run, stay for a while in a cabin in the mountains in Montana. A series of interlacing vignettes.

a cabin in the woods by @monikafilefan Being stuck in this rustic cabin, clearly left to age among the wilderness had Scully feeling wild herself, and it felt as if their bodies danced to an ancient song among the elements.

Camping by Amperage and Livengoo Fox Mulder and Dana Scully have survived abductions, serial killers, mutants and aliens but the Partner Cooperation Program Wilderness Encounter may finally do them in. After poison ivy and catfish, who wouldn’t long for a nice, safe killer mutant?

A Change of Seasons by Jo-Ann Lassiter A search for a mythical beast in the woods of Pennsylvania takes an alarming turn for the worse when Mulder's minor in ury escalates into a life-threatening disease.

Changing Tides by QofMush Who says change is all bad?

Circumnavigation by Suzanne Schramm Sometimes you don't know where you're going until you get there.

Coming Back by Karen Rasch Mulder gets a call from Mrs. Scully, who fears for Dana's safety. Following her instructions, he tracks his partner to a cabin in the mountains where he finds that she does indeed need his help. Memories of her time away have come back with a vengeance. (Sequel: The Calm After The Storm)

Dark Water by Suzanne Schramm Prehistoric insects. Mothmen. Now it’s a publicity-shy tribe of murderers. Just another nice trip to the forest with Mulder.

Falling Snow by Snark Mulder, Scully and a mysterious woman from Mulder's past crash in the snowy landscape of the Colorado winter.

Frozen by @dashakay The end of a case, and a stay in a log cabin during a blizzard, lead Scully to take the biggest risk of her life.

Last Chance Falls by @slippinmickeys A man. A women. A forest. A hit squad. An adventure.

The Lost by Wintersong Mulder and Scully are trapped in the remote wilderness and the art of surviving was not what they expected.

Old Growth Forest by Andrea Mulder and Scully investigate the disappearances of homeless people in Madison, Wisconsin and seemingly end up suffering the same fate.

A Path of Salt by Analise Mulder ditches Scully yet again to help an old friend in the Park Service. But Scully has never been one to sit and wait.

Tam Lin by Pequod When your local young men disappear, only to turn up dead a year later, sometimes it helps to have friends in high places. Myth and murder combine in a remote Scottish village, and Mulder and Scully investigate. The Fairy Queen is out to revenge the loss of her most prized knight, Tam Lin. Mulder believes but Scully’s not so sure, until Mulder takes a walk in the woods.

Tempest by Missy Pennington Mulder and Scully survive a plane crash to find themselves injured and stranded in the Appalachian wilderness. (Sequels: Distance, Wild Places, and Escape Me Never)

Untitled by @o6666666 Prompt: Mulder takes Scully camping and they make love for the second time ever under the stars.

Waiting in Motion by mountainphile After leaving the hot spring (in "Miraculous Manifestation"), Scully and Mulder take an unexpected detour on the way home. Dark secrets emerge when they seek shelter in a raging storm...and an intriguing X-file rears its head... (Sequel: Signs of Life)

Way Through the Woods by Pellinor and Rebecca Rusnak Three months ago, someone noticed something unusual about Scully. Now, in a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable, Mulder has disappeared, and Scully’s only chance of finding him include an unlikely ally and an untrustworthy informant. As they make their way through the woods, can Mulder and Scully find each other, or is the future lost?

[kp777]

By Julia Conley

Common Dreams

Aug. 7, 2024

"One day after Kamala Harris had a packed house in Philadelphia, she is following it up with another packed house in Wisconsin," said one activist.

Holding her second rally in the crucial swing state of Wisconsin since launching her presidential bid, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was greeted Wednesday by a crowd of people who had waited in miles long lines of cars to see her and her newly announced running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, speak about their campaign for the White House.

A timelapse video posted on X by Adam Duxter, a reporter for local CBS News affiliate WCCO, showed a long line of people waiting to enter a venue that holds 30,000 in Eau Claire, a city that is represented by a Republican in Congress, as campaign staffer Victor Shi said.

"Holy cow," said Shi. "This energy and enthusiasm are freaking jaw-dropping."

Shi also posted a video of the crowd of tens of thousands of people waiting for Harris and Walz to speak, along with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).

The rally came a day after Harris and Walz appeared in Philadelphia for their first official campaign event together as running mates. Harris' selection of Walz has won praise from labor unions, reproductive rights groups, and climate action organizations, with advocates praising his unapologetic support for universal school meals for public school students, paid family and medical leave, a Minnesota law that codified Roe v. Wade, and legal protections for transgender youths who get gender-affirming healthcare.

"One day after Kamala Harris had a packed house in Philadelphia, she is following it up with another packed house in Wisconsin," said Democratic activist Aaron Parnas. "Folks, a movement is brewing."

A photo by Star Tribune photographer Glen Stubbe showed a long line of cars on a road leading to the venue, and KSTP reporter Eric Chaloux filmed a line that began two and a half miles away from the venue.

In late July, days after President Joe Biden announced he was stepping aside in the 2024 election and endorsed Harris, under pressure from Democratic leaders and donors, Harris held her first campaign event in Milwaukee, speaking to a packed auditorium at West Allis Central High School at an event that showed a stark contrast to Biden's events, including a debate in late June where his performance intensified concerns about his age and health.

The crowded venue in Eau Claire and lines that started forming hours before the rally on Wednesday exemplified what one observer called "2008-level enthusiasm among Democrats right now."

Harris and Walz are planning to make stops in North Carolina's Research Triangle; Savannah, Georgia; Phoenix; and Las Vegas during a battleground state tour in the coming days.

[jocelynscrazyideas]

Summer lakehouse- Arrival | Quinn Hughes x Reader

Summary: this episode reads… Zoey, Trevor’s twin sister and Trevor Zegras go on a roadtrip to Michigan to the Hughes Home. Summer is calling!! And so is love.

Warnings: language? Not proof read.

A:N- this is the kickoff to the series!!! Also sorry to mention but Trevor’s actual sibling don’t exist in this story (sorry!)

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

“Zoey!” Trevor calls for me from my kitchen. Trevor and I are at my house in Minnesota. I’m currently upstairs getting packed for our trip to Michigan. Normally, Trevor would fly out to Michigan and I would be left at home.

Trevor, my older brother, only by 7 minutes has been super successful in his hockey career. He had just suffered in an injury so lately, Trevor has had time to check up on me, especially since I had just went through a breakup with a relationship that lasted about three years. I live in Minnesota, Trevor is in Anaheim, and our parents moved back into New York. I feel so special being able to literally be going to Michigan with The HUGHES brothers. I’ve known Jack for a long time, but I have never really considered us friends. I only talk to Jack because he’s Trevor’s bestfriend.

“Are you coming?” Trev bellows out for me again.

“Yes! Just calm down and eat an apple.” I yell back from upstairs in my room.

“Incoming!” I exclaim cautiously chucking my bags down the stairs. Trevor runs under the botttom of the stairs and catches my bags. I packed about three bags knowing I’ll be in Michigan for half the summer.

“Okay give me your keys.” Trevor motions for my pocket. “Um.. now.” Trevor barks back at my nasty stare.

“No! I’m driving.” I look him up and down, I pick up one of three bags and throw it at his chest.

“ZEGRAS IS DOWN!! ZEGRAS IS DOWN!!” Trevor screams out flailing his arms as if he’s trappped under my bags. I grab one and throw it into my car. I run inside and grab my other two and throw those into the car. I hurry to my side of the car and notice that Trevor isn’t outside. I unlock the car, knowing he may be tricking me and he could steal the drivers seat.

“Fine.” Trevor murmured in defeat as he walks out f the house. He gets in the passenger seat and he turns in the radio.

Perfect.

Umbrella by Queen Rihanna is on.

I open our windows as we are still driving in to town towards the nearest highway.

“Can we stop for some drinks and food?” Trevor, being a former big back asks.

“Yeah sure, you’re paying.” I say as I’m still locked in into one of the best songs ever.

We pull into Starbucks as he orders for me and him. We wait for 15 minutes, and my dragon fruit lemonade refresher comes out followed by Trevor’s black coffee and his cake pops.

“You know this song is going to be your summer.” Trev indicates as we approach the freeway.

“No, I’m going to have fun thi summer, and having fun is being single.” I say trying to get rid of the conversation.

“Well yeah never mind you’re still a virgin.”

“Trevor shut the fuck up. You can’t keep your girlfriends! You scare them off!” I say yelling back at him. Yes, I have lost my virginity, but I haven’t had sex in like 8 months. Which is normal.

We make it to Wisconsin and we stop at a rest place, I use the bathroom, Trevor goes to throw our trash away. “You know I’m serious. You could get a boyfriend this summer. Quinn throws seriously cool parties.” Trevor still not letting this go.

“No, I just got out of a healthy relationship, and I’m still hurt.” I explain, trying to give him signals.

“Good. You can get a rebound. I mean You’ve met Jack. Michigan men are hot.” Trevor goes on and on about me and the idea of “hot men”.

I drive for another four hours and we stop at another rest place. I get out of the car and stretch my legs and start to walk into the buildings for the bathrooms. I get some water, grab a few snacks and head back to the car. Trevor and I switch seats, and he drives really scary.

Trevor swerved in front of a deer. I punched Trevor in his right bicep, and he winced. He looks over at me and he drives off. He throws his phone at me telling me to turn on some music.

“Why do you get aux?” I reply in a snap.

“Well you get to pick the playlist that’s on MY Spotify.” Trevor sassed back.

Whatever.

I press on his “lover girl/wedding vibes” playlist. Interesting.

“What’s this?” I say as I laugh. I know Trevor was hurt when I told him he’s the reason he can’t keep a girlfriend. I felt terrible.

“WHAT IF HES WRITING MINE ON MY UPPER THIGH.. ONLY IN MY MINDD!” Trevor breaks out into song. And I follow.

“Taylor the woman you are.” I say as I hold trevs hand. We make it to Michigan. We both pulled all jighters.

“10 hour drives aren’t for the weak.” Trevor says as he pulls over into a parking lot. We switch seats once more. Trevor puts the Hughes address in my google maps. I turn in the aux and play Lovers by Anna of the North. So teenage girl coded. I back into the driveway, and I knock on Trevor’s head.

“Wake up.” I whisper trying to get him up but still he quiet for those around us in the block.

“Mhm” Trevor moans out in a sleeping bliss.

“Zegras?” Quinn says as he walks out of the newly renovated home.

“Oh yeah! Hey buddy!” Trevor instantly gets up and opens the trunk. Quinn helps us bring our stuff into the house. I get my own room, for now.

“So Trevor I didn’t know your twin sister was like super hot.” Quinn mumbles to Trevor.

“Uh, yeah she’s hot.” Trevor looks over at me and winks.

“Yeah she is! And she’s mine!” Jack says as he run into me and grabs my bags before I get the chance to.

“Hurry up! It’s cold.” Luke says. Luke’s hanging half way in the door way and half way out. He held the door for us and he walks me to my room.

“So you jack know eachother?” Luke mentions. Luke is 6”3, really tall, like taller than Trevor. I’m 5”2 and on a good day I’m 7”.

“Yeah, but only through Trev.” I respond, Luke seems so chill. I think out of all of the Hughes, I’d get along with Luke the best.

“Chill. I’m glad you could come this summer!” Jack says. I’ve never thought me and Jack were so buddy buddy, but I guess we are.

“So I’ll wake you up in the morning, so we can go down to the beach, and buy some avacodoes from the store. I know you like avocado toast!” Jack hypes up. We past their parents rooms and I settled into my bed.

Now that I mention it. Jack and I are actually best friends. Trevor met jacks through me when I told Trevor to tryout for USNTDP U18 because I knew the captain. It’s been years since me and Jack talked, I mean Jack and Trevor hang out, but it’s not me and Jack going on walks everyday.

I can’t believe I forgot Jack and I’s friendship. I feel terrible. Jack was the only person who really knew me for me.

~

I go to bed and I dream about nothing. Mind is empty. Except…

I’m thinking of how Wuinn called me hot. Maybe Trevor was right, maybe I could find a love this summer.

~

I wake up to knocking on my door, last night before I fell asleep I put all of my clothes and shoes away, I unpacked my hygiene stuff into my bathroom.

“Hey? Are you wake?” I hear from behind my door. I can’t decipher the voice but I know it’s not Trevor.

I get out of my bed and unwrinkls my bed sheets. I slide my slippers on and walk over to the door. “Hello?” I whisper. “What time is it?” I ask as I look up to the owner of the mysterious voice.

“Yeah. Sorry for waking you up.” Quinn apologizes to me, he grabs my wrist and pulls me out of my room. My door shuts behind me, Quinn pulls me down the stairs and I’m following the tall man all the way to his car.

“Jack told me to take you to get avacidos.” Quinn told me as he opens his car door for me. “It’s like 5:30.” I told Quinn. Just making sure he knows it’s way too early to buy avocados for breakfast. Especially in the summer.

“I’m aware. But if you wanted to go sneak out like Jack and Z told me, then this is the time. Besides, I know a sport downtown.” Quinn backs out of the neighborhood and he drives off to a small shop. Some farmers markets are open so we buy organic avocados, four of them.

~

“You like the ocean?” Quinn asks me. He places a blanket on the sandy stone. We sit on a cliff on top of a lake.

“Yeah, you?” I respond. I wonder if Jack and Trevor put him up to this. Or if Quinn genuinely thought of taking me.

“Uh- yeah no I love the lakes here in Michigan. I hear you’re from Minnesota, the place of 10,000 lakes.” Quinn mocks the Minnesotan accent.

“Yeah I mean it’s nice, especially during the summer because of the weather, but during the winter there the lakes are fun to skate on, and I have friends who ice fish- it’s really easy to have fun in Minnesota.” I explained, I look at Quinn and he’s staring into my eyes. It’s like he’s reading me.

“Yeah? Maybe I should drive back with you and Z.”

“You should, Trevor loves to annoy me.”

“Well he told me most of the stuff you’ve been through before this.”

“Like what? My breakup?” I say as I turn my head towards the lake instead.

“Maybe we should head home, it’s been a couple of hours since we left.” Quinn excused out conversation, knowing I was offended.

We got home around 8:41- about three hours since we left to get avocados. I bring in my favorite ingredient, and Quinn opens the door for me.

I set the avocados on the counter and I head to my room. “Zoey!” Quinn runs up the stairs after me.

“Sorry for getting in your biz.” Quinn apologized to me, he must truly care.

Jack comes down from his room and makes us our avocado toast that he promised us.

We went boating and I tanned on the deck while the guys barbecued and grilled some burgers.

[cuttergauthier]

Saviour

Hughes Female reader x Matthew Knies

Warning: creep, alcohol, cursing, fluff Matt

word count: 1.5k

Sorry I have a problem i love using the Hughes sister AU!

Also send in more request, please be specific, I’ve been busy lately but i’ll try and get to them as soon as I can🤍

let me know what you guys think🤍

I moved to Minnesota for my freshman year of university. I committed here to play on the women’s hockey team. It’s now November and I do miss my family a lot, I can’t wait for when Luke plays Minnesota so I can see him, same for when we go to Michigan to play there. I knew it was going to be hard since I only know one person in Minnesota and that’s Matt Boldy since he’s friends with my brothers, but he plays in the NHL, so I won’t be seeing him a lot.

My parent’s thought it would be better for me if I got an apartment on campus instead of living in a dorm since they would have a place to stay when they come and visit. I like it thought, I have more privacy here than I would have had if I was in a door. since I have two brothers who already play in the NHL, my face had been in the media and some people only want to try and be friends with me because of them.

Today was Saturday and we have a game at 2:00 p.m. we are playing against Wisconsin. It’s now 12:00 p.m. so I was on my way to the arena. I was wearing black leather pants with a black turtleneck and a maroon blazer. Walking in the arena I saw Olivia, she’s our goalie, she’s also a senior.

“Hey Y/n, you ready for the game?” she asked smiling.

“You know it!” I said chuckling.

“We’ve got this” she said

“Hell yeah we do” I said making her laugh.

We made our way to our locker room and got ready for warm ups and the game.

Thankfully the game went really well and we won 4-1, I got a goal and 2 assist.

There was a party tonight after the men’s game. I think some of the seniors on the men’s team were throwing it. A few girl on my team decided to go so I thought I would to. After the game I made my way home since I usually facetime my mom after every game.

Once I got home I went and took a shower and got dressed into some sweatpants and my Minnesota hoodie. I made my way to my kitchen so I could make myself some food I’m starving. I thought I would make myself some chicken and rice. Before I started cooking I put my phone against the counter and facetimed my mom.

“Hey sweetie” she answered smiling.

“Hey mom”

“What are you up to?”

“Making some chicken and rice, I’m starving” I said making her laugh.

“Of course, you had an amazing game today, I loved the goal” she said smiling.

“Thank you mom, are you going to drive to Luke’s game tonight?” I asked

“Yes, your dad and I thought we drive down”

I nodded.

“If you go down to see him after the game, give him a hug for me” I say smiling. I miss my brother.

“I will, he’s counting the days until he gets to see you” she said smiling

“So am I, same for Jack and Quinn I can’t wait for them to play in Minnesota”

“are you still coming home for Christmas?” she asked

“Yes, we have a week off for Christmas, so I’ll be coming home”

“Good”

My mom and I continued talking and when I ate my food.

Once I was done eating, my mom and I said goodbye. It was around 7:30 p.m. and my brother’s game was starting so I turned it on, they were playing against Ohio State, I might as well watch his game while I get ready for the party. Thankfully Olivia was going to be coming over any minute so we could get ready and pregame together. Since she was a senior, she took me under her wing when I first got here, she’s in the same apartment building as me, so I we always hang out together.

After I turned my brothers game on there was a knock on the door so I went to open it.

“Hey Liv” I said smiling when I saw her on the other side.

“Hey girl” she said coming in.

“Let’s get ready for this party” she said smirking at me, making me chuckle.

“Yes, I need a few drinks tonight.” I said, making her laugh.

“Don’t worry girl I got you covered” she said handing me a case of whiteclaw, since I’m underage I couldn’t buy alcohol, so thankfully she bought me some.

“Thank you!” I said smiling.

“You’re welcome, are we watching your brother’s game while we get ready?” she asked hearing the game in the background.

“Yeah if you don’t mind, there playing Ohio State” I said

“I don’t mind, let’s go get ready” she said smiling as we made our way to my room.

“Do you know what you’re wearing?” I ask her, she had brought a bad of clothes with her since she was wearing sweatpants right now.

“Black jeans and a cute maroon long sleeve v neck. What about you?” she said making me nod.

“Light blue mom jeans with a white satin long sleeve top”

“that’s going to look so good” she said smiling

“do you know what time the party is?”

“Umm, I think Em said around 10:30”

I nodded

“Perfect, we can get drunk before going” I said

“Hell yeah” she said and we both chuckled.

When we finished getting ready it was 10 p.m. the game was over and Minnesota won so we know they were definitely excited to party tonight. Liv ordered an uber, by the time we get to the hockey boys house the party would be full of people. Liv and I were already a little drunk.

…………….

Once we got to the party the house was already full of people so Liv and I made our way through to see if we could find Emma our other teammate. I continued drinking so I was feeling the alcohol.

I turned around for a few seconds and when I turned back, I lost sight of Liv. Then some guy approached me and started talking to me. I reconized him from one of my classes, he’s also a freshman his name is Corey but he was so drunk I couldn’t understand what he was saying. The guy also gave me the creeps so I just wanted to find Liv or hopping that she would find me. I really shouldn’t have lost her.

“Can you just leave me alone” I told the guy

Growing up with three older brothers who play hockey and their best friends are hockey player I don’t usually get shy around guys like this one. But back home if something like this happened my brothers always had my back and the guy would leave me alone.

I really wish I knew the guys on the hockey team here, but I don’t I’ve heard about some of them like Logan Cooley since he knows Luke, I think there’s a few others but I’m not 100 percent sure who they are. I probably should have listened when Luke told me.

“Why would I leave you alone, you’re too pretty to be left alone” he slurred smirking.

“I’d rather be alone” I spat.

He grabbed my arm tightly.

“Let go of my arm”

“Not going to happen”

“I think she told you to let her go” I heard a guy say behind me.

“Dude, this doesn’t concern you, leave us alone” Corey spat at the guy

“This is my party, so unless you want to get kicked out of here, I suggest you let her go” I guess he’s a hockey player.

“You know what, whatever she’s not worth it” Corey said releasing my arm and leaving.

I turned around and looked at the guy, he was really good looking.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” he asked me.

“Oh um, no I’ll be fine, thank you” I said with a soft smile.

“You look familiar” he said looking at me.

“Well I do go to university here” I said chuckling. He chuckled.

“I figured but I feel like I saw you before… wait you’re a Hughes right?” he said, my face turned serious. Why did he need to figure that out, now he probably just wants to now gossip about my brother.

“Did I say something wrong?” he asked after I turned serious.

“Look respectfully I don’t want someone to talk to me just because they want to know about my brothers” I scoffed.

“I don’t want to talk about your brothers, that’s how I recognized you, you were at the world juniors this summer right?”

“umm, yeah…”I said slowly, I didn’t know where he was going with this.

“I’m Matthew Knies, I was one of Luke’s teammates at the world juniors.” He said smiling softly.

“oh sorry, it’s just when people usually know about my brothers they usually want something” I said

“Don’t worry, I get it. Can I get you another drink?” he asked.

“No, umm… I think I’ve had enough for tonight, I’m going to head home.” I said.

“Okay then let me drive you home, I haven’t had a drink yet”

“You haven’t had a drink yet? This is your team party” I said chuckling.

“I was going to until I saw the guy getting to you, so I didn’t get the chance” he said smiling.

“I don’t want you to have to leave your party to drive me home, I can order an uber” I said smiling.

“Trust me Brock can handle the party, I’d rather drive you to make sure you get home same, than staying here”

“then I’ll take that drive” I said smiling.

“come on” he said leading me to the door.

We got in his car and we made our way to my apartment, thankfully it’s not far away.

The car ride was quiet, but it was a comfortable, the music was playing softly in the background.

When we got to my apartment building Matthew followed me to my door to make sure I got there safe.

Once we got to my door I turned around and smiled at Matthew.

“Thank you for saving me tonight, for driving me home and for walking me to my door” I said smiling

“It’s no problem… can I kiss you” he said and I smiled

“Yes, you can” I said smiling.

He put his hand on my cheek, leaned forward, and kissed me. I kissed him instantly, our lips moved in sync.

We pulled away both smiling like crazy.

“Do you want to come in?”

[teaspoon-of-salt]

Xiong was born in 1973 in Phab Kheb, Laos, one of 11 children in a family that fled the country in 1975 and spent four years in a refugee camp in Thailand before emigrating to the United States, according to Sahan Journal. He grew up in St. Paul and was valedictorian of his class at Humboldt High School in 1992.

Xiong graduated with a political science degree from Carleton College in Northfield in 1996 and began traveling around the country as a motivational speaker, storyteller and rap artist, billing himself as the country's first Hmong comedian.

Xiong helped organize the first Hmong Minnesota Day at the Minnesota State Fair in 2015, and was named a Bush Fellow in 2019 to earn a master's degree in public affairs.

With Xiong's death, the Hmong American community in the Twin Cities has lost a true leader, "consummate organizer and cultural interpreter," said longtime friend Pakou Hang. In his presentations and writings, she said, Xiong was a teacher who tried to show people how to be kind, generous and do the right thing.

Xiong connected people across generational, cultural and political lines who traveled the United States to speak at schools, colleges and businesses, Hang said. As a friend, he could inspire laughter in every conversation, she said.

[Rest of article under cut.]

A highly regarded Hmong American activist, speaker and comedian from the Twin Cities was found dead Monday in Medellín, Colombia, after kidnappers demanded $2,000 in ransom from his family.

Tou Ger Xiong, 50, was killed while on a vacation to Medellín. His brother, Eh Xiong, confirmed his death Tuesday morning on Facebook.

"The pain of his loss is indescribable. We extend our deepest gratitude to all who have offered their condolences, thoughts, and prayers," Xiong's family wrote in the Facebook statement.

Xiong, who lived in Woodbury, was kidnapped Sunday after a date with a woman he met on social media, according to the Colombian newspaper El Colombiano.

A group of men contacted his family demanding $2,000 — the equivalent of $8 million in Colombian pesos — and killed him a day later without collecting the money.

Three American tourists, including Xiong, have been murdered in the last month, El Colombiano reported.

Kidnappings in Colombia are on the rise, according to authorities. In the first few months of 2022, 35 people were abducted in the country, and that figure is more than double this year for the same period.

Early last month, the father of a Colombian soccer star was freed after he was held for around a week by a guerrilla group.

[The excerpt above came from here.]

Former state Sen. Mee Moua of St. Paul, for whom Xiong worked as a volunteer coordinator in her successful 2002 campaign, said in a statement that she was "weighed down with grief for my friend," and called Xiong "a one-of-a-kind modern-day hero."

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-St. Paul wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Xiong's death was "devastating news" and that his work as a comedian and activist "touched many lives in the Twin Cities and beyond."

Hang said Xiong would perform skits based on his own stories growing up as a refugee and other lessons from the larger Hmong community. She recalled him bringing older Hmong women onto the stage to demonstrate how they would pick corn or fetch water as children, setting it to music and transforming it into a dance.

Xiong sought to connect first-generation Hmong American kids with classmates of other races, and strengthened intergenerational relationships with their families by making them proud to be Hmong, she said.

Xiong and Hang worked together on many community causes, including the formation of the Coalition for Community Relations, a group that traveled to rural Wisconsin from the Twin Cities in 2004 to "bear witness" at the trial of Chai Soua Vang, a Hmong American man eventually convicted for killing six hunters.

"We're not here to defend Chai," Xiong told the Star Tribune at the time. "We're coming together to accentuate the positives in the Hmong community."

Xiong also brought media attention to a hunger strike in Northern California in 2021 after a Hmong cannabis farmer was killed by police, Hang said. He flew to California to lead a march and gather stories. Discriminatory ordinances passed by Siskiyou County were later ruled unlawful.

"We don't have anyone else in the community like that," Hang said.

[layce2015]

Supernatural (Dean Winchester x Female!Reader)

Jump The Shark

Masterlist pt 1

Masterlist pt 2

Sam was leaning against the hood of the Impala, brushing his teeth, and I leaning against the side of Impala, looking out at the lake we had parked next to. Dean was lying across the front seat, head and shoulders up against the door. I rubbed my eyes and let out a yawn, I hadn't really slept well the last few days as these damn dreams of a white light and a figure of a person keeps appearing in it and the sound of a high pitch ring which startles me awake.

I don't know what these dreams mean but I would love for them to stop so that I could get some damn sleep.

Then I heard something move and I turn around and see Dean waking up then he goes to open the door. I moved aside as Dean nearly dumps himself on the ground. "Hey. How'd you sleep?" I asked him as he climbs out of the car. "How do you think?" he grumbles as he gets up on his feet.

"I'm starving. Let's get breakfast." Dean said. "Where? We're like two hours from anything." Sam said. "But I'm hungry now." Dean whines as he comes around to the front of the car.

"There's probably still a sandwich in the back seat." I said as I turn to the back driver's side door and reach through the open window. I pull out a paper bag and look inside of it. "Um...how do you feel about tuna?" I asked him as I turn to look at him. He scrunched up his face, in disgust, at this and I shrug at him.

Then a phone rings inside the car. I toss the bag back into the back seat and puts my hands to my jeans pockets, Sam spits out toothpaste foam. Dean leans in through the front window and rummages in the glove compartment, pulling out the ringing phone, hitting his head on the roof as he tries to get out.

"Isn't that Dad's phone?" Sam asked as Dean looks at it. He flips the phone open, presses a button, and puts it to his ear. "Hello? He can't come to the phone. Can I help you?" Dean said and Sam and I look over at him.

"Well, sorry to be the one to break this to you, pal, but John died more than two years ago." Dean said and there was a bit of silence before he asked. "Who is this?"

Then his face turns into shock and confusion. "Dean?" I asked, worried, but he doesn't move or say anything.

Windom, Minnesota

We park next to Cousin Oliver's Hilltop Cafe then the boys and I get out of the car. "Dean, look, best I can tell, Adam Milligan is real." Sam said Dean unlocks and opens the trunk, then the weapons box. Apparently, the guy Dean talked to on the phone claims to be John's son, Adam, which, of course, shocked and confused both me and Sam.

Sam, who dug up information on Adam, pulls out a folder and reads a paper. "Um, born September twenty-ninth, 1990 to Kate Milligan. No father listed on the birth certificate. He's an Eagle Scout." Sam reads while Dean pulls assorted weapons out of the trunk, including Ruby's knife. "Graduated from high school with honors and currently goes to the University of Wisconsin—biology major, pre-med." Sam said and I give an impressed look.

"Wow, impressive." I said while Dean closes the weapons box. "Dean? You listening?" I asked him. "This is a trap." he mutters then he closes the trunk and heads past me and Sam, who closes the folder.

The boys and I enter the diner with a bell ringing at the door. There's a man at the counter, a waitress serving a burger, a couple other customers sitting nearby. The boys and I scan the diner until I noticed an empty table in a corner with four chairs.

Dean and Sam sit in the two chairs on one side of the table, and I sit on the other side, across from Sam, ensuring that Adam will sit in the last chair. Sam thumps John's journal and the folder on the table. "Dean, I'm telling you, the kid checks out." Sam said. "Great, so he's an actual person on the planet Earth. Sucks he's got a demon in him." Dean grumbles as a waitress approaches the table with menus and glasses of water; she gives us each a glass.

"Hi. Welcome to Cousin Oliver's." she greets, smiling. "Thanks." Sam and I said to her. "Can I—" the waitress started to say but Dean talks over her. "We're actually waiting on somebody." he said, quickly. Annoyed, the waitress slaps down a menu in front of us.

"Thank you—" I said, giving her an apologetic look, as Sam picks up his menu long enough to slap it down. Dean takes his glass and pours it into the potted plant behind him. "What are you—" Sam started to ask as Dean puts the glass between his knees and pulls out a flask, unscrewing the top.

"Holy water?" I asked. "Yup." he said as, under the table, he fills the glass with water from the flask. "One sip of Jesus juice, this evil bitch is gonna be in a world of hurt." he said then he places the glass in front of the fourth place at the table. "And what if he's not possessed?" I asked as Dean pulls out a felt-wrapped package and undoes it.

"Then he is a shapeshifter." Dean said as he sets silver cutlery in front of the last seat, removing the silverware already there and dropping it on the floor. "Hence the silver." Sam said and he moves the journal on top of the menu. "Look, either way, this thing is gonna bleed. I mean, using Dad as bait? That's the last mistake of its short, pitiful life." Dean said and Sam frowns at him.

"What?" Dean asked him and Sam looks away. "Sam, what's wrong?" I asked him. "There's an entry in Dad's journal." Sam said as he flips through the journal. "From January of 1990, saying he's headed to Minnesota to check out a case. That's, roughly, oh, about nine months before the kid was born." Sam explained. "Coincidence." Dean dismissed.

"Coincidence. Next two pages of the journal—torn out." Sam said and he indicates the remains of the pages; these must have been deliberately left, because the journal is clearly a three-ring add-and-remove-pages type. I furrow my brow at this. "Huh...interesting..." I muttered. "You're not actually buying this, are you?" Dean asked me.

"I'm just saying it's a bit odd and interesting a few pages are missing out of his journal." I said. "Look, man, I don't want to believe it either, I'm just saying it's possible." Sam said as he closes the journal and picks it up, waving it. "I mean, Dad would be gone for weeks at a time, and he wasn't exactly a monk." he said as he puts the journal away.

"I mean, a hunter rolls into town, kills a monster, saves the girl...sometimes the girl's grateful." Sam said. "Well, now I’m thinking about Dad sex. Stop talking." Dean said. "Maybe he slipped one past the goalie." Sam said and Dean jumps q bit at this. "Dude!" he exclaims as I set my menu aside. "And suddenly, I ain't hungry..." I said as the door chimes.

Sam looks up, then me and Dean, and we see a young man with short blond hair enter as he looks around. "Adam?" Sam calls out and Adam looks over as Sam raises a hand. "You Sam?" Adam asked as he walks over to us. "Yeah. Uh, this is Dean." Sam said as he gestures to Dean then he gestures to me. "And this is (y/n), Dean's girlfriend." He introduced and I give a small wave.

"Hey." Adam said as he sets his backpack on the floor next to the empty chair and takes the chair next to me. "So, um...how did you know my dad?" Adam asked us. "Uh, we worked together." Sam said and I notice Adam's facial expressions indicate confusion.

"How did he die?" Adam asked. "On the job." I replied. "He was a mechanic, right?" Adam asked. "A car fell on him." Sam said as the waitress comes up to the table, much friendlier. "Hey, Adam. How you doing?" she asked as she puts a glass of water in front of Adam. But Dean leans forward to take it, making me and Sam frown.

"Oh, I’ll take that. I am very thirsty." he said as he takes a sip. the waitress eyes Dean, displeased, and I face-palm and shake my head. "The usual, Adam?" the waitress asked him. "Uh, yeah. Thanks, Denise." Adam said and Denise leaves and Adam takes the glass of holy water.

The boys and J watch carefully as he drinks; nothing happens. Clearly, Adam is not possessed, or not by a demon less powerful than Azazel. Adam wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

"So, uh, when's the last time you saw John?" Sam asked him. "I don't even know. It's...a couple years." Adam replied. "Why did you decide to call him now?" I asked him. "I didn't know who else to call. He's the only family I got." he replied and I glance over and see Sam blinking at this.

"My mom's missing." Adam said. "Really? I'm sorry. Uh, for how long?" Sam asked. "It's tragic, really. But if you're John's kid, how come we've never heard of you?" Dean said, interjecting Sam. "'Cause John and me didn't really know each other. Not until a few years ago, anyway." Adam replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. "My mom never talked about him. I knew some stuff." Adam said. "What kind of stuff?" Dean asked him. "My mom's a nurse, and Dad came into the ER, pretty torn up. Hunting accident or something. And I knew his name. John Winchester. That's about it. We're not exactly a nuclear family." Adam said, shrugging. "Yeah, well, who is these days?" Sam chuckles.

"So, when did you, uh, when did you finally meet him?" Dean asked Adam. "When I was twelve. My mom had one of his old numbers, and—and after I begged her—God, twenty-four-seven—she finally called him. God, when John heard he had a son, he raced to town. I mean, he dropped everything. He drove all night." Adam explains as Denise puts a plate in front of him. "There you go." she said and Adam looks up at her. "Thanks." he said. "Well, that's heartwarming." Dean grumbles then Adam indicates his food.

"You mind?" He asked as he looks around at us. "Please, dig in." Dean said and Adam takes the napkin out from under the silverware without touching the silverware and spreads the napkin on his lap. "He would swing by once a year or so." Adam continued as he picks up the knife and fork; nothing happens. So Adam is not a shapeshifter, nor anything else that reacts on contact with silver. I glance at the boys and see Dean glancing away.

"You know, called when he could. But still..." Adam said as he takes a bite. "He taught me poker and pool and even bought me my first beer when I was fifteen. And, uh...he showed me how to drive. Dad, he had this beautiful 'sixty-seven Impala—" he goes on then it seemed Dean was fed up.

"Oh, this is crap. You know what, you're lying." Dean said and Adam seems startled by this. "No, I’m not." Adam said. "Uh, yeah, you are." Dean accused. "I'm sorry, but who the hell are you to call me a liar?" Adam asked. "We're John Winchester’s sons, that's who." Dean yells as he indicates himself and Sam. "We are his sons." Dean said and Adam stares between the boys.

"I've got brothers?" He asked, shocked. "No, you don't have brothers. Look, man, I don't know if you're a hunter or what kind of game you're playing here." Dean said. "Dean!" I said, warningly. "I have never been hunting in my life." Adam said. "Whatever. I'm out of here. Come on, guys." Dean said and he gets up and goes to leave. "I can prove it." Adam said and we turn to him.

Adam brings us to his home and shows us some pictures. Dean holds up a framed picture of Adam and John, who was wearing a baseball cap. The boys and I examine the picture. "He took you to a baseball game?" Dean asked, disbelieving. "Yeah, when I turned fourteen. Dad was around for a few of my birthdays." Adam said while Sam holds John's journal then opens to a page he reads from. "September twenty-ninth, two thousand four. One word. Minnesota." He said but Dean was still dumbfounded by the picture.

"He took you to a freakin' baseball game?" He said, his voice rising a bit. "Yeah. Why? What'd Dad do with you on your birthday?" Adam asked as he takes the picture back. "Dean..." I whispered to him and he looks at me, frowns then looks away from me as Adam looks between us.

"Adam, you said you called Dad because your mom was missing." Sam said. "Yeah." Adam replied. "How long has she been gone?" asked Sam. "Three days." Adam said. "Who was the last person to see her?" I asked him. "Mr. Abbinanti, our neighbor. He saw her come home Tuesday night, but she never showed up to work on Wednesday." Adam said while I see another picture, this one of John hugging who I assume is Adam's mom. 

"Did you call the police?" Sam asked Adam. "Mom's supervisor at the hospital did. And then I drove down here as fast as I could." He replied then he pauses. "I should have been here." he said.

"What'd the, uh, what'd the cops say?" Dean asked. "That they, uh, they searched the house. They didn't find anything. She wouldn't leave without telling anybody. It's like she just dropped off the face of the earth, you know?" Adam replied.

Adam takes me and Dean up to his mom's room and Dean shifts her dresser. I noticed a picture of John and Adam's mother and a younger Adam. "The, uh, nightstand was knocked over. Was there anything else?" Dean asked Adam as he sets the dresser back. "Oh, not really. The sheriff said there's no sign of a break-in." Adam explains.

"What, you think the cops missed something?" he asked us as Dean and I looked around. "Maybe. Yeah. They don't have my eyes." Dean said. "You're a mechanic." Adam said. "Yeah. That's right." Dean said as I look around the room

"Dean, what else can you tell me about Dad?" Adam asked Dean. "You knew him." Dean replied. "Not as well as you." Adam said and Dean turns to him. "Trust me, kid, you don't want to know." he said as Sam appears at the door, holding up a handful of papers.

"Give us a minute." I said to Adam as I take Dean's arm and we leave the room. The boys and I walk away from the room and I turn to Sam.

"You talk to the cops?" I asked him. "Yeah. Like Adam said, no leads on his mom." Sam said. "Shocker there." Dean mutters. "But I did find this." Sam said as he goes through papers till he finds a copy of the Windom Gazette. "Um...here. In nineteen ninety, there were seventeen grave robberies in Windom." Sam said.

"You think that's why Dad came through here?" Dean asked. "I'd say so. Check it out." Sam said and he points at the photo accompanying the article. Dean and I take a closer look and see John is in the background of the photo.

"All right, so he was hunting something. What?" Dean asked. "No idea. Those were the pages he threw out of the journal. But last month, the corpse snatching started up again. Three bodies from the local cemetery." Sam said. "So whatever he was after, he didn't kill it. It's back." I said. "And, what, it's stepped up its game to fresh meat? I mean, Kate's missing, and, uh—" Sam said as he goes to the next paper. This one's a copy of a photo of a man in large black glasses, Joe Barton.

"So is a local bartender—a guy named Joe Barton." Sam said and Dean takes the photo.

We walked back into the bedroom and see Adam sitting on the bed. Dean holds up the photo of Barton. "Hey, does your mom know Joe Barton?" Dean asked him. "Uh, I don't think so. Why?" Adam asked and Dean looks back over at me and Sam then back at Adam.

Then he goes over next to Adam and kneels down to the floor. "What is it?" Adam asked. "Watch out." Dean said and he flips up the edge of the comforter and looks under the bed, then gets up.

"Give me a hand with the mattress." He said as he tosses the pillows aside and, with Adam's help, moves the mattress off the bedframe. Under the bed is a vent large enough to fit someone through. Sam and I look at it then we all share a look. The boys raise their fists for rock-paper-scissors. 

"Oh Lord, here..." I said and I make my way to the vent, pull out my small flashlight and shines it around it then slide inside. There is a T-junction at the end of the duct I'm in, there I see lots of blood.

I crawl a bit further; to one side is another vent cover, undisturbed. I have a pistol in my other hand, which I point around the corner before I lean around myself. There is a large amount of blood and bits of flesh or bone in the duct. "My God..." I whispered.

Later, we were in the motel room, Dean cleans a shotgun and I was sitting on the bed while Sam was sitting by a desk. There was a knock at the door and Sam goes over to it and opens it. "Who the hell are you?" Adam asked as he enters the room.

"Adam, hey." Sam said as he closes the door behind Adam. Dean flips a cloth over the shotgun. "Take it easy." Sam said to Adam. "No, don't tell me to take it easy, okay? My house is a crime scene, my mom's probably dead, and you three—well, you tell me to call the cops, but you got to bail before they show? So, who are you really?" Adam asked but we stay quiet.

"Cops didn't know where to look for my mom, Dean, but you did. And I heard you talking earlier—something about grave robberies." Adam accused and his eyes goes over to the shotgun that was poking out from the cloth. "You're not mechanics. I just want to know what's going on." Adam said but we stay quiet.

"Please." Adam pleads and the boys and I share a look before Sam says. "We're hunters."

"Sammy!" Dean yells. "He deserves to know, Dean." I said to him while Adam looks at us, confused. "What do you mean, 'hunters'?" he asked and Dean shakes his head while Sam goes onto explain.

"Okay, so...basically, you're saying that every movie monster, every nightmare that I’ve ever had, that's all real?" Adam asked. "Godzilla's just a movie." Dean said. "We hunt them. So did Dad." Sam said and Adam nods. "Okay." He said and I was taken aback by his reaction.

"Okay? That's it?" Dean asked. "What am I supposed to say?" Adam said, shrugging. "That we're liars, that we're crazy. Nobody just says okay." Dean said. "Well, you two are my brothers. You're telling me the truth, right?" Adam said. "Yeah." Dean mutters. "Then I believe you. Now, what took my mom?" Adam asked us.

"We're not sure. Something's in town stealing bodies, living and dead, but we don't know what." I said. "There's a long list of freaks that fit the bill." Dean said. "You think maybe she might still be alive?" Adam asked but Dean, Sam and I look down.

"Oh. How can I help?" Adam asked. "You can't." Dean said. "This thing killed my mom. If you're hunting it, I want in." Adam said. "No." Dean said, firmly. "Dean, look, maybe—" Sam said. "Maybe what?" Dean asked him. "He lost his mother. Maybe we can understand what that feels like." Sam said.

"Why do you think Dad never told us about this kid, Sam? Huh? Why do you think he ripped out the pages?" Dean asked. "Because—" Sam started to say but Dean talks over him. "Because he was protecting him!"

"Dad's dead, Dean." Sam said. "That doesn't matter! He didn't want Adam to have our lives, okay? And we are gonna respect his wishes." Dean yells.

"Do I get a say in this?" Adam asked. "No!" both boys said while I face-palmed at this. Dean grabs my arm and starts to lead me towards the door. "Babysit the kid." Dean tells Sam.

"Where are you two going?" Sam asked. I shrug while Dean grabs his jacket. "We're going out!" Dean yelled and leads me out the door and shuts the door behind us. "Was that really necessary, Dean?" I asked as we go over to the Impala. "Look, I just needed to get out or I was gonna punch Sam." Dean growls. I nodded. “Yeah, that wouldn’t have been great.” I muttered.

“Can you believe him? He knows how tough this life is. Hell, it’s why he and Dad fought so much to begin with! Now he wants to drag Adam into it?” Dean asked angrily. “I don’t think he’s entirely wrong Dean.” I said. “What?” Dean asked turning to me, sharply. “I understand where you’re both coming from but come on, Dean. You know how dangerous the world really is.” I replied.

“Yeah and that’s exactly why I don’t want him a part of it!” Dean yelled and I held up my hands trying to keep him calm. “I know and I’m not saying Adam has to become a full-fledged hunter, but he needs knows how protect himself from what’s out there.” I said. “If we teach him, it’s only going to make him want to go down that path even more.” Dean growled. “He’s going to be tempted regardless. I hate to say it but revenge kind of runs in your family. At least he can be taught right.” I argued.

Dean turn away, shaking his head. “I just think…” He mumbled, looking down. “Think what?” I asked, Dean sighs and turns back to look at me. “I think Adam has a chance that we never had. He can live on a normal life, (y/n). It isn’t right for us to make him throw that away.” He said pointing back towards the motel room.

“We’re not making him do anything.” I argued. “Yeah well, it sure feels like it.” Dean muttered turning his head to look at the motel room. I stared at Dean, trying to think of what else to say. 

“Come on, we need to get going.” Dean said before I can make up my mind. He turns and opens the driver’s side door. “Where exactly are we going?” I asked walking around the car to the passenger side. “We’re gonna look into something.” Dean replied.

"This tomb was built in 1926. Four generations of the Millsap family were interred here." the cemetery director said as he escorts me and Dean, both of us wearing suits. "They don't build 'em like this anymore." Dean said. "Tell me, Agent Nugent and Jett, have either of you thought about where you two might like to spend eternity?" The director asked us and Dean hesitates. "All the damn time." I replied and Dean nods before he looks around the tomb.

"So, three bodies went missing. Any idea who did it?" he asked. "Hooligans. Sick, deranged hooligans." the director growls while I noticed something spilled on the side of the tomb. I touch it, smell it, and recoil. "This isn't blood. What is this?" I asked. "No, it's embalming fluid. Whoever committed this crime didn't just take the corpses. They opened them up." the director said and I look at him.

Dean and I take a couple of seats at the empty bar and Dean unfolds the papers he's carrying. "First beer's on the house for cops. Feds too." The bartender said as she fills our glass with beer. "Are we that obvious?" I asked her. "I know all the local badges." she said as she sets the glasses in front of us. "And you two got that...Law & Order vibe." she said and she picks up a cloth and starts drying another glass.

"So, what's the FBI doing in Windom?" she asked us. "Looking into the disappearance of Joe Barton." Dean replied as he slides the photo of Joe across the bar. I noticed that the bartender looked stricken as she stares at Joe's picture.

"I assume you knew him?" I asked her. "A little. I'm his wife. Lisa." She replied. "Well, Lisa, what can you tell us about his disappearance?" Dean asked her. "Same thing I told the sheriff. He stayed late Friday before last to do inventory. Never came home." Lisa replied as Dean and I take our glass of beer.

"And the police?" I asked her. "Nothing. Truth is, I was scared they stopped looking. But now you're here." she said as I look at the photos behind the bar and noticed one of the pictures was of Joe in a police uniform.

"Joe was a cop?" I asked her, nodding towards the picture.  "Deputy. For a little while. That was a looong time ago." She replied. "He didn't happen to work the, uh, the grave robbery case, back in 'ninety?" Dean asked. "He did. Yeah. Joe was the one who found those bodies. He got an award for that." said Lisa. "That was an interesting case." Dean said.

"He ever tell you how he did it?" I asked Lisa. "Most of the time, he said good, solid police work. But after a few beers, he'd admit he had a little help." Lisa replied. "From who?" Dean and I asked. "A 'specialist'. That's all he'd say." She said.

"Cops ever find the guy that stole the bodies?" Dean asked, nodding towards the newspaper article about the missing bodies. "No. But when I asked Joe about it, he'd say not to worry—that we took care of what done it." She said and Dean and I share a look.

We pull up to the motel and see Adam standing at the passenger side of his truck while Sam was on the driver's side and was actually being pulled under the truck by something. "Dean, (y/n), help!" Adam yells and I run out of the Impala and Adam and I grab Sam's arms and pull him free.

Dean comes out of the Impala, grabs a shotgun that either Adam or Sam dropped then fires, a bit of blood appears on the side of the truck. I look down at Sam, who looks at Adam as Adam flops onto the ground.

Dean backs Adam's truck out of the parking spot to see he had parked right over a sewer grate, which is half open. He gets out of the truck and approaches the grate, aiming the shotgun, while Sam and I were leaning on the hood of the Impala. "I winged it. Did you see anything?" Dean asked Sam after he stands up and comes over to him. "I didn't get a good look." Sam replied.

"What the hell is this thing?" I asked, desperately. "Why—who—should we go after it?" Adam asked us. "No, no." Dean said. "In that maze? That thing's long gone." I pointed out. "All right, so, we don't know what it is, but we do know who it's going after. Joe Barton, Adam's mom—" Sam said. "And Adam. It was under his truck, just waiting for him." Dean added. "It set a trap, and I walked right into it." Sam grumbles.

"Doesn't matter. You're right—there's a pattern. Joe Barton was a cop. I'm pretty sure he helped out Dad. So we've got him, Dad's girl, and his son." Dean said. "All the people Dad knew in town." said Sam.

"At least we know why it's back." I said. "It wants revenge." Adam said and we all look at him.

"Grab your stuff. We'll hit the road." Dean tells Adam after we get into his house. Adam flips on the lights and heads upstairs while Sam sits at the kitchen table. "We shouldn't leave." he says as he thumps his injured ankle on another chair. "Here, let me look at it." I said to Sam as I grab the first aid kit we brought in and go to the chair.

"Yeah, let's stay here, where the kid's mom got ganked. Good one." Dean said, sarcastically, as Sam raises his leg and I sit on the chair and he places his ankle on my lap and I start to clean his wound. "I'm serious." Sam said. "No, Sam, we're gonna take the kid, we're gonna drop him off at Bobby's, and then you, me and (y/n) are gonna come back here and finish what Dad started." Dean said, firmly.

"How? We got no leads, no witnesses. We do have what this thing wants." Sam said and I stop cleaning his wound and grabbed the bandages and furrow my brow at Sam. "You want to use the kid as bait? That's why you want to stay here?" I asked him. "Maybe this thing will come back. We could train Adam—get him ready." Sam said as I bandage up his ankle.

"He could die, Sam." Dean yells. "We could all die, Dean. Even if we do kill this thing, there are tons of other freaks that want revenge, on Dad, on us. What if they find the kid instead and he's not ready?" Sam asked as Adam returns, backpack over one shoulder.

"I'll do it. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. I want to do it." he said and Dean looks at Sam then me then over at Adam.

We made our way to a field and Sam was teaching Adam how to fire a gun while Dean and I were leaning against the Impala. Dean was watching on, looking upset, and I look over at him. "This is so stupid." Dean grumbles. "He's gonna get himself killed."

"Dean..." I said, exasperated. "(Y/n), please don't argue with me. You know what I'm saying is right." He said and I sighed. "Look, I don't want Adam in danger either but...he should at least learn how to protect himself. I mean, what if a demon or any monsters we've fought find out about Adam? You know that they would love to jump at the opportunity to go after a son of John Winchester, especially one that can't defend itself." I explained as three gunshots sounds out as Adam had hit this sign he and Sam used for shooting practice.

Dean turns his head away from me as Adam and Sam talk then Sam claps Adam on the back. Dean sighs and shakes his head slightly. 

"So, then we lit it on fire." Sam explains to Adam as we sit at Adam's house. Sam had spread out alot of books to Adam and they were looking through it. "With a homemade flamethrower?" Adam asked Sam. "Yeah. They're easy to build. I'll show you." Sam replied. "That is some job you got, man." Adam said, a bit impressed.

"Being a hunter isn't a job, Adam. It's life. You're pre-med. You got a girlfriend, friends?" Sam said, questioning, and Adam nods. "Not anymore you don't. If you're really gonna do this, you can't have those kinds of connections, ever. They're weaknesses. You'll just put those people in danger, get them killed." Sam explained while Dean looks away and I place my hand over his as we sit at the nearby table.

"That's the price we pay. You cut 'em out, and you don't look back. There's only one thing you can count on. Family." Sam continued. "Sam." Dean said and Sam looks over at him.

"Can I talk to you?" Dean as he gets up and goes over by the stairs, Sam follows him, leaving me alone with Adam. I look over at him and give a small smile. "They always argue?" Adam asked me and I let out a humorless laugh. "You have no idea." I respond. "Sometimes, I always have to get into the middle of them and stop them from trying to kill each other."

"Oh, so you're like some peacemaker?" He asked and I laugh alittle. "Something like that." I said. "So...how did you get involved with them?" Adam asked me. "I've known them all my life. My father and John had been partners from time to time until my father died. Then a few years ago, I teamed up with them." I said and Adam nods.

"Well...Sam called you Dean's girlfriend, is that true?" Adam asked me. "Yeah, it is." I said but then Sam comes up, annoyed. "Everything okay? Where's Dean?" I asked. "He just walked out. Can you go with him?" Sam asked and I sighed. "Yeah...I'll go babysit your brother." I said as I get up and walk out of the house just as Dean gets into the Impala.

"Wait up!" I called out and get into the passenger seat. "Babysitter (y/n) is here!" I said, sarcasm, and Dean rolls his eyes. "He asked you to come with me." He grumbles. "Yep...so where we going?" I asked him. "Gonna find what is hunting Adam." Dean replied as he starts up the Impala and we take off.

We .are our way into the cemetery and Dean opens the tomb. I turn on a flashlight and shine it around until I spot a loose stone. "Dean." I said as I pointed it out and Dean works it out of the wall with a crowbar, behind it there was a tunnel behind it. I shine the light along the tunnel. "Great." He groans and he crawls in and I follow.

At the far end of the tunnel is another room and I shine my light around. "Home sweet home." Dean said, snarkily, then we heard a noise on our feet. We looked down and saw a lot of blood that is next to a severed arm and a pair of large black glasses. Dean picks those up and looks at them.

"Sloppy Joe." he remarks and I make a noise of disgust. "Dean, don't ruin Sloppy Joe for me." I said then we hear something in the tunnel and Dean fires several times. The tunnel collapses.

"Oh, son of a bitch!" Dean yells and I try to make a call but no signal. "Damn it." I said and I turn to Dean. "No signal." I said and Dean growls. Then he kicks at the door out of the tomb, it remains sealed. I go to explore, pushing a skeleton out of the way with my foot and noticed that there is a sealed coffin with relatively fresh blood on the outside.

I open the coffin and gasped as I see that it is Kate Milligan, Adam's mother...well most of her as it seemed she had been eaten on. "Dean!" I said and he comes over to me and sees what I found. He goes and opens another coffin, this one has the corpse of Adam. "What the hell?!" I exclaimed while Dean puts a hand to Adam's mouth; there's quite a lot of blood. Both of us share a look of worry and fear. "Sam..." both of us said, fearfully.

"We got to get the hell outta here." Dean mutters. "Gee, you think?" I said, sarcastically, and we began to look around. Dean looks up then pats my shoulder and pointed up, where a stained-glass window was over us.

Dean breaks a long piece of metal off one of the coffins and tries to use it to pry the door open. It doesn't work. "Holy crap." he mutters then he and I go to stack one coffin on another, then stand on them, and use the metal bar to smash through the stained-glass window. Dean grabs the edge of the window and swings himself out then he turns around holds his hand out and helps me out.

We make our way back to Adam's house then enter inside of it and see Adam and Kate had tied Sam down on the table. "Hey!" Dean shouts as he aims his shotgun, fires and Adam hits the wall, a hole through his shoulder.

"Guys, they're ghouls!" Sam shouts and Dean pauses while Kate goes to charge at us. Anger filled my chest just as I raise my hand and she stops in mid-charge then I clench my hand, slowly, and she starts to choke. "Which means head-shot." Dean said and he goes to fight Adam.

Then I wave my hand and fling Kate off to the side. She lands and rolls on the floor while I grab a knife then I get on top of her and start to stab her in the head several times. She stops moving and I let out a breath while I hear a noise nearby. I turn my head to see Dean beating Adam's head in with a metal bar.

"Guys!" Sam said and Dean and I go over to Sam and we cut through the ropes and duct tape. I grab a couple towels on the way as I see that he has some cuts on his arms and a stab wound on his side. We help Sam sit up and I use the towels as pressure bandages. "Come on. Come on. Come on. Hang on." I murmur to Sam as I hold the towels to his wound.

"All right, here we go. Here we go. Hang on, buddy. All right." Dean mutters. "Thank you." Sam said, relieved. "That's what family's for, right?" Dean asked and Sam looks at him. "Keep pressure on that." I tell Sam and he holds it.

"You sure we should do this?" Sam asked after we wrapped Adam's body in sheets and laid it on a pyre. "Ghouls didn't fake those pictures. They didn't fake Dad's journal." Dean said as he opens a bottle of lighter fluid then sprinkles it over Adam.

"Adam was our brother. He died like a hunter. He deserves to go out like one." Dean said. "Maybe we can bring him back. Get a hold of Cas, call in a favor." I suggested but Dean shakes his head. "No, Adam's in a better place." he said and he lights a match and tosses it on the pyre, Adam's body goes up in flames.

"You know, I finally get why you and Dad butted heads so much. You two were practically the same person." Dean said to Sam. "I mean, I worshipped the guy, you know? I dressed like him, I acted like him, I listen to the same music. But you were more like him than I will ever be. And I see that now." Dean said as Sam looks at him, his brow furrowed a bit.

"I'll take that as a compliment." he said. "You take it any way you want." Dean said and we all watch Adam's body go up in flames and I take Dean's hand in mine, and I feel his hand squeezing mine.

@rach5ive @kitsun369 @itzabbyxx @cevans-winchester @ellie-andthemachine

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

🌿They're here! 🐢

I finished up the first three state posters and you can get Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in my ko-fi shop now!

They come in 12 x 18 or 20 x 30, and start at $15.

It was hard to pick what should go on each with limited space. More states/regions to come!

I've also added my fox and owl screenprinted tees to the shop. While I've used other, cheaper shirts at Gesshoku in the past, I really want to start using all organic. Recently I like the weight and durability of econscious brand, so I am using those for all the shirts on this shop (subject to change if I find something better!)

(P.S. Look forward to more—I have a Volcano Rabbit design floating around in my head that absolutely needs to be made.😈)

If anyone's interested, I posted a behind-the-scenes of my screenprinting process last year.

💜Please reblog to support artists! 💜

[leaping-laelaps-art]

Conulariids are an extinct group of probable cnidarians with 4-sided pyramidal thecae. They are relatively uncommon fossils but ranged from the Cambrian (possibly Ediacaran?) to the Triassic, comprising tens of genera and hundreds of described species (Lucas 2012).

Here are the reconstructed thecae of a small selection of species from every period of the conulariids' range, starting from the Cambrian in the top left and reaching all the way to the Triassic in the bottom right.

Since their soft parts are virtually never preserved (due to them being cnidarians and all that) (Van Iten & Südkamp 2010), most of our knowledge of conulariid biology and evolution is based on their more fossil-friendly thecae, which were composed of thin organophosphatic lamellae (Leme et al. 2008). Live conulariids were attached to the substrate by the apex of their theca; they probably captured suspended food particles or small prey using tentacles, just like other cnidarians, but it's hard to go in any more (non-speculative) detail without preserved soft tissues.

References:

Babcock, L. E. (1986). Devonian and Mississippian conulariids of North America. Part B. Paraconularia, Reticulaconularia, new genus, and organisms rejected from Conulariida. Annals of the Carnegie Museum, 55, 411–479. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.215204

Guimarães Simões, M., Coelho Rodrigues, S., Moraes Leme, J. de, & Van Iten, H. (2003). Some Middle Paleozoic Conulariids (Cnidaria) as Possible Examples of Taphonomic Artifacts. Journal of Taphonomy, 1(3), 163–184.

Hughes, N. C., Gunderson, G. O., & Weedon, M. J. (2000). Late Cambrian Conulariids from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Journal of Paleontology, 74(5), 828–838. https://doi.org/10.1666/0022-3360(2000)074<;0828:LCCFWA>2.0.CO;2

John, D. L., Hughes, N. C., Galaviz, M. I., Gunderson, G. O., & Meyer, R. (2010). Unusually preserved Metaconularia manni (Roy, 1935) from the Silurian of Iowa, and the systematics of the genus. Journal of Paleontology, 84(1), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1666/09-025.1

Leme, J. M., Simões, M. G., Marques, A. C., & Van Iten, H. (2008). Cladistic Analysis of the Suborder Conulariina Miller and Gurley, 1896 (cnidaria, Scyphozoa; Vendian–Triassic). Palaeontology, 51(3), 649–662. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00775.x

Lucas, S. (2012). The Extinction of the Conulariids. Geosciences, 2, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences2010001

Sendino, C., & Zagorsek, K. (2011). The Aperture and Its Closure in an Ordovician Conulariid. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 56, 659–663. https://doi.org/10.4202/app.2010.0028

Slater, I. L. (1907). A monograph of British Conulariæ. Printed for the Palæontographical Society.

Thomas, G. A. (1969). Notoconularia, a New Conularid Genus from the Permian of Eastern Australia. Journal of Paleontology, 43(5), 1283–1290.

Van Iten, H., Konate, M., & Moussa, Y. (2008). Conulariids of the Upper Talak Formation (Mississipian, Visean) of Northern Niger (West Africa). Journal of Paleontology, 82(1), 192–196. https://doi.org/10.1666/06-083.1

Van Iten, H., Muir, L., Simões, M. G., Leme, J. M., Marques, A. C., & Yoder, N. (2016). Palaeobiogeography, palaeoecology and evolution of Lower Ordovician conulariids and Sphenothallus (Medusozoa, Cnidaria), with emphasis on the Fezouata Shale of southeastern Morocco. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 460, 170–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.03.008

Van Iten, H., & Südkamp, W. H. (2010). Exceptionally preserved conulariids and an edrioasteroid from the Hunsrück Slate (Lower Devonian, SW Germany). Palaeontology, 53(2), 403–414. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00942.x

Waterhouse, J. B. (1979). Permian and Triassic conulariid species from New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 9(4), 475–489. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.1979.10421833

敏郎杉山. (1942). 156. 日本産Conularidaの研究. 日本古生物学會報告・紀事, 1942(25), 185-194_1. https://doi.org/10.14825/prpsj1935.1942.185

[thegroovyarchives]

70′s/80′s/90′s Local Television Christmas/Happy Holidays/Season’s Greetings Station IDs/Bumpers Part 4 1. WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1986 2. WSNS-TV, Chicago, Illinois, 70′s 3. WCIX-TV, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, 1990 4. KVVU-TV, Henderson, Nevada, 1988 5. WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1985 6. WMAQ-TV, Chicago, Illinois, 1975 7. KBJR-TV, Superior, Wisconsin/Duluth, Minnesota, 1995 8. KXLY-TV, Spokane, Washington, 1984 9. WFTE-TV, Salem, Indiana/Louisville, Kentucky, 1996 10. KRBK-TV, Sacramento-Stockton, California, 1986 Part 1 (x) Part 2 (x) Part 3 (x)

[beardedmrbean]

In an Instagram story posted on Sunday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, blasted Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein as "predatory" due to her multiple runs for the White House while struggling to grow the third party at the grassroots level.

In 2016, Stein played kingmaker in several key battleground states. Her vote total was higher than Donald Trump's margin of victory in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan—prompting intense backlash from Democrats and political pundits. Not only was Stein widely condemned as a spoiler, but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was the Democratic nominee during the 2016 election, later accused her of being a "Russian asset."

Ocasio-Cortez accused Stein and the Green Party, which reached its current party status in 2001, for only putting its emphasis on presidential elections. To date, no Green Party candidate has ever held a federal office and only a handful have been elected as state legislators.

Ocasio-Cortez, responding to a question from an Instagram follower about Jill Stein's candidacy, said that "this is a little spicy, but I have thoughts."

"If you run for years in a row, and your party has not grown, has not added city council seats, down ballot seats and state electives, that's bad leadership. And that to me is what's upsetting," the congresswoman said about Stein.

Stein will be on the ballot in Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and West Virginia, according to Ballotpedia's most-recent update.

She will also be on the ballot in Montana, Utah, Nevada, Alaska, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Maine, Maryland and Missouri, Stein's campaign manager Jason Call previously told Newsweek.

Meanwhile, the Green Party is on the ballot in Mississippi, South Carolina and Hawaii.

The reason for why Stein is on the ballot in some states and the Green Party is on in others is because of ballot access procedures.

On its website, the Green Party states that "at least 144 [party members] hold elected office in 20 states across the United States as of February 15, 2024." The list includes Green Party members of local school, zoning and tax boards, as well as several city council members.

The New York Democrat said that Stein had been the Green Party's candidate for 12 years in a row. However, Howie Hawkins ran as the party's nominee in 2020.

"If you have been your party's nominee for 12 years in a row, and you cannot grow your movement, pretty much at all, and can't peruse any successful strategy...and all you do is show up every four years to speak to people who are justifiably pissed off, you're not serious. To me, it does not read as authentic, it reads as predatory. I'm sorry, I'm just saying it," Ocasio-Cortez said in her Instagram story.

She also asserted that she's not against third parties, overall, and that she has and will continue to endorse some third-party candidates, even against Democrats.

"What I have a problem with is, if you're running for president, you are the DeFacto leader of your party. I've been on record with criticisms of the two-party system. This is not about that," the congresswoman added.

A spokesperson for Stein referred Newsweek to the Green Party candidate's posts on X, formerly Twitter, in response to Ocasio-Cortez.

The Massachusetts native wrote in one post, "What's seriously predatory is pretending your candidate is 'working tirelessly for a ceasefire' [in Gaza] when in reality they're actively arming and funding genocide."

She wrote in a second post, "Democrats sue to kick us off ballots, hire operatives to infiltrate and sabotage us, lock us out of debates, fight ranked-choice voting, then act concerned that Greens have only won 1400 elections. So which party is authentic, and which is predatory?"

Newsweek emailed Ocasio-Cortez's office Sunday afternoon for comment.

The Democratic Party has gone through considerable legal efforts to challenge third parties from appearing on ballots.

Before independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump, Democratic-funded lawsuits had successfully removed him from the ballot in New York and had tried and failed to remove him in North Carolina and New Jersey.

On Monday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected an attempt by Democratic National Committee (DNC) official David Strange to knock Stein off the state's ballot this year.

Strange said that the Green Party should not be allowed to nominate presidential electors in Wisconsin because it does not have any state officeholders or legislative candidates to nominate these presidential electors. However, the court ruled that "the petitioner is not entitled to the relief he seeks."

Michael White, co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party, said the complaint was a "mark of fear by the Democratic Party."

In her 2017 book, What Happened, Clinton wrote: "So in each state, there were more than enough Stein voters to swing the result."

Nationally, Stein received 1 percent of the vote in 2016, just under 1.5 million votes. In the 2020 election between Trump and Joe Biden, the Green Party's candidate, Hawkins, only received 0.2 percent of the popular vote.

When asked recently by Newsweek if she feared a similar backlash after Trump's 2016 victory when Clinton and many in the Democratic Party blamed her for taking crucial votes in several battleground states, Stein said those "smear or fear campaigns by the parties of Wall Street have never stopped."

"The exit polls showed the vast majority of our votes in 2016 were non-voters," Stein said, stating it is nonsense to claim her party took votes away from Clinton. "That campaign has never stopped and doesn't influence my thinking. My thinking is on the climate catastrophe, economic hardships and stopping endless wars."

In addition to Stein, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris could also lose votes in key states to Cornel West, the "Justice for All Party" presidential candidate.

According to the Associated Press, a cohort of Republican strategists, attorneys, and supporters nationwide are striving to influence the upcoming November elections in a manner that potentially benefits Trump. Their objective is to bolster third-party candidates like West who present liberal voters with a different option that might divert support from Harris.

The funding source for this initiative remains ambiguous, but it holds substantial potential to alter outcomes in states that saw extremely narrow margins in the 2020 election won by Biden.

West's campaign has encouraged the effort. Last month, the academic told the AP that "American politics is highly gangster-like activity" and he "just wanted to get on that ballot."

Trump has offered praise for West, calling him "one of my favorite candidates." Of Stein, the former president favors her for the same reason.

"I like her very much. You know why? She takes 100 percent from them. He takes 100 percent," Trump has said.

[wytfut]

A huge hole is forming

I've been in the Excelsior Henderson game since pretty much the beginning. Around 1999. Although I didn't buy/own one until 2001.

The community although small is very strong and supports pretty much each of the members some how some way. My youtube channel is an example (which is not exactly successful). The club is another. Friendships of course. Inner networking. AND..... Atlantic EH.

Jamie and Marty Jones started Atlantic EH in Elkton Virginia shortly after the factory closed its doors. Jamie and Gary (Jumper) Houk both started buying parts off shelves from dealerships all across the right coast that were getting out of the EH business. With their own money no less. ....

Jamie, is a well experienced mechanic. European sports cars mechanic, Diesel mechanic, and heavy equipment mechanic. I'm going to say he probably had quite a few years working on motorcycles also before then.

Their business was a huge gamble. Only so many customers out there..... the number was way below 2000. At the time it wasn't an immediate success, but did well, as the east coast owners supported them whole heartily. Jamie working out of the attached 2 stall garage of their home.

Here in the flatlands.... I had heard of them... but didn't know much other than that. We were dealing 99% with Bobby (Xman) Baldwin, and a touch with John Jones in Minnesota.

Basically thru attrition, we started dealing with Atlantic EH, and never looked back.

Jamie/Marty made another huge step, an attached shop, virtually doubling the square footage of their home. Something that can handle many X's at one time. Jamie thought this shop out well, and it worked.

In all the years I connected with them, Jamie was never ever less than 6 X's in or around his shop waiting for his soft touch. He had no need for work. They didn't need to advertise, as the bikes rolled in.

They held annual parties at their home for ALL of their customers. I did get to make one of those, and never felt so welcomed by so many strangers.

It was a promise that when you called to order parts or ask questions, the phone call was going to be close to an hour every time. Many times more so. They wanted to know the weather, hows the family, hows your X, "are you doing good?".... If Jamie didn't have time to talk, you could email him. He'd do email every Sunday, with replies.

I had an issue with my X, that needed some special order parts out of Las Vegas.... that were expensive. Marty just sent them to me. Me being confused called her immediately to cipher what was going on. She told me, use what I needed of these parts, which she'd bill me, and send the rest back.... no charge. (time sert kit). WHAT?

I'm guessing by now, that all readers are picking up, I cannot praise these fine people enough, for everything they have done for our community. You are correct... I could write anecdotes for pages. ..

...............

Jamie found out last week.... he's pretty much full of cancer. Yes its terminal. The time line they are giving him is sooooooooo short. I'm besides myself, as there is nothing I can do for them from here. I have some good X friends that are much closer and doing everything they can to make this a smooth process.

Marty before this.... has been having her own personal battle with Alzhiemers, and Jamie has committed himself to helping her, and working on X's in between. Jamie officially retired as the "official" Super X mechanic 2 summers ago in the Wisconsin Dells.

And this huge hole is forming within our community. There will be other heros within our group, no doubt. But none will be equal to our first 25 years of the Jones.

Jamie.... I hope you get to read this. I can't get anymore real than this. And I stand by all of this. Gods speed my friend!!

[head-post]

Trump, Harris to debate on ABC

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris will debate on 10 September on ABC.

At a news conference at his residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump stated that he wanted to hold additional debates on 4 and 25 September, which would be broadcast on Fox and NBC. Harris responded to X that she is looking forward to the 10 September debate after Trump “finally committed.”

The Harris campaign has already opposed the Fox debate, saying the host network should be the one that sponsored both parties’ recent preliminary debates. The 10 September debate on ABC was supposed to be the second of two agreed upon between Biden and Trump, following their 27 June debate on CNN.

Thursday’s Palm Beach press conference was Trump’s first public appearance since Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as running mate on Tuesday. Harris and Walz have led rallies in the contested states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin this week, drawing tens of thousands of attendees.

Opinion polls showed Harris eroded Trump’s lead over Biden, with Democrats earning hundreds of millions of dollars from voters and big donors since she became the Democratic nominee.

Still, Trump complained that he would not be able to face Biden in the 5 November election, suggesting the president was the victim of a conspiracy to oust him from the top of the Democratic ticket. Biden abandoned his re-election bid under pressure from fellow Democrats concerned about his chances of winning after his poor debate performance against Trump.

Trump criticises Harris

Asked about Trump’s controversial comments last week that Harris, who is of Black and Indian descent, recently “happened to turn Black,” Trump said:

You’ll have to ask her that question, because she’s the one that said it, I didn’t say it. … To me it doesn’t matter. But to her, from her standpoint, I think it’s very disrespectful to both, really, whether it’s Indian or Black, I think it’s very disrespectful to both.

Trump’s initial comments, delivered before an audience of Black journalists, drew widespread condemnation and left donors and aides bewildered and anxious. The former president also mocked the size of Harris’ campaign crowds on Thursday. He criticised Harris for not giving interviews to the press since launching her campaign.

She can’t do an interview. She’s barely competent.

Read more HERE