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beardedmrbean · 1 year

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One Georgia Democrat is fed up with some members of her own party, accusing them of prioritizing illegal immigrants over Black children as kids struggle to stay afloat academically and economically.

State Rep. Mesha Mainor, a Democrat, is a staunch supporter of school choice, and she torched Georgia Democrats on "Fox & Friends" Monday for aiding migrant families while poor residents struggle with necessities.

"I was speaking to someone that works with migrants the other day, and when I was talking about my constituents, she said, ‘well, what about this program?’ And then she had to… step back a second," Mainor told Ainsley Earhardt Monday morning.

"And she said, ‘Oh, but those are just for migrants.’ And so there are so many services that… from a humanitarian aspect, sure. Give them those humanitarian aspects. But if you walk down the street in Atlanta, Georgia, right now, you are going to see kids on the corner selling water because they are trying to make money for their households."

GEORGIA GOV. BRIAN KEMP ENDORSES $6,500 PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHER BILL

"They don't have lights on… to do homework, and this is just a much broader issue than people are realizing," she continued.

Mainor garnered attention on the issue after she posted a video on Twitter over the weekend accusing her colleagues of trying to oust her over her stance on school choice.

"It's ironic. I'll say every election year, I hear ‘Black Lives Matter.’ But do they? I see every other minority being prioritized except Black children living in poverty that can't read," Mainor said in the video.

"We'll send $1,000,000 to the border for immigrant services, but Black communities, not even a shout-out. I'm sorry, I don't agree with this," she added. "I'm not backing down and I'm actually just getting started."

BLUE STATE COVID LEARNING LOSS WIDENED RACIAL ACHIEVEMENT GAPS RELATIVE TO RED STATES: STUDY

She even accused some fellow lawmakers of offering $1,000 checks "to anyone that will run against" her.

Mainor's deep-blue 56th House District stretches from southwest Atlanta up into the Midtown area and includes schools in dire need of improvement. She said some schools in her area have low single-digit proficiency levels in math and/or reading.

Additionally, politicians are not doing enough to counter the sliding academic achievement gap, she argued.

"We are acting like we care about Black people, and in my opinion, we are doing very little for Black people, and when you're talking about something like school choice, it really helps Black people. It helps children that are disabled," Mainor said.

"And so we put priorities on lots of other minorities, and I'm not saying that these other minorities are not important, but I feel like we are putting Black people at the very bottom of the totem pole," she continued.

School choice advocates also support expansion of charter schools, which have grown greatly in Georgia in recent years and many of which count minority students as a majority of their enrollments.

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are independently run and include students who are not in the immediate area; teachers unions often oppose them as well since their teachers generally are not unionized.

Mainor said parents in her district are in favor of school choice, and the backlash from her colleagues on the issue is a "slap" in the face to anyone who supports their right to choose where their children attend class.

"My parents want school choice," Mainor said. "I have the most charter schools in my district than any other district in the state of Georgia, and so for my party, my colleagues, to say that all these parents that have chosen charter schools and are choosing school choice options are irrelevant and not important, it's not only a slap in my face, but they're slapping every single parent in my district that uses these services in the face as well."

According to the NAEP Report Card, average math and reading scores dropped 9.8 points and 6.3 points respectively, in Georgia, from 2017 to 2022.

#nunyas news #remember when someone tried to secure the border #but you called him racist #ya this is partially your own doing now

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papirouge · 1 year

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I just watched a video on the life and death of philosopher Hypatia and I’m wishing I didn’t because of how sad it is and how some idiots think Christians are to be blamed when it was, yet again, the fault of fanatical scrotes. I’ve noticed a pattern that a lot of past scrotes using Christianity to punish women (and why did it always involve them stripping women naked? Why was this violence sexualized) when they could have just read the Bible where it said TO NOT KILL. 🙄

People will blame Christianity for the dumbest reasons

Never forget how they input to Christianism the witch hunt trials because of the Inquisition (when it was more of a Catholic European thing) when the Inquisition actually targeted fellow Christians (Protestants)....along with any of society's "undesirables" and anyone disagreeing with the papacy 💀 (of course the online cath trad won't tell you about it 👀)

A few days ago a man stabbed kids in a city in France and claim being Christian. Mind you, dude was from Syria, and it's a known thing that NGO tell undocumented migrants from those places to label themselves as "Christian" to facilitate their entry in those European/Christian countries (the Muslim taqqiya) ; so this whole "Christian terrorism" narrative is pretty shady tbh, but as expected, Muslims, and nu Christians were more than happy to use this event to argue that the Bible is actually as violent as the Quran

Bur what these people purposely ignore is how we CHRISTIANS follow Jesus CHRIST and that Jesus never initiated violence. On Twitter a guy said "there's nothing in the gospel telling Christians to use violence" and an idiot pulled out a video where a dude does a street interview reading passages of the OLD TESTAMENT to people making them believe it was the Quran, to make people shook when they get told it's actually the Bible.... The only passage he read from the actual Gospel was the one when Paul told women were better off bald then being at the assembly uncovered (which is peak violence right???). It was obvious the person on twitter who thought he did something pulling out this video didn't even know the distinction between the GOSPEL and the Old Testament and the CHRISTIANS don't abide to everything that's state in the Bible....

Honestly I'm both tired of the dishonesty of Muslims desperate to act like Jesus was a murderous psycho like their pedophile prophets AND the fake Christians thinking they're doing something equalizing Christianism with the Muslim cult. All the people denying Jesus on their lifetime will get denied by Jesus on judgement day.

When Muslims commit terrorism we call Islam out because those actions are BACKED BY THEIR OWN BOOK. Someone claiming to be Christian while killing non believers can't logically be labeled "Christian" because JESUS NEVER RESORTED TO PHYSICAL RETALIATION OR USED VIOLENCE TO TERRORIZE PEOPLE INTO CONVERSION. As Christians (e.g followers of JESUS - NOT THE PEOPLE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT), we don't abide to the prescriptions of the (indeed violent), Old Testament!

That's why we as Christians don't go to war to expand the kindgom of God (heavenly Israel). The fact that so little people -and even Christian themselves- have such a hard time understanding this concept makes me lose my mind

#answered #Christian

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j2memories · 8 months

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The New York Times article (August 12th 2021)

Jared Padalecki on the ‘Walker’ Finale and ‘Supernatural’

In an interview, the actor and producer talks about the season finale’s big twist and the “Supernatural” prequel that took him by surprise.

By Max Gao

Aug. 12, 2021

This interview contains spoilers for Thursday’s season finale of “Walker.”

More than a year after his wife’s murder at the U.S.-Mexico border, Cordell Walker (Jared Padalecki) returned to the scene of the crime with his family and the man responsible for pulling the final trigger: Stan Morrison (Jeffrey Nordling), the longtime Walker family friend, Texas Department of Public Safety chair and recently elected district attorney.

The twist was a secret that Padalecki — who serves as a star and executive producer of “Walker,” a modern-day reboot of the hit 1990s series that featured Chuck Norris as a high-kicking Texas Ranger — had been keeping since production on the show began last fall.

“The big difficulty for me was having to tell white lies to my friends and family and fellow cast and crew,” Padalecki said in a recent interview. “I didn’t feel good about it, but I’m learning to put that line between friend and fellow actor.”

Thursday’s season finale revealed the events leading up to the death of Emily Walker (played by Genevieve Padalecki, Jared’s real-life wife). Emily was dropping off water for migrants one night when, in a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, she heard a truck hit a pothole and found a group of people smuggling drugs across the border through a side road. While Cali (Katrina Begin) wounded Emily, it was Stan who, fearing the wrath of a powerful crime syndicate known as the Northside Nation, delivered the fatal blow. Stan and Cali paid off a dying man named Carlos Mendoza (Joe Perez), who agreed to confess to the crime only two days after the fact — only to be exonerated by Cordell’s sedulous search for the truth.

In a phone interview from his home in Austin, Tex., Jared Padalecki spoke about the pivotal confession scene in the finale, the evolution of his Cordell Walker, the impact of his 15-year run as Sam Winchester on “Supernatural,” and the brief online fallout from his reaction to that fantasy drama’s upcoming prequel. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

What do you think motivated Cordell to force Stan to confess to his crimes in front of the entire Walker family?

Season 1 saw Cordell Walker still reeling from his wife’s murder and trying to put on a happy face and professional face, but really going through a lot of turmoil behind the scenes. I think he realized that the only way he could refrain from killing Stan outright was to get him to confess. Being an attorney and the D.P.S. chair, Stan knew all the loopholes and all the ways out. Walker had to set his eyes on a goal, so what was going through my head [as an actor] at the end of [Episode] 17 and all of 18 was that I just have to get this guy to say the truth and to agree to tell the truth in public.

I actually added that line on the day where I say, “Tell my family what happened.” Then, in that moment, it just occurred to me to say, “Tell Emily’s family.” [Nordling] did such a powerful job in that last scene of pulling the line between somebody who’s ashamed, but finally just ready to release the proverbial escape valve on all the pressure that’s been building up for him.

How does finally uncovering the truth about his wife’s death help Cordell to move forward?

He just needed to exhale, and he’s at a better place now. Now he realizes he needs to be there for his kids, for his parents, for his brother, for his work partners, and for himself. We’ll see in Season 2 that Walker has found some degree of closure.

How much influence did all of the stories of families being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border have on this series?

I was reading an op-ed from a law enforcement agent in Texas about how they were bound by duty and how they had to obey the law, but they just couldn’t bring themselves to put a 3-year-old in a cage. People talk all the time about how a coin has two sides. But in reality, a coin has three sides: there’s heads, tails, and the edge. So we wanted to find that edge, that gray area, and really lean into it about somebody who takes their job very seriously, who risked their life to make others’ lives safer, but also still has a deep moral code.

We developed the show before the pandemic and things came to a fever pitch between our communities and our law enforcement in different parts of the country. And America doesn’t really have a big appetite right now for tall, white, straight law-enforcement agents roundhouse kicking minorities in the face — and nor did we, so that lined up. [Laughs.] We’re more interested in these stories of a parent or a human being who find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place.

How did you begin the transformation from Sam Winchester to Cordell Walker last year during the pandemic?

I did 327 episodes of that show, and that is basically 2,500 full days of filming and all the days in between of prepping and trying to figure out who Sam is, so it wasn’t difficult to get back to Sam. Frankly, knowing the last few episodes of “Supernatural,” I didn’t really want to live as Sam every day, because they were so sad. [Laughs.]

Do you still find yourself grieving the end of “Supernatural”? How did that show change your life?

We, the people who worked on and watched “Supernatural,” were all fortunate to have that time to prepare for a loss. And ultimately, the loss still was tragic and dramatic. But in another sense, “Supernatural” never really died. I still talk to [Jensen] Ackles, Misha [Collins], and the rest of the gang. I did “Supernatural” from age 22 to age 38, and I’ll never deny that my time and experiences on that show are certainly a part of who I am now. It’s still a part of me. I could film a scene as Sam Winchester right now because he lives in me, and I’m certain he always will.

I’m sitting in my office right now, and behind me is my last-ever tape mark. The last day of shooting when we shot on that bridge, which was the last shot of the series, we had our tape marks. My dear friend [the actor and stunt man] Jason Cecchini picked up the last tape marks — my red tape mark and Jensen’s blue tape mark. He put them on a call sheet and framed them, and as we all said our goodbyes, he handed them to us. I have so many reminders. The mother of my children is somebody I met on the show in Season 4, and now we have three kids! It sounds like a cop out, but because I thought about it so much, I can’t even begin to explain how much it changed me.

In June, you posted on Twitter that you were “gutted” to learn that your former co-star Jensen Ackles and his wife, Danneel, were working on a “Supernatural” prequel without your knowledge. What exactly happened that night?

I hadn’t heard of it, and then he and I chatted [the next morning]. He just kind of explained: “Man, it’s not picked up yet. It’s not even written yet.” He knows and I know how much “Supernatural” means to both of us, and it wasn’t a secret he was trying to keep, necessarily. It was just something that he didn’t feel really even existed yet. But he has been like: “Hey, I’ll let you know what’s going on.”

I love Jensen deeply. He’s my brother — he has been for many years, and he always will be, no matter what. He’s spent more time with me on camera than anybody probably ever will, so he knows my strengths and weaknesses more than I do, and vice versa. I respect his opinion.

It was just one of those things that because it was online, and people were assuming I was part of it, I really wanted to just say: “Hey, I’m not keeping a secret from you guys. I just don’t know about this.” And I should be old enough to know better than to put something out there and expect that people will understand. It’s hard to tweet a specific tone. If you write it online, it’s like, “Oh, he doesn’t know! They’re going to kill each other! The world is ending!” And I’m like, “No, no, no.” [Laughs.] I try to avoid social media as much as possible because of that.

Link to the article

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scentedchildnacho · 9 months

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I guess if Parisians sympathy for me is having to be new York 9/11 about heart disease....my sympathy for Parisians is having to have confederates over confidence Europe and americans can be shockingly awful at hospitality anywhere

If people turned me into a styled Parisian that has to tolerate with personality and style that awful of a colonialism new Yorkers at least don't make me shake my head all around about monologue to be free from light shocks...

New york did figure out about complexity the easiest most simple ways to stop the bomb....

If it's Parisians stuff they don't let them feel angry about Poe....and those stimuli were obviously fighting and provoking

What is shaking ones head all around about monologue uhm their rapeists....

Merge beach story game San Diego does have to have homeless developments and new self governing migrant third scapes based off native resistance fantasies or it turns into Paris it's people not even allowed yards between their apartment buildings

I think there use to be a large prison military dock complex here and they tried to build a retail scheme over it....a lot of it does need deconstruction and when californians don't have to leave to Florida or other locations for Republican security groups it will just be so much nicer for everyone when intermingling is contracted and taken slowly and traded instead of emergently forced....

When a lot of the housing is gone for private organizations it will just have so much more corporate security and people wont have to live in a parking lot anymore because their kids wanted to go to the sandbox

If it's constant residential it's just very severe carbon monoxide poisoning all the time and I feel bad if people aren't allowed war lords in government that raise the cost of gas and let people get out their needs to purge themselves of people that can't get it together and want to commit violence at them....

No i learned redemptionist self righteous tendencies from black organizations like growing power in Milwaukee Wisconsin....

I experienced something there mostly peaceable but usually African Americans have this talk with me there are too many people here and people start selfish talks so people able to migrate may live the life they prefer and stop making people here share with them till they feel like they will never have life liberty and happiness

I use to have to share stuff with brendan bakey and I thought I would die of addiction and sterilization we had to be only friends....no real attraction there ...

But then Brendan finally got to be himself which is too Japanese emigrational to show in my home town or he could have had a lot of adversity....

And he finally got married and I could finally have a life after they left that I didn't have to feel so singled out for unusual performance....

And finally had someone I could tolerate sleeping with regularly....so if you ask me Japan won't be itself right now and separate from me....

I mean that's me about young people here they could get a fast food job and go to many locations world wide to strip for fashion designers....i.mean I was battered to broken bones and a heart condition and I won't ever have a perfect anatomically correct figure and they could go to so many designers and they swarm around here in that awful boring swimsuit cult ..

I mean they don't use selfishness and they could their body type stripping could make like a thousand dollars a night and wear London fashions and they go around in their school fellows affordable apparel...

I mean reformism conscription to the union cause could be very cruel dental work etc....so I take redemptionists as having some evangelical basis....where people think more about how moral stalking people with a job because is ..

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solatgif · 1 year

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TGIF: Roundup for April 14, 2023

Should Every Church be Multiethnic? SOLA Editorial Board member Daniel K. Eng interviewed Rick Hardison, lead pastor of Lakewood Ranch Baptist Church, who completed a PhD with his dissertation called, “A Theological Critique of the Multiethnic Church Movement.”

We also shared Renee Zou’s article: What Comes to Mind When You Think of Heaven? And I reviewed Sam D. Kim’s new book: From Doubt to Faith: Book Review of “A Holy Haunting.”

This newsletter is one of the many ways you can keep in touch with us. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more, check out my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group and TGIF Playlist on Spotify. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram.

Aaron Lee, Editorial Curator

Enter to win this excellent book! Read my review. Thanks to Sam D. Kim for providing this book for our giveaway, in partnership with my newsletters for @diveindigdeep and FCBC Walnut.

Articles From Around The Web

Ricky Njoto: Three Things Jonathan Edwards Teaches Us about Holy Communion

“By far the most important aspect of Holy Communion, for Edwards, lies in the present. After all, just as Christ was present physically in the Last Supper 2,000 years ago, he is also present spiritually at every Lord’s Supper today. For Edwards, the Holy Communion is a physical sign of a spiritual reality: that Christians are joined together in Christ.”

Tim Challies: Banksy and Beauty from Ashes

God takes what has been purposefully destroyed, what has been willfully ruined, what has been blown up by our own acts of sabotage, and he works upon it until it is a beautiful and precious work of art.

Related: Learning and Writing about God and the Church: An Interview with Tim Challies by Aaron Lee

Curtis Yee: Asian American Theologian: Our ‘Culture’ Is Not to Blame

“When it comes to the community’s response to trauma and anxiety, Daniel D. Lee calls for a closer look at the dynamics of racism and the migrant experience.”

The SOLA College Writing Cohort is our new writing cohort for college-age students to receive mentorship and training as young Christian writers. Editorial Board member Soojin Park will personally be leading this initiative, and she is very excited at the prospect of nurturing the next generation of Asian American thinkers and writers who will help encourage and edify the Church!

Books, Podcasts, Music, And More

Sam Choi: Prayer and Fasting

This message was given as a part of the Bethlehem College and Seminary spring 2023 chapel series on Prayer.

Off the Pulpit Podcast: The Wives Takeover

In this episode, the wives takeover and chat about all things pastor wife life and women in the church.

Aaron Lee: Related Works

Book reviews: Words of the Resurrected by Robert J. Nash, All About Bible Animals (Kids Book) by Simona Piscionera. Listen to our TGIF playlist on Spotify. Join my Asian American Worship Leaders Facebook group.

Check out the new edition of our SOLA Network Magazine! Download it for free and share it with your friends as a great way to be introduced to the work we do at SOLA Network.

Featured This Week On SOLA Network

Aaron Lee: From Doubt to Faith: Book Review of “A Holy Haunting”

What is faith and where does it come from? Is faith just a whim? Or is there something deeper? In A Holy Haunting, Sam D. Kim shows “why faith isn’t a leap but a series of staggers from one safe place to another.”

Renee Zou: What Comes to Mind When You Think of Heaven?

Fellow Christian, we are destined for the new heavens and the new earth. God is longing to bring us home. Are we longing for the same?

Daniel K. Eng: Should Every Church be Multiethnic? (Part 2): An Interview with Rick Hardison

Whether there is a mandate to be a part of a multiethnic church, approaching people with their heart languages to bridge cultural gaps, the relationship between contextualization and unity, the need for multiethnic and ethnic-specific churches, serving the people living in your church’s proximity, and the difficulties of being an ethnic-specific church.

Daniel K. Eng: Should Every Church be Multiethnic? (Part 1): An Interview with Rick Hardison

Where we get the idea of the “multiethnic mandate,” what the Bible does (or doesn’t) say about multiethnic churches, how to think about ethnic church “divisions,” and the stories of the Tower of Babel and Pentecost.

TGIF: Roundup for April 7, 2023

Gods and Gangsters / These 3 Japanese Christian Women Changed Their Country / Narco Saints’ Drug-Dealing Pastor / Moving to a New Place with Irene Sun / Gateway Chapel: Hanley Liu

General disclaimer: Our link roundups are not endorsements of the positions or lives of the authors.

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kansastexas · 3 years

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Jared Padalecki on the ‘Walker’ Finale and ‘Supernatural’

In an interview, the actor and producer talks about the season finale’s big twist and the “Supernatural” prequel that took him by surprise.

This interview contains spoilers for Thursday’s season finale of “Walker.”

What do you think motivated Cordell to force Stan to confess to his crimes in front of the entire Walker family?

How does finally uncovering the truth about his wife’s death help Cordell to move forward? He just needed to exhale, and he’s at a better place now. Now he realizes he needs to be there for his kids, for his parents, for his brother, for his work partners, and for himself. We’ll see in Season 2 that Walker has found some degree of closure.

How much influence did all of the stories of families being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border have on this series?

How did you begin the transformation from Sam Winchester to Cordell Walker last year during the pandemic?

We had already been developing “Walker,” so I was able to spend some time leaning into who this character might be. And at the time, I think [the showrunner] Anna [Fricke] and the gang had already broken five or six stories. I used that time selfishly to really try and develop Cordell Walker even further, because I knew that getting the phone call to go back to Vancouver and finish “Supernatural” would come in a snap. I did 327 episodes of that show, and that is basically 2,500 full days of filming and all the days in between of prepping and trying to figure out who Sam is, so it wasn’t difficult to get back to Sam. Frankly, knowing the last few episodes of “Supernatural,” I didn’t really want to live as Sam every day, because they were so sad. [Laughs.]

Do you still find yourself grieving the end of “Supernatural”? How did that show change your life?

#jared padalecki #Walker #genevieve padalecki

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nerdygaymormon · 3 years

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my friend (nb and lesbian) was asked to give a talk on a coming sunday about the “infuriating unfairness” talk by elder renlund. they really want to talk about queer topics and how they feel the unfairness in the church (esp. in their ward.) but they don’t want to out themselves to the ward (only their bishop and parents know, and they’re not supportive.) any tips? they know there’s LGBTQ+ kids in the ward that need to hear a talk like they want to give. they don’t want to misgender themselves on such a large scale, so they don’t want to play the yw who agrees wholeheartedly with church policy (because that’s what their ward wants to hear). i’m not sure how to help them, but i really want to. sorry if this is a lot.

I can see how this is tricky, to speak on a subject in a way that doesn't deny Church teachings but also points out some of the issues or problems faced by LGBTQ+ members in a way that fits the assigned topic.

I think in Sacrament Mtg the best way to do this is when we're giving examples that illustrate the principle, mix in some queer examples.

Here's an outline of how I might organize thoughts from the talk in a way that let's me include some queer examples. Maybe this will help your friend as they're organizing their thoughts.

1) Elder Renlund speaks about unfairness in life.

"Unfairness comes from living with bodies that are imperfect, injured, or diseased. Mortal life is inherently unfair. Some people are born in affluence; others are not. Some have loving parents; others do not. Some live many years; others, few. And on and on and on."

2) We aren't to add to people's burdens

"self-righteousness, fear, and anger have caused even Christians to hurl stones at people who stumble...Brothers and sisters, not throwing stones is the first step in treating others with compassion. The second step is to try to catch stones thrown by others."

3) Elder Renlund also said we should deal with the unfairness we find.

"As we develop faith in Jesus Christ, we should also strive to become like Him. We then approach others with compassion and try to alleviate unfairness where we find it;"

People who find they are in the minority for whatever reason, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, disease and so on, they are often disadvantaged in the larger society because they are different, or the rules & norms in place exclude them.

Here is one example that Elder Renlund gives in a video on the Church website of how adding to another's burden is sinful. "Having same-sex attraction, those feelings are not a sinful. Anyone who bullies, belittles, derides someone who has those feelings is sinful. The Lord isn't pleased when we do that." (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2018-06-0030-renlund-suicide-and-same-sex-attraction?lang=eng&collectionId=d23b9883ff6926952d6746e97adcbe9d9d833714)

Our responsibility is not only to not add to their burdens, but to make them lighter.

4) “all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

He will console us and restore what was lost; He will use the unfairness for our benefit.

5) Alma 7:11-12 tells how Jesus did His part of the Atonement. These verses teach us that Jesus had a physical body and experienced pain, temptations and illness. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He took on our weaknesses, sins, mistakes and infirmities, all things He hadn’t experienced. This causes Him to feel mercy towards us and He knows how to nourish and strengthen us.

Think about what that means.

Blaire Ostler shared some thoughts about this. "In Gethsemane, Jesus experienced the pains of a person dying of cancer. He experienced what it is like to be a queer kid who is constantly bullied. He experienced the birthing pains of every mother who ever lived or would live. He experienced the embarrassment of a gay boy having an erection at the sight of his high school crush in the locker room. He experienced conversion therapy. He experienced rejection. He experienced the brutal physical and psychological attacks that trans women endure. He experienced the acid poured on a women's face for her defiance to the patriarchs. He experienced the fear, grief, and sorrow of every parent who has buried their child. He experienced sex slavery. He experienced his first period. He experienced menstruation...He experienced rape. He experienced catcalls. He experienced hunger. He experienced disease. He experienced an ectopic pregnancy. He experienced an abortion. He experienced a miscarriage and stillbirth. He experienced the Holocaust. He experienced war--both the killing and being killed. He experienced internment camps. He experienced depression, anxiety, and suicide. He experienced sleeping on the street with the homeless. He experienced the master's whip on his back and the noose around his neck. He knew the fear of every black mother who kissed her son before he left the house, praying he would return home safely. He experienced the effects of unrighteous dominion, corrupt politicians, and all manner of injustice. He experienced the migrant mother with no food or diapers for her baby as she desperately walked north in search of a better life. He experienced having his child taken away from him at the border due to 'legal complications.' He experienced it all--every death, every cut, every tear, every pain, every sorrow, every bit of suffering imaginable and beyond human imagination." (Queer Mormon Theology, page 38-39)

No wonder He bled from every pore upon experiencing that.

6) We can trust Christ to understand our situation and to be empathetic to what we're dealing with. Christ knows us and how to comfort us.

7) We will be judged by how we treat the vulnerable and disadvantaged.

The challenge for us is how are we going to help Christ in dealing with the “infuriating unfairness” we find in life?

King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon said, "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)

Jesus said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt. 25:40.)

One thing that impresses me about our church is the huge effort it makes to feed people. Our Church owns fields, orchards and ranches. It grows food, cans the food, distributes it across the nation. People who need assistance can speak with the Elders Quorum or Relief Society President. This is an example of serving our fellow beings, of relieving or preventing suffering.

8) Conclusion, we can make the world better both in our individual efforts and in the policies we support when we vote, and with our Fast Offerings.

#long post

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coochiequeens · 4 years

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SEOUL —Yoon Seol Mi stepped off the plane in northeastern China clad in borrowed Nikes, ripped jeans and a cloud of Chanel perfume.The trappings of capitalism, she hoped, would mask her origins: a North Korean woman traveling back to a remote Chinese village to reclaim the daughter she bore when she was a refugee and sold as a bride. Yoon was nearing the end of an odyssey marked by danger and loss and endless doubt of where to call home while her daughter was raised in another’s house.Tens of thousands of her fellow countrywomen endure the same fate: escaping the poverty and oppression of a totalitarian regime and arriving into China only to be sold into forced marriage by brokers charging thousands of dollars. Most soon give birth to a child that for the Chinese families becomes a collateral of sorts, to ensure the women they’ve paid a hefty sum for won’t leave.

But Yoon did leave. Twice. The first time involuntarily when her daughter, Yena, was still breastfeeding at barely a month old. She was caught by Chinese police and sent back to North Korea. Then again years later when she decided to make the perilous journey to South Korea so she wouldn’t have to live in fear of being sent back again.

That second time, she promised her daughter she’d return for her if Yena didn’t cry. Now, with a suitcase full of pink outfits and a DNA test to prove the girl was hers, she was back to fulfill that promise.

“What choice did we have? Our choice was to survive,” she said. “My child was my purpose.... It was for her that I survived.”

The illicit trade of trafficking North Korean women became widespread in the early 2000s when a flood of refugees streamed into rural China after a devastating famine in North Korea. The surge unfolded just as China’s gender imbalance, caused by the draconian one-child policy and a cultural preference for sons, was coming to a head. Exploited and threatened, the women were funneled to remote corners of China by brokers eager to profit from a growing demand for brides.

In the eyes of the Chinese government, though, the women were illegal migrants and their children, even with Chinese fathers, nonexistent on paper.

But children born of trafficking are children all the same. For many of the women, their children are their only kin outside North Korea. And when the women weigh the prospect of fleeing to South Korea, where they’re granted automatic citizenship and resettlement support, they’re faced with a fraught choice: stay with their sons and daughters or leave to seek freedom and safety?

It’s a decision that haunts many of the 24,000 North Korean women who have settled in the South.

“I live with her buried in my heart always. There’s the constant guilt that I abandoned her,” said Joy Kim, who left her daughter behind two years after giving birth as a 19-year-old. “I want to tell all of the women living with guilt, it’s not their fault…. It’s the human trafficking that needs to stop. Crossing the border is just the first step in our long, difficult path to freedom.”

A survey by South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission in 2012 interviewed about 100 children born to North Korean refugees in China. The report found that a third of their mothers had been sent back to North Korea while a quarter of them had escaped to South Korea. The kids were an average of 3 or 4 years old when they were separated from their mothers.

A 2014 United Nations report on human rights in North Korea said an estimated 20,000 such children live in China, often deprived of the right to birth registration, nationality, education and healthcare. They are at once orphans and children of need, a product of China’s policies yet invisible to the state.

For the mothers, though, it’s a hardship — often an impossible one — to bring their children to South Korea. Many lack the financial means; child-care issues can preclude them from working. In some cases, the Chinese husband and his family cut off contact with the mothers after they leave. The children, who primarily speak Chinese, can have trouble adjusting to the language and culture of South Korea.

Left behind, some of the children never learn if their mothers have been sent back to North Korea, or made their way to the South.

A woman who now calls herself Yura has a 13-year-old son in China but hasn’t seen him in more than five years. The boy’s legal registration, obtained through a bribe, says his mother is dead.

In a farming village surrounded by mountains in Hebei province, Yura was 18 when she gave birth to her first son, a year after she was sold for about $2,500 to a man a dozen years her senior who grew volatile and abusive. Two years later, when she became pregnant with another, Yura tried jumping from high places on a nearby mountain, hoping she’d lose the baby. She gave birth to a healthy boy.

”I often thought, I’d rather die than live like this. I tried swallowing pills but woke up each time,” said Yura, who asked to only be identified by her adopted name in South Korea because of relatives still in the North. “I felt so sorry for the child. It would have been so much better for him not to have been born.”

She considered heading to South Korea but was held back by the thought of leaving her children. But life grew cruel: Her firstborn died in an accident when he tumbled into a well as an 8-year-old. A few years later, her Chinese husband pushed her into a furnace during a fight, leaving her with severe burns on her butt. She fled, journeying through China and into Laos, then Thailand, where she sought passage to South Korea.

“I live with her buried in my heart always. There’s the constant guilt that I abandoned her. I want to tell all of the women living with guilt, it’s not their fault…. It’s the human trafficking that needs to stop. Crossing the border is just the first step in our long, difficult path to freedom.”JOY KIM, WHO LEFT HER DAUGHTER BEHIND IN CHINA

In her new home, she worked whatever jobs she could including in a shipyard, a kimchi factory, bars and restaurants. She spent much of that first year crying, missing the son she left behind.

“For many years, I lived because of him,” she said. “When I had him, I was so young, I didn’t really feel like a mother. I just thought, ‘Oh, what a beautiful baby.’”

In the five years since, she’s heard his voice deepen over the phone, a boy who’s grown into a teenager and tells her less and less about his life. Others in the village have told her he’s teased at school for not having a mother. She sends him money when she can, and thinks about bringing him to live with her in South Korea, but wonders if that’s selfish — he doesn’t speak Korean. All he knows is life in China.

She’s since remarried a fellow North Korean refugee, who didn’t like how much she cried about her son in China. Last year, she gave birth to a daughter. She cradled the baby in her arms, and quietly mourned all that she couldn’t be for the son she left behind.

Yoon understands how one can summon endurance amid cruelty. The thought of her daughter kept Yoon determined to stay alive during her five years in a North Korean prison after she was sent back in 2009.

She slept in cramped quarters with 70 women serving time for the crime of having crossed into China. Sixty of them had children on the other side of the border; and even in prison, the mothers bragged about their precocious sons and daughters. She grew close to a woman who had been taken away from China’s Jilin province while her daughter was in school. The woman was dying in the harsh conditions and forced labor of the prison.

In her final days, the woman begged Yoon to memorize a phone number. Please call my daughter, she implored. Tell her, her mother didn’t abandon her.

But Yoon was struggling to remember the long string of digits to reach her own daughter. Writing it down wasn’t an option — it would have been confiscated and she would have received fresh punishment. In the months and years that followed, all but the first four digits of the woman’s phone number scattered and scrambled in her mind, as did the numbers of several other women who asked the same favor.....see rest of article.

#China #North Korea #trafficked women #Women separated from children

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haleviyah · 3 years

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A Hispanic/ Latino Perspective: Border Clarification

This is one of the rare times I’m going to get somewhat political here, but these comments spread by the media are hitting to way close to home for me, so here I go.

Before you pounce on me, let me explain this: I am a moderate. I favor no sides, I don’t treat people by their titles but rather I prefer to judge by character even though I am not the best at it, admittedly. I favour and respect those who keep their word and own their mistakes. In short, if you do what you promise to do, you have my approval whereas if not, you will bear the brunt of my blunt rebukes and sarcastic remarks.

I am also from South Texas, specifically the Rio Grande Valley, and am a descendent of two humble Mexican families who since the Mexican Border War have made Texas their great escape and home.

Bit of a geographical reference, if you don’t know here where the Rio Grande Valley is. Look at the state of Texas, there is a bulge of state going in each direction that makes it look like a fat, lower-case ”t” : El Paso is the most West of the state, the Panhandle (Amarillo) the Northmost, Texarkana the most Eastward followed by Houston, and WAAAAAAY at the bottom is Brownsville and the Southernmost tip of Texas.

And for those of you too lazy to Google or "DuckDuckGo" the map yourself I've attached it:

The four counties: Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy county make up the Rio Grande Valley. This is the region I grew up, the place where I experienced the best of a community and the worst of politics and failed promises.

For a bit of background: I have a parent working on the Border and they have been for many years (since I was a kid). Pretty much worked from a security officer to trooper within the span of a decade which is quite impressive and rare considering they never took bribes or anything to get where they were currently. They have told me off and on what their job is like. It’s crazy and boring some days, but also they have admitted somethings that may be fascinating. One of which is, yes, they do own horses and the reason why is so the Troopers can maneuver around tough terrain vehicles cannot go through (such as high water or narrow foot paths in brush). HOWEVER, they DO NOT OWN WHIPS. They don’t even own lassos, according to my Border Agent parent.

The only weapons agents on horse back have is a Glock, ammo, a taser, cuffs, and sometimes shot guns (but they prefer to carry light for the horses and themselves to be more flexible). They mainly carry items that would slow a person down or prevent them from hurting other people, officer or civilian; not for killing. So a whip is absolutely redundant or even absurd to have.

Those long ropes the Troopers are holding are called reins, and they are designed for steering a horse (horses cannot move opposite of the direction of their head; where their head is pointed they move in that direction). They are not made for whipping people, but rather made to get the horse’s attention. That’s it.

I took the liberty of highlighting the reins in red for you all as well as their arms and legs in blue and yellow in contrast to the reins and saddle.

It's clear from a Texan's or horse-riders perspective this Trooper almost fell off catching the other fellow and was holding onto the left rein for dear life hence why the horse looked distressed and its cheek was pulled back.

I'm not joking, you fucking try it if you're so damn horse-smart.

Now, let's look at a more relaxed position.

In short, if you haven't ridden a horse, I advise to keep your comments to yourself on this part. I have and it's way harder than it looks (horses can get cocky).

Second thing, the migrants.

Personally, I don’t know why they were so squirrelly that day. Perhaps they were spooked because they’ve never expected horse back riders to show up, maybe they had some bad experiences back home.

I don’t know!

But it’s clear there appears to be a lack of communication. Perhaps it’s the language barrier given that these guys came from Haiti, African countries and Brazil. English they probably know, but they probably don’t speak a lick of Spanish (Which both languages are mandatory for the Border Patrol).

(Again, I don't know...)

So the reasons why they started running circles around the Troopers’ horses is not for me to speculate, it’s not for YOU to defend blindly, nor is it up for the media to interpret and evangelize.

That should be left to the people to explain. No one else.

(Update: September 29th. I received a tip from a source that the Haitian immigrants (mainly) are not running from anything, they aren’t seeking asylum nor were in poverty as the media claims. They have admitted upon interview they were what we consider middle-low class and had no issues finding jobs before they decided to migrate northward. They’re just coming because they were told to come by “you-know-who”… that’s all. I know, I’m taken aback and scratching my head, too… but anyway. I digress, but do take note.)

Now, another bit of feedback I want to share: When it comes to dealing with Troopers (again, must I remind you this is a Border Patrol agent’s kid speaking), big rule:

DO NOT RUN nor MAKE THREATENING MOVEMENTS. Be calm.

It’s a simple rule, if you’re cool with the Troopers they’ll be cool with you. That’s it. Please respectfully keep in mind, these guys are trained to be safe rather than sorry. So patience and understanding with them is a must. Trust me, I’ve met my parent’s co-workers, they may look stoic and scary or condescending, but they can not let personal emotions interfere their work otherwise they risk safety.

They’re not “paranoid” or “harsh” they just have a job they cannot afford to fuck up otherwise the whole region is FUCKED. They’re the front line of defense, and do keep that in mind.

(Another footnote: I have seen Border Patrol offices, and without giving away how they function it’s not like CIA or Langley level of clean or fancy, so don’t think their offices are high tech and have marble floors with comfy lounges that cost a lot of money. Upon first glance you won’t expect the building to be an office. Border Patrol work with what they have available which isn’t a lot thanks to the ’00, ’04, ’08, ’12 and current administrations. That’s all I can give out.)

I’m going to come clean here and say the citizens in the Rio Grande Valley and the rest of Texas DO NOT FEEL SAFE with a border this wide open and no regulation is applied. Especially the Hispanic/Latino communities. So the pressure is on - and I mean REALLY on! Despite these guys working the Border are overwhelmed, they keep those emotions and opinions on lockdown when on the field. Like I said: If they fuck up, the region is fucked.

Bit of a history lesson: the Border issues on the Rio Grande are not new. Matter of factly, this problem has been happening for decades (The popular peak was during the 80s when cocaine was being distributed), but it was more than just cocaine and pot: Kids were going missing, people getting killed, women were used as mules and sold for sex, etc.

If you watched “Narcos” or “Sicario” you have a brief, dramatized taste of how the cartels function and what life is like for us Latinos. However, coming from someone who grew up there, the parts of watching your back, the abductions and even the gruesome murders are legit. To this day I remember seeing local news coverage (not CNN or MSNBC, our own stations down in the McAllen/Brownsville area) of beheadings, child murders and bodies being found in pieces… It’s something I hope my children won’t have to grow up hearing almost weekly like I did. Now it’s daily… and no one cares. And that hurts.

In the grand scheme of things, at least know this: South Texas has been part of the Cartel battle grounds and it’s obvious we’ve seen shit. Constantly being ignored is the payment we get for being front lines in the Drug War. So don’t blame us for being jumpy, or skeptical, nor even try convince us that the current surplus of immigrants is a good thing.

You can’t argue with our own experiences and history. The way things work down here is simple: You fight along side us, we fight along side you.

It’s called building trust, practicing faith. But we’ve been forgotten and lied to too many times by celebrities and politicians and social movements alike. And those who actually were going to help us are either shut down or unfortunately killed.

We just can’t trust anyone anymore. We are resorting to fending for ourselves basically, speaking up for ourselves… and so far it’s making progress in the mean time.

This level of “doing things on your own” bleeds into why our Troopers are trained they way they are trained - to expect the worst case scenario. To prepare themselves for the corpses, when a criminal pounces, the drugs being hid, for when they find a child with an adult they don’t know, or even a woman who was violated. They just genuinely don’t want to take chances and you just read why. Even my in-laws up in the Northern Midwest are disturbed.

So, considering the case of what happened a few days ago in Del Rio, Texas (as of writing this on September 25th 2021): If you run from a Trooper the first thing they are going to think is either two things:

You did something bad upon coming in to the country or

You don’t want your former government to find you because you did crimes in your home country or the country you were hiding in.

This is protocol, not biased opinions.

If, however, a Trooper commits any form of irresponsibility (such as abusing their power, unreasonable search and seizures etc.) it’s “kiss your badge good-bye” and DEMOTED or FIRED. The stakes of keeping your job in the Border Patrol are HIGH, so they are trained not to act out of line. Even a minor slip up in paper work from being fatigued gets you in SEVERE trouble with the Higher Ups and the County (Yes, that does happen and has happened). But you have to KNOW Border Patrol standards before you accuse them of anything.

With that being said, what’s floating around is not a constructive argument; it’s a distraction. How the public is demanding the trooper in the photo to be fired, tells us Latinos loud and clear that - once again - no one cares about our livelihood; no one is willing to brave enough to face the real hell going on. We are ignored or low-key demonized for simply defending ourselves.

(Now, you guys are seeing why I relate to my Jewish husband and the Israeli’ citizens - Arab and Jew - more; we’re pretty much in the same boat in the case of being ignored. But I digress.)

Before I come to a conclusion, here are other demographic facts to keep in mind that way it’ll help draw conclusions:

86.6% of the Border Patrol is HISPANIC/LATINO in the State of Texas alone.

A majority of children stolen from their families or molested are HISPANIC/LATINO.

A majority of the women violated immigrants on the border are mainly HISPANIC/LATINO.

Latin America collectively (Mexico down to Colombia and Venezuela) has the highest rates of femicide in the world.

So for you or anyone to get angry at Border Patrol agents in an unjust manner, not only are you getting mad at Hispanics and Latinos in UNIFORM for fighting to keep their communities safe, but you are actively contributing to the hell our families go through every day.

When you protest in demand for our cops or even troopers to be defunded, and fired for petty things, YOU are actively contributing to the problem of human trafficking, rape, kidnappings and murder that happens on the border. You are contributing to the Hispanic and Latino communities being dismantled and disintegrated by people who potentially want to kill us or hate us for money’s sake.

Take all of that into consideration before you get angry at anyone here.

In short:

I’ll only consider the accusations if you yourselves have been there and know the burdens we bear.

I’ll only consider your judgement if you genuinely are in law enforcement and know how to ride a horse and try to stop someone from running while riding the beast.

I’ll only consider your feedback if you don’t rely heavily on news like CNN, Telemundo and Tumblr for your information.

Until you grab a gun and fight the cartel yourself, and figure out a way to end this war on human trafficking, don’t come to us Latinos and express that you care and appreciate us.

Because frankly if you GENUINELY did, you’d bring to light what I just said and be slamming the desks at D.C. and DEMANDING the Border to be CLOSED by now.

Regardless of your political and personal beliefs, this is what is REALLY going on, and we’re going to keep fighting. Like the Israeli’s we don’t give a fuck if you hate us. We’re not radicals, we’re not blood-thirsty heathens, we’re not white supremacists (80+% of our population is of Latino Mexican descent) we’re just fed up with running away and being taken advantage of or taken for granted by people who value money over the lives of our neighbors.

If this were California, fine! Rail all you want, cuss us out as much as you want; hold us to those to California standards you keep yourself. But we’re not California.

We’re not D.C., nor Chicago, nor L.A., or New York, Florida, Canada, Mexico or whatever. We are SOUTH TEXAS so treat us as SOUTH TEXAS.

Honor us for who we are and hold us to the standards of what is SOUTH TEXAS, what is The United States Constitution, and the Texas Constitution; nothing more and nothing less. Don’t tear us down for what we’re not nor hold us accountable to an opinion or law we never agreed to nor knew existed.

That’s all I ask: If you’re not willing to honour our community and help us while holding us to our standards on a cultural, State or Federal level, back the fuck off. Generations we’ve dealt with the pressure from both the cartel and corrupt government from both the U.S. and Mexico, and the last thing we need is pampered kids living in the high rises or going to university on loans from school or your parents' paychecks, telling us how to deal with our issues.

You are FAR from a place to tell us how to function and resolve our war.

I’m not trying nor want to start a fight or otherwise, but I’m simply, humbly asking: when did we ever genuinely ask you “social justice advocates” to be our hero?

When did we ever ask you to fight for us or talk about what you think is wrong with us? Because last I checked we don’t want to drag anyone into our battles.

Also, we only know one messiah, but we never asked you to be him nor for him to act like you.

Did you start throwing punches because you wanted to find something to excuse your anger and outbursts, or is your good intentions married with ignorance?

Either case… it’s extremely unhealthy of you, and please just stop before another person gets hurt. We don’t want that. This is no different from the Crusades our ancestors took part in, and it will only end in more carnage than already sown.

So, just please, stop and take a step back for a moment. We don’t need anymore vehement evangelical-like people who just think with their ideals and not take a moment to have a healthy discussion with the One who created us, or let alone divorce their lust for a fight for ten seconds.

To close this off, even though I haven’t been home in a while, I know the spirit and the struggles the Rio Grande Valley goes through. I have met people on the run from the cartel first hand, and I have met people who may have ties with the cartel. I have seen some creepy shit, I have grown frustrated over the Protestant Baptist church doing nothing, and I have even been feeling the pressure my parent goes through with these apathetic riots threatening their job as a Border Patrol agent.

But aside from the pain, I am tremendously blessed that people and my family are still very optimistic despite the craziness and how bleak things are.

The family-oriented culture of the Rio Grande Valley is what is keeping it together… not trends, not clout and neither these guys in D.C. or Hollywood who are playing G-d.

It's the family-oriented connection. Our faith, that's keeping us going.

And even though I may not be the best voice of that region to speak up, I am blessed to have been there and I do plan on coming back soon.

I am planning on giving a more fun journal featuring the culture of the Rio Grande Valley in the future to finish this month off, but for the sake of this “Hispanic Heritage Month” I wanted to share our REAL issues we deal with rather than the made up ones that media likes to mainstream for money and clout.

In a way, I hope this offers clarity and a level of empathy. Again, I’m not sharing this to start fights or get sympathy - we don’t want it. We just want to know if our fights are not ignored, we just want to know we are heard.

That’s all.

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skippyv20 · 4 years

Text

✝️✝️✝️🌈🌈🌈💟💟💟PG AUDIOSPEAK INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON💟💟💟🌈🌈🌈✝️✝️✝️

MM ANON ……… Hong gone ………… Melbourne hellbourn……… Britain made a wedding profit ??? …………… 4 th July closed. …………… Independent’s bug. …………Maple Kate forever……… George is upset…………… 🎼follow er of fashion 🎼………………… MM, a legend in her own lunchtime ……………… Wigan bin in ……………………air Bridge of size.

Thank you😊❤️❤️❤️❤️

Entertainment purposes

JULY 1/2020 HAPPY CANADA DAY🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

RIDDLE #53 FOR ME BUT I THINK I MISSED FOUR OR FIVE RIDDLES SORRY. I WILL ATTEMPT THIS ONE. THANK YOU MM ANON FOR YOUR KIND MESSAGE✝️✝️✝️🌈🌈🌈💟💟💟PG💟💟💟💟🌈🌈🌈✝️✝️✝️🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥

Hi kids this is my very very very first riddle using this software where I don’t have to type so I just speak so if I come across differently it’ll be just my pattern of speech but hopefully you’ll still get the whole wonderful marvellous experience of PG😁💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜✝️✝️✝️✝️🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥✝️✝️✝️✝️🌈🌈🌈🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜

Hong gone …………

Well kids I am going to attempt using dictation no no no attempt dictation anyhow I can’t go back in and erase what does called so anyways I’m going to attempt dictation of audio of my riddle interpretation and this one hung gone makes me very sad. The British handover her to China of Hong Kong 20 years ago or so was with the understanding that Hong Kong ,The Hong Kong ,would maintain its independence and it’s free market and all that and it’s all changed. Hong Kong is gone. China has invaded they have made free speech and any mention relating to Hong Kong illegal and many people have been arrested and this is absolutely dire situation it’s just terrible. We need to pray for all those people there’s a lot of people from all over the world that have lived there for a long time doing business and I know a lot of Canadians have left already but I do know many are still there and sentence

Melbourne hellbourn……

This phrase goes back a number of years some when there was a lot of racial attacks on I,migrants from India. however that is Old news and what we have is a major major spike in again the coronavirus across Melbourne there’s been any many more cases actually Austra different parts of Australia and it’s resulted in a lot of serious oh I don’t need to go onto all that you guys know the whole what happens when the case is spike. They have been saying for a while with this coronavirus COVID-19, is more virulence in warmer weather no that’s interesting because here where I am it’s we’re pushing 40°C and Australia is on the bottom of the world are on the other side of the world anyways and they’re technically in there autumn so I don’t know how that theory holds I although I haven’t myself checked with the temperature is there so I could be wrong it could be out there. Anyway it is very serious and we just need to keep all of everyone in prayer our Australian friends in prayer or New Zealand Friends in prayer.

Britain made a wedding profit ??? ……………

Ha Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah Hah oh kids when I speak you will get more of a conversation for me then just information and I had to laugh reading this because Madam is now claiming 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂she’s claiming 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂knock knock do now knock knock , who’s there, ha ha Ha Ha Ha Ha ha ha. OK serious now Madam is claiming that her 32,000,000 pound wedding which was paid for by whoever brought in $1 billion pounds worth of tourism to the UK ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha I am sorry but this is just insanity run amok in the mire of Sea hag soup yuck liar Rachel Rachel Rachel Rachel Rachel liar.

4 th July closed. …………… Independent’s bug. …………

Today is Canada day so I wish my fellow Canadians a happy Canada Day🇨🇦. July 4 in America is usually their day to celebrate America day in the American land as Pluto living would say, if you’ve ever watched Pluto living on YouTube, with our Canadian superstore talking dog talks about the Canada land and the America land and the England seriously. So July 4 is Independence Day in America. It is a holiday it’s usually a picnic day a parade day or day of national pride a lot of people out and about with music and film and live music and fireworks 💥 and that sort of thing do you to the increase again in corona Coronavirus seems to be spiking in various cities and of course the “friendly gatherings” that have been happening all over the country “to redecorate public landscapes”, have led to the cancellation of many July 4 celebrations which is very sad and again then indication of where things are at.

Maple Kate forever………

🍁 The maple leaf forever with the original song of Canada before we have to celebrate dominion day but we are when we got our flag I think in 1967 it’s been since then has been called Canada day. When William and Catherine visited Canada in 2011 they were here on Canada Day and she’s all she’s beautiful in red and she was wearing the Maple 🍁 leaf brooch that a HMTQ loaned to her. It was a gift from Canada. I am blessed enough to own a copy of that brooch that my sister brought back for me from one of her trips to London which unfortunately she could not take this year she has missed several trips that she’s not happy bunny 🐰 about.

George is upset……………

Now I know this is not recent but there have been cute reports that our George is not happy with the schoolwork he’s getting because Charlotte has much cooler stuff to learn and to work on. That was reported back in May mid May end of May so I don’t know if she’s doing cooler summer projects or maybe taking swimming lessons or something else maybe she’s got some thing that he thinks is cooler I couldn’t find anything recently anyways more recent than that but George is such a sensitive soul don’t you just love them.

🎼follow er of fashion 🎼…………………

OK here we have a song and it’s follower of fashion or follow ER a fashion let’s talk about the ER could be emergency room or a variation of the British way of saying her which would be ‘er, although they do say that in some parts of America I believe are pronounce it thusly. The song follower and fashions with the in from the 1960s by the band The Kinks and it totally made fun of British fashion and style at that time And just as you do you can make fun of your own but don’t let anybody else try. No when I see ER, it obviously her Majesty’s signature, however here we have ER in lowercase,er. This is a woman who is a legend in her own mind Madam part of the billion £1,000,000,000 that was supposed to have been earned by the government of England or Britain or the England land or whatever amount of calls it a part of the billion £of that was to be earned by her wedding was from her and her brilliant fashion choices none of which were British with the exception of I believe and Stella McCartney. The dress for the reception dinner after the happy gathering of unhappy people are rumours abound whether a reception occurred or not. There are no pictures and yeah so whether there was an actual reception or not I’ll leave that for you to decide whether madams fashion choices have been British is obvious know whether her fashion choices have raised money probably whether they have been good no and so this song with kind of fit because it’s making direct funding of fashion British fashion of the time but now the fashion that Madame has employed guys the threat of the stuff is totally different doing talking then doing typing so please bear with me.

MM, a legend in her own lunchtime ………………

Oh this is too funny I just use the word the word the first phrase in the above paragraph she’s a legend in her own mind MM ANON, you have A legend in her own lunchtime. I think the same explanation applies she is just the cats miaow in her own eyes and she just can do anything and do no wrong wonder if she’s preparing for now at lunchtime chat show or what’s going on the meaning of lunchtime I should just worry about her court and her five so-called friends that she has no named not public leave it to the court and my goodness the chips are going to fall the chips are going to fall the 🔔 tolling I can hear it off in the distance the bell 🔔 is towing can you hear the bell 🔔 Rachel it is starting to toll for thee!

Wigan bin in ……………………

Sad news for the Wigand athletic club it’s been announced that they’ve gone into administration. They have been in the champions club and this closure administration is due to the effects of the coronavirus yet another victim of the coronavirus. The club has been given a 12 point suspension which could remove them from the current leak there in and relegate some to a lower league which should be absolutely disastrous and devastating of course for all the fans never mind the players and all the staff people in their jobs just it’s just devastating. The coronavirus has just weird we haven’t even begin to see The extreme damage which has been done and all the ripple effects of the lockdown the many deaths the illness is the lot real lockdown on the entire effectiveness of just it’s just it’s so massive that my mind at least at this point cannot even grasp.

air Bridge of size.

An air bridge is the cross platform right from your desktop to your mobile phone communication system for quick to dial phone numbers it’ll text you you are a nearest transfers from any desktop to your mobile device which is very convenient.

I don’t believe MM ANON, is referring to this type of air because I do believe she’s she’s really referring to the air bridge in terms of travel. I’ve actually found a newspaper article here it’s in titled air bridge of sighs SIGHS,, and it’s talking about the rules of the UK regarding travel the quarantine for those travelling into the country will still be remain in effect and people will be compelled to wear facemasks in public transport. Seems to be some challenges with regards to individual countries. Currently I emergency tops are in the way between our Nicola Sturgeon a Scottish national party and the Boris Johnson he made the statement that the air is no border between Scotland and England it that that was absurd and as we knowScots🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿are proud and they were many want their independence and a great umbrage at the comment made by the PM Johnson. This is quite important because as you know her Majesty always goes to Balmoral in Scotland for her summer break and if they are not allowing travel that would not be a good thing so guys get it resolved she wants to go she needs to go they need the holiday get it resolved please for her Majesty thank you.

OK kids I’d like some feedback on how this went using the microphone and having me talk instead of typing. It’s definitely been a lot easier for me and I hope it makes the riddle still enjoyable and helpful I am missed about four orfive of them that week when I took a break there and I feel badly about that but I can’t go back and do them now so I don’t know what riddle l am on now I am really don’t know but anyways thanks kids thanks a lot bye-bye

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

Thank you😊❤️❤️❤️❤️

Entertainment purposes

Wonderful PG! I think this went extremely well! I am so happy you can do this! Great job!😊💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

#Ask Skippy #submission

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Monday, August 2, 2021

Frustration as Biden, Congress allow eviction ban to expire (AP) Anger and frustration mounted in Congress as a nationwide eviction moratorium expired at midnight Saturday—one Democratic lawmaker even camping outside the Capitol in protest as millions of Americans faced being forced from their homes. Lawmakers said they were blindsided by President Joe Biden’s inaction as the deadline neared. More than 3.6 million Americans are at risk of eviction, some in a matter of days. The moratorium was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the COVID-19 crisis when jobs shifted and many workers lost income. The eviction ban was intended to prevent further virus spread by people put out on the streets and into shelters. Congress approved nearly $47 billion in federal housing aid to the states during the pandemic, but it has been slow to make it into the hands of renters and landlords owed payments.

Breakneck pace of crises keeps National Guard away from home (AP) In the searing 108-degree heat, far from his Louisiana health care business, Army Col. Scott Desormeaux and his soldiers are on a dusty base near Syria’s northern border, helping Syrian rebel forces battle Islamic State militants. It’s tough duty for the soldiers. But their deployment to the Middle East last November is just a small part of the blistering pace of missions that members of the Louisiana National Guard and America’s other citizen-soldiers have faced in the past 18 months. Beyond overseas deployments, Guard members have been called in to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and protests against racial injustice. For many, it’s meant months away from their civilian jobs and scarce times with families. While Guard leaders say troops are upbeat, they worry about exhaustion setting in and wonder how much longer U.S. businesses can do without their long-absent workers. “This past year was an extraordinary one for the National Guard,” said Gen. Dan Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau. Does he worry about exhaustion setting in? “That’s something I’ve been very concerned with right from the start.”

Western Wildfires May Take Weeks To Months To Contain (NPR) Pockets of the American West continued to burn over the weekend, as another nine large fires were reported on Saturday in California, Idaho, Montana and Oregon. The 87 fires still active in 13 states have consumed more than 1.7 million acres. Just shy of 3 million acres have been scorched since the start of 2021, with months left in what experts predict will be a devastating fire season. In southern Oregon, the Bootleg Fire has become the largest active blaze in the country. The 413,000-acre inferno was contained at 56%, as of Saturday night. A fire line has been constructed around the entire perimeter, ranging from 100 to 150-feet wide between the burn and unburned areas.

Bacon may disappear in California as pig rules take effect (AP) Thanks to a reworked menu and long hours, Jeannie Kim managed to keep her San Francisco restaurant alive during the coronavirus pandemic. That makes it all the more frustrating that she fears her breakfast-focused diner could be ruined within months by new rules that could make one of her top menu items—bacon—hard to get in California. “Our number one seller is bacon, eggs and hash browns,” said Kim, who for 15 years has run SAMS American Eatery on the city’s busy Market Street. “It could be devastating for us.” At the beginning of next year, California will begin enforcing an animal welfare proposition approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2018 that requires more space for breeding pigs, egg-laying chickens and veal calves. National veal and egg producers are optimistic they can meet the new standards, but only 4% of hog operations now comply with the new rules. Unless the courts intervene or the state temporarily allows non-compliant meat to be sold in the state, California will lose almost all of its pork supply, much of which comes from Iowa. Animal welfare organizations for years have been pushing for more humane treatment of farm animals but the California rules could be a rare case of consumers clearly paying a price for their beliefs.

Why are so many migrants coming to one of Europe’s smallest countries? Blame Belarus, officials say. (Washington Post) Europe’s newest migration crisis is unfolding in one of its most unlikely places. Lithuania, a Baltic nation roughly the size of West Virginia with fewer than 3 million residents, hasn’t been known as a destination for undocumented immigrants: Each year, the country sees roughly 70 people unlawfully cross its border with Belarus. In July, the number skyrocketed to more than 2,600, consisting mostly of immigrants from Iraq and sub-Saharan Africa. Officials expect the numbers to grow in the coming weeks. This new flow of people did not begin organically, Lithuanian and European Union officials say. Instead, they say, it is the result of an audacious plan by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to weaponize migration in response to E.U. sanctions. In June, Lukashenko threatened to allow human traffickers and drug smugglers to stream into Europe. E.U. officials say they have evidence that his government is also encouraging immigrants to travel there: coordinating with a Belarusian travel agency to offer tourist visas, setting up flights and then transporting people from Minsk to the Lithuanian border. Lithuania, which has virtually no experience with large numbers of immigrants, has scrambled to construct a barbed wire fence along the border.

Thousands protest against COVID-19 health pass in France (Reuters) Thousands of people protested in Paris and other French cities on Saturday against a mandatory coronavirus health pass for entry to a wide array of public venues, introduced by the government as it battles a fourth wave of infections. It was the third weekend in a row that people opposed to President Emmanuel Macron’s new COVID-19 measures have taken to the streets, an unusual show of determination at a time of year when many people are focused on taking their summer break. The number of demonstrators has grown steadily since the start of the protests, echoing the “yellow vest” movement, that started in late 2018 against fuel taxes and the cost of living. An interior ministry official said 204,090 had demonstrated across France, including 14,250 in Paris alone. This is about 40,000 more than last week.

Turkey evacuates panicked tourists by boat from wildfires (AP) Panicked tourists in Turkey hurried to the seashore to wait for rescue boats Saturday after being told to evacuate some hotels in the Aegean Sea resort of Bodrum due to the dangers posed by nearby wildfires, Turkish media reported. Coast guard units led the operation and authorities asked private boats and yachts to assist in evacuation efforts from the sea as new wildfires erupted. A video showed plumes of smoke and fire enveloping a hill close to the seashore. The death toll from wildfires raging in Turkey’s Mediterranean towns rose to six Saturday after two forest workers were killed, the country’s health minister said. Fires across Turkey since Wednesday have burned down forests and some settlements, encroaching on villages and tourist destinations and forcing people to evacuate. In one video of the Bodrum fire filmed from the sea, a man helping with the evacuations was stunned at the speed of the fire, saying “this is unbelievable, just unbelievable. How did this fire come (here) this fast in 5 minutes?”

Afghans flee (NYT) A mass exodus is unfolding across Afghanistan as the Taliban press on with a military campaign and the U.S. withdraws. At least 30,000 Afghans are leaving each week and many more have been displaced. The Taliban have captured more than half the country’s 400-odd districts, according to some assessments, sparking fears of a harsh return to extremist rule or a civil war. The sudden flight is an early sign of a looming refugee crisis, aid agencies warn.

As the Taliban closes in, Afghan forces scramble to defend prisons holding thousands of militants (Washington Post) Huddled in brightly lit yards late one recent night, hundreds of inmates taunted a team of about a dozen special forces who were rounding the walls along the top of Kunduz prison. The appearance of elite soldiers was an anomaly, a sign to the prisoners that something was happening. “What’s going on?” they shouted. “Is tonight going to be our last night in here? Taliban fighters planned to storm the compound that evening, according to information gathered by local intelligence officers. Government forces hoped the show of force would spur prisoners—some in possession of smuggled cellphones used to communicate with the Taliban—to wave off the attack. Without enough fighters to hold the city’s front lines and reinforce the prison, the special forces’ move was a gamble. But it appeared to work: The night passed without incident. As Taliban militants close in on Afghanistan’s provincial capitals, they are inching closer to central prisons that house around 5,000 of their fellow fighters, leaving the government scrambling to secure the detention facilities. If just a fraction of the detainees were to escape, Afghan security officials warn, it would hand the militants a significant advantage on the battlefield, where they are already making steady gains.

Burkina Faso sees more child soldiers as jihadi attacks rise (AP) Awoken by gunshots in the middle of the night, Fatima Amadou was shocked by what she saw among the attackers: children. Guns slung over their small frames, the children chanted “Allahu akbar,” as they surrounded her home in Solhan town in Burkina Faso’s Sahel region. Some were so young they couldn’t even pronounce the words, Arabic for “God is great,” said the 43-year-old mother. “When I saw the kids, what came to my mind was that (the adults) trained these kids to be assassins, and they came to kill my children,” Amadou told The Associated Press by phone from Sebba town, where she now lives. She and her family are among the lucky ones who survived the June attack, in which about 160 people were killed—the deadliest such assault since the once-peaceful West African nation was overrun by fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State about five years ago. As that violence increases, so too does the recruitment of child soldiers. The number of children recruited by armed groups in Burkina Faso rose at least five-fold so far this year, according to information seen by the AP in an unpublished report by international aid and conflict experts.

Behind the Rise of U.S. Solar Power, a Mountain of Chinese Coal (WSJ) Solar panel installations are surging in the U.S. and Europe as Western countries seek to cut their reliance on fossil fuels. But the West faces a conundrum as it installs panels on small rooftops and in sprawling desert arrays: Most of them are produced with energy from carbon-dioxide-belching, coal-burning plants in China. Concerns are mounting in the U.S. and Europe that the solar industry’s reliance on Chinese coal will create a big increase in emissions in the coming years as manufacturers rapidly scale up production of solar panels to meet demand. That would make the solar industry one of the world’s most prolific polluters, analysts say.

Americans Spend Nearly 60 Billion Hours a Year on Google (PC Magazine) Collectively, Americans spent 57.3 billion hours on Google per year. Its video equivalent, YouTube, comes in second with 29.6 billion hours, followed by Facebook with 9.7 billion hours.

#headlines #news

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bran-writes · 5 years

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Farm Boy Blues Ep. 01 “Welcome Home, Sunny” Pt. 1

Sunny briefly wondered how he’d explain to his friends that the girl he’d run away with shot him in the chest and left him for dead in the desert. After a few minutes he decided to just skip past that part, if at all possible.

Bruised, dirty and tired, Sunny pulled the duffel bag full of cash behind his head to use as a pillow. His neck ached, his whole body was sore. In the back of his mind, he could hear the underground doctor chastising him.

Kid, you took two bullets to the chest and fell out of a moving vehicle. If that boy hadn’t found you, you’d be dead. So don’t get cute with me.

Sunny tried his best to avoid looking suspicious amongst the people around him, which is why he took the refugee train back into the city in the first place. His fellow passengers were all from disparate desert villages. Eleven years after the fall of the Commonwealth where these people were shoved out into the wastes on their own, and the United States Democratic Republic still hadn’t managed to sort out the mess of refugees and where to put them. The outer edges of Dyson City were filled with shanty towns, ghettos and camps that were originally meant to be temporary.

Adjusting his bag and making sure to stay alert without looking alert, Sunny let out a long breath and settled in for the ride through stretches of barren land. After a while, he felt the train bear left, screaming along its track and figured they must be on the final run to the station. Sunny sat up and braved the strain in his chest to twist in his seat and look out the window, the one across from him blocked by a woman and her kid climbing all over her.

Through the small, grimy window behind him, Sunny could see short stone buildings and groups of shanties huddled together along a strip and knew they were about to pull in.

Like the passengers around him, Sunny gathered his bag in his lap and prepared to disembark at the station. When the train slowed to a stop and the frame that was piloting it announced in its robotic voice that this was the last stop, Sunny stood and slipped through the crowd like water, squeezing between people and slithering around them. From his training and years of living in both New York City and Dyson City, he’d perfected the art of moving in a throng of people- and getting lost in them if need be.

The station smelled like grease and body odor- thanks to people coming in from the baking desert sun. The attendant at the gate was another frame, to Sunny’s dismay. This would be a lot easier if it were a human. Sunny wasn’t particularly worried he wouldn’t get back into the city, but he was understandably in a rush to get home, and he had stops to make first. Resigned to doing things the hard way, he strode towards the booth the frame attendant occupied and waited in line as people tried to gain entry to the main part of the city. Behind the station, a massive, metallic gate stood as a barrier of entry to Dyson City. Beyond it was a grass field that wrapped around out of sight, dotted with with tents and lean-tos. This was where some people stayed for days until Dyson Security and Immigration Support moved through and found people temporary housing. Beyond Migrant Way was Dyson City, the dozens of skyscrapers and towers stabbing into the midday sky.

Sunny hefted the strap of his duffel bag onto his shoulder, his chest screaming in pain. He winced and stepped forward to the window.

“Greetings and welcome to Dyson City!”

The robot in the booth chirped at him, its blue and white painted chassis was scuffed and dirty from years of use without proper cleaning. It’s square head had a bent antenna sticking up from the receiver on the left side and a screen in the center. The screen blinked as the frame spoke from it’s speaker box chest module. Sunny couldn’t tell what company made it, but if it was a Myers robot this was going to be a lot easier than he expected.

“Hi, I’m requesting entry into the city proper.”

“Of course! I just need to see your identification and your city access pass.”

The ID was easy enough, of course, but the CAP was going to be a problem. They were issued to citizens as an easy way to get back inside the city and past the temp housing and refugee zones. It was also one of many things he wished he hadn’t left at his place when he ran away with Mia.

Why the hell did I leave that behind? What made me so stupid? Sunny thought to himself. Of course, he knew the answer was, in fact, that Mia made him that stupid. All he could do was vow to never see her again and figure out how to get back home. Break his heart once, Sunny was wary. Shoot him in the chest twice? Well…

“Sure, quick question, though,” Sunny held up a finger.

“I’m here to help,” the frame said pleasantly.

“What make and model are you?”

“I am a Myers Robotics Service Ten Model.”

Boom.

“Oh, sweet,” Sunny snapped his fingers and held his ID to the scanner, “Contractor override code sierra-kilo-nine-six-four-eight-seven-five-four.”

The frame’s face screen blinked and turned from blue to green. “Welcome, Contractor Sunny Keaton. How may I be of service?”

“Get your watch captain for me, please and thank you,” Sunny smiled. The frame paused while it sent a message to the gate’s main office. A few people behind Sunny sighed impatiently. He cleared his throat and waited for Captain Mercer to stride from the back office.

Thankfully, the man still had the job. The last time Sunny had seen him, that was still up in the air when Sunny was looking for a client’s stolen car. He was happy to see the stalwart man with the weathered dark skin and graying hair looking healthy and employed.

“Oh hell no!” Captain Mercer threw his hands up.

“Mercer, don’t walk away! I need your help!”

“You need my help? Last time I helped you, I almost lost my job!”

Sunny cocked his head, “How is that my fault?”

Mercer stopped in his tracks and stared at Sunny, the man’s blue uniform was pressed and his gold Dyson City Security badge glinted on his chest. “Excuse you? You started a gun fight on the city wall, drove a million dollar luxury car onto the damn tracks and damn near wrecked it into the gate!”

“But you opened the gate, didn’t you? And there wasn’t any damage!”

“You are so full of shit,” the man shook his head and waved him away in frustration. Sunny edged around the booth and hopped the turnstile, the alarm blaring for a few brief moments before Captain Mercer hit the switch on his key ring.

“Hey, I’m sorry about the car thing. But in my defense, that gunfight wasn’t on the wall, it was in the wall. And I didn’t start it- I ended it. Before anybody got hurt.”

Mercer glared at Sunny and he decided to perhaps try a different method. “Look, I am sorry my irresponsible behavior almost cost you your job… Really. I was glad to see you’re still here- and that’s not just because I need to get in.”

“Where the hell is your CAP?”

“At my place… I forgot it,” Sunny shrugged.

“I oughta throw your ass in holding. Come on,” the man sighed, leading Sunny towards the main office where he guessed Mercer would get him a temporary city access pass. On the way through the station, around the groups of people coming and going, Mercer glanced back at Sunny irritably, the young man smiling. “And you look like shit.”

“Aw, thanks,” Sunny chuckled, digging into his duffel bag, and producing a stack of one hundred bills. This ought to make him feel a little better. “By the way, I need a ride into the city, too, if you can lend me one of your guys.”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go before I change my mind.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Tag List:

@writerinafury @oneleggedflamingo @carmina-solis @anomaly00 @neirawrites

@lnspired-insomniac

#Farm Boy Blues #my wip #FBB: Ep 1 #writeblr #sci fi

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bountyofbeads · 5 years

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Migrant Children Are Moved Back to Troubled Border Facility in Texas https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/us/john-sanders-cbp.html

THE PROBLEM IS THAT THIS AGENCY IS LEADERLESS STARTING WITH THE POTUS WHO DENIES THAT PROBLEMS EXIST AND PEOPLE LIKE STEPHEN MILLER WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS.

🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

Migrant Children Moved Back to Troubled Texas Border Facility

By Arturo Rubio and Caitlin Dickerson |

Published June 25, 2019 | New York Times | Posted June 25, 2019 |

CLINT, Tex. — At the squat, sand-colored concrete border station in Texas that has become the center of debate over President Trump’s immigration policies, a chaotic shuffle of migrant children continued on Tuesday as more than 100 were moved back into a facility that days earlier had been emptied in the midst of criticism that young detainees there were hungry, crying and unwashed.

The station in Clint, Tex., sits in the middle of a farm town of fewer than 1,000 residents, framed by high fencing and a tall communications tower. In recent weeks, it has become a temporary home to hundreds of migrant children as the government has run out of space to place the large numbers of migrants continuing to flow into the country from Central America.

Lawyers who visited the facility said they found it stretched beyond its capacity, with hundreds of minor detainees having gone for weeks without access to showers, clean clothing or sufficient food.

But in a press call on Tuesday, a Customs and Border Protection official said that the agency was able to send about 100 children back to the station because overcrowding there had been alleviated. The official disputed the lawyers’ accounts of conditions at the facility, insisting that migrant detainees housed by the agency were given access to periodic showers and were offered unlimited snacks throughout the day.

The continuing movement of children and confusion over the situation at Clint demonstrated the increasingly disorganized situation along the southern border and the government’s struggle to maintain minimal humanitarian standards amid an unprecedented influx of migrant families that only recently has begun to show any signs of slowing.

The agency’s acting commissioner, John Sanders, will step down in early July as the government’s primary border enforcement executive, a federal official said Tuesday, a development that comes as the agency faces continuing public fury over the treatment of detained migrant children.

[Read more: Customs and Border Protection’s acting chief will step down.]

Mr. Sanders announced his resignation in an email to colleagues shortly after it was reported by journalists. He has led the agency since Mr. Trump tapped the former Customs and Border Protection commissioner, Kevin McAleenan, to replace Kirstjen Nielsen as homeland security secretary. Mr. Sanders specialized in developing technology for national security initiatives and previously served as the chief technology officer for the Transportation Security Administration.

The official who confirmed his resignation, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, said it was not clear whether the impending resignation was connected to recent criticism over the agency’s management of a large influx of migrant families along the border.

That assertion from Customs and Border Protection that children were being well cared for ran contrary to what the lawyers, from some of the nation’s top law schools, said they were told by children. During a court-ordered visit to the facility earlier this month, some children said they had not been allowed to shower in nearly a month, and were so hungry that it had been hard for them to sleep through the night.

[Read about the conditions migrant children were held in at Clint.

“I personally don’t believe these allegations,” the Customs and Border Protection official, who spoke on the condition he not be identified, told reporters.

The lawyers’ accounts prompted a significant public backlash, after which all but 30 of the roughly 300 children who were being housed in Clint were transferred elsewhere. Some 249 were placed in a shelter network for children run by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, while others were moved to a tent facility in El Paso run by Customs and Border Protection.

But on Tuesday, the C.B.P. official said that those moves had alleviated overcrowding in Clint, and allowed for the return of more than 100 children there. The spokesman said that no additional resources had been provided to the children who were sent back.

After the lawyers’ accounts about Clint were made public, volunteers from around the country began to mobilize, hoping to deliver supplies such as diapers, soap and food to the facility. But those who arrived there were not allowed in and their donations were not accepted, according to local media reports.

On the call with reporters on Tuesday, the Customs and Border Protection official said that the agency was reviewing its policy for accepting outside donations, but the official also disputed the idea that supplies were running low.

“We are looking at the possibility of using some of those donations going forward but those items, it’s important to note, are available now,” the official said.

Federal officials had previously told the office of Representative Terry Canales, a Democrat from Texas who requested a list of needed supplies, that the agency would not be able to accept outside donations, according to Curtis Smith, Mr. Canales’s chief of staff.

Arturo Rubio reported from Clint, Tex., and Caitlin Dickerson from New York. Zolan Kanno-Youngs contributed reporting from Washington

I'm posting comments from Americans about this story I posted previously. They're as important as the story.👇👇

KYLE, CHICAGO

"As a human I am disgusted by the conditions these children have been forced to live in by our government. It’s awful and needs to resolved immediately. That said as a lifelong democrat I’m also troubled by how the Democratic lawmakers responded to this crisis. Leaving these children in terrible conditions and using them as a political tool to hammer the Trump Administration is almost as cruel as the indifference the GOP showed for these children’s wellbeing. Especially when house democrats could have passed a funding bill providing humanitarian resources for these children at any time but didn’t start that process until today. Democrats had the opportunity to show how they are different from Trump and the GOP by caring for these children yet instead they chose to delay and play politics so they could get their shots in at Trump. Meanwhile kids were living in squalor. AOC and some other lawmakers are still playing politics by refusing to support the bill that would provide aid for these children Whether it’s selective outrage or electoral ignorance the Democratic base failed these children too by joining their representatives in playing politics instead of pushing their lawmakers to start doing their jobs and use the power of the purse. It’s a sad day in America when both parties are playing games with starving children."

CONTRARIAN, WASHINGTON DC

It really doesn't surprise me that the Trump fan base are not upset or concerned about the cruel treatment of the people seeking refugees -- I really don't think they consider these poor unfortunate people as fellow human beings.

R. MANDI, CALIFORNIA

"I'm a HS teacher in Los Angeles, and several of my students have done time in the El Paso facility. They told me about freezing for weeks because the AC was turned as high as it would go, and little kids crying because of the cold--my boys gave their survival space blankets to the younger ones. They spoke of verbal abuse, withholding of food and even water, and pervasive cruelty and apathy. One of my boys was not allowed to use the phone, even while a relative waited to hear from him to pick him up. He was detained for six weeks in what they called 'the icebox.' These boys are hard working honor students who go to school by day and work nights and weekends at restaurants. No one makes them go to school- they force themselves. Please tell me what these boys did wrong. They are fighting tooth and nail to get themselves to college, and become citizens. These 'shelters' are an abomination, as are the policy makers behind them."

MEG, TROY OH

"Gross mismanagement, incompetence, ignorance, cruelty are all in the mix here. These words and phrases describe the Trump Administration and its inability to do its job. This time, helpless human beings are the victim of this obscenity. These Trump hirees and appointees do not know how to do the jobs for which they have been hired. This is negligence bordering on abuse and corruption. Congress where are you?"

READING MARY, BOSTON

" I read an account of the lawyers' visit to Clint and found myself alternating between tears and anger at the treatment of vulnerable children in the government's care. Those providing oversight of these centers have no shame and should be removed. What happened to American values; where is Melania Trump in all this with her "Be Better" movement. I cannot understand how the officials responsible for the deplorable conditions can live with themselves. They have no sense of decency. If Dante were alive today I am certain he would revise the Inferno to identify a special place in hell for CBP officials overseeing the detention of migrant children."

ROBIKIT, NEW JERSEY

"Those who feign astonishment that children are being held in these horrific conditions (i.e, Republicans), are hoodwinking the public. They must know all too well by now that Trump's main purpose in life is to punish. Punish children whose parents bring them to this country without his express permission, punish women for fighting off his disgusting and illegal assaults on them, punish our allies for not bowing to his every sick attempt to promote his warped "foreign policy". That is all this man is about--and until the country realizes it, and takes real action to stop him, we are in for much worse. God help those poor children-- and all of us!"

PAUL, NYC

"Enough. This is a humanitarian crisis, a stain on our nation; Trump has to stop it. Now. Trump can blame the Democrats, the media, President Obama, Mexico, and on and on. But the reality is, he's in charge. This is his mess. "The buck stops here." Figure it out, get these kids into a safe place; whatever it takes."

CJF, BTV

"The trauma these children are dealing with. They may never recover. We, the US, are ruining a generation of children. Can you imagine if this was your child? I have a six year old. The idea of him being in a place like this is too much to bear. God save the children."

BARBARA, SC

"Resignation is not enough. The man and those in direct contact with kids should be charged with neglect of a minor, at the very least. That's what would happen to anyone else whose children were found in such conditions. I hope the lawyers or someone else goes back to Clint to see how the 100 children returned there are treated in the next few days and weeks. Bottom line: small children in particular should not be removed from their parents. It is inhumane to do so over a misdemeanor (entering the country without papers). Nursing babies need to stay with their mothers and small children need to do so for developmental reasons. I'd rather see no child removed from his/her family, but at least teens can understand what is happening, unlike little ones."

BLUE NORTHWEST, OREGON

"The incompetence and cruelty of Trump officials toward families and children seeking legal refuge in the US is sickening. Trump officials who designed and perpetuated this cruelty against innocent children deserve prison rather than the privilege to resign."

SUZANNE MONIZ, PROVIDENCE

" Trump has done nothing but crow about a wall and suggest Mexico should solve our immigration problems. Shame on every single sycophant who support the nothingness accomplished by Trump and the ever-worsening handling of migrants at the border. The officials involved, thus far, have inspired zero confidence that money toward solving the problems will be handled appropriately. There seems to be no greater goal than personal enrichment at the expense of the down-trodden. The collapse of oversight rests entirely on the current administration."

NYC INDEPENDENT, NYC

"When I read the lawyers' account of the treatment of these children at the Clint, Texas facility, I was heartbroken. I do recognize that their account may not be 100% correct and that we need to hear from others. But given what I know about this president, my reaction was: it's probably accurate. The man in the White House is cruel. No question, this is something that he would do as a method to discourage Central Americans from trying to enter the U.S. It is within the realm of the possible that he said, "if we're cruel enough, inhumane enough, this might work. They'll stop trying to get asylum." Never, in my lifetime, would I have thought an American president would treat children this way."

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another-chorus-girl · 6 years

Text

Erik House - Chapter 27

The two weeks following the return of Karimloo's memory had been two weeks to which neither he or Panaro left the others side. And in between the quiet moments of deprived snogging-not too mention the West End Merik's insistence on going back to gym on a daily basis-they completed the plans for the wedding.

With no imminent threats of danger anymore the Christines' were permitted back in the manor, led by party planning soprano Sierra on any last remaining touches around the parlor.

"It'll be nice to have our parlor back once this is all over," Mauer grumbled.

Elizabeth giggled, placing a small peck on his masked cheek, "Don't be so grumpy, you love weddings."

"Not when it interferes with my work, dearest."

While like Mauer, some Meriks' were disgruntled at the organ being off limits until after the ceremony, a few managed well with this setback especially as they had little to no say in the matter.

And one Merik in particular was being quite the groomszilla.

Panaro scowled plopping down on his bed.

"Disaster I say! Beyond imagination even!" He groaned.

Karimloo-watering his plant by the windowsill-shook his head comically.

"It's really not all bad-"

"Not all bad! Did you SEE the floral arrangements they tried to push on us?! As insightful as the Christines' help has been what did or did you not say to Sierra?"

"That 'the only one approving of the flower arrangements at our wedding will be my husband.'"

"Exactly! And then they try and sneak lilies into MY arrangement. LILIES! And remind me again why that child is taking part in our wedding?" The Broadway Merik asked, sitting up to remove his bowtie and tailcoat.

Karimloo shrugged, "Well as adorable as he is we can't have Soot walk down the aisle unattended. And besides, the kid's not that bad, I kind of like him."

"Do you.... do you ever think of children?"

This immediately cocked the West End Merik's attention from the plant to his fiancee.

"Perhaps we should go one step at a time, marriage first!"

"I'm just asking!"

Karimloo rubbed his chin, "I mean I won't say the thought hasn't come to mind, especially being how absent they are around here."

"Well I for one am NOT carrying it! I don't need a maternity suit."

Both men cackled at the joke in regular Merik muscle memory fashion.

"Hey," Karimloo sat on his own bed. "Don't worry love, the wedding will be fine."

"C'mere," Panaro patted the mattress.

Giving in to the Broadway Merik's request he flopped down on the cushy bed, Panaro already making off with his mask and wig.

Panaro ran his hand through the West End's soft wispies of grey hair.

"I still can't understand how you sleep in this without slithering out of the bed in those silk pyjamas of yours." Karimloo chuckled, his twitchy fingers caressing the other man's deformity after having snatched away Pan's mask.

"It's easier when you're in the bed too."

Gerik sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

Across from him Mr. Y took another inhale of his canned eucalyptus.

"Maybe we should do something out in the city? Might take your mind off things." The Coney migrant suggested.

"For the last time I'm not going to a cowboy bar with you," Gerik groaned.

"Oh come now Monsieur! Where else can I wear my hat and spurs?" Y whined.

"Last time we went out, everyone was staring at me from behind."

"Well if you didn't wear stuffing-"

"It's padding!" Gerik argued. "I don't like to do it, it's just a bad habit."

"And besides it doesn't have to be a bar, just somewhere to get away from all this wedding hubub until they leave for the honeymoon."

The men glanced up hearing a soft knock.

"Enter," Y said.

Both masked men straightened up seeing Monsieur F'antome walk in, his shiny dress shoes barely clicked against the floor.

"I had heard Monsieur Gerik was in here. Might I have a word with you in my chambers, s'il vous plait?" While Erik asked this as a question, the thick air made it feel more like an obvious request.

Gerik followed Erik down to the ever forbidden basement of the house. The film adaption froze seeing multiple (masked) faces that greeted him downstairs.

Standing around a large table were Lerik, Crawford, and Karimloo.

"W-What's going on?" Gerik asked slightly on edge seeing the West End Merik.

Though the two had made peace calling a truce, as Karimloo was sympathetic that Gerik had tried in the end to reverse his amnesia and purposely trying not to hurt Panaro during the last fight. But ever still Gerik felt uneasy around him, or just the fact that there were two Meriks' in the room and only one of him.

Erik also joined the men by the table. "Nothing to be afraid of, I can promise that much."

The others still stood, while Erik was the only one situating himself in a sturdy wooden throne like chair with articulately carved design.

"After much talk-" Glancing at Lerik but the mute giving an understanding nod

"-we have decided some changes in leadership must be made. Or rather some additions."

"Additions?" Gerik asked, it was then he realized there were five men and only four seats.

"Yes," Crawford chimed in. "To further keep order in the house, it would help to have more heads at the table that is."

"And it's been decided after some deliberating," Erik continued, "That your talents would be suited into aiding us with that."

Gerik blinked. "Me? You...You want my help with the house? After everything that's happened? And that's happened due to my brutish actions?"

Erik's rolled his golden eyes that glowed in the dim room. "As if we are sinless saints. Not a wise set of decisions you've made Monsieur, but hardly irredeemable."

"But what about Lerik? He's a more universal face than I am. And he actually lives on the main floor."

Lerik signed his piece but Erik translated as Gerik was still getting the hang of sign language.

"He says that the floor of cinematics could use a more modern face to seek out leadership. And... now now Monsieur I wouldn't say you're a relic! Ahem. Needless to say he feels with yours being the first one people turn to of the Phantom...'filmies' as some housemates have dubbed your kind, it makes quite logically sense you be their representative. He'll still do his share to help as you reside upstairs, but feels that of the two you should primarily be the one for them to turn to." The original opera ghost explained. After signing his piece Lerik took his quiet leave with a waving gesture.

"But I don't understand why I'm here?" Karimloo asked, indicating to the elder Merik. "We have you for our floor of the house?"

Crawford nodded, "Which you still do. Unlike Monsieur Lerik's voluntary resignation I am not going anywhere. However I cannot do this alone. Monsieur Gerik has the benefit of lesser numbers on the cinematic floor. But there are just too many on our portion of the house for me alone to manage. And your face is quite one that gets around more easily and draws attention."

"I would say this non negotiable but I will ask you gentlemen to make your choice. But I highly advise against refusal." Erik clasped his hands together and elbows propped on the table. Crawford pulled out his usual seat, his throne darker than the light mahogany of Erik's but equally well crafted to suit his persona.

Karimloo nodded, "Alright."

Crawford gestured to a seat similar to his own but with varied changes, Karimloo quietly took his new seat.

Gerik bit his lower lip. He wanted to say no and stay out of public spotlight. But really that felt quite unavoidable.

"Damn the theatrical release," Gerik grumbled. "Ok, I accept."

"Take a seat," Erik chided.

Gerik's throne was a little more lavish than the Meriks' chairs and he felt surprisingly at ease sitting down.

"Excellent, now onto our first matter this evening..."

Erik groaned hearing footsteps frantically coming downstairs.

"I should have installed alarms..." He grumbled, "What now?!"

"We have a few...unexpected guests." Cherik said timidly, "Strange fellows actually. I'm not really sure who to ask."

The original opera ghost shook his head.

"We will continue the meeting later this evening. Monsieur Crawford, I'm assuming the door is for you again."

The masked men joined Cherik up the stairs to be met with a very strange sight indeed.

"We were told this is where we should go for a place to stay?" A quartet of abnormally shaped masks greeted them.

"Are we to speak to you? Perhaps you know Monsieur Davis, he's staying here too?" A man of dark skin and enormous height-practically dwarfing everyone in the room-inquired to the Merik.

Crawford nodded, "He is, he's been shifting around quite frequently on our floor, doesn't seem to feel right anywhere poor fellow."

"There are a few more of us waiting in your lobby-" A stubbly masked man asked before being interrupted by one of his companions.

"Foyer!"

"Ah sorry, foyer."

The elder Merik paused hatching an idea.

"Actually, you would be better to speak with my companion here." He said indicating to Gerik who blinked shaking his head.

"What? What are you on about Crawford??" He asked nervously "They're with your adaptions clan."

"Yes and no. It's become apparent Monsieur Davis since arriving has been having much difficulty adjusting to our idiosyncrasies. They follow the criteria of our adaption but the wild ideas they have, sound a little more like your interpretation."

Gerik and Crawford glanced back at the group, while certainly dressed like the Meriks, their curled up wig piece and in some lack of appropriate grooming said otherwise to resemble the mismatch eyed Merik's charges.

"I'm not insinuating they stay on the first floor. They certainly don't belong there, however I fear they won't do so well herded with us. But perhaps on the third floor they could acquire more free reign of their own, and some structure from you. As I understand it you do have a variety of vacancy up there as well-unfortunately the Brazilians and Germans with new tours have had to share three per room due to so little available space on our floor."

Gerik shuffled his dress shoes against the carpet, "I don't know, what if I-"

"I'm confident in you, besides already they seem quite taken with you."

Both men noticed the quartet was practically ogling at Gerik, as if waiting for further instruction.

The film adaption sighed, "Well alright. Gentlemen, if you'll fetch your other companions I'll lead you upstairs."

Watching the men tote behind Gerik, Karimloo stood beside Crawford.

"Monsieur is this wise?" The younger West End asked.

"I wouldn't suggest it if I thought it rash. And I wasn't exaggerating, our floor is at quite capacity even with the West End Wing fully restored. Go see to Panaro, I'll fetch you when it's time for the meeting again."

Karimloo nodded, "Right, it's leg day for me anyway."

The West End groom was nervous as ever.

"This waiting tries my patience!" Karimloo grumbled, nervously patting down his wig.

"Calm yourself," Wilkinson badgered, wiping away a speck of lint off the younger Merik's shoulder. "All will go smoothly, don't worry about it."

"I'm just nervous, Pan wants this day to go so well-"

"And it will. Becoming flustered won't do either of you any good. This is your time to be happy in that moment that not all of us got the chance to have."

The conversation was cut short as the double doors opened.

Wilkinson took his place alongside Mr. Y and Fraser, the former two groomsmen giving Karimloo an approving nod. Sierra walked down the aisle, leading the bridesmaids behind her. The ladies took their place on the opposing side of the groomsmen and best man. Before taking her seat, Sierra gave Karimloo a hug and a tiny peck on his masked cheek.

"Congratulations," She smiled giddily departing to her seat.

The men and women, Phantoms, sopranos, and the very few outisders alike rose. Lerik's wedding mass began, the mute man swaying to the tune. While advising it would be better if Gerik kept his distance from the ceremony, he did call in a favor of the mute maestro to play for the upcoming wedding.

Karimloo swallowed the lump in his throat as footsteps were heard from the doorway. His mouth felt dry seeing his fiancee.

Panaro stepped down the aisle, Crawford escorting him to his right. The Broadway man was glad the older Merik agreed to walk him down the aisle, his leg's trembled as if made of gelatin seeing his fiancee awaiting him.

Behind the two Soot-with the care of Meghan-trotted happily with a basket of rose petals in his mouth. Gustave beside the canine and his mother happily tossing a few out of the basket by small handfuls.

Arriving at the alter, Crawford shook hands with Karimloo, giving Panaro away to the West End man. Patting Panaro on the back, the older Merik took his seat beside Sarah as did Meghan and Gustave.

"Kari..." Panaro breathed. The West End Merik always looked dashing in his eyes, especially today.

Gerik was not the only one calling in favors as after some negotiating, Kerik agreed and had made a call back to an old acquaintance in Rouen. After all, an ordained minister was required to complete the two men tying the knot.

Father Mansart cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen, ladies we are gathered on this evening. To bring together in a holy matrimony before God, these two men that stand before you." The greying priest turned to the Meriks'. "I'm to understand you've written vows for each other?"

"We have," Karimloo said. He gave a glance to Wilkinson whom signaled Lerik.

The mute nodded, playing the familiar solo all Meriks' knew by heart.

"Something old," The West End Merik smirked at the familiarity of Music of the Night.

As if on cue, Mr. Y stepped forward with a fancy black gold box in hand.

Opening it before the two gentlemen revealing two twin gold bands with a series of hand crafted weaving etched into them, and a small onyx stone stamped into each ring.

"Something new," Panaro spoke softly placing one of the rings on Karimloo's bare ringfinger.

"Something borrowed," Karimloo responded, nodding to his counterpart wearing a cravat around his neck.

Panaro chuckled, pulling on the matching cravat Karimloo wore in place of his bowtie as well.

"You're welcome," Y whispered with a smile before rejoining Wilkinson and Fraser. After he had gone through plenty of cravats after giving so many away, what was two more?

Removing two flowers from his lapel, the Broadway Merik placed one in his own lapel, and the other in Karimloo's. While the groomsmen wore red roses in theirs the two betrothed were a sapphire color that seemed to shimmer in the chandelier's vibrant light.

"And something blue,"

"Kari..." Panaro cleared his throat. "Our time in the house, our time together has made me feel whole where I felt lost and alone once upon a time down in the catacombs. Even through the bad, we still made it, and I want us to continue making it together. And just that anywhere you go, I just ask of you that you let me go too."

Karimloo had to hold back the tears, already feeling his eyes grow watery.

"I remember a time when I was was angry and wanted nothing more than to be left alone. I'd felt abandoned and forgotten. Since then everyone in this house has paved the way to me seeing more out of my existence. But you... Pan, you just give me more and make me question what I thought I knew I needed. I was wrong in what I had said years passed. It is not my Christine, but you Monsieur that can make my song take flight."

The masked men clasped hand in hand, recited after Father Mansart in christening they would take the other as their wedded husband.

"And if anyone at all should address why these two should not be wed together, let them please speak now or forever hold your peace." The holy man addressed the crowd.

"I swear if Gerik comes bursting through that door." Panaro grumbled.

"Shh," Karimloo softly chuckled.

Feeling successful with no immediate answer, Father Mansart smiled upon the two men.

"Then by the power invested with me, I pronounce the two of you married." Closing his book with a friendly shrug addressing either man. "I suppose either of you may kiss your husband."

And with a kiss sealed the Meriks' newly sealed marriage.

FINALLY right? And as always:

-The cowboy bar discussion is based off another instastory of Bronson Norris Murphy’s where he’s seen dancing in a cowboy hat-and possibly spurs on his shoes-still dressed as Mr. Y

-Gerik having padding in his pants is reference to the very real fact that during the 2004 movie Joel Shumacher (likely or possibly even Webber) had Gerard Butler wear padding around his buttocks-which you can see very clearly during final lair.

-Lerik being described as more universal is an obvious reference to Lon Chaney’s being considered to be the Universal Studios movie monster Phantom-even though Universal always advertises Claude Rains Phantom over Lon Chaney

-Unlike most of the PotO movies, the 2004 version did have a theatrical run when it came out.

-The rest of the restaged Phantoms are here! Described among a few are Quentin Oliver Lee’s, Mark Campbell, Cooper Grodin, and Chris Mann. There are several other actors and understudies but these are the new Phantoms mentioned in this scene. Crawford saddling them with Gerik is due to how similar and how the the restaged show has more parallels to the 2004 movie as oppose to the West End and Broadway original versions.

-In real life the actual Ramin has a plant named Robyn

-For those who haven’t read Susan Kay, Father Mansart is a priest whom baptized Kerik as an infant and also taught him many things like writing, reading, and eventually architecture as a child.

#Erik house AU #erik house #erikcest #panarimloo #gerik #merik #lerik #leroux

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