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The Township of Pequannock operates under the Council-Manager form of government, as described within the Optional Municipal Charter Law (N.J.S.A. 40:69A-1 et seq.). The Township Council is comprised of five members who are elected to three year, staggered terms in office. Each year, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are selected from within the Council to serve for a one year term. The Council is responsible for setting policy, adopting an annual budget, authorizing the execution of certain contracts, serving as the highest level of government in the municipality and being responsive to the 15,000+ residents, business owners and community visitors.
The Township Council appoints a Township Manager who is charged with oversight of the day to day operations of the municipal government, the Township Clerk who serves as the Secretary to the Township Council and other officers and professionals, as described in applicable law.
7:00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month
Municipal Building Courtroom
530 Newark-Pompton Turnpike
View the meeting calendar
View Video Recordings of Township Council Meetings
David Kohle
Ryan Herd
Melissa Florance-Lynch
Richard Phelan
Kyle Russell
Carol Marsh
Email Carol Marsh
Michele DiRenza-Luberto
Deputy Township Clerk
Email Michele DiRenza-Luberto
Mayor Kyle Russell
Deputy Mayor Melissa Florance-Lynch
Township Code, Ordinances & Resolutions
Pompton Plains, NJ 07444-1799
Second Tuesday of Each Month:
Friday Following Second Tuesday:
Construction Permit Information
Getting Started with the Construction Portal
Code, Documents & Maps
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Nigerian striker Ibrahim Sunusi joins Montreal Impact
Posted by PusEagle 5 days Ago 3 Views Comment
Montreal Impact have announced the acquisition of Nigeria youth international Ibrahim Sunusi from 36 Lion FC.
The 18-year-old penned a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee with the Major League Soccer outfit – which will keep him at Saputo Stadium until 2023, with an optional year in 2024.
Also, the contract will be made formal upon reception of his international transfer certificate and medical examination.
“The club is very happy to have completed the transfer of this young player, who is already part of his country’s U23 squad despite his young age,” sporting director Olivier Renard told the club website.
“It’s a great addition to the squad, especially considering several European clubs were very interested in him as well. Sunusi Ibrahim is a fast and powerful striker who can also play on the wings.”
Sunusi – who was linked with a move to English Championship Watford – shot into the limelight with Nigeria Professional Football League side Nasarawa United. There, he finished as the joint-top scorer of the abridged Nigerian top-flight season having scored 10 times in 22 league outings in the 2018-19 campaign.
On the international scene, the teenager featured for Nigeria in their quest to qualify for the U23 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring his only goal against Zambia.
With this move, he becomes the fourth African in Thierry Henry’s squad after Kenya international Victor Wanyama, Uganda’s Mustafa Kizza and Senegal’s Clement Diop.
Reacting to this development, grassroots exponent Samuel Olatunji-Okuku claims the move is a testimony that several talents abound in Nigeria, while appealing to the league organisers to keep doing more towards making the league beautiful.
“Sunusi joining MLS side Montreal Impact is a testimony that there are plenty of talents in our domestic league against what so many people feel,” the Tripple 44 boss told Goal.
“I congratulate the young man on his move and I strongly believe that he will grab this opportunity with both hands. This will also serve as a big motivation for many players in Nigeria that they can be snapped up by top clubs outside the country if they keep working hard.
“For the League Management Company, my appeal to them is to keep doing more to upgrade the standard of the league. I have a feeling that one day that clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea will comb the NPFL to sign many more talents.”
Get more stories like this on Twitter
#Nigerian #striker #Ibrahim #Sunusi #joins #Montreal #Impact
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Tags: Ibrahim Impact joins Montreal Nigerian Striker Sunusi
PusEagle 12/01/21
Previous Article Abramovich set to bring back Avram Grant as pressure mounts on Lampard
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FCE Oyo, special notice on resumption to staff
FUPRE notice on resumption of academic activities
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Investigative journalism, research and film production
Golden Temple massacre – FOI case update
Posted on June 14, 2018 by Phil Miller
A British judge has reached a decision in my freedom of information appeal against the UK Cabinet Office. Nearly four years ago, I asked the department for papers that could shed more light on UK covert involvement in the Golden Temple massacre at Amritsar in 1984, where hundreds if not thousands of Sikh pilgrims were killed by the Indian army. I had already exposed that Margaret Thatcher sent an SAS officer to advise on the attack and wanted to see what else the UK government was hiding. The judge agreed with me on two key points but did agree with the Cabinet Office on another point. The case has received plenty of coverage in the Indian media (e.g. NDTV, The Hindu, The Wire, Press Trust of India, CNNnews18 etc) and there are reports in the Times of India and Hindustan Times that a top Sikh official in India has thanked me for my research. The Guardian and BBC radio also covered the judgment.
← Eco-Friendly Yacht Race Sponsored By Arms Company
Let’s stop spies and subcontractors from hiding behind the law →
New Internationalist
Stabroek News
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Create a Complete Contact Manager
Accurate Placement
To accurately position an object on a layout, select the item by clicking once on it and move it one point at a time using the arrow keys on the keyboard. The arrow keys will also override the Grid feature. In FileMaker 13 and later, Dynamic Guides will also assist you when maneuvering with the arrow keys.
Claris and FileMaker CEOs
Bill Campbell 1987 to 1995
Guerrino De Luca 1995 to 1997
Dominique Goupil 1997 to 2019
Brad Freitag 2019 to Present
FileMaker Eighteen
Eighteen is the age you become an adult in the United States. In China, it's an auspicious number associated with success. In Hebrew, the word of life has a value of eighteen. It's also a composite number in mathematics, totaling the addition of it's divisors. But, most importantly, it's the latest release from FileMaker! I don't have eighteen different things to cover, just the stuff I find most important which includes scripting, calculations and relationships. I'll do a brief overview of most of the new features but I'll focus on only what you can do with FileMaker Pro Advanced.
Probably the most significant feature added to FileMaker Server 18 is Startup Restoration. The basic idea is FileMaker Server 18 logs any changes to a database in real time. All changes are tracked including data and schema. If your solution unexpectedly shuts down, FileMaker Server uses this log to "recover" your solution. I quote the word "recover" because it doesn't necessarily mean your file is damaged. If you've ever restarted a solution that crashed, the consistency check can take a long time to go through your file(s), but doesn't try to fix your file if there are any problems. In other words, the consistency check just detects issues while Startup Restoration attempts to return the file to a consistent state as if the database had been shut down gracefully.
Startup Restoration may restore data that would have normally been lost in previous versions of FileMaker. It's also possible, it may restore a portion of an action such as a Replace Field Contents or a Delete All Records. It's main objective is to get your file open and working again as quickly as possible so it's still possible to lose data or schema. In addition, there's no guarantee you won't have to recover a file or revert to a backup, it just should be less common. And, the best thing about this restoration process is it's completely transparent and will automatically occur each time FileMaker Server is restarted after unexpectedly quitting.
There's a handy white paper regarding Startup Restoration so I won't go into excruciating detail about this feature. However, here's a quote from the white paper I find sums up the purpose of startup restoration:
"Its objective is to ensure any data file corruption caused by an unexpected close are fixed by returning the FileMaker file back to a consistent state. This state is then used to automatically "recover" the FileMaker file once FileMaker Server restarts as a quicker and more reliable method than the legacy methods outlined at the end of this document."
NOTE: By "legacy methods", the quote is referring to backups and traditional recovery.
If you are familiar with audit logs, Startup Restoration is not so different. It takes a snapshot of the state of a field, record, table, layout, etc. before and after a change is made. If a crash occurs, that log is simply used to rebuild the file to a working state from the point of the crash. As you may have guessed, this log can take some processing time so FileMaker Server now supports multiple processors. Even so, long processes like imports can be slowed by Startup Restoration so it can be turned off when needed.
There are some other changes to the Admin Console such as new status icons, changes to schedules and some other minor enhancements. I won't get into these other features but you can read about them in the FileMaker Server 18 online help (Just click on the New Features link). There's also a new Spanish version of the Admin Console, updates to the Data API enhancements, Admin API standardization and support for Zabbix for server monitoring. Zabbix support is worth a look as it will change the way developers interface with FileMaker Server, providing real-time statistics with graphs galore.
FileMaker Pro Advanced & Go
Now for what I'm really excited to talk about, FileMaker Pro Advanced (with some FileMaker Go mentions). I'll start off by talking about miscellaneous features that have a lot of bang for the buck but don't require much discussion. At the end of the article, I'll talk about features with depth like the While function, script error logging, file based script steps, security, importing and file version comparison. In addition to my pontificating, there will be videos and examples to boot!
One of my favorite new FileMaker 18 features is something I've been waiting for a long time! Back in the 80s, I used a page layout program called PageMaker on a Mac Plus. You could move objects one pixel at a time with the arrow keys but you could also hold down a modifier key and move them ten pixels at a time. Yeah, I get it, why not just grab the mouse. The thing is, the mouse has the potential to move the object vertically and horizontally and is not very accurate. Sometimes you just want to nudge an object in on direction but faster than one point at a time. Now all you have to do is hold down the Shift key while typing the up, down, left or right right arrow keys.
Shift + Left, Right, Up or Down Arrow
Append PDF
We've had the ability to stitch PDF documents together for years in FileMaker Pro Advanced. Now that ability comes to FileMaker Go! This is a big deal since I treat desktop and on the go solutions more alike than any other deployment method. Sure, there are differences but it's mostly window and object sizes. Now I can offer the same appending PDF abilities on FileMaker Go instead of telling my client it doesn't work. Or, worse yet, trying to piece together some of the crazy workaround I've seen on the forums.
FileMaker, Inc. has quietly restored the Photoshop image format so you can import Photoshop pictures without first exporting to another format. Never imported a Photoshop image but I guess enough people complained.
Data Migration Tool
There's a new version of the Data Migration tool so make sure you update that subscription to FDS (FileMaker Developer Subscription)! For 99 bucks you get the FileMaker Training Series, pre-release software, the iOS SDK and the Data Migration Tool. Who cares about that other stuff! The Data Migration Tool is the bomb, allowing you to transfer all your data from a file to a clone. No more scripts to perform the imports. You just need one line of code and your entire backup is placed in your new version of the file. So, what's new in the migration tool you ask? There are some minor bug fixes for container fields and indexes. Not much of a change but you still should have this invaluable tool on your tool belt.
If you aren't familiar with the Data Migration Tool, look at my article on FileMaker 17 new features titled Seventeen is Prime.
Specify Version
FileMaker 18 still has the same file format (.fmp12) but now you can specify a version of FileMaker in a FileMaker URL using the new "fmp18:" Internet Protocol (IP). The "fmp:" protocol is still available and executes the same internally as the new "fmp18:" protocol but you have the added ability to say I want this URL to open .fmp12 formatted files in FileMaker Pro Advanced 18 only. In future versions of FileMaker, the version suffix will be incremented.
fmp://databasepros.com/MyFile.fmp12
fmp18://databasepros.com/MyFile.fmp12
NOTE: The FileMaker 18 installer is required under Windows to install the new protocol handler. MacOS and iOS do not require the installer as the system registers are adjusted automatically.
You'll either be wildly excited by this addition or skip to the next section. FileMaker Go supports new barcode types: PDF417, ITF-14, Aztec, and Data Matrix. Data Matrix is widely used in pharmaceutical packaging. PDF417 is important in the transport business as well as inventory management and identification cards. Aztec barcodes were selected by the airline industry for electronic boarding passes as well as the rail industry. These new barcodes were added to iOS so it was natural to add them to FileMaker Go.
In addition, several barcode types that were recognized using ZBar are now iOS native to better conform to Apple standards: Code 39, Code 93, Code 128, Interleaved 2 of 5 and UPC-E. They won't function any differently from previous versions of FileMaker Go but an open source third party technology will no longer be needed, making FileMaker Go less prone to breaking.
Insert from URL
The SMB and LDAP(S) protocols have been added to the list of support protocols for the Insert From URL script step. The full published list is now: http, https, ftp, ftps, file, ldap, ldaps, and smb. The deprecated but still functional httppost and httpspost will remain unpublished. Any protocol not in the above list will be explicitly rejected before even passing it to the underlying cURL code. The error returned is the same error when the url is empty: error number 5, "Command is invalid".
Snapshot Link
The order of the file paths for the Snapshot Link feature searches have been changed to increase efficiency for local paths. Based on customer feedback, users were waiting for network paths to timeout before the local paths would be searched. Now, all local paths are searched prior to network paths. Since local paths are fast to search, the most common use of the Snapshot Link feature for network paths shouldn't be effected.
Opening App at Launch
First they were "files", then they were "solutions" and now they are "apps". Whatever you call those files you make with FileMaker, you can now have them open when the FileMaker program is launched. No more launcher files or training on how to open a remote FileMaker file. Hooray!
I absolutely love this feature except for how it's implemented. The only way to have a FileMaker file open on launch is for it to be set as a flag in the assisted install text. Most of my clients already have FileMaker so I'm not going to go around uninstalling and installing FileMaker just to make it easier for them to open my solution. Wish they had devoted the time to adding a preference item so I could setup it up after the fact. When they do add a preference option, (and, I'm sure they will) I hope they also include the ability to turn off the addition of the housekeeping fields each time I create a table without having to create a file and place it a directory on the local hard drive. The reasoning is simple, whenever I visit a client or use someone else's computer, I have to create this file rather than just checking a preference.
Here's a tiny little feature change that's going to get me to upgrade to FileMaker 18. I'm sure we've all cursed the authentication dialog that appears as we enter and exit Manage Security. Sometimes you just want to make one small change and because you are using good password practices, it takes up a minute or two of your life to enter that complicated password twice. And, I'm sure I'll make a mistake and be back in Manage Security several times before I'm done. I know Steven Blackwell would say otherwise but this level of security is really not necessary. God bless Steven's devotion to security but thank goodness he couldn't change the mind of FMI. In FileMaker 18, there are no prompts for authentication when entering or exiting Manage Security as long as you are currently logged on with full access credentials. Thank you FileMaker Gods!
There are other changes to security such as the default to "require full access privileges to use references to this file" for all new files created in FileMaker 18. Existing files or files created in another version of FileMaker will not automatically default to requiring authentication before they can be accessed. In addition, a reference to the current file (itself) will be added automatically to the list of authorized files to allow for self-referencing such as when a same file import is done from one table to another.
FYI: Clones and copies of files will automatically retain file authorization to the original file but exporting to FileMaker format will turn off secure file referencing.
A lot of FBA members (FileMaker Business Alliance) are standing up and applauding another new new security feature that allows users without full access privileges to control access to a file. That means they can't get into Layout mode, the Script Workspace or Manage Database but they can add accounts or change accounts.
Don't be alarmed! Accounts with this option checked cannot create, delete or modify privilege sets, assign full access ([Full Access]) to any account or modify full access accounts or privilege sets in any way. All they can do is create new non-full access accounts and change existing non full access privilege set assignments. If you've ever managed a FileMaker solution for the same client for over a year, you'll understand how helpful this feature is. I have a client who emails me once a week to add and disable accounts. Now I can have them do the work!
NOTE: Allowing users to manage access to a FileMaker file should cut down on erstaz security systems.
Last but not least, the UI for Manage Security has been overhauled again to provide a better experience. Mostly what's been done is a merger of the basic and detailed view into a single screen. If FMI told me this is what they were planning on doing, I would have been skeptical. But, I think they pulled it off. When you first open Manage Security, you see the following dialog.
The new dialog looks very similar to the previous basic setup but don't be fooled. It's received an overhaul allowing for authentication order to be more obvious by numbering the accounts. There's also a pane that appears at the right side of the dialog when an account is clicked, allowing changes to the account without opening a new window. In fact, you can even change a privilege set right inside the list view without going to the pane. Even cooler, you can select multiple accounts and change the privilege set in one fell swoop! Very nicely designed, especially if you plan on letting FileMaker neophytes manage access to a file. It has to be easy!
The design has also been modernized to match the changes that have been occurring to the interface over the last couple of builds. In other words, it's prettier. If you're the developer and want to create a new privilege set or fiddle with file access, simply click on the Advanced Settings button and the following dialog will appear.
Unfortunately, this is the same old dialog from before and doesn't match the modern UI design of the first security dialog. I guess you can't have everything or they'd have nothing to include in the next version of FileMaker, LOL.
If you want more information on the new security features in FileMaker 18, I would recommend checking out the white paper by renowned security export Steven Blackwell.
File Comparison
The Save a Copy as XML feature has the greatest potential for future versions of FileMaker. It's very similar to the existing DDR (Database Design Report) and should eventually replace it. For now, it's being billed as a way to document your solution as well as a method for comparing two versions of a solution in order to identify the differences. It basically creates a full XML representation of a FileMaker file including tables, fields, layouts and well, everything.
I personally used this new feature and was able to use the compare feature in BBEdit to easily and quickly identify the addition of a new field. There are tons of third party products on the market that will compare two XML documents and I'm absolutely positive there will be a couple of FileMaker specific tools that take advantage of this new XML metadata, soon after FileMaker 18 ships. I can even imagine this XML output being used to rebuild a FileMaker file sometime in the future.
But, wait! There's more!!! In about thirty minutes, I was able to create a simple FileMaker tool that shows any new schema that was added to a new version of a FileMaker file. I used some XSLT that was designed for the DDR but it worked great for the Save as XML feature. I can't give away the XSLT code so it's locked away in the example file included with this article but feel free to use the locked example file to your heart's content. It only stores one comparison so hold out for more full featured tools that will likely be released later this year.
The Brand Spankin' New Import Dialog
For years, FileMaker developers have been chomping at the bit for a redesigned Specify Import Order dialog. If you've ever tried to match fields from two different files, it can be a horrendous job, especially if there are more fields than fit in the dialog. It's like looking through a telephone book for the person you want to call. If you're to young to remember the white pages, it's this gigantic waste of trees that has so many nine point phone numbers, you can go blind staring at it for more than a couple minutes. That's my analogy for the old field mapping dialog. But, you need to multiply the frustration tenfold cause you have to find every field and drag it to where you need it. Then, the field that was in the new location is swapped to the previous location of the new field. Most likely, you also wanted that field as a target so you repeat the same steps with the same frustration.
FileMaker, Inc. has solved this problem by eliminating drag & drop in the field mapping dialog. Now when you click on a field, you get a nifty little filter dialog where you can type in the field name and select the field you want. The dialog even highlights fields, with a special icon, that are already mapped. Very helpful! There's even a Manage Database icon so you can add a field quickly without leaving the filter dialog. Clearly, there's been a lot of thought and testing about how developers work on databases. The filter even divides fields into two groups: fields that can be imported and those that cannot. FMI could have just excluded all non-importable fields but I think it's more helpful if they are listed at the end of the list in case you are looking for a field but didn't realize you couldn't import into it.
Just the new method for matching source and target fields would have been enough to satisfy my frustration with the dialog. But, I'm still glad FMI revamped the entire dialog. One feature that will really help advanced developers is the ability to turn off auto-enter options at the field level (look at the orange cogs next to fields in the screen shot above). You can still turn auto-enter completely on or off but the granularity of field level settings will eliminate the need for double imports. The first import is an add with auto-enter on to get some fields to auto-enter. The second import is a replace for the just the fields you don't want to auto-enter. With a large import, this can hold you up for additional hours you don't really have.
I also really like the the data pane that's locked at the left side of the dialog. In other words, when you cycle through the records to see the data, you can still see the source and target fields. I can't describe how many times over the years I've had to navigate far into the data, only to have to navigate back to the beginning to see the source fields. That's a lot of clicks since the import dialog hasn't been redesigned for over twenty years. Yikes!
Other features have less of an impact but are still welcome! The entire look and feel of the dialog has been updated to include a nice splash of color to draw your eyes to import features like the type of import (add, update and replace), green to specify an import field, orange cogs for fields that have auto-enter features, blue for match fields for an update import and red for fields that can't be imported. There's even an icon representing the type of file at the top of the dialog. When you're importing an Excel file, it allows you to specify which rows to exclude and which one to use as the field names (instead of just the first row). It's not earth shattering technology but it does prevent the need for creating scripts to delete records you didn't need imported.
The import dialogs have also been combined into a single dialog. No need to specify auto-enter and repeating field options in a separate second dialog. I mean, isn't this just laziness on the part of FMI. They wanted to add a new feature but instead of redesigning the dialog, they just added a second dialog that more times than not confuses new users. Thanks for correcting this UI issue! Now all the optional features are neatly located at the bottom of the dialog with a nice show/hide arrow so you can better utilize the import dialog screen real estate on those big import jobs.
Yes, I'm still talking about the import dialog. Like I said, they completely rethought this feature. Next on my list is custom separators. I don't come across strange separators as much anymore unless I'm working on a government account but it does come in handy from time to time. You can specify a custom import order in the first import dialog that asks you to locate the file you want to import or the field mapping dialog that comes up next. Your choice! Semi-colon and space separated are available from a popup menu, since they are pretty common, but you can specify any character as a separator. I'm guessing someone is going to find a cool solution for this new feature that has nothing to do with straight imports. Just my guess.
Well, that's about it. Just a few things to mention at the end of this section. First off, the new dialog isn't supported in FileMaker Go or WebDirect unless it's been scripted. Hopefully next upgrade? Another small detail so you aren't surprised. The popover for the import type (add, update or replace) will appear the first time you try to import. I guess it's a new user helper since it's not clear you can change from "add" to another choice. The popover will reset each time you quit FileMaker and try to do another import. Do I hear preference item to turn this off for us developers who don't need to see it? Pretty please with sugar on top.
The New Loop on the Block
The new While function does nothing different than the existing recursion found in custom functions. It's also closely related to a Loop/End Loop script step combo. What's different is how it loops, not the end result. Some people are going to complain that this feature isn't very helpful. But, that's one of the greatest things about FileMaker. I like having different tools to accomplish a job. No matter how similar a group of tools are, they have small differences that make them shine in unique situations. So, let's examine what the While function has to offer. Let's start with the anatomy.
While([initialVariable]; condition; [logic]; result)
It looks a lot like the Let function with the declaration of variables in the first parameter. Square brackets indicate multiple variables can be declared if needed. The next parameter is the condition or boolean statement. While the condition is true, the function will continue to loop the third parameter titled "logic". This can also have multiple variables and usually increments, decrements or changes the variables in some way to allow the condition to eventually exit the loop or the result to be accumulate changes from the looping logic. For example, the logic section could increment or decrement a counter as well as append or prepend values into a single variable to prepare it for the last parameter. The final parameter called result is again very similar to the Let function. When the logic fails and the While stops looping, the result is returned as the final value for the formula.
No amount of theory is going to really help you understand this new function so here's an example of the very common task of creating a multi-key from the contents of a field. This multi-key could be used to filter a relationship with a type-ahead like feature. If the field contains "Database Pros" the result will look like the following:
Database Pros
Database Pr
Database P
Databa
Datab
The While function can accomplish this task using the following formula:
While(
[@Data = company;
@Length = Length(@Data);
@Result = ""];
@Length >= 0;
[@Length = @Length - 1;
@Result = @Result & Case(@Length > 0; "¶") & Left(@Data; @Length)];
@Data & @Result
FYI: There are lots of developer conventions for Let variables, and now While, but I like to use the at sign (@). Not only does it prevent variable names from overriding functions, it also makes it easy to identify your variables inside the code.
All variables must be declared in the first parameter if they are to be referenced in the rest of the formula. I've noticed some exceptions but they really aren't worth noting. It's best just to declare the initial value for every variable in the first parameter to be safe. In this example, the data and the length of the data being massaged are declared so they can be used in the logic parameter to determine. The result variable is declared as a blank value just so it can also be used in the rest of the formula. As you work with the While function, I think you'll find you use a lot of empty declarations.
The second parameter tests whether the length is greater than zero or not. It keeps looping the third parameter until the boolean test is false. The third parameter or loop is where the length variable gets decremented, like a counter, by removing a value of one (1) each time the loop iterates. The result is also built-up using the append technique by referring to itself in the formula. The formula takes the current value in the result and adds onto it the left values based on the length. Each time the loop occurs, one (1) less letter from the data is added onto the return-separated list until the data has been exhausted.
FYI: The append and prepend techniques are methods for preserving the contents of a variable and adding on to it. It can can be used with Set Field or Set Variable and simply requires a reference to the target field in the formula in order to preserve the original data.
The fourth parameter concatenates the full company name to the result variable to avoid an extra return at the beginning of the multi-key. The extra return wouldn't stop the multi-key from functioning properly. I just like things neat and clean. You could make the formula function properly by removing the equal sign from the logic and removing the company name reference in the result. Try it out but you'll get that ugly extra return.
For comparison, here's the same formula in a custom function using recursion:
Length(Text) > 1;
Text & "¶" & MultiKey(Left(Text; Length(Text) - 1));
The custom function can be called with the following calculation formula:
MultiKey(company)
At first glance, the recursion in the custom function seems easier. In fact, it was easier for me to write the recursive custom function but I've been doing it for years now. It's clear the While function requires a lot more code to accomplish the same task but it's also much more straightforward. In it's verbosity, the While function breaks everything up into four parameters that make it clear how to program a loop. It also follows standard coding parameters that are consistent across programming platforms. This is important because standards are there for a reason, making it easier for anyone from another platform to use this tried and true methodology.
I also did some simple single-user speed tests that are included in the example files that come with this article. I've heard some grumbling about the speed of the While function on the forums but I haven't found it significantly slower than custom function recursion in my testing. I ran the formula shown above 50,000 times and the While function took 13 seconds versus 12 seconds for the recursion. Granted, I only tested in a single-user deployment but I'd be surprised if there was any relative difference between the two approaches in a multi-user scenario.
Now, I'm not a JSON kinda guy but I do read the ETS (Early Test Site) forums and folks are foaming at the mouth for the While function, stating it will make parsing JSON far easier. I'll have to take their word for it. I have provided an example of JSON parsing in a scenario demonstrated in the FileMaker 18 webinars. Where I've focused my testing is in jobs I would normally use looping scripts or recursion. I have included three other example files in addition to the multi-key explosion above. These include adaptive phone formatting for any length phone number, random password generation and email extraction. My conclusion after creating these example files is that the While function doesn't do anything new, it just offers a different approach. Each of the example files contains notes so refer to them for my findings.
It's also important to note that the number of recursions for standard custom function recursion has been increased to 50,000 iterations. This increase applies to the While function as well. There's also a new SetRecursion function that can increase or decrease this maximum.
FYI: Previous to FileMaker 18, the only way to surpass 10,000 recursions in a custom function was to use tail-recursion. Since FileMaker allows for five separate recursive calls, tail-recursion combines those calls into a single maximum of 50,000.
There are a total of eleven new Data File script steps in FileMaker 18. There's also a new function called Get(OpenDatFileInfo) that's designed to work along side these new script steps. That's quite a bit of work for the development team so I hope this feature is worth it. I have my doubts but I'd be glad to be proven wrong. Here's a list of the new script steps:
Close Data File
Create Data File
Get Data File Position
Get File Exists
Get File Size
Open Data File
Read from Data File
Set Data File Position
Write to Data File
I can only remember one project where I needed to manipulate files stored on the hard drive. I used the incredible Troi File plug-in for this task. That was over ten years ago and I've never had the need to manipulate files in the operating system since. Maybe I'm unique and I'm definitely a FileMaker purist. If it can't be done with FileMaker alone, sometimes it's not worth it. Too many opportunities for third party communication to break down with updates and companies going out of business. If I keep it all in FileMaker, I have less chance of breaking a solution.
With that said, I do believe there are sometimes when OS manipulation is needed. I know a lot of people have asked for this feature so I thought long and hard on how to use it. My first thought was for preferences. Currently, I use a one record table and ExecuteSQL to grab the settings for the current user. It works great and all I need is a simple script call to access a preference for a specific user. Naturally, I was thinking I could store a text file on each users computer with their selected preferences. The only problem is, I still need a FileMaker interface for the user to interact with the preferences so why not just store it in FileMaker records and fields. This doesn't even consider the fact that text files aren't object oriented so the data needs to be parsed and then written to a specific location in the external text file. Not nearly as easy as just letting the user select their settings from fields with popup menus on them and just storing the data in FileMaker. This also allows the preferences to move with the FileMaker file.
Then I thought about data I export from FileMaker and it came to me that I could make changes to comma and tab separated files like adding custom header information. Now I'm starting to like this feature. In the past, I’ve done some crazy things to get custom headers on a file including making a fake record containing the names of the fields and looping through the records to accumulate the data in a global and then exporting with Export Field Contents script step. I gotta tell you, it was a lot easier to use the Open Data File, Read from Data File and Write to Data File script steps to add custom field headers to a file. Here's the simple script I wrote:
The first thing I do in the script is specify my paths and then do a standard export to a tab-separated file. Then, I open the exported file using the Open Data File script step and it automatically assigns the file an ID using a variable of my specification. This file ID is used to identify the file when it is being read, written or closed. Once the file is open, I can read the file into a variable. I need to read the file into memory so I can use robust FileMaker formulas to concatenate the field headers to the beginning of the exported text. Otherwise, my only choice is to write over existing text. Once I've concatenated the field headers and the exported data, I set the file position using the Set Data Position step so the data overwrites from the beginning rather than adding it to the end. Finally, I can write the data back to the file and close it. You'll also find this script in the example files that comes with this article.
TIP: It's important to understand that you can write directly to a file but it will overwrite existing data or place the new data at the end. You can specify the data file position and write over a particular segment but I think most people will read the data from a file into a variable, manipulate it with FileMaker functions and then write over the entire file.
There are some other script steps that could assist in the manipulation of documents on the local hard drive of users. I can see the Delete File script step being used a lot to remove data from the hard drive when it is no longer needed. The files don't even need to be created by a Data File script step. You just need to know where the file is so you can pass the path to the Delete File script step. Think of it as an alternative to storing data in the temporary path directory. And, don't forget the Get(OpenDatFileInfo) function I mentioned at the beginning of this section. If you forget to close a data file, a script might fail to open it at a later time. This handy function can tell you what files are open so you can close them.
FYI: Open data files will automatically be closed when FileMaker is quit or exited.
One thing I miss from the Troi File plug-in is the ability to search the local hard drive for a file. This comes in really handy if you need to find out what files are in a particular folder so you know what to target with your Data File script steps. I also like the ability to just create a folder anywhere you want on the hard drive. Keeps things nice and neat. Hopefully FMI expands the abilities of these Data File script steps based on customer feedback but only time will tell. They may not want to steal too much from the plug-in manufacturers out there.
Script Error Logging
How many times have you asked a user how to reproduce an error and they can’t. I personally can't count the number of times. Now you can just turn on the fancy dandy script error logging and see for yourself. If the user remembers the button they clicked then just search for that script name. If the user can remember when the error occurred then searching the timestamp should allow you to locate script trigger issues or possibly other errors that might have occurred with other scripts that ran before or after. It's really going to make troubleshooting so much easier!
Data included is a timestamp, the session number, the file name, the account name, the script name and index, the step name and line number, the error code and custom debugging information. The session number will be @1 when running the script error logging locally since there's only one session. The script name as well as the index number are provided. The index is a fancy word for the order of the scripts in the pane. The custom debugging information will be blank unless you setup a calculation to grab information from the database. I'm guessing common formulas will simply reference primary or foreign keys in order to identify the record. Layout names might also be helpful to identify the context where the script error occurred.
To locate the log file, look in the users Documents folder for a file called "ScriptErrors.log". Open the log in any word processor, spreadsheet or even FileMaker. Included in the example files that come with this article is a simple database that imports the "ScriptErrors.log" file. Enjoy!
Deprecation, Removal & EOL
The most shocking deprecation notice is peer-to-peer sharing. This is when you use FileMaker Pro Advanced as the host instead of FileMaker Server. It's limited to five connections but is a great solution for really small companies who can't afford FileMaker Server. But, once you start thinking about it, peer-to-peer sharing is not a good choice when you consider backups. To properly backup a file hosted by FileMaker Pro Advanced, without corrupting it, you have to manually close the file, make the backup and launch it again. This usually leads to backups not being made whereas FileMaker Server makes it so easy with it's automated backups. While you may not need the extra robustness of FileMaker Server, backups can be a life saver.
Peer-to-peer sharing isn't being removed, just not being developed any further. It can still be used for testing, which I do all the time. It's just not recommended for small workgroups. Too many people setup peer-to-peer sharing incorrectly without a dedicated server, leading to file corruption (often placing the FileMaker file on a file server). In the long term, purchasing FileMaker Server doesn't really add that much to a site license and can actually save you money by avoiding data loss. Add to that all the other great features in FileMaker Server and it's a no-brainer. Besides, does anyone even use peer-to-peer sharing in a production environment anymore? I don't currently have any clients without FileMaker Server. No big loss IMHO.
The Swedish people must be up in arms since the Swedish version of FileMaker Server has been discontinued and replaced with a Spanish version. Seems like a good move to me. There's a lot more Spanish speaking people in the world than Swedes. Sorry, just the facts.
Support for macOS Sierra 10.12 has been removed, as you will see in the technical specifications below. That doesn't mean FileMaker 18 won't work with 10.12, you're just out of luck if you call FileMaker technical support.
Last but not least, the end of life for FileMaker 15 is September 20th, 2019. Let's all bow our heads in solemn respect. After the 20th, FileMaker will no longer support the product. You can still use it but you can get installers or technical support from FMI. Expect the same to happen to FileMaker 16 in the next couple of years.
In the ongoing watch on previously deprecated features, the runtime SDK is still alive and kicking. It's been four years and four versions of FileMaker since the demise of the runtime engine was announced. It seems like it will never disappear from the FileMaker product line. I think the only thing that will kill it off will be a file format change. Same with the PHP and XSLT API. While these two technologies are being replaced by the Data API and JSON, they probably won't completely die till there's a file format change. The last file format change was from .fp7 to .fmp12 seven long years ago. Eight years before that the .fp7 file format was introduced. Based on the elapsed time since a file format change, I feel these technologies are close to arriving on the chopping block.
FileMaker Pro Advanced 18:
macOS High Sierra 10.13
macOS Mojave 10.14
Windows 10 Enterprise & Pro Editions (Fall Creators update)
Windows 8.1 Standard & Pro Editions (with update)
Windows SP1 Professional & Ultimate Editions (with update)
FileMaker Server 18:
Windows Server 2016 Datacenter (with Desktop Experience)
Windows Server 2016 Standard Edition (with Desktop Experience)
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Edition (with update)
FileMaker Go 18:
iOS 12.2 minimum
FileMaker WebDirect 18:
Safari 12.x
Microsoft Edge 44
It's amazing how much the FileMaker development team can accomplish in a single year. While there's bound to be grumbling in the FileMaker community about FileMaker 18 being lackluster, I find the redesign of the import dialog, the file version comparison, the security changes, nudging and Startup Restoration to be very compelling reasons to upgrade. Not every feature is going to make every customer happy. Let me know in the comments section below what your favorites new features are and why. I'd love to hear your thoughts! You can even grumble a little if you want.
Download a free trial of FileMaker 18 and start your journey today!
FileMaker 18 Trial
Read the new features list in the FileMaker Pro 18 Advanced online help:
FileMaker 18 New Features
Norman Winn 05/28/2019
I've scanned several FM18 overviews that were either too specific or too shallow. Yours is comprehensive, readable and enjoyable. Thank you.
Thanks for your kind words. They are much appreciated.
Davide Puppo 05/24/2019
Opening App at Launch:
I searched the place where the AI_LAUNCH_CUSTOMAPP value is stored but with no luck.
If we could find it we could think to use the new datafile script steps to modify with the startup script (for example)
I like your idea but unfortunately, you have to install FileMaker 18 first before you can use the new Data File script steps.
Kevin Whaley 05/22/2019
Beverly Voth 05/22/2019
This is very good. Loaded with so much, it could have been a series of articles! LOL - love the 'hint at XSLT'. Hopefully they've worked out all the XML in the DDR to be accurate (it looks like they did - AFAICS).
Steve Bogin 05/22/2019
Link to FM 18 goes to FM 17
Thanks for the alert. I have fixed the link for the trial download.
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Updated on June 24, 19th
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How to monitor the mobile phone of the spouse?
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Upgrades and polyfills
#apple #ios #browsers #safari
Jeremy Keith Nov 26, 2020 Originally published at adactio.com on Nov 11, 2020 ・4 min read
I started getting some emails recently from people having issues using The Session. The issues sounded similar—an interactive component that wasn’t, well …interacting.
When I asked what device or browser they were using, the answer came back the same: Safari on iPad. But not a new iPad. These were older iPads running older operating systems.
Now, remember, even if I wanted to recommend that they use a different browser, that’s not an option:
Safari is the only browser on iOS devices.
I don’t mean it’s the only browser that ships with iOS devices. I mean it’s the only browser that can be installed on iOS devices.
You can install something called Chrome. You can install something called Firefox. Those aren’t different web browsers. Under the hood they’re using Safari’s rendering engine. They have to.
It gets worse. Not only is there no choice when it comes to rendering engines on iOS, but the rendering engine is also tied to the operating system.
If you’re on an old Apple laptop, you can at least install an up-to-date version of Firefox or Chrome. But you can’t install an up-to-date version of Safari. An up-to-date version of Safari requires an up-to-date version of the operating system.
It’s the same on iOS devices—you can’t install a newer version of Safari without installing a newer version of iOS. But unlike the laptop scenario, you can’t install any version of Firefox of Chrome.
It’s particularly frustrating when an older device can’t upgrade its operating system. Upgrades for Operating system generally have some hardware requirements. If your device doesn’t meet those requirements, you can’t upgrade your operating system. That wouldn’t matter so much except for the Safari issue. Without an upgraded operating system, your web browsing experience stagnates unnecessarily.
For want of a nail…
A website feature isn’t working so
you need to upgrade your browser which means
you need to upgrade your operating sytem but
you can’t upgrade your operating system so
you need to buy a new device.
Apple doesn’t allow other browsers to be installed on iOS devices so people have to buy new devices if they want to use the web. Handy for Apple. Bad for users. Really bad for the planet.
It’s particularly galling when it comes to iPads. Those are exactly the kind of casual-use devices that shouldn’t need to be caught in the wasteful cycle of being used for a while before getting thrown away. I mean, I get why you might want to have a relatively modern phone—a device that’s constantly with you that you use all the time—but an iPad is the perfect device to just have lying around. You shouldn’t feel pressured to have the latest model if the older version still does the job:
An older tablet makes a great tableside companion in your living room, an effective e-book reader, or a light-duty device for reading mail or checking your favorite websites.
Hang on, though. There’s another angle to this. Why should a website demand an up-to-date browser? If the website has been built using the tried and tested approach of progressive enhancement, then everyone should be able to achieve their goals regardless of what browser or device or operating system they’re using.
On The Session, I’m using progressive enhancement and feature detection everywhere I can. If, for example, I’ve got some JavaScript that’s going to use querySelectorAll and addEventListener, I’ll first test that those methods are available.
if (!document.querySelectorAll || !window.addEventListener) {
// doesn't cut the mustard.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
I try not to assume that anything is supported. So why was I getting emails from people with older iPads describing an interaction that wasn’t working? A JavaScript error was being thrown somewhere and—becuase of JavaScript’s brittle error-handling—that was causing all the subsequent JavaScript to fail.
I tracked the problem down to a function that was using some DOM methods—matches and closest—as well as the relatively recent JavaScript forEach method. But I had polyfills in place for all of those. Here’s the polyfill I’m using for matches and closest. And here’s the polyfill I’m using for forEach.
Then I spotted the problem. I was using forEach to loop through the results of querySelectorAll. But the polyfill works on arrays. Technically, the output of querySelectorAll isn’t an array. It looks like an array, it quacks like an array, but it’s actually a node list.
So I added this polyfill from Chris Ferdinandi.
That did the trick. I checked with the people with those older iPads and everything is now working just fine.
For the record, here’s the small collection of polyfills I’m using. Polyfills are supposed to be temporary. At some stage, as everyone upgrades their browsers, I should be able to remove them. But as long as some people are stuck with using an older browser, I have to keep those polyfills around.
I wish that Apple would allow other rendering engines to be installed on iOS devices. But if that’s a hell-freezing-over prospect, I wish that Safari updates weren’t tied to operating system updates.
Apple may argue that their browser rendering engine and their operating system are deeply intertwingled. That line of defence worked out great for Microsoft in the ‘90s.
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Jeremy Keith
Web Stuff Do-er at Clearleft
More from Jeremy Keith
Web Audio API weirdness on iOS
#webaudio #thesession #ios #bug
Insecure …again
#security #browsers #android #devices
Portals and giant carousels
#portals #spas #standards #browsers
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Beyond Speaking
Col. Mark Tillman
Former Air Force One Pilot Col. Mark Tillman shares his untold story of flying the president on 9/11, deciphering information in the fog of war and bringing the Commander-in-Chief to Ground Zero.
Learn More About Col. Mark Tillman
Episode 75 - The Unknown Backstory of 9/11
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Former secret service agent to JFK and Jackie Kennedy shares his first-hand account of the assassination of JFK including running up on to the car to protect Jackie after the shooting. Clint also reveals his opinions on the newly released documents and the evidence for Lee Harvey Oswald.
To learn more about Clint Hill visit https://premierespeakers.com/clint_hill
Star of Shark Tank, entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author Daymond John shares how his job waiting tables at Red Lobster led to his current success, why you should be answering emails on the treadmill, and his philosophy that it's not about the numbers it's about the people.
Learn More About Daymond John visit https://premierespeakers.com/daymond-john
Dennis Snow
20 year Disney veteran and customer experience guru Dennis Snow shares behind the scenes stories of working at Disney, how to create moments of wow and 3 keys to excellent customer experience.
Learn More About Dennis Snow at https://premierespeakers.com/dennis_snow
Mike Singletary
One of the greatest linebackers in NFL history Mike Singletary shares his real thoughts about the Super Bowl Shuffle 35 years later, reflects on the leadership of Walter Payton and answers fan questions.
To learn more about Mike Singletary visit: https://premierespeakers.com/mike_singletary
Yossi Ghinsberg
Amazon survivor and the inspiration behind the film “Jungle”, Yossi Ghinsberg shares his story of survival in the amazon, his true impressions of being played by Daniel Radcliffe, and what he discovered about the true meaning of life.
To learn more about Yossi visit: https://premierespeakers.com/yossi_ghinsberg
Harris III
STORY Conference leader, Master Illusionist & Communicator Harris III stops by to share the deeper concept of wonder, how people misuse their imagination and why curiosity can become a huge factor in creating success.
To learn more about Harris visit: https://premierespeakers.com/harris
Business growth strategist, entrepreneur and author of the new book Fanocracy, David Meerman Scott shares how selfies break down barriers, the process of writing a book with his millennial daughter and why closeness matters.
To learn more about David visit: https://premierespeakers.com/david_m_scott
Best selling author and career guru Jon Acuff stopped by to share how to properly set New Year's Resolutions so that you keep them, why saying something is common sense is dumb, and how to identify the things that are keeping us from the finish line.
To learn more about Jon visit https://premierespeakers.com/jon_acuff
Scott Harrison
The founder and CEO of charity: water Scott Harrison shares the story of creating charity: water, getting rejected by non-profits around the world and why he put his biggest failure on the internet.
Award-winning journalist and TV pioneer Joan Lunden shares how a rival TV station helped her land a dream job, her battles working in a male-dominated industry and how she made it to Good Morning America.
Jason Chaffetz
Former congressman Jason Chaffetz shares the stories behind his new book The Deep State, why he slept on a cot in his congressional office and his experience working at Harvard. Jason also shares how he first got involved with politics, his experience as the Chairman of the House oversight committee, the truth about the deep state in America, and the process of writing his new book with Harper Collins
Sean Astin stops by to share stories from the set of his biggest roles and the lessons he learned from them, including how to cry on camera.
Master of influence and persuasion and author of Exactly What to Say, Phil M. Jones, shares how to ask for anything without fear of rejection, words that pique curiosity and ways to grow confidence in conversations.
Chad Williams
Author and former Navy SEAL Chad Williams stopped by to teach us how to aim small - miss small, the importance of earning your SEAL trident every day, and how he turned a devastating loss into a desire to change the world.
Kim Bearden
Best selling author and co-founder of the Ron Clark Academy, Kim Bearden shares how she handles personal struggles while teaching in the classroom, her journey of adopting her three sons from Soweto South Africa and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who fill your soul. This episode kicks off our back to school series with our education agent Ryan Giffen. So here’s to the kids getting back to the books and the amazing teachers who teach them. We hope you enjoy our interview with Kim Bearden.
Best selling author and career guru Jon Acuff stopped by to share how to properly set resolutions so that you keep them, why saying something is common sense is dumb, and how to identify the things that are keeping us from the finish line.
Jim Palmer
Hall of Fame pitcher and broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles Jim Palmer shares about life in the minor leagues, the oriole way and the importance of adoption.
Melissa Stockwell
American War hero and Paralympic medalist Melissa Stockwell shares the story of dancing with the commander in chief, her path to becoming a para-athlete and the invisible wounds of war.
Mike Ditka
Legendary NFL coach and player Mike Ditka shares how football has changed over the years, why only some quarterbacks are true leaders and advice to youth coaches.
Learn More About Mike Ditka at https://premierespeakers.com/mike_ditka
20 year Disney veteran and customer experience guru Dennis Snow shares behind the scenes stories of working at Disney, how to create moments of wow and 3 keys to an excellent customer experience.
Drama researcher, global thought-leader, and New York Times best- selling author CY Wakeman as shares ways to blow your mind everyday, the importance of creating a yes day, and how to remove emotional waste from the workplace.
Adam Dovico
Teacher, principal and the Author of Limitless Class Room Adam Dovico shares his journey to becoming an educator, the gender gap in elementary school teachers and why students need more.
Adam Welcome
Educator, tech expert and co founder of Kid’s Deserve It, Adam Welcome shares why building a community is a necessity, how to embrace the things you don’t know and ways to use technology to better the classroom.
To learn more about bringing Adam Welcome to speak at an event visit: https://premierespeakers.com/adam_welcome
Alex Sheen
Social entrepreneur, humanitarian and founder of Because I said I would, Alex sheen shares the story behind his foundation, the importance of keeping a promise, and how tragedy can create hope.
To learn more about bringing Alex Sheen to speak at an event visit: https://premierespeakers.com/alex_sheen
Best selling author and co founder of the Ron Clark Academy, Kim Bearden shares how she handles personal struggles while teaching in the classroom, her journey of adopting her three sons from Soweto South Africa and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who fill your soul. This episode kicks off our back to school series with our education agent Ryan Giffen. So here’s to the kids getting back to the books and the amazing teachers who teach them. We hope you enjoy our interview with Kim Bearden.
Internet pioneer, and the most inspirational speaker on marketing, word of mouth, and customer service Jay Baer shares his secrets on how to truly create word of mouth through talk triggers, the two choices every business must make to change their future, and why you absolutely have to go to the best-rated amusement park on Trip Advisor, Holiday World.
Bill & Giuliana Rancic
Entrepreneurs and TV personalities Bill and Guiliana Rancic share how to do business with your significant other, the tragedy of seeking perfection and most importantly where to find the best pizza on earth.
David Nour
Global thought leader and growth strategist David Nour shares how being an immigrant built his expertise in relationships, how American’s differ from the world in business and his idea of relationship economics.
Human rights lawyer and best selling author Bob Goff stops by to share how he gets countries that hate each other to come together, the power of "what if" thinking, and how to know when to do something crazy.
The female Jerry Maguire, Molly Fletcher shares how to negotiate a contract for yourself, the power of the pause and how being a woman helped her in the male dominated world of sports agents.
Former teacher, Major Leaguer and the inspiration for the Disney movie The Rookie Jim Morris stopped by to share what its like to try out for the majors as a 35 year old, the bet that changed his life and the importance of keeping a promise.
J.P. Pawliw-Fry
Leadership and performance guru JP Pawliw-Fry shares the importance of being an aggressive learner, working with Doc Rivers and how to fight CEO's disease.
National storytelling champion and communication expert Kindra Hall shares how to properly tell a story in a social setting, some story strategies for emails and how to use your story to differentiate yourself from the competition.
Jeff Saturday
Super Bowl Champion and ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday shares his story of getting to the NFL, what it was like playing and sometimes fighting with Peyton Manning and the importance of having ambition with wisdom.
Best selling author and CEO of Trust Edge, David Horsager shares the 8 pillars of trust, the 3 questions you need to ask to make something happen and reveals the most trusted person in the world.
Josh Sundquist
Paralympic ski racer, author and cancer survivor Josh Sundquist shares his philosophy behind one more thing one more time, his first time out in public after amputation surgery and of course his internet famous halloween costumes.
First female thunderbird pilot, White House Fellow and survivor Nicole Malachowski shares what it is like flying a weapon, losing her childhood dream and the importance of being able to reinvent yourself.
Serial entrepreneur and best selling author of the 5 Second Rule, Mel Robbins shares the story behind her powerful book, the science behind anxiety and how to level up at any moment.
Michelle Poler
Creator of the 100 days with out fear Project and youtube sensation Michelle Poler she shares how to turn fear into excitement, tips on building an online community and the practical steps to overcoming your biggest anxieties.
Justin Forsett
NFL Pro Bowl Running back and Shark Tank Entrepreneur Justin Forsett shares some of his toughest moments on the field, being roommates with the mercurial Marshawn Lynch and the importance of having a huddle.
Special Forces Army Ranger and award winning country music artist, Keni Thomas, as he shares his part in the story made famous by Ridley Scott's movie Black Hawk Down.
Cooper Manning - SO Much Cooler Than Peyton & Eli
The most famous big brother in the NFL, Cooper Manning shares how to win a college panel discussion, impersonating Peyton in Knoxville and how football translates to business.
Curt Steinhorst
Author and expert on attention and focus Curt Steinhorst shares how smartphones aren’t always bad for attention, how to handle distraction as a parent, and how technology can actually help with focus.
Dr. Natalie Stavas
Award-winning Harvard physician and Boston Marathon bombing humanitarian, Dr. Natalie Stavas shares her story of that day, how running helps her with ADHD and tips from growing up as a farm kid in Nebraska.
Greg Gumbel
Emmy winning sportscaster Greg Gumbel shares his journey from small market broadcasting to the national stage, the grind of covering march madness and the secret to success that he learned from his father.
Mike Staver
Leadership expert and coach Mike Staver shares the story behind building his upcoming app, Got a Minute, writing his new book on touring around America on his motorcycle and witnessing a gang fight at Sturgess.
Passing Zone
Guinness World Record holders Passing Zone share stories of behind the scenes on America’s Got Talent, getting fired at Disneyland and their biggest onstage accident. Spoiler alert- a poorly thrown chainsaw was involved...
Star of Shark Tank, entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author Daymond John shares how his job waiting at Red Lobster led to his current success, why you should be answering emails on the treadmill, and his philosophy that it's not about the numbers it's about the people.
Rudy Ruettiger
Legendary Notre Dame football player and the inspiration for the movie that shares his name Rudy, Rudy Ruttiger shares his path to Notre Dame, how he got his story to Hollywood and the importance of making relationships.
Former Air Force one Pilot Col. Mark Tillman shares his untold story of flying the president on 9/11, deciphering information in the fog of war and bringing the Commander-in-Chief to Ground Zero
Joe "Mr. D" Dombrowski
Educator and social media personality Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski, shares how to grow your social media brand, awkward classroom situations, and how studying improv made him a better teacher. Joe Dombrowski's viral classroom video where he made up words for a spelling test garnered him over 20 million views and landed him on the Ellen DeGeneres show, which launched his speaking career. So buckle up and get ready to learn how to become insta-famous.
This week we have the author of the New York Times bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain, as she shares the story behind her famous Ted Talk, the secret powers of introverts and why introverts and extroverts make great couples.
Multiple New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur and writer of "Building a Story Brand" Donald Miller shares the ways story shape our lives, tips to be more like Obi-Wan Kenobi and how a clear and concise message won an election.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck stops in to share her story of how she ended up at a dinner with the Queen of England, wisdom she learned from Barbara Walters and how to handle failures as a mother.
Marketing guru and best selling author Kelly McDonald shares why you don’t have to like the people you work with, ways to respectfully disagree and why diversity isn't always what you think it is.
Tech pioneer and best selling author of Love is the Killer App, Tim Sanders shares why Ringo was actually the key to the Beatles success, the power of fours and the secret of disruptive collaboration.
Remembering Astronaut Alan Bean
We have a special episode this week remembering astronaut, artist and the fourth person to walk on the moon, Alan Bean.
Entrepreneur and best selling author Mac Anderson stopped by to share the story behind creating those classic motivational posters we all know and love, the importance of building a service focused culture and the most dramatic potato salad story you've ever heard.
New York Times best selling author Keith Ferrazi explains the power behind co-elevation, what truly makes a great leader and why vulnerability can be your best asset.
Tony Seba
Award winning author and disruption expert Tony Seba shares why the 2020’s will become the decade of disruption, how transportation will become more like streaming music and if flying cars will finally become a reality.
7 foot 4 NBA All Star Mark Eaton stopped by to share his unlikely story of getting to the NBA, the advice he was given by Wilt Chamberlain and discuss his new book the 4 Commitments of a Winning Team.
Rebekah Gregory
Boston marathon bombing survivor and author, Rebekah Gregory shares the harrowing story of that day and how losing her leg helped her find a new perspective on life.
Author and former Navy SEAL Chad Williams stopped by to teach us how to aim small - miss small, the importance of earning your SEAL trident everyday, and how he turned a devastating loss into a desire to change the world.
Author of the Energy Bus Jon Gordon stopped by to tell stories from Dabo Swinney's impact at Clemson, how a hug led to playoff success for the Dodgers and the power of looking at your team from the inside out.
Archie Manning
The father of the modern the modern NFL quarterback fraternity Archie Manning shares why he named his son Peyton, safety in football and which son he would choose in a 2 on 2 basketball game for the last piece of pumpkin pie.
Mike Mullane
Original Space Shuttle Class Astronaut Mike Mullane tells the story of The Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy, its impact on the country and the future of space travel as we know it.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip shares the story of the Dale Earnhardt tragedy at Daytona, what it takes to be a winner and the importance of taking care of your core.
Emmy nominated actor John Ratzenberger or as you may know him Cliff from Cheers shares his favorite one liners from the show, the importance of the working class in America and inside info about Pixar and the Empire Strikes Back.
Olympic figure skating legend Scott Hamilton shares how to train our minds for optimism, the consequences of being the best in the world and the importance of showing up every day.
4 Time Luge Olympian, Ruben Gonzalez shares what it’s like to party at the winter olympics, how Scott Hamilton inspired him to try the luge and how to get back up after your worst crash in competition.
Devon Harris
Member of the first Jamaican bobsled team Devon Harris as he shares the facts and fiction behind the movie Cool Runnings, if Usain Bolt will join the 2018 bobsled team and how we each can have the mindset to set Olympic sized goals.
Financial guru and nationally syndicated columnist Michelle Singletary shares the beauty of compound interest, the power of living below your means and how to be awesome with your money
Vinh Giang
Vinh Giang, award winning entrepreneur stops by to share how buying 1,000 copies of the same book led to him meeting his mentor, the value of adversity and how magic has made him such a successful business man.
Simon T. Bailey the former leader of The Disney Institute, and one of America’s top 10 corporate speakers on change shares how hard it was to get a job at Disney, the 4 questions you need to ask yourself to find your calling and the hardest speech he has ever had to give.
Andy Andrews
Andy Andrews, author of the hugely successful book "The Traveler's Gift" shares the difference between wisdom and knowledge, why quitting becomes a habit, and the secrets he has shared with the last 9 college football national champions.
This week we share our interview with former secret service agent to JFK and Jackie Kennedy, Clint Hill. Clint shares his first hand account of the assassination of JFK including running up on to the car to protect Jackie after the shooting. Clint also reveals his opinions on the newly released documents and the evidence for Lee Harvey Oswald.
Peter Sheahan
Innovative business thinker and author of "Matter" Peter Sheahan shares how to find your eureka moment, the power of working through the complex to get to the simple and how Burberry has kept itself relevant for over a century.
Star of Shark Tank, entrepreneur and New York Times best selling author Daymon John shares how his job waiting at Red Lobster led to his current success, why you should be answering emails on the treadmill, and his philosophy that it's not about the numbers its about the people.
Multiple New York Times best selling author, entrepreneur and writer of "Building a Story Brand" Donald Miller shares the ways story shape our lives, tips to be more like Obi Wan Kenobi and how a clear and concise message won an election.
Jeanine Pirro
Emmy winning TV host and the first female district attorney and Judge of her area Jeanine Pirro, stops by to share her thoughts on the tv show Making a murder, advice for the next generation of female attorneys, and going to her first homicide scene.
Andy Buckley
Actor Andy Buckley from The Office shares his story of landing the role of David Wallace, balancing life as a real life financial advisor at Merril Lynch while being the CFO of the fictional Dunder Mifflin and the joy of getting 10 second parts in movies.
Award Winning Entrepreneur and New York Times best selling author Josh Linkner shares his biggest business mistakes, insights from his recent book Hacking Innovation and how to brainstorm more effectively through role playing.
To learn more about Col. Mark visit https://premierespeakers.com/mark_tillman
To learn more about Elisabeth visit https://premierespeakers.com/elisabeth_hasselbeck
Sean Astin stops by to share stories from the set of his biggest roles and the lessons he learned from them, including how to cry on camera. To learn more about Sean visit https://premierespeakers.com/sean_astin. Beyond Speaking is hosted by Brian Lord and Produced by Eric Woodie
Where are you listening?
iPhone or iPad?
Use the Apple Podcasts App.
Android Phone or Tablet?
We're on Stitcher!
HEY I'M BRIAN LORD
Early in my childhood, in a single-mom household with four kids, we coudln't afford cable, but my mom was able to get her hands on a set of encyclopedias. I'd choose a letter at random and read away. I loved learning interesting, new and unexpected things, and I've carried that with me my whole life. I now find myself as the president of one of the largest speakers bureaus in the US, where I'm able to talk to and learn from some of the most amazing people in the world (It's totally cheating, I know!).
Just like you, I'm always busy and strapped for time, so I only want to focus these interviews on stories from these speakers and writers that are interesting and unexpected, that go beyond the normal to the fascinating. If you and I are going to spend our time on this, it better be worth it. Thanks for going on this journey with me!
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Western New York is home to a wealth of historic religious architecture. These significant structures are not only architectural landmarks but play an important neighborhood role by providing community space and often public services like food banks, day cares, and group meeting spaces. Whether they are simple meeting houses or large cathedral-inspired structures, sacred spaces mark our skylines and anchor our neighborhoods.
PBN’s Sacred Spaces Assistance Program (SSAP) provides technical assistance to religious and non-profit organizations to pursue National Register listing as part of their work to preserve and rehabilitate their historic structures. The listing is a necessary first step in obtaining most kinds of funding for repair and maintenance. Participants in the program will also receive our Religious Architecture Funding Bulletin.
SSAP will provide direct services to either:
•obtain a Determination of Eligibility for listing in the National Register
of Historic Places;
•prepare a nomination for listing in the National Register of Historic
Places for properties determined eligible
To be eligible for SSAP, the property must be:
•owned and occupied by an active religious and/or non-profit
•50 years or older and originally built as and for religious use
•Preference will be given to organizations with demonstrated financial
Contact PBN offices at 716-852-3300 or fill out an interest form below. Consultation to discuss the property and project is a required step in the process to participate in SSAP, as not all properties may meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Sacred Spaces Assistance Program is made possible by the generous support of the
Charles D. and Mary A. Bauer Foundation.
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BBC voted best broadcaster for Covid-19 updates in Press Gazette reader poll
PA to furlough sports journalists to 'mitigate financial impact' of Covid-19
City AM staff put on furlough and digital edition suspended during Covid-19 pandemic
By Freddy Mayhew Twitter
A majority of City AM staff will be put on furlough (paid leave) and the digital edition suspended in the latest measures to protect the newsbrand during the coronavirus pandemic.
Staff who continue to work will be paid 80 per cent of their salary, the same as the Government scheme for furloughed workers which caps at £30,000.
City AM stopped printing its daily edition last week and said it would cut staff salaries in half in April as it battled a downturn in advertising following the mass cancellation of events due to the virus.
Staff will now be temporarily furloughed instead of having their salaries halved next month.
The digital edition of the daily paper had continued, but will stop on Wednesday. City AM will continue to publish daily on its rolling-news website, cityam.com, which has seen record traffic.
Not having the digital edition frees up journalists, for whom putting it together is the same amount of work whether it goes to print or not.
Editor Christian May said: “Faced with a radical (albeit temporary) change to our publishing model we’ve decided to furlough a number of staff while at the same time more than doubling the number of reporters who will work on CityAM.com throughout the day.
“We look forward to returning to full strength – and to print – as soon as possible.”
City AM distributed 85,000 print copies each day at stations and key locations in and around London before suspending print.
As with other free papers, it has has been hit particularly hard by official advice that people should stay at home and avoid travel.
The London Evening Standard has reduced its daily print run to 500,000 and is delivering to homes for the first time in an effort to sustain its journalism.
Read all Press Gazette’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and the news industry here
Circulation down for all of UK's 81 regional dailies
Regional ABCs: circulation falls on 83 of 86 dailies
Regional ABCs: Three out of 86 dailies put on sales
City AM
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Public service broadcasters face irrelevance if they don’t up their game online, report says
BBC-funded local democracy scheme given 75 per cent satisfaction rate from publishers
Hull Live reported over failure to signpost advertorials on Twitter
By Charlotte Tobitt Twitter
The UK’s advertising watchdog was asked to investigate a regional news website’s Twitter account after a series of posts linked to advertorials without signposting them as such.
The Advertising Standards Authority agreed to informally resolve the complaint after Hull Live, the website of the Hull Daily Mail, promised to follow the correct labelling rules in future.
Metro Universal Credit advert condemned as 'propaganda' and 'insult to disabled people'
Marketing fail: Buzzfeed censured by Advertising Standards Authority and told to change labelling of advertorials
Journalists should be 'entrepreneurial' - but don't sell your souls
The UK code of non-broadcast advertising and direct and promotional marketing, as set out by the ASA, states marketing communications should be “obviously identifiable” as such.
Press Gazette understands about half a dozen tweets from July and August were reported to the ASA by a member of the public (scroll down for screenshots).
The complainant, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I noticed that there were adverts being published by Hull Live every few days on social media (specifically Twitter) under the guise of ‘news’ but in reality, they were adverts.
“I was appalled that despite a number of people openly challenging their behaviour of posting adverts that could be easily be confused as news, they still continued to do it.”
ASA announced the case had been informally resolved last week.
An ASA spokesperson told Press Gazette: “The complaint concerned a number of tweets on Hull Live’s Twitter page that linked to advertorials but the tweets themselves were not labelled as ads.
“The publisher confirmed that in future, the posts will follow the labelling rules. We resolved the case informally.”
A search of the Hull Live Twitter account shows a number of posts using #ad alongside links to advertorial content.
A Reach spokesperson said: “The ASA provided us with advice that we were happy to comply with, and we made the appropriate changes to resolve the matter.”
Another Reach daily title, the Liverpool Echo, was found in breach of the ASA’s standards earlier this year.
An article about Black Friday deals failed to make clear that external links to products included in the copy were part of an affiliate marketing deal, the ASA ruled.
'Outstanding' Yorkshire journalist and 'inspirational mentor' Mike Ackroyd dies aged 78
'Could that intro get any worse?': Journalists weigh in on first episode of BBC One drama Press
Five ways for journalists to make best use of Twitter to cover the long #Election2015 campaign
ASA censures Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Sun
Hull Daily Mail
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U.S. Envoy Urges Media Freedom, Criticizes Impunity
Armenia -- U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Yerevan, 20Dec2010
The U.S. ambassador to Armenia says
Yerevan needs to hold free elections and embark on other "deep" reforms if it
is to fulfill President Serzh Sarkisian's recent pledge to turn Armenia into a
full-fledged democracy, RFE's Armenian Service reports.
Marie Yovanovitch made the call in an address to students, civic activists, and
media representatives at Yerevan State University yesterday.
Yovanovitch also urged authorities to strengthen civil society, saying it is
"vital" for the country's democratization, prosperity, and even national
In a December speech before members of his Republican Party of Armenia (HHK),
Sarkisian said the existing political order could lead to "stagnation" without
a "deepening of democracy." He called for a "consistent introduction of
European standards into all areas of our state, public, and economic lives."
Yovanovitch cited the latter passage in her address.
"Clearly, the solution is not to restrict freedom of speech or access to ideas,
or to restrict the right of citizens to assemble in support of those ideas, but
rather to take those ideas -- even the criticisms of our opponents -- seriously
and debate them in public on their merits," she said.
"The well-developed democracy and more active political dialogue that President
[Sarkisian] spoke of will require deep and difficult changes," she added. "It
will require reforms to Armenia's laws, institutions, and political culture to
expand individual liberty, freedom, and responsibility."
That, Yovanovitch said, means "applying laws consistently to everyone" and
holding elections that "meet not only international standards but also the
expectations and demands of the Armenian people." She also stressed the
importance of "ensuring that peaceful, lawful assemblies will not be harassed
or broken up," expanding media freedom and pluralism, and punishing "criminals
who assault journalists."
"What happens to the young if their entrepreneurial dreams are crushed by
unfair competition against politically connected businesses, or if expressing
controversial ideas puts them and their families at risk of retribution?"
Yovanovitch asked.
"What happens if individuals can't organize and lobby their government, or if
the elections to choose their leaders don't appear to be free and fair? What
happens if they are unable to hear, and share, a variety of opinions in the
media?"
The United States has criticized the conduct of virtually all major Armenian
elections, including the February 2008 vote that formalized the handover of
power from former President Robert Kocharian to Sarkisian.
Yovanovitch's remarks come a day ahead of a planned opposition demonstration to
mark the third anniversary of postelection unrest that left 10 people dead.
Compiled by RFE's Armenian Service and O wire.
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Classic, Discovery, Lagorai, Vanoi
Calaita – Cima Fólga – Cima Grùgola – Lago Pisórno
May 30, 2020 | by aaron
Location Val Lozen, Lagorai
Features Lagorai, Pale di San Martino
Track Condition Generally well marked
Ground (Forest) 40%
Ground (Grass) 50%
Ground (Rock) 10%
Ground (Urban) -
Lenght 10.8 km
Duration 4h 30
Min Elevation 1 595 m
This classic hike starts from the location of Calaita, by the lake of Calaita (Lago di Calaita), located in the eastern corner of the Lagorai mountain range, in the upper valley of Lòzen. The first part of the itinerary develops in the forest by initially following the gravel road of the Signpost No. 347 towards the west. The gravel road starts directly aside from the access road to the lake of Calaita, a few hundred meters before reaching the lake. After having traveled a pleasant flat stretch and having passed a crossroads – always keeping the gravel road – you will come across a second crossroads, from where a path that climbs towards Malga Grùgola (Signpost No. 358) starts, on the right hand side, heading west.
Once reached the hut of Malga Grùgola (1,782 m asl), the Signpost No. 358 continues climbing along the valley of Grùgola, shaped out by the stream of Grùgola. During the ascent of the Grùgola Valley, which leads to the gap of Forcella Fólga, the sight opens up and the vegetation becomes less dense, allowing you to enter the magical landscape offered by Lagorai, with a remarkable view of the valley and the mountains nearby. Shortly after crossing the southern slope of the little hill called Col Móngo (2,146 m asl), you reach the mountain gap of Forcella Fólga (2,195 m asl). From the gap, the route leaves the main path and heads north along the small path that leads to the top of Cima Fólga. The path, which at times is not perfectly marked, follows the ridge and then climbs up the grassy slopes of Cima Fólga; the terrain is not technically demanding and you can easily reach the summit by climbing on the grassy terrain. Once you get on the top of Cima Fólga (2,436 m asl), you will be enchanted by one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the whole Lagorai, with a landscape that also includes all the peaks of the mountain range of Vette Feltrine and the Dolomites of the Pale di San Martino.
From Cima Fólga, the hike continues along the ridge (with some small technical passages) that connects the peaks of Fólga and Grùgola, north-east towards Cima Grùgola (2,405 m asl). From the summit of Cima Grùgola the route quickly descends to the gap of Forcella Grùgola, from where it continues along the path of the Signpost No. 347 coming from Forcella Fólga. The itinerary proceeds downhill along the Signpost No. 347, to the north, returning towards the lake of Calaita.
While heading back to the lake of Calaita, it is possible to make a short detour, marked with signs after a couple of bends, which allows you to reach the lake called Lago Pisórno (2,227 m asl), a very nice lake nestled between the black cliffs of the peak of Cima d’Arzon. The story tells that the lake of Pisórno, a small but deep high altitude lake, is inhabited by witches and evil spirits; it is said that if someone throws stones into it or disturbs the waters, the spirits will soon after cause a storm to happen.
The route finally descends along the Signpost No. 347; after passing the Malga Dòch Aqueducts and following the course of the impetuous stream named Torrente Lòzen, it returns to the lake of Calaita (1,604 m asl).
From the lake of Calaita (1,604 m asl), follow the gravel road of the Signpost No. 347 heading west, until reaching the crossroads with the path of the Signpost No. 358 towards Malga Grùgola,
Ascend along the Signpost No. 358 up to Forcella Fólga, passing by the hut of Malga Grùgola (1,782 m asl),
From the gap of Forcella Fólga (2,195 m asl), leave the Signpost No. 358, in order to follow the track towards the top of Cima Fólga,
From the summit of Cima Fólga (2,436 m asl), proceed along the ridge towards Cima Grùgola,
From the top of Cima Grùgola (2.405 m asl), descend to the gap of Forcella Grùgola, then proceed on the Signpost No. 347 towards Lago di Calaita,
[VARIANT] Ascend to the lake called Lago Pisórno (2,227 m asl),
Head back to the starting point, by the lake of Calaita. ✓
@Vanoi&Lagorai, Duration 4h+, en-US, Intermediate
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Trace McSorley Morgan Cox Justin Madubuike Patrick Ricard Stephon Tuitt Vince Williams Ben Roethlisberger Vance McDonald Calais Campbell J.K. Dobbins Mark Ingram Alvin Dupree T.J. Watt Isaiah Buggs Jerald Hawkins Patrick Mekari Pernell McPhee Jihad Ward Mike Tomlin Justice Hill Gus Edwards Robert Griffin John Harbaugh Lamar Jackson Robert Griffin III Matt Skura Brandon Williams Sports Sports transactions Sports business Disease outbreaks General news Public health Health NFL football Professional football Football Coronavirus Infectious diseases Diseases and conditions Lung disease 2019-2020 Coronavirus pandemic
Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts
Ravaged by COVID-19, Ravens face issues beyond new schedule
By DAVID GINSBURG - Nov. 27, 2020 10:56 PM EST
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, center, watches from the sideline in the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
With reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson under quarantine as part of an outbreak of COVID-19 that has ravaged the Baltimore Ravens, the team has turned its focus from breaking out of a slump to simply getting healthy and back to practice.
The Ravens have more than a dozen players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and their training facility is closed to prevent the spread of the virus . Jackson tested positive this week and will not play against the unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers next Tuesday night, a game that was originally scheduled for Thanksgiving night and postponed to Sunday before the NFL moved the game again.
The makeup for the makeup will be held at 8 p.m. ET and telecast nationally by NBC.
With that game moving to Tuesday, Baltimore's game against Dallas, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3, will instead be played at 5 o'clock on Monday, Dec. 7 and telecast by FOX/NFL Net/Amazon.
The NFL also has ordered all team facilities not involving teams playing Monday or Tuesday to be closed on those days. The Eagles and Seahawks play Monday night, and the Ravens and Steelers play on Tuesday.
“We appreciate the efforts of the NFL and Pittsburgh Steelers throughout this process, while we all work to create an environment that keeps the health and safety of everyone involved at the forefront of each decision," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “Our organization has a plan in place, and we will be prepared to play the Steelers. We thank everyone for their adaptability and look forward to the challenge of facing a very good football team at Heinz Field on Tuesday night."
Baltimore (6-4) will be decidedly short-handed against Pittsburgh (10-0).
Jackson, fullback Patrick Ricard, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, and long snapper Morgan Cox were added to the COVID-19 list on Monday. They join quarterback Trace McSorley; running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins; defensive linemen Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams and Jihad Ward; linebacker Pernell McPhee; and centers Patrick Mekari and Matt Skura.
A year ago, the Ravens finished with the best regular-season record in the NFL behind the play of Jackson, who threw 36 touchdown passes and set a single-season record for yards rushing by a quarterback. Now Jackson is part of a massive breakdown by a team that couldn't avoid COVID-19 in the midst of a season the NFL staged in the middle of a pandemic.
Baltimore's problems started after an overtime loss to Tennessee on Sunday, the third defeat in four games for a team that has gone from a 5-1 start to scrambling to make the playoffs for a third straight year.
Ingram and Dobbins were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list the following day, starting a chain reaction that has decimated the roster.
Robert Griffin III is slated to start at quarterback for the Ravens on Tuesday against the Steelers. He will be taking snaps from a third-string center and handing off to backup running backs Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
“We just want to contain this outbreak! Speaking from experience ... you don’t want to catch COVID!,” Campbell wrote on Twitter. “This virus is brutal! I pray no one else has to go thru this. This is bigger than football.”
The Ravens have disciplined one of their staffers for failure to follow protocol, reportedly a strength and conditioning coach.
This isn’t the first time this season COVID-19 has toyed with Pittsburgh’s schedule.
The Steelers were scheduled to play Tennessee in Nashville on Sunday, Oct. 4. The league then pushed the game to either Monday or Tuesday. When the positive tests continued to roll in for the Titans, the NFL eventually moved the game to Sunday, Oct. 25, forcing the Steelers, in essence, to give up their scheduled bye initially set for Sunday, Nov. 1 — and finish the regular season by playing 13 consecutive weeks.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stressed he was hardly concerned with the switch, saying emphatically “we do not care” when asked about the team’s routine being thrown off.
Pittsburgh has cruised along anyway, though the league’s last unbeaten team has been forced to deal with its own COVID-19 issues in recent weeks. Tight end Vance McDonald tested positive following a win over Dallas earlier this month. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and inside linebacker Vince Williams were among a handful of players forced to self-quarantine for five days due to contact tracing. Roethlisberger and Williams still ended up playing in what became a 36-10 rout of Cincinnati.
In a sign of just how pervasive COVID-19 has become, shortly after the league announced it was moving the contest to Tuesday, the Steelers placed defensive end Stephon Tuitt, offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins and defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs on the COVID-19 reserve/injured list.
Tuitt is in the middle of a career year. His seven sacks rank third on the team behind outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree.
AP Sports Writer Will Graves contributed.
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Quick Charging of Electric Cars
Public quick chargers commonly add about 50 or 60 miles of range in around 20 minutes. That makes electric cars more convenient and functional. This guide provides the details.
How to Use the PlugShare EV Charging Station Tool
PlugShare is a powerful mobile application and online tool that allows electric car owners to locate and optimize the use of EV charging stations.
Electric Vehicle Charging Etiquette
Thou shalt charge only when necessary. Don't leave nasty notes when a gas car parks in an EV spot. And other rules to live by.
Seven Ideas for Electric Car Ownership Without Home Charging
Electric car owners with a 240-volt supply of power in the garage or driveway can refuel a battery-powered vehicle with ease. Plug your car in before going to sleep, and wake up to a full battery in the morning. That beats going to the gas station—for both convenience and cost. But approximately one in four Americans lives in a multi-unit building without a dedicated parking spot, while many home renters have landlords unwilling to install EV charging. Are they completely out of luck?
Electric Car Utility Rate Plans: Top Five Rules
Blindly driving forward, without thinking about the rate plans offered by your local power company, can lead to unexpected—and sometimes unfortunate—outcomes for EV drivers.
It’s not rocket science, and you should not overthink the selection and installation of a home charger, also known as an EVSE. That said, there are important differences to consider.
Understanding Unique EV Specs of a Plug-in Vehicle
Shopping for a new car can be a daunting task. Sure, we have a gut reaction to a vehicle’s brand, size, design, level of comfort or even its color. But we shouldn’t overlook the specifications of car, which can be helpful in our quest to know if a particular model is right for us or not. That’s hard enough with a gas-powered car—and even more challenging to drivers considering a first electric car. Yet, with a little help, it doesn’t have to be scary or mysterious.
By Akhil Jariwala ·
Checklist: Taking Delivery of Your EV
Congratulations on your decision to buy an electric car! This checklist will guide you through the process of finalizing your purchase—and ease the transition into the daily driving of a car powered by inexpensive, clean, domestic electricity.
Carmakers’ Commitment to Electric Cars
Every electric vehicle purchase is a vote of confidence in the companies helping to wean the world from a petro-based transportation infrastructure. Obviously, a vehicle’s features—its style, handling and range—are essential for making a good decision. But for many EV buyers, the level of commitment an automaker makes toward the electric car future is another important consideration.
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Will More Women Say No to Modern-Day Feminism in 2015?
Julie Klose Send an email January 14, 2015
Feminists’ claim 2014 was a great year for feminism but will there be a growing backlash in 2015 who oppose the movement and what it now represents?
According to feminist writers, “2014 was a banner year for feminism.” Women around the world were voicing their outrage against male violence through campaigns and hashtag movements like #YesAllWomen. One writer from the Guardian celebrated the year as one “of feminist insurrection against male violence: a year of mounting refusal to be silent, refusal to let our lives and torments be erased or dismissed.” She outlined last year’s stories of abuse of women from Ray Rice knocking out his girlfriend, the massacre in Isla Vista, California by Elliot Rodger, a mentally deranged man, the latest in the many rape accusations against Bill Cosby, and the list goes on. If speaking out about violence against women is the feminist bull horn than it’s a topic that has more than dominated this past year’s headlines.
However, gender violence and the victimization of women is not all that feminism trumpets. Slate writer, Amanda Marcotte reflects on 2014’s year of feminism in our culture. She writes the so-called “highlights” of feminism in pop culture from Beyonce’s album to even the likes of Disney’s movie Frozen which she claims has a feminist theme. (Hmm, Anna and Elsa were feminists? Who knew?) Marcotte brands feminism as the new cultural trend but how trendy is feminism, really?
The Slate writer tracks the cyclical path feminism has taken and the anti-feminism backlash that inevitabley comes from the political right. “The Reagan years were such a notorious backlash to the second wave of feminism that Susan Faludi wrote a classic book about it,” she stated. “The surge of feminism in the 90’s descended into the religious right craze of the Bush era.” Yes, the Bush years sent the advancement of women back while the Clinton years somehow magically put women forward; even though Clinton stated he “did not have sexual relations with that woman.” If what Marcotte is implying is that modern feminism with its anti-male rhetoric and reproductive “rights” mantra, only advances under liberal ideology and under the legislation of the political left, than I would have to agree.
However, what these writers don’t mention about 2014 was a growing voice of women who were also demanding respect, autonomy, and equality yet were rejecting third wave feminism. It’s easy to call out backlash as political and pinning it to only one side but why won’t feminists have real conversations with other women, of all different political and/or religious platforms, who disagree with modern feminism?
A recent example of this type of disagreement would be the comments by actress Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting in a Redbook interview that made headlines. When asked if she considered herself a feminist she responded,
“Is it bad if I say no? It’s not really something I think about. Things are different now, and I know a lot of the work that paved the way for women happened before I was around… I was never that feminist girl demanding equality, but maybe that’s because I’ve never really faced inequality. I cook for Ryan (her husband) five nights a week: It makes me feel like a housewife; I love that. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but I like the idea of women taking care of their men. I’m so in control of my work that I like coming home and serving him. My mom was like that, so I think it kind of rubbed off.”
After feminist outrage for her remarks, Cuoco-Sweeting apologized “if anyone was offended.” Why apologize? There are so many women, like Cuoco-Sweeting, who no longer identify with feminism in today’s society and they are not all card carrying members of the Republican Party.
Last July, a group of women took to social media with their own hashtag campaign of #WomenAgaisntFeminism. Many shared their posters outlining why they didn’t identify with the modern-day voices of today’s feminists. Yet, when feminist writers reflect on feminism in 2014 they refuse to even mention the backlash from their own gender. If feminism is about the equal opportunities of the female race then feminists are going to have to have real conversations with other women who disagree on what feminism means in modern society; without resorting to bullying women for their anti-feminism remarks.
With feminists celebrating 2014 as the year for feminism, will more women join the ranks of #WomenAgainstFeminism in 2015? If feminism truly is cyclical, will there be growing backlash against this third wave feminism that does not represent the choices of all women? I highly doubt that feminists will truly engage anti-feminists in any kind of real dialogue in 2015. However, it is my hope that more women will not feel ashamed or bullied to state “no” if asked if they identify with feminism. I hope that more women will find confidence in knowing who they are, celebrating the advances that have been paved for them, and work to advance real change for women around the world who are suffering under systematic violence from Sharia law, honor killings, and forced abortions. Now wouldn’t that be a banner year for ALL women in 2015?
Julie Klose
Virginia Politichick Julie Klose is a freelance writer and blogger. Julie covers all topics related to US and foreign politics but is particularly passionate about social issues. She is pro-life and has interviewed different people and organizations within the pro-life movement. Julie has been featured on several radio shows for her conservative opinions. She is a contributing writer and content editor for Barbwire.com. When she is not dabbling in political writing, she enjoys blogging on her personal blog site at www.thevelvetbrick.org where she mixes it up about faith, family, and politics. You can find Julie on Twitter @thevelvetbrick1 or on her Facebook page The Velvet Brick.
France "Not Afraid"…But Is the Obama Admin?
What Has America Given Us?
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Teaming for Interdisciplinary Research Pre-Seed Program
Combining terrestrial and aquatic perspectives to advance our understanding of ecosystems
Earth supports one ecosystem whose conditions and dominant processes vary spatially but are continually connected by flows of inorganic matter, organic matter and organisms. For practical purposes, ecologists define biomes and draw boundaries around subsystems to constrain research questions and make models manageable. However, these boundaries can also constrain perspectives and may even dictate results. For example, in stream ecology it is a rule that forested headwater streams are heterotrophic, but this is a consequence of defining boundaries to exclude the riparian forest. In terrestrial biogeochemistry, a long-standing focus is on the mechanisms that replenish elemental losses to enable homeostasis (inputs=outputs). But hydrologic losses from terrestrial ecosystems are gains to aquatic ecosystems, and we rarely consider how fluxes of elements affect integrated ecosystem response. E.P. Odum famously said that the ecosystem is greater than the sum of its parts. We suggest that we are missing the emergent properties of integrated ecosystems by studying their parts, rather than the whole.
We propose that many ecosystem ecology questions and topics could benefit from bridging boundaries to combine aquatic and terrestrial perspectives. Some examples could include:
Carbon and nutrient dynamics, budgets, and fluxes in hillslopes & headwaters.
Looking at stream and riparian invertebrates as a single community, rather than separate communities with episodic fluxes.
Treating the stream/riparian corridor as a unified metabolic unit, with riparian vegetation part of the stream ecosystem, rather than as a source of inputs into the stream ecosystem.
We propose to shift from the current compartmentalized perspective to a holistic approach in which a watershed (the stream and all the lands that drain to it) is treated as a single integrated system. Such a perspective could also accommodate the natural fluidity in boundaries between terrestrial and aquatic systems, which traditionally have been treated as static. We hypothesize that this approach will yield novel insights that are not obvious from the existing framework. We plan for a series of online meetings followed by an in-person retreat in the latter half of 2021 to develop these ideas and to produce (1) a concept paper that will include specific hypotheses for publication in a high-profile ecological journal, and (2) a proposal for external funding from the National Science Foundation to test these hypotheses.
Seth Wenger
School of Ecology
swenger@uga.edu
Nina Wurzburger
Rhett Jackson
School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Rebecca Abney
Raven Bier
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Krista Capps
Nandita Gaur
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
← Coastal Resilient Housing → Cyber-Physical-Social Convergence Team
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Finding the Links between Knee Injuries and Osteoarthritis
Leung, Sophia ; Musson, David ; McGlashan, Susan ; Cornish, Jillian ; Anderson, Iain ; Shim, Bo
Issue Date: 2017-10-14
The knee joint is one of the most complex organs in our bodies, and is one the most susceptible to injury. Traumatic injuries to the knee joint can cause pain, instability, and misalignment; altering joint loading patterns, which in turn can cause a cascade of events that leads to the development of osteoarthritis. Much research has been dedicated to understanding the onset and development of this disease using mechanical devices to apply uniaxial loads on 3D chondrocyte (cartilage cells) seeded in hydrogel culture models. However, these loads do not simulate complex loading similar to physiological loading. Therefore, we have developed the first precise multiaxial-loading device that can apply complex loading to an in vitro hydrogel model (Figure 1). Our model was validated by determining the strain distribution of dynamic loads through different zones of our hydrogel construct, which was also correlated with changes in cellular-shape, and angle of rotation of the cells to improve our understanding of how mechanical loads affect chondrocytes. Finally, changes in the expression of genes important in cartilage matrix remodelling were measured using real-time PCR to determine the effects of applying different loading modes (compression, tension, shear, and complex loading which was a combination of the three modes) on chondrocyte mechanobiology, using our device. Two loading regimes, intermittent and continuous were used to mimic physiological and injurious. We found that complex loading regimes promoted cartilage homeostasis, similar to the behaviour of in vivo chondrocytes; while continuous loading increased induced degradative enzyme activity, similar to trends found in explant and clinical studies following knee injury. The system developed in this research is the device best capable of fully mimicking in vivo conditions in health and disease. Work here has significantly enhanced our knowledge of chondrocyte mechanobiology, ultimately working towards understanding the development of osteoarthritis.
Related URL: http://www.asbmr.org/Publications/JBMR/default.aspx
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CRS Data Expands National Footprint With 9 New Customers
By RISMedia Staff
CRS Data continues to grow its national footprint, reaching more customers and with full capability to continue expanding. From the West Coast of California to the East Coast of North Carolina, CRS Data now services its MLS Tax Suite product to 1,018 counties in 33 states.
“The growth mindset at CRS Data is evident as we penetrate new markets and develop partnerships with boards, associations and best-in-class vendors throughout the nation,” says Matt Casey, CEO of CRS Data.
CRS Data has established aggressive goals to maximize market opportunities. Within the last nine months, the company added nine new customers: California Regional MLS, Northwest Arkansas Board of REALTORS®, Outer Banks Association of REALTORS®, Pacific Regional MLS, Santa Barbara Association of Realtors®, Coastal Carolinas Association of REALTORS®, Great Smoky Mountain AOR, REALTOR® Association of Southern Kentucky and South Central Wisconsin Multiple Listing Service.
“We chose the CRS Data Tax Suite in order to provide our members with a product that quickly and easily integrated with our MLS and included an impressive set of features to meet their business needs,” says Roger Chapman, VP of MLS & IT for Coastal Carolinas Association of REALTORS®. “Since adopting CRS Data as our Tax Suite, we continue to hear high praise from our members.”
The company contributes its position for growth to consistently integrating new technologies into their products and services. CRS Data has a long history of offering personal customer support, consistent product updates, and an understanding of the dynamics of each unique market.
“The company’s mission of discovering, developing and delivering innovative data driven solutions is inherent in all that we do,” says Kari Autry, director of the MLS Tax Suite. “As our growth continues, we will maintain our focus on optimizing the property data search experience and providing our customers the opportunity to compete more effectively in their markets.”
The MLS Tax Suite provides comprehensive and accurate property data in a simple interface that’s intuitive and easy to navigate.
“We chose to go with CRS Data because the information available is extremely comprehensive and the integration of flood maps is particularly beneficial to our agents,” says Dan Sutherland, MLS director of Outer Banks Association of REALTORS®. “One feature we noticed immediately is that property information is current—no more dealing with obsolete data.”
CRS Data is committed to offering unparalleled customer support to service its growing customer base.
“Our dedicated commitment to our customers and our innovative spirit have helped us partner with MLSs and Associations throughout the United States so that their members can turn to CRS Data for their property intelligence needs,” says Sara Cooper, director of Customer Experience for CRS Data. “Today, we have more than 265,000 individual users with more being added all the time.”
For more information, please visit www.crsdata.com.
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What's a "streak"? A "streak" -- shown as a flame icon, as in the example above -- refers to t...
Public Lab Wiki documentation
1 | 3 | | #13166
What's a "streak"?
A "streak" -- shown as a flame icon, as in the example above -- refers to the number of consecutive days a community member has been active on PublicLab.org. Activity is measured in terms of notes, wiki edits and comments. The code behind streaks was written by @ananyo2012 as part of the Google Summer of Code program.
If someone has posted a note, comment or wiki edit on a particular day, they are marked as "active" on that day. If they are active for more than 7 consecutive days, a "streak" icon is displayed beside their thumbnail picture in comments. The # of days in a streak is the # of consecutive days the user has been active. The total # of notes, comments and wiki edits are counted in these days and displayed in the tooltip accordingly.
So suppose the community member has been "active" for 30 consecutive days with 50 notes, 100 comments and 30 wiki edits in these 30 days. The tooltip would then show:
You're on fire! 50 notes, 30 wiki edits, and 100 wiki edits in the last 30 days
Learn about location privacy
This is part of:
created by warren over 4 years ago
Public Lab is open for anyone and will always be free. By signing up you'll join a diverse group of community researchers and tap into a lot of grassroots expertise.
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Wedding DJs near Ronkonkoma Ny, NY
Find your perfect Ronkonkoma Ny wedding djs See ratings and reviews from Ronkonkoma Ny, New York newlyweds and find the Ronkonkoma Ny wedding djs for your taste and your budget!
Ultimate Sound DJs
Mineola, NY, NY
Ultimate Sound DJs is a wedding DJ and entertainment company based in Mineola, New York. This talented team has been elevating......
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Variety Music
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Variety Music is an experienced team of professional DJ and entertainment specialists operating out of Huntington Station,......
Top Tier Entertainment New York
Ask 10 people that go out to dinner what the most memorable part of the night was and you may get 10 different answers. Some......
Soulful Sounds
Wyandanch, NY, NY
Soulful Sounds is a professional DJ company located on Long Island, New York. They have over 20 years of experience in the industry,......
Celebrity Music
Celebrity Music is a wedding DJ company operating out of Patchogue, New York. This team of entertainers and performers currently......
MRG Productions
MRG Productions is a full-service DJ Entertainment company based out of Mineola, New York. We travel all over the tri-state......
AMP DJ/BAND HYBRID
AMP DJ/BAND HYBRID is a boutique wedding music service operating out of East Patchogue, New York. Having performed internationally......
Partytime Entertainment
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Unique Entertainment Inc.
Unique Entertainment Inc. is a full-time professional DJ company located in Williston Park, New York. They pride themselves......
TLC Entertainment Studios - A Boutique style firm
West Hempstead, NY, NY
TLC Entertainment Studios is a highly-experienced wedding DJ and entertainment company from West Hempstead, New York. Since......
Dr. Beat Productions DJ Entertainment & Visual Effects
Hauppauge, NY, NY
"The Ultimate In Wedding Entertainment" Welcome to Dr. Beat Productions Professional DJ Entertainment. Serving Long Island......
Diamond Cut Productions
Diamond Cut Productions is a music entertainment business based in East Setauket, New York that serves the Long Island area.......
Tommy's Tunes
Tommy’s Tunes is a wedding DJ and entertainment company based out of Selden, New York. Founded over 30 years ago by Thomas......
Michael Bryan Events
Michael Bryan Events is a professional DJ company located on Long Island in Wantagh, New York. They're a mobile company that......
Good Times Productions
Good Times Productions is a boutique DJ Entertainment company. Owner Anthony Gelo will personally walk you through the entire......
INtense Entertainment Group
INtense Entertainment Group is a passionate DJ and entertainment company located in Floral Park, New York. Their goal is for your......
Brian Howard Entertainment & Talent, LLC
Brian Howard Entertainment & Talent LLC is a wedding DJ and entertainment company based out of Oceanside, New York. These......
Elegance Entertainment LLC
Coram, NY, NY
Elegance Entertainment, based in Coram, New York, offers couples an experienced and versatile DJ service for their wedding......
AVX Productions
AVX Productions is a unique DJ company located in Setauket, New York. They describe themselves as fun, classy and professional.......
BODY ROCK ENTERTAINMENT
Carle Place, NY, NY
Based in Carle Place, New York, Body Rock Entertainment has amassed over 30 years of experience in wedding entertainment.......
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Imago 21.1
Tattletale stood at the very edge of the floor, with a twenty-five story drop just in front of her. The wind whipped her hair around her, and she didn’t even have a handhold available. Shatterbird had cleared out all of the window panes, long ago.
She lowered her binoculars. “He’s gone. If he was going to pull something off, he’d want to watch and make sure everything went off without a hitch.”
“I could have gone with them,” Imp said. “Listened in.”
“Not without us knowing their full set of powers,” Tattletale said.
Imp folded her arms, pouting, “I thought you were one of the cool ones.”
“Othello’s a stranger,” Tattletale said. “I’d think he has an imaginary friend who can mess around with us, but I didn’t see any sign of anyone invisible walking around.”
“Isn’t that the point?” Regent asked.
“No dust or glass being disturbed, none of that. I might think his ‘friend’ is invisible and intangible, but then what’s the point? Accord tends to have people with good powers. Citrine, only bits I could figure out were that she’s got an offensive power, something with substance, and her focus was in a strange place. She was more focused on places in the room where the strongest powers were clustered, and her focus was fairly indiscriminate beyond that. Either her power wasn’t anything that anyone here would have been able to defend against, like Flechette’s arrows or a controlled version of Scrub’s blasts, or she’s a trump classification.”
“What’s that?” Regent asked.
“Official classification for capes who can either acquire new powers on the fly,” Tattletale gestured towards Grue, “Have an interaction with other powers that can’t be categorized or they nullify powers.”
“She’s powerful, then,” Regent said.
“She acts like she’s powerful,” Tattletale said, “And she probably is. But that database of PRT records we had didn’t have anything in it about those two. I don’t know where he finds those guys, but Accord collects some damn heavy hitters.”
Parian broke her spell of silence. “You keep talking like we’re going to fight them.”
“Threat assessment,” Tattletale said. She made her way back to her chair, sitting at the long table. “Be stupid not to know what we’re getting into, especially with someone like him.”
“Not to mention we’ve gotten in fights with pretty much everyone who ever set up shop in the ‘Bay,” Regent commented.
“There’s nothing imminent,” Grue said. “Let’s focus on more immediate problems.”
He turned his attention my way.
“Me?” I asked.
“He’s right. We’ve been so busy preparing for possible fallout that we haven’t had time to discuss this,” Tattletale said.
“I’m a non-factor. The damage is done, and it’s a question of the dust settling,” I said, staring down at my gloves. I’d altered some of my costume, but the real adjustments would have to wait until I had time. I’d made up the extra cloth in an open area of my territory I was devoting to the purpose, but hadn’t had time to turn it into something to wear for tonight. Some of my mask, the back compartment of my armor and my gloves were more streamlined. Or less streamlined, depending on how one looked at it. Sharper lines, convex armor panels that flared out more, gloves with more edges for delivering damage if I had to get in a hand to hand fight.
I’d only done some of the armor, pieces of my costume that were already battered and worn. My gloves, my mask and the back compartment of my armor tended to take the most abuse. I’d update the rest later.
“I’m not sure it’s that simple,” Grue said, his voice quiet. He reached across the table and gripped my hand, squeezing it. “Have we double checked to see what bridges they’ve burned for us? My parents aren’t showing any sign of interference.”
“Mom wouldn’t care either way,” Aisha said. “She might try to capitalize on the attention with appearances on television if she could get money for it.”
“Yeah,” Grue agreed.
“My family wouldn’t care,” Tattletale said. “I’d be surprised if they didn’t already know. They’d choose to ignore it, I’d bet. Parian? You’ve covered your bases.”
“Most of my family is dead. The ones who aren’t dead already know,” Parian said. She looked out toward the window, at the city lights under the night sky.
Tattletale nodded, “Let’s see… Rachel isn’t a problem, not really. Never had a secret identity.”
Rachel shrugged. Her attention was on her dogs. They were shrinking, their extra mass sloughing away. She already had Bastard sitting next to her, his fur spiky and wet from the transformation.
“And if they tried to come at me through my family, they’d get what they deserved,” Regent said.
“Why?” Parian asked.
“His dad’s Heartbreaker,” Tattletale said.
“Oh. Oh wow.”
“Funny thing is,” Regent said, “If you think about it, we might be bigger than Heartbreaker, now. People all over America know who we are, and I’m not sure if Heartbreaker is known that far to the south or west.”
“That’s not our focus right now,” Grue said, squeezing my hand. “It’s good that we’re talking about safeguards and damage control, but discussing villains and the rest of America can wait. They came after Skitter while she was out of costume.”
“How are you coping?” Tattletale asked, leaning forward over the table. “You were pretty heavy-handed tonight. We discussed it, sure, but I thought you’d at least pretend to play ball with them.”
“I didn’t need superpowered intuition to figure out they weren’t going to cooperate no matter what I said,” I replied.
“But you were provoking them. Valefor especially. You up for this, with all the other distractions?”
“This is what I’ve got left, isn’t it? The good guys decided to play their biggest card. They couldn’t beat Skitter, so they beat Taylor. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason not to throw myself into this, to deal with both heroes and villains as a full-time thing. I lay down the law, because now I’ve got time to enforce it. I can be stricter with the local villains, back you guys up if they cause trouble, and dedicate the rest of my time to my territory.”
“Dangerous road to travel down,” Tattletale said. “You need to rest, to have downtime.”
“And do what? Go to a movie? I’m not sure if any theaters are open-”
“They are,” Tattletale said.
“-And I couldn’t go even if they were. My face is plastered all over the news, and I’ve got a tinker who might be watching every computer system and surveillance camera in the city, because she’s not willing to go against her bosses. I can’t go shopping, can’t leave my territory unless I’m in costume and ready for a fight.”
“More time to go after them,” Regent said. “You can’t let this slide.”
“I’m not planning to,” I said, standing from my seat.
“Hold on,” Grue said, as my hand came free of his grip.
“Walk with me,” I said. “All of you. The city may be getting better, but there shouldn’t be lights on in this building, and it’s only a matter of time before one of the local heroes decides to stop by and see why.”
“We can take them,” Rachel said, from the rear of the group.
“We can, and we will,” I said, entering the stairwell. “On our terms, not theirs.”
“There’s enough enemies to fight,” Parian said. She had to hurry around the table to catch up. “We don’t need more.”
“I agree,” Grue said. “Not that I don’t understand the need for some response, but you’re talking aggression.”
“I’m feeling aggressive,” I said. “I think. I don’t know. Hard to pin it all down.”
“Might be better to wait until you have a better idea of what you’re feeling,” Grue said.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, stepping down onto the staircase. “Logically, there’s no choice but to act on this. You heard Valefor. The villain community won’t respect us until we answer the PRT, and the so-called good guys won’t have a reason to think twice about doing it again.”
“The rest of us aren’t as vulnerable as you are,” Regent said. “Don’t want to sound disrespectful or anything, but we don’t have the same kinds of civilian lives to protect.”
“There’re others,” I said. “Part of the reason we uphold these rules is because it sets precedents. Other villains hold to the rules and we benefit, the opposite is true.”
“The flip side of it,” Tattletale said, “Is that we’re risking an escalation in conflict.”
“I don’t see how they can escalate,” I said. “As I see it, they played the last card they have. The harder we hit them now, the more clear it is to outsiders that the PRT doesn’t have an answer. I can show that it doesn’t bother me, and the effect is the same.”
“Doesn’t it, though?” Tattletale asked. “Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Yes,” I said. “In terms of me, I don’t know. I can’t say for sure whether it’s justified or not. But they went after my dad.”
“I get that,” Grue said, “I’d be pissed if they went after Aisha. God, you know, when I was swallowed up by Echidna, and she was filling my head with all the worst stuff I could think of, revised memories, it-”
He stopped, and I paused to glance back up the stairs at him.
“Bro?” Aisha asked.
He took a second to compose himself, then said, “I get what you’re saying, Taylor. Believe me. I was buried in it. If anyone here knows what it’s like to want to protect people-”
“That’s not it,” I cut him off.
“It’s not about me wanting to protect my dad from the aftermath of all of this. That’s done, and right now he’s hurting more than he has since my mom died. Some of that’s on me, and some of it’s on the people who sent Defiant and Dragon into the fray. The damage is done.”
“And you want to go after the non-capes who made the call?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m sick of being on the defensive. I hate waiting for the other shoe to drop, because there’s always another shoe, and always a bigger threat. Speaking of, what’s your interpretation on the company we had tonight, Tattletale? How do you think they’re going to play this?”
“The Ambassadors are on the up and up, as far as I can guess their direction. Accord’s unpredictable, which is kind of ironic. I’d say they’re lower priority.”
“They’re going to stick to the deal?”
“Until Accord’s neurosis pushes him to break it,” Tattletale said.
“Then who’s a higher priority? The Teeth?”
“Lots of aggressive powers. Butcher’s at the forefront of it all. Spree has rapid fire duplicate generation, Vex has the ability to fill empty spaces with small, razor-sharp forcefields, Hemorrhagia is a limited hemokinetic with some personal biokinesis, Animos can transform for limited times and packs a power nullification ranged attack while in his other shape. There’s two or three others.”
“I’m asking about their goals,” I said. “Any clue what they’re thinking? Are they going to come after us?”
“Probably. We seem weak and unbalanced right now, especially with Parian not doing the absolute best job protecting her territory.”
“I’m trying,” Parian said.
“You’d be doing better if you’d accept help,” Tattletale retorted. “Except you don’t want to do that because you haven’t committed to this.”
“I will. I’m still figuring out the more basic stuff you guys figured out ages ago.”
“Commitment on a mental level, P. That’s more than just coming to meetings. You don’t have to like us, but respect us, get to know us, trust us and maybe allow for the occasional intimate moment.”
Parian snapped her head around to stare at Tattletale, in a way that was rather more dramatic than the statement warranted.
“Not that kind of intimate. Sorry hon. Trust me when I say we’re all pretty accepting here, and there’s no reason to lie; none of us girls here bat for the other team.”
“Of course,” Tattletale said, smiling. “But I was talking about letting us see more of the girl behind the mask. Share those vulnerabilities, let us give you a shoulder to cry on.”
“I don’t need one,” Parian said, “And that has nothing to do with me defending my territory.”
“More than you think,” Tattletale said. She glanced at me, “They’re the type to prey on weakness, and Parian’s capable of only protecting a short section of her perimeter.”
“Hire people?” I asked. “Henchmen, mercenaries.”
“I don’t want to put innocents in the line of fire,” Parian said.
“You don’t want others to suffer if the Teeth come after the people you wanted to protect, either,” I said.
“I don’t know what you want me to do. If I call for help, they’ll retreat, and we wind up wasting your time, while leaving me looking and feeling useless.”
“There’s an alternative,” I said.
“What I was talking about before. Going on the offensive. Only it’s not about just the good guys. I’m talking about targeting our enemies, wiping them out before they hurt us and give us cause.”
“That’s dangerous,” Grue said.
“You guys keep saying things along those lines,” I responded. “I shouldn’t be so strict with our enemies, I shouldn’t ratchet up my involvement in things, I shouldn’t be aggressive. It’s more dangerous to leave them loose, to always give our enemies the first move.”
“The flip side to that coin is that it gives everyone else we deal with less reason to play ball. We need to get other villains to parley if we’re going to seriously hold this territory. The Ambassadors are only step one,” Grue said. “If some other group comes into town and they’re considering joining us, are they going to look at whatever humiliating defeat we visit on the Fallen and feel it’s better to attack us first?”
“Escalation,” Parian echoed Tattletale’s earlier statement.
I sighed. Atlas had descended from his vantage point above the building, and flew in to land next to me. I ran my hand along his horn.
“We’re not… the idea here isn’t to attack you, Taylor,” Tattletale said. “Hell, what they did was low. You said it yourself, in that cafeteria. But you’re talking about changing our dynamic, and it’s a dynamic that’s been working. We’ve already been through some high-tension, high-conflict scenarios. A bunch of times when we went days without a chance to breathe. You want to ratchet that up?”
“Not entirely,” I said. “If we do this right, if we play this smart, then this should reduce the amount of conflict. I need to know if you guys are on board.”
“Yeah,” Rachel said.
“I’m in,” Regent replied. Imp nodded.
“My- my vote doesn’t count,” Parian said. “I only wanted a show of force, to see if we couldn’t scare the Teeth. Only I think it had the opposite effect, because what you guys were saying about Butcher is spooking me. If you guys want to help me with them, okay. But I don’t want to commit to anything major here, and I can’t tell you guys how to operate, because I’m new to this. Skip my vote.”
“Okay,” I said. “Tattletale? Grue?”
“I’ve already said my bit,” Tattletale said. “You call the shots in the field, and act as the face of the group, I do the behind the scenes stuff. That’s how we worked it out. I’m kosher with that.”
Grue said, “I have one thing to say. Think it over, or keep it in mind. We made it further than most groups do. Some villains set their sights high, and they fall. Others try to eliminate their enemies and get eliminated in turn. Still others set their mind on a goal and they strive for it, only to get worn down along the way.”
He paused, glancing away. I didn’t interrupt. Picking the right words? Thinking about himself, as one of the ones who were worn down by circumstance? Or maybe he was thinking about me in that light.
“Maybe part of the reason we made it this far was because you weren’t striving for that. When we were villains, you were trying to be the good guy, behind the scenes. When we were trying to take out some pretty nightmarish opponents, your focus was on surviving more than it was on attacking. I didn’t get the impression you craved to be team leader or to rule the city, but you took on the job because you knew the alternative would be disaster.”
I nodded. Even if I’d wanted to say something in response, I wasn’t sure what I would’ve wanted to say.
“Maybe the reason I’m less comfortable with this is that it’s not your usual pattern. I feel like you’re wanting to be aggressive because you’re hurt and angry. There’s nothing to temper it. Think about it, okay? I won’t tell you not to do this. Despite everything I just said, I do trust your instincts, and I’m not sure I trust mine these days.”
“Grue-”
“I don’t. That’s me being honest. Do what you have to do, but do it with your eyes wide open.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll try.”
I had a sudden impulse to hug him, to hold him as close and as tight as our costumes allowed, my arms tight around his broad back, his muscled arms holding me just as tight.
The idea alone made me feel like I might suddenly burst into tears, and I found it startling, inexplicable.
I didn’t hug Grue; I wasn’t sure enough about what I was feeling or why, didn’t want to come across as anything but a leader. Leading this team was something I could do. Something concrete, with real dividends.
Why had I brought Atlas here? Had I already been thinking about running? Avoiding further contact with these guys? Avoiding Grue? It was disconcerting to think about.
Tattletale was staring at me. Could she read what I was experiencing, or get a sense of the emotions that were warring inside me?
“Okay,” I said, and I was surprised at how normal I felt. “We’re playing this much like we did against the Nine, only we aren’t waiting for better excuses to do it. Groups of three, one group active at a time, one target at a time.”
“Who are we fighting?” Rachel asked.
“The Fallen, the PRT, and the Teeth.”
“And you’re in this group of three for tonight’s mission?” Tattletale asked.
“Yeah.” I needed a release, to do something.
She glanced at Grue, and I suspected there was some kind of unspoken agreement there. She met my eyes, or the opaque yellow lenses that covered my eyes. “I’ll come.”
“You’re ops,” I said, “I thought the whole point of that was that you’d stay behind the scenes and out of trouble.”
“I’ll come,” she repeated herself. No argument, no manipulation. Only the statement.
I sighed.
“Me too,” Rachel said.
“Not sure that’s a good idea,” Tattletale said. “Maybe someone more subtle?”
“No,” I said. “It’s fine.”
Subtlety wasn’t what I had in mind.
Bentley crashed into the side of the PRT van. The vehicle rocked, but it was set up to be in the field amid villains with superstrength and literally earth-shattering powers. It didn’t tip over.
Two more dogs crashed into the side of it, and the thing fell. The PRT officer in body armor fell from the turret at the top, his armor absorbing just enough of the impact that he wasn’t badly hurt.
The containment foam sprayers might have been an issue, but none of the uniforms were in a position to use the stuff. I’d come prepared, and each sprayer was either thoroughly snagged on spider silk at the top of the equipped trucks, or the PRT agents who were wearing the portable tanks were bound, blind and under siege by massed bugs.
Dovetail flew after Atlas and I, a trail of luminous slivers of light falling in her wake. She was good at maneuvering in such a way that the sparks didn’t fall on the PRT uniforms and heroes below, even with my swarm crawling over her head, shoulders and arms. Where the slivers touched something solid, they ballooned out into what Tattletale had described as soft force fields, encasing the subject. Anyone could push hard enough against the force fields to break them, even with multiple fields layered over one another, but it impeded movement, and she could hover over a target to keep reinforcing the forcefields until the victim could be smothered in more permanent containment foam.
It might have been a crummy power, but she was fast. If she could have thrown the forcefield-generating slivers further than she did when she flung her arms out, she might have had us.
It was to my advantage that it was easier to dodge pursuit than to match someone else’s course exactly.
Didn’t hurt that she had bugs in her nose, ears and mouth, and that she was being bound by silk, limiting her range of movement with every passing second. She was already unable to use the compact containment foam sprayer she had built into her costume. Nothing I did would stop her from flying, but so long as she was blind and unable to use her arms, I didn’t see her being too much of a threat.
She wasn’t making headway on the offense, but retreating wouldn’t change her circumstances. I’d still bind her in silk, blind and choke her. Her costume had a flared collar, and my bugs were crawling inside, between skin and cloth. That attack was as much about the psychological effect as about getting to more skin to inflict bites.
I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but her movements were bordering on the frantic, now.
No holding back. I only had so many wasps and hornets, but I did what I could. Mosquitoes were a good one. Welts. Leaving a mark.
Rachel’s dogs knocked over another one of the vans that had been circled around the PRT headquarters. The van was knocked into the side of the building, bending the bars that were supposed to protect the windows. Each window cracked, with the lines spiderwebbing out between the hexagonal sections, but they didn’t break.
Adamant got into close quarters combat with the dog, slashing at it with pieces of his armor and driving the animal back.
Rachel whistled, shrill, and two dogs tackled him. He delivered one good swipe before the other blindsided him. The disadvantage of forming a full covering of armor was that it limited his peripheral vision.
She wasn’t going even two seconds without giving a command. There were five dogs in the field, or four dogs and one young wolf, and many were lacking in serious training, so she managed them with lengths of chain between their collars and Bentley’s, and by giving enough commands that they wouldn’t have time to get creative and go after one of the PRT uniforms.
Sere was indoors, along with Triumph. Binding Sere had been a first priority, and I’d achieved it in much the same way. He’d done what he could to target the bugs managing the threads, and to disentangle himself, but time spent on that was time he wasn’t moving outdoors and shooting me or one of the dogs. As with Dovetail, I’d managed to make enough progress that he was more or less out of the fight. She was blind, he was immobile.
The other heroes would be arriving soon. I double-checked Dovetail wasn’t in a position to give pursuit, then ventured inside, entering through an open window on the uppermost floor.
I felt calm, which was odd, given the scene. Bugs swarmed every employee, from the official heroes to the kids who might have been interns. Some howled in pain, others screamed more out of fear, or yelped as bugs periodically bit them.
The bugs gave me a sense of the route I needed to take, my destination. There were offices in the back corner, but I had a sense of where I was going. I’d been here before, when Piggot had been director.
I saw the labels on the door. Commissioner. Deputy Director. Director.
I opened the last door. Director Tagg.
He held a gun, but he didn’t point it my way. There was a woman behind him, using him as a shield.
I’d had statements ready, angry remarks, any number of things I could have said to him, to punctuate what my swarm was doing to his assembled employees. Statements, maybe, that could have surprised him, woken him up to what he’d done to me.
Then I saw the steel in his eyes, the sheer confidence with which he stood in front of the woman… they had matching wedding bands. His wife. I knew in an instant that there wouldn’t be any satisfaction to be had that way.
Rather, the word that left my mouth was a quiet, “Why?”
His eyes studied me, as though he were making an assessment. His words were gruff, the gravelly burr of a long time smoker. He very deliberately set the gun down on the desk, then replied, “You’re the enemy.”
I paused, then pulled off my mask. I was sweating lightly, and my hair was damp around the hairline. The world was tinted slightly blue in a contrast to the coloring of my lenses. “It’s not that simple.”
“Has to be. The ones at the top handle the compromising. They assess where the boundaries need to be broken down, which threats are grave enough. My job is to get the criminals off the streets and out of the cities.”
“By starting fights in schools.”
“Didn’t know it was a school until the capes were already landing,” he replied. “Had to choose, either we let you go, and you were keeping an eye out for trouble from then on, or we push the advantage.”
“Putting kids at risk?”
“Dragon and Defiant both assured me you wouldn’t risk the students.”
I sighed. Probably right.
Someone behind me screamed as a group of my hornets flew to him to deliver a series of bites across his face.
“Barbaric,” Director Tagg said.
“Inflicting pain isn’t the point.”
“Seem to be doing a good job of it,” he commented.
“There are heroes on their way back from patrol, your guys called them in. But there’s also news teams on the way here. We called those guys in. They’ll find your employees covered in welts, every PRT van damaged or trashed. Your employees won’t be able to get any cars out of the parking lot, so they’ll have to walk, which will make for some photo opportunities. A handful of heroes will be a bit the worse for wear. You can try running damage control, but some of it’s bound to hit the news.”
“Uh huh,” he said.
“I couldn’t let you get off without a response from us.”
“Didn’t expect you to.”
“This was as mild as I could go,” I said. “I think you know that. I’m not looking to one-up you or perpetuate a feud. I’m doing what I have to, part of the game.”
“Game? Little girl, this is a war.” His voice took on a hard edge.
I stopped to contemplate that. Rachel was destroying the last containment van, and Tattletale was saying something to her about incoming heroes. I was low on time.
“If it is a war, my side’s winning,” I said.
“And the world’s worse off for it. You can’t win forever,” he said.
I didn’t have a response to that.
He must have sensed he had some leverage there. “All of this goes someplace. Do you really see yourself making it five more years without being killed or put in prison?”
“I haven’t really thought about it.”
“I have. Bad publicity fades with time. So do welts and scabs. Five or ten years from now, provided the world makes it that long, nobody will remember anything except the fact that we fought back. Good publicity will overwrite the bad, carefully chosen words and some favors called in with people in the media will help whitewash any of our mistakes. We’re an institution.”
“So you think you automatically win? Or you’re guaranteed to win in the long run?”
“No. They didn’t pick me to head this city’s PRT division because I’m a winner, Ms. Taylor. They picked me because I’m a scrapper. I’m a survivor. I’m the type that’s content to get the shit kicked out of me, so long as I give the other guy a bloody nose. I’m a stubborn motherfucker, I won’t be intimidated, and I won’t give up. The last few Directors in Brockton Bay met a bad end, but I’m here to stay.”
“You hope.”
“I know. You want to fight this system? I’ll make sure it fights back.”
“So you want to escalate this? Despite what I said before?”
“Not my style. I’m thinking more about pressure. I could pull your dad in for questioning every time you pull something, for example. Doesn’t matter where, doesn’t matter who it’s directed at. You or your team do anything that gets an iota of attention, I drag the man into the building, and grill him for a few hours at a time.”
I felt a knot in my stomach. “That’s harassment.”
I was aware of Tattletale approaching me from behind. She leaned against the doorframe, arms folded.
“It’s a war of attrition,” Tagg said. “I’ll find the cracks, I’ll wear down and break each of you. If you’re lucky, then five years from now they’ll remember your names, speaking them in the same breath as they talk about the kid villains who were dumb enough to think they could keep a city for themselves.”
“He’s playing you,” Tattletale murmured. “He knows he’s got you on a bad day. Best to just walk away. Remember, the Protectorate hasn’t had a good day against us yet.”
I thought about asking him about Dinah, but there wasn’t a point. It was something he could use against me, and I already knew the answer.
I approached the desk and turned around the photo frames. The second showed Tagg with his wife and two young women. A family portrait.
“You have daughters,” I said.
“Two, going to universities halfway across the world.”
“And you don’t feel an iota of remorse for hurting a father through his daughter?”
“Not one,” he replied, staring me in the eye. “I look at you, and I don’t see a kid, I don’t see a misunderstood hero, a girl, a daughter or any of that. You’re a thug, Taylor Hebert.”
A thug.
His mindset was all ‘us versus them’. Good guys versus the bad.
It wasn’t much, but it served to confirm the conclusion I’d already come to. Dinah had volunteered the information. Whatever else Director Tagg was, he wasn’t the type to abuse a girl who’d been through what Dinah had.
“We should go,” Tattletale said. “Rachel’s downstairs with all her dogs, we can run before the reinforcements collapse in on us.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Nearly done. You, back there. Are you Mrs. Tagg?”
The woman stepped a little to one side, out from behind her husband. “I am.”
“Visiting him for the night?”
“Brought him and his men donuts and coffee. They’ve been working hard.”
“Okay,” I said. “And you stand by your husband? You buy this rhetoric?”
She set her jaw. “Yes. Absolutely.”
I didn’t waste an instant. Every spare bug I had flowed into the room, leaving Director Tagg untouched, while the bugs flowed over the woman en masse. She screamed.
He reached for his gun on the desk, and I pulled my hand back. The thread that I’d tied between the trigger guard and my finger yanked the weapon to me. I stopped it from falling off the desk by putting my hand on top of the weapon.
Tagg was already reaching for a revolver at his ankle.
“Stop,” I said.
He did. Slowly, he straightened.
“I’m illustrating a point,” I said.
My bugs drifted away from Mrs. Tagg. She was uninjured, without a welt or blemish. She backed into the corner as the bugs loomed between her and her husband.
“Not sure why. Doesn’t change my mind in the slightest,” Tagg said.
I didn’t respond. The swarm shifted locations and dogpiled him. Stubborn as he professed to be, he started screaming quickly enough.
I picked up the gun from the edge of the desk, joining Tattletale. We marched for the exit together, moving at a speed between a walk and a jog, passing by twenty or so PRT employees, each covered in bugs, roaring and squealing their pain and fear to the world as they stumbled blindly and thrashed in futile attempts to fight the bugs off.
Nothing venomous, the wasps and hornets weren’t contracting their bodies to squeeze the venom sacs. There was nothing that could put their lives at risk. It was still dramatic enough.
“He’s right,” Tattletale commented.
“You won’t change his mind with a gesture like that. Sparing his wife.”
“Okay,” I replied. I opened a drawer and put Director Tagg’s service weapon inside, while Atlas ferried Tattletale down to the ground floor.
Atlas returned to me, and I took to the air, flying just above Lisa and Rachel and the dogs as we fled the scene. I made a point of leaving every single bug inside the PRT headquarters, to infest it until they had the place exterminated, which would only be another photo opportunity for the media, or to serve as a perpetual reminder as it took weeks and months for all of the bugs to be cleared out.
The news teams were already arriving on the scene. No doubt there was a camera following us. I remembered Director Tagg’s threat, to bring my father into custody. Only a threat, going by his wording, but it did make me think about how every activity, every thing I did that brought me into the public consciousness, it would be a little twist of the knife that I’d planted in my dad’s back.
Not a good feeling.
Maybe the little demonstration I’d done with Tagg’s wife hadn’t been for him. It could just as easily have been me trying to prove something to myself.
This entry was posted in 21.01 and tagged Adamant, Bastard, Bentley, Bitch, Dovetail, Grue, Imp, Parian, Regent, Sere, Tagg, Tattletale, Taylor by wildbow. Bookmark the permalink.
562 thoughts on “Imago 21.1”
leinadrengaw on April 9, 2013 at 00:02 said:
Every time I try to load this at midnight and fail I panic
you ninja’d wildbow?!??!?
heystranger111 on September 21, 2018 at 14:01 said:
Your fast! And I’m late!
Second!
Hoping for a quick typo catch:
“She’d talk about me, not you,” Imp said.
How can Aisha interrupt herself?
Man, her power is good.
AVR on April 9, 2013 at 00:12 said:
“were the strongest powers were clustered” First were should be where.
“Parian snapped her head around to stare at Tattletale, in a way that rather more dramatic than the statement warranted.” Missing a was.
She was more focused on places in the room were the strongest powers were clustered, and her focus was pretty indiscriminate beyond that.
were -> where?
Extra line after next/previous chapter line at end.
Why is “Subtlety wasn’t what I had in mind.” located past the chapter section?
Hobbes on April 9, 2013 at 00:17 said:
“Subtlety wasn’t what I had in mind” repeats after the “Last/Next Chapter” link.
Was distracted earlier today, little time to write. Fixed typos. Thanks.
At the risk of making (or perhaps for the sole purpose of making) a really bad/obvious pun, you didn’t tag Tagg.
Or anyone, actually.
On the content of the chapter:
Really loving Grue in this chapter. He’s right — being outed is really screwing with Taylor’s head, putting her in the same kind of space she was in when he had to stop her from trying to fight Burnscar head-to-head. Not as severe — her tactical instincts are still hella good — but she’s not thinking strategically, not really.
Whats a “Comfmitment”?
Like a f’ing commitment, but a little mixed up.
Spell check failed me.
Icarus on June 14, 2017 at 16:08 said:
A specific type of covfefe.
johnnythexxxiv on August 12, 2017 at 18:45 said:
I love seeing the recent comments pop up every now and again. It’s awesome to see that I’m not the only one on the internet still getting guided to wildbow’s work years after it’s finished. The reference just made it even better
Etraque on March 27, 2018 at 07:24 said:
Hrm, I’m surprised that the PRT fell so easily- but I suppose there was at least some planning and tattletaling skipped over on the trip!
““Comfmitment on a mental level, P. ” Commitment.
“spare bug had” Either an extra space or a missing ‘I’.
“every singly bug” Single.
Typos are embarrassing. Aunt & her boyfriend were by this weekend, and they left just before noon, then there was an unexpected drop-in by furnace maintenance guys, and that ate up another hour.
And I gave it -more- proofreading than usual, about an hour and a half of reading through, spellchecking, before watching the latest episode of Game of Thrones. And only feedback thus far is typo corrections.
Feels bad, man. 😦
Anyone have a plate of virtual cookies? I’m fresh out.
Just realized how ambiguous that was. I meant to give to wildbow. *smacks head, because is one of few people who actually do do that*
randomsoul2 on April 9, 2013 at 00:36 said:
If it helps, I liked it!
Every time a new power is introduced or explained, I squee a little. I love the mechanics of the Wormverse.
Oh good. Thank you.
same here (though all the characters means theres no way i’ll ever get to draw a chibi of everyone ) , and of course I love puzzle pieces and seeing how new information fits in with earlier observations and enigmas .
enjoyed the chapter and look forward to watching the various factions start going at it in ernest .
No offence intended. Typo spotting’s quick to do.
But yes, interesting, particularly the comments in character on the last interlude.
> No offence intended. Typo spotting’s quick to do.
Plus, it makes it easier for later readers to enjoy the chapter without distraction.
aflamingostolemyparasol on July 30, 2016 at 00:05 said:
And we later readers thank you for that.
Indeed we do
australday on October 26, 2017 at 03:08 said:
Sorry! I actually do feel bad about doing that- but I wouldn’t want to leave the typos until I had something intelligent to say, I suppose, and sometimes that takes a bit longer; it was much easier when I was doing the archive crawl to stick them in with more thoughtful commentary.
Anyway, I did enjoy the chapter, though as I mentioned I am surprised that it went down the way it did- I suppose after all they’ve been through it is fair to give them a ‘And then they kicked ass’ moment and not show every step of the plan, since I’m sure not everyone is a fan of that sort of thing. After all, it is certainly plausible that they could do it even with the PRT expecting something of the sort.
Skitter’s head is an interesting place right now, and it was definitely good to hear it being called out, commented upon- and perhaps a first step to keeping her from doing something bad.
Parian is gonna be a real terror if/when she embraces her abilities… but she is also potentially the weak link until then. Of course, the best of both worlds would be her bringing in Flechette.
I have to wonder what Dinah’s game is- and whether the pieces of paper even survived the inside of Noelle. Would be quite the thing if only Assault knew what they said. I’d not be surprised if she hadn’t learned a lot from Coil, and she’s been through the horrid effects of a multiverse of withdrawal symptoms so she might be able to tough through the occasional faked or perhaps simply massaged statistic these days.
Also, I should perhaps mention that I look forward to each update eagerly. Worm, where every month is NaNoWriMo!
At the conclusion of the Noelle arc, Taylor has the papers and crumples them.
Any comments on why you’ve left that dangling for so long?
I did a few times (end of last arc) in a few drafts, but decided it would’ve been distracting/misleading/lost in the jumble.
I mean, as opposed to just letting us read them when Taylor did.
Well, Taylor very specifically didn’t refer to any legible writing being on them. I’ve been through much less punishment and had the contents of my pockets ruined=P
Took longer than expected to write out my comment, otherwise I’d have been there sooner.
*huggledysnugglez*
Even a perfectionist can’t always be perfect. Interesting direction. Can’t see Taylor being overly satisfied with the results. Tagg is a blunt instrument who doesn’t let facts get in the way of his world view. If he does follow through on his threats to Taylor’s father things are going to go very badly for him.
Amazing. You can feel the seething hurt that’s built up without an outlet inside Taylor in this chapter, a scared- yes, scared, not for herself but for what it means, how it’ll affect her father even more than before; Not just all the little lies told every time but now the pain of watching /his little girl/ doing what she’s doing- teenager who is coming into herself at the same time as this fuster cluck is going off around her. She’s trying to redirect that pain and aggression outwards, to take all the pain and sadness that’s been inflicted on her and rejected it, when really she needs to stop and get introspective, and confront the source of the pain inside her. Thank you for yet another beautiful chapter of Worm, Wildbow.
Never feel embarassed at making typos. I still find them in professionally editted paperbacks and hardcovers from every period of time I’ve read from, from seventy year old printings to current hot-off-the-presses iterations, including reprints. Heck, even the bible isn’t immune to typos (King James Bible, anyone?). Everyone makes mistakes. We’re just helping with the editting process. ^_^ Always helps to have additional eyes on the work. Gives a degree of separation that a first-tier inspection might miss because the brain just glosses over it and fits it in because you wrote it in your mind, but never actually put it to page- Lord knows the number of times I’ve done that, with both written and spoken words.
In short: It’s okay to not be perfect, we like you just the way you are Wildbow. ❤ *hugs*
its a good chapter, first feedback is usually going to be typo corrections because last time i read a chapter all the way though, then posted the noticed typos, i was number 7 to post the same one.
also, i like to think on a chapter for a bit before commenting on the content.
Gilgamesh on October 16, 2018 at 05:57 said:
Speaking of game of thrones, I wonder if Worm would ever end up as an HBO series. 🤔
Patrick Reitz (@dreamfarer) on April 9, 2013 at 00:29 said:
Taylor’s emotions are surprising her more and more often it seems. I read that as showing how she’s breaking in some pretty scary ways after all of the insanely traumatic stress she’s been through. I also notice though that her plight isn’t escaping those around her. Brian and Lisa both seem to be very aware of what’s up, maybe even more than Taylor is. There may be no Endbringers on the immediate horizon but I’m betting there’s some of roughest seas we’ve seen so far lying ahead in the next few weeks.
I agree completely. This is almost exactly what I was about to say. The key, though, is that she’s “breaking,” rather than “broken.” There’s still time for her…I suppose redemption *is* the word I would use, really. She lived up to Director Tagg’s description of her today.
I’m not sure how.
Considering what they did, the PRT are really no better than a gang of thugs themselves by now. They almost certainly just engaged in all manner of unfortunate tactics regarding those students (especially the ones Clockblocker got trampled), are being purposefully antagonistic (choosing a guy like Tagg, going after secret identities) and most of all are now on the wrong side of the moral line.
Not just in the public eye, also literally.
The Undersiders did more for Brockton Bay by far.
The PRT are now truly threatened and thus showing some really unpleasant true colours.
The Undersiders continue to avoid targeting civilian identities despite certainly being better at it. While the heroes have stopped even pretending.
Which means we now have the PRT relying on and taking advantage of, the Undersiders’ morals. That’s pretty clear villain behaviour, no wonder Parian’s not going for the hero option.
A thug. Hmmm, well its not like the PRT can sit on their high horse for too much longer. The institution is about to be forever marred with the whole crimes against humanity thing. Plus his whole little war mindset could backfire big time. Even in war, there are rules or codes of conduct. So go ahead director Tagg, break the unwritten rules. The villains are going to break them in a heartbeat right afterward. That means going after families, and you guys are the ones who started it. He is also very wrong in that her act of Mercy changed nothing. If Taylor really wants to beat him, she has to beat him by proving that she is the better person. The students DID favor her over the heroes after all. So if she keeps taking down villains, and refuses to stoop to their level, people are going to notice. But he is right that it is unrealistic for them to keep doing this for a decade and expect to get away unscathed. As unrealistic as I think the 9 are for never being stopped, even they had to constantly get new members. After this I can sort of see a birdcage arc. A hero gets lucky and she gets put away just in time for the breakout.
I’m pretty sure that Dragon would arrange for Skitter to not end up in the Birdcage, push come to shove.
Well I really hope Dragon is okay and she lets a few prisoners go. I think her nature prevents her from being predicted by the Smurf, so if she lets Canary/Panacea maybe she can prevent the inevitable escape from being as bad as it could be.
It might not be her call, anymore. Remember, she’s… indisposed, aside from the whole quitting the PRT thing.
Patrick Reitz (@dreamfarer) on April 10, 2013 at 10:30 said:
Can Dragon get someone out of the Birdcage at all? I thought it was a one way trip in terms of she can send you in, but no one can get you out (barring cheaters like the Simurgh maybe),
From Interlude 15 (where Panacea was sent into the Birdcage) Dragon said “She’ll be transported there and confined for the remainder of her life, barring exceptional circumstance.”
That implies there are ways if necessary…
Packbat on April 10, 2013 at 10:43 said:
Dragon is the world’s greatest tinker — if she wanted to send in an elevator capable of lifting a passenger out of the Birdcage, she could. The other six hundred inmates might have objections, though.
kgy121 on October 22, 2015 at 23:10 said:
And Trickster is in there now. If anyone were to go up an elevator, he could swap himself out no problem.
izoughe on April 11, 2017 at 11:36 said:
Not necessarily; he’d need to have line of sight. I’d assume the prisoner in question would be removed as subtly as possible so as to prevent riots, and if Dragon took that line of action, there’s a very good chance Trickster wouldn’t even know about it until after the prisoner was already removed.
If Trickster were aware of this with enough time to spare, he would absolutely make sure he had line of sight and swap himself out.
>Nothing venomous, the wasps and hornets weren’t contracting their bodies to squeeze the venom sacs.
This contradicts something earlier:
>Someone behind me screamed as one of my bullet ants was flown to him to deliver a bite.
Pretty sure bullet ants have venom- and if Taylor is being “nice” enough not to properly sting with wasps and hornets she sure as hell wouldn’t be using bullet ants (except maybe on the Director).
Bullet ants, as far as I’m aware, can’t cause anaphylactic shock.
There’s a tribe in the same area where the bullet ants can be found, which harvests the ants and sews them into what basically looks like an oven mit, their pincers facing inwards. It’s a rite of passage to wear these gloves with dozens or hundreds of ants and dance for hours.
They can.
http://www.asktheexterminator.com/ants/Bullet_Ant.shtml
> In the off chance you experience a bullet ant sting, have someone take you to the emergency room immediately. You cannot drive because of the pain that will hit you about ten minutes after being stung. Also, take an antihistamine. Many people are allergic to bullet ant stings and may suffer severe allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock.
My research failed me.
Well damn. Ok. Will fix.
Remember, they apparently have to keep those glove things on their arms, with all those ants, and don’t wind up in shock over it.
I don’t know how many she’s using, but maybe not any more than that tribe does.
simply put, if the venom has protein in it, it can cause anyphylactic shock. Even though most ant venom is mostly formic acid, there is still a bit of protein that some people are allergic to.
Those ants are in spot N1 in the Pain scale, but as far as i know, no anaphylactic shock.
Fire Ants are a 1.2 on the Schmidt pain scale… Red Carpenter Ants are a 3.0 The pain from them is described as, “A drill excavating an ingrown toenail.” Bullet Ants are a 4.0+… and are described as such: “Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch rusty nail grinding into your heel.” And on TOP of that, the pain lasts for hours (It’s colliquially known as the ’24 Hour Ant’) and can cause temporary paralysis and uncontrollable shaking for days preceding the bite event. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Paraponera_clavata_MHNT.jpg is an image of one of the buggers… ;________; I actually feel sorry for anyone bitten by them, now… And anyone who has been bitten by them in story should probably have been screaming and writhing in pain far louder and longer than otherwise- Possibly even dead of anaphylactic shock, considering the extreme pain from multiple bites would likely cause people to pass out.
Get Tagg in the nuts!
All references to bites should actually be stings; Apparently they’re like some sort of wasp-ant that stings to inject venom- the venom isn’t from their bites. However, their bites are still plenty strong enough (the ants are/were actually used as sutures in India; have the ant bite the wound, twist the head off. pincers keep the wound closed).
I don’t think you (Rika) mean “preceding the bite” unless the pain is so bad that it reaches backwards in time and starts before the ant actually stings you. Mind you in the Wormverse, I could actually see that being possible.
Hmm, and now I’m thinking of the Nine’s newest member “Temporal Bullet Ant”.
Hydrargentium on April 10, 2013 at 18:27 said:
Patrick, that’s what I was thinking too. Pain so bad it hits you days before you even get stung!
Rika Covenant on April 10, 2013 at 20:26 said:
That I didn’t. Butthat’s what happens when I type at 3:50 AM and am sleepyish. 😛
I think its crazy just how unstoppable the undersiders are when they really want to be. This is the second time they’ve assaulted the PRT, and the second time they walk away unhindered. They, with the travelers kept the pressure on the s9 largely by themselves, all the heros and villains they’ve taken down.
I think its time for tattletale to start posting some of those secrets they know.
Good to see how wonderfully this latest tactic worked out for the PRT.
I suppose their next idea will have to really go for broke if they want to top it. Maybe they could blackmail their own already tenuous, vitally important allies with deeply personal threats…oh wait a Dragon.
Maybe they could continually taunt people who show more moral fibre than…
You know I’m struggling to think of a new low. Though I’m sure they’ll find one.
Easy. They try to defend what Cauldron did. Come on Tattletale use that blackmail material. There are probably plenty of nasty things about them without spilling the beans on Cauldron.
Already done.
A lot actually. Wow they have done that a lot.
Unless you mean the mainstream PRT, however given that Cauldron are villains I’d say them publicly defending Cauldron would be completely dropping the act.
Though Tagg was witness to Dragon being blackmailed into doing immoral things with threat of putting a mercenary in charge of a prison, in order to avoid damaging Cauldron…so yeah, they are already doing it.
I really hope Dragon records everything around her. She can try and go above their head.
I suppose Vista could be raped (by them or one of the worse groups in town) and they just decide to blame it on one of the Undersiders so they can issue a kill order.
Well, looks like they’re going after Grue or Regent next.
>Rape
Too far, PG. Too far.
'Lement on January 8, 2014 at 07:39 said:
Not far enough. They could, say, blame undersiders for killing the family members capes, for example, like saying Regent took them over and used them to attack the hero.
Or they could accuse Skitter of murdering a PRT director – oh wait she already did.
Or they could go after their families – oh wait they already did.
Rape is so cliche in grimdark setting though I doubt wb would use them – in part due the above examples of things that are easier(Vista doesn’t have to testify) and worse than the action.
Mind you, they already took Dinah pretty soon after she was given back to parents, so they actually would have someone stand in for an Undersider and do that to Vista. It is just that they could do worse.
For PG nothing is too far. for examples read what he did to holdout.
“Rape, murder, arson, and rape.”
“You said rape twice.”
“I like rape.”
“A little roleplay never goes wrong. Don’t you watch Law and Order?”
“I don’t watch anything BUT Law & Order. Rape is all I know. I just paid for lunch in rape dollars.”
Dear Psycho Gecko,
Imply rape towards a little girl agian and this will be your fate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Mt2E1M6dU
From, Skitter.
I set out to suggest the worst thing possible the PRT could do next and from your responses, it seems I have found it. Rika especially seems to think that would be an absolutely horrible thing for the PRT to do. Also, due to Wildbow’s sensibilities, I doubt that would be done anyway.
Rika, I like you and I’m not a very rapey person. Despite the dialogue from Blazing Saddles up there, didn’t even do that to dear little Holdout, may he rest in pieces. It should be noted that I am not intimidated by Skitter. If we met, I’m sure the encounter would turn out quite fun for me. But since we’re volleying threats about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ve-iyV5zns
Huggles and snuggles,
Psychopomp Gecko
PS: If you use a Dimension Bomb to destroy a planet connected to another by a portal that’s always open, what do you suppose happens to that second planet too?
Psycho Gecko on April 10, 2013 at 01:52 said:
Should have used Dinner with the Arkhams, but some things are spoiled by that point. Ah well, I can just go bear hunting and the whole mess will work itself out.
Ooch…that chapter was like a punch in the gut on several levels. I swear, before I got to the part where Taylor revealed she hadn’t hurt the wife, I wasn’t sure what to think about Taylor anymore. Still not sure what to think. Is this just her lashing out, hurt and wild, or a permanent change? This chapter was uncomfortable, because this is the really the first time I’m completely starting to feel like Taylor has started to do things for the wrong reasons as well as the right ones,
After all that Tt/skitter shipping, I found tt’s response to Parian equally as hilarious as parians response when she misunderstood. First time I’ve laughed in a while, so thanks.
What was really interesting about this chapter is I felt like wildbow was talking to us though it. Shooting down skitter and tattletale romance, disproving any ideas Parian has started taking a more active part, telling us what w trump is, discussing skitters feelings right now…it feels like Iike I’m reading a built in explanation that answered some questions as I had them, and others tht had been lurking for a while. Which isn’t a bad thing; certainly an interesting writing style.
Looking forward to the next update, as always.
I actually wonder if Tattletale threw in the word “intimate” purely to confirm her gaydar reading.
Of course, like a lot of Tt’s moves, it’s not the best long-term thinking — I bet Parian would have been more comfortable coming out on her own terms.
I guess her gaydar is more powerful than anyone else. Will Flechette and Parian be our hero/villain romeo and juliet?
Anyone else think maybe Lisa has a bit of a thing for Taylor? Like an older sister vibe?
Yeah. I thought Lisa’s revelation about why she recruited Taylor made that explicit.
It was to save her from suicide- Something she wasn’t able to do for her brother. That’s what I took from that revelation. But she seems to be more and more taking on a bigger role as the big sister to Taylor, it seems. And I like it.
I was hoping for something less sisterly between Skitter and Tattletale, but at least there was intercourse between Tattle and Parian this time around.
Re: parian, it’s even more interesting when you consider she might actually *be* a lesbian. Puts that entire conversation in a different light – especially the line, “none of us girls here bat for the other team”.
Ninja’d. AGAIN. I’ve been refreshing before every comment on a typo/whatnot, just in case, and been preceded EVERY TIME. Blarg!
My first comment would have been when there were only 2 up. I caught the story right away, 5 minutes after midnight. Still ninja’d.
This drives home that the Director position is cursed.
Does the application form require violent insanity and delusions of grandeur or is it just highly valued?
I’m kinda sad the undersiders didn’t attack when the directors were reviewing the school incident. THAT would have been an interesting meeting.
I present, Tagg’s best line from that meeting.
“If you would have cut off the feed, deleted the footage from phones, we would have had time to do damage control.”
Yeah. What a wonderful guy.
So to recap:
Piggot was a racist (and a mild sociopath, going by some of her actions);
Calvert was Coil (a complete sociopath);
and Tagg seems to have modeled himself after all the military generals from those old war movies; specifically, all the generals people hate for their aggressive mercilessness and warmongering (and mild sociopathy).
“So, you’d like the new PRT Director position in Brockton Bay huh?”
“Yes. There has been a decided lack of discipline here.”
“Well, the last guy just died. Something about a wound on his knee becoming gangrenous. Imp has started using a bow. How about we go ahead and give you a week or two probation in the spot. If you impress us, or just survive, we’ll keep you.”
“It sounds like I shall have to act quickly to put everything back in order.”
“Alright, so how do you say your last name again?”
“Umbridge. My name is Dolores Umbridge.”
Naeblis on April 9, 2013 at 02:43 said:
The horror! D:
….Somehow, the idea doesn’t really seem all that out there. After all, there are those who use magic- Why not a prim and proper “lady” teacher/tutor/educator figure who models herself after her, with ‘Magic’?
The problem being that the administrators of the PRT program are not admitted to the position unless they have a complete lack of powers. A non-magical Umbridge would be plausible though.
Mother of God….. ._.
Imp using a bow is a novel idea, actually
It gets worse. Tagg used to be the director until…?
Retsam on March 28, 2015 at 16:19 said:
… he took an arrow to the knee?
Did it really take 2 years for someone to comment on that joke?
Psycho Gecko on March 29, 2015 at 21:46 said:
Congratulations! This is the Gecko Automated Comment service!
As the first of no-doubt many people to answer correctly, you now win the special rigged lottery numbers for the lotto to be held on the next drawing, April 10th, 2013!
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irrevenant on March 29, 2015 at 21:49 said:
Wow, was beginning to think you’d gone AWOL. Missing your input over at Pact, guy!
(Yes, I’m *still* running behind. Shaddap. xD)
I did a little with Pact, but then stopped at one point. Kept meaning to go back after there were more updates, but then it wound up ending.
I believe there is a trope for this. It’s called the “General Ripper”. Basically, a batshit insane general that pursues conflict for no good reason.
But General Ripper doesn’t care about body count, while I think Tagg does care, at least a little. If just for the PR side of things.
Scolopendra on April 10, 2013 at 09:37 said:
Tagg acknowledged that he became aware that the operation was at a school when contact was made. At any point, he could have ordered a withdrawal based on the off-chance that students may be targeted or injured. He chose to take that risk based on an assumption about Taylor’s personality. To him, the risk of innocent casualties was one worth taking. No, I don’t think Tagg gives a damn about the body count, so long as he’s a winner.
He is also aware that Taylor is teamed up with known killers who don’t really have the same restraint. If Bitch had shown up with her dogs on a rescue attempt, there is practically no way there wouldn’t have been students getting hurt left and right. Again, he went through with this insane plan knowing there was at least a chance of bad things happening. His attitude and lack of regard qualify him as a General Ripper as far as I’m concerned.
Dis on April 9, 2013 at 20:41 said:
Seems oddly appropriate, what with the bug theme:
I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That’s my dream. That’s my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor … and surviving.
*Accidentally drops a salty fry on the snail, killing it.*
I’m really surprised she didn’t start stripping Tagg to the bone with whatever insects she had available. Or give him the Triumph treatment. _Never_ do a foe a small harm.
I’m surprised Tattletale didn’t turn his world upside down more than anything else. I wonder if any of the other undersiders left surprises behind for the PRT – this seems far too light for violating the truce
Nonsensical Nonsense on April 9, 2013 at 01:04 said:
I think Tattletale went with Taylor for the sole purpose of making sure she wouldn’t do something stupid, there is no doubt that Tat could read how bad a place Taylor was in and she was focusing more on her than trying to mess with Tagg.
Agreed, emphatically. I think that was the unspoken agreement Grue and Tattletale had.
Yeah, you’re probably right about her having tunnel vision – still, this means this attack accomplished little towards convincing the PRT it was a Bad Idea to play games with the truce so casually. Nothing of any real value was broken, nobody died (though I didn’t really expect anyone to) and Taylor’s further entrenched Tagg’s opinion of her as a thug by threatening his wife.
Tattletale was in the right place to make a big difference with Tagg, but keeping Taylor from doing anything exceptionally stupid was just as important.
Tagg may be in for a rude awakening next time the PRT needs villainous aid if he keeps this up – and given what just happened I think he will. As he said, bruises and scabs heal quickly – all they’ve done is injure his pride and set up for a more spectacular PRT collapse later.
Taylor is going down a very dark path.
Taylor: “Then I’ll bring fireflies.”
…Mental image of Skitter working in tandem with River Song during one of her Badass moments. ._.
Song? Tam* Though Song would be awesome too.
If she were younger, Summer Glau would make a great Dinah.
Skitter, sweetie, I hate to BUG you, but those beasts are about to eat the Doctor. Have you figured out how those Rigellian Centipedes spit their acid ye… ohh, dear me, that’s wonderful! Lets go cause some property damage!
rmctagg09 on April 9, 2013 at 00:37 said:
Taylor’s not in a good place right now, it’s frightening me.
Mabelode on April 9, 2013 at 00:40 said:
Director Tagg really needs to brush up on the the subtle differences between the police force and the military. Also, the strange new concept called ‘rules of engagement’.
I imagine that the PRT and police are highly militarized to say the least. The differences are almost purely cosmetic, probably.
But there needs to be. A military and police are two very different things. Police are there to apprehend the bad guys and kill only as a last resort if necessary to protect themselves or others. A military is trained to kill and defeat the enemy. I honestly can not believe how shortsighted the guy is. Does he not remember that they need the truce to fight the Endbringers or that the villains only play by the rules because they do as well? I can’t help but notice how the Wards considered themselves in a war in that psychologist, can’t remember her name, interlude. I don’t think they started out that way till after Leviathan. I hope they aren’t acting the same way in other cities.
I had something written expressing some of these, but there was a portion it took me to work on, so yours came first.
The PRT is peace enforcing agency. You don’t pull out a gun and automatically shoot every criminal, then go hunt down his family and friends and shoot any of them that have a history of being criminals.
Plus, his actions have made it to where she can’t go back. Because her identity is out, she can never take this to a peaceful end where she just stops, backs away, and makes something of her life without crime. She’s got nothing left she can do but this kind of stuff. Her life is now on the line because her fates are either the Birdcage and death, so there’s no reason for her to hold back.
I just realised that this is probably a major part of stuff Tattletale was talking about where they catch but don’t unmask, even with really bad guys.
As long as the secret identity remains, it’s possible for someone to simply retire.
If Skitter wasn’t so noble it would have been entirely believable for her to just take a huge pile of money and go take care of Brian somewhere. I imagine that this kind of thinking is why even the ruthless stick to the code. It means an enemy can always leave peacefully.
Just look at the Pure. They are completely unable to just go be normal (if a tinsy bit, disgustingly bigoted) people. Whereas Purity at least might well have ended up retreating from it all to take care of Aster.
Tagg: “Bah! Good is good, and evil must die, there’s nothing else to it! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m trying to read Les Misérables in one sitting and I keep getting distracted and have to start over, so shut up! Ahh, Inspector Javert, only you understand my view of law and morality.”
endgame on April 29, 2013 at 10:13 said:
Since it’s been 20 days since I posted this and no one has replied to it, I’ll just explain the joke (spoilers for Les Misérables):
Inspector Javert was a lawman with a very strict black and white view of morality/ the law. At the end of the book (which Tagg hasn’t gotten to yet), Javert realizes that, since Jean Valjean is both a criminal and a good person (sound familiar?), his aforementioned views are wrong. Unable to cope with this, he kills himself.
To paraphrase one of Sun Tzu’s first lessons, Do not enter into a protracted war.
“It’s a war of attrition,” Tagg said. “I’ll find the cracks, I’ll wear down and break each of you.
I believe Sun Tzu also said to always allow your enemy a path of escape, as a cornered foe will fight all the harder. By eliminating Taylor’s civilian identity, and thus her escape, he’s just made it that much harder for himself.
Ah, but don’t they also say you should burn your bridges before you cross them?
No, wait…
Mmm… but aren’t they a paramilitary force acting in concert with the heroes who ARE a military force? I know many a time it’s been referenced that heroes are used as military by many countries, and it doesn’t seem any different in Brockton/the US.
In Hannahs Interlude she made note of the differences between the PRT/Protectorate and actual military parahuman organizations; apparently it was a large enough difference that she prefers being in the Protectorate
paramilitary, not military.
So they are twice as bad? (for shame PG, letting me beat you to the pun. )
First, I’d like to congratulate those people who guessed “Imago” as the story arc title. Taylor really has changed due to what happened last arc. Whether its permanent or a passing thing remains to be seen. The fact that the rest of the Undersiders sense the problem just underscores it.
Tattletale insisted on going with Skitter. It makes sense, knowing the backstory, and her reasons for helping Taylor. She probably doesn’t want to let Taylor out of her sight. How will that affect their friendship, I wonder.
I know this is from Taylor’s point of view, but seeing Director Tagg here made me actively dislike him. I know he’s trying his best to take a hard stance on crime, and I can see his reasoning in taking such a cold-hearted appearance toward Taylor. Heck, I bet much of it was bluff and bluster, just like Skitter’s old tactics. But he just enforced Taylor’s “us versus them” view of society, something Dragon, an A.I., knew to avoid very early on. He might not know the full circumstances regarding Taylor (Coil being his predecessor, Sophia/Shadowstalker being the source of all the problems), which would make him incompetent since a good director should look into things. More likely, considering the bonus interlude, he’s actively complicit and unwilling to change things for the better, which means he’s just as bad as the others before him.
To be honest, the chapter felt shorter than others, since not much actively occurs. Things are set up, and previous plots haven’t started, yet. But that’s the fun of coming back to Worm and reading.
Maybe its just me but I feel like Taylor is teetering on the edge of a dark abyss
definitely not just you. she’s… kinda scary right now. i’m almost getting dissonant serenity vibes from her right now…
Yeah, this arc feels like it is going to build up to something big. I’m guessing there are two ways for it to go. She pushes herself into a moral event horizon and maybe tries to go back or she is faced with a difficult choice and ultimately chooses the good route no matter how bad the consequences restoring our faith in her. But yeah, the fallen are in for rude awakening if they mess with her right now.
If the chapter names are anything to go by, skitter is going to have a very hard descision to make, and it is going to change how she acts from then on. I think we’re finnaly going to see what dinah meant by skitter being different in 2 years.
Any guesses on how she is different?
1. More hardened/jaded/willing to kill-if an Undersider or her dad was killed I could see this.
2. Has 2nd trigger event-kind of unlikely if Noelle’s stomach didn’t do it and the possibility she already had it.
3. A true villain-no more grey for her.
I think there are at least six of us who have posted expressing similar feelings before one a.m.
If I could give Skitter orders right now, I’d tell her to kill an energy drink (electrolytes are important!), get ten hours of sleep, and then write letters to her dad and to Dinah Alcott. Let one of her minions post them and forward any replies back to her. Like Burnscar said, it’s incredibly crappy and anyone else would find it completely pathetic, but it’s the best option she has left to keep the kind of normal human contact Taylor needs.
Definitely. I think just the act of putting the words on paper would really help get some of those stressful thoughts and feelings off her chest. Let her explain things to her dad.
Yeah, given that she openly recognised that bad communication kills with Weld and MM it seems she has forgotten her own wisdom.
It’s not like it can put him in any more danger.
Though if he gets killed because the PRT outed her, we may well see her completely lose it.
You forget things when you’re pissed. I also figure her once again failing to stand up for herself adequately, as opposed to how she did against Emma and Dragon, is because she hadn’t thought all this through as much as she’d have liked to.
She got pissed, she wrecked some stuff, hadn’t thought it all through. Reminds me of this time with a homeless man, a scooter, and a portapotty.
Okay, now that I’ve actually read it:
– Imago, ha! Called it!
– “A bunch of times when we went days without a chance to breathe.” Heh. I see what you did there
– Man, Tattletale is ridiculous. She’s a grotesquely unfair force-multiplier for any side she’s on
– Grue makes a fine consigliere. Almost as fine as Tattletale. They’re like the devil and angel on Skitter’s shoulders … except that the devil is a gorgeous blond and the angel is a skull-faced form obtenebrated in black mist. Oddly fitting for Skitter’s life.
– Director Tagg is … well, he’s not wrong — but.
– To quote Ambrose Chase of Planetary fame, “This is going to get damn ugly.”
Typo Hunt (unless I’ve been ninja’d of course):
– “Comfmitment”
– you have “Subtlety wasn’t what I had in mind.” repeated at the very end. Either some kind of epilogue or a typo.
– “As with Dovetail, I’d managed to make enough progress that he was more or less out of the fight.” Dovetail ain’t no dude, dude(tte) :p
Oops, the ‘he’ referred to Sere. Apologies.
Also Tagg gives speech about surviving. Taylor laughs “Survive this” Poisonous Bugs swarm Tagg biting him.
Jguy on April 9, 2013 at 00:46 said:
Is anyone else afraid that Regent is giving Skitter advice and Skitter seems to be agreeing/taking it?
Oddly, that doesn’t bother me, but that might be because I see glimmers of a decent human being hiding away in Regent and I think hanging out with Skitter is helping that to emerge.
That boy needs a hug.
Not just Skitter – Imp, of all people. Nothing like a real peer to give you perspective, want to lift yourself up.
I really liked that moment when we found out that Imp had protected a bunch of kids.
Combined with her Interlude, it says that she’s nicer than she likes to let on.
Before the portal appeared I had a hunch that eventually the PRT would cut their loses and abandon the city what with their constant inability to hold ground against the Undersiders , now that there is a portal I keep thinking they are going to have to place Brockton Bay under martial law at some point if they really want to keep that portal secure .
I imagine at some point a group is going to make a grab for that portal simply because it’s a strange , unknown thing getting alot of attention .
I think that’s the primary reason that the Undersiders are courting villains like Accord — they want to have more capes in town with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo re: the portal.
I really wonder what Miss Militia and her team would think of this joker’s little WAR ON CRIME FUCK YAR boner. Whether they’re sick of the conflict escalating and escalating while they end up traumatized and the city gets trashed in the crossfire. The city that they’re supposed to be protecting.
This wasn’t a war until this jackass made it a war by saying the rules don’t matter. Motherfucker is threatening the family of a villain, if Triumph in particular let’s this shit fly without a word than he’s pretty much saying to the Undersiders “Yeah, go after my family again. I mean, acceptable losses right?”
I mean, it’s not like wars ever involve things like ceasefires and peace treaties. Nope, fuck it. Total war! Let’s party like it’s 1914!
I swear, this guy just makes me like Piggot even more. Atleast she wasn’t self righteous while being a limp-dick about it. She would’ve smashed through the school’s ceiling with a gunship with Ride of the Valkyries playing with PRT stormtroopers running in wearing codpieces with DEAL WITH IT written on ’em.
Coffee and donuts, for fucks sake. People fighting real wars in real warzones don’t get coffee and donuts delivered by their wives you chucklefuck.
I agree completely with that. Even in war there are rules. Things like how you treat prisoners, use of chemical weapons, no civilian targets etc. Granted, not everyone follows them but keeping to the rules lets them have the moral high ground with the world. Plus lets face it, if you break the unwritten rules, the villains are not going to hesitate. This stupid stunt might have broken the truce, and invite a rash of attacks on families. I wonder what he will say if the Undersiders remain the only ones to not cross that line.
What can Miss Militia do? What can Triumph do? They don’t call the shots.
Scrambles on April 9, 2013 at 01:09 said:
They can refuse to pull the trigger. Literally, in Miss Militia’s case.
They have plenty of power. They can publicly come out against the PRT’s choices and call them out on their stupid decisions. People have to notice all the heroes leaving. There is nothing stopping them from breaking away and being heroes on their own terms. Lets see him fight his stupid war when all his capes refuse to work with him.
Okay, I can see that.
Now that is a hilarious thought.
Just him and a few others sitting in their office. No capes, no foam-armed troops (cause no Dragon) and no shits given about them.
She’s the head of the superhero team, chain of command or no, if she lets this guy go hog wild without atleast protest then she’s basically worthless as a leader. I mean, it endangers her team after all.
Eddie on April 9, 2013 at 01:40 said:
Reveen wins.
Doucetagg seems to be driving the PRT directly towards a schism. As mentioned by others, I don’t think many of the capes will stand for it. Especially given Tattletale’s all-singing all-dancing power and the Undersider’s penchant for surviving. I think the capes will soon realize that Tagg needs to be removed, before he pushes the Undersiders and Skitter to the dark side. If they really wanted to, I don’t doubt that the Undersiders could do just as much damage as the Endbringers did. More than that really since Skitter can hit you from blocks away. If she really started feeling backed into a corner, full-on man against the world mode, she could probably kill most of Brockton Bay within a day.
Probably many of the heroes see what’s happening, the good guys are not so good any more and the bad guys are getting mad. Tagg is setting it up for the entire board to get knocked off the table, and he’s dragging everyone else down with him. He’s going to alienate most of his allies, and more importantly the public. While he’s raging after the Undersiders like a tyrannosaurus with a hard on, the “villains” are the ones making the city cleaner, and safer, and feeding and washing the unwashed hungry masses.
I smell a confrontation coming. Tagg said it himself, recent good press will overwrite old bad press. I really hope to see a moment when the people of the city look at the PRT and ask “What have you done for us lately?”
The PRT is looking very much like a never ending cycle of using a greasy, dirty cloth to clean up a spill. They’re just making it worse and spreading the dirt around. It’s like wrestling with a pig, you’re going to get dirty and even if you win you lose more than the pig did.
I love Worm so much. So few other stories capture my interest like this one.
I don’t really like how the encounter with Tagg goes.
I’m fine with them assaulting the PRT- it feels a bit un-Taylor-ish, but she’s a bit off balance and I can see why she feels like she has to do it. But what Taylor does to Tagg’s wife? It feels really awkward. And I can understand the need for some direct retaliation against him personally, but simply attacking him feels really crude. I was expecting Tattletale to take the lead and try to pick him apart or attempt to find some dirt about him to reveal (even if they don’t find anything).
I don’t think Taylor was thinking straight. I also wanted her to just humiliate them, and then have Tattletale spill the beans on a few of their secrets.
I don’t necessarily think everything should go perfectly- I just expected them to at least _try_ something like that. It’s kind of Tattletale’s thing.
The chapter is kind of depressing, and I get the feeling that it’s supposed to feel like an empty victory (or at least, that’s how it feels to me). I don’t want to suggest that everything should be sunshine and rainbows- so I want to make it clear that I’m fine with TT failing to find or say anything damaging (Iike they did with Piggot).
Really, the main thing I’m trying to say is not “They should have done X” but rather that walking up to Tagg, having that conversation, making it clear that she easily could (but won’t) harm his wife, and then attacking him and walking away feels really weird to me. I can’t really put into words what it is.
I know Taylor is going down a bit of a dark path, and while I don’t like that, I’m alright with that happening in the story. It makes a lot of sense. I want to say that it’s not _that_ which is bugging me, but I can’t really put into words what it is.
Showing she could attack the wife but doesn’t shows “I AM better than you. I stick to the rules. No civilians. No family. This is just between you guys, the PRT, and us, the Undersiders.” if not so eloquently as I just noted.
I know that’s the intention- but it feels like the worst possible way of trying to show that. Its clumsy and awkward.
Drachomen on April 9, 2013 at 15:27 said:
Actually, it seems well thought out to me. She has teams from the local, and probably national, news already called in. When every member of PRT is seen with welts and bites, Director Tagg hit the worst, yet the “innocent bystander”/off-limits family member is completely unscathed, it will do a lot to reinforce the notion that the Undersiders still follow the code. Seriously, EVERYONE is hurt except the wife? That’s one hell of a statement to the press.
@Drachomen- I was talking specifically about when Taylor swarms his wife after she says that she stands by his rhetoric.
I think it might be that her actions against the wife still feel like an attack. If purely a mental one. Maybe?
It was done without a lot of the forethought that Taylor has been known for
She makes what is basically a childish move (well within her rights, given the situation, but still) and loses her temper
She hasnt really done anything like that since Manniquin, and she didnt have any other choice in that instance
“Trust me when I say we’re all pretty accepting here, and there’s no reason to lie; none of us girls here bat for the other team.”
The meaning of this is clear. ALL the Undersider girls are lesbians. Quick, get Psycho Gecko to write a fiveway orgy with Parian!
(I’m sorry.)
I think the Undersiders could do better than a 5-way given Regents power to take control of bodies, and then if Grue took Regents power with his smoke…
THE POSSIBILITIES, THE SHIPPING, THEY ARE ENDLESS
He will, you know.
Well with skitter’s relationship with grue, does that mean she’s bisexual?
nvm, read that wrong
Or that Grue has secretly been a woman all along?
Ye Gods…..PG will have a field day with this! Hey Wildbow once Worm is published in some form you need to give a shout out to PG, he deserves it. xD
I don’t think I am very high on the shout out list. Haven’t donated, haven’t done anything near Packbat’s work on the trope page, haven’t touched the wiki, can’t draw, my stories haven’t been related to Worm except for rewrites, the forum I advertised Worm in was for a superhero game that got shut down, I didn’t even make the Parahumans Online forum, and Wildbow doesn’t find me funny unless I am discussing how what Bonesaw did to Blasto with her spine is related to one of my fetishes.
You’re just the backbone of the comments section community, that’s all. 😛
that joke was out of alignment! I can vertabarely stand it.
This arc is looking to be quite scary, I have to say the implications of having Taylor’s identity revealed kinda just started to catch up to me, makes me really want to see how she deals with her territory now. Taggs threats toward her Dad also made me realize how dangerous her picking fights with people like the Fallen or Teeth, who probably wouldn’t think twice about using her father as leverage against her, is.
Overall I also think Tagg is right about how as long as the PTR stay, no matter what the condition, in the long run they will win. Regardless of how it really is people will always view the PTR as the “heroes” and the more power the Undersiders get the more people will just start seeing them as villainous dictators, Taylor is the closest the Undersiders have to a “hero”, given her popularity and general attitude about her territory but with all this stuff happening to her it is only a matter of time before she snaps.
The funny thing is, the PRT is explicitly an organization, they think in terms of asset management, not saving lives. Remember how they didn’t try to help finish of the s9 when the undersiders had their location pinned down, whatever they did to dinah, attacking a known dangerous villain in a school expecting them to take hostages, etc.
To be honest I was thought the death of her father was inevitable at some point. Worm always felt like the type of story that had great highs and bad lows. Once I realized that she is going to stay a villain, I expected that big choice down the line that is going to define her. My guess, which for once I hope is completely wrong, is that her dad is killed by another villain to hurt her. She goes on her roaring rampage of revenge, and then chooses whether to cross that final line or not. I have yet to predict the elusive wildbow, so who knows. But the arc title is very suspicious.
I hope it doesn’t come to that, but it might be bearable if Skitter or Regent (team’s sociopath) kills Tagg in the aftermath.
If Danny DOES die then I’m scared for the poor bloke who kills him. I see the sky being darkened by swarms, people stripped clean of their flesh, the PRT scrambling, and failing, to keep peace as the swarms focus on the individual who took hers fathers life and turn him or her into a living hive, maybe hire a Tinker to find a way to make something that allows that…….or just kill him in the most public way possible.
Though honestly I see the PRT trying to protect Danny as much as they can, to use a barrier against Taylor. Though one thing I still want to see is Emma right now, I want to know how badly her mind broke. I NEED to see it. >:3
….I can see Skitter approaching Bonesaw and Jack, the two of them dropping into combat ready stances, or at least as much as either reacts like that… Only for Atlas to dump the barely-living body of her father’s murderer on the ground in front of her, bugs writhing all over him, biting, stinging, tearing at him even as he lays there, still, unmoving. “Bonesaw, right? We let you leave the city, so you owe me. Fix him. Make him live. Make him unable to die, even if I kill him, over and over.” her voice heavy with pain and hatred, shaking with the visceral need to take the few strides over to the hapless man and tear into him once again…
…Or, alternatively, falling to her knees before Bonesaw, weeping, begging for her to save the life of the man she brought… the bugs clearing away to reveal Danny’s lifeless body. Sobbing, pleading, saying she will do anything, anything at all, just to save his life.
Or, alternatively, Skitter enters Nilbogs domain, alone and begs the monster who can create life to give her back her father
DUNNNN
Worm: One More Day, by Joe Quesada.
I’d rather see Skitter paralyzed and slowly eaten by rats.
Except Bonesaw is no Mephisto. And Skitter would no doubt be inducted into the S9 as their newest member, geting the ‘standard squishy package’… before being forced to kill her father, again and again, each time Bonesaw reviving him only for her to be forced to kill him again- because he’s going berserk, or because he’s in excruciating pain that will never end unless he dies, or because he begs her to- even if it’s entirely an act put on by the meat puppet that Bonesaw makes of the corpse. Broken, mentally and spiritually, Skitter would be an easy victim of Jack’s particular wiles, especially if used in combination with some special triggers Bonesaw would implant, much like the Cherish triggers. This IS Worm, after all.
Camo005 on April 9, 2013 at 01:45 said:
Man, Skitter is going straight to the Dark Side isn’t she. I’m not entirely sure how i feel about that. Still i cant wait for this “War”. The rules have been broken, and now all hell gets to break loose.
*Throws open the gates of hell with a laugh, singing Grace For Sale as he leads an army of demons and tortured, unrecognizable souls past Camo. They grab him and pull him along as they…hit up the Gulf Coast for Spring Break! Ghouls gone wild! Gecko grills for you, often having to swat Beelzebub away from the burgers and wieners while Azazel runs around sounding campy and luring in bikini-clad women with free makeovers. Mammon sells lemonade by the side of the road while keeping track of the local horseracing from his phone. Meanwhile, Asmodeus is yapping away on the cellphone with the writer he manages, Stephenie Meyer. Satan bangs away at the bathroom door, desperate to sit on the porcelain throne, but unfortunately Belphegor has fallen asleep on the john. Down by the water, Lucifer lays out, sunning himself, failing to account for just how quickly sunburn can set in.*
*Gecko brings over your burger, some fries, and hands you a small plastic pitchfork*
Welcome to the party in the comments section. Stay while and enjoy yourself. What’s the worst that could happen?
*Cue the evil laughter…coming from Belphegor as he holds the door shut now that Satan is pounding on the other side to be let out of the bathroom as he’s in and found Belphegor that left it quite fragrant.*
I expected another The Villain Has A Point moment, right after this: ““And the world’s worse off for it. You can’t win forever,” he said.”
So many possibilities here.
Instead, she proves his point. Threatening his wife was a very thuggish thing to do.
I really hope she takes a moment, or a bunch of moments, to realize that she has GOT to do some serious work on institutionalizing herself. She’s now a government. If she isn’t going to lose everything she’s fought so hard for, a city that has hope and is rebuilding, then she has to get the real government on board somehow. Or if not them, the people.
I wonder – what’s her best first step in doing this?
By institutionalizing herself, I mean making herself the institution. Not, you know, Baker Acting herself.
You know, Skitter in the nuthouse could make for some interesting reading. It could actually be what she needs, depending on the fallout. Many of the elements of her being in the birdcage, but without the whole “trapped inside the perfect jail” thing.
Also, Wildbow, I have given you Rare Candy. Use it wisely.
In “attacking” the wife but NOT actually attacking, she’s showing that she does have the power to do so, IF Tagg pushes her, but that she’s better than he and his PRT are. She isn’t involving THEIR family, like he did and is threatening to do again to hers. Also, by definition she already was a thug when she first became a villain; thug means criminal or ruffian, and ruffian means violent or lawless person, of which the latter applies regardless of former. 😀
hopefwlyanonymous on April 1, 2017 at 12:48 said:
Yeah, I was thinking the same. Her point was not to threat, but to show that she’s better than that.
By the way, this is another very practical reason why you don’t just unveil someone’s identity in public. She doesn’t have very much to lose now at all. They’ve made a permanent version of Battle Royale Gitmo the only possible ending for her aside from death. But as Sun Tzu says, roughly, always leave your enemy a way out because if death appears certain, they will fight much harder with their lives definitely on the line.
I admit I don’t always follow it, but my fights are not at that level of conflict.
Man, this Tagg guy just strikes me as a soldier. Do anything to win the war, let someone else put a pretty caption on the images. Thinks he’s right just because he serves some greater institution. The problem is that conflict within the bounds of one society is not the same as war. That’s because this is actually a peace, and maintaining peace requires a different set of skills. It might be very informative for him to have a very long talk with Armsmaster. Armsy was an ass, but he was still better than this buffoonish, cretinous, deplorable, egregious, fetid, goonish, halfwitted, ignoble, jabbering, knurly, licentious, malignant, nitwitted, odious, putrescent, quixotic, rancorous, splenetic, trollish, useless, verminous, witless, xerotic, yecchy zealot!
Still, nice to see some reprisal here. Sweet, sweet revenge. There needs to be some sort of humiliation added for all to see on the outside of the building. Like posting the wife’s cell number along with “Call for a good time.”
Was there supposed to be something before buffoonish that started with ‘a’, or was @$$ supposed to fill that role?
Also, I’m thinking of calling him “General Tagg” from here on out; what do you think?
No need to self-censor here. And don’t demean the title of general by applying it to Tagg; It makes him seem to have greater power and potential than he really has. Just call him Douchetagg.
I actually tend to avoid swearing as a general rule. And I’m not demeaning the title or trying to give him more power/potential; the guy just clearly seems to think himself one, so I’m using it sarcastically since ‘Director’ just doesn’t fit this guy.
Armsy was an ass.
If you’re going to avoid swearing, avoid the swear entirely, then, please? If you’re going to say ass, say ass. Don’t say at sign dollar sign dollar sign and look like a goof. 😛
Duly noted.
Yeah, im loving douchetagg
I think that is a slander against all good and noble Generals.
General Douchtagg has a nice ring to it, as he’s a general douchebag.
I am not sure he fits the model. I doubt he lacks information vegetable, animal, and mineral or knows the kings of England or quotes fights historical from Marathon to Waterloo in order categorical.
It’s doubtful he’s very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical or understands equations, both the simple and quadratical. About binomial theorem, he’s out of clues, and has no facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
He’s not good at integral and differential calculus; he doesn’t know the scientific names of beings animalculous: In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, he doesn’t fit the model of a modern general.
He doesn’t know mythic history, King Arthur’s, or the inventor of Crocs. He can’t answer hard acrostics and has no taste for paradox. Nor does he quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Madonna’s tourbus, and in conics he is floored by peculiarities parabolous. He can’t tell undoubted Raphaels from Donatello or even Afghanis and doesn’t know the Python bit with the assaulting Brit grannies. He can’t hum a fugue of which I’ve heard the music’s din before or know the significance of Astley’s pompadour.
He can’t translate my washing bill from Babylonic cuneiform, or even tell me all the details of superman’s uniform. In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, he is NOT nearly the model of a modern general.
He doesn’t know the difference between Behemoth and Leviathan and can’t tell at sight a Dragonsuit from a javelin. When such affairs as sorties and surprises he’s been beaten at, so badly he’d be executed by competent commissariat. And his wife is such a whore and example of pure cun*ery, she might as well heed Shakespeare and “get thee to a Nunnery”. In short, when Skitter’s blown him up to Earth’s apogee, you’ll be forced to offer up a sincere apology.
Despite his military knowledge, he only thinks he’s plucky and adventury, and he’ll be feeling what’s next for close to a century, but still in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, he’s not the very model of a modern times general.
…I applaud your ability to Wormify Gilbert & Sullivan.
Jenna K. Moran on April 9, 2013 at 02:05 said:
Dang.
This is a pretty big loss for the Undersiders, IMO; Taylor’s just finished getting out of an impossible situation and (depending on how Dragon’s code changes go) possibly changing the world by sheer force of principle and it still left her damaged enough to willingly give up some of that principle shortly thereafter.
I mean . . .
I know that the public can’t really tell the difference between this and their previous PRT raids, so in public relations terms it’s not a huge disaster. And she’s closer to the ground so I’m sure her tactical sense that something had to be done is meaningful. Maybe inaccurate, but meaningful.
But she’s spent a long time not being what authority kept telling her she was. Not being nothing despite the bullies who wanted her to be nothing; not being a soulless villain despite the PRT pushing her to be; and now this guy gets in his big swively (presumably) chair and decides that she should be a thug, and he makes her one.
It’s tragic.
A minor tragedy, I guess, but tragic.
(Though I guess on some level I’m really just reading that from the emotions she has here— it’s not the worst or least defensible thing she’s ever done, it’s just that she’s no longer narrating from the part of her headspace that’s trying to not be a villain.)
I guess another part of this, ironically, is that she’s losing the underdog status. There’s no win to cheer here, no clever pulling-off-a-victory-despite-the-PRT’s-overwhelming-power (which I think is what some people were hoping for from Tattletale—not a more definitive tactical victory, but to somehow pull out a moral victory using her talents.) There’s just a show of strength.
Guh.
I hope that something gets her off of this path. Er, empathically hope, I mean; she’s still a great protagonist and I don’t mind reading tragedy. (Though a happy ending would be even better.)
Happy ending?! HA! This is WORM we’re talking about. There are no ‘happy’ endings. Just endings with a little less emotional trauma, and sometimes physical trauma.
But she does!blink and you miss it,because,indeed,she is not on her right headspace,but if she let the PRT to get away with nothing,she would be projecting weakness to the other villains.
A big thank-you goes out to Edward for the generous donation.
Scheduled another bonus chapter.
Thanks Edward!
All your bonus chapters are belong to me! I’ll see if I can rummage up something else next paycheck.
Ajoxer on April 9, 2013 at 02:50 said:
A few thoughts.
Yes, Taylor is in a dark place. She’s had her life taken away from her, and been essentially locked in to living her life only as a super villain. After all the work she did, the heroes took it away from her- And casually, for no real reason, and to no real gain.
Part 1: The disproportionate responses.
There was the discussion, early on, between Skitter and, if I recall correctly, Tattletale. The discussion of the kinds of people who do this, the kinds of people who get kill orders, and the kind of people who get a light sentence. Skitter, it is important to remember, is NOT someone who has done others a great deal of harm. She has killed one man who was in a position of power so great that leaving him alive would’ve been a death sentence on her and those she cared about. She has nearly killed a hero in a desperate attempt to keep his father from shooting her, imprisoning her, and resulting in some extremely dark shit from going completely unopposed. Skitter may very well have made the difference, in the fight against Echidna. The world could have ended if not for her. She has, on whole, done significantly less harm than many of the heroes we’ve seen. She’s made some calls that would require review by a board of inquiry; Letting the merchant die, shooting Coil, lying to Sundancer and having her kill four innocent people along with Noelle. If I were on that board, I’d acquit her. She had no duty to help the Merchant, Coil is the sort of person with the sort of power that you should absolutely not allow to just go around. And she made a sacrifice for the sake of humanity; Four people, chosen completely at random, to save the world. Would she have done the same call, if it were Tattletale, or Grue, or someone else she knew personally and cared about? Maybe. That’s important, sometimes.
She has the potential to do incredible harm. She has always been able to stop short of doing this, but we can understand why people would be scared. But the reason that the people in power are scared of Taylor isn’t because she might slip up and kill someone. The reason they’re scared is because she is a Leader.
She’s a leader in a way that very few people are, and it’s becoming more and more clear. Her stunt in the previous story, showing that she was supported by the people, should by all rights, have the PRT shitting its pants.
Part 2: The PRT’s responses.
If the PRT were wise, they’d want her to be on good terms with them. She is an extraordinarily moral person, and frankly, they can’t pull that whole ‘Well, so you say’ thing on her anymore and sound convincing. She just had the PRT break the unwritten rules in a truly horrible way, and she proved that she and her friends could completely cripple the branch of the PRT, effortlessly, without losses- And without having to put a single person at risk of death. They could be the Slaughterhouse Six if they wanted to be. But they aren’t.
So, there are two reasons why the members of the PRT are against them. The people on the lower levels, who are not related to Cauldron, have the Tagg mentality. ‘Your cause is not as righteous as ours, so you’re going to lose, and it doesn’t matter what we do, because we have the right.’ This is, arguably, the more dangerous mentality, because it justifies hideous actions without considering them for a moment. They believe that their cause justifies all action, to the point where they do not have to justify their cause.
The other reason, and the one being used by anyone in a position of power, are the people behind Cauldron. They’ve been using the excuse ‘We get more villains than heroes from trigger events’ to justify themselves for a long time, and they’ve started to forget what, exactly, it means when they say heroes and villains. Taylor is a powerful, charismatic, strategically brilliant cape, who just happens to be a ‘villain’, and has a tremendously powerful moral code. She could bring down their power, and whether they oppose that because they think the world will descend into anarchy without their support, or because they’ll lose their power over the world. Regardless, they have been convinced theirs is the only way for nearly thirty years. This does not seem about to change.
Part 3: The likely directions.
A lot of people state that they think Skitter is going to go to a very dark place in the coming days. I agree, but I think that she’ll be leading a charge into Hell.
The Birdcage isn’t going to hold. Come on, if we make it to the end of this story and there has not been a massive breakout from the Birdcage or something then- Okay let’s face it the Birdcage has practically screamed out loud ‘BREAK OUT OF ME’ for as long as we’ve been here. We’ve got 600 capes in an incredibly confined space, Amy’s in there, this shit is going to go completely bananas.
We’ve had our sixth S-class threat mentioned. I don’t know if Nilbog’s gonna be important- It’d surprise me if he didn’t show up at some point, but meh. But we have had Sleeper referenced, and let’s face it, that’s a chekhov’s gun if I’ve ever seen one.
The next Endbringer attack is going to be coming up soon enough. And considering the current state of the Hero-Villain truce, it sounds like things are going to go very poorly. And we have Scion being told to go all-out.
The Slaughterhouse Nine is going hog-wild on some DNA. This is clearly a Bad Thing.
A dimensional portal has been opened to another world.
Skitter has been getting trained to be a general from the very beginning. Her power is that of the ultimate general. Complete, and very-difficult-to-disrupt battlefield awareness. Communication that can overcome most forms of interference. A weak soldier who requires tremendous planning and careful marshaling, requiring a complex experience of research and development, and careful examination of her tactical choices. And a level of multitasking awareness that is superior to absolutely anyone, except maybe Dragon. And she can make the hard choices. This may not be so easy if it’s her personal friends, or if she has to choose deliberately to put people into a place where she absolutely knows that they’re going to die, but we shall see how she adapts to that.
Look back at the Leviathan fight. It was a brawl. They set down a loose battle plan, but once things were started, they didn’t have a clear leader. Compare that to the fight against Echidna. Once things hit their stride, they were capable of working together, fighting, and killing her. A single strong, intelligent general, linking people together, using their talents intelligently, and being able to be trusted with an overall strategy, and the Endbringers could be destroyed. The Slaughterhouse Nine could be wiped out to the last.
Taylor’s becoming a general. She’s living for the war. That’ll have a dark ending- Either the world ends and the war is lost, or the war is won and she’s left as the old hero, perhaps one of the most tragically painful results you can have. But this is her imago. She’s a general, taking control of her troops, and facing a war that goes beyond anything that has ever been known to humanity. It is NOT all up to her- A general is desperately important, but they are a glue that makes a collection of people more, rather than less, than a sum of their parts. Every troop under them makes a difference, and everyone is important.
So, I think that things are going to get dark. But I think that Taylor’s going to save the world. Because this isn’t the kind of story that ends with ‘And then the Endbringers won and everything was fucked’, and I’m grateful for that. There are going to be losses, sacrifices, and I’d be truly astounded if Taylor ended up being truly happy. But she’s going to save the world.
God I ramble on a lot.
To elaborate a little bit more after reading more.
Many people feel that this was Skitter going out and betraying her principles in some way, but I am not sure that I entirely see that. She went out and picked a fight with the PRT, but she used the minimum necessary force, and despite being provoked significantly, she showed, conclusively, that she could do this, that she could find a wife, and that she could hurt her- But that she wasn’t going to.
She’s capable of hurting people very badly, and she’s often threatened to do it, and people are terrified when they’re threatened, that way, but ultimately, she doesn’t. She’s not a Bad Person. She’s not following the law; but if you think that, alone, makes her a bad person…
Additionally, it’s important to realize that the entire group has, effectively, been on a war footing, for a long, long time. The entire world is on a war footing. The last time the Undersiders had anything that could be treated like a ‘play fight’ was probably about the time they crashed the hero’s fundraising dinner. Leviathan, the Slaughterhouse Nine, Dragon’s massive presence, Coil, Echidna, they have faced no less than three level S threats, the preeminent Tinker in the world, and a man with an almost unbelievably dangerous set of abilities and resources. And none of this is going to change. The veneer of civilization is still there, but it’s hollow and worn. The worst that Taylor has done is scare the hell out of people with what she could do. Frankly, to call her a villain is, at this point, kind of hilarious.
The world is wounded. The wound may be mortal, but it is bad, and the war that is engulfing it is severe. A single bad decision by a bulimic girl created a creature that could have wiped out humanity in its rage and horror. This is a world where the current authority is not working.
And yet more rambling
Very well thought out. I think Wildbow mentioned he won’t bring in Sleeper/Nilbog in case he does a sequel so there is more of the universe to explore. Her teaming up to attack the birdcage seems unlikely. She might try to help rescue those that don’t belong in there like Canary/Amy, but she probably would try to take down any other escaping prisoners. I’m thinking that quite a few prisoners will come to the bay. Lung, Marquis, and Glaistig would do very nicely as new big bads. Well, I think we can all agree that Taylor is going to change after this arc. Whether good or bad remains to be seen.
I agree with TheAnt, that was very well worded
I just have a bone to pick regarding the Birdcage as well
IF it opens, its likely to be at the very end of the story, because so far the *expected* has either not happened or appeared at unexpected times
Also, Marquis breaking out would be great, he is easily my favorite out of the entire Wormverse
You guys are gonna make me blush. Pshaw.
Thoughts on opening the Birdcage.
I do not think that Taylor’s going to break into the birdcage. That seems the most unlikely. But people breaking out of the Birdcage, or the Birdcage getting voluntarily opened? Now that seems much more likely.
The thing is that a lot of the people in the birdcage are unfit for living in polite society. But going back to what I have reiterated, again and again… They don’t really have to be, anymore. The earth is now in a state of war against itself, and as has been mentioned- I think perhaps even recently? Lung may have thought it, I cannot recall precisely- there are patterns of behavior that would’ve been much more acceptable in the course of human history than they are currently.
This is not to say this isn’t going to be a gruesome moment, letting some of these people free. They’re thugs and murderers, and sometimes much, much worse. They can do some gruesome damage to the world. But the earth cannot afford to pick and choose its defenders so carefully. Someone like Canary? Someone like Marquis? Hell, even someone like Lung? They cannot do anything remotely comparable to what one of the Endbringers can do. And I think that a fair number of them, given the choice between ‘rot in the birdcage forever’ or ‘risk your life fighting an Endbringer for the sake of your life’ would go for the latter.
This is a classic idea, the prisoner given a suicide mission; That’s because it’s an idea that is appealing to the mind, and creates an interesting relationship. It’s not without its risks. These people are unstable and you need to keep a close hand on them, because they could cause serious dangers if they don’t. But with generals like Skitter and forensic psychologists like Tattletale, they can make the difference.
Thoughts on justice.
Add onto this, the fact that, to our understanding, the birdcage is a ridiculously hideous perversion of justice. Canary caused a man significant wounds- maybe death- through negligence. This is something that’s punished, with a prison stay in the shape of quite a few years, but she was given life imprisonment, with absolutely no chance of parole, in a hellhole of a prison. Amy suffered a mental breakdown driving another cape insane and making her look really hideous, and volunteered for the Birdcage. Nobody suggested ‘Hey, you know, maybe we should put the transcendentally skilled healer into the asylum where she can come to term with her mental issues and become a great cure to the world.’
My personal moral view probably should be explained. In my view, the most horrible thing you can do to someone is to kill them. There are things that are essentially the same- wiping someone’s mind and personality so thoroughly that they are essentially gone. But these are the great crimes, because they destroy someone’s future impact on the world; And they leave no hope.
Next up are injuries. These are things that lessen you in some way. For example, if you sever a tendon and lose a great deal of motor ability in your hand. If your back gets snapped. If you get your brain rewired to be incredibly attracted to your little sister. These are things that change you in a long-term sense, and damage your capabilities. These are like little deaths, but they can be overcome.
Almost everything else that could be considered bad is in the area of ‘hurting people’. It feels really bad while it’s happening, but ultimately, you’re not lessened permanently as a person. Skitter hurts people a lot, in many different ways. She makes the heroes feel helpless, she makes the ordinary people feel watched and nervous, she makes her foes feel terrified. But she doesn’t kill people, and she actively avoids risking their death.
Now, let’s ask; Which of these two things is worse. Scaring the shit out of someone and giving them an incredibly painful bite, or putting them in prison for five years.
Five years of being locked up away from society among people who are in an almost animalistic state of mind, and when you get out, you have been reclassified as a second class citizen.
Or you get a bite from a bullet ant and told to get out of town.
This may be just me. But I can handle pain. Pain fades. Injuries are worse. They’re the sort of thing that laws usually do. Chopping off hands or putting someone in a stay at a prison. The Bird Cage is, for all intents and purposes, a death sentence. Sure, you continue living, but your life is forever diminished, a life in a small circle of incredibly unpleasant people. It’s a mortal injury, and it’ll never stop or be allowed to heal.
Amy injured people. Canary injured a person. Skitter has been remarkably good at avoiding ever injuring someone. Look at Lung- She was in full knowledge of his regenerating capabilities, so she inflicted admittedly frightening pain upon him, because she knew that he would recover from it. She’s killed, once. I think it’s justified; reasonable minds may disagree.
But neither of them deserve to be in prison. And frankly, they cannot afford to leave Amy in prison. So long as a personality understands and fears consequences, and is given reason to do so, it can. And Amy goes beyond that. She genuinely wants to do good. She was literally pushing herself to the absolute limit, and even pushed herself past her mental blocks and fears to save her adopted father, and the world was completely hideous to her in response. One mistake, in the worst possible circumstances, and bam, that’s it. No redemption.
They can’t afford to take a hard line of no redemption. This whole artificial sideshow of Villains and Heroes has intruded on the fight between Humanity and Extinction, and it simply cannot afford to do that anymore. There’ll be time for Nuremberg trials when and if they win.
This is gonna be a super controversial discussion, but I think it’s one that can be divorced from its political basis to the essential elements. A large part of the War on Terror is that it hasn’t had much impact on Americans. Compare it to World War 2, or any war, really, where there’s expected to be shortages. Materials are put into strict rationing, and everyone is expected to make their effort.
The War on Terror was different. The whole idea was ‘Don’t change your lives! We’ll fight wars, but we’re not going to let it effect our day to day lives!’ A continued consumption chain, and humans being at war with themselves. Now, this is a bad thing in our world. War must be terrible so as to keep people from desiring it too much. But it’s worse in a world like Earth Bet.
I’m not saying every nutjob needs to be wiped out. I’m not even suggesting that they need to go root out Nilbog and the Slaughterhouse nine and never ever rest their eyes and every Super must be conscripted.
But there are presumably thousands of Capes. There’s six hundred in the Birdcage alone. The Endbringers are a colossal threat. They are a massive, terrifying, extreme threat, and they are everyone’s business. Humanity is at war with a force that is essentially dropping a nuclear weapon in a random place every /two months/. And they don’t act like it; They act as though things are proceeding as normal. A girl with heavy body issues drank half of a serum and became a monster that could have wiped out a city, maybe a whole planet.
This would have psychological costs, existing in a state of war against these things. But I don’t think any more than there are currently. The world is currently adopting a cold war state of mind, and frankly, that’s enough to put subtle but intense pressures on any mind. An active war would create a united front, which would likely reprieve stress.
The best and brightest minds, putting work to mass-producing and reverse-engineering brilliant Tinker devices. Human beings working together to accomplish a great goal.
I don’t know. I think it might work. Extinction of humanity is everyone’s business, and everyone should be motivated to put a stop to it.
And when the Endbringers are brought down? Things go back to Cops and Robbers. Villains Vill, Heroes Hero, and the Rogues make a fabulous living. They keep themselves sharp. People who abused their privileges during the war get psychological counselling, because the least you can do with a soldier is make sure that they’re actually truly determined to hurt other human beings, rather than simply hurt from the deep strains.
My rambling continues. I think a lot about this stuff.
I didn’t say it earlier, but I’ve been reading each of your posts, and I have to say, amazingly well thought out. I agree with most if not all of your points intrinsically, though maybe a few disagreements superficially.
Your mind is a beautiful place *drools slightly*
Reminds me of some of my longer discussions and is in line with almost all my thoughts on the subjects. Aside from the wording, it really reminds me of times when I’ve had longer posts that people generally disliked due to lack of comedy.
I’m especially fond of the idea that when the apocalypse is a serious possibility, villains will unite against it. After all, hard to rob a bank when the money’s worthless and what are you going to buy with it when the Earth is destroyed or under alien rule?
I don’t know for sure that the Birdcage will suffer a breakout, though. It was mentioned by Dragon I think that people can leave the Birdcage again. She’s getting more independent so she may have need of those prisoners. Dump them all on Leviathan and see what happens, that kind of thing.
I will bring up that there are psychological injuries caused by things that have hurt people. I don’t think she’s traumatizing everyone though.
Also, we know the Sleeper isn’t going to be a part of this. Wildbow is saving him for a sequel. I am unsure if that means the world will survive two years down the line. Nilbog may pop up again, but I only expect he’ll be a part of the story again if an Endbringer pays him a visit.
Gnarker on April 10, 2013 at 07:38 said:
They ARE putting the Birdcage into the hands of what are, essentially, mercenaries. And as is well known, the loyalty of a mercenary always goes to the highest bidder…
Pinkhair on April 10, 2013 at 15:43 said:
It was Hookwolf who thought about the whole ‘time and place for people like me’, in the interlude where he fought Shatterbird.
Clarvel on April 10, 2013 at 16:14 said:
@Gnarker: I don’t think the birdcage automatically goes to the Dragonslayers if they get the position. Its been mentioned that Dragon owns the land around and built the birdcage, so I would think Dragon would still own it and be the warden. And if you think about it, no one else would have the proper monitoring capabilities Dragon has, so if she leaves and takes all her stuff with her, I doubt the Dragonslayers will be able to do anything with the site.
Pandemonious Ivy on April 10, 2013 at 20:25 said:
@PG
I think an Endbringer could take Nilbog, especially if its Behemoth
But he would likely survive and have to find a new place to live
hnnnng
Yeah, I think an Endbringer could take Nilbog too, but not without a surprising fight. After all, if Behemoth tries to set Nilbog’s minions on fire, that’ll just create more of them.
I think an Endbringer against Nilbog would just end up a stalemate; Nilbog can generate life, so he could quite concievably make his new lifeforms resistant to whatever it is that any particular Endbringer brings to the table- He’s already insane, and likely can just change himself to ignore Simurgh’s telepathy; He can make his creations super-dense and naturally near zero kelvin so that behemoth’s combustion powers just excite their bodies from ‘hibernation’ so they can fight back; And Leviathan could be stopped by high-pressure aquatic beings. Honestly, if one attacked Nilbog, I’d expect a retreat, much like against Scion.
You know, there seems to be something about this chapter that makes it easy to miss exactly what Taylor did to Tagg’s wife. When I first read it, I missed the reveal where she showed that she hadn’t actually hurt her. It made me think that Taylor was going a fair bit darker than she actually was.
It wasn’t until I read some of the comments that I realised I must be missing something. Judging by some of the things people said, I don’t think I’m the only one.
You know, this chapter is really interesting. Here we have Taylor, a villain, using villain tropes (like justifying her actions: “I HAD to inflict grievous pain on all those people who did absolutely nothing to me and whose only crime is joining an organization so they could help and protect others, it’s all part of the GAME!”), and we have Tagg, part of the Good Guys ™, using good guy tropes (like calling villains on their bullshit: “this isn’t a game, and you’re not a misunderstood hero, you’re just a thug!”), a traditional scene many have read from the other side and cheered for. And yet readers, understandably, side with Taylor and bemoan its occurrence this time.
It’s all so deliciously morally grey.
I think the big difference is that Taylor actually realizes that it’s a fight between grey and gray while Tagg thinks it’s black and white (and like pretty much everybody who does that, he puts himself on the side of the angels).
I find the problem to be that once you widen focus the PRT look pretty awful at this point.
Hell, its not even the whole of the undersiders attacking, its just skitter, tattletale, and bitch (and tattletale likely isnt helping take down the bad guys). So really, this is another example of how powerless the PRT is, 2 villains can basically waltz right in and incapacitate the whole PRT branch.
To be fair, the PRT didn’t have all of its members there for whatever reason. I imagine if the Undersiders had attacked and they had all been present, things would have gone differently. Not to mention that two of the heroes present had already been curbstomped by Skitter before and apparently had learned nothing from the previous encounter. That said, if it had been the entire local PRT versus the full Undersiders, I’m pretty sure the Undersiders probably wouldn’t have even broken a sweat. The Undersiders have been there this long and the PRT still hasn’t figured out any effective counters to their abilities? Seriously, how difficult would it be to look up in their roster heroes who might actually be able to accomplish something and dispatch them to Brockton Bay?
They already tried bringing in super counters, either dragon or defiant outright stated that sere was supposed to be untouchable by skitter, adamant has his huge full covering of armor, and I’d imaging dovetale’s forcefields were thought to hinder the bug’s flight or something. Easy for human to break, much harder for an ant.
Logically, if you have been utterly beaten over and over again by a superior foe, then you should either tactically withdraw or make peace with your enemy. Yet the PRT keeps trying the same stupid tactics over and over again. I take it back: they are augmenting their already stupid tactics with innovative new ways to fail miserably. For example, the last time I checked, the only people ever captured in Brockton Bay by use of containment foam have been… the PRT themselves. The PRT knows that Skitter trounced Mannequin, another target that she should have not stood a chance of harming, yet they bring in Sere thinking he’ll be better? Did anyone notice that she beat Sere with essentially a dumbed down version of the same tactics she used on Mannequin? If something has been proven to be ineffective, why keep doing it? They completely ignored history and didn’t bother to do their homework on their opponent.
I’d also like to make mention that the PRT built their plan on data received from a precog, a Thinker class. It’s been mentioned before that Thinker powers tend to interfere with one another, as evidenced with Accord and Tattletale. Piggot has also remarked that Skitter possessed “Prescience” when she anticipated an attack from behind and was able to avoid it. That would imply some level of precognition on some level, meaning there is a possibility that Skitter can muck with other precogs. All of this data is known to the PRT, yet they apparently ignored it and went through with their moronic plan anyway.
That in mind, the PRT has not deployed any actual counters as they had already been proven ineffective or invalid well in advance. Hell, two of their smarter members (who had actually faced off against the Undersiders) told them explicitly that it wouldn’t work, and why, yet they still ignored it. That said, the PRT could probably work up an effective counter against Skitter if they weren’t such arrogant dumbasses.
@Scolopendra
Generally agree, but a couple of things:
1. Dragon managed to catch Skitter using containment foam (granted, with the assistance of Bitch’s backstabbing). Skitter only escaped that one because Dragon let her escape rather than be caught in the impending explosion of Kid Win’s stuff.
2. Pretty sure Piggot was crediting Skitter with possible prescience before they realised she was seeing through her bugs. Until they worked that out, it must’ve seemed like some sort of clairvoyance/danger sense…
@Scolopendra:
Honestly, I assumed that the PRT didn’t actually know the details of the attacks they weren’t present for. It would be stupid — police organizations need to use informants to generate leads, and military organizations need outright spies — but given that Calvert wouldn’t need any PRT intelligence and Tagg can’t count to eleven with his shoes on, it’s eerily possible that you’re right and they simply didn’t do any homework.
If the PRT (still under Piggot at the time) had interviewed those present at Mannequin’s first attack on Skitter, they would have found out what Skitter had done and at least have made note. Seeing as there were casualties that ended up being taken to the morgue or hospital after the encounter, the PRT would have been able to debrief them offsite. Piggot was smart enough to have at least drawn up a report on the incident. So, it’s almost certain that the PRT had at least some intelligence to make them think “maybe assuming a person is surrounded by an impervious shell/field isn’t a good idea”.
Honestly, the PRT’s failures can be more attributed to hubris and incompetence than the Undersiders’ skill. If they ever got someone in there with a level head and actual leadership and competence, the PRT might actually be somewhat threatening.
Right, of course.
Forum Explorer on April 9, 2013 at 04:08 said:
Very interesting chapter and a good showing of some of the personal fallout that revealing Skitter’s identity will have. I mean who would of thought that removing access to a normal stable social life would have negative mental repercussions on a potentially unbalanced villain? Certainly not the PRT!
And I don’t consider her actions to be thuggish. It truly was the minimal response she could take as she couldn’t afford to do nothing. She could have fully revealed pretty much all of the heroes personal identities with Tattletale’s help, or the PRT’s dirty secrets. She doesn’t even hurt the Director’s wife, even though they brought her father into this mess first and continued to threaten him. I think that was the point of that last bit, saying to both the PRT and herself that she’s still better then them.
Oh and Director Tagg should be glad Skitter considers this a game. She waged war against the S9 and look at the damage she did then. If she was waging war I imagine that most of the heroes in the city would have died tonight. And a good portion of the PRT’s basic people. So go ahead Director, push the team that has regularly gone up against S-Class threats and not only survived but won. I’m sure it won’t lead to your messy destruction.
ereshkigala on April 9, 2013 at 04:23 said:
Come on guys. Skitter isn’t going Dark Side – she’s enforcing the Geneva convention. You know, the whole “a lawful combatant wears a uniform” and “no war on civilians” and “no military actions against one’s own country” and “if you violate this, we round you up and briefly try you for war crimes before executing you” thingy.
The PRT is not waging war right now. It is waging an unlawful war, performing major war crimes in the process – at least as far as war crimes are defined in international law. A policing force cannot wage war, period. A military force could – but they can’t also be a policing force unless someone declares martial law.
Yeah, Skitter is a big proponent of staying nice and civilized, what with how she’s set herself up as an unlawful dictator who enforces the law with violence and maintains her power with threats.
Not to mention she doesn’t respect her people’s right to privacy and routinely performs illegal searches without warrants for (admittedly illegal) stuff like weapons and whatever.
And they wonder why that one guy in the online interlude thought Skitter’s territory was too creepy to stay in.
And despite all that, she’s still not only more moral but more lawful than her opponents the PRT.
Not helping your case.
Yes she really is. As long as you don’t kick the hive (so to speak) she’s downright polite and reasonable. Also don’t kid yourself, that’s how every government that has existed, does exist or will ever exist maintains their power. The law is a complicated way to say that if you do something we don’t like you will be hurt.
Eventually most governments start to allow the people living in their territory some semblance of control over what those things are. Not seeing much of that from any one in this party.
She can’t really be blamed for that given that it’s as natural to her as breathing. This is like holding a guy with permanent ‘see through walls’ to such a standard.
Except nowadays, we kind of expect a government to “punish” criminals with imprisonment and therapy and rehabilitation, not torture. (Ok, I might be a bit optimistic here. SOME people expect it. Hopefully. Maybe? Goddamnit, Real Life governments, you’re not supposed to wreck my point.) Also stuff like the separation of state and judiciary, etc.
No matter how benevolent she is, Skitter’s territory is a police state where you never know when you might be under surveillance and where infractions are brutally punished, and where all the power is consolidated in a single person’s hands. Sure, she’s VERY effective at stopping crime, but does that make it okay? Because from where I’m standing, living there is pretty much sacrificing freedom for security, and I’m sure all the dutiful and patriotic Americans in attendance know what Ben Franklin had to say about that.
Yes, Skitter does good, helps and protects people. Yes, she’s certainly more moral than Cauldron. But bringing up the Geneva convention while ignoring how many crimes she has under her belt? There’s such a thing as whitewashing her actions too much. I doubt Skitter would fare well if she was judged by the United Nations.
And isn’t it said somewhere that she actively sends out bugs to search people’s belongings and make sure her people are the only ones with weapons? I might be misremembering.
She hasn’t committed that many crimes, in all honesty- Unless you count each individual officer of the PRT who has tried to fight her and been swarmed as a single case of assault, but that’s playing the books, especially when they would do far worse to her than just cause superficial damage- Namely, ending her life. Sure they may not do it directly, ie execution, but they would end it all the same. And the government certainly has been dropping the ball every step of the way along her path; Looking the other way when Sophia was involved, deliberately giving them a light sentencing when it was finally forced into the open, Armsmaster alienating her from day one and treating her like dog crap he stepped in- A hero, and that’s how he treats someone able to take down *Lung* on her very first night? Someone offering an inside job on the most dangerous local team of supervillains? And lets not get started on how they’ve treated her at every opportunity when she has played fair and tried to get their help/helped them with a massive threat. She does the right thing consistantly and gets slammed for it, simply because of who she associates with. And now, breaking the rules and being massively stupid at the same time by effectively killing Taylor, leaving only Skitter. Prejudice, disrespect, being treated as less than a person- You really think a government that fails this badly at treating ONE person deserves to exist? Deserves respect? It deserves to fall.
As for her territory: No peddling drugs, no assaulting people. Typical citizens don’t do those things. Show respect, get respect. Live and let live. She has fought off armed invasions of her area to protect civilians, to the point of FIGHTING OFF MANNEQUIN IN A FISTFIGHT to protect her people. The only way you’re going to cause an infraction is if you decide to beat someone up or sell drugs and show no respect. Don’t be a dumbshit, in other words.
Skitter’s territory is a dictatorship. That is completely true. Dictatorships aren’t necessarily bad. They usually are because most people can’t handle getting absolute power and start to abuse the crap of it. The other problem is the matter of succession.
Skitter seems to be a classic example of a benevolent Dictator. Her people don’t have any political freedoms. They get no input on laws, punishments, or who leads them. They have plenty of personal freedoms and the laws are clearly laid out and enforced. There also isn’t anything preventing someone from leaving her territory whenever they want. Also her efforts have made her territory the safest and most prosperous in the city. Which is another point to her being a dictator, they tend to be efficient, for better or worse.
“We’re giving you a promotion. A full Directorship in a very active city with key strategic interests in place we need secured.”
“If it is two words and the last one rhymes with ‘pay’ I’m in.”
…Seriously, I think that they’re going to the on-line applications to the PRT to find someone to run the organization in Brockton Bay. Because the Internet never lies, right?
P.G. : “If I determine the enemy’s disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless: If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it, nor the wise make plans against it.”
“Put them in a spot where they have no place to go, and they will die before fleeing. If they are to die there, what can they not do? Warriors exert their full strength. When warriors are in great danger, then they have no fear. When there is nowhere to go they are firm, when they are deeply involved they stick to it. If they have no choice, they will fight.” –Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”
Ah, good quote. And Skitter’s reasoning for this chapter, you may have noticed.
Except for maybe the first part. Felt like that was directed at me.
It’s the five years bit I find most fascinating of all.
I hope Tattletale got a recording of that one. The PRT’s newest tactic. Give up for half a decade and hope the enemy screws themselves over in that time frame.
Especially funny when you consider that the world is supposed to end in two years.
“If t is two words and it rhymes with ‘pay’ I’m in” http://wikirhymer.com/words/pay/pure-rhymes I can’t see anything that rhymes with pay that he’d be interested in… Unless he was being sillystupid and was meaning that ‘Pay rhymes with pay, of course!’…
Jakinbandw on April 9, 2013 at 10:56 said:
Brockton *BAY*
I believe the rhyme that you’re looking for here is “bay,”as in Brockton Bay. This spot would be a godsend for the ambitious, because if someone were able to stop the notorious criminal gang overrunning the city, that person would probably enjoy muchos kudos.
Aaaaaaaaaand I’m dumb. >_> Or tired. Can’t believe I didn’t get that…
Does that make you Rika Covenant the Unbeliever?
dbdatvic on January 21, 2017 at 05:33 said:
aaaaagh
–Dave, my eyes, the pain! my spleen!
…You people make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing such great series, characters, and other works of art. You, however, are the very VERY first to ever reference from where I got the inspiration for my screen name. You get a tray of peanut butter and jam cookies (Peanut butter cookies with a thumbful of (my personal choice is usually raspberry) jam dolloped into the center).
A on April 9, 2013 at 04:31 said:
You know they don’t have to damage prt property or hit any heros in retaliation.
They could kidnap director and person right under him, to get information. They can drain his bank accounts and even hire a type of hacker to make life in Brockton Bay impossible. Or she could let imp, regent and tattletale have fun with the co’s until they leave the country.
Naah. Best thing to do would be to just vanish him some Tuesday night while he’s home sleeping with his wife. No news, no fuss, no taking credit/blame, no clues left. To paraphrase some pretty scary guy “the PRT won’t think to look for his corpse on Neptune”.
(or in this case, in some alternate reality or in the stomach of bugs)
Well at this point, Tagg is probably paranoid as hell about his security considering what happened to the last guys.
Yeah, all that security and a PRT building full of capes and non-capes trained in taking down other capes couldnt stop bitch from wrecking his assets, and skitter from going straight to his office and attacking him. Really his only protection at this point is skitter’s reluctance to really deal with him. Eventually the PRT will have to instate someone the undersiders like, or they are going to run out of directors.
Given how this went, that’s unlikely to help much.
Remember the old days, when the Undersiders were actually worried about getting foamed by PRT agents and somehow escaping from the heroes?
Well, see, that’s what happens when you fight opponents whose Challenge Ratings are way higher than yours — you level up really quickly.
Mazzon on April 9, 2013 at 04:56 said:
Another PRT director, another psychopath with zero regard for law, morals or collateral damage.
Kind of like Piggot, except with some of the nihilism swapped for hostility.
In fact, it seems to me Coil was out of place as a PRT director because even though he was a psychopathic villain just like the rest, he was actually trying to do some good for the city.
It’s interesting how accepting the lesser evil is totally okay and acceptable if it means the heroes should be lenient with Skitter (didn’t arc 20 start with her torturing a bunch of thugs to consolidate her reign of terror?) and someone who doesn’t do that is an asshole, but it is DEFINITELY not okay when dealing with Cauldron/PRT and compromise is a sign of weak principles.
Not saying it’s wrong. Just interesting.
Skitter is a villain. She is expected to have no regard for the law as she is an outlaw. By definition she does not follow the law.
The PRT is the organization tasked with enforcing the law. They are part of the system. They have no regard for those laws and even break worse rules than Skitter ever did.
They are inherently worse because they are tasked with upholding those laws and instead hypocritically uphold them only for people who aren’t them. This makes them little better in practice than some Asian dictator publicly hating on the immoral West while enjoying fine Western liquor and pornography. Given what we know of their corruption, how do we know they haven’t already done everything Skitter has ever done and then covered it up because of and with good PR?
If the people who enforce the law also break it all the time, they’ve become little more than a particularly well-armed and well-financed gang.
Firstly it’s hypocrisy.
Secondly Skitter isn’t anything close to Cauldron’s level of evil. There’s a difference between making peace with someone who can be violent but is ultimately quite moral (they are outright relying on them not being willing to kill at this point) and handing the reigns to people who commit crimes against humanity and refuse to tell anyone their real goal.
Also Skitter has screwed up much less.
It amuses me that you are claiming that Skitter is ultimately moral this far into the story. Just because she is good in comparison to people like the Teeth that doesn’t make her willingness to torture people or threaten to kill to change governmental policy into something that is moral. Taylor tumbled down the slippery slope to save Dinah quite some time ago.
She is most certainly still ethical and moral. Certainly she is no paragon of virtue, able to not harm any of those who work for those in the position of being truly evil within the story as we see it so far, but she still follows a set of principles of moral conduct.
Coil was irredeemably evil, willing to use and discard anyone and everyone to get his way, break his oaths multiple times, keep a little girl in a situation where she was constantly getting drugged to the point of addiction so he could keep her managable, and otherwise be a general rat bastard. Her morals refused to allow such a being to continue to exist because of how many times he broke her ethics; he betrayed her and her family and her friends over and over again. Thus, he was killed.
She has not killed a SINGLE other person. She has maimed and injured those who regenerate, and so are capable of healing the damage (namely, Lung on the first count by accident the second on purpose to shut him down), and otherwise only used enough force to disable her targets. Even now, when attacking, she holds back on the venom that would cause potential deaths or grievous injury. She sticks to her mores.
Your standards for morality baffle me.
You require absolute perfection in line with your own ideals for Taylor. However the PRT are allowed to use ends -> means methodology as much as they like without upsetting you.
@Anzer’ke: You might be reading more into mc2rpg’s remark than is there — Skitter can be a villain without the PRT being heroes.
Don on April 10, 2013 at 04:49 said:
mc2rpg: What would you suggest Skitter do, instead, to reach the highest feasible apex of morality? How would you have handled things in her position? I’m not criticizing, I’m genuinely curious.
Interesting? Definitely.
However there’s a few important points at play here:
1) As PG already said, claiming to be the good guy sets the bar higher. A lot higher.
2) Lesser evil my hairy rump. Sure, Taylor’s a villain and should go to jail, but she’s not a mass murderer with rapidly climbing body count or anything. Therefore catching her shouldn’t be prioritized high enough to risk civilian casualties or undermine the co-operation in Endbringer scenarios.
And frankly, I think there’s something pretty badly askew when supposed law-enforcers base their strategy on the villains not being willing to stoop to their level. Or maybe Tagg just really hates his daughters.
I am really curious why dinah volunteered that information about skitter.
I’m curious why she thinks a guy like that would decide not to be messing with Dinah since he doesn’t care about little things like “laws” or “rules” anyway.
Because Dinah seems similar enough to his daughters that she doesn’t trip his “RAR SMASH KILL” instincts and therefore being nice to her is one of the lies that helps him sleep at night.
He had no problem seeing Taylor as different enough despite attacking her at school.
Because he didn’t see her as a person there. She was simply the villain Skitter incognito, in his eyes.
Which is the kind of “my enemy above all” mentality that really does lead to some horrible stuff.
…you’re right — I could absolutely see Tagg applying the metaphorical corkscrews to compel Dinah to provide precognitive assistance. Heck, Dinah might be cooperating precisely to prevent Tagg from doing whatever he would do to force her to.
Dinah can use the power for herself, maybe she saw that volunteering the information led to a more favourable outcome in another area. Maybe it keeps Skitter alive, maybe it gives her a better chance to save the situation when the world begins to end.
I’m guessing Dinah is manipulating Skitter into doing something important or trying to prepare Skitter in some way.
Or trying to eliminate the PRT. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dinah lied about the numbers on their success of actually capturing Skitter.
Dinah can’t lie about her predictions. This has been made clear.
Forum Explorer on April 10, 2013 at 13:27 said:
Oh? I don’t remember that. Time for an archive binge!
She technically can, but it messes up her power for awhile and causes extreme pain.
We still don’t know if she can accept someone asking her a question and then just use her power on a DIFFERENT question, though. She said it’s easier for her if someone else asks the question, but that she can do it herself just fine, too.
agreyworld on April 9, 2013 at 07:02 said:
I hope she had a voice recorder on her, considering this was a PR stunt and he said quite a lot of stupid stuff.
People never bother to record their conversations where the villains confess though T___T
This your first time on the comments?
agreyworld on April 11, 2013 at 05:12 said:
It is not, I think you might have missed my earlier comments PG
*talks into a radio* Stand down people. No, we won’t need the elephant anymore. Well I don’t care that you already fed it the laxative, I told you to wait until we painted the moon pink. Hey, shit rolls downhill. You don’t like it, you should have stood uphill from the cage. We’ll talk later.
Darn. Haven’t always been welcoming people to the comments, so obviously I’ve missed a bunch.
simeraz on April 9, 2013 at 07:48 said:
I am sorry to say it, maybe in another story i would have been on is side, but i hope Tagg met a bad end and Piggot come back
Muse on April 10, 2013 at 09:45 said:
Piggot was kind of a bitch but she wasn’t a horrible director. Of course I might just think that because her successor was a supervillain and his successor is apparently clinically retarded.
I don’t think you have to compare her to anyone to make her look competent — look at the way she used her knowledge of Tattletale’s access and Coil’s mercenaries to perform counterintelligence activities. She was completely callous about capes in general — unperturbed by the thought of firebombing the Undersiders and Travelers even when they were helping against an S-class threat, indifferent to the idea that the Wards should receive therapy even in the wake of Leviathan — but even knowing that she was given the job as a sinecure she did it well.
Also, consider the fact that it was Piggot who was literally the only person who ever figured out how to defeat Crawler. She ain’t stupid.
Eh, figuring “If we throw these tinker bombs at it en masse, and we know at least one turns matter into crystal- We should be able to kill it.” doesn’t take much brainpower. I mean, she though firebombs might take him out. Firebombs.
@Rika: Like Tattletale said, “Stupid? No. Genius? No.”
Apparently, you guys forgot about the phone call.
How did she get Crawler to stick around long enough to get bombed?
Be assured that I did not forget that phone call.
…I did forget to add it to the Batman Section on TV Tropes, though, so thanks for the reminder. 😀
Batman Gambit section, sorry.
Awesome! The Director Tagg had better think twice about messing with Taylors dad. As Grey said I hope Taylor recorded this. It’d be perfect to give to the news. ‘PRT harassing Mr. Hebert? Find out why Director Tagg seems to be breaking all the rules between Capes.’
Can’t wait till the next update. I see the Fallen getting lots of bugs in their soup, also I see one of the Undersiders getting hurt in one of the ‘Blitzkrieg’ attacks. Maybe even seriously hurt.
Oh and I found Manni’s Theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLUj-jh_UyQ Man in the Box (Alice in Chains)
Crawlers – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26dKVC1hnp8 Harder Better Faster Stronger xD
I love boredom. :3
I was surprised not just by them attacking the headquarters and rolling about four full-fledged superheroes to do it, but by what they didn’t do.
See, if I was in their position and I wanted to make the PRT’s position in Brockton Bay even more untenable than it is? I’d kidnap the heroes and Director Tagg. And then I’d leave them in a room with Regent for about three hours, with him occasionally exercising his power. Then I’d let them go. Maybe call the news services and have them take some pictures, show the Undersiders being merciful.
Bam. As far as the PRT is concerned, that’s four heroes and a director that are now security risks so long as they stay in Brockton Bay. It neutralizes them as a threat while still leaving the PRT as a whole intact enough to do its job and fight the Endbringers.
Alternatively, if you do need the heroes, then just kidnap Tagg. It’s his policies that did this, after all, and once he’s gone the new guy will think twice before crossing you..
Besides, at this point being kidnapped by the Undersiders is practically a right of passage for Directors assigned to Brockton Bay.
“And all I got was this stupid T-Shirt”
I can see Regent giving out a T-Shirt for kidnappings.
But then I continue to daydream about Imp doing stuff like stealing one out each pair of socks. Or copying someone’s handwriting and leaving them notes from themselves they never wrote, messing up their diaries and planners. Or maybe just moving in to their house for a couple weeks…months…just plain not leaving before them.
“Girls Gone Regent!”
Actually, Regent would be a great excuse. “Mom, I was going to stay home and study for my big exam, but next thing I know Regent made me go to a wild rave where I met this girl named Rika and tried to recreate the Serenade short from The Lorax.”
Pft. Regent’s not my type.
Till he controls your nervous system Dear Rika. ;D Then he MAKES you act like he’s your type. 😛
Primarily directed at Packbat and Psycho Gecko: What do we know about Doctor Mother? Interlude 15 indicates that she is a black woman, with long hair. Anything else?
Nothing else, I don’t think. I’d have to re-read some interludes though. I know she was there for Alexandria’s was ‘made’, and I think Battery too. Could be wrong…..Oh and I think she’s either the leader of Cauldron or in the higher echelon of their organization.
I think Legend’s interlude makes it pretty clear that she’s in charge. And yes, she was present for both Alexandria and Battery taking their doses.
Yes, there’s just not a lot on her yet, except that she’s got Contessa as a bodyguard and Alexandria’s her bitch, along with a portal opener and the super accountant.
I got the sense that she was claiming to not be in charge drom Battery’s interlude, but I haven’t reread it since. With years gone by, she might have even taken charge since then, though she struck me as more of a pro than to pull that.
Highest rung on the ladder we’ve seen.
“Doctor Mother” is tagged in three chapters: Interlude 12.5, Interlude 14.5, and Interlude 15 (Donation Bonus #3) — Battery’s, Legend’s, and Alexandria’s.
In terms of physical description I found the following:
In 12.5 (~2005, if I added up the years correctly):
“Leaving? After coming all this way?” The voice was female, rich with hints of a French accent, but the English was probably better than her own.
She turned, then stepped a few feet in front of her car to look inside the barn.
A woman stood there, dark-skinned, with her hair cut into a short style that was more utilitarian than stylish. She wore a doctor’s lab coat and held a white plastic clipboard with both hands.
In 14.5 (2011):
The Doctor: dark-skinned, hair tied into a prim bun with chopsticks stuck through it, wearing a short white dress beneath a white lab coat.
(Also in 14.5: the ‘end of the world’ is suggested to be in twenty-three years. This is the same time Accord said in Interlude 20. I thought at the time it was a measure of how long his plans would take to reach fruition, but now it looks like it’s a time limit.)
In 15 (1986):
A black woman with long hair in a doctor’s get-up was messing with the IV bag.
Details? Not many. She’s at least a few years older than Alexandria, possibly not yet graying.
Thanks, Bat! I figured that was all we had available, and all I could find tagged for her as well, that didn’t involve just talking (mostly lying).
You know, if the Undersiders wanted to be rid of Tagg, they could just choose to make him an utter liability to the Protectorate. Just let Regent take control of him for a while, have fun, and then let him go. Since Regent can assume control any time he wants after that, the Protectorate would have no choice but to get rid of Tagg.
Ninja’d by Glassware! *shakes tiny fist*
Curse you Longaberger!
UnlikelyLass on April 9, 2013 at 10:30 said:
If there’s a theme I’ve picked up on in Worm, it’s one of asymmetric power relations, and the (mis)use of them. Right from the get-go, Taylor & her bullies, Taylor & the school administration, and even Taylor and her father (where there wasn’t misuse, but which helped inform some of the other relationships).
Likewise, things like Coil & the Undersiders, the AAB and everybody, the nature of the Birdcage, Dragon’s limitations, the true nature of the PRT as a tool of Alexandria & Cauldron — it all ends up commenting on the themes of power and authority and relative powerlessness.
And now we have Tagg, who is a thug calling a thug a thug. You have the PRT’s shifting moral authority revealing more and more its brutal thuggish underbelly.
And you have Taylor, no longer simply a bullied HS student now suddenly Public Enemy #1 AND criminal mastermind/ruler of the (local) underworld.
Is she making the best choices? Probably not. But Wildbow is a good enough writer that he’s actually using the reversal of situation to further explore the theme, not just turning it into Revenge Porn, or making out like Taylor is somehow instantly more perfect in how she excercises her authority than anybody else who has had it in the story so far.
Well done, Wildbow!
Neat analysis there.
The title of this arc fits in there as well. Imago is the final stage of a metamorphosis. Is warlord Skitter the adult form of Taylor though? Skitter represents power, where Taylor was characterized by vulnerability.
The previous chapter gave us a shift in the power balance within our protagonist, vulnerability being cast off (the loss of being “Taylor” anymore) with only power remaining. That’s not a terribly healthy way to live, and we’re seeing that right away in this chapter as she heads down a path that’s darker than even the rest of the Undersiders are comfortable with walking. If that’s her “adult form” though, where else can she go?
Maybe nowhere, but there is Taylor’s line that “Skitter” never really fit her. She doesn’t know what other name she would want to be called yet, but it does speak to Skitter being the larval stage of what she’s ultimately going to become.
Well I am curious what her adult form is. Despite her darker place, I don’t think Taylor will change too much. She is more comfortable with violence now, and is probably willing to kill other villains to protect herself/others, but she still doesn’t like to hurt people. In terms of changing I would like to see her throw a press conference/give an interview. Give her side of the story, and let the public know some of the PRT’s dirty secrets and let them decide if they’re on the side of angels. There is always a 2nd trigger event too, though chances are low if Noelle’s stomach didn’t do it. Looking at her trigger event, I don’t think claustrophobia was too big a part of it. It was the fact that no one would help her, that the school failed to help her, and just the injustice she probably felt toward the world. Now the authorities are blatantly taking advantage of the fact that she doesn’t like to hurt people and has a moral code, and still claim the moral high ground despite all the things they have done/cauldron. If something happens to her dad due to it, I can see that same anger/despair at how ugly the world is and she has her 2nd trigger and then has two choices. She can say fuck it, the world is going to treat me like his despite the things I have done and the fact I play by the rules, well let them have a monster. Or she can decide to truly stay on the moral side no matter what the consequences, despite all the crap she goes through.
The hair is wrong but otherwise this seems pretty spot on for Taylor at the moment in terms of her troubles with the PRT and lack of “quality time” with Brian.
http://phobso.tumblr.com/post/47527420219/evil-villain-is-evil
I think an original character by Phobs (the artist) but I could be wrong.
I believe the character’s name is The Citizen, a villain from a Russian comic called Major Thunder, drawn by Phobs. Or at least, that’s what I’ve gleaned from the tumblr and assorted media I’ve been able to dredge up. http://25.media.tumblr.com/b9b24532012ee84e500328ceef94458b/tumblr_mksxlwUwcB1s4s0zko3_500.png seems to be a ‘bird form’ of the same character. http://25.media.tumblr.com/c6ce2912bb50ab18bad205838bfdc454/tumblr_mksxlwUwcB1s4s0zko1_500.png is the main coer of Major Thunder issue #7. http://25.media.tumblr.com/84c35c2d33b96dcc4b2a3a42b231ce19/tumblr_mk8kh9u4sp1s4s0zko3_500.png Marguerita, a female white crow and pet of the Citizen, trying to wake a sleepyhead. :3
This hair a bit better?
The thing about this chapter that stood out most to me (besides the title and how hurt Taylor seems) is the shifting relationships within the Undersiders. Since the beginning Lisa has been on Taylors side, with Brian coming in at a close second, with Alec seeming ambivalent but ultimately supportive, Aisha being civil but wary (regarding her brothers feelings), and Rachel fluctuating between outright hostility and cool respect. But in this chapter (probably because I am currently in the Parasite arc during my rereading) it highlights how much that has shifted along with Taylors position and feelings;
– Alec seems to be coming into a right-hand man status who genuinely seems to care about her as a friend and teammate, something that was first explored with this line “Says the person who tried to slit my teammate’s throat,” Regent spoke. (Parasite 10.1)
– Aisha stopped antagonizing Taylor as a whole and has grown into her own as a mature (relatively speaking) member of the Undersiders who also holds some compassion for its other members. I believe on the TVTropes for Worm, there was an entry for Band of Brothers, and this is reflected in how she initially was petulant, annoying, and really only relevant for her ability. Now, she actually has some presence both within the group and without (she was referenced in the previous arc with defending civilians from gangs)
– Rachel, to keep this brief, has been willing to follow wherever Taylor leads as of late. Keeping in mind her whole canine-mindset, she appears to have wholeheartedly accepted Taylor as her alpha and has been looking after her the best she can.
Basically, I see those three backing up a new, more dangerous, less merciful Skitter and possibly causing increasing friction with the other three members. WMG dictates that I also say that its possible the two groups will have a schism and maybe even a fight.
tl;dr I love the changes the Undersiders have undergone as they have fought, becoming more family than just a ragtag bunch of misfits, even if that means that the status quo will be upset within their group.
Well now.
Taylor was right. The strike against PRT headquarters was the mildest form of punishment she could scrape up.
And she got a chance to talk with Tagg, see who she was dealing with. Hoo boy… “Strong man, making hard choices! My way Semper Fi Do or Die! Rah!” Precisely the worst possible person for the PRT to put in here. I halfway wonder if it’s not deliberate… Cauldron pulling a Machiavelli ploy, to make the handoff of the city to Taylor a bit easier.
True, he rattled her a bit, but not so much that he scored a victory there. No victories there. And she kept composure well enough that nothing was lost.
Glad Lisa went with, too. She made the right call there, was the best person to reign Taylor in, keep her together.
Now. Now Taylor has to think above the short term. Now, if this arc is to live up to its name, she’s going to have to choose a new goal beyond mere survival. She’s going to have to sit down and figure out what she WANTS, and how to get it. And then how to hold on to it, make it sustainable.
There’s one path to winning here that I can see, and Accord saw it too. If she can get the city on her side, drive the PRT to break more and more of its rules, show that the heroes are no better than the Undersiders and in many cases often worse, then she can turn this thing around.
Of course, things are going to get tougher before it’s all done. Gonna be darker, and I honestly don’t know if Danny will survive the arc.
I look forward to seeing how this one goes!
As part of the getting the city on their side, the undersiders should pull a coil and try covertly replacing the directors in the bay’s PRT branch with their own people, perhaps get tattletale elected mayor.
Also, this line was unclear:
As with Dovetail, I’d managed to make enough progress that she was more or less out of the fight.
By *she* I assume you meant Sere, so yeah, sexchange
Also also, Triumph is mentioned but isnt tagged and nothing happens to or with him. Add a line indicated both he and Sere were tied up, mayhaps? (Pardon any pretentious soundingness, totally unintentional)
From what i’ve noticed, names aren’t tagged unless they actually make an appearance. Menioned offhandedly by name as being in the area but nothing happens with him = not tagged, so people looking for Triumph references aren’t stuck looking at every page his name is spoken/thought.
Which would make a lot of sense, but Sere is tagged and is said to have been in the same area as Triumph and had just as much influence in this particular chapter (read: none)
Also, sometimes capes have been mentioned with no appearance and have been tagged; Im specifically remembering the end of Extermination, where Lisa discusses Coil with Taylor and his name is tagged even though he isnt even around
Sere was more than mentioned, he was dealt with. His powers were referenced, and how he was dealt with was referenced. Unless my tired eyes are skipping something, she didn’t do jack all to Triumph, from what I can see- just noted he was there in the area.
In the case of Coil, if he’s being discussed- focussed on- then it’s relevant and tagged.
His aim was really off lately and he dried it so much it crumbled off.
Wow another good update. 🙂
I’m kinda hoping this isn’t Taylor’s final response to the PRT and Protectorate, just the logical one she needs to get on the news, to retain respect and avoid Brockton Bay getting dogpiled by villains who smell blood. I feel like she could do so much more to destroy their ability to function, drive them out even, just by going after their equipment alone. Damned if this affront, jumping her in school and unmasking her publicly, doesn’t cry out for answer.. and I don’t feel like roughing up the PRT Director and employees really covered even a tenth of it.
Tagg wasn’t terribly impressive, came off with a serious case of small man syndrome. He says there’s a war on, well sure, it’s his war for relevance, trying to keep everyone believing that people like him deserve their authority. Unlike Piggot, who was at least more-or-less competent, he thought nothing of authorizing a confrontation without context, without even knowing where the fight would be, what the potential collateral damage could be. If Tagg comes to a bad end, I don’t think anyone’s gonna shed a tear.
I’m looking forward to the interlude, have to imagine there’s a lot of very large talk at the water coolers across the board.
Who’d have thought we’d ever be nostalgic for Piggot’s level of competence?
Yeah, he really seems like he’s been set up to lose. There are places where a hard-liner would be perfect, I think Brockton Bay is pretty much the opposite. Alexandria can’t really think that this is a winning move for the PRT. I think she’s written off the PRT, she said as much in her interlude, and is now burning them down on the way out.
That’s the worst of it really, it was such a completely senseless move.
The PRT gained absolutely nothing from outing Taylor. Instead they lost a great deal.
In short, this was pure spite. Admittedly if the gamble had paid off it might have been slightly better (still terrible but easier to spin, and damn if I don’t want to see Skitter in custody. Maybe with a dash of Joker-style complete relaxation with it. Just quietly waiting for the break out, chatting and getting beat up) for them but given what they risked…just not worth it.
And yeah, not knowing where it was happening made this a blank check command moment. I’ve known soldiers who really did tell stories about that kind of incompetent lunacy.
She could have been visiting her sick grandmother in hospital. She could have been in a factory full of high explosives. She could have been in her base/ORPHANAGE!!! That last one would have played incredibly:
“Tonight at nine, PRT slaughters orphaned children. Local girl Taylor Hebert tried to defend them from the sudden attack but could not succeed alone against their full numbers. However intervention of furious locals turned the tide and now all that’s left is to pick up the shattered fragments of Timmy’s skull.”
We need more Parian, she needs a wake-up call and fast.
More like she needs to give Flechette a wake-up call, the Wards are gonna be a less and less safe place to be.
Yes, a wake up call, preferably in the morning with the sun peeking in to caress the tousled sheets of the bed they share, the passion of the night before now faded into a loving glow as they bask in the warmth of their long-awaited union with that fire waiting just beneath the surface to be stoked once more.
You know, I’ve been wondering why Tagg hasn’t revealed Tattletale’s identity either. Piggot figured it out several arcs ago and Tagg seems petty enough to reveal it even though they wouldn’t benefit as much from it as revealing Taylor’s identity.
The only reason I can think of is that Piggot never put the information in the system and hates Tagg as much as we do so she decided not to share.
Tagg didn’t reveal Skitter’s identity for spite. Tagg revealed Skitter’s identity because it was supposed to maximize her probability of capture.
Revealing Tattletale’s identity? That doesn’t help him at all. It’s not that he wants to protect it, it’s that he doesn’t actually care, and not caring in this case works out in Tattle’s favor.
It feels very much like it was for spite, though. Revealing who she is in civilian garb just puts her- and by result, them- between a rock and a hard place. She has nothing to lose anymore. If they’d discussed things reasonably like she has shown to want to do EVERY SINGLE TIME THEY TALK, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened. It feels very much like a “Father knows best” situation where the gov’t is the ‘dad’ figure and Taylor the ‘wayward child’ figure. Except the gov’t has no clue what it’s doing but panic-reacting and the ‘child’ knows all too well what’s best and is getting forced down the worst paths each time because of having to react to really horrible stuff.
Not disputing your characterization of Tagg’s attitude, but in 20.5 Taylor specifically asked Dragon and Defiant “Why out me in front of everyone?” and the reply was “A precog told us it was our best option for bringing you into custody.”
Or that’s what she was told by Tagg, or whomever she was communicating with on Tagg’s payroll, that was acting as a relay between Dragon and him.
That last part sounds like the Baudelaire orphans.
I wouldn’t exactly say it doesn’t help him at all. Tagg says he’s a scrapper, everything’s fine in his books if he can at least get a punch in there. Revealing Tattletale’s identity shows the public that yes, the PRT are in fact still fighting.
Though I suppose he could try and use that strategy after this debacle.
Tagg needs to remember that while quitters never win and winners never quit, we have a word that describes those who never win and never quit: idiots.
Quitters never win, winners never quit, and Skitter never loses.
I fail to see how outing Tattletale shows anything of the kind. Interrupting an Undersider heist — that would show they were fighting. Seizing Undersider goods — that would show they were fighting. Actually successfully capturing one of them — that would show they were fighting.
Outing one of the Undersiders? Wouldn’t even slow them down. It just shows how ineffectual they are that this is the best they can do.
“we can’t stop you so we’re gonna TATTLE on you~”
and said tattle-ing has the opposite the intended effect…
Did it? Depends on who’s intention we are talking about.
Who’s intention is to steal second, but what’s that got to do with anything?
Im thinking, what if Tagg does decide to escalate this situation? He reveals exactly who (at least those he knows) the Undersiders are in their civilian identities. We know they at least know who Lisa and Alec are, and for all of their uncaringness, Alec did reveal that he harbors a minor fear of Heartbreaker paying him a visit. Possible plot hint? Either way, its cool to think about in a time where there are no /obvious/ Big Bads for this arc cycle.
Well thats discounting the leaders of the three villain groups, who are obvious enough, but I dont think the Accord route is happening anytime soon, Valefor and Eligos might be tough, but I dont doubt the Undersiders under Skitter, and Butcher and the Teeth might be a war on its own, but Butcher doesnt have that *umph* factor to hold a decent amount of expectation and fear as a Big Bad.
Night_stalker on April 10, 2013 at 22:30 said:
Long time follower, first time commenter…
Anyway, I can’t see Tagg retaliating in any meaningful way. Odds are the Undersiders battened down the hatches the instance the utter SNAFU that was the school attack hit the news or Skitter made a phonecall, which probably meant moving any significant others or relatives to safehouses and the like, or going off the grid.
Not to mention, the higher ups are probably going to be suppressing the urge to reassign him to Antartica for this screwup, especially seeing how the PR department is probably getting ready to use Tagg’s picture for target practice. I mean, first a attack on a school, then they get curb stomped at their own HQ? Not going to do any wonders for morale, or for their image, I’d be surprised if Ms. Militia didn’t have some choice words for him…
Then we have his attitude. Seeing how he was in the Army, I’m guessing he never really understood the concept of “Rules of Engagement”, or “Unacceptable casulties”… I mean, this could’ve very easily been a bloodbath, if they weren’t holding back, well, the PRT and capes would’ve been crippled, badly. Which while it’d prove his point, would also show that the Undersiders aren’t to be screwed with.
And then there’s his choice to leak it. Dinah suggesting it or not, that’s given them nothing but headache and nightmares. All it’s done is burn what little goodwill they had, and alienate every villain in the tri county area, if not further. It’s like Machivelli said “Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.” Or in layman’s terms, if you avenge someone, make sure the person you’re attacking is incapable of retaliating.
Welcome, dear militarily-minded newcomer, to the comments section, where we put the sis anal in analysis. Y, you ask? Because we hear she gets off on wordplay. If you enjoy a good time, I suggest midnight, if you’re looking for debate, try the end of a fishing hook, and if you’re in denial about how far I can take these, then you should know I can go straight up Mediterranean on your ass. Like an Athenian.
I’m Psycho Gecko, and like that drunken binge after exams when a friend roped you into trying a club you’ve never heard of, I’m the guy you’ll either regret knowing or find slimy, yet satisfying. Lion King aside, let me be a truthful king Gecko and say that we’re always glad to have another person along who just can’t get Worm. A natural enough consequence of some of the beef they sell at fast food places, as well as for reading this amazing story we all enjoy.
who just can’t get enough Worm*
The issue with Tagg, I think, isn’t just that he’s a thug.
It’s that he’s a stupid thug.
And he apparently forgot that Taylor’s dad is a well-known and respected figure in the local dockworker’s union, and therefore can thug back just as hard if needs be.
I also can’t see him getting along well with any of the local heroes, and the only one who might theoretically be willing to put up with his attitude (Assault) is also going to hate him because there’s no way Tagg treats a former villain with anything even remotely resembling respect.
He’s pretty much the Wormverse equivalent of the Pointy-Haired Boss. In fact, I think I’ll just call him PHB from now on. If Dilbert exists in the Wormverse, his employees probably already call him that when they don’t think he’s listening.
On a different subject, I hope that Dragon comes out publicly as an AI soon, because Skitter’s making some very incorrect assumptions about her thanks to not knowing that vital detail.
His attitude of ‘We’re right, thus, anything we do will ultimately be justified by history’ definitely seems pretty questionable.
Do we have a list of the current heroes in Brockton Bay? Miss Militia… Well, I’d respect her a hell of a lot less if she doesn’t find this an affront. She seems like a Captain America sort, the kind who believes in the spirit of America, rather than the current administration.
Clockblocker has shown clear willingness to argue with Skitter, and the argument- With a girl who is not interested in imposing her views, and while being very unfair in declaring ties- could only come up with a ‘two to one’ moral victory. I feel hope because of that. It feels as though he understands that the area he’s coming from isn’t entirely tenable, and that because of that, he may start to feel sympathy.
I’m not sure who else is actually still a member of the hero’s team, though. But the heroes, by and large, aren’t stupid thugs. They may be a bit more secure in their righteousness than they deserve to be, but they got into this business because they wanted to help people. And they’ve worked alongside Skitter. Their greatest flaw at the moment is pride, feeling ashamed that a villain is doing more to be the hero than they are. But they’re going to have to start trusting her eventually, and it’ll be a glorious day when they do.
Probably also deeply tragic, but glorious.
A good point. Pissing off the local villains is one thing, but pissing off organized labor? Hoo boy.
I propose that the local union-affiliated mobsters change the term from “sleeping with the fishes” to “going on a date with Cherish”.
Ahahahaha! Nice one.
Psycho Gecko presents “You can’t unthink it.”
Well, I suppose if they strap one of those fleshlite thingies to her…
…So they can sob and SWEAR that they’ve never had THOSE problems before, it’s not heer, it’s them… Even as her crushing despair crushes their self-worth even further, until they just give up on life, the mortification at being emasculated amplified by her emotion control ratcheted up to eleven.
So, like any other date?
I think i found what skitter needs to breed http://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp
Weaponized mantis shrimp would get her a kill order.
Of course, enforcing it would require that they get past the mantis shrimp first, so it might not matter.
taliesinskye on April 10, 2013 at 15:18 said:
They breathe water, sadly.
Hasn’t stopped Skitter from using bugs before; Have a few tanks of water moved into place by crabs, then have the mantis shrimp wrapped up in spider silk and lifted to the target and either used until dead or done in strafing runs and returned to the water.
chaos985 on April 10, 2013 at 22:10 said:
“OH MY GOD IM BEING ATTACKED BY RAINBOWS!”
Oooh, like we were separated at birth. Still, Psycho Shrimp is a little lackluster of a name, and I have this feeling like a lawyer demon is circling me if I consider Psycho Mantis.
The thing with the claws reminds me of the Pistol Shrimp, who pull the same trick, creating a pressurized bubble in the water that very temporarily becomes as hot as the sun. They’re not as flamboyant as Mantis Shrimp though.
Squivler on April 11, 2013 at 09:43 said:
Same family I think.
Hmm, cape with crustacean based powers.
Well Skitter can already control crabs…
Crow on April 10, 2013 at 00:16 said:
Why intimidate Tagg, when Tattletale can find the files? Take the juicy hard drives, crack them later at Tattletale’s leisure. Or sell them. Tagg is nothing but trouble, yet Taylor didn’t put a bullet in his head from his own gun. Foolish. Also, crippling their infrastructure would have been such a better attack. “It’s bugs in the system. No, really. They ate the insulation off and shortcircuited every vehicle, computer, tinker device, and camera in our headquarters.”
Also of note, whoever takes down Butcher may well end up inheriting the powers. That just seems to paint a target on Butcher.
Not since it was established that if you werent a part of the Teeth, the voices would drive you mad; doesnt seem worth the trouble.
Kytin on April 10, 2013 at 06:44 said:
You really think Taylor ought to have killed Tagg?
Even if you leave the moral issue aside, what good would it do? This is the third director that the undersiders have had to deal with, and none of the previous ones were any better. What makes you think that whoever they replace him with would be any more reasonable?
Piggy may have been a bigot, but she was smart. Tagg is just a dumb but sly brute. He sees value in PR, but only so it slanders his enemies and raises his name on high, instead of serving the people he’s meant to protect.
It also sends a stronger message. Fuck with an Undersiders’ identity or break the agreement, get put down.
I don’t pretend that it is moral. It is, in my opinion, a stronger play, that would protect Taylor and many others. If her intent is to hit the suits calling the shots, then really hit them. Don’t just leave welts.
It also makes the BB PRT Director position even less desirable. “So how long did my predecessor hold the job?” “Less than a week.” “Yeah, no, thanks.”
I believe they did in fact cripple their infrastructure. Bitch went to town outside destroying all their big vehicles, skitter went inside and bugged the place out. We know the bugs can cut through wiring, and that detail isnt very important to be included really, but it can be assumed to have happened.
Not to mention any emergeny medical supplies, foodstuffs, and survival gear they may have had in the building has just become contaminated. They also know that Skitter can use the bugs to eavesdrop if she pleases, so the PRT is going to have to fumigate the place extremely thoroughly. Bonus points if Taylor infested the barracks with bedbugs.
MrVoid on April 12, 2013 at 09:59 said:
That does raise the question of why Tt decided to come along. I can understand if it was just for Taylor’s sake but out of all the Undersiders, i expect her to have an ulterior motive.
Hobbes on April 10, 2013 at 00:44 said:
Tagg’s right. In the long run, not many will remember the Undersiders’ brief reign, unless they rule for *years.* Even then, maybe not. And it’s clear that they don’t have a long-term plan. Plus, regarding Cauldron…you could argue that they’re “good” from a utilitarian perspective. How many have the Triumvirate alone saved, indirectly, fighting against Endbringers alone?
I wonder if Skitter will kill Butcher, and that’s why she’s different when the apocalypse rolls around. That would actually be pretty cool.
Shatterbird’s theme? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRa_rEEav2E
beyondperformant on April 10, 2013 at 08:31 said:
Here is a plot device. Rig it so Mrs General Tagg kills Butcher. That way when she starts hearing voices and having uncontrollable homicidal urges she will have more than coffee and donuts for the boys.
The Undersiders don’t have a long term plan? Sure they do, it’s called “survive till next week, then we’ll make a new plan”.
Give them a few months of breathing room, like they might get in a couple of years if the world doesn’t actually end, and then investing in some long term goals becomes pretty reasonable.
As for Cauldron/the Triumvirate? Even from a utilitarian perspective they’re looking pretty shaky. If the world needs more “good” parahumans, then the way they’re going about producing them seems pretty inefficient.
I’d also like to see even a flashback where the non-Scion heroes actually drove off an Endbringer. So far the batting average for the world seems to 0.000 on that score. The Triumvirate keeps getting credit as being the ones that the world will collapse without, but all we’ve seen them do is buy time for the real problem solver to show up. As a note: Armsmaster and Skitter also managed to buy time, so, yeah, not seeing Alexandria being all that critical really.
Here’s a thought. Tagg tries that ‘take them in for questioning’ thing with people in Skitter’s territory and Skitter steps in to defend her people from the PRT.
Scrambles on April 10, 2013 at 04:18 said:
Last night I had a dream that all of us readers and wildbow got together for some kind of Worm convention. Nobody wore nametags or identified with their commenter names so that we didn’t know who anybody was. We were mostly trying to figure out who wildbow and PG were.
I figured out who wildbow was by finding the one person not arguing about the morality of the characters XD. Never did find PG though.
wildbow on April 10, 2013 at 09:12 said:
You’re clever in your dreams.
Honestly, that’s how I’d do it, as an outsider.
Also you were carrying a bag of ice. That may be me unconsciously stereotyping Canadians? If so, I apologize. I live in Texas, so I just assume that people who live much farther north really like cold things.
Man, this really makes me want to have a Worm-Con or something. That would be so damn cool >.<
Jakinbandw on April 10, 2013 at 15:04 said:
I live in Winnipeg Canada and the snow is melting right now. The rivers are still frozen though.
I actually wanna turn my air conditioning on; It’s too hot and the building I live in uses the old timey water heaters, so we either have them on full blast making the apartment too hot, or not on, making us freeze. -.-;
alexanderthesoso on April 10, 2013 at 15:55 said:
Damn, Wildbow! They know our plans to send me in as a decoy with a bag of ice (because I’m a COOL customer)
Nice ice baby, dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun. Give them the idea like that and the Canadians will try and blend in to the Southern U.S. by drinking Ice-T. Or even start flavoring their liquor on the rocks with some Vanilla Ice.
But still, icy what you did there.
Instead of a bag of ice, look for the Slurpee cup.
There’s something I’m having a difficult time buying. Alexandria was the head of the PRT, and set it up specifically to blunt any damage between capes and the rest of the population. But… the PRT, it seems, is practically overwhelmed with bigots. How can this be? I’m not sure about this. If anyone else were in charge, I’d get it – but Alexandria is practically the essence of intelligent and observant, at least according to her description… and the PRT is her baby. There’s no way she could have overlooked this problem. What’s going on?
Honestly, I’m surprised that Tagg is the first person we see who acts like this. The PRT may have been led by and revolve around superheroes, but Tagg is exactly the kind of small-minded, self-important bureaucrat that tends to rise high in government organizations.
Because they don’t care about doing the right thing, they’re better at bootlicking and backstabbing their way up the ladder while their peers are struggling to solve real issues. These are the guys who get people trying to make a difference fired so that they can take their office, who do things like run Guantanamo Bay and turn over POWs to foreign torturers so that they have extra bullet points on their resume.
Alathon on April 10, 2013 at 15:56 said:
This can’t be emphasized enough. Corporate/bureaucratic environments reward all manner of unethical behavior and tend to punish employees unwilling to give themselves a leg up by tearing their co-workers down.
” Corporate/bureaucratic environments reward all manner of unethical behavior”
No. No, they don’t. There are plenty of corrupt people in the world, but it is not the predominant trait of corporations or government entities.
I’ve worked at fortune 500’s, and experienced a few small pieces of the government/military world,and the only universal constant for behavior between them was that they were all different from each other – a difference usually determined by the people in charge and the corporate culture. SOME rewarded bad behavior (a coke-snorting drill sergeant comes to mind…) while OTHERS rewarded honestly, and still others were blue and orange morality which doesn’t match up with any thorough definition of honest OR corrupt.
The culture of the PRT higher ups seems to be one of clear bigotry. And it’s jarring. It doesn’t make sense. It should not be a given that this is true. There’s something else going on, here. That’s what I’m saying.
Is it possible that, in the Wormverse, veterans who can’t adjust to civilian life, rather than joining the Foreign Legion or PMCs in some random country, just go to the PRT instead? It’s a self-selecting pool of unstable individuals.
Actually, corporation environments DOES engender unethical behaviour, because of how people are promoted beyond their level of ability, rather than stay where they are most useful- It’s known as the Peter Principle. When you have incompetent people in the higher echelons of management, which is what any corporation will tend to- Not out of some concept of wanting to tear themselves down from the inside, but because competency is rewarded with a higher level position until the person having gotten the better position is not capable enough to continue getting a higher and better position.
A good example is a superb engineer who is taken off the floor and put into the role of a supervisor, because he’s done such a good job- That requires a whole different set of responsibilities and capabilities within the management branch of talents, and many people who are raised up like that don’t have the experience or inherant ability to manage well- Even though they Engineer really well, in this example, they cannot manage and are seen as mediocre- And in fact would likely do far better if he was able to return to his old job than to continue as a supervisor. There are going to be those whose skillsets are optimal for supervisory positions- But they’ll prove to be good enough at their job that they, in turn, will end up getting promoted, until they eventually aren’t able to handle the work they are to do beyond a mediocre level and stop getting promotions. Thus, the entire business stack tends towards mediocrity. Certainly it won’t just go to shit all at once, but over time the current model of business is set up to move that way.
Executives have known about the Peter Principle for a loooong time. Let me throw a few other terms at you: Kaizen, Six Sigma, horizontal management structures (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-27/why-there-are-no-bosses-at-valve), TQM…
Just because something has an organization chart does not mean it’s prone to inefficiency, corruption or bigotry. DARPA is a fine example: a government agency that is not what anybody really thinks it is, is amazingly productive and is probably a good model for what a *real* PRT would look like: (http://www.amazon.com/Department-Mad-Scientists-Remaking-Artificial/dp/0062000659)
Fact is, there’s a competitive structure between government agencies that tends to discourage blatant idiocy at higher levels. It also tends to discourage bigots and the corrupt. Not perfectly, but much better than the popular conception of things, as illustrated by these responses. So, I repeat: I find the bigotry and tactics of the PRT jarring and questionable, given that their leader was a hyperintelligent cape whose goal was to reduce friction btn. norms and capes, AND given that government agencies are NOT always inherently prone to collecting idiots of this nature – at least not in real life.
Small-minded, self-important bureaucrats may make for interesting literary adversaries, but IRL they are not statistically favored over open-minded and perceptive bureaucrats when promotions happen. This is a characterization device, not a fundamental law of employment.
Well, there’s the reason Alexandria *says* she setup the PRT, and then there’s her actual reasons. We’re privy to one, but the evidence we’re seeing points to the other being different in some way.
Or, possibly, an organization such as the PRT is simply too big for someone like Alexandria to micromanage and with the level of power it deals with this is the best she was able to manage with the resources that were available.
His eyes studied me, as though he were making an assessment. His words were gruff, the gravelly burr of a long time smoker. He very deliberately set the gun down on the desk, then replied, “Because you are not the law. I am the law.”
“Has to be. The ones at the top handle the compromising. They assess where the boundaries need to be broken down, which threats are grave enough. My job is to get the criminals off the streets and out of the cities. I am the law.”
“You started a fight in a school. What are you, a 12 year old?”
“Didn’t know it was a school until the capes were already landing,” he replied. “Had to choose, either we let you go, and you were keeping an eye out for trouble from then on, or we push the advantage. I AM THE LAW!”
“Sure, go ahead, trust the people who were so right about catching me before. They know all about me, don’t they? You ever notice how I beat the motherfucking odds from a goddamn oracle?”
Someone behind me screamed as a group of my hornets flew to him to deliver a series of stings across his face. Behind them flew several more hornets with an MP3 player that blasted “Flight of the Bumblebees”.
“Ride of the Valkyries is overused. Besides, inflicting pain isn’t the point.”
“Seem to be doing a good job of it. Almost as good a job as I am doing at BEING THE LAW.” he commented.
“There are heroes on their way back from patrol, your guys called them in. But there’s also news teams on the way here. We called those guys in. They’ll find your employees covered in welts, every PRT van damaged or trashed. Your employees won’t be able to get any cars out of the parking lot, so they’ll have to walk, which will make for some photo opportunities. Maybe offer the women here a calendar deal. A handful of heroes will have full underwear. You can try running damage control, but some of it’s bound to hit the news.”
“Uh huh, have I ever told you how I am-,” he said.
“I couldn’t let you get off without a response from us,” I interrupted.
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“Game? Little girl, this is a war,” his voice took on a hard edge.
“War? Huh, good god, y’all. What is it good for?” I said.
“Absolutely everything. You can’t win forever, because I. Am. The. Law,” he said.
I had a response to that. “This isn’t a war. In war, people can surrender and go back home. You, you little shit, decided to make this where I can’t surrender. You gave me no choice but death or life imprisonment. You want to know what’s next? What’s next is I order some dung beetles to crawl in there and get takeout, that’s what’s next.”
“The world ends in two, bitch. Try me.”
“And like a lot of institutions, you’re full of crazy people with delusions of being great leaders in history.”
“No. They didn’t pick me to head this city’s PRT division because I’m a winner, Ms. Taylor. Because I’m not. They picked me because I’m a scrapper. I’m a survivor. Sure, I wasn’t here in the city when all the bad shit went down. I was off patrolling the mean streets of Greenwich, Connecticut, taking down foursomes strapped with nines coming off the green. I’m the type that’s content to get the shit kicked out of me, so long as I give the other guy a bloody nose, like that time the old woman rushed the buffet at the country club. I’m a stubborn motherfucker, I won’t be intimidated, and I won’t give up, no matter how much the police, FBI, CIA, NSA, ATF, DEA, ASPCA, KFC, NCAA, EPA, ACLU, NAP, GOP, TVA, TNA, WWE, WWF, WCW, NAACP, army, navy, airforce, and the so-called ‘President of the United States’ want me to. The last few Directors in Brockton Bay were like syphilis that you treated with penicillin, but I’m here to stay like herpes.”
“The last few Directors gave me the same speech. One of them did this job with one kidney because she was one of two people take on Nilbog and live. The other could split into two different universes for twice as many tries at me and was the other one to take on Nilbog and live. You’re his replacement. Good luck finding the body.”
“Jenny Craig is a system. Obesity is an epidemic.”
I felt a knot in my stomach. “Oh yeah, pull in a local labor leader whose daughter was bullied into becoming a villain. Talk about being a dumbass. How many times did your parents have to drop you on your head for you to become smart enough to read?”
“It’s a war of attrition,” Tagg said. “I’ll find the cracks, I’ll wear down and break each of you. If you’re lucky, then five years from now they’ll remember your names, speaking them in the same breath as they talk about the kid villains who were dumb enough to think they could conquer a city. Soon enough, you’ll go the way of Genghis Khan. Some obscure, barely-known wannabe conqueror who tried to defeat China in the Boxer Rebellion. But you’ll notice, they still wear tighty whities in China. I! AM! THE! LAW!”
I approached the desk and turned around the photo frames. The second showed Tagg with his wife and two young women. A family portrait. Given the family’s looks, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a Picasso.
“Two, going to universities halfway across the world. Because I’m such a loyal, ooh rah, goddamn American.”
His mindset was all ‘us versus them’. Good guys versus the bad where “good” was defined as the institution. Don’t let the smoking gun be a mushroom cloud, that kind of thing.
It wasn’t much, but it served to confirm the conclusion I’d already come to. Dinah had volunteered the information. Whatever else Director Tagg was, he wasn’t the type to abuse a girl who’d been through what Dinah had. He was just the type to abuse a girl who’d been through everything I had, totally ignoring the fact that I’ve been picked on, tortured, beaten on, hit on, had crappy lesbian fanfiction written about me, and I went toe to toe with Leviathan, Jack Slash, Mannequin, and Echidna while he sat behind a desk somewhere using his service pistol as a fleshlite.
“Wow, some war here. What, they fly you in with the 82nd Airborne, give you a special posting with body armor? You at risk of being captured and raped by a bunch of medieval fundamentalists?,” I said. “And you stand by your husband? You buy this bullshit?”
“I’m illustrating a point. I had your gun right there, could have shot you, and rather than do the smart thing, you reached for an ankle gun. I could have shot you, but that would have gotten blood on my costume, and you don’t get blood on my costume, motherfucker, are you outside your mind?” I asked.
My bugs drifted away from Mrs. Tagg. She was uninjured, without a welt or blemish, but with several penises drawn onto her face by bugs tugging along markers. She backed into the corner as the bugs loomed between her and her husband.
“Not sure. Common sense doesn’t change my mind in the slightest. I am-!,” Tagg said.
I didn’t respond. The swarm shifted locations and dogpiled him. Stubborn as he professed to be, he started screaming quickly enough. If the smell coming from his trousers was any indication, the dung beetles would feast tonight.
eduardo on April 10, 2013 at 10:36 said:
Funny. And really ilustrates some important points.
But lets be realistic here, Taylor got an empty victory.
Well, in her place I would walk by the Prostated Regular Teochrats everyday and destroy some of their machines.
Bug their computers, destroy delicate parts of their cars. Clog the bathrooms …
Just to make it expensive for the government to keep them working.
Anzer'ke on April 10, 2013 at 13:48 said:
It actually crystalised a thought for me. Namely that Danny Hebert may be fragile when it comes to his family but professionally he’s still a labour spokesperson, one who stuck it out through the Bay’s worst times.
In other words a) He probably has a fair bit of credit with the kind of people who will be appreciative of the Undersiders reinvigorating the city. and b) He’s unlikely to be all that phased by some police grilling. I got the impression that union situation has been pretty bad, for all we know he may have undergone that kind of thing before.
those are actually REALLY good points.
I imagine the interrogation would be more about building up a sense of intimacy, then exploiting it. You know, “Help us help your daughter,” (false) promises of leniency/amnesty, and so on.
Reveen on April 10, 2013 at 19:23 said:
His job is organizing labor in a city that’s pretty much post-Katrina New Orleans with superpowered white supremacists and serial killers. I have no problem whatsoever with believing that Danny, Kurt and their posse can be more hardcore than this desk jockey dickhead and his goon squad.
I mean, shit. It’s barely out of the Slaughterhouse Nine rampage when they we’re slamming back beers before heading to yell at a town meeting. What makes Tagg think that people aren’t going to stir shit if he starts messing with them?
On the other hand, losing a few hours to interrogation several times a week would wear on anyone.
Assuming the union didn’t riot after the first few times, and Tagg didn’t get in trouble for unlawful imprisonment (or whatever the appropriate crime is), and the Undersiders didn’t take advantage of the predictable PRT target to beat up a PRT team and go joyriding in their containment van…for Tagg’s sake, I hope that was an idea he came up with on the spot and not his secret master plan.
I’d rip the hard drives out of as many computers as possible. Good source of info, AND it’ll piss them off to no end.
What is this I don’t even…
I do these sometimes. People have generally like them, except for the one with the Travelers. The part about Sktter having crappy lesbian fanfiction has to do with other rewrites I’ve done. Which reminds me, I think think there was one heavy on the Pulp Fiction and Zero Wing that I need to hunt down. At least I know which phrases to check for.
In fact, looking back at the first one of these I did, waaaaaay back with Legend’s speech before fighting Leviathan, that prompted Wildbow to say something about me having my own story.
I know what it -is-, but that doesn’t make me boggle any less than I did reading it initially. >.o;
Oh, like you’re the only one writing crappy lesbian fanfic about Skitter. There are probably people in Brockton Bay who do that, knowing full well they risk a lifetime supply of cockroaches if she ever tracks them down.
It’s even possible someone like Greg wrote some, before realizing he knew Skitter. At which point he started writing self-insert fanfic.
(Celebrity fanfic is surprisingly popular. I don’t get it either, but I can comfortably guess that capes would make it even more so.)
we need a button to filter Psyco Gecko comments.
I havent decided if its to show them, or hide them, but we really need a filter.
There is one. But it’s a big orange button at the corner of every one of his comments that reads ‘unapprove’, and only I can see it.
Oh god no, please dont wildbow, PG’s comments are hilarious.
If you want to see PG’s comments, just use the find function on your browser.
Fans on April 11, 2013 at 02:41 said:
What if he does do that and what we see is only an edited Psycho Gecko?
The pure stuff may be too ruinous for sane people’s health.
It’s gotten so bad that sometimes the comments I post that don’t have any links in them will be held up to be approved.
But psh, you know you love me. In like a strictly heterosexual, “Grunt just fell out of a hospital, climbed the Krogan memorial statue, lit a C-Sec aircar on fire, jacked the flaming cop car, and avoiding getting put in containment foam because he was on fire” kind of way.
I believe there IS a way to highlight individual users the way your posts are highlighted, but I do not know the method in the particular plugin you are using.
soulpelt on April 12, 2013 at 17:02 said:
Think it’s cos Wildbow is the author.
Trusting on April 12, 2013 at 00:24 said:
I kinda wish PG would just link his stories instead of posting them in whole on the forums .
You wound me.
That’s no fun, especially since there’s no link to World Domination in Retrospect here. I thought if I asked you’d set that up for me like with Tieshaunn.
I guess that’s just the way the bowling ball bounces.
Please, let it stay as it is. PG tales are a fun way to wait for the next chapter. Those that do not want to read them may simply jump his comments.
Mishie on April 10, 2013 at 10:25 said:
What I’m curious about is what Tagg is actually planning on doing to deal with the Undersiders, because well, sure threatening Danny sounds big and scary, but well, what exactly is it meant to do? Even if he did go through with the threat of bringing Danny in every time the Undersiders do something, well, all it does is waste his time, and if they do anything more than that they’ll cause a shitstorm.
Thing is though, Tagg isn’t stupid, sure he took a gamble with targetting Skitter as Taylor, but he was taking advantage of a huge opportunity that he didn’t know would ever happen again, with Skitter being isolated from not only the rest of the Undersiders, but most likely a large amount of her bugs. When you add in the fact that a reliable preocog told him that they had an almost 100% chance of capturing her, it was the perfect start to his Directorship. Sure there would have been some bad PR about targetting her when she wasn’t Skitter, but it would have been easy to spin it so that she was attacking somebody/thing whilst she wasn’t in costume to be stealthy or something.
The way I see it, the PRT probably has teams of profilers going over what they know about the Undersiders and are using the new information about Taylor to try to get inside her head to figure out how to take her down. Hell, even though they didn’t capture her, we’ve already seen how much it’s messed with her head, and when you add in the threat to Danny, things may start to fall apart for Skitter. Or it will just force her to become stronger to deal with the new problems, 50/50 :P.
AA Bacontaters on April 10, 2013 at 11:54 said:
Happy Birthday Wildbow!
Happy Birthday, Wildbow!!! Thanks for the many gifts you give us! Be well!
Feliz aniversário ! (happy birthday)
Muito dinheiro no bolso e saúde para dar e vender. (Lots of money in the pocket and health enough to give and to sell).
Yes, happy birthday! Happy wormday! Happy all the days!
Here’s your birthday song 😀
Psycho Gecko puts on a vinyl version of the 1812 Overture, except that when it comes time for the guns to fire the first five times, each one coincides with an explosion at Mr. Rushmore replacing a face with Tattletale, Grue, Regent, and Skitter. Followed by everyone wondering who the younger girl is who got her mug blasted onto the mountain.
A big cake is wheeled in and the next blasts coincide with first Scion, then Assault and Battery, and then Miss Militia all popping out of it each time Wildbow tries to go for the cake, being helplessly knocked away each time while going “Nuuuuu!”, leaving a much smaller cake behind.
*boom boom!* Cut to the Statue of Liberty destroyed and the Simurgh standing there with a tiara on holding a torch. *na na na na na na na, boom boom!* Behemoth bursts out of the ground under the Eiffel tower while wearing a beret, destroying it. *na na na na na na na, boom!* Leviathan crashes through the Tower of London and grabs a human skull delicately, kneeling and raising it up as if to speak to Yorick.
*Boom!* Hookwolf pulls himself out of the water, covered in hooked fish.
*Boom!* Jack Slash preps and cuts them into sushi
*Boom!* Bonesaw’s spiders bring out the trays of sushi
The rest of the booms are concerned when they all rush to your birthday party, slipping on deflated cake and crashing into each other. Simurgh winds up on Behemoth’s shoulder, singing something about 15 Men on a Dead Man’s Chest, while Behemoth wears an eyepatch and Leviathan is left hobbling on a peg leg with a hook in place of one claw. Jack Slash steps on a rake, smacking him in the nose. Miss Militia accidentally shoots the punchbowl and gets knocked down as it flows out and is tripped over by a stumbling Jack Slash. Hookwolf accidentally activates a magnet, flying out fo the room. He’s soon joined by Assault, winding up in a compromising position. Battery starts throwing lit birthday candles at Hookwolf’s head for messing with her man.
Bonesaw hops on Skitter’s back for a spontaneous piggyback ride. She’s batted off by Tattletale, who tries to get Skitter into a kissing contest between her and Grue. Her attempts are interrupted by Imp who plants one on Skitter and activates her power before Grue can wallop her with a plate of sushi. Instead, he hits Regent, whose power backfires and causes Tattletale to start disco dancing.
Above the chaos is Wildbow, taking notes, being held aloft by Scion. The pair share a look, with Scion rolling his eyes like “I don’t know what’s up with these wacky people.”
And just then Psycho Gecko leaps out with a “Ta daa!” holding a big banner that says “Happy Birthday Wildbow” until Scion zaps him, leaving only a pile of ash and the Happy Birthday banner behind.
Fap Fap Fap.
Happy birthday Overlord Wildbow! 😀
Happy B-day, mate.
Great Greedy Guts on April 10, 2013 at 18:17 said:
Happy Birthday! Huzzah!
Oh, alright. I’ll say it too.
Happy Birthday, Wildbow, you sadistic little Canuck!
Congratulations! Like a fine wine, you get better as the years go by! And to many, many more!
underwhelmingforce on April 10, 2013 at 21:10 said:
The happiest birthday! I would say to take a day off if I thought I could handle the suspense.
I took today off. Been a busy couple of weeks, with Easter weekend, family coming to visit the weekend immediately after, and my birthday/father’s birthday this week. No bonus chapter tonight. Then I hope to do one bonus chapter a week for the next few weeks to get caught up.
Or, if people want, perhaps regular chapters on an updated schedule, for less in the way of interruptions to the main narrative.
I would prefer the regular chapters on an updated schedule, too many possibilities for where this is going to wait!
Perhaps a mix, alternating between them. Interludes are easier to write than regular chapters. Less attention needed to continuity, in large part.
A mix is good — but so is extra regular chapters. And so is just regular bonus interludes. And so is building up a buffer and having another interludes week. Any of it would be awesome. 😀
Aww… but happy birthday nonetheless! I try not to work on my birthday when I can help it 🙂
Camo005 on April 10, 2013 at 23:52 said:
Happy Birthday, just started reading Worm this past week, cant wait for the next chapter which would be…Saturday? I dont really know your schedule
@Camo005: Indeed – regular updates are Tuesday and Saturday.
I update one minute after midnight, so it’s essentially Monday/Friday at midnight, EST, sometimes Wednesdays, as time allows (except a minute or two later than that).
happy birthday! enjoy it. I think you’ve worked your ass off enough, you’re making the rest of us look bad!
peter o on April 10, 2013 at 22:13 said:
May you have many more.
Happy birthday! In lieu of a birthday present, I’ll go add Worm to a bunch of trope pages. 😛
(p.s. if anyone wants to help: open the page in one tab/window and the ‘related to’ page in another and look for tropes on the former and not the latter. I’m going to do the A’s tonight.)
This man knows what’s up.
I figure an adult human being should be able to pick up on a hint after having it spelled out explicitly for him the fourth or fifth time in a row. 😀
Well, could probably stand to do away with “Needs More Love” at this point.
@Psycho Gecko: …probably. I imagine at this point it doesn’t need that one extra wick.
Adam on April 10, 2013 at 23:38 said:
Happy birthday, mate.
qwerty77753 on April 11, 2013 at 00:29 said:
Yay, Happy birth day!
No One in Particular on April 11, 2013 at 01:06 said:
Happy birthday…oh yeah, it’s Thursday. Well, hope you had a good one. You know, I started reading worm almost immediately after my birthday, funny enough, so this was a wonderful “present”. Can’t thank you enough in a thousand years for this story, so I’ll just say I hope worm and your birthday brought you as much joy as reading this brings me.
Galiana on April 11, 2013 at 01:22 said:
Happy Birthday!(sorry if it’s a day late, because of where I am, the time zone difference makes it confusing)
Three Lefts Make a Right on April 11, 2013 at 02:17 said:
The Sandman on April 11, 2013 at 06:32 said:
alex emm on April 11, 2013 at 11:41 said:
It would appear I’m late to the party.
… Ah well, better late than never.
What I want to see is what the group Weld was leading does (I don’t really remember what they were called at the moment.) I’ve been wondering how they’re going to respond to the situation. They are technically heroes, but the PRT has pretty well screwed them over by now, on top of pulling a pretty dirty stunt with Taylor/Skitter’s identity. Honestly, I just think that group provides such an opportunity for drama (the good kind) that they are most definitely going to feature at least occasionally, but I’m not sure where their allegiances lie (also how do they get funding?)
Judging by the (non-canon) interlude a while back, they’re going to be working as superheroes on a mercenary basis. Probably hiring themselves out to local governments.
I expected them to come into conflict with the Undersiders. I wouldn’t begrudge them an attempt to ousted them with some good old fashioned superheroing without the PRT’s dirty tactics. But now trying to take Skitter in would just make it look like they’re cleaning up the hero’s messes for them.
Perhaps the undersiders could hire them.
That… wouldn’t work. It’s a Luke Cage and Iron Fist deal, they’re the good guys except they get paid for it.
It’s probably unfair to call them mercenaries. Because normal heroes get paychecks too, the Irregulars are just freelancing.
Brockton Bay needs good guys, and why should the Undersiders be stuck dealing with everything if they’ve got the money to sponsor a hero team to pick up the slack? It’d be sketchy as hell, sure. It’d also be a hilarious way to thumb their nose at the more reactionary elements of the PRT, though it didn’t look like Weld wanted to go that way.
they could also do it ala coil, and have maybe grue or imp fund them in civies.
Most of the undersiders’ work nowadays is helping rebuild or going after worse villains than they are, which really isn’t villainous at all.
They’re called The Irregulars. They do, in fact, get government resources, presumably out of the PRT/Protectorate/Wards budget.
I have no idea what their plans are at present.
If they’re willing to stomach it, I bet there’s plenty of money to be had plugging holes in cape towns where there’s been a lot of turmoil among the Protectorate or Wards. It’d have a neat sort of vibe to it, too.. “Take your money? Sure. Do your jobs? Sure. Accept you as [i]leaders[/i]? Just… no.”
I must have missed that, Packbat. Where did it say they were getting government resources? I thought they’d struck out totally on their own.
Interlude 19 (Donation Bonus #2).
► Weld (Verified Cape) (Irregulars)
Replied on July 6th, 2011:
I dunno, I’m optimistic. 😉
For the record, I harbor no animosity toward the Protectorate. We’re still attached, and we’re receiving equipment, funding and contacts through them. They were very respectful as a whole, but we got a chance to interact a few weeks ago, and we collectively agreed that while the Protectorate’s plan to build a rapport between us Case-53s (as the Protectorate terms us) and the public was sound (making me leader of the Brockton Bay Wards, for example), it was too slow, and we could do more as a group.
I suppose he could be lying, but it doesn’t seem in character.
AVR on April 11, 2013 at 23:26 said:
How do you do quotes/formatting in these comments, BTW?
@AVR: Some HTML tags are allowed. I believe em, i, b, strong, a href=, and
all work — I don’t recall trying any others.
wildbow:
> Also del, ins, ul, ol, li, code, lookup.
What’s “lookup”? del, ins,
ul & li
ol & li
and code are all familiar, but “lookup” I haven’t heard of.
@ Packbat – realized after the fact that it was a built-in way to search a dictionary of what the individual tags meant. (Posted my comment, then went to edit it to see menu where the buttons with individual features were listed, tried each, realized it wasn’t that useful, removed).
Weird. I clearly misremembered that part. I got something different out of it. (Of course, there’s so much to absorb in that interlude, it shouldn’t surprise me.)
It`s implicit in the “internet forum” of a few chapters ago. Weld does not say the truth about why he left and states that they are getting funds.
ThingsAndSuch on April 10, 2013 at 22:39 said:
Oh, damnation… I just HAD to look up what “imago” meant. Did not need to see that wikipedia page at all…
What?! What do you mean? That has to be one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen!!!!
I think it looked pretty awesome. Those wings looked awesome. and green.
*reads this* Well dang, now I /have/ to see what their talking about.
*one wikipedia viewing later*
… Y’know, you could’ve mentioned the picture moved.
Pictures don’t move, its a .gif of timelapsed images.
It could still have been mentioned, is all I’m saying.
Thank you to Max for the donation.
Thanks Max!
Last night I realized something based on the following facts:
* Alexandria and by extension the PRT work for cauldron
* Cauldron’s plans were improved by coil taking over Brockton Bay
* Cauldron seems to be fine with skitter and the undersiders running/ruling the bay
* Accord is working directly for cauldron
* The new PRT director who apparently doesn’t have much common sense
Clearly cauldron wants capes in positions of power, see: alexandria’s positions, the triumverat, coil’s ambitions, and now they are pinning their plans on the udersiders who are trying to rule over a city.
Now lets look at their actions recently: they install an incompetent director in the very city where the undersiders have both begun becoming popular and have taken down 2 previous directors. If anything this move will likely lead to the PRT branch becoming ineffectual and allow the undersiders to increase their hold over the city. However cauldron isn’t relinquishing influence on the city because they have accord and his flunkies (of whom he is getting even more recruits).
Accord is definitely planning on dispatching the undersiders at some point in the future, judging by his conversation with citrine and othello last chapter. Once he’s done that, he and by extension cauldron will have control over brockton bay, moreso than they had as the PRT. They will also have control over the portal.
Now we have to ask what does cauldron gain by creating and experimenting on capes, and how does gaining control over cities help whatever cause they have?
Well for starters, they are creating an army of capes indebted to them (many who are charismatic and powerful), and are developing stronger powered capes each time.
They are likely constantly learning more and more about how powers work and what causes them, and probably know much more than bonesaw and tattletale combined (well, not if they were really combined, but both of their current knowledge about powers combined). If I recall correctly, we’ve seen a trigger event from a vial, and the ‘passengers’ do NOT like being forced onto a person.
They already have the power to cross realities relatively freely, and it is assumed the ‘passengers’ come from one of these realities (or possibly in the space between them). With the brockton bay portal, they eventually will have another way to cross realities (though I doubt they would have known about this beforehand).
It has been speculated that endbringers are essentially these passengers in crystalline form, and we’ve seen the damage one of these monstrosities can do. Now I havent verified this, but I would assume that because natural triggers produce more villains, and cauldron is actively making capes, that naturally in any fight against an endbringer, said endbringer brings down more cauldron capes than natural capes. Its not that big of a leap to imagine cauldron accidentally made the endbringers when they were first working out the powers in a bottle, especially because the endbringers and powers seem to be linked, as evidenced by the fact that neither have been seen in other realities despite the potential. I would hazard a guess that cauldron is planning on attacking/defending against/harnessing the main power that gives powers to capes, and their activities at the moment are geared around consolidating power in this reality and gaining more powered troops to rely on when said event happens in ~2 years.
But thats just what I thought everything pointed to, I could be completely wrong.
Wow, this is actually kinda brilliant. If Wildbow has something else in store for us, I would be surprised if it deviated largely from the main points you outlined. Well said.
I honestly hope I’m wrong on multiple accounts because this story is too damn good for me to accidentally spoil. I will admit there are a lot of plot holes in going this route, but I was trying to tie in everything I know of the story so far, general tropes for a story of this caliber, and we clearly still dont have the whole script. This is just one of the ways I think it could go down.
Also, see every curveball wildbow’s thrown at us with this story, even with several commentators who clearly enjoy cape literature and tropes (see skitter NOT being arrested by D&D last chapter), I’m fairly certain most of what I wrote is wrong but I will be happy to argue semantics and theories till saturday.
This is why I tossed Wildbow a email with potential spoilers before putting it up here to make sure it’s okay. 😛
hm, thats actually a good idea, but seeing as none of us have any idea besides wildbow, I think I’d rather discuss possible ideas than have them be confirmed/denied by wildbow directly.
I don’t think anything here is necessarily spoiler-ish mainly because I am basing everything off of what I remember from everything that has been posted before. If I had direct confirmation from wildbow, that WOULD be spoilers because I could be confident that it will happen later in the story.
For the record, I won’t/can’t say anything particular in relation to emails like that. As Clarvel states, it spoils, and I’m not willing/wanting to spoil anything prior to it happening in-story.
Two exceptions, really. I have an online buddy, a fellow writer, who I’ve outlined the main story arc to (insofar as I had anything sketched out), but he doesn’t read Worm (that may be a bad sign). I also have one buddy who I explained the Guts & Glory storyline to, up to her being possibly incarcerated. He does/did read Worm, but rarely comments.
As such, the emails don’t really do anything. I appreciate the sentiment, but there’s no point where I can say, “That’s not ok,” without revealing that there’s something that’s problematic/spoilery in the content of the email.
As far as I’m concerned, speculate away. If you guess right, then that’s ok. I’ll cope.
It’s well thought out but I don’t think it’s entirely correct in Cauldron’s goals. I think that Cauldron is wanting to create a situation where people are being lead/ruled by an individual with powers and the people accept it. So what they want is an example of a prosperous place being lead by a parahuman who is popular with said heroes.
*said civilians in that place. Not heroes.
Right, but once you have a model city like that, its not a stretch to see other capes following said model, as thats what models are for. This would then lead to multiple cities with capes in charge, and ties back into what I was talking about.
I only disagree on one thing, Cauldron doesn’t have to force out the Undersiders and take over directly. It’s in their interests to farm local management out to locals who give a damn and who have the legitimacy to keep things running in good order. Why should Cauldron do the legwork of running the world, it’s enough to have the power and influence to see their policies implemented.
Mrmdubois on April 11, 2013 at 22:19 said:
I’ve been thinking on this thing with Skitter’s civilian identity revealed and it’s not the worst that could happen.
She’s not internationally known in all likelihood and the PRT is mainly based in America, Canada and soon Mexico. So that means she can pull the same move a lot of successful criminals do and move to the Bahamas whenever she feels done with Brockton Bay. Or if she feels like moving closer to home just skip through the portal into the unpopulated dimension on the other side.
Also, if the PRT is right about her being a Thinker on top of being a Master that means she has the power to screw over precogs. No wonder she beat Dinah’s odds. If her thinking power is subsidized by her swarms then the bigger her swarm the higher her Thinker score goes and so far we haven’t seen an upper limit to her swarm control. I mean this is pure speculation but if true she could screw over the Simurgh too. This gives her an edge against Accord as well of course.
As for where things are going now, I felt kind of disconnected from Taylor this chapter, but on rereading a few times she seems kind of disconnected from herself, so that’s ok. I am kind of worried about what she’s going to do about the PRT, the other two threats the Teeth and the Fallen are basically just the same old threats, but with the PRT she runs a serious risk of crossing too many lines. I think she’ll be okay if she sticks to her usual M.O. and continues trying to provide for Brockton Bay and build up public support though. She’s definitely a villain, but the city has had worse villains.
If you think Skitter is scary in Brockton Bay, put her in a rainforest.
Vanishing and moving wouldn’t get her relationship with her Dad back. Also, as Skitter in Brockton Bay she has a reputation, good friends and allies, minions, a share in a portal to another universe … it’d be a lot to give up and recreate elsewhere.
She just needs to get Tagg replaced somehow then work out a truce with the PRT. And survive or stop the end of the world of course.
Alvan K. Fleming on April 12, 2013 at 19:31 said:
Only thing I don’t like about this story besides the folks from Cauldron, is the fact that now I have caught up to your postings and have to wait for the next chapter. Thank you for sharing so freely your imaginations with me.
Glad you’ve enjoyed, Alvan.
Welcome to the Wormling fold Alvan. 🙂
Hey Wildbow, do you have anything in particular planned for the second anniversary of Worm?
Good question. Nothing in particular, but depending on how fast the next few arcs progress, there’s one possibility. I don’t want to force it, though. I’d rather get things right in the meantime than rush/prolong the story to time it properly.
Mmkay, sounds great. Also, completely unrelated, but how likely is it that we’ll get a Nilbog POV interlude?
Not very? The one where he was introduced was almost his interlude, despite not being shown from his perspective. No ideas spring to mind with that fellow.
Okay, thanks for the responses. Had plenty of questions, but restricted them to the ones that were least likely to be spoilerish.
No need to step on eggshells around me. If I can’t answer one way or the other, I’ll let you know.
1) It’s mentioned that Weld has properties which renders quite a few powers ineffective against him, does this qualify as a Trump ability?
2) Is a Circus Interlude in the cards?
3) Regarding Jack Slash’s ability, does it seriously /only/ apply to knife edges? Because it seems like a spatial warping function that could have way more applications than he uses it for. Or, alternatively, has he decided to not explore any other possibilities with it?
4) When did the first iteration of the S9 form? Who led them?
5) Did Noelle experience what was called a “Deviation scenario” as was mentioned in 11:7?
6) Is it possible we’ll see Earth Aleph through Genesis’ or Sundancer’s eyes? Since Ballistic already had an Interlude, if I’m not mistaken.
7) Does Scrub have some kind of mental deficiency related to his powers? He seems…off.
8) Is a POV of a Guild member likely?
9) Are there any internationally known capes of the beneficent variety, besides Scion, that aren’t affiliated with a group?
Sorry for the list, I still tried to trim the fat, so to speak.
1) No
2) Possible.
3) Not just knife edges, but by and large, it’s edged weapons only. He finds knives are easier/faster to handle.
4) The first iteration formed twenty years ago. They were a very different group, led by King (mistakenly called Rex in a previous chapter). Jack was a junior member, as was Gray Boy.
5) Yes and no. Deviation scenarios include Weld and Gully.
6) Prrrobably not. I won’t rule anything out, and I can envision one scenario, but it probably wouldn’t be what you’re picturing, and only then if it was specifically asked for.
7) Yes and no. His deficiency isn’t directly due to powers.
8) Possible, but no big ideas in mind.
9) Not really, unless you count, say, a European cape in a geographical region with lots of individual, smaller countries as being ‘internationally known’. It’s a result of the Endbringers, related but not directly linked to the Protectorate. It’s not feasible/economical/efficient to contact a bunch of big-name solo operatives in a time of crisis and arrange to bring them to a specific location, so they either band together/gather others under them and fall in line with the basic preparations that have been set in place, or they fall by the wayside.
4) Would this history be unveiled in story?
9) This actually makes a lot of sense, I’m surprised I didn’t think of it beforehand.
Other random thoughts:
-Would Faultline’s power work on an Endbringer?
-Do you have backstories for all of the characters, named and otherwise?
-Do you have a favorite?
-If she tried, could Bitch use her powers on other creatures besides canines?
-Is there a list somewhere (mental or otherwise) on the particular mindstates that each of the Undersiders were in when they triggered?
-Also, the temp. power increases; is every parahuman privy to them?
Also, thank you very much for humoring me. I really appreciate it.
4) Possibly, probably not.
9) That’s why I’m the writer. 😉
– No.
– No. Many though.
– As it stands, no.
– Yes. In my head.
– Yes and no.
Packbat on May 30, 2013 at 01:39 said:
Belated typo:
With no “said” after the quote, should probably be a period after “war” and “his” capitalized.
Intelligent Fool on July 18, 2013 at 20:41 said:
Just recently found PH/Worm, and started reading from about the point when s9 happened (I was bored when I tried reading from the start). Nothing has made me feel compelled to comment as much as Tagg. I hate him. Hate. He’s everything wrong with any of the “heroes” in the universe bundled into one: Corrupt, Absolutist, Self-Righteous, Uncooperative, Aggressive, Ruthless. He fits more with the s9 than a PRT position. His mindset doesn’t need any tweaking – he just needs a reason to want the world to end rather than for it be ruled by the PRT.
I suspect an “or” is missing somewhere.
Reread and realized that there’s no error. Probably.
And Taylor continues down the slippery slope.
Once you start attacking people to make a point you’re past the point of no return.
Just realized what’s been bugging me for a while when I read the scene with Dovetail: Taylor’s bug have an arbitrary flying speed. Few insects can even outrun a person, let alone a flying cape.
I note the PRT still holds the idiot ball with regards to not using sealed suits.
Just spent a couple of hours playing through a scenario where a young Sakura (from a Naruto fanfic, used chakra strings through ninja wire a lot) gets transported here and joins the Wards. Was fun imagining the Undersiders getting their just desserts from an opponent that’s an excellent counter to them. 😀
Thinking of Taylor’s required secondary powers:
Arbitrary amounts of insects in whatever ratios are desired.
Insects with arbitrary flying speed.
Stills the wind nearby.
More silk than possible (I recall her making a rope the width of her arm once on the fly, tens of millions of entire spider’s silk stock worth) faster than possible.
Causes every opponent nearby to become retroactively stupid and incompetent (that was an incredibly shoddy defence by the heroes, no containment foam on the dogs? insect swarms just allowed into the building without being hit by cans worth of bug spray, foam or powers?). Poor Dragon. 😦
She didn’t start the story with these (compared her earlier battles to this most recent one) but seems to have picked them up over time. It’s a real shame, this was a good story until the Sueishness started ramping up. Might continue on reading for a few chapters to see if anything changes.
Tagg feels like an unrealistic, brainless caricature.
Probably my least favourite chapter so far (read up to 21-2).
Yes, Tagg. I’m sure your PRT can take down the Undersiders with their new member(or members, depending on when you count from) and their alliance with another powerful supervillain group. Why don’t we chat with Lung, or Armsmaster, or the entire pre-Leviathan Brockton Bay Wards team, or half the local Protectorate, or Coil, or Jack “Fucking” Slash? Oh, right. Birdcaged, humiliated and then unofficially imprisoned, strongly defeated, embarrassed and defeated, killed, and driven out of town with a fraction of his team remaining and most of the losses taken out in large part by the Undersiders.
I’m sure you can take her, Tagg. Take her down the slippery slope with you. I imagine she’ll be on top by the bottom.
When you edit this stuff, you might want to make sure to cut down on the overuse of the two expressions “make a/the call” and “get one somebody’s case”.
lightdefender on January 17, 2014 at 20:34 said:
Tagg didn’t know Taylor was at a school? When she was (most likely) discovered by the principal pulling up school records?
Um . . . .
Why didn’t Tattletale call him on that BS?
Maybe I’ll find out in the next chapter.
oliverwashere on May 7, 2014 at 00:43 said:
I always thought that the Protectorate went after Taylor at Arcadia because Clockblocker recognized a Skitter lookalike practicing villainy against an apparently innocent bystander named Greg. Now I’m curious about whether they went to Dinah for odds for a plan, or if Dinah saw something she didn’t like and intervened first. Either way, it seems like Dinah’s still on Taylor’s side based on the fact Taylor escaped. To me though, Taylor’s downward spiral towards becoming a ruthless bully isn’t ideal, even if it might be necessary to avert the end of the world(or whatever Dinah, and pertinent Cauldron members might be individually after for them to push this situation into being). There should be other, more morally digestible, methods available to the precogs messing around. And if there aren’t any win-wins, the precogs probably aren’t abusing their powers enough. Tangentially, if power use in tandem produces exponential effects like the hole between Brockton Bay and the virgin Earth, what would happen if precogs cooperated? The pessimist in me says they’ll get into a feedback loop, and I’m starting to remember why a non-linear interpretation of time gives me headaches.
On Taylor, it’s a shame she can’t recognize how mentally broken she is. I hope she finds help for her reflexive outrage whenever she perceives bias and favoritism by authority figures that aren’t herself. Grue’s attempts seem to be desensitizing her to criticism though, and it’s like looking at an inevitable train wreck.
I’ve just realized that “bat for the other team” is an even less precise declaration of orientation than “homosexual” or “heterosexual”. Homosexual and heterosexual define orientation in terms of the subject’s gender (without specifying that gender); this defines it in terms of another person’s orientation, without specifying that orientation or even that person. There are supposedly only two teams, but if you don’t know which team is “this” one, how do you know which is “the other” one?
Anyway. I’m GUESSING that Lisa is saying “none of the girls here are into girls”. Which is disappointing. But then, Lisa isn’t always as right as she thinks she is…
As far as I am concerned,Targ is the worst type of scum.For future reference,this is how I categorise morality,which is based both on the heinouseness of the person and his capability to repent.Notice that batshit amoral insane is not in the list,its hard to judge blue and orange morality,and intentions are categorized,not results,because I do not believe the road to hell is paved with truly good intentions,and because we can talk about optimal decisions for years.I also won’t categorise persons who are arguably (I know you wanna argue,slider) not accountable for their actions,like Bonesaw and Simurgh victims (Anyway,here:
Paragon (person who does what s/he thinks is good,regardless of what society says,but listens to others and try to understand all people,thinks about the consequences and keeps double guessing him/herself,Taylor falls in this category for some reason)>beta paragon (same,but because this is too hard,he has some hard rules he sets that he/she cannot break,which cause him/her to be innefective or stupid sometimes,but he would break them if they became a liability,Dragon is this)>hero (person who goes above and beyond the call of duty to help others,but is not really that invested into it,Clockblocker is this)>nice guy (person who tries to understand others and not antagonize them even if he does not completely agree,but not really determined to do much,I,myself,think I am this,and Parian is too)>principled(person who stucks to some rules he set to him/herself,consequences be damned,pre Bonesaw Panacea was this)unglorifying faux hero (a person who is perfectly aware what he does is not moral,and that s/he might even be biased,but keeps doing it because somebody has to do the dirty work,Piggot is this)uncomited (person who does not really care much,Kid Win and Regent are this)> justified villain (person who is justified in his vilainy but is nevertheless evil and has failed to raise above his/her situation,lashing out instead of becoming a bigger person,pre Taylor Bitch was this)ignoble hero (person who does good deeds for the wrong reason,but holds no illusions about it Armsmaster was this and Accord is this)>noble villain (person who understands he is evil but still has some rules he won’t break,Marquis is this)>unprincipled egotist (person who does not care about the others,only about himself,and the optimal way to please himself.Coil and Crawler were this.Note that more heroic egotists are uncommited or ignoble heroes,so this is the worst kind)>sadist (person who goes out of his/her way to torture or cause suffering to others regardless of reason,though the most common is reafirming his ego,unfortunately very common,Emma and Shadowstalker were this)>entropic (“some persons just want to watch the world burn”,not very realistic,so unlikely to evoke deep hatred,but still eviler than everyone behind him,Jack Slash is this)>fanatic (person who does what s/he thinks is good,regardless of what society says,and regardless of logic,rules,other people opinions,consequences etc,Targ is this.They tend to have a mentality of “we are right,they are wrong,”for arbitary reasons,such as their races or religions,and allow themselves to do evil things because when they do it,they are good,because they are against villains).
You might have understood why I am so baffled at people calling Taylor evil,but even if you didn’t,lets see the points about her so caled “evil actions”and counter them. Inheritance is not really an issue here,for the Undersiders,laws and democracy were established not because they are some kind of “abstract good”,but because no ruler/oligarchy can be assured to be moral,a problem not held with Taylor,thus setting a benevolent dictatorship under not inheritance extreme conditions is here moral.Her so called “torture”is more merciful than the criminal justice system,as it destroys not the criminals function in society,and even after the guy does evil it is only applied when he does not heed her warnings.Triumpth is on Trickster’s head,her actions were panicked and necessary,and no real harm was done.She is,instead,judged by people who do not show her any good alternatives (sure,they give her bad ones,like surrendering to an obviously corrupt government,or saving Triumpth and then being shot in the back,letting Dinah suffer for the lest of her life and provoking the Undersiders into a raprage that would likely kill the mayor,vourtesy of Bitch).Her only actions that were not morally optimal,but still not evil,were joining the Undersiders (downright stupid,sealed her fate in a few choices,but she was not yet experienced to make solid strategical judgement),the bank (again,stupid,she was not her current self),the crashing of the party (notice a pattern?she seems to become smarter only after her fight with Leviathan)and this very chapter (still,her anger was understandable,9/10ths of the commenters wanted to do worse things to Emma,and nobody was really hurt,and it was not morally optimal only because she did it partway for revenge,she still had to do it,not taking revenge from them after her unmasking would undermine her image,thus creating danger for her people.I bet that,in her place,none of the commentors would be as merciful to Targ.)
The eagle eyed might have noticed that the first sentence of the paragon and the fanatic is the same.This is intentional:imo the only difference between the best of heroes and the worst of villains is that the world of the worst of villains is one to fit their arbitary image,while the best of heroes have enough introspection to not be really arbitary in their perfect world,even though it would be by no means flawless either,or even truly better for people…A fanatic would feel glee in the headmasters punishment of her tormentor,Emma because she was evil,while the fanatic was good(though even a hero of my classifications could feel glee about this,to be fair),a paragon would only feel he sits in the different side of the same corrupt system,and would only feel a hollow guilt.Heck,many people would justify Triumpth with “I did what I had to do”,and they would be right,only a paragon or a beta paragon would feel guilt under the same circumstances.
Emil W. on April 14, 2015 at 23:34 said:
I guess we’re due for a bullheaded, straightforward antagonist, but I can’t help but wonder what Tagg thinks he’s going to possibly accomplish. If he’s going to put the Undersiders in jail no matter what, they’re not going to have any other choice but to deal with him in a permanent fashion. Maybe, let’s say, incarcerate him. (With Regent, a three hour sentence is going to last the rest of his life.)
It’s just a question of how hard he has to push before they stop being polite. Walking right into his office and covering him and the missus in a carpet of spiders without leaving a mark should illustrate that point perfectly to any reasonable person. You’re going to need to work with them like you would, for example, Saudi Arabia; a state you might not particularly like but which nonetheless wields military and economic power enough that making peace with them means everyone wins.
Pretty rash of Skitter to attack out of anger. Understandable, but still brash. She shouldn’t have done that, she’s really walking into the path of villainy to the point of no forgiveness. A better retaliation would have been to reveal that Thomas Calvert was actually coil. PRT image would’ve gotten hurt further, and the whole “identity for an identity” unofficial rule would’ve been upheld. Taylor used to have a deadman’s chest on his information, she could’ve easily revealed it without much contradiction.
I’m also wondering if Tagg will do something unforgivable just to give Taylor “a bloody nose”. I haven’t read ahead, but I could imagine that Tagg might decide to give Emma powers just to piss off Skitter.
Paladin on April 17, 2016 at 22:37 said:
Nah… I agree with her. They had to hit back or look bad. Difference being, since Tagg decided to treat it as a war, and wouldn’t back down, I’d have killed him.
Skitter has more patience and good will than even a Paladin proved.
I think you used ‘he’ instead of ‘she’ to refer to Dovetail: “As with Dovetail, I’d managed to make enough progress that he was more or less out of the fight.” I might have misinterpreted.
irrevenant on December 1, 2015 at 17:06 said:
No, it’s right as is. It’s saying: “As with Dovetail, I’d managed to make enough progress that he (Sere) was more or less out of the fight.”
Ah, I see. Thanks.
The character of Tagg doesn’t fit right for a military man. They are way more experienced at dealing with shades of gray than we civilians are. The “us against them” thing is more of a Hollywood construction.
irrevenant on August 21, 2016 at 15:43 said:
That’s probably less true of Worm Earth. It’s a crapsack world that doesn’t seem to bring out the best in anyone. After decades of dealing with things like the S9, Nilbog and the Endbringers I’m guessing there’s been a big increase both in the army’s willingness to shoot first and ask questions later and in the public’s willingness to support that…
Mirrorscissors on October 23, 2016 at 23:40 said:
Oh, man. This arc is starting off exciting! If it is anything like Chrysalis, I might not be able to pace myself from reading this story so voraciously. As exciting as it may be, I do hope the relationship between Taylor and Rachel is fleshed out some more. The last memorable interaction between them was when Taylor made Rachel a costume. The story is nearing the end, so I fear their friendship won’t develop any more. I hope I’m wrong.
Anyway, I’ve been really enjoying Worm. It’s inspired me to think about writing my own web serial one day. The only problem with that is the writing part. I’m not really confident in my ability to put pen to paper, or finger to key. Maybe I’ll get over it, who knows?
jmdlugosz on April 24, 2017 at 18:15 said:
«Dovetail flew after Atlas and I» “after me*” m object of the preposition.
Daryl Katana Algarra on July 12, 2017 at 04:50 said:
any chance for my Rachel x Taylor Ship just got smashed to shit by a god damn Endbringer.
World Weaver on January 2, 2018 at 09:37 said:
Maybe the little demonstration I’d done with Tagg’s wife hadn’t been for him.
OI FUCKING IDIOT! THAT’S ONLY GOING TO CONVICT (I can’t spell when i’m angry) THE PRT TO DROP FUCKING NUKES ON YOUR STUPID FUCKING ASS.
Who the fuck are Haven?
And I really would wish that she just kills them all to make a point and not goes so weakly. He obviously doesn´t understand anything.
Max Leviton on June 22, 2019 at 22:20 said:
Damn I forgot just how much I utterly despise Tagg. The man is almost as bad as Emma. It’s like he wakes up in the morning and goes “How can I possibly makes things even worse today? Great, let’s go do that! No, wait, let’s do WORSE! Yeah, excellent plan, go me.” And then he pats himself on the back for casually threatening to essentially pyschologically torture teenagers and their families despite those people doing a lot to help the city. I miss the creepy, possibly child molesting, sadistic Calvert…
” I could pull your dad in for questioning every time you pull something, for example. You or your team do anything that gets an iota of attention, I drag the man into the building, and grill him for a few hours at a time.”
two weeks later:
“Breaking news–a PRT team attempting to arrest the father of notorious supervillain Skitter was attacked by her and her comrades. Three officers were captured; no ransom demands have been made public.
“According to the sole officer to escape, Skitter said that if the PRT wanted to play dirty, she would play them right back. Allegedly, the officer also claimed the whole situation was ‘expletive ridiculous’.”
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Drone 23.5
Posted on June 4, 2013 by wildbow
The waiting was the worst part.
My restlessness was cranked up to eleven, cooped up in the craft with Defiant and Dragon, waiting to cross half the world. Dragon was focused on piloting the craft, unable to speak, in any event. Defiant was busy communicating, which translated to being inaudible as he kept the vents of his mask closed. From the images on the monitor, he was clearly tracking who was coming, our forces, the Endbringer and the high-risk areas.
I watched for a time, saw the cape count rise. A screen filled with lines of text, noting the hero teams who had committed to the fight, numbers beside them to tally the total numbers.
For every group that joined, I felt myself growing a touch more nervous. More participants in the fight was a good thing, but… so many small teams. I couldn’t read half of the names of the groups on the list, but there was nothing to suggest it was organized.
I shifted my weight, sat, stood, stretched.
Agony.
Being in a prison, I didn’t have the luxury of a full wardrobe, certainly not the bike shorts and tank top I tended to wear beneath my costume. I had only underwear, and I needed to change into the new costume. I could have waited, but I wanted to hit the ground running.
Worse, the boxes with my butterflies within were in one of the crafts that followed just behind us, carrying a full contingent of capes.
But Defiant was engrossed in the monitors, and that left me debating the merits of modesty over being ready.
I stripped down, pulling on my old costume. They’d said something about painting it, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to wait for that. I left the major armor components off.
The pack they’d given me, it was the wrong color to match with the armor. I’d be sacrificing the ability to keep things inside my utility compartment, but I suspected this would make up for that. There were built-in wings that folded at a juncture, like dragonfly wings with joints, and there were the ‘arms’. The controls seemed to be worked into gloves I was supposed to wear beneath my costume.
I found that there was a hatch, but it was small, barely larger than my hand, and the space was shallow. I sent bugs inside to explore, and found a series of fine switches.
“Redundant controls,” Defiant said.
I looked up. He’d turned away from the monitors.
“If your glove gets damaged, you’ve got the controls built into the pack itself. If the pack gets damaged, you have the gloves. If both are damaged, you’re not likely to be in a state to fly. It might take getting used to, but this will give you the ability to move faster if you need it, and it’s very possible you’ll need it this afternoon.”
“You built it so fast. I wasn’t with Mrs. Yamada for even two hours, and you put this together?”
“It’s made using components and technology we already have. Four antigravity panels, like those Kid Win had in his hoverboard,” Defiant said, angling his hand to indicate the general placement. One at the very bottom, one above that, facing more back than down, and two more at angles on either side.
“That gives you lift, the ability to offset gravity or momentum in a given direction, but the acceleration is low. Expect zero to thirty miles an hour over eight seconds. It won’t carry you out of the way of trouble, understand? It won’t stop you if you’re moving at terminal velocity, unless you’re falling a long way.”
“The wings are a modification of technology that was confiscated from a cape called Stinger. Missile themed, not wasps and bees. They’ve got a venting-exhaust system we repurposed. It toggles between using either antigravity or propulsion. They should give you an easier time orienting yourself, or more speed pushing yourself in a particular direction, but not both at the same time. While the wings are intact, you should be able to manage zero to forty-five in about three and a half seconds. That ends if the wings break, and they aren’t made to be durable.”
I nodded. “It won’t let me flit around the battlefield, but it’ll give me some vertical movement?”
He continued, indicating lines with his finger. “We built nineteen tracks into the device, that you’ll be able to control with the bugs you direct into the interior. One for the on-off switch, doubling as an override for the glove handling, four for antigravity panels, eight for the arms, six for the wings. You’re sure you can handle all that?”
“Multitasking is a strength of mine,” I said. “If it’s anything like controlling Atlas, it’ll become almost subconscious.”
“I hope so. You’ll want to learn with both the glove and the insect control. There’s also limitations on energy and fuel, for the antigravity and propulsion, but not so limited that you’ll run out by the end of the day. You have time to review the documentation Dragon put together. Pay attention to the particulars of the flight pack’s vulnerability to electromagnetic radiation. While the wings are deployed, one good hit will scramble it and render you flightless. While the wings are withdrawn and the casing closed, it should be shielded against all reasonable EM sources.”
“I’ll have to stay close to the ground then, in case it gets scrambled.”
“Can I practice?” I asked. “Not flying, but the arms, and moving the individual components…”
“The arms aren’t done. Keep them out of the way for now. Until I figure out a way to approach the internal design, they’ll have about as much strength as a newborn baby.”
I nodded. “I really appreciate this, anyways. You two went above and beyond the call of duty.”
“It’s not customary for tinkers to design things for teammates. If they do, it’s on a relatively small scale, simple. Kid Win making Gallant’s armor, for example. Any device requires a great deal of upkeep. Time is spent tuning, calibrating, repairing and identifying problems. Each device created is something the tinker then has to take time to maintain, and mass production means the tinker becomes tech support more than an innovator. Dragon and I don’t sleep, or sleep very little, but even for us, it isn’t effective. Far better to invest our time into the artificial intelligences and the ships.”
“But you’re doing this for me.”
“We, I in particular, wronged you,” Defiant said. “I know that even now, we’re not fully on the same page, but I now believe you did start out wanting to be a hero, and I may have played a part in your drift from that path. I’ve put myself on the line to recommend you to the Wards, and I’ll dedicate the time and equipment necessary to get you on track.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Really. Thank you.”
“If you don’t mind,” he said. “I-”
He paused, glancing at Dragon. Then he continued, “I’m working on being more humble, but I think I will always have a certain measure of pride and an excess of focus, to the point that I lose sight of the periphery of things. I’ll forgive your past transgressions if you look past mine, and if there’s any disparity in the two, I’ll make it up for you with this.” He lowered his head to indicate the flight pack. “And I’d ask you to spare my ego the reminder by accepting this without thanks.”
“I’ve worked with Rachel, with Bitch, I think I can do that much,” I said.
“When this is over, today, if we’re all still alive, I will maintain two of these packs for you, and you can switch to the spare if one needs repairing or recharging. Some of it’s of Dragon’s design, but the maintenance will be left to me. If you have questions, I’ll answer them,” he said.
And the latter half of the statement was left unsaid. But let’s not talk of this any further, unless it’s about the technical aspects of the device.
He had already turned back to the monitor. There were three screens filled with columns noting the various teams who were showing up.
“How long until we arrive?” I ventured.
“Forty-five minutes.”
I nodded. “We’re going to show up late, aren’t we?”
“Inevitable. Dragon already has had every combat-ready craft on standby in eastern Europe for a week now. They and the local forces will have to hold the fort until then.”
“The computer opposite mine is available. Dragon is pulling up the documentation on the flight device now, if you need something to occupy yourself.”
I glanced behind Defiant, noting the terminal and the stool that was built into the craft’s cabin. I took a seat, resting the pack on my right thigh.
Okay, so they’d found the time to pull together a flight pack with some antigravity and propulsion systems, I could believe that. But the documentation? Who had time to draw out 21 pages of notes on capabilities and limitations, on top of building the thing?
Especially when it was all drawings, rather than typed out words.
I wasn’t about to complain, but it did leave me reconsidering what Dragon’s specialty might be. I’d thought I worked it out, but the speed with which she’d pulled this together…
My bugs found the channels inside the suit, and I set about experimenting with it, working through the various steps for moving the wings and the individual limbs. Each ‘track’ inside the pack’s interior was a narrow corridor with very sensitive switches along the interior, so that any movement of even something as diminutive as a ladybug was capable of pushing them.
The sensitivity would need to be calibrated at a later point. As it stood, any jarring impact would briefly lock all of the inputs in place, so they wouldn’t read the impact as contact from a bug and send the wrong signal.
I had to shrug out of the upper half of my costume to get the gloves on beneath my costume, but I managed to get everything set up. There were too many straps and no room for them to slot beneath my costume, so I connected them over the costume’s exterior, beneath the armor, and cinched every strap tight, doing up the metal clasps once everything was comfortably tight.
There were four ‘arms’, each a little longer than my arms. The control was a little simplistic, with only two switches for each limb. I imagined it was similar to an artificial limb. I folded them close to my body, so they hugged my lower ribs and the space just beneath my ‘breasts’, and then left them be.
The wings were just as simplistic, but had three switches each. Two to move and reorient the wings, with a third to switch between the antigrav vent and varying amounts of propulsion. I didn’t dare experiment with that in an enclosed space.
I read and reread the documentation ten times over, because there was precious little else to do.
“We’re landing in a minute,” Defiant announced. “Estimated eight minute wait before the last craft from North America arrive on site and a cape by the name of Silk Road deploys a corridor.”
“We picked up your old team,” he said. “Sent a craft.”
I turned around, surprised.
“Stipulations of your membership in the Wards dictate that you aren’t to extend contact to them.”
Oh. Right. Shitty.
“Keeping in mind that there are likely going to be cameras and cell phones pointed at you throughout this incident,” Defiant said, glancing at Dragon, “You’re free to do as you wish. So long as you don’t do anything troublesome on camera, I don’t expect anyone will make an issue of it. It might even help if you allow others to record you, so it’s clear you aren’t doing anything questionable.”
I glanced at him.
“Dragon’s suggestion, not mine,” he said. “But I don’t object.”
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it.
“Thank me by staying out of trouble,” he said, brusque. He glanced at Dragon, then back to me. “And you’re welcome.”
She can communicate with him, but not with anyone else. Why?
I nodded. “Um. You reminded me, when you said there’d be people getting camera footage of me. Mrs. Yamada said I should start recording myself while I’m in the field. I know we still have to talk about my costume, and it’s too late to make any updates, but I wouldn’t mind having it, especially for the next high-intensity situation.”
“We’ll see,” he said.
The craft set down, the doors opening. My mouth dropped open in surprise as I took in the scene.
The area was a flat, open field with knee-high grass. Settled on it were twenty of Dragon’s ships, with two to sixteen capes to each. People were stepping out, stretching, meeting others and talking. Almost all of them were from the Protectorate and the Wards. Others included Haven, a villain group I didn’t recognize, and one of the corporate teams I’d seen before the Leviathan fight.
And the Undersiders. I sensed them with the bugs in the field.
I felt a measure of hesitation.
Time to test out these wings.
It wouldn’t do to faceplant in front of all of these heroes. I was tentative, as I sent a bug down a tight corridor with innumerable tiny switches. Only one corridor, one switch.
A panel kicked to life, gentle. I nearly tripped as I stepped forward and was lifted an inch or two higher off the ground than normal.
I sent the bug further down the corridor, directing more power to the panel, and I was no longer having an issue, because I was being lifted into the air.
I was starting to lose my balance, though, necessitating a drop in lift and some experimental firings of the left and right panels to keep myself upright.
I touched ground and extended the wings, activating the vents for the antigrav at the wing’s tips. It made for a sudden, lurching adjustment, nearly flipping me over to the ground.
Not wanting to waste too much time, I made a beeline for the Undersiders, experimenting as I went. Rather than fly, I used short bursts of the antigrav with kicks of my feet to get some air, landing on the noses and limbs of various Dragon-crafts, so I didn’t have to walk around.
“There she is,” Tattletale said, “And she’s flying.”
I settled on top of a head, swaying for a second as I touched ground and found my center of balance. “Floating, until I get more practice.”
“Close enough,” she said. She flashed a grin. “Fancy.”
They were all present, Parian included. Accord, Citrine and the woman with the water powers were all present. I couldn’t recall her name. Ligeia? She had a costume, now. Or an evening dress, rather, with a conch brooch and mask.
More than Parian, I was surprised that Accord had come.
Flechette, now Foil, stood off to one side. She’d donned a black costume, which I was pretty sure was made of one of my failed attempts at a Tattletale costume, using asymmetrical belts, boots, armor and gloves to cover the areas where I’d tried to embellish. Her mask was an opaque pane, like Clockblocker’s, but black, with silver trim at the edges.
“You’re wearing your old costume,” Grue said, finally.
“Haven’t had a chance to make a new one,” I said.
“No kidding,” Regent said, his tone dry, “Too busy making license plates, dropping the soap…”
“I can’t believe you went and became a hero,” Imp said. “What the fuck? How the fuck do you off a major cape and get invited to the Wards?”
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“Are you getting by?” Grue asked.
“Not as well as I’d like,” I said. “But surviving. Are you guys okay, leaving your territory like this?”
“Hey now,” Regent cut in. He stabbed a finger at me. “Aren’t you supposed to read us our rights before questioning us?”
Imp snorted. Grue smacked Regent across the back of the head, a little harder than necessary.
“It’s all good,” Tattletale said. She grinned, “Booby traps, some misdirection, I figure we can afford to be gone for a day. We can look forward to going back home to see some bruised egos. Regent’s dad among them.”
“You’re being safe?” I asked. “I mean, we’ve taken on some monsters, but this is Heartbreaker, and the repercussions of a lost fight are kind of, well, permanent. There’s no undoing his power.”
“Like I said, it’s all good.” Tattletale shrugged.
“You with a team?” Grue asked, “Or with us?”
“No idea. As far as I know, I’m independent,” I said. “I’m not sure what that means, yet, but way I figure it, I’m going to do whatever works best in the moment.”
“Isn’t that how you wound up with us in the first place?” Tattletale asked.
I didn’t have an answer to that, so I shrugged. My eyes followed Foil as she walked over to talk to Jouster. He handed her an arbalest, and a quiver of needle-like bolts.
When she took the quiver, he gripped her wrist, speaking something in a low volume. She nodded as she replied, saying something I couldn’t make out, and he let her go.
Wordless, they parted, him rejoining his team, Foil moving to Parian’s side.
I wanted to say something about that, but what? I didn’t get the vibe she was a double agent, but I imagined there was something more to that.
I turned my attention back to the Undersiders, and my eyes moved to Rachel. She was sitting on the ramp at the back of a craft, her dogs clustered around her. She was stroking Bastard, using her fingernails to get in deeper than the base layer of fur.
Finally a chance to talk, and nothing to say. The silence hurt me more than any accusations or insults.
“I don’t know how to say this gracefully,” I said. I paused, noting the presence of a hero nearby who’d raised a camera towards me. Whatever, I’d say it anyways. “But you guys mean a lot to me. I’m sorry I didn’t say it before, but I couldn’t without letting on that something was going on. You’re my family, in a way. As lame as it might be, I love you guys.”
My head turned from Grue to Rachel to Tattletale as I said it.
“Gaaaaaaayyyyyyy,” Imp drew out the word. Parian and Foil gave her an annoyed look.
I smiled a little, despite myself. “Fuck off.”
“Are you trying to get someone killed?” Regent asked. “That’s totally a death sentence, telling someone you love them, tying up loose ends.”
“She’d be getting herself killed, going by the rules,” Tattletale said.
“Don’t say that,” Grue said, his voice quiet.
With a touch more seriousness, Tattletale said, “No dying, okay, Skitter?”
“Weaver,” I corrected.
“Skitter,” she said. “Here, today, you’re Skitter. Consider it a good luck charm. And no dying. I’ll say it as many times as it takes, until it gets through to you.”
I shook my head a little. “No dying. That goes both ways.”
“Way I see it,” Imp said, “She’s gone soft. Real quick, too, getting affectionate, lovey-dovey.”
“Alternate costume, too,” Regent said, “White, light gray, baby blue…”
“Electric blue,” I said. I was smiling now. I used the flight-pack to slow my descent as I hopped down from the head of the craft. I pitched my voice lower so I wouldn’t be overheard, and poked Regent in the chest. “Fuck you guys. I’m as badass as ever. Recommending drugs to kids, strangling a ten year old, forcing bugs down my allies’ throats…”
“Killing Alexandria,” Regent said.
“Mm,” I said, and I could feel my heart plummet into my stomach. All at once, I was left wondering just how many capes here were secretly blaming me.
“Asshole,” Tattletale told Regent.
I folded my arms, feeling a chill, the summer warmth notwithstanding. “We may pay for that today.”
“I think we’re fucked in general,” Tattletale said. “But no sweat. We’ll-”
She snapped her head around. There was an uncharacteristic emotion as she swore under her breath. “Fuck. He’s up.”
A second later, the ships each spoke in their identical voices, out of sync not because of any flaw in Dragon’s program, but due to their positions across the field, and the delay of sound traveling, a chorus, “Behemoth has surfaced. Return to your craft as soon as possible. Supplies will be provided while we are en route. Individuals on the ground may or may not be left behind.”
“See you on the battlefield,” Grue said.
“See you,” I answered. I felt a tug of worry. I had almost hoped he’d sit this one out. He didn’t tend to do well when it came to facing down the real monsters.
I bit my tongue and started up the flight pack.
“Don’t hold back now,” Regent said. I could see that he was watching the guy who was still training his camera phone on me. Regent turned back to me and extended his arms, injecting fake emotion into his voice, “You know we love you too!”
I kicked off, just barely floating out of reach as he tried to fold me into a hug. “Jackass.”
He was back to his casual, detached attitude in an instant, showing just a touch of swagger as he stepped back to rejoin the others. He gave me a sloppy mock salute. I shifted my ascent and set foot on the head of the craft that had been behind me.
“Just remember,” Tattletale called out, “You’re officially Skitter today. Don’t be a hero. No point to all this shit if you do something brave and get yourself killed.”
“Not sure about that,” I said. “About being Skitter, not the getting killed bit.”
Heroes were rapidly retreating to the craft. I didn’t have long. There was so much I wanted to say, but… shit.
“Rachel,” I said.
She glanced up at me, her eyes almost hidden behind her hair. I could see the hurt in her expression, a raw feeling.
“The letter, it helped. All of the letters meant a lot to me, except Imp’s. But yours especially.”
She grunted in acknowledgement, setting Bastard on the ground, then stood.
“And I’m probably going to get crucified for saying this, but I still consider you a friend. Someday, after all of this has settled down, when you don’t need to be a villain anymore to take care of your dogs, and I’m okay where I’m at, I want to hang out again. Throw the balls for the dogs, clean up dog shit, go for walks. Whatever works.”
“Saying shit like that, you’re signing death warrants!” Regent said, his hands to the side of his head. “Stop it, you lunatic!”
I shook my head, then turned and took flight.
All around me, doors were shutting. If it weren’t for my bug sense, I might have lost track of where Defiant was. So many Dragon-ships, no two quite the same.
I entered, and I could see Defiant standing in front of the monitors, his arms around Dragon’s shoulders. One of them must have acknowledged my presence, because the doors of the craft began shutting behind me as I made my way inside.
Odd as it was, I hadn’t fully parsed that they were together before now.
I approached, quiet, and watched as the drama on the monitors unfolded. The bugs from the field followed me inside, clustering around me.
Behemoth, nearly fifty feet tall, was still standing in the midst of a collapsed building. The structure had no doubt fallen on top of him as he emerged, and the debris was ablaze, casting his gray skin in hues of red and orange. He didn’t seem to care about the building.
Dragon’s A.I. were already attacking him, each from the greatest distance possible. The camera shook, out of sync with the timing of the strikes, as the vibrations took time to travel to the distant cameraman.
Heroes were fighting, contributing pitifully little to the assault. They were too distant to make out.
“Locals?” I asked.
Defiant turned, reacting as if he were surprised I was present. “Yes. Don’t ask me to pronounce their names.”
“Sāhasī Pān̄ca,” Dragon said.
I glanced at her in surprise. “You can talk, all of a sudden?”
There was a pause. “…Little.”
“She felt she needed to be able to communicate,” Defiant said. To her, he said, “And this is the last time we make a last-minute fix.”
“I’m sort of in the dark here,” I said.
Defiant declined to fill me in, staring at the screen. His voice was almost pained as he muttered, “They’re too close.”
One Dragon suit was unleashing what looked like a freeze ray at the Endbringer, while another of the Dragon suits was turning a laser on the ground beneath Behemoth’s broad feet. It wasn’t enough to take away his footing. He set one ‘claw’ -a growth of obsidian-like black shards- onto solid earth, then half-loped, half-hopped forward. With his claws and feet now on firm ground, he leaped. The shockwave of his departure toppled the slipshod buildings around him in his wake.
The landing as he arrived flattened another set of buildings. The heroes started to run. They were too slow, when compared to the length of Behemoth’s legs, the sheer power he was capable of putting into the simple act of walking. One by one, they fell within his kill range. Two were scorched from the inside, a brawny-looking cape seized up with smoke billowing from his corpse as he struck ground, his arms and limbs still twitching in death.
One managed to escape, taking flight. He got a full four city blocks away before Behemoth reached out. He was struck out of the air by a visible arc of lightning that extended from a claw’s tip.
Four A.I. were continually bombarding him now, three using what looked to be freeze-rays. The fourth alternated between destroying his footing and blasting burning buildings flat with some sort of concussive laser-drill, stifling the spread of the fires. Heroes here and there contributed some inaccurate ranged fire, but seemed preoccupied with fleeing.
Behemoth hardly seemed to care about any of it.
Our ship lifted off. Outside, the surroundings were taking on a rosy tint. I could hear the cumulative thrum of the twenty-seven Dragon-craft’s propulsion systems operating in unison. My bugs could track them all, the late arrivals included.
There was a shudder, and the rosy tint of our surroundings intensified, filling the cabin. We started to move, and it wasn’t the ship moving us. Dragon stepped out of Defiant’s embrace to approach the ship controls.
An instant later, the propulsion system kicked into motion, and we were moving far faster than before. The shuddering of the cabin was so intense I had to sit down.
“India’s capes fall into two categories,” Defiant said, not taking his eyes off the screen. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the movement of the craft. “They term their capes ‘hot’ and ‘cold’, with very strict rules on who falls into a category. Walk between the two groups, you get the worst of both. Hot, it’s about flash, color, appeal, and engaging the public. Villain or hero, they’re cape celebrities. Cold, it’s… bloodshed, violence, assassination and secrecy. Capes of the underworld. The public doesn’t see or hear about the cold capes. The media does not speak of them.”
On the screen, Behemoth wasn’t even slowing down. Another arc of lightning lanced across the cityscape, setting a dozen fires. The houses looked shoddy, dirty, and were apparently very flammable. The flames spread quickly, and plumes of smoke were streaming towards the overcast sky.
“The capes that are getting killed, they’re-”
“Garama,” Dragon said. “…Hot.”
“We need the ones with killer instinct,” Defiant said. “The ones who fight for real, not for play. The cold capes.”
“Thanda,” Dragon supplied the translation.
“Question is whether the Thanda think it’s worth breaking the rules and emerging from the shadows,” Defiant said.
“Did last… time,” Dragon said, her words bearing an odd cadence. She approached me, holding an armband and a silver packet.
I accepted them, turning both over in my hands. “Radiation pills?”
She nodded, holding up one finger.
“Take one?”
“Yes,” she said. “Still.”
“Still?” I asked.
But she just touched one side of my face. One finger was under my chin, and I raised it, looking up at her, confused.
She let me go, leaving me momentarily confused. I touched my face where she’d laid her hand and felt two bumps.
A camera?
“Dragon,” Defiant said, before I could ask any questions. “Look.”
She approached his side, her arms wrapping around his armored left arm, metal scraping against metal.
“They’re not supposed to be here,” he commented, his voice low.
I turned my attention to the monitor. “Who aren’t?”
“The Yàngbǎn.”
The focus was on a formation of capes. They were lined up like musketeers, rank and file, each a set distance apart from the others. The ones in front were kneeling, the ones behind standing. Each wore a mask that covered their faces, flowing costumes with loose sleeves and pants, somewhere between a martial arts uniform and a military uniform, each crimson with a black design of horizontal and vertical lines at edges of the sleeves and pants. There were nearly thirty of them.
All together, they directed lasers at him, aiming for his one red eye. He blocked the concentrated laser-fire with one claw, and the flesh at the base of the obsidian claw began peeling away.
“The C.U.I.’s military parahumans.”
“Isn’t the C.U.I. xenophobic?”
“Yes,” Dragon said. Her voice sounded funny. It wasn’t emotion, but something was somehow off about it.
“Excepting diplomatic functions, this is the first time in over a decade that any of the Yàngbǎn have set foot outside of China,” Defiant said. “We’ve tried to arrange for their aid in the past, but relations between our side and theirs are sour. For years, they’ve alleged that the PRT and the Protectorate are fundamentally corrupt, the source of the problems currently plaguing the world.”
“They were right,” I said.
“Yes,” Defiant said. He didn’t sound happy about the admission.
Behemoth slammed his claws together. The Yàngbǎn responded by creating forcefields en-masse, one for every person, overlapping with those to either side of them. The shockwave of the clap ripped through them, shattering the first two rows of forcefields and virtually liquefying the unfortunate capes who no longer had protection.
The Yàngbǎn in the back rows were already dropping their forcefields, extending their hands forward, open palms aimed at their comrades.
The shockwave’s effects reversed in an instant, and the injured were whole, holding the positions they’d been in an instant before. Here and there, the reaction had been a fraction too slow, and the Yàngbǎn members were only reversed to the instant the shockwave made contact. They were thrown back and caught by the ones in the back row, blood streaming from their eyes, noses and ears. One was saved much too late, and the process of being liquefied was only repeated, splattering the Yàngbǎn soldier who’d failed to react in time to rescue him.
Behemoth unleashed a rolling tide of flame, and the remaining twenty-eight Yàngbǎn fled, using a combination of enhanced speed and flight. The remains of the dead member were left behind.
“I can’t tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing,” I commented.
“With luck, they’ve changed their minds and we have much-needed allies,” Defiant said.
“And if they haven’t?”
He didn’t reply.
More of Dragon’s craft were arriving, adding their attacks to those of the others. I could recognize the wheel-dragon, using some sort of tuned electromagnetic pull to draw away the loose rubble from beneath Behemoth. He sank nearly ten feet as the ground shifted around him.
He struck the wheel-dragon with a bolt of lightning, flaying off a few plates of armor and destroying the wheel. It opened its mouth and launched cannon-fire at him. The shells exploded into blobs of containment foam, fireproof, sticky, virtually impossible to remove.
But not capable of holding back something like Behemoth.
More lightning was unleashed, each doing successively more damage to the craft. By the fourth blast, it wasn’t operational. The fifth split it down the middle. Insulation was little use against a dynakinetic that could redirect the natural course of electricity.
Ten craft were around him now, concentrating fire. Cryogenic beams, containment foam and more served to slow him down. Not stopping him. No, that was too much to hope for. His pace was roughly two-thirds the speed it might otherwise be, at a glance, his attention focused on the A.I.
Behemoth brought both hands together, but it wasn’t to clap. Instead, he directed a stream of lightning at the nearest craft, easily twenty feet across. It was splintered in an instant.
A second craft perished a second later.
Before he could turn his attention to a third, the stream of lightning shifted, curving off to one side. Drones, the annoying little bastard spheres that had electorcuted me on multiple occasions, the same ones that had been built into the ceilings of the cells and prison hallways in the PRT headquarters, were in flight, deployed by a drone-ship like the one I’d fought in Brockton Bay, and they were channeling the lightning along a different path.
Behemoth wasn’t one to roar, but I could see the effort at work as he began to draw the lightning away from the remote drones, forcing it to take another path, beyond the route of ionized air or the electromagnetic charge that they were using to catch it and harmlessly redirect it into an area that was already rubble. He was taking abuse from the airborne craft, unable to move without giving ground. More containment foam and more ice built around him, tearing and melting, respectively, in response to his lesser movements.
They moved closer together, strengthening the bond, and the lightning was caught once more.
He gave up on the lightning and blasted the drones out of the air with a wave of heated wind. An instant later, he resumed destroying the craft. Three in as many seconds, and then a slam of one claw against a building. The shockwave that followed leveled a whole row of buildings.
I belatedly swallowed a radiation pill and attached the armband.
The screen displayed text: ‘Name?’
“Weaver,” I said.
The letters appeared on the screen. I confirmed with a press of the button.
A map of my surroundings appeared, a landscape rushing by. In one corner, the distance to Behemoth was noted, rapidly counting down.
I could see the runway an instant before the ship touched down. The rosy glow was still present as the ship cut back on forward thrust. The craft touched the runway belly-down, skidding to a near-stop.
The red tint that surrounded everything disappeared, and Defiant caught my arm with one hand, holding on to a beam in the ceiling with the other.
The ship activated one thruster, and the craft swung around. The other thruster kicked to life, and we took off, still bearing some of the forward momentum from earlier. We were moving in a near-perpendicular direction to the one we’d been traveling earlier. Defiant let go of my arm.
When I looked back at the screen, nearly half of the city was on fire. Black smoke choked the skies, a stark contrast to the cloudy sky of only minutes ago.
“Were they able to evacuate most?” Defiant asked.
“No,” Dragon answered.
Our craft touched ground, and I glanced out the window to see a sliver of what the monitors showed. A sky choked by darkness, a city aflame.
The glow of his single eye cut through the smoke, and I was reminded of Lung. Of that first night, on the rooftop, when one of Lung’s eyes had been swollen shut, the other open. Lung, like Behemoth, had been virtually untouchable.
This was that same scenario, that same fight. I couldn’t hope to win. At best, I’d manage a distraction, a momentary handicap, but he’d recuperate, and given the chance, he’d murder me with a casual ease.
This wasn’t a rooftop, but there wouldn’t be an easy means of escape. And just as I’d acted to stop Lung from hurting what I thought were innocent kids, I was acting here to save lives.
The same thing, but on a far greater scale. The danger, the stakes, all scaled up by a thousand times, a million times.
The back of the craft opened, and Defiant led the way as we made our exit. Spotlights cast much-needed light on the immediate surroundings. The ships had settled in a ring formation, some posed above the others, as if providing a protective enclosure. Weapons were directed outside, and one craft loomed overhead. For now, we were as safe as we could hope to be.
Chevalier, Rime and the rest of his new Protectorate were all in one group, backed by their respective teams.
A nearby crash made half of the people present, myself included, nearly jump out of their skin. It was somehow reassuring that Chevalier managed to retain his composure.
“The ships have all arrived,” Chevalier said, “I’ve received the data on the other participating teams, those not already fighting will reinforce as they’re able. We should expect record numbers, we shouldn’t expect it’ll help. Any news on the locals?”
“Gathering and setting up defenses at India Gate,” Rime said. “It seems to be his destination.”
“The gate? There’s nothing there,” Chevalier said. “Only population.”
“If it’s not a soft target,” Revel said, “then we can play the long game, buy time for Scion to arrive.”
“Let’s assume it’s soft. We made that mistake once, never again,” Chevalier said. “Okay. Listen up!”
He raised his voice, commanding the attention of everyone present.
“We’ve already notified you if we believe you have the capacity to engage Behemoth. Anyone else is operating as search, rescue, and support. Maintain a distance of at least a hundred feet from Behemoth at the very minimum. Get any closer, you probably won’t have a chance of escaping if he decides to close the gap. Be mindful of line of sight, because he can and will tag you with a lightning bolt, and it’s not something you can dodge. Assume every structure will fall down in a heartbeat, and know that there’s no good place to hide and wait for this to be over. Keep moving and move smart.”
The crowd of heroes was utterly silent. I could see the Undersiders on the opposite end of the enclosure. The spotlights behind them rendered them little more than silhouettes with glowing edges.
“There’s no sugarcoating it,” Chevalier said. “The fact that you’re here, today, knowing the state things are in, you’re the biggest damn heroes I’ve worked with. I’m not going to make any big speeches. Better we get out there and save lives. Hit him hard if you see the chance, keep an eye out for whatever his goal might be, communicate with other groups as best as you’re able. Stay spread out so he can’t wipe too many of us out at once. You work best with the people you know, so form your own teams, stick with the people you’ve operated with before. Go.”
Heroes, already gathered in their groups, mobilized.
I started to approach the Undersiders. Defiant’s hand on my shoulder stopped me.
I could see Tattletale and Accord stepping off to one side, talking. She gave me one glance, offered me an apologetic half-frown, and then continued walking.
“The Chicago Wards,” he said.
“What about them? I can function better alongside the Undersiders.”
“Dragon thinks you can contribute just as much or more with the Wards group, and they’re the team that wants you.”
I glanced at the groups that hadn’t departed yet. Some were getting geared up, another group had a cape touching each member in turn, turning their skin to what looked like stone. On the far end, past those other groups, I could see Tecton, Grace, and Wanton with three others I didn’t recognize. They were looking at me.
“It’s the smart choice,” he said, “But it’s your choice.”
And, giving evidence to the statement, he departed, entering the Pendragon and freeing me to decide without his influence.
I sighed, then activated the antigrav panels to give myself some forward thrust, speeding me up as I moved to join Tecton’s group.
“Yep,” he said, to one of the newbies.
“You’re leader, I’m recon?” I asked. “Like it was in New York?”
“No, you’re leader as long as this fight lasts,” Tecton said.
I must have looked surprised, because he said, “You’ve been in two of these fights, right? If we count Echidna?”
“I’ve only been in the one, and I was never the shot-caller. That was a partnership between Raymancer and me, and he’s gone.”
“My condolences,” I said.
He nodded, but my focus was on the other members of the team, trying to account for the resources I had available. Grace had changed her martial arts outfit for something with more coverage, a chainmail mesh like the PRT uniforms wore. Wanton still wore free-flowing clothes, but he wouldn’t stay in that form.
The other three… A girl with bands of metal running down each of her arms and legs, with heavy gauntlets, boots and a breastplate, a mask etched to look like a feminine face, with white lenses over the eyes. Her platinum blond hair had three individual braids, two draped over her shoulders, with the ends bound in more bands of the blue-black metal.
There was a guy in a cowl, with another metal mask, who reminded me a bit of Shadow Stalker, but he wore white, and carried no weapon I could see.
And the last one… heavyset, with armor that seemed too generic.
“You’re a rookie?”
“All three of those guys are rookies,” Tecton said. “They cannibalized our non-core team members to supplement other groups, and-”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “I guess you three are getting thrown in the deep end. Names?”
“Cuff,” said the girl in blue-black armor.
“Annex,” the cowled one told me.
“Golem,” the last one said, his voice muffled by his helmet.
I frowned behind my mask, perplexed. “You named yourself after the little bastard from The Lord-”
“No,” he said. I could hear him sigh from behind his helmet. “I’m thinking of changing it.”
If not from the trilogy, then… I fixed the pronunciation, compensating for how his muffled voice had modified it. Right. Golem, from the myth.
“I get it, nevermind. Listen, we’re going to move out, and you’re going to explain your powers en route. You know who I am?”
There were nods all around.
“You’re still okay with following my orders?”
Again, nods.
I saw the Undersiders moving out, along with the Ambassadors.
“We’re supplementing and supporting the Undersiders for the time being. You okay with that?”
A touch more hesitant, they nodded.
“Then let’s go,” I said.
This entry was posted in 23.05 and tagged Accord, Annex, Bastard, Behemoth, Bitch, Chevalier, Citrine, Cuff, Defiant, Dispatch, Dragon, Flechette, Grace, Grue, Imp, Ligeia, Parian, Regent, Revel, Rime, Tattletale, Taylor, Tecton, Theo, Wanton by wildbow. Bookmark the permalink.
516 thoughts on “Drone 23.5”
wildbow on June 4, 2013 at 00:01 said:
The last chapter of this arc. Thanks for reading.
I figure I could do a loooong series of interludes, just to drag it out. 😉 Or we’ll just do one or two and cover the Endbringer in the next arc. Probably that. Sorry, but I mis-gauged, and the Chevalier interlude will have to wait until the end of arc 24.
Vote-count on Topwebfiction is getting pretty low (relatively speaking – 145). I’d be much obliged if you could take the time to vote.
Also, for those who didn’t catch the mention elsewhere, advance notice that you should hear a bit on Worm in the Epiguide podcast on the 10th or 11th. Will post a link when I have one.
ward on June 4, 2013 at 00:29 said:
http://muses-success.info/accounts/register
http://muses-success.info/worm
Landis963 on June 4, 2013 at 03:11 said:
Chevalier gets an interlude for this chapter. We’ll probably hear about Heartbreaker’s fishing trip later.
negadarkwing on June 4, 2013 at 07:22 said:
Well if Chevy is getting his interlude later then that makes it sound like he’ll be alive after the BEHEMOTH fight.
“So who wants to bet that after this Behemoth thing wraps up we will get to hear about Heartbreaker fishing Cherish out of the sea and getting Butcher instead?”
I can just picture the Undersiders watching via binoculars, and Alec eating popcorn.
TheRealInspectorHound on June 4, 2013 at 19:22 said:
Dunno, the interlude could be a flashback, we’ve had that before. Chevalier could die, I wouldn’t discount it.
They moved Cherish farther into the sea, I doubt that she’s gonna be brought back, it doesn’t feel like it’d do much to the story. Plus remember that it was bonesaw who put her in there, what’s to say that she isn’t going to live for however long in a manner as to what Grue got from bonesaw, I doubt she’s going anywhere/able to go anywhere.
Admiral Skippy on June 4, 2013 at 09:53 said:
Just a couple interludes would be great, I really want to see the fight : )
Edward the Odd on June 4, 2013 at 13:24 said:
Dude, thanks so much for the elsiane-link, so awesome!
comickry on June 4, 2013 at 16:25 said:
I just had an audiogasm when I recognized the parts used for Ava’s Demon. *buy*
Dis on June 5, 2013 at 03:47 said:
I had been thinking the protagonist reminded me of Taylor.
…okay, I can see some remote resemblance, but honestly I wouldn’t have made that connection.
@dmol8
Agreed. There’s currently a Kickstarter for the first book. And considering the author tentatively put the length of the comic at 7000 panels… It will be a long runner. If it reaches the 200k stretch goal she’ll be able to do it full time, though, with 20 panels per week; about 1k panels per year.
Charles Borner on June 4, 2013 at 00:01 said:
TOTALLY NOT FIRST POST!
TYPO THREAD BABY!
Don on June 4, 2013 at 00:20 said:
There too many straps and
needs ‘were’.
Also, Mr. Borner, we get that it’s not the first post. The joke, it is dead. As dead as a few combustible heroes recently became.
But…why use a paintbrush when a firehose or three are available?
Undead-Spaceman on June 4, 2013 at 00:26 said:
-I could see the runaway an instant before the ship touched down.-
Should be ‘runway’.
I dunno. When talking about or around an Endbringer, “runaway” seems like a very appropriate freudian slip…
Freak King on June 4, 2013 at 00:35 said:
“Heros here and there added potshots here and there”
Is it meant to be written this way or is simply a typo?
FarFromUnique on June 4, 2013 at 00:43 said:
“participating teams, Those not already”
erroneous caps on Those
Miloptheny on June 4, 2013 at 00:57 said:
Drones, the annoying little bastard spheres that had electorcuted me on multiple occasions…
Pinkhair on June 4, 2013 at 01:06 said:
“vents closed. From” Extra space.
“shards , onto solid” Extra space.
““Yes,’” Singlequote instead of quotation mark.
Gnarker on June 4, 2013 at 01:10 said:
” “Yes,’ Defiant said. He didn’t sound happy about the admission.”
You’ll want a ” after the ‘Yes’.
Rika Covenant on June 4, 2013 at 03:11 said:
it’ll become almost unconscious.” The word you’re looking for is either subconscious or reflex, I think. Whilst her powers do operate while unconscious, it’s the subconcious that takes over the little things, like breathing when you aren’t thinking about it, and reflexes that are involuntary responses that we’ve trained to stimuli.
mistake once, never again” Missing punctuation.
G.S. Williams on June 4, 2013 at 14:34 said:
“Unconscious” is often considered a substitute for “subconscious” as in “the collective unconscious” and “I bit my nails unconsciously.”
There are slight nuances of difference, but they’re used interchangeably and that’s not inaccurate.
It really shouldn’t. That’s just conflating two separate concepts.
Dinstow on June 4, 2013 at 13:54 said:
I noticed an instance of the word ‘electorcuted’ in there.
Yeah, ‘Electorcuted’ is a lesser known hero – a senator with electricity powers. She rather vainly wanted to call herself ‘Electorcute’ but it was already taken…
Passin' Through on June 4, 2013 at 17:43 said:
His claws and feet all on solid earth, he used all four limbs to leap, and the shockwave as he thrust himself forward toppled the slipshod buildings around his departure point.
Somewhat awkward. Needs a “With” at the very beginning.
Hmm. I think it works as it is.
a on June 4, 2013 at 00:07 said:
Reading this chapter I am thinking…
How much worse it will get before (and if) it starts getting better ? How many will die ?
Patrick Reitz (@dreamfarer) on June 4, 2013 at 00:25 said:
I think I’ll go with the safe bet there and choose “LOTS” as my answer.
Keno Black on June 4, 2013 at 15:16 said:
Weaver should land a butterfly on everyone in her range. “If this thing catches fire, you’re too close to Behemoth, and are about to die. Run if that happens.”
anonymus on June 4, 2013 at 20:41 said:
why so complicated?, far shorter and easyer to answer, if you ask: “who is gonna live”
Caledfwlch on June 4, 2013 at 00:08 said:
I in particular
Should be me, not I.
Nay. The usage is correct. We, I in particular, are subject pronouns. Additionally, I is included within we, therefore it’s proper to use plural object structures in the sentence.
Though to be completely correct the second comma in the second sentence I just wrote ought to be a semicolon.
You would also need to reduce the first sentence fragment, “Nay.” into the adverb to the later subordinate sentence fragment, “The usage is correct.” as well as give it a complete idea to properly be a full sentence itself. One method of doing so would be including a portion of the sentence being replied to, written out like, “Nay, the usage of ‘I’, in ‘I in particular’, is correct.”
Naeblis on June 4, 2013 at 11:02 said:
Haven’t seen you in IRC…
Blame the fucking creeper asking stalker-type questions about me incessantly.
@_@. What creeper?
Just ping me or Mishie next time. We *are* sort of mods there. <_<
Wow, erm, my condolences, that’s a tough one.
I’ve noticed a lot of DLP ‘regulars’ in the chatroom tend to like pushing boundaries and being jerkish from time to time. In this case, IIRC, it was someone asking for information Rika and I had already provided in passing, then getting upset/insistent when we/Rika weren’t willing to (re)supply the information on request, which only made the whole thing more uncomfortable.
And, in very ‘DLP’ sort of way, they then refused to accept that no means no and the fact that a simple ‘I don’t want to say’ should be enough. Others have done this with the casual throwing around of insults, pushing things too far and not giving people an easy out when they express discomfort with it.
It’s part of the tone of DLP’s community, which is a damn shame. If someone wants to start a different channel, I’m totally down, and will hang out there. Whether I’m hanging out there instead or hanging out there too depends on how much the attitude recurs – I recognize that the community is established and any actions on my part aren’t liable to have much effect, but I suppose my company is a sort of clout I can throw around.
By DLP, do you mean Dark Lord Potter?
Because yeah, those guys have deep issues as a community.
Hey wildbow, having been fully brought up to speed about what went on by someone who decided to come and tell me, wow man, you have my sympathies, that sounds awful. : (
If you’re still looking for a new channel, #spacebattles would happily shelter you under it’s somewhat stylishly dishevelled wing, and we don’t tolerate that kind of crap. I can talk to some of the people who run it, I talk to them often enough anyway, and they could probably set up some kind of #parahumans channel, we have a specific channel for creative writing that got set up a whole ago. Or I can just recruit some of the SBer fans of your story who are more technically minded and get them to set one up- one of your biggest fans on the site runs an IRC for his Eclipse Phase game, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
Not advocating you do this or anything, not especially bothered personally, just saying the offer is open, and SpaceBattles would definitely be willing to help out.
Nae, it made me so uncomfortable that I don’t want to even see him. I mean, I tried coming back when this chapter was first posted, thinking hey, maybe just maybe he realized that no, it’s not fucking okay… And the VERY FIRST MESSAGE that gets said? “So hey, anyone know anything about where Rika lives? I’m talking like her home address, that sort of thing”, to paraphrase him.
I don’t think I’m going back there anymore.
Ah, right, you’re talking about an individual, that’ still awful, but not quite as bad as I’d feared. I was talking about a troll forum of “elite Harry Potter fanfiction critics”*, who occasionally read other stuff, and like to go on vendettas against people/authors for various imagined slights, whose acronym is DLP.
Them having decided to do it with Worm would be bizarre, but not like, outside the realms of the possible, if you get what I mean.
My sympathies are with you, anyhow, no one deserves that, and yeah as Naeblis said let’s ban the little creep.
*(Yes, they really do honestly consider themselves this, with a straight face.)
@Rika: Tell me who this guy is and I’ll ban the fucker. I don’t want people in the channel getting creeped out and leaving. 😦
Yes, DLP, as Wildbow puts it, tries to push the boundary of what’s consider alright, but most of that stuff stays in the main channel, and #parahumans is relatively very…mellow.
I repeat, if anyone has a problem, please take it up with the mods. We can help. 😉
Kal on June 5, 2013 at 06:46 said:
Can I ask who it was?
@Rika, @Wildbow
From Zombie:
Wildbow: You’re a great dude. Your story is good. You’re welcome to the channel at anytime. You have moderation powers, you’re welcome to use them. /kick or /ban is your friend if you feel like defending the honor of one of your readers that reside within the channel.
Rika: You need to remember there is /ignore in the channel. Use it against those you don’t wish to speak to. If it’s not enough, ask the mods.
I’m sick and tired of people reacting about the attitude of DLP. This is how the community is. But #parahumans is made up of #parahumans, not DLP. There are maybe five DLP members in IRC right now. Half don’t even speak to you.
Everyone is welcome to DLP IRC. But you must abide by the rules of the moderators of #parahumans. First steps. I will give ops to a couple people from #parahumans to even out the balance of perceived power. Rika is getting added to ops. So is someone else others decide.
Finally, Blanket warning to established or new DLP members. You fuck this up. Your ass is mine. You won’t be allowed back onto the server. I can make it happen. This isn’t /b/. This isn’t something awful. We are not the sum of all b/tards and goons. Act better or get the fuck out.
PS: I suggested Clarvel as an op alongside you.
As much as I appreciate the defense, Admiral Skippy, the DLPers as a whole aren’t bad and I would appreciate it if you apologized to them, even if you don’t see eye-to-eye. Yes, they can be a bit… over-the-top, but unlike the saying, “one bad banana spoils the bunch”, I don’t think the same applies to DLP as a whole; This -one person- (and I need to stress that because it WAS just one person) was the root of this, not because he was a DLPer.
Yes, they have their quirks and mannerisms that you have to adapt to, get to know them so you know what is serious and what is joking, and what level of seriousness to take them with… But the same holds true for any person. Several of the DLPers are friends, or if not friends at least good acquaintances. As Zombie said, they aren’t /b/ or goons, even though people conflate them all together. There are good people there.
On that note, thank you, Naeblis, Zombie, Wildbow. I think I’m still not going to return, at least for awhile more; not until I’ve properly composed myself, at the very least.
I’m sorry if I inadvertently made this into a bigger thing when you’d rather it’d gone away, Rika, that was thoughtless. And sorry to any DLpers who don’t live up to their forum’s reputation/past activities, and felt hurt, that’s never a good outcome. I was mainly working off of the popular perception and anecdotes from others, plus what little I know of their shenanigans, but it’s not like I’m a DLP expert, nor would I want to be! Naeblis certainly seems to have reacted maturely and laudably, so good for him.
Nope. My use of a declarative to create a one-word sentence is perfectly allowable even within formal writing.
Actually Don, the use of ‘No.’ as you used it is a one-word interjective statement, NOT a proper sentence. A sentence must contain an expressed or understood subject (thus why ‘Go.” as an imperative works, because it’s understood the imperative subject is “you”) and a predicate that contains at least one finite verb (as with the prior example, “go” is the finite verb). While it can be written as the initial word of a sentence (such as, “Ouch, that hurt!” or “No, I won’t!”) it is not, in and of itself, a sentence proper.
Whoa. Just noticed the drama – this thread went way off the topic of grammar, didn’t it?
Sorry some guy creeped you out. (That said, my grammar was not incorrect – declaratives, interrogatives and imperatives all allow for single word sentences).
pidgey on June 4, 2013 at 00:45 said:
No, “I” is correct. Think about it without the interjected “in particular – which makes sense? “I have wronged you” or “Me have wronged you”?
Squivler on June 4, 2013 at 20:48 said:
Maybe a comma after “I”?
It says that Taylor wondered what dragon’s specialty was, but didn’t she already deduce that way back when? Was she wrong when she decided that dragon’s specialty was, or am I remembering something wrong?
Veloren on June 4, 2013 at 00:25 said:
She theorized that Dragon’s specialty was using/understanding the tech of other tinkers. Still doesn’t know for sure, though.
Packbat on June 4, 2013 at 00:26 said:
Found it in 16.5 — she sounded pretty confident.
A thought dawned on me. It was a half-formed thought up until the moment I devoted some attention to it. Then it clicked. Tinkers had a knack, a specialty, be it a particular field of work or something they could do with their designs that nobody else could, and I knew Dragon’s. She could intuit and appropriate the designs of other tinkers.
I’d like to see that get brought up to Dragon and Defiant, and see what their reactions are.
Yeah, do we know for sure if they know that yet.
We don’t. Supposedly it’s something one assumes others know, so talk is unnecessary. Weaver’s confused by the time scale involved and assumed a connection to Dragon’s speciality, not ‘biology’.
Loki-L on June 4, 2013 at 09:24 said:
Let us not forget that Taylor saw the biological core of one of Dragon’s avatars when she and the Undersiders attacked the PRT. She also knows about the remote control weakness that Saint sold to Tattletale and learned a lot about Dragon and her problems from being around them.
At the very least she should have picked up that dragon is some sort of cyborg that at some points controled remote bodies from afar.
Except for Defiant and Saint she probably knows more about Dragon’s true nature than anyone else perhaps even including Tattletale.
If she is given a few more hint she might be able to iece things together. Especially now that Dragon can commincate verbally again. I envison some sort of Girl Talk in their future if everyone survives.
Sun Dog on June 4, 2013 at 09:09 said:
Taylor figured it out when going up against the suits, it’s improving on other Tinkers designs. Here she’s reconsidering that because of Dragon’s rapid production of gear and notes. Which is because Dragon is an AI with a handful of lesser AIs and a factory to churn out her stuff.
A factory doesn’t suffice, those installations are mostly specialized in their production. I’m thinking/suspecting she has either multiple factories at least, or some measure of 3D-Printing or various scales CAD manufacturing.
Jim Lee on June 4, 2013 at 00:15 said:
What the fuck is Theo doing here?
Also, Regent is the best. (Best.)
Theo = Golem, perhaps? Interesting if so.
Bobby Allen on June 4, 2013 at 00:25 said:
Very Ironic
I caught that too, since Golem’s the only Chicago Ward without a tag.
I actually hadn’t checked the tags for the other Chicago Wards — I said Golem because he’s the Ward with the heavyset build.
I was just casually looking at the tags when I noticed Theo, and after looking at the others I discovered Golem was suspiciously absent.
shanipribadi on June 4, 2013 at 00:51 said:
My bet is on Theo = Cuff, there’s a metal theme going on there.
Reveen on June 4, 2013 at 00:55 said:
I think the time frame is a little small for him to slim down, bulk up, realize he was born in the wrong body, and make the big switch, y’know?
In the tagged section theo shows up as well as cuff, but golem doesn’t.
This is Wildbow we’re talking about. Would it really surprise you if he/she didn’t use false tags for narrative purposes when deemed necessary? So no, two different tags do not prerequisite two different beings.
See: Not too many chapters ago. The tags Grue and Bitch. 😡
Didn’t they have important letters then, however?
Important letters? Am I missing something?
…The one where a body bag was brought in and Alexandria died? >_>
Psycho Gecko on June 4, 2013 at 01:01 said:
Kaiser would hate his son taking a name from Jewish folklore. If that’s Theo, I fully approve of that reasoning.
TinkerTailor on June 4, 2013 at 01:36 said:
Oh yeah, I didn’t think of that. I could see that happening.
DasNiveau on June 4, 2013 at 02:19 said:
Was Kaiser a “race” racist or more a “idiology” racist? If “race” the he could posthume have not much a problem then.
the first were all, IIRC, neo-Nazis. Kaiser would hate it if Theo is heroing around under the name “Golem.”
Allfather was a neo-Nazi, was part of the original German group, can’t remember the name at the moment. Kaiser, his son, was brought up as a race purist, and with the ideal that caucasians are superior by virtue of genetics, though he didn’t seem to specifically uphold the Aryan mentality that one would see in neo-Nazi belief.
From my understanding, Kaiser might not even recognize that it’s a religiously charged term and simply attribute it to the fantastical, since, at least in today’s day and age, we think of various material golems and Gollum over the mythological roots of the entire concept. If he would make the religious connection, however, then I would agree with the neo-Nazi continuation.
Ah, ok. Had forgotten that. Thought Kaiser was just a racist.
Golem is a good theme anyway.
Someguy on June 4, 2013 at 06:18 said:
Gilgamesh would be a more appropriate name if following his father & grandfather’s theme he can manifest metallic constructs (though with his personality, those constructs should be defensive in nature).
I was under the impression that it was at some point revealed that Kaiser was never much of an actual beliver in the ideology and just used it to maintain his power.
Naeddyr on June 4, 2013 at 10:23 said:
It may have been implied in the text, but confirmed by Wildbow in one of the RPG.net threads (that I read a while back).
throwaawy on June 4, 2013 at 01:57 said:
in most fantasy settings, a golem is usually a rather large minion summoned by the caster, usually out of the hardest materials locally available… so lots of fantasy stories have rock golems.
if golem = theo, and he has a pedigree of being able to control metals…
i’m suspecting either a master (obvious) + shaker (for the spontaneous metal creation) combination;
or he’s like trainwreck and packs the metal around himself… breaker?
Wait.. Theo is one of the rookie Chicago Wards?
Also Regent is incorrect, saying ‘I love you guys” before going into battle is not going to get you killed, showing pics of your spouse/GF/BF and/or talking about retirement plans before going into battle is what will get you killed.
Regent was just two days from retirement…
I think you mean a retirement home
rhysdeanno on June 4, 2013 at 01:51 said:
It won’t be Scion that kills Behemoth, it’ll be Imp, in revenge.
….Dammit, now I’m remembering FMA all over again. THE FEELS. ;~;
Hey Grue’s got a chance. Taylor isn’t pregnant so that puts his odds up a little bit. Regent may have doomed himself though if he and Imp got to close.
But their difficulty with real interpersonal connections brings that danger level down a bit.
why do i immagine a little kid, controling insects who are shrouded in darkness and each insect humming a different tune using Paige’s power
randomsoul2 on June 4, 2013 at 00:20 said:
So we finally get to see how Behemoth is fought…
It’s interesting how each Endbringer is implacable in its own way. Leviathan is quick, and every one of his casual movements is life-threatening on its own. The Simurgh has some form of total knowledge, whether it’s telepathy, perfect precognition, or straight up omniscience (Scion excepted), and if she decides to mess up your brilliant plan to stop her from doing what she wants, she can cut you off before you even get started.
Behemoth, doesn’t seem to have either of those advantages. He can’t casually cause the kind of damage Leviathan does; he seems to need to focus on things, if not for very long. And he certainly doesn’t seem to have Simurgh’s abilities. He’s just so big and so diverse in what he can do that by the time you could have conceivably done any damage, you’re ash in the wind.
I don’t really know why I just said all this. I just felt the urge to gush about the Endbringers. Kudos for coming up with them, Wildbow. They’re amazing.
Behemoth has range, which is something Leviathan doesn’t have. If ‘Moth can see you, you’re probably dead. He also, just by nature, turns off a lot of capes’ abilities. With the Simurgh, you lose if you’re caught off guard or react too slow, and let her sing at you, or anyone, for very long. Leviathan plays a mid-range game where his goal is to keep you busy until his endgame comes into play. But Behemoth is more about sustained damage and making it as costly as possible to stop him. Left to himself, Behemoth seems the least likely to do long-term damage with any given action, but he just keeps going, and any attempt to stop him is almost more painful than letting him continue.
mc2rpg on June 4, 2013 at 06:03 said:
Well I think he could do alot of long term damage through earthquakes. He travels under ground and causes all sorts of seismic activity, so I am willing to bet if nobody stopped him he would have some massive earthquakes leveling new delhi, and any place near a fault line could potentially be incredibly destructive over a massive area.
hitherbydragons on June 4, 2013 at 00:20 said:
Way to go, Defiant!
Tecton is putting Weaver in charge. Wise man. Shows humility and self-confidence at the same time — being willing to defer to expertise even in the face of institutional opposition.
Agreed. It also makes sense given that he’s worked with her before, so he’s got a sense of what her particular form of genius looks like.
Scolopendra on June 4, 2013 at 00:40 said:
Well, consider his experience. He saw Taylor fight Echidna and win, and during the first phases, she was badly injured and blind, yet wouldn’t let that stop her.
I just reread the Echidna fight. I wish I could have gotten a peek inside the Chicago Wards’ heads when they realized she had been blind, and what that says about her.
Do anyone else that she is going to direct the Undersiders and the chicago wards at the same time?
A bright here.
Oh crap. This is all about to fall apart on them!
*FLAPPY ARMS*
DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!
Typo: “A bright HERO”
After his performance a few chapters ago, and now this, Tecton is fast becoming the new Weld.
Hope Taylor doesn’t get in trouble for going to the Undersiders. Although this really isn’t the time to be worrying about image. Like she said they need the ones that can actually fight. And the Chicago Wards chances of survival just went way up.
I don’t think she will, especially since it was pretty clear there was no funny buisness going on, but ultimately she won’t care. And if Taylor is half as heroic in this fight as I expect she’ll be, and Chevalier lives through it, then I’d expect he will personally bitch slap Glenn or anyone else who comments on it six ways to Sunday if they try to make a thing of it.
They got caught on camera, and Taylor was saying a bunch of humanising stuff that Glenn might actually be able to use. Monsters don’t say “I love you”… well, not the lesser monsters.
Let’s hope.
It will make people like the Undersiders a bit more. To see them just acting like a bunch of teenagers. Not scary at all.
My estimation of Tecton has definitely gone up, and hopefully Taylor may have found herself a home, if most of the aforementioned Wards live through the fight and no unexpected shenanigans occur.
Dread Pirate on July 21, 2017 at 23:43 said:
Curse you, you fate tempting fool. If they all die I am blaming you.
Kagedviper on June 4, 2013 at 00:22 said:
Annnnnd time!
Great chapter as always, cant wait for the next few.
Also, even though everyone else is already cheering it: hahahaha Regent.
I like that his formal invocation of death flags improves the story whether or not anyone actually dies. It’s perfect!
Imp is also being just plain marvelous.
Those two need their own comedy series. Maybe little omake’s that they host where they chat about other heroes and villains. If anybody could make it work, they could.
The real question is: what ridiculous punnish title would you use for the series? “Smart Alec and the Imp”?
Or the series could be “The Punnishers”
“Regent and…”
beyondperformant on June 5, 2013 at 08:32 said:
You mean like Kathy and Regis Live. Is that why people made fools of themselves?
I think you mean Regis and Kelly. Or perhaps Live! With Kelly Ripa. Maybe Live! With Kelly and Michael?
notes on June 4, 2013 at 00:29 said:
Another quick fix… the cost will come due at some point, and I fear Saint will be the one calling it in. If Taylor learns what Dragon did to herself – for her – she’ll try to make things right somehow. If possible.
The jetpack with extra arms… that gives her a melee option once it’s finished (not that she should use it that way, generally) and an entirely horrifying new level of locomotion: multitasking = inhuman multilimbed coordination. Eight-legged costume for the Weaver – not actually making her less nightmarish, right now.
Yangban joining the fray… and they have 30 capes with sufficiently standardized powers that they can work in firing lines, with drilled power combinations? All of them seem to have lasers, force fields, flight, invulnerability (limited), and time-reversal, perhaps more? No way is that a group of natural triggers. They have something, or someone, who can hand out powers the way an army issues equipment – by the numbers. Cauldron, with the supposed enmity a long-laid smokescreen? A rival mad science group? Someone whose power is to mass-produce powers? Someone whose power is to absorb powers from other people (a duplicator included)?
And now we have a sense of where she might end up – Chicago. Assuming her team-for-the-day survives, anyway, and it looks like there’ll always be a sense in which she’s with D&D and the Undersiders.
Taylor might have done better in India as a ‘cold’ cape. No PR issues, at least.
Getting Foil harpoons – 200 feet of silk thread tied to a quarrel, molecularly bonded to the quarrel and the quarrel bonded inside Behemoth – followed by Clockblocker touching the line is the best combo I’ve heard anyone think of – repeat as necessary from different angles until he’s well and truly stuck. Expect it’ll work about as well as Armsmaster’s visor/nano-halberd did – which is to say, not well enough. There’ll be other combinations. Still wonder what the strategy is with Behemoth – Simurgh seems to be rotate people in to avoid excessive exposure. Leviathan seems to be pin him and focus-fire him to end it quickly. Behemoth… slow him down and wear him down? If there is a weakness, Tattletale has a decent chance of finding it.
If.
All this, and still prologue to what’s to come. Looks like an interlude or two, and then things get real.
Typo – not to extend contact to them? Not to have extended contact with them, perhaps?
Adam on June 4, 2013 at 00:36 said:
Regarding the Yangban: I think it was mentioned in Lung’s interlude that they have a cape who can switch people’s powers. They were going to take Lung’s power and give it to the rest of their team, or something like that.
Switching is one thing… but 30 people, all with the same powers… implies replication of powers somehow. China did not just happen to have 30 people with the same laser power trigger; let alone all the other powers that squad had.
Nth_X on June 4, 2013 at 01:15 said:
Insane Theory #1: the Yangban share powers through a hive mind collective type thing. At some point during the fight, Taylor has to join the collective, and winds up controlling the whole lot…probably never happen, but just imagine: if…
Shikome Kido Mi on June 4, 2013 at 04:12 said:
It was implied but we don’t really know what Lung meant by ‘take away most of his powers’. My personal theory is that the other fans are right and they’ve got someone who can share powers across a team, probably diminishing them somewhat in the process (much like Grue and the Butcher both have diminished copies of the powers their ability lets them grab from others but also diminishing the person the powers are borrowed from– so a lot like Grue, really).
What I got from that was the Yangban were brainwashed into total loyalty, then a cape takes away their power to redistribute it, in watered down form, to everyone.
Scary possibilities. Imagine what the PRT or Undersiders could do with that.
UnlikelyLass on June 4, 2013 at 21:47 said:
What if ‘switching powers’ means switching what powers you express, not whether you have powers or not? That is, someone has the ability to take a para human and remap what powers they have to a standard template?
theant87 on June 4, 2013 at 00:39 said:
That plan was before we had confirmation that anyone that gets too close to him simply dies unless you are invulnerable. I think his main weakness is he can only focus one or two things at a time, and he might have to see something coming to redirect it’s energy. I say that because Alexandria managed to hit him and knock his head back a little in her interlude. Foil should be able to hit him, and clockblocker freeze the string, and it should hurt him, but then BEHEMOTH sets his eyes on them and instant lighting bolts on them.
Snipe and move – broken buildings offer lots of cover, and hit while he’s looking the other way. Not sure Clockblocker’s got the range to cover string that reaches outside Behemoth’s aura of death to non-invulnerables, and you’d need a string (unless Foil’s power covers the string as well as the quarrel) long enough for the team to be out of range.
The main issue with that is mobility. If they get within the hundred mark Clockie might be able to do his thing. They need a way to move them quickly and without being spotted though if he suddenly starts moving toward them.
If only there was a hero that could create body doubles that would distract Behemoth to no end. Perhaps made out of something radiation resistant, like cockroaches? But an impoverished city like New Delhi most certainly would not have any massive swarms of cockroaches, now would it?
Seems useful enough to try at the very least considering the lack of options. Depends on just how big B senses the world around him and to what degree. I was surprised at the one eye considering he spends of the time underground. Worms and other creatures who live underground have poor eyesight or no eyes at all. So I’m guessing he might see through his body somehow using his power and the eye is just to help him direct said power.
Forum Explorer on June 4, 2013 at 06:29 said:
Well we know that Levi was fooled by them. Also Grue’s darkness works on all forms of radiation so it’ll help blind him as well (what was the range on the darkness?)
Oh, that’s right, the way electricity plays into things underground. Damn, I bet Behemoth has no trouble getting worms to bait Leviathan with.
Also – Theo as Golem? The others are all tagged, but Golem is missing… and Theo is present.
Already triggered? So we can rule out his triggering being the end of the world… but it’ll be interesting, either way. And what an interesting perspective he’ll have on Taylor.
Holy crap yeah, we might be getting a Golem interlude.
Guess this is where the 9 start to fit back in.
Noise on June 4, 2013 at 00:44 said:
I think “not to extend contact to them” is fine. When they talk about Weaver being recorded immediately afterwards, I think they were implying that because she would be so heavily watched/monitored, speaking with them was fine as long as it wasn’t any funny business.
Chevalier doesn’t know why Behemoth is there – as he puts it, ‘just population.’
Behemoth is there for a reason, count on it. And figuring out what it is… will not be calming.
Possibly having to do with why the Yangban is there.
Or he could simply be there to kill millions of people, and destabilize India. While the Smurf almost certainly has a goal for every attack, and Leviathan came to Brockton Bay for Noelle, the majority of their attacks might simply be to show up and kill as many people as possible.
But he’s heading for a specific location. If it were just to raze the city, he’d be meandering through it, shooting off beams and setting fires.
Are you implying Dragon had Defiant make the quick fix (never a good fix) so she could talk/interact with Taylor as a prominent reason?
Talk/interact in general as THE senior cape fighting the Endies (Protectorate aside).
Being able to talk is quite handy in such a scenario.
Elaborate on June 4, 2013 at 04:07 said:
Time-frozen threads would be dangerous to other capes – but Weaver can cover them with butterflies, making them clearly visible. Hm, Parian might be able to control the threads, getting them into position.
…Just as long as Behemoth doesn’t use the razorthread as a tool to slice off the horns obscuring his vision.
How feasible is it to blind Behemoth, btw? Shooting goo on his horns etc?
Not sure Clockblocker has 200ft of range. He was surprised at the range he pulled off fighting Noelle, and that was much shorter, AFAIK.
” folded them close to my body, so they hugged my lower ribs and the space just beneath my breasts, and then left them be.”
What breasts? Taylor dosen’t have any XD
Uh oh. SOMEONE is cruising for a pettanko punch bruising…
Glenn made her get implants for image reasons. I mean it is the most common superpower.
Glenn: “In image, we give you an A.”
Taylor: “That’s good, right?”
Glenn: *tosses her a padded bra* “Not in the least. We’re going to need at least a B out of you.”
Taylor: *Sends Bees after Glenn*
Aaaaaaaand, has been edited.
“folded them close to my body, so they hugged my lower ribs and the space just beneath my ‘breasts’, and then left them be.”
Oh, Taylor.
Some great funny moments. Grue’s dope slap of Regent, Regent being a jackass, and Imp was hilarious. Someone tells her, maybe for the first time ever, that she loves her and she is family? Gaaaayyyyyy! Then the sad moments start. Raymancer died a nasty death from radiation poisoning off screen, and Dragon’s simple no was incredibly sad because it confirmed offstage genocide is currently happening or about to happen with half the city on fire with a population of over 20 million. Still Tecton stock went up in my eyes for recognizing that Weaver is very suited for leading the team. BEHEMOTH seems to have to focus on single thing at a time. Similar to most people being unable to tap their head and rub their belly at the same time, they need to keep him distracted. Maybe Taylor can reuse her plan against lung. A swarm of bugs going for his eye, and trying to burrow into it. Eventually they might be able to start hurting him, which means he will simply turn on the heat over himself but keeping his attention on a swarm of bugs means he isn’t focusing on the capes. But the Chicago wards need a name to differentiate themselves.
I thought that Foil and Parian would be upset at Imp’s comment.
They might be, but I’d imagine they know any comment isn’t going to help when it’s Regent.
They might be keeping the relationship on the downlow, or they simply are too used to Imp. Let face it, bringing it up to her will probably encourage her to use it more and more to annoy them unless Grue dope slaps her too.
They were. “‘…aaaayyyyyyy,’ Imp drew out the word. Parian and Foil gave her an annoyed look.” They just didn’t say anything about it since it’s not really the best time to discuss PC-ness.
Didn’t even think of that. Sabah and Lily will wreak a terrible vengeance later. Then Imp will retaliate until we have all-out prank war between the BB warlords.
kgy121 on November 9, 2015 at 13:11 said:
There were no survivors.
Well, imagine if Raymancer had been here for this fight after a grueling battle with radiation poisoning. He’d blast Behemoth, only to get irradiated. His last words would be “Not again!”
I love seeing how different parts of the world treat their superpowered folk. India’s “hot” and “cold” capes is a fascinating concept that stands out to me even in the middle of larger events.
Also, interesting that Theo seems to have gotten powers (assuming he’s one of the new Wards, and considering that Theo is tagged and “Golem” isn’t I think it’s a safe bet to say that he is). I had thought that his trigger event would end up having something to do with Jack’s end-of-the-world thing, but I guess not.
Hot and Cold capes is a pretty good idea, if perhaps not a totally accountable one. Between them and the CUI I’m starting to think that the western world simply does not know what the fuck it’s doing. Because a hella lotta problems have been cause just by the structuring of their super-society alone.
Well there was a evil conspiracy that was secretly directing things and every country has it’s flaws. The CUI probably has more than it’s share of skeletons in their closet. Though I have to ask Wildbow if there are other S class threats in other countries which could have affected other’s cape population. If the US hadn’t had to deal with Echidna, the 9, and Nilbog, they would probably be in a much better position disregarding the boon of Cauldron being outed. Makes me curious where sleeper is located.
Sleeper roams, but primarily Russia.
wash17 on June 4, 2013 at 00:57 said:
1: Every time unknown S class threats come up, I get a shiver. At least now I can blame this one on the cold.
2: Someone make a better sleepwalking joke than I can come up with from the roaming remark.
I’m sure Mr. Gecko will be along shortly.
That Sleeper must have Restless Leg Syndrome.
Nobody tell him that the pool is entirely in his dream. It’s easier to follow him with the yellow trail.
Sleeper is the only S-class threat that can consistently be tricked into spreading shaving cream over its own face with the aid of a feather.
New info on the mysterious sleeper. Russia is damn big place so I could see why he might stay there if he wants to hide. Unless like Nilbog he doesn’t need to hide. He is just so dangerous they leave him alone. If Sleeper is a he anyway.
Well, if you take the Meisters and the Gesellschaft into account as other non-US entities, it makes sense to have the countries handle the problem/aspect of parahumans differently.
Incidentally, Wildbow: Gewerkschaft (union of labors and workers) might be a good opposing name for the Gesellschaft. Though Meister (master craftsman) and Geselle (journeyman) already have a funny undernote…
> I had thought that his trigger event would end up having something to do with Jack’s end-of-the-world thing, but I guess not.
It might have to with him being told. Imagine his thought process: he cuts a deal with Jack Slash where he lets Jack go free in exchange for fighting him two years in the future. Then, right after being abandoned by everyone who cares about him, he discovers that letting Jack go free means that Jack destroys the world right on the two-year deadline.
Betting Golem has a mental power.
That might be cool, though as others have said, forming metal golems and controlling them would fit with his lineage, and it’s sort of a mental power given that high level masters like Taylor seem to get a multi-tasking upgrade to go with it.
Prophet on January 13, 2015 at 17:21 said:
He didn’t exactly “let jack go free”, Jack chose to leave. Theo could never have stopped him.
Anyone else wondering what dragon lost this time in exchange for speech? She really is Colin’s better half in every sense. I also believe her second superpower is giving perfectly timed hugs.
I wonder if Taylor is being tactical, sentimental, or both by playing undersiders backup. Accord and Tattletale working together may find some weakness after all. Isn’t that scary. Also, as stated above by randomsoul2, the 50 foot tall monster doing it;s best bull impression in the New Deli china shop may not notice approaching bugs. Chain lighting may disprove that idea, but I’m hopeful Taylor will strike another telling blow after her track record the last two fights.
Perfectly timed hugs is the best superpower.
“Yes. Don’t ask me to pronounce their names.”
And I’ll just file thaaat into the Shut the Fuck Up Colin files, aaaand there.
Also, I love how Taylor’s first instinct when told she’s not supposed to interact with the Undersiders is to do exactly that. If Chambers give her shit for that I hope Taylor starts pelting his Rob Ford ass with moldy Timbits.
Know what else? Fuck it. I like the Yangban better than the PRT/Protectorate, they got style, they’re right about things and wrong about things ration is 1/0, and they don’t have to worry about getting stuck with a shitty name. Who the hell dresses up like a warrior woman but calls themself Cuff?
Jay on June 4, 2013 at 03:41 said:
They’re also fascists who kidnap people, brainwash them and steal their powers before distributing said powers to others. They really want to be Cauldron Lite and I can’t help but wonder what their true purpose is in helping.
I’m guessing they are trying to take over the Protecterate’s role now that it’s been proven corrupt. Basically trying to get non-china nations to make their own Yangban
Not to mention that if they drive off BEHEMOTH, India is going to owe China big-time. And they’d show that their the new big guns in terms of Cape power.
We really don’t know much about their methods other than they use stressing techniques, which the PRT does too on a much more informal level, and brainwashing isn’t that much worse than the shit done in the west.
I’m just hoping the story treats this as more of a grey/grey issue and avoids the kneejerk narrative assumption that a east Asian world power that isn’t Japan is corrupt, and dystopic, and eeeeeviil that channels a sneering resentment alot of idiots have for non-western countries being successful. I see that descriptor far more describing our side of the pond in this story.
Er I’m actually pretty sure that every nation is fucked up and terrible. It’s just that we usually only see America’s situation.
Xenophobic immediately sets up a parallel between the CUI and N Korea
The Sandman on June 4, 2013 at 00:39 said:
Well, folks, this year’s BEHEMOTHIMANIA has started with a bang, as the Chinese Cape Patrol made their first appearance in over a decade outside their home turf. Given the bruising they’ve already taken, they may need to tag in one of the other stables and take some time to recover before they rejoin the fray.
For the upcoming round, though, the highlight is the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Weaver finally steps back into the ring for the first time since she made the heel-face flip. Our commentators are still trying to interpret Behemoth’s seismic rumblings, but we’re fairly certain that when she landed, he said something along the lines of “Meh, I could take her.” Bookies have responded by dropping the odds in favor of Behemoth below triple digits for the first time since he took the world by storm nearly twenty years ago as a talented rookie with a penchant for pyrotechnics.
Meanwhile, rumors are coming in that reigning champion Scion is stopping to grab every single folding chair in his path on his way to New Delhi to join the fray. His agent refused to comment, but she did recommend we cue up the Curbstomp Song for Scion’s arrival.
No matter how this ends, I think this is gonna be one for the ages.
Tune in next time, as we continue our coverage of BEHEMOTHIMANIA 2011!
WHAT YA GONNA DO WHEN BEHEMOTHMANIA RUNS WILD OVER YOU!
Combust.
*Puts on a black outfit and a cowboy hat*
I think we’re in for a slobber knocker tonight, folks. This very evening, in the squared circle that is New Delhi, we’re going to see a 1 on 450 man handicap match between Behemoth and the rest of the world. I think it’s fair to say that Behemoth still has them outnumbered. Scion is on his way to the building, but we know for a fact that several old and new faces are joining us here for this momentous occasion. We’ve seen Defiant and Dragon, Weaver and the Undersiders, Accord and the Accordions, the Wards, the Protectorate, the Yangban, Kaientai, the Acolyte Protection Agency, Doink the Clown, the Shockmaster, the Oddities, Degeneration X, the Four Horseman, Kamala, Steve Richards, 2 Cool and Rikishi, the Dudley Boys, the Boogeyman, the Hurricane, the Blue Meanie, the Brooklyn Brawler, Macho Man Randy Savage, Flyin’ Brian Pillman, Latino Heat Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Umaga, the Junkyard Dog, Earthquake, Andre the Giant, Owen Hart, and the Big Bossman are all here, and I didn’t even think some of those guys were still alive!
Unfortunately, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and John Cena could not be here tonight. Hogan and Nash refused unless they were paid 6 figures, and Cena was told he would have to learn how to sell for the match.
Still, Behemoth had better watch out or this might be the night that he gets beat like a government mule and winds up running like a scalded dog.
frozen chicken on June 4, 2013 at 04:58 said:
A) Who would want to Doink the clown? Ick.
b) I’m pretty sure Skitter is supposed to be one of the 4 horsemen. Not sure who the others are just yet.
c) How well do Bitch and the Junkyard Dog get along?
Hey maybe BEHEMOTH is afraid of clowns you ever think of that? Notice he’s never fought Circus? Ever think that maybe there’s a reason for that? Doink is probably just what we need right now.
A. Who doesn’t want a guy like Doink on their side? Just look at him, man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cqDYiQg-cM
That guy’s a barrel of laughs.
B. I’m not sure they’d let a woman onto that team. Which is a shame. Women can kick as much ass as the men.
C. Probably pretty well. He was big into chains and dogs and headbutting people while on all fours.
Holy cow, Skitter/Weaver is totally Pestilence. Also, the Four Horsemen (or just the Horsemen) would be a great name for a cape group. Who are War, Famine, and Death?
Hmm, I guess Echidna could be Famine. She was always really hungry.
Well, Weaver got too close to Beemoth and died…Worm’s over!
I would be really over. The second main character, who could carry the story with his glittering personality, is dead to. Poor Atlas…
The rest of the story will be Regent and Imp making smart-ass comments and acting like dicks.
Eldan on June 4, 2013 at 09:15 said:
This is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but a pun.
I think that would make it the first series to kill off the main character and not experience a drop in readership.
(Note: Please don’t kill Taylor! Even the awesomeness of Regent and Imp Snark The World To Death isn’t worth that!)
Wouldn’t that be fitting? Taylor dies and the next twenty chapters wrapping Worm up will be “interludes”.
The funny thing is I can only make that joke because I know Wildbow’s not going to jump the shark like that, or that if he went for Interludes till the end they’d be the most amazing interludes ever and still wind up worth it.
Funny the kind of faith over a million words of awesome storytelling can buy you no? : )
Means a lot to me to hear something like that. Thanks.
camo005 on June 4, 2013 at 00:40 said:
I just about screamed at how this chapter ended…
It’s in the quotes on the tropes page how Wildbow feels about our frustration at cliffhangers. Why can’t it be Saturday already?
langer101 on June 4, 2013 at 11:25 said:
I’m using my precog ability to predict an update Thursday. Now that it’s said it’ll happen…right…right….
Forget pre-cog, this is much more reliable:
https://parahumans.wordpress.com/donate/
(i.e. it lists when the next bonus story is)
(you can also donate there too : )
Ah yes my precog ability forewarned me that your comment was coming..how awesome is that!
Sensors are registering it as 7.2 nano-wildbows.
Oh, and I am wondering if legend and eldion will make a showing
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if legend came, but I don’t think that eidolon will come, as he is probably still working for cauldron behind the scenes, maybe in a way similar to contessa. If he does show it will most likely be in order to strengthen his waning power.
Eidolon better show, because if he doesn’t show and Scion doesn’t show then the local capes are probably going to lose pretty hard.
Bubbles that slow time down and control of Gravity might be very helpful in finding a way to hurt him.
Taylor is in a position where she might actually be useful. Plenty of capes with powers to exploit in new ways. Hopes she can mange to keep most of them alive.
The part about looking for the goal of Behmoth and communicating it to the rest of the gathered heroes seems like it is taylor-made for Taylor.
The Yàngbǎn who have come out of the woodworks to help could either be good as in they have come out now that Alexandria is out of the way and the Protectorate shows signs of being reformed or it could be bad as in now that Alexandria is out of the way and they seem ready to take on the Protectorate. The fact that they jump into the fray and don’t let the others exhaust shelver first makes me seem hopeful.
The Yàngbǎn seem to be practising some sort of power-communism. Combined with what we learned from Lung it almost seems as if everyone has everyone’s powers. It seems like it would make everyone in their group a mini Eidolon, but I expect that there are downsides to the process.
Other than that, what exactly is Theo doing here? Is he Golem or somebody? Controlling metal/iron golems would fit his family legacy. If he can play Master to a bunch of pseudo-welds from a distance that would make him a formidable asset even against an Endbringer. Lets hope he doesn’t get picked up and absorbed by the Borg/Yàngbǎn after this.
Also: RIP Raymancer, we would mourn you, but I expect many others will end up joining you soon.
Finally, I know the Thursday episodes are supposed to be treats and mostly for interludes and that regular Thursday chapters are not something to be taken for granted, but I am going to be upset if I have to wait till Saturday for what happens next.
Given it’s reasonable to assume 1+ interludes… The odds are in favour of y-/our wait extending till Saturday. June 15th, that is.
If you want to know what happens next I can make an educated guess.
Lots of capes die, and Taylor figures out some way to turn it around. Then things get worse.
There’s potential for dark comedy here too – Accord figures out how to deal with Behemoth but no one will listen to him. Taylor independently figures out the same thing and gets everyone on board to enact *her* plan. Accord then dies of a rage-induced aneurysm.
And has meticulous plans for his own funeral that involves suggestions on the invitations to come up with equal numbers, perfect patterns of flower arrangements, and the exact shade of mahogany for his exactly-weighted coffin. He even allots precisely 2.34 seconds worth of time, per guest, for crying, but women whose makeup is messed up MUST go fix it or they will be forcibly ejected from the funeral.
Which is all ruined when Imp shows up.
Donate page from the navigation bar:
Amount Donated Towards Bonus Chapter: $32 of $600
Bonus Chapters Coming Up: One on June 6th.
Seven more chapters after that! (To be scheduled at a later point).
Shouldn’t Foil and Parian be tagged? I mean, Accord was tagged and he played no bigger a part.
Fake Name on June 4, 2013 at 00:48 said:
So, the Yangban.
What the fuck is up with that? When Lung said they’d take away his powers and give him new ones, I wasn’t sure that was possible. Definitely seems like they’ve done that here.
And Theo- holy shit. Guessing he’s Golem.
Also, I think the combination of Tattletale (finding out info about Behemoth), Accord (coming up with a plan to use what Tattletale discovers) and Skitter (implementing Accord’s plan by directing everyone on the battlefield with her bug arrows) could actually be pretty damn devastating.
From a friend:
Stop fucking with your girlfriend’s programming, defiant!
Just cause she says she wants it doesn’t mean you should!
The irony of that statement should have been enough to prove it!
Wageslave on June 4, 2013 at 01:19 said:
It’s interesting to note that Colin is starting to sound more and more… mechanical and programmed and methodical even as Dragon is starting to sound more and more ‘human’. Could this ‘bleedover’ be part of what’s causing Dragon the logic fault issues? In addition to the other problems, of course?
Are you proposing Dragon is feeling guilty for the perceived transference of ‘humanity’?
Maybe someone needs to talk to them, and make Defiant understand Dragon loves him for who he is, not what or whom he’s changing into.
Sappy sappy comickry. Maybe after the honeymoon with D&D together with Parian and Foil
I prefer Sapster, actually 😛
I’m still excited by the slim chance that Grue’s power works on Behemoth. I also can’t wait to see what Tattletale finds out about him, after she got knocked out so quickly in the Leviathan fight.
Alright, Weaver, you call down the Thanda and we’ll reap the whirlwind.
Interestingly enough, looks like Weaver found herself a team. They want her. And three of them are red sh- I mean newbies. Hopefully Cuff won’t try something too off herself, though I suspect Annex may have something to do with China’s presence in India. I wonder what Golem’s gonna pull out here. If he does what I think, disposable minions are always helpful. The problem is once they decide they’re no longer disposable. Just better make sure one of the golems doesn’t come out half-baked. Still, if Weaver makes it through this, ought to be some fun stuff with her as part of a hero team who they defer to in S-class situations.
Glenn’s not going to like that, by the way, but I don’t exactly see him out there fighting off Behemoth with the power of atrocious plaid. You want a funny interlude? Regent and Imp meet Glenn. Laughs all around.
Yangban also looks interesting. A military unit of capes. Either they have enough people with similar powers to form a whole unit like that, or they have some way of creating uniformity in powers. The fact that they called the PRT and Protectorate’s true colors doesn’t mean they’re all nice and fluffy puppies and all that. Problem is, if they have some of power sharing, then either one of their members is of critical importance, or they all grow weaker as each one is killed, or they have to constantly head to the back to get recharged every once in awhile during the fight.
Alternatively, they may grow more powerful individually but lose cohesion as the ‘groupthink’ is beaten upon?
anon on June 4, 2013 at 01:38 said:
Power sharing or power stealing? The Yangban might be why Myrrdin is getting weaker!
i think you mean eidolon. myrrdin caught a bad case of knifetothethroat.
He DOES seem much weaker after his death, you have to admit. Obi-Wan was full of crap.
pookywb on August 23, 2015 at 13:45 said:
Obi-Wan joined Glaistig Uaine. Myrrdin did not.
Actually, interesting question: If your powers get shared amongst the group, what happens when you die? Does the group lose your contribution? Will the total power grouping lose whatever fraction had been invested in you? Do they get stronger as they recover what was being used by you?
I took it as similar to Charmed’s Avatars. Each one contributes power to the whole group, but all are weakened if one dies.
And since Trusting seems to be right, it does not function that way. They have some way to take powers from captured, unwilling individuals and spread them to other members of the Yangban. The Yangban that go fight are probably soldiers picked for loyalty and ability imbued with the powers stolen from supers.
In other words, they’re pretty much doing what Cauldron does, just with a slightly different method and using passengers already in their rightful person, as well as a few Cauldron capes.
Only small mentions of it so far, but I was impressed with Colin at the top of the chapter. He ate his crow like a man, and made an admirable start at crawling out of the d-bag penalty box.
What a shame that after waiting for so long for the Dragon/Skitter conversation, now that they finally meet she is mute! I think that if Taylor had Tattletale’s power, Dragon would have already been outed as an Electronic-American…or now that i think about it, isn’t she an Electronic-Canadian? Anyway, I wonder how much longer it will be before Taylor figures it out anyway.
Great chapter, and I eagerly await the next installment. Thanks for writing!
Skitter…Weaver…Taylor. WELCOME TO CHICAGO GIRLFRIEND!
Now some REALLY important things to remember.
Cubs = BAD
White Sox = GOOD
Blackhawks = GREAT
Bears = McCaskeys must die!
Bulls = Maybe some day
Also, while you’re here, take advantage of Chicago’s food! Beef sandwiches, hot dogs, the only decent pizza in the country.
And remember, we didn’t stamp out organized crime in the 20’s and 30’s. That’s a TOTAL myth!
The gangsters simply set up in government because it was more lucrative! Whenever someone restates themselves by mentioning crooks and politicians in the same sentence you can be CERTAIN he’s talking about Chicago.
Just bring warm clothes. Summers are nice, but winters are a bitch-and-a-half.
I’m a guy. But I’m told that shopping is AWESOME here. It’s up to you to decide.
And I don’t even wanna THINK about the sort of nasties you could dredge up out of the Chicago River (no, that color isn’t natural, and no I don’t know what causes it…, and NO I don’t WANT to know).
Remember, if you’re in the suburbs, most of the greedy ones with ticket-chucking cops begin with a “W”. So stay out of them. They’d just be ITCHING for a chance to cause you problems.
Also, we’re all set to become a concealed carry state. $150 for a 5 year permit.
Also, most of the news agencies in Chicago don’t *lean* left. They use high-thrust-ratio rocket packs. So take your news with a grain of salt (hell, invest in a brine block!).
Vacations to the Wisconsin Dells are nice and relaxing (about to take one myself). And Chicago Comicons are pretty freakin awesome.
I’d stay out of the casinos though. They’re just havens for suckers.
Also, do yourself a favor and stick to the jet pack. Rush Hour doth sucketh mightily.
Eh, Traffic is worse in L.A. Lived in Chicago for 2 years before moving back to the land of eternal summer. Freaking seasons are wierd man.
JN on June 4, 2013 at 21:22 said:
CUBS = Just adopt the Cardinals and save yourself pain. St. Louis isn’t that far away, and the red will blend in if you’re at Wrigley when the 11 time World Champions come to town.
The main problem with Chicago is its tendency to get conquered by a super powerful Epic, turned into steel, and run with an iron fist.
slider214 on July 22, 2017 at 16:59 said:
Ah but then you can call in the guy with the Epic(ally) bad puns 😉
endochrom on June 4, 2013 at 01:59 said:
It feels like Weaver has been given a kill-squad of sorts. I’m not sure what the powers of the newbies could be but the name Cuff makes me think she can probably contain things maybe through creating metal bands.
Annex might add to peoples powers in some way.
Golem I have no idea. Creation of a golem out of metal and thin air (assuming he is Theo).
Grace is practically invincible.
Tecton specialises in geologic forces, which Behemoth manipulates to a certain extent.
Wanton can remove himself from a situation whilst continuing to do damage.
If my conjecture is correct the Chicago wards seem very well suited for combating Behemoth, even if only to adapt to the situation and support capes more capable of damaging him. Even if I have gotten the new guys powers wrong (which is likely), Grace, Tecton and Wanton would still be effective Vs. Behemoth.
I’m not going to assume that they will be able to take him out (a little too farfetched) but I can definitely see their squad being highly useful in this coming fight.
I’m hoping that Skitter takes command of the Undersiders as well, and that Accord recognizes her ability and lets her direct his ambassadors too. With all of those guys being directed by a Thinker specializing in multitasking, situational awareness, and utilizing individual elements to their fullest potential, they’ll likely be used in the best way they can. Not to mention they’ll also have Tattletale’s insight.
If that holds true, she will be commanding… what, 15-18 people? Tn, Gc, Wn, Cf, Gm, Ax + Tt, Gr, Rg, Im, Bt + Ac, Lg, Ct, …?
That’s a lot of people. She’ll have to remember to check in periodically.
You forgot Pn and Fl. No matter what they think of her as a person, I’m pretty sure they recognize her capabilities.
My bad. And it’s Fo now 😛
Psycho, she doesn’t need to check on them if they’re in her proximity. Place a few bugs on everyone and she’s set.
Matthew K on June 4, 2013 at 02:14 said:
“Welcome back, to ENDBRINGERBRAWL 2013! There is a palpable sense of tension in the air today as the Capes assemble for what is sure to be the highlight of the season. And we are getting reports of a record turnout, even the Yàngbǎn, who if you remember haven’t played outside the C.U.I. before, are expected to be out in force. Meanwhile, discussion rages through the Indian Cape community about whether the Thanda will be making an appearance for this historic occasion and-… news just in…”
“Is it that time, Bob?”
“You bet it is, Jim. Ladies and Gentlemen, ENDBRINGERBRAW is proud to present the Blow From Below…”
“The Roar From The Core…”
“…The Thunder. From. Down-Under… BEEEEEEEEEEHEMOTH!”
“What a showman, Bob, this is one Endbringer who needs no time to warm up, which is fortunate because Canada’s own Dragon is laying on the cold with long-range freezerays, perhaps hoping to wick away some of his energy stores and leave him with less to work with.”
“Oh that’s a clever tactic, Jim. They’re going to be grateful of that in the long run, and… OH! Cape down, cape down! Behemoth is in fighting form today, just like every day. A quadrapedal leap to close the distance and a burst of entropic heat from within his Zero Manton zone, a one-two punch that’s sure to give the New Delhi Heroes something to worry about.”
“That’s right Bob, get within thirty feet of Behemoth and unless you have parallel biology, energy absorption or enough toughness to swallow a stinger missile you’re out of the game.”
“And what a surprise! A fine early-game showing from the Yàngbǎn, demonstrating their trademark coordination in a Musketeer laser firing-line attempting to blind the Tremorous Titan, but oh, I think we’ve seen this move before- YES! A flesh-disintegrating sonic handclap from Behemoth! Cape down, cape down, cape- well would you look at that?”
“Amazing, Bob! A shield wall and a last-second… is that a time reversion? Antientropic field? Biokinesis? Well whatever it is the Yàngbǎn made it out with their line intact and only two Cape Down’s, you can bet Behemoth’s not going to be happy about them damaging his numbers like that.”
“It seems they’ve already got the message, Jim. The Yàngbǎn are in retreat, and who wouldn’t after the look on the big guy’s face? Yeesh!”
“Fortunately for them it looks like Behemoth’s still preoccupied with the Dragon armours, but even those fine examples of prime Canadian engineering are no match for his gigawatt lightning bolts. We’re only a few minutes in and already conditions are sweltering here in New Delhi, with Scion as yet nowhere in sight, who can say where this matchup will go? Stay with us, we’ll be bringing you more live ENDBRINGERBRAWL 2013 coverage after this message from our sponsors, Weaver-brand Organic Spider Farms and The Parian Collection.”
God, I’ve been wanting to do that for days…
alex emm on June 4, 2013 at 05:06 said:
NIce One XD
Strong opening show from the big guy, 5 Capes and 4 Dragon Suits down inside a minute, and the best anyone can hope to do is slow him down a bit!
See now the former villain turned hero Weaver, taking the world by storm these last 6 months. Against Leviathan, she was relegated to SAR, and history seems to be repeating itself. Less full-circle I’m sure, and more a way of keeping her busy til she comes up with something awesome, like before.
“This is Sigh Cho Gekko, the on-the-scene reporter for Endbringerbrawl 2013. Guys, I don’t know why you want me down here, you can pick this fight up from space. I don’t mean satellite either, this is the kind of brawl visible to the naked eye from the secret nazi base hidden on the moon.
As you can see behind me, the Yangban are running scared like a duck in Chinatown after Behemoth gave them the clap. No word yet on why they’re here, but the smart money is because India is just that damn close to China. I know, total mystery, right?
It’s not rainy, by the way, the lightning is just being thrown out and controlled by Behemoth. It reminds me of the time someone tried to use an orbital killsat on him and he directed the attack into the heroes attacking him. So it’s not bad weather, I’m just wearing the rain slicker because for some reason the special field reporter uniform consists of a white circle inside a red circle inside a white circle inside a red circle, and so on and so forth. I have integrity, and I’m not going to be a shill for Target, no matter how friendly their customer service.
Now, the city isn’t actually evacuated yet, so we’re seeing massive casualties and ramifications felt all over the world as tech support in the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Germany, and Spain has gone offline. I’m getting a message here from the Yangban media liaison who would like viewers to know that China is prepared to handle the IT needs of the decadent imperial Western powers, and my lucky numbers are 3, 7, 9, 42, and 69.
Needless to say, the Chinese, parahumans, and Indians have all made one of the classic blunders in fighting a land war against an Endbringer in Asia.
We’re going to take a break from the killzone here, as we like to call it in the field, and go interview some people way on the back lines. I think I saw Weaver running around earlier, and she has a good track record at surviving these things so I’d rather be closer to her. This is Sigh Cho Gekko, back to you in the studios, Bob.”
I like the mental image I get of Behemoth’s glowing eye sort of hovering and shining through the smoke above the city.
Regarding the Yangban, my theory is that either A) there’s a secret chinese base contianign something nasty nearby, which is Behemoth’s target, B) they’re planning on making a power play and stomping the remaining capes when Behemoth leaves, or C) They’re planning on forcibly poaching powers from downed capes during the aftermath.
Or not even the Chinese don’t like the Endbringers to destroy the world.
One eye?
Golem?
Are there any swords that need shattering? Rings that need to be destroyed?
If so, we’re screwed. We’ve got dragons but no giant eagles. Nothing gets done without giant eagles saving the day right?
Moths.
WE. NEED. MOTHS.
AMR on June 5, 2013 at 09:31 said:
They are BETTER than dragons.
Wonders if anyone catches the mildly obscure reference…
You! Shall Not! *raises staff, gets zapped to ash by Behemoth lightning*
Since you’re not color based, what’s your upgraded form? Psycho Komodo Dragon?
Psycho Komodo Dragon? Well, I suppose I COULD fight five virtuous kangaroo warriors if I needed to, but I’d get a hell of a lot louder.
Of course, could always drag out the extra designs from those days in the Rogue Isles. The Emperor Gecko armor was a nice step, even if it was in black and dark blue rather than grey and orange, but the real pick of the litter was the Lord Gecko armor (http://tinypic.com/r/9j0yv9/5). Now that was something to conquer a world in right there.
If they were just there to picke up the weakened survivors for their own nefarious purposes they probably wouldn’t have been among the first to confornt him, but instead made a fashionable late entry to save the day. Their initial barrage speaks either of honsty or complete disregard for the lives of their soldiers on the part of the C.U.I.
Perhpas they were just motivate by a genuine desire to not see the world destroyed and think that now that the corrupt Protactorate is out of the way they have chance to make a difference and score some political points.
Yeah I’m not in favour of the East = Evil mindset it’s so over done….mind you they do love their brain washing!
Going by Wildbow’s track record in the Wormverse “Everywhere is evil. Everywhere is good.” seems to be a theme.
Taking into account how he/she dealt with many usually disregarded elements and tropes… I trust it will be done well. Horribly well.
In spite of all the other shit hitting the fan, I have to call attention to Colin finally manning up and taking responsibility. I really think he’s grown a lot from who he used to be.
…He’s going to die isn’t he
Puppetmaster24 on June 4, 2013 at 08:06 said:
He can’t die he’s just two days from retirement!
Well he did fix Dragon’s speech. Somewhat. So she can hold his corpse in her arms and yell “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” to the heavens.
Dragon is the only reasonably unkillable person we know of, right? I mean, she can always decant a new body, given time, and probably had back-ups all over the place. Who else is unkillable; Endbringers, Nilbog (perhaps), anyone else?
Scion seems to be a safe bet,too.
*dopeslap*
Yeah, forgot the physical god, what could’ve possibly gone wrong…
I would lay good money that buy the end of the story, a majority of the beings you’ve named will be dead, or changed so radically that their old selves are effectively dead.
Skyweir on June 4, 2013 at 04:30 said:
So, after the first “Weaver” arc, I think I am done. At least for a while.
I like Taylor as a villain, someone that spits on the system because it is broken. Taylor the Superhero is just not a story I am very interested in this far, it just makes me frustrated to see her bow to the PTR or go to jail. In fact, I have a irrational feeling of betrayal from Taylor abandoning the Undersiders. They are where my loyalties still lie.
I still think Worm is excellently written, but the direction of the story in this arc is just annoying me too much, and Taylor on a “bad girl redemption arc” is just not my thing. Of course, it is not my story and so I have no real input on how it unfolds. Still, I am going to take a break from reading it. I will likely check back in a month or so to see how things are unfolding, but it does not look hopeful. It is not good when most of the chapters end with me feeling like Taylor should just kill everyone in the room and go back to the Undersiders.
I do get what you mean. I sometimes take a break when the story is getting too depressing (particularly if it’s heading for nasty cliffhangers) and then resume reading once the story has hit a less stressful patch.
If I were you I’d stick through the Behemoth Arc at least. I imagine that’ll mostly be fighting anyways and hopefully Taylor will follow TT’s instructions to be Skitter.
En on June 4, 2013 at 09:29 said:
Eh, I’m liking a lot the story’s direction so far, and the “bad girl redemption” is definitely one of the best points. Expecially because I do not read it as a redemption, or Taylor as a “bad girl”.
She’s a hero. High time she started to be one, instead of an heroic villain.
I am not interested in reading about a hero, hence my problem.
Umh… please do not take this as a snide remark, because it’s not, but genuine curiosity.
Why did you read worm so far then? Taylor, labels aside, is a very convincing hero from the start.
That really depends on you definition of hero. Taylor has never been a classic “superhero” in the vein of most comic books, both because of her power and her outlook. That is the hook for the story. The idea that a supervillain is really doing a lot of good (and some evil) while still being a villain was what drew me here in the first place. What hooked me was the idea that Taylor finally found somewhere to fit in among the villains, not the heroes. Without it, I would never have come here and read the story.
What I enjoyed about Taylor was mainly the villain aspect of her character: her need to act outside of the system, her dislike of authority, her ruthlessness and the creepy way she use her power. It was an interesting view into why an mostly nice and ethical kid like Taylor could become a super villain for reasons that are at least not completely self-serving (though there are certainly self-interest involved in her choices). The characters I enjoyed the most where the Undersiders.
Once Taylor is no longer a villain or part of the Undersiders, and is confined by the system she was fighting earlier, this becomes just another superhero story. I just do not find those appealing, and this direction of the story is the least appealing and interesting way for it to evolve IMO.
But of course, this is a matter of opinion. Other may enjoy the this direction of the story. I told myself to give it an Arc to try and see where the story was going, and I have.
I don’t think Taylor is on a “bad girl redemption arc”, because that would assume that we’re meant to believe the PRT are totally or even mostly in the right, and they’re clearly not.
I think prison and many of her restrictions are stupid top, many of us do, and I miss the Undersiders- but that’s the point! We’re meant to feel frustrated for Taylor, to chafe against her incarceration and restrictions just as she has, to feel worried for her, and feel some of her heartbreak having her loved ones taken from her! That’s how good a writer wilbow is, and how emotive a character Taylor is, that we end up feeling that!
Taylor did an incredibly difficult, brave thing, because Dinah told her it would improve the world’s chances, and because she wanted to save the PRT, because horribly broken as it was, humanity still needs it. She’s imprisoned and restricted and being bullshitted to, even made to feel guilty for things she shouldn’t, she’s had her loved ones taken from her, and she knew that was close to the best case scenario when she surrendered. And she did it anyway, because it was the right thing to do, not for her but for the world. That’s the hero she is.
I also predict that one way or another, by the end of the next arc the situation on that front will be rather different, so maybe try staying the course a little longer?
I feel I have to clear something up:
I do not think Taylor is a “bad girl”, just that she is having a “bad girl redemption” arc, where the main character is put into some kind of system (juvie, psychiatric care, camp or reform school) that she hates/dislikes, then sees the error of her ways slowly when she sees that all the people in the system are not so horrible, learning to trust them, make friends and in the end conform to normal society. I DISLIKE such arcs with a passion, and Taylor is playing through one now.
As I said, I enjoy Taylor as a villain. A heroic villain, or a more ruthless villain, both were good. Taylor as a hero, on the other hand, I have never really liked.
I don’t think she is on such a “bad girl redemption arc”, or will end up repudiating everything or even very much at all of she did before, and I spent quite a bit of time outlining that. Since you’re responding to a position that is not my own and seems to be mostly of your imagination, I don’t see a fruitful path forward for further discussion.
Have a nice day : )
I did read your outline above, but found it pretty much uninteresting. I know what is happening in the story, I just dislike it, and find Taylor’s reasons for doing what she has done both unconvincing and unappealing. Nor do I trust Dinah or her predictions to the extent Taylor seems to do.
I did not really find any need to respond to what you had written, other than to clarify my initial point about the arc Taylor has been placed on, with her going through most of the tropes already.
I do however enjoy being insulted, so thanks for that.
Insulted? I’m kinda perplexed by that.
I say that I thought you’d mischaracterized my argument, and we should leave things were they were, and you take it as a personal insult? What comment did I make about you, that could constitute an insult?
That’s just, erm… Wow.
Two possible things that could be taken as an insult
1. Saying his position is based off his imagination
2. Saying Have a Nice Day
David Johnston on June 5, 2013 at 14:55 said:
She isn’t seeing the error of her ways though. She’s showing them the error of their ways.
Belatedly (I’m only just now getting around to reading my comment notification emails): I think I see what you mean about the “bad girl redemption arc” thing — it’s not the traditional take on it, because her ‘redemption’ is chiefly attributable to her own personality reacting to the removal of her prior influences, rather than her personality being reshaped by her new influences … but I see it. For my own part, though, I didn’t enjoy Taylor as a villain because I never read Taylor as a villain, so my frustration with these PRT-Taylor chapters welled from the same spring as Taylor’s: Weaver’s not kicking ass the way Skitter kicked ass. Which puts me in a position where I expect things to grow more to my liking in the future, and you (I expect) in a position where you do not.
And I’m sorry about that. I know what it’s like to watch a serial I enjoy metamorphose into something I don’t enjoy at all*, and I see no shame in letting go. I hope wildbow will surprise you in a month when you return, but if he doesn’t, I hope the fun you had will quell the disappointment.
* Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire. I enjoyed it when it was about a misanthropic (but fundamentally heroic) village fortune-teller using his wits, miscellaneous cantrips, and a minor gift for seeing the future to deal with a succession of oddball problems. When said village fortune-teller was retconned into a legendary master mage destined to fight against world-threatening trans-dimensional horrors using a suite of prophetic powers that would make a hypothetical Bonesaw-hybrid of Accord, Tattletale, and Dinah look like Kid Lose? Meh.
Smeh. I think half the point of Worm is that both ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ are overly simplistic labels that are imposed by society and that do very little to sum up the complexity of an individual human being.
I don’t see it so much as a ‘redemption arc’ as an arc where Taylor starts to realise how complex the world actually is. It’s not so simple as ‘heroes good, villains bad’ and it’s ALSO not so simple as ‘villains good, heroes bad’.
Taylor’ s not ‘going over to the side of the angels’ because there isn’t one. She’s doing what she’s always done – making the best choices she can in an imperfect world.
In short: as long as Taylor continues to be Taylor this’ll be worth reading, regardless of what label she wears this week..
I can follow your reasoning. There’s internal continuity. Though personally I’d view it as one of the stretches one has to bear for the fun parts. For instance, the early arcs didn’t quite catch me the later ones did, but due to having been slightly spoiled beforehand I knew there were parts ahead I would really like. So yeah, if it will help you to wait for more interesting chapter to be published, wait for them and then you can read the backlog of not-so-captivating one leading up to the fun parts.
eduardo on June 4, 2013 at 18:23 said:
Somehow I think that Taylor will give “defying the system” a new meaning when she gets out of this fight and Glen complains about something like:
Why didn’t you use only butterflies?
I believe they mentioned that no one is going to care so much that she uses other bugs in the story.
It’s never quite so simple as conforming to the PRT. She’s not going to do that. Even while she’s playing nice with them, she’s trying to get them to change and she’s breaking the rules a little on her own.
Wildbow’s too smart a writer to give us such a great insight into the flaws from the villainside to have Taylor ignore them to play nice.
As for redemption stories, I am intrigued by more legitimate attempts at it. Unfortunately, I feel they tend to be overdone. Most people, when they get their hands on a bad guy character who might look good to the audience, play it out as redeeming them.
That’s a good way to make them less interesting and it’s just not all that realistic because most people out there running around doing despicable things are doing so because they are convinced it is the right thing to do. A lot of audacity can go with that and it helps build the character, but for redemption they have to recognize they are wrong and they tend to have to just excuse the flaws of the other side because the other side is “normal” even when they were legitimately correct to point them out.
Not that they’re all like that. Some villains know what they’re doing is wrong and just raise hell because it’s the best way to get what they want.
All in all, I like how it went with Faith from the Buffyverse. She got in too deep, tried to protect herself, tried to run and hide and bury the worries in hedonism, but she was legitimately troubled by what she’d done. Didn’t want to face it because she was too scared of the punishment they’d give her or the one she thought she deserved.
Bottom line: I’ll keep reading Worm. Redemption stories are not generally done well.
Real life:
My granfather told me that many killers for hire that he met when young “changed their ways” and decided to become good religious people when old.
Of course, fear of death and what comes beyond is not exactly a new reason for “redemption”. But really, it happens that some very bad guys decide to have a family and settle down when older. These are exactly the right guys to patrol your neighborhood.
I don’t put a lot of trust in anecdotes of people who all of a sudden changed their lives from being wicked, sinful people to being good, decent religious folk.
I’m not saying no one changes their ways ever, but it’s either a much slower process than books and TV shows depict, or it is faster when, as Jim Cornette would say, “Only when no one else will take their calls.” Now you can rehab people, fit them into society, but that’s no guarantee that they’re changed. It’s still good, but it may simply be the difference between someone who will steal to eat who has food and a job and someone who will steal to eat who doesn’t have food or a job.
Or maybe I’m just a cynical bastard. There’s compelling evidence for both arguments.
Nope, they probably didn’t becomes nice religious folk. Only folk afraid to die and go to hell because of their past sins.
Besides, a family tends to make some bad guys settle down and steal in more profitable ways (like politics) instead of risking their lives like they did when younger.
Anyway, after talking with the sheriff of the city where my grandfather passed his last days I got a strong feeling that it was the kind of place where a thief wake up tied to a lamppost … by his neck.
Not a place full of nice people, but criminality was certainly not very high.
ereshkigala on June 4, 2013 at 05:16 said:
Nobody mentioned Behemoth’s greatest weakness yet? “Line of Sight” limitations and Grue in the field should prove interesting – especially since Grue can leech physical powers… and it doesn’t get any more physical than Behemoth.
As for Behemoth and dealing damage, he’s a 50-foot giant made of rock. Assuming density equal to rock average (3) and his being twice as thick as a human of the same height, he should weigh around 1000 tons. Even if he had merely proportional human strength, each one of his blows would pancake a building (average wrecking ball weight is merely 5 tons). Now, consider how he can jump around several city blocks at a time or force his way through the Earth’s crust and what that means for his actual strength and speed – he could simply jump around at half the speed of sound or so, each jump leveling a city block from the impact every few seconds. Within a couple of hours, a New-York-sized city would have been thoroughly flattened even without his energy projection.
What I do not understand is why he surfaces above the city at all. All he needs to do is move about a mile beneath the city and start projecting as much heat and radiation as fast as he can. In less than a day, the entire city would have collapsed into a pool of radioactive magma but long before this happened every water main and sewer would have burst from explosive vaporization, the metal skeletons of all concrete buildings would have expanded far more than the concrete around them and the buildings would have crumbled, asphalt in roads and pavements would have melted and so on and so forth. And no hero could possibly engage him AT ALL.
Now, as to fighting Behemoth directly, he’s not actually invulnerable – those lasers seem to deal at least some damage. Dragon could build a weapon to kill him them. For example, a 100.000 Kw nuclear reactor is the size of a small house and weighs 2000 tons (i.e. the reactors in a Nimitz-class supercarrier). Dragon could squeeze space similar to her Birdcage to make a 3000 ft x 3000 ft x 3000 ft space be small enough to fit a supertanker (no more than 50 ft across) and then fill up that space with thirty thousand reactors or so. Attach that cube in aforementioned tanker for the power supply. Attach massive real-tech ion thrusters using air as fuel into the tanker capable of lifting it – just a crude but extremely powerful air intake that leads the air into an electric arc to be ionized and then the ionized air through a 100-foot extremely powerful electromagnetic coil that acts as a magnetrohydrodynamic impeller. Then add to the ship a crude but extremely powerful 1000-foot laser and a few similar-sized railguns and 30 feet of steel all around the ship for some protection.
Basically, it’s the simplest, most powerful weapon buildable with real technology of the ’70s and Dragon’s supertech only allows for an extremely powerful power supply to be added. The usual limitations of supertech (i.e. the tinker-exclusive maintenance) are negated by using RL technology and what you get is a 3 petawatt laser on a system capable of perpetual low orbit. “3-petawatt-laser” can also be read as “delivers the power of a megaton nuke concentrated on a few square feet… every second”. It’s a weapon that can literally level cities from thousands of miles away in a single blow with unlimited ammunition.
Behemoth close range on hit kill power that ignore manton effect don’t seem to be line of sight only his long range lighting throw type of abilities.
As for killing him with conventionla weapons: Note that we learned that he and the other Endbringers get denser as you go deeper in. Just because you can hurt the outer layers as the Chinese barrage just did or as Skitter manged with her borrowed polearm against Leviathan does not mean that they would be able to do any damge at all as it goes deeper in. I guess there is some diminishing returns issue going on her with the damge dealt hitting an asymptotic limit eventually.
Two points;
1) The useful stuff – limbs, eye, other sensory organs – are near the surface and at least the eye appears more vulnerable than the hands. Melting those away with a single energy burst won’t kill him but it will cripple him, making fighting him that much easier. He can’t hit what he can’t see or hear after all.
2) Beyond a certain power, energy weapons don’t deal physical damage. A hit from a petawatt-range laser means you have high-energy photons penetrating deep into your mass and then spontaneously converting to matter and antimatter via the “pair production” phenomenon.
It doesn’t matter how tough some creature or machine is – once pieces of material start spontaneously appearing on the inside of its brain equivalent and scrambling it, it won’t feel so hot. And once the delivered antimatter starts matter-annihilation chain reactions, it can kiss any delicate internal organs goodbye – because pieces of them will spontaneously dematerialize.
Effectively, at that level real-life energy weapons combine the effects of Flechette’s projectiles and Scrub’s power at the same time on a dispersed microscopic scale all across the target’s mass. Fun huh?
It looks like you’re from Spacebattles or Stardestroyer.
Regardless of that, mayhaps Dragon can’t move spatial distortions, making the Birdcage and it’s tech non-movable.
The power supply, though… if you remember Coil’s coup at the city hall or what was it with the mayor, Kid Wins energy source seemed rather potent.
And I’m probable wrong on this part, but when you’re firing a Petawatt laser you do get cooling problems. Not to mention having to develop/adapt the technology at what have you. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but perhaps you don’t want to show the possibility of such a “mostly mundane” weapons platform to the world at large.
You have to understand comickry, the default SpaceBattles response to meeting new life is always “How can we kill it?”. We don’t even use the plans that much any more, but it’s just our way.
Don’t actually recognise eresh from SB, though that certainly doesn’t mean he isn’t from there, we’re a big family. But in any case, feel happy that he’s a fairly conventional thinker, by our standards. If he was a true Grade A SBer who really decided to cut loose, he’d have a workable plan to turn Behemoth and Leviathan into renewable energy sources, and make the Smiurgh into an asteroid deflection system.
Don’t ask how. SpaceBattles finds a way.
We designed a warship that fired multiverses as projectile weapons once, just for the hell of it.
It was not meant as negative critique, but rather an observation.
For what it’s worth, I can see the mindset and certainly enjoy it from time to time. Of the examples you mentioned, given some measure to control/limit the Endbringers, I can see some scenarios on how to deploy them. Have Leviathan use his macroscale hydrokinesis to provide the drag and pressure for tidal power plants. Limit somehow Big B and run water pipes by him, heating/evaporating it thus powering a turbine. Only Simurgh is hard, since she merely has medium scale telekinetics or something. Given control over her, though… let her nudge people in the best direction, with them at least feeling, for the most part, as if they have free will.
Reminds me of Sleeping With The Girls, written by someone on SB, with the forum responses to the Self Insert’s question on how to deal with randomly jumping fictional universes was not in the line of “preserve the timeline” but rather “weaponize everything, become the Outside Context Problem everyone fears”.
Hobbes on June 4, 2013 at 17:29 said:
Possible confounding variables:
1) IMO, he has no line-of-sight limitation, but just seeks out passengers belonging to capes most likely to work against Endbringer interests. What we think of as fumbling around blind is actually him searching for the just the right passenger-infected entity to kill.
2) The Simurgh can appropriate and reprogram weapons, as well as scramble code…with her brain. Literally without even expending much effort–just a slight change of course.
3) Given what we know about the Wormverse, this weapon would never get built. Even if Cauldron did it, I’d wager that the CUI and a variety of other entities know where their bases are and have some way to get to them, but don’t under some sort of truce. Building a gigantic orbital weapon would create some serious balance of power issues.
Yes, lets use a massive energy weapon on the being that controls energy and directs it at nearby enemies. After that, lets try drowning Leviathan and capturing Simurgh with a trapdoor.
“Basically, it’s the simplest, most powerful weapon buildable with real technology of the ’70s”
“It’s a weapon that can literally level cities from thousands of miles away in a single blow with unlimited ammunition.”
Oh wow eresh, that was a triumph. If you’re not an SBer my friend, then you should be, you will feel like you’ve come home.
If you’re on the site already or are prompted to register, throw me a link to your profile and I’ll follow you.
I’m actually a resident of Weber Forums much of my online time. David Weber the writer that is – the guy that is writing one of the most successful and longer-lasting “hard” science fiction novel series. Battles there are fought with fleets of hundreds of fusion-powered, paragravity-propelled multimegaton spaceships each of which can potentially fire thousands of missiles at relativistic velocities. And that means a single missile out of the ungodly number being fired is capable of causing a 40-gigaton impact and subsequent artificial Fimbulwinter if it hits a planet by accident.
And the guy’s future tech is accurate enough, if you ignore the required “one big lie” of FTL travel, that you got army people, weapons engineers, mathematicians and physicists arguing about the designs of his starships on a hard-science basis in the forums.
You should come to SpaceBattles, we always need more new blood, especially people who think technically. SpaceBattles and Honor Harrington go waaaay back as well, we have our own jokes about the series, and arguments about it that are older than most websites.
…David Weber, hmm? *goes to look up to read now*
The first couple Honor Harrington books are online free to read, which is fun. The premise is napoleonic naval combat, IN SPACE!. Titular character is a commander vaguely styled after Nelson, serving her Wueen in the navy of Space! Britain, fighting Space! France. The setting is actually surprisingly well worked out, and other than the hand-wavey stuff the sci fi is surprisingly hard.
A nice thing to read in your lunch breaks, in my experience.
Nooooo, don’t look him up! Non unless you have a couple months free.
Seriously, it’s like having half a dozen worm to read all of a sudden.
He’s good and prolific. It’s a killer combination against your free time.
BaenCD at the Fifth Imperium has the “Mission of Honor” CD, which is probably the best collection of Honor Harrington ebooks you can find for free. Just be aware that as you progress through the series, the frequency of infodumps will increase.
Until it gets to amusing levels:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=635193
You know what my first reaction to looking at that was?
“Those infodumps are too short.”
I’m 100% not lying — not one of them is longer than a paragraph and a half. A true David Weber character is capable of pumping out at least three pages worth of as-I-know-Bob recollections before mentally shaking himself and redirecting his attention back to the conversation.
A think the sheer heat given off by putting 30 thousand reactors in a small space would cause it spontaneously combust. Not to mention the massive resources needed to build said reactors then shrink them down without breaking them.
Plus the fact that he can just redirect the energy at the heroes.
I think the worrying word there, when dealing with a dynakinetic, is ‘laser’. Yes, Yangban’s lasers got through and maybe your petawatt laser would get through. But if Behemoth *is* on the ball enough to intercept that incoming energy and redirect it outwards then you’ve just given him enough power to instantly fry everyone opposing him…
Ummm…he HAS the power to instantly fry anyone opposing him already.
razorsmile on June 4, 2013 at 07:42 said:
– Defiant’s really coming around. Hope he survives
– Tattletale’s on site. So is Accord. Good.
– Lizardtail is not on site. Bad. His synergy with Grue would have been useful
– “hot” and “cold” running supers. Heh.
– more knowledge of how the Yangban operates. Further proof they have a way of transferring powers to suitable recipients.
– these guys are going about it all wrong. Freeze rays? Energy beams? Naw, they need every Breaker and Shaker in the land. The space-folders and time-benders, the reality-warpers and the situ-changers*; that’s what needs to be in play here.
– any of Bakuda’s gear left? Might come in handy
– deeply worried about the imminent body count. I know people have to die; I just don’t _want_ them to
*I really really like that term. “Situ-change.” It just rolls off the tongue. So evocative …
Considering what happened the last time they tried using Bakuda Bombs on an Endbringer, I don’t know if that’s the best idea. But hey at least Dauntless and the others left good looking corpses.
I think you’re probably on the right path there.
Lung showed what happened when you bring an irresistible force to bear on the Endbringers. They simply resist it. Meaning they’re not playing by the same laws that govern the rest of Worm’s reality. They’re impossibly dense, but it probably goes beyond that.
Doesn’t mean they’re unbeatable. Everything has a bad day.
In the case of the Endbringers, I’m guessing that’ll be the day somebody figures out how to hit them with something that’s more “meta” than they are. “Fun with portals” is the first thing that springs to mind, but with as many different powers as there in the Wormverse, the GM in me just knows that there are an endless array of degenerately broken combinations available.
Oooh! Infinitely thin blades! Not simple monoblades, but by physical definition. Like, you can make portals between two places and can move the portals as if they are objects. Basing on the principles employed you can have two-dimensional portal panes, and two-dimensionality exists, see Noelle’s Vista-clones. Since the portal pane is thin as or thinner than the Planck length…
My favourite power in Mutants and Masterminds to make was a dimensional portal that I could move around at will, so I could slice anything in half. 😀
*paints a fake runnel and road on the side of a wall, then hops onto a rocket and chases Rika towards it*
tunnel*
Seriously, what the fuck typos? What the fuck? Am I going to misspell fuck next? This isn’t Shakespeare here. I don’t need a roomful of monkeys, but I expect one single damn primate could handle typing!!
Lung lost to Leviathan because his power cut out on him mid-fight (one popular theory being that it requires an audience to work – and Leviathan isn’t ‘person’ enough to count as one). The jury’s still out on whether Lung *could* have beaten him.
Lung decided in the end that Leviathan is unbeatable. That doesn’t make it true, but believing it probably does mean that his power won’t kick in for him if he tries to fight Leviathan again.
I read that as it failed when Leviathan fled,aka stopped fighting.But really,unstopable force vs Leviathan would result in the same destruction around the battlefield,and Leviathan fleeing 10 hits before it could destroy him,having accomplished its purpose.You need something to hold the Endbringers in place,or to hunt them when they flee,first and foremost,as it seems that they are not invincible per se ,just enganging in highly effective guerilla warfare.
Gabe on June 4, 2013 at 08:31 said:
Finally done with the archive binge. Took a week out of my life. No regrets.
Will stick around ’till the end. No much other point to this post than conveying appreciation.
Appreciation.
A week of your life? That’s nothing. Some of us have lost so much of our lives to worm that we’ve practically gone mad and started drooling all over ourselves. Can’t tell you who specifically, as they tend to keep to themselves. Hold up, have to wipe my mouth.
Oh, sure you have no regrets so far. But you’ll get regrets. Oh yes. I guarantee you there’s more dark moments like with Blasto and the S9 on the way. And instead of getting done with that chapter and jumping to the next one, you’ll just have to sit and stew, like the Roadkill Special down at your local diner. Many a brave soul has tried to occupy their time in the comments section. Beware, should you stay here, they say you may yet be welcomed by the mad king of the comments, the lord of annoyance, the footman of the foot fetish, some fellow what called Psycho Gecko. Stick with me and I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.
Welcome, Gabe, to the comments section. Enjoy.
That does reflect a fear I have, how can one manage to live with a slow trickle of updates to find the ending of something like the current fight with Behemoth? I could be left in suspense for a month.
Maybe we’ll be spared and in the next chapter Scion descends, oneshots the Endbringer with one beam and lethal intent and they all get to go home.
(The pessimist in me expects though, that promptly after this Scion is revealed to be the first of Endbringers and we’ll just sink deeper into the pit of depresssion.)
I’m just glad I’ve flown under PG’s radar, given that I started commenting back in Cell.
Dang, the tempts fate tags didn’t show up. One great joke, down the drain. feh.
Fiuuu, finally made it. Discovered this by chance last week and read it nonstop. Kudos to wildbow for this excellent story (voted it on topwebfic).
Also,Tattletale and Accord working together? BEHEMOTH is fucked!
Hello there, AMR.
Behemoth hasn’t been fucked before and I doubt Accord and Tattletale are going to be the ones to pop it’s defeat cherry. If anyone’s going to do the fucking, it’s the one-eyed, rock hard monster from below. If Tattletale thinks she can fix it, she’ll find out she’s the nail and she’s about to get hit by the hammer. And by hammer, I mean Behemoth.
Though I do hear when you’re fighting wild monsters that they really hate it when you stick your finger up their bum. It also riles up people, so they probably don’t want to try that unless they’re ready to receive as well as they give. Bound to be quite a shock. Thunderbolts, lightning, it’s very very frightening to me.
Galileo! Galileo Figaro!
Considering the Leviathan fight, the weakest of the Endbringers, I think it’s safe to say you’re going to get to stick around here and argue with the rest of us on the best way to kill an night invincible super monster from the depths. I suggest Foil’s power on a massive harpoon that has nanoblades built in. Embed it right in the middle of the critter, activate the walls, and watch as Behemoth is chopped up into various sections. Maybe 4, maybe 8, however many slices of Endbringer Deep Dish they want (In honor of Weaver joining the Chicago Wards).
Welcome to the comments, AMR. Prepare for a bumpy ride.
I was being facetious more than anything else 🙂
But seriously, why the heck the world’s major powers haven’t started filling Accord’s bank account with shitloads of money and a note like ” you’re the guy who solves problems as fast as they’re complicated,right? well, here’s the biggest problem of them all: stopping the Endbringers. Get to work.”
Because Accord has a record of essentially zero. Not to say his plans fail, its just that no one ever implements them. 😛
If only he ever worked on a plan to get taken seriously by people.
Ok, forget about world’s governments. But Cauldron? They have at least a business relationship with him. They have an employee who can make perfect calculations in his mind. Number Man working in tandem with Accord would probably help coming with feasible solutions instead of Accord’s more ludicrous ideas (giant bladed pendulums,anyone?). But,nooooo, they just let him hang around playing king of the mountain in Boston and Brockton Bay.
Now that could come down to Accord not being stable enough for Cauldron. They’ll take his money and give him capes but they don’t trust him to not fall apart at a crucial moment.
As my favorite lich sorceror often says, there’s a level of power against which tactics simply don’t work. It doesn’t matter how clever you are when the bad guy can take your best shot without flinching and flatten you like a bug. Or, to paraphrase Dr. Manhattan, the world’s smartest man is no more a threat to Behemoth than its smartest termite.
To do a chess analogy, give the world’s greatest chessmaster a King and a Knight and a beginner player a full side. It doesn’t matter how clever the world’s greatest Chessmaster is, he still loses dismally and swiftly.
You chess analogy runs counter to your point. Just pointing that out.
Considering I’ve seen a very similar situation played out and the master chessplayer won…
A numbers versus experience and knowledge scenario in a game that’s all about strategy and tactics is not how I’d generally represent the idea of an unstoppable force that can’t be stopped by tactics, especially as it’s the heroes that are the numerically superior force here.
I don’t actually buy this argument. The most overwhelming force is only useful if it can be brought to bear on the enemy. The most sturdy defence is only useful if the enemy can’t find another avenue of approach.
For your chess example, “If you leave right now you can rescue your family before your house explodes. Sadly that means you’ll have to forfeit the match.” should suffice to win against overwhelming force.
Remember when Skitter was the unbeatable Warlord of Brockton Bay? In the end she was toppled not through force but through the tactic of making it clear to her that her goals were better served by surrendering.
At this point I have no idea what tactic could possibly be viable against Behemoth. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Kinda hard to take your favourite evil lich sorcerer’s argument when it was used against an oppoment who also used overhelming force,and when his only 2 loses (the reason he became a lich and his first fight at the end off the dungeon,even though he wasn’t going all out)happened due to smart,not force.
We are talking about Xykon,right?
Yes,there is a level of force no one can beat with smarts.Its called instictual time looped time travel…only one character,who is already here ,in another story,has it,but everything below is fair game.
So, no one can seriously can expect Taylor to stick to a few thousand imported butterfiles for this fight, can they?
I mean, with the full range of insects in the area, she will have hundreds if not thousands of times the mass of bugs, and be able to handle SAR, (well the SA part anyway), recon, communications, and continually swarm Behemoth with decoys. Simultaneously, if she really pulls out all the stops.
There’s not even an issue of looking scary or hurting people in a scary way, because Behemoth is immune to poison and he’s the only one they’ll be fighting*, and Taylor has no need to cover heself in a big amorphous swarm, she should not be getting close to Behemoth, and that obviates the need for it.
We can expect the PRT to have at least that basic degree of sanity, right?
If not, then one begins to wonder if the all PRT headquarters were built with lead pipes or something…
*(Unless wilbow pulls shenanigans.)
sarah penguin on June 4, 2013 at 10:41 said:
Another meaty and interesting update 🙂
One wonders, each of the Endbringers attacking roughly once a year, how much time and effort the PRT (which seems to take the lead in Endbringer fights) spends on planning for the next fight. Dragon’s measures to slow Behemoth up are a good thing, but I feel like there should be more to the plan after they’ve been doing this dance for a decade or more.
Plus, it feels like they’re throwing together a plan at the last moment, like with Leviathan. Chevalier even says getting more numbers than expected won’t be much help, presumably because they can’t coordinate well. Why doesn’t everyone know the basics of the battleplan and where they slot into it?
Amen, sounds like the Yangbang dudes are more organised and have a battleplan- how the PRT with all it’s military expertise couldnt come up with one is beyond me.
Then again @ereshkigala has a point.
Presumably the Protectorate organizing in a more militaristic way would give bad vibes to the American people/government (look how much effort they put in the PRT charade). Whereas the Chinese government, if it is remotely similar to ours, probably couldn’t care less.
Also another thing is they can’t be sure ahead of time which villians are going to show up. They make a plan that hinges on having a lot of brutes, and all the villians they get are movers, the plan they had is no good.
Asmora on June 4, 2013 at 18:47 said:
They can’t even be sure which /heroes/ are going to show up. Remember, participation in Endbringer and other Class-S fights is totally voluntary for Protectorate capes. Even aside from sudden attacks of reasonable self-preservation, there are a dozen reasons any given cape might not be able to show, ranging from sickness or injury to simply being in a situation at the time that makes it impractical to transport them halfway across the world without delaying others. When you consider the non-Protectorate heroes, the rogues, and so on, compounded by the fact that every cape has radically different strengths, weaknesses, tactics, and training, I think it’s amazing that they manage to mount any sort of coordinated effort at all.
Gee, sounds almost like they could use someone in command with good tactical thinking, the ability to apply powers outside the box, and massive multitasking abilities…
Something that the Yangban with their brainwashed jack of all trades have no problem with. Just hoping they are not giving the “new” Protectorate strange ideas.
They are allowed to have more than one plan prepared though.
And even if they don’t know in advance who’s gonna show, it should be possible to have some basic stratagems queued up like “Squishy ranged attackers, keep your distance as you attack and pair up with someone with defensive powers. Defensive types, play defence on the squishies. Anyone capable of actually *surviving* up close, get in his face and do your best to keep him distracted”.
Coordinating was appalling too. “Oh, Taylor, you go gossip with your buds for a while. Once Behemoth shows up, go meet the team you’ll actually be fighting him with and get to know who they are”. Yeah.
El Sock on June 4, 2013 at 12:54 said:
Actually, Endbringer attacks occur roughly 3-4 times a year, and it’s mentioned that they’re increasing in frequency. The time between this attack and Leviathan was just under 2 and a half months in-story.
The main issue is that they don’t know enough to come up with solid Endbringer plans – capes are /constantly/ dying, and no two capes have the same power. Heck, the closest time/place estimations made by “Cape Experts” were a month too late and an entire continent away.
Each individual Endbringer: BEHEMOTH, Leviathan and the Smurf (need to see about getting Leviathan a nickname, he’s got bad middle child syndrome) attack once, maybe twice a year. Then they rest and regenerate from cape-inflicted damage in their particular safe area. Each attack gives them a bit more information on how THAT PARTICULAR Endbringer fights.
We see they’re applying a few of these hard-earned lessons in their more general strategies. Against Behemoth they stall, slow and contain while praying for Scion to show up. They dogpile Leviathan to take him out before he reaches tsunami level, and pray for Scion. The Simurgh gets hit in waves, letting them rotate heroes out of her powers reach while keeping the pressure up and praying for Scion.
Aside from Colin, who created software to forecast attacks and predict the Endbringer’s movements, and whatever individuals collected the samples Accord stole from the PRT, I get the feeling no one is really planning, prepping for, or studying the problem of the Endbringers. Where’s the PRT think-tank where a dozen thinkers and experienced military officers discuss emergency plan 120(c) “Leviathan attacks a mid-sized coastal city with generous aquifer?” I’m not talking about exploiting wonderwaffen powers, though Clockie was sort of key to dealing with Leviathan and I wonder if while Myrrdin was alive he ever tried sending an Endbringer… somewhere else. I’m talking about covering the obvious angles and probable scenarios, and while you’re at it, the improbable ones.
When Behemoth first attacked, Alexandria assumed he was a transformed human. No one knew differently before Lisa, a decade later. They also didn’t know about progressive layers getting tougher “until they destroy everything we understand of how molecules work.” The heroes treat the Endbringers, besides Smurfette obviously, as dumb animals. Yet Leviathan had a definite objective, as Behemoth does now. Leviathan is clearly smart enough to play rope-a-dope with Colin. The Smurf probably has a 30-year plan. Point is, despite sharing information being included in the Endbringer Truce, despite a decade of knock-out, drag-down fights they know next to nothing.
You have a high turnover rate in regards to capes surviving the fights. If one in four dies, after a year taking part in every Endbringer battle, your chances are of survival, with everyone having the same probability, are (3/4)^4 < 1/3. Less than one in three. That's a horrible attrition rate! And horrible loss of tactics, since, going on a limb here, most capes don't learn to fight in larger groups beyond their core, so whatever is learned during these battles is probably lost soon enough.
What could help tremendously: Debriefing after every Endbringer battle.
ThingsAndSuch on June 4, 2013 at 11:37 said:
Regent. Is. Hilarious.
He is lucky that he still has unfinished business with his father or he would not stand a chance to survive this.
As it is with Rachel and Brian just having been subject of a fakeout, they are probably safe too. Aisha and Lisa are definitely in danger. The wards and ambassadors even more so. It could even see wildbow killing of Theo after building up everyone’s expectations like that just to screw with people…
Whoever the victims are I fully expect at least one of Taylor’s extended team to be killed in the next arc and some more named characters outside that team.
If it was a comic book there would be regent on the cover and a speech balloon informing us that “In This Issue A Cape Dies!”. The trade-paperback collection containing the issue, that comes out when the identity is no longer a secret, would feature Skitter/Weaver cradling the unfortunate victim in the standard Pietà pose, unless it is Imp, them Grue can do the cradling.
The Night [Insert Undertsider Name Here] Died!!!
On a (very) slightly more serious tone, if Theo didn’t have Aster and Purity to worry about, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides that suicide via Behemoth is preferable to whatever Jack will do to him.
Typo: Undersider
And we sang “My, my miss American pie, drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry. Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singing ‘This’ll be the day that I die. This will be the day that I die.”
Now I have to go and listen to that song…
Dammit, did I fucking typo lyrics to American Pie? I better have been on a phone.
No typos that I could see, only nitpicky ones like “levy” (should be “levee”).
endgame on June 5, 2013 at 15:10 said:
Eh, Weird Al still did it better, IMO.
>The Night [Insert Undertsider Name Here] Died!!!
And then the next issue ends with Behemoth fatally impaling himself on something (preferably Scion’s fist) and staying dead.
Hopefully, he doesn’t have a son that can take his place.
I can certainly imagine Foil and Parian both dying, or one of them dying while the other watches, that would seem a good way to hit us right in the feels without major plot consequences.
Maybe if we’re lucky, one of them will die from being shoved in a refrigerator and then one of the gay people in the story will be buried. Then after the fighting, Dragon could fly in a massive lampshade to hang on that site.
I wonder how Wildbow does the deciding part. Is it purely narrative consideration, with a bigger plot in mind, or are the capes assigned some random survival probability and then run through a random number generator?
Maybe WB just trades notes with GRRM? I’m still laughing at TV watchers reactions to the Red Wedding. I read the books. And I laughed.
The only appropriate reaction. 🙂
I thought they’d filmed it well, with the song and sudden dawning horror. Suspenseful, viciously violent, and I hope shocking to those who didn’t read.
People’s reactions are just hilarious.
I know a guy who switched his TV-watcher brother’s laptop background with Walder Frey smiling just in time for the episode to start. He didn’t find out until 20 mins later. The story from the horse’s mouth is in my name.
For planning against the Endbringers, things that are missing after over a decade of fights are;
1) Quick transportation of large numbers of people. Seriously Dragon, 45 minutes to go from Chicago to India? NASA, our real world crappy, underfunded, short-sighted, bureaucratic excuse of a space exploration agency produced Scramjets capable of Mach 17 with an (unrealized) potential for Mach 30 even being limited to chemical fuel and the aforementioned crappy funding. That’s 25 minutes for the Chicago-India run. And our ’70s tech, chemical fuel ICBMs are capable of 6 miles / second in a HALO approach, doing the run in 18 minutes.
Come on, gal! Put those nuclear-powered magnetrohydrodynamic ion thrusters in production and make craft capable of 5g acceleration with a maximum of 20 miles/second in a HALO approach so they can get anywhere on the planet within 15 minutes max. They are not even supertech – just too real life costly and potentially dangerous for anyone to actually build them.
2) Orbital weaponry. Seriously, the US navy built lasers capable of 200-300 miles of range and enough accuracy to hit missiles and artillery shells going up to Mach 2 from those ranges – and the system was small enough to be mounted on airplanes.
If Cauldron was really serious about stopping the bad guys and Endbringers, they’d use their ungodly amount of cash (Numbers Man is capable of any amount of cash), their totally secure base (building stuff in other dimensions since 1999) and their massive influence and superpowered help to mass produce the things then launch them into an orbital network. If a couple thousand of normal-tech orbital lasers and similar weaponry hit an Endbringer at once, they’d cause serious damage and the only Endbringer capable of retaliating would be the Simurgh – at which point you’d get her in open space with nothing to hide behind, no possibility of collateral damage and an excellent target for long-range, non-computer-controlled, cold-war-style nuclear artillery. Fry everything within 50 miles of her with a forty-gigaton nuclear fireball capable of melting mountains. No dodging, no defensive precognition, no using TK-wielded rocks for shield, no shenanigans and illusion shit capable of making you miss because even if you do miss by 20 miles, she’ll still be within the fireball that melts mountains.
3) Rapid evacuation capability. Seriously, a helicopter capable of airlifting a 50-ton tank is also capable of airlifting 500 people and still costs way less than the building itself. Simply by demanding every building built has such airlift capability would almost entirely negate casualties by Endbringers. If we can build tens of millions of cars every year, we’re also capable of building tens of thousands of such helicopters.
4) Life is not fair. DEAL WITH IT. Endbringers destroying a city every 4 months or so? Accept that a city will be destroyed every 4 months and build cities with 500.000 population at most. Even if a country like the old US of A eschews protections from Endbringers entirely, they will have 700+ cities. All the Endbringers would be able to do, even when focusing entirely on that country, would be to destroy 0.4% of said country each year. As long as you got a real growth of at least 0.4% per year to absorb the losses you could write the Endbringers off like another natural, unavoidable danger. Spread all over the world, the losses are going to be an insignificant 0.02% each year.
I mean, freaking old age kills like 1.5% of everyone every year and demands perpetual support for 20% of the total population. It already costs way more than simply absorbing the losses of the Endbringers would.
I think the core problem with their response to the Endbringers is that since superheroes came first, that is what will be fighting them. But they haven’t realized yet that it’s utterly ineffective. The Protectorate wants desperately to cling to the failed, escapist public circus act of heroes and villains that they’re not only willing to turn it into a corporate PR machine and screw over marginalized people to keep it going, but also to compromise their ability to fight the Endbringers and cover up their incompetence with heroic melodrama.
There’s also the fact that Cauldron is enabling this, actively supporting the propagation of cartoon bullshit while relying on overambitious contingencies to save the world.
It makes me think that the Endbringer war has actually been going well for the US DESPITE their idiocy, because they haven’t had such a massive horrific loss on a scale that would give them a wake up call. Obviously Newfoundland and part of Japan sinking into the sea wasn’t big enough for them to wake the hell up.
1 and 2 I can think of theoretical answers for. Number one might simply be a lack of resources and time spent. The chapter mentions that even Dragon, with her own unique nature, has to prioritize her time and resources. She probably has a huge budget, but there has to be limits. It might have been cheaper and more efficient to build more Dragon ships and she might not have run into someone with the tech to make those ships you talk about cheaper. I imagine that if she has any budget oversight, they would question building such ships when there might be a cape that has the ability to move a large group of people a great distance. Plus the wormverse is a scary place. I’m sure there are quite a few people who want more combat capable Dragon suits then great transports.
Number two is obvious, no one wants another country to have such a weapon. They probably have a similar treaty prohibiting orbital weapons. Granted they should renegotiate in the face of the Endbringers and I would have thought the world might be a little more cooperative face with a common enemy of mankind.
Number four is just unrealistic for the foreseeable future. Global warming will probably force New York to move if the ocean levels rise too much and no one in our universe is taking it seriously. Forcing millions of people to move will be almost impossible without the government becoming more authoritarian since everyone will say no. This also isn’t taking into account that the Endbringers aren’t just attacking cities. They’re attacking our sources of freshwater, oil fields, BEHEMOTH is turning portions of different countries into unlivable wastelands, and spreading out doesn’t really stop the Smurf’s attacks. I am curious about the state of the world just from the oil fields alone.
I agree with the orbital weaponry. Unless there’s some kind of treaty promising to glass the country using these weapons outside of Endbringer situations, no-one will or would allow this or be remotely comfortable with.
But the Simurgh, well… okay, here’s a thought. Wildbow didn’t mention anything I’m aware of, but that might be a case of the narrator’s limited perspective, but what if there’s no significant satellites left? I’m talking about the SImurgh forcing every single one to crash, probably on people or installations right after Lausanne.
This of course doesn’t prevent development of high powered lasers and installing them in complexes to use them against orbiting targets, like the Simurgh.
Robert on June 5, 2013 at 12:23 said:
Both Dragon’s and Marquis’ interludes mention satellites (the latter case is, of course, where Simurgh interfered with the communication between the Birdcage and Dragon’s satellite). Probably other mentions elsewhere, those were just the “huh, sure someone mentioned using a satellite” ones.
Number four is worse than that. At least two of the Endbringers can do far worse damage than merely knocking over a city if left alone. The Simurgh creates enormous numbers of what appear to be hypnotically programmed terrorists on a delay timer. Leviathan sank *Japan* (and Newfoundland, but nobody cares about Newfoundland).
So, no, leaving the Endbringers to ravage cities in peace and relying on outgrowing them is not practical.
Hey, you know who’s in orbit and can reprogram machinery with her brain?
Let’s GIVE the Simurgh railguns.
I have to ask, how do you come to Gigaton Bombs? I remember the biggest one used being 70 Megatons, and there’s probably ways to increase that, especially since the Tsar was meant to be 50 Megatons, but aren’t there limits in how long you’re able to contain the explosion?
If I remember correctly (help me smart people) the problem is that after a certain point all the extra energy from a larger yield bomb gets funneled upwards by the atmosphere. You don’t get anymore bang for your buck, it just gets wasted by shooting into empty space. So your better off say going with 4 25 megaton bombs than one 100 megaton bomb.
Reasonable. Less resistance that way – Down is earth, reflecting concussive force somewhat. Around is air, limiting the speed at which pressure and energy can propagate. Up is less air, hence less resistance.
They attempted 100 megatons but therd were difficulties so they cut it down to 50. Tsar Bomba was still the biggest nuclear bomb even then.
But it gets difficult, unleashing energy on a being that controls energy. Behemoth’s control isn’t perfet as Dragon showed in this chapter, but it is not a good scenario.
Philippe Saner on June 4, 2013 at 15:50 said:
I doubt that you could get orbital weaponry into place, what with the Simurgh floating between you and orbit.
Speaking of the Simurgh, her main power is to manipulate humanity into doing stupid or evil things. So you shouldn’t be surprised when humanity does stupid or evil things to combat her and her “family”.
PS: I actually think getting to India in 45 minutes is pretty good, considering that they had no runway on either end and they were actually doing stuff inside the vehicle instead of being strapped down so that they’d survive the acceleration. That’s like 16 000 kilometres per hour. Which is what, Mach 13?
Yes, 16,000 kph is just a bit above MACH 13.
Thamuzz on June 4, 2013 at 16:21 said:
Couple of thoughts:
1. In the Leviathan arc, it was mentioned that they only recently developed the techniques needed to detect an Endbringer attack with any time to prepare. This fight probably has the most warning the world has ever had for an attack. However, the hero’s response time seems slower this time ’round than we saw in that arc.
Still, I agree that there should be more in the way of rapid response.
2. No way in hell the Smurf would allow this to go through. Even if you managed to get such a weapon into orbit, when you fired it it would turn out that there is a fundamental flaw in the targeting system that means Boston gets bombarded while New York is under attack.
3. The copter idea might be useful for evacuating in the event of BEHEMOTH. Leviathan comes with a massive storm, and the Smurf would find some way to subvert the evacuation methods.
4. Good luck getting the world to agree to that.
A big problem with dealing with the Endbringers is that they’re likely going to target anything that has a real chance of stopping them before it gets off the ground.
Great Greedy Guts on June 5, 2013 at 02:41 said:
I think the bigger issue, even, is that there are three entirely different methods needed, and they don’t come on a set schedule. “Every four months or so” is handy, but they break timetables a lot. I imagine a lot of the sluggishness of people getting ready for BEHEMOTH is simply “wait that’s today?” when they’ve been predicting otherwise.
But, yeah. Orbital platform would take out Leviathan. BEHEMOTH controls energy, it seems, and might well redirect some things. Either way, the Smurf would mess up the launch.
Something no one in the story knows, of course, but that we do, is that the Smurf can alter things WITHOUT attacking. BEHEMOTH and Leviathan can’t. But the process of getting an orbital platform up and running would involve some communication that could be ruined horribly – tweaking the conversion ratio used to measure to something else almost, but not quite, close enough as to pass notice.
Another thing: Leviathan seems like the Endbringer that’s most easily killable with WMDs. Question is, do you actually want to do that? Because if Leviathan’s gone, the other two are going to be more active in return, if they keep with their schedule. Depending on which is the worst, even killing BEHEMOTH or the Smurf might not be desirable, if you can’t take down the other one, too.
Nope,thats not how it works,Endbringer schedule being more frequent coincides with there being more Endbringers.
The thing about going so fast is the negative effects it has on the human body. They may arrive 20 minutes sooner, but passed out and sore from the forces assaulting their bodies.
1.) Dragon is an AI. Human passengers have to be able to survive accel/decel or you’ve wasted a trip. Shaving 27 minutes probably isn’t worth it if your passengers are turned to paste.
2.) Yes, let’s just FILL orbital space with lasers, nukes, and Rods from God. We want the Doomsday weapons as close as possible to the Simurgh, who can scramble code, intercept signals and control machines. I can’t think of any way this could go wrong! Because, y’know, Smurf has always seemed like such a reasonable, responsible individual, someone we can trust with the power to end human life on earth. Why yes, I survived one of her so-called “attacks” how can you tell?
3.) Still plenty vulnerable to 2 out of 3. Flying targets work even better for BEHEMOTH because he can see them for a good long time, and the Smurf can fly and rip them apart with her mind. Leviathan sits in his puddle and cries because no one wants to play with him, not his siblings, not even squishy humans. Still probably a marginally better idea than having everyone gather in bunkers that’ll keep an Endbringer out for maybe 0.2 seconds while being vulnerable to earthquakes, flooding and having people hang out near the Smurf.
4.) Yeah, at the rate they’re going it’ll take a good long time to kill everything (assuming that is indeed their ultimate goal.) I give them points because they try and do things while capes stall them til Scion hurts them and drives them off. Who knows how far they’d go if nobody managed to stop them?
Simurgh already messed with a signal and tricked Dragon’s abilities. I’m SURE your standard government networks, what with their extreme cyber vulnerability, will fair much, much better.
I’d be a bit leery of orbital weapons with the Silurian floating around up there, but otherwise good points, especially if some sort of tinker-made inertial dampeners can be applied to otherwise conventional forms of transport…
Simurgh. Interesting autocorrect. Wonder if it’s trying to tell me something…
And someone already beat me to that point, durn it!
Ally on June 4, 2013 at 12:45 said:
So much fun. I know this has to be an omg-what-are-we-going-to-do chapter, and I realize that SOMEONE we know/like is probably going to die soon, but, stepping back, this and the last update have just left me smiling. I love this story.
Good to see the fanfic is growing. Nice job throwaawy! now if Demiurge were to step up *coff coff*
So I just found out about this http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet and my first reaction was not ‘Oh god damnit that’s a thing,’ but ‘Hey, a weapon for Taylor!’
The bit with the honey bees is even more interesting, to me. Vibrating in a swarm to generate heat/co2? Sure, useless in most situations, but Taylor’s great at working out ways to apply things.
Theres something about the thought of orbital superweapons being used on the Endbringers that just makes me smile. Although the Simurgh ruining that plan is a tad annoying…Can we get Mechas instead? Bring out the Gundams, Evangelions, Knightmares, Armored Cores and everything else I forgot about.
That’s pretty close to what Dragon’s already doing. But because she’s got style they are dragon shaped instead of humanoid shaped.
Lightning does nasty things to giant robots, which is part of the reason Dragon is limited in her ability to fight Behemoth.
And you forgot Battlemechs. One of the biggest and strongest of them is even named Atlas. Still, I’d rather take one with long range weapons in this fight. Something like a Vulture, with range and speed, rather than a slow Fafnir or an Awesome with PPCs that would be useless against Behemoth.
Eva’s are not robots. An depending on which version of the story you’re reading/watching neither are knighmare frames now that I think of it.
And you’re forgetting about labors, but I doubt they would fare that well against behemoth.
If we stick to the classic kotestu jeeg would work (iirc the whole idea was that the cyborg piloting/being it had control over electromagnetism or some thing like that), and the mazinger of the “mars” serie (who’s basically devilman in space, with a giant robot).
Why do you think that Leviathan attacked Japan? If anywhere was going to produce a Tinker specilazing in giant robots that could fight the endbringers it would be Japan.
Hmmm, what do we think the odds are on these two propositions, chaps?
– Tattletale was repeatedly telling and emphasizing to Taylor she had to be Skitter for this fight for a specific, calculated, reason, possibly a coded message that she’ll come to understand later, possibly as a mental trigger to get her into a certain frame of mind/thinking of certain things.*
-The two things Dragon attached to Taylor’s face were not cameras, or at least not only cameras.
1. Possibly, Lisa’s worried about Taylor holding back. Not much of an issue, I don’t think – Endbringers are every bit of Class S as Echidna ever was.
2. I’m fairly certain they were trackers/voice-activated distress beacons as well. Just to keep an eye on Weaver, and give her an escape route if need be. I’m having trouble thinking of what else would be practical enough to be that small.
pallandrome on June 5, 2013 at 12:55 said:
When the guy who made it is a tinker who specializes in miniaturization? Basically anything.
Wildbow, out of curiosity, are the yangban north, south or “in this universe it’s unified” koreans? (I do not ever know what c.u.i. means now that I think about it…)
The standardization of powers is a nice bit to throw in, as is their sudden involvement.
The first hints at someone or some organization that can convince passengers to “realign” to provide standardized powers, while the second… eh, good job keeping the tension high as usual 🙂
They’re not korean.
Oh, sorry. The only other time I’ve come across the name was in a pseudo-hystorical manwha and… well, that and the silly hats was all I could remember about those guys to be honest. (To my defence the author’s grasp of confucianism was thinner than mine)
Then Lung moved somewhere with his mother, and it’s the place nearest to Japan. So I kinda took it for granted it was Korea.
The entry on Wikipedia certainly doesn’t help.
But if I remember correctly, China did kind of grow in the Wormverse. It might have incorporated/annexed some of the neighbouring countries. Curious to know how the government dealt with the influx of immigrants and general migratory patterns following Kyushu and other events.
Oooh. That’s right. With Japan being torn to shreds from the Endbringer attacks, that meant the U.S. didn’t have it as an ally (with a large “defense force” and no official standing army) right there by China, with U.S. bases hanging around as well. More reason for China to expand without the dual pressure from the U.S. and Russia, especially after glasnost and perestroika.
There’s still South Korea, but we seem to mostly use that for keeping an eye on North Korea.
*stands on the Southern side of the DMZ, holds a boombox over his head, and starts playing “Never Gonna Give You Up” at North Korea*
It’s of vital military importance.
You know, all things considered, the Perestroika may not have happened the way we remember it. May have come a few years earlier or later, depending on quite a few circumstances. May even have been bloody in more obvious aspects than our version, i.e. shots fired and stuff. Or going out on a limb here, if the Soviet Union had a few thinkers at opportune places it might have lasted or reformed significantly different.
They’re Chinese. (Mainland China, presumably, not Taiwan China) I shudder to even think about what sort of fucked-up parahuman organization North Korea might have. I doubt they’d be willing to contribute in any way to a global defense against the Endbringers, though. Their Glorious Leader probably has some song and dance about how the Endbringers are actually under his control.
South Korea, on the other hand, is probably represented in this fight, though their relatively small population means they’re unlikely to have very many capes. Same with Japan, Taiwan… most other East and Southeast Asian nations, really.
I’m suddenly interested in whether or not there are Pakistani, Afghani, and Bangladeshi capes involved in this fight. Do their national tensions/conflicts with India override their desire to stop a global menace that’s way too close for comfort?
Man, just think how tenuous the balance of power is in many places in Asia. One parahuman triggering on one side or another could totally change the landscape. If the Tamils have a cape and the Sri Lankan government doesn’t, there may not BE a Sri Lankan government by this point.
Also, I want to see Mongolian parahumans. (“Oh, that guy? Uh, we’re not really sure. He seems to have the power to ride a horse around and just win at everything he puts his mind to. We’re just hoping he doesn’t decide to conquer 3/4 of the world.”)
Wormverse does not support 1 non cape man tyranies by its very rules,I’d imagine the glorious leader is dead.China is a bureaucracy that has found a way to standardise capes,so its different there.
Thank you Ryan, for the donation.
Thank you Ryan!
Trusting on June 4, 2013 at 19:26 said:
So the travellers had a time jumping member Cody who could jump a few seconds back in time and who Accord demanded be handed over to him prior to the Travelers heading to Brockton bay (and this member wasn’t with the travelers when they arrived in the Bay )
We know Accord sometimes got rid of troublesome capes by shipping them off to the Yangban for a tidy profit and future favors
and we now see Yangban members with the ability to time skip a few seconds back in time just like said traveler
so theres still possiably two travelers on Skitter earth who have fallen under the power of other organizations …I wonder if we will see a Krouse / Cody reunion or if Cody might attack Accord during a endbringer fight .
Damn it. It’s impossible to get anything by you guys.
also if anyone else already said this sorry for reposting , might have over looked it .
Damn… I missed that. 😦
soulpelt on June 4, 2013 at 19:58 said:
Trusting is a mad genius.
Wow, that’s a good catch
Wasn’t Cody killed? If not, then… well. Krouse is still in Birdcage, so for now no reunion.
In Migration 17.8, the Travelers wake up on the beach from being knocked unconscious to discover blood, brains, and skull fragments on the sand where Cody had previously been standing. And drag marks from the removal of the body. So the correct conclusion should be obvious.
(Not that I noticed — I totally had him down as dead on TV Tropes.)
I’m… surprised that people read it that way.
Does the tone of the chapter change if you read it as Krouse waking up after being tazed by Imp (in the last chapter of Monarch) and standing over the bloodstain where Taylor delivered the headshot to Coil?
I certainly read it as being the site of Coil’ shooting, the alternative seems kinda bizarre.
I thought Cody’d been killed, but that definitely read, to me, as post-Coil Krouse, too.
I read it that way for three reasons: first, I assumed that Migration was strictly about what happened to the Travelers before they came to Brockton Bay; second, I assumed that handing Cody over to Accord sentence and (b) not simple (and therefore require elaboration in the narrative); and third, I mixed up “the market, north end” with the mall (which isn’t on a beach — and yes, you mentioned the beach in 16.13, I just missed it).
Reading it now, knowing it’s about Coil’s death instead of Cody’s (and knowing it happened near the beach)? It makes a lot more sense in all its details … instead of providing the only scene that made me think there was more to Krouse than his fixation on Noelle. I mean, seriously, he sentenced one of his squadmates to death with no emotional reaction besides lighting another cigarette? Fuck the bastard.
(Incidentally, check the comments on 16.13 and 17.8 — there’s a couple minor continuity errors, nothing that affects the plot.)
I… don’t know? I only read the story once and at the time I put the brains and stuff into being the remains of Cody, since he had been handed over ‘to be dealt with’, which in my mind is an euphemism mostly for murder. He was a plot thread left dangling, so the remains were a neat way to tuck it into the weave of your story. Maybe I jumped to conclusions.
slider214 on October 24, 2014 at 23:23 said:
Well I didn’t read it like that originally but I’m guessing I read it after you already changed it. I just took it for granted that Accord wanted to kill Sundancer and after meeting Cody who he had already been told was the problem, he’d want to kill Cody as well. It seemed pretty obvious they were sending Cody to die. I’m actually far more surprised to see that he was absorbed into the C,U,I, guys.
Bah, I was keeping my realization of this a secret, because I wanted it to be a big reveal. 😛
I was looking for you in the Irc to toss the idea at a few times but couldn’t find you 😦 Packbat was kind enough to provide me with chapters (I am horrid remembering which chapters things happen in )
sorry to hear about the antics in the irc that ran you off .
it was worth figuring it out and posting simply to get a “Damn you trusting, Damn you ” from a favorite Author 🙂 totally made my day
Hooo SNAP.
That’s a damn good catch.
Now those are some boss-tier observation skills there. Well-spotted — and confirmed by Word Of God to boot.
I m copy pasting all the praise as i’ll likely never get something in worm right ever again so i’ll be clutching tearfully at this moment forever 😛
dubloe7 on January 8, 2014 at 21:18 said:
I caught Cody/Perdition’s power, but I completely forgot about handing him over to Accord.
Mad theory time:
Alexandria :
She planed to be at Taylor`s side when Taylor snapped. Told Taylor about her weakness so that Taylor would try to choke her and she could kill Taylor alleging self defense.
Every power in Worm has a weakness, Taylor`s is that she is a normal human and can be killed in seconds by someone like Alexandria at close range.
Lung:
He needs time to “charge” his power, than the power changes his body until the “charge” ends, when this happens he starts to revert to human form. Two years not using his powers and accumulating “energy” will make him very, very strong in his first fight out of the Bird Cage.
Chinese army of superheroes:
They are there to defend some kind of military/secret base that Behemoth wants to destroy/use in some way.
What will happen:
Four basic possibilities from Taylor`s point of view:
1 – She fails miserably, loosing people and being more a hindrance than an asset in the fight.
2- She and her group survive with average casualties including, perhaps, a loved person.
3- She ends up controlling the Chigago group + Accordions + Undersiders in the field and doing something awesome against Behemoth.
4- Side quest – instead of fighting Behemoth they end up learning some dark secret of the CUI and fighting the Yang… instead.
A detail, Chigago group + Accordions + Undersiders = 18 capes (aprox). The CUI has 29 or 28 capes in the field. Not impossible odds for Taylor.
Number 1 is unlikely, 2 is basically what happened against Leviathan. Taylor made some difference, but no big damage against the endbringer.
3 depends on Tatletale + Accord and if Taylor will take the leadership from Grue.
4 depends on what the chinese are hiding.
Accordions….Heh…..I like that.
Not my idea, someone had already named them and I love the name. Specially because it would give Accord a heart attack.
Can’t the big secret involve the “cold” capes?
Regarding Alexandria, I was just rereading her interlude. I currently am split on believing whether or not she actually died. On one hand, she was hoping for a double back in the late 80s or early 90s, and it’s reasonable to expect that she would have one at this point. The idea that Alexandria would lose her cool so quickly when being suffocated, especially to the point where she would not only freak out, but leave the vicinity of numerous capes who could potentially help her seems out of character. I mean, we were able to come up with some more or less halfway decent possibilities on how she could get save herself. I’m sure the great thinker Alexandria might have had one or two good ideas, and even planned for it in advance, possibly even tagging out for her double before her final return to PRT headquarters, allowing for the double to be killed so she could fake her death.
On the other hand, there’s always the possibility that she got overconfident and simply freaked out in the face of her potential death. Dunno though, since it seems pretty unlikely that she’d even have missed the bugs gathering. Plus, the double would be a solid enough Chekov’s Gun. It’s really hope that keeps the idea that he actually died alive.
I’m sure none of this is new, I just felt like sharing.
Ya know, it’s always amazing hoe much some of the Slaughterhouse Nine-thousand could help with this. Jack could attack with Armsmaster’s knife from a distance. Imagine if crawler could immunize to Behemoth’s aura (though I would guess that might also be in the category of insta kill attacks even to him). Shatter bird could use all the glass in the area without repercussion. We have no idea if Hack Job would effect him. Burn scar could use all the fires. Siberian would be the PERFECT tank. Bone saw…….would find a way.
Of course whatever they would ask for in return would similarly be horrific.
The Doormaker, Numberman, and Contesta could also do quite a lot-even if it was just in a support role. Might be a good way to get some public support they are sorely lacking in as well.
I don’t think Jack’s power would work with Armsmaster’s nano-thorns. Which is good, since Mannequin stole a nano-knife in his introductory chapter.
Otherwise I agree.
To those worrying about the Simurgh taking control of orbital weapons, what happened to analog aiming? You know, what we used before computers and stuff were invented. Lasers are line-of-sight weapons. If you can see it, you can hit it, no targeting calculations required; just use an analog telescope in tandem with your big gun and you’re set. Ditto for railguns – sufficiently powerful railgun projectiles are so fast that they are effectively line-of-sight too.
As for nukes, they don’t need computers either. Old-style nuclear artillery can be built around mechanical triggers, can be aimed with mechanical targeting systems like in the old battleships and can be fired as projectiles by sufficiently large railguns.
You fight the Simurgh by relying on pre-information-age controls on simple but still powerful technology, by using weapons that will hurt a lot even if you can exactly predict their attack and arrange to dodge/defend and by using overwhelming firepower and relentless attacks – since she can neither go underwater nor burrow like her brothers, she’s actually the easiest Endbringer to engage with long-range weaponry.
You fight Leviathan with overwhelming force and attacks meant to negate or ignore his speed.
Behemoth is actually the hardest to beat IMHO – he can disengage any time by simply burrowing, is the toughest and directly strongest of the three.
They’ve already used nukes on Endbringers. They failed. The only thing to ever drive off the Endbringers so far are Scion and Lung. Use a laser on Behemoth all you want. The being is only capable of burrowing and controlling energy. I’m sure it’ll work this time unlike all the times prior.
Erm, in all fairness, there are clear upper limits on how much energy Leviathan can redirect, or to put it better, how quickly he can do so. Or redirecting the lighting from all the spheres wouldn’t have been a visible effort.
And he wasn’t able to redirect or trivially ignore the Yangban’s laser fire, either- it was genuinely hurting him, a little. I suspect the lack of redirection would be due to the energy being transmitted too fast for him to appreciably bend it in time.
So getting zapped with a petawatt laser? Yeah that could do some damage, IMHO.
The real problem isn’t it theoretically being able to kill or seriously injure him. It’s the actual difficulty of getting petawatt laser built without every cape organization and government that’s not you pre-emptively going to war to stop you. Or the Smiurgh or one of the other EB’s targeting you whilst you’re trying to build it, because they’re not stupid. Not to mention the actual technical challenges, which might be insurmountable even with five tinkers helping. Or mean the thing would need to be a project on the order of the LHC even with their help, and absurdly tempramental and easy to damage or fuck with in numberous ways.
Lastly, one has to consider if the Endbringers are even capable of dying to conventional means, or if their bodies just reform, as has been suggested. And whether killing them will do more than hasten an apocalypse in which firepower cannot offer salvation…
I always wondered how easily such giant lasers could be sighted on a swiftly-moving target in the middle of a city. Luckily, it’s India so the U.S. doesn’t care. Fire away, yeehaw!
The fact that Endbringers are normally attacking populated areas would also be a concern, yep.
(I’m really not arguing in favour of the idea or anything.)
Though depending on whether the firing mechanism was like an actual cannon or some kinda phased array thingy, you might be able to make it fairly accurate and fast tracking, it would be yet another technical obstacle to surmount, but probably not the biggest one.
Lung and Scion are not the only ones who’ve driven off Endbringers. I quote:
“And they know what the difference is going to be, without Alexandria on the front lines,” Defiant said. He sighed audibly. ”Four times now, she’s been the deciding factor in beating the Simurgh back early. Once with Leviathan, when I was new to the Protectorate.”
That Leviathan one might actually be her taking credit for Lung’s work, though.
The Smurf’s precognition works on the scale of years, not minutes. No matter how you set things up, she will never be in a position where you can get a good shot at her.
Pre information-age technology is just as vulnerable to her tampering as post information-age technology. Lets take the telescope targeted satellite.
First, you need to design and build it. She can exert her influence here, either by straight up destroying the production facilities, or by causing defects to be introduced. Depending on how the Endbringers pick their targets, any of them could handle straight up destruction.
Then, you need to deploy it. This gives her all kinds of opportunities for manipulation. Discarding the obvious ideas of having it blow up on the launch pad or be destroyed in some other way, she could ensure that it is deployed in an orbit that will leave it in a bad position at a critical juncture.
So, its been successfully deployed and crewed. She can use it to foment political instability. Think the Cuban Missile crisis, but bigger. And thanks to her interference, you can be damn sure that cooler heads will not prevail.
So, its been deployed, and we’ve survived the political fallout, and its actually in position to target her. The operators line up their shots and open fire… on Scion. Because years back, someone they knew had a chance encounter with someone who once met someone who survived one of her attacks, setting off a chain of events that leads to the operators secretly being Endbringer cultists.
All of this applies to ground based weaponry in equal measure.
As for attacking when she’s dormant: they’ve tried nukes against the Endbringers. You seriously think that noone has tried attacking her when she’s supposed to be dormant?
Now, we think that her precognition can clash with that of other precogs or powerful thinkers, giving us a chance to defeat her more subtle machinations.
Basically, there are no simple solutions to a malevolent precog of this scale. When the malevolent precog in question is capable of telling the laws of physics to take a long walk off a short pier located at the top of a tall cliff, it becomes even more daunting.
Problem as I see it is that most people don’t have the knowledge we do about the Smurf’s powers. She can easily mess with communication efforts in the construction process, or attack before the work is done and wreak havoc.
Thank you, Shannon, for the donation. 🙂
Thanks Shannon!
So, recently everyone has been going on about who Taylor’s new hubby is going to be, I’ve decided that she is going to have a second trigger during the Behemoth fight and become Shehemoth. She will then procede to hook up with Behemoth.
There’s always a place for ridiculous WMG and shipping in the Worm comments.
Hell no, not the ‘moth. She will be “wet“ for Leviathan
If there’s anyone who can turn Taylor lesbian, it’s Simurgh!
After Tattletale killed the Simurgh and became Tattleurgh, the WILL be togeter at last.
Like hell they will! Once Bitch kills Behemoth, Tattleurgh will have a showdown with Bitchemoth for Taylor’s heart and other fun body parts.
I guess that makes Taylor the Weviathan then.
Flood with LOTS of crabs. The attack of the killer scampi and a hell of very very angry chaos lobsters of doom.
MrMoray on June 5, 2013 at 09:38 said:
OK, Golem, Cuff: Assuming at least one of you specializes in controlling metals, we’re going to talk for a moment about the joys of electrical grounding, Farraday cages and lead shielding.
Hopefully Golem/Theo can, if Kaiser and Allfather are any indication.
I wonder if getting ripped in half by Endbringers is also genetic…
I… had a bad/kinky idea.
Was it ever discussed if Cauldron may be the reason for the Endbringers? I can think of at least two scenarios:
A) The general activity of Cauldron, forcing passengers onto hosts instead of them selecting according to their preferences, somehow lured a kind of antibody or preventive measure, namely the Endbringers.
B) Cauldron tried on few occasions if they can trigger animals with their formula. Endbringers are the result.
While it is possible and even likely the Doctor may keep such knowledge from the Triumvirate, Number Man is part of the upper echelon and we get no such vibe from his interlude.
Then again, from that same interlude we do know there is at least one thing the Doctor doesn’t share even with Number Man and Contessa.
I think that would be reversing cause and effect. I think the Cauldron was created to try to develop weapons against the Endbringers.
Cauldron came about before the Endbringers did.
This prompted me to write up a thought I’ve had for a while, it turned into rather an long post haha.
If Cauldron truly wanted the Enbringers stopped, then there would be forty triumvirate-level capes in the world, ready to respond to each Endbringer attack, rather than three of them. They could have simply abducted more people, and given them the unstable formula, until they’d gotten the required numbers of top-level talent. Use memory-wiping liberally, to ensure that the resulting top-tier capes don’t bear a grudge that they can remember, if they were abducted. They could also increase the tempo of their voluntary operations, being less discerning in who they picked, and again use memory wiping if necessary. This assumes there isn’t some bottleneck in their development chain preventing them producing much more formula, but there doesn’t seem to be. They might need some more staff to help with the increased tempo and the larger number of “clients”, but that’s hardly impossible. The few dozen resulting amnesiac triumvirate level talents would get noticed, but a cover could be invented*, and if stopping the Endbringers was really the most important thing, ultimately it wouldn’t matter, right?
Now of course one immediately thinks, “But that would be monstrous!”, and yes, it would be. But remember, Cualdron already justified themselves to Alex and the gang as trading human misery for powerful heroes to fight the Endbringers. If that was genuinely their goal, why wouldn’t they take that trade-off to it’s logical conclusion and finish things? Can they really be happy with doing horrible things to hundreds of people to merely stall the Endbringers, which still kill millions in the process, but doing horrible things to thousands of people to stop the Endbrigners and save millions of lives is unpalatable? That simply doesn’t make sense, either they’re comfortable with doing horrible things for the greater good or they aren’t. Or, the whole thing is a ruse.
In short, if Cauldrons primary goal was stopping the Endbringers, then they would have been stopped long before the story began. Maybe not killed, because who knows if that’s possible or what the repercussions would actually be, but stopped. Each Endbringer would be mobbed by a gang of Triumvirate level talents as soon as it arrived, and injured to the point of retreat before it could do much damage.
Cauldron’s primary goal does not include stopping the Enbringers, and it’s not even enough of a secondary goal for them to increase their operational tempo to achieve it. Note, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t believe they’re acting in humanity’s interests. It’s possible that they believe stopping rather than merely stalling the Endbrigners would have adverse effects, or ultimately be pointless when compared to other considerations. Alternately it would help humanity, but ultimately whilst they’re happy to stall the Endbringers, the beasts were far too useful as a threat to keep the Triumvirate in their camp. Or they’re they’re dicks and the EB’s are tangential to Cauldron’s true endgame, or are needed alive for it. We don’t know enough to tell between these possibilities, as of yet.
As for some guesses at their true endgame? Well, we have little idea yet of what the Terminus Project could be. (I suspect killing Scion or doing something major with him might be a part of it, but this is just a hunch.) We also have reason to suspect Brockton Bay is involved in their endgame somehow. We can deduce this from the hope placed in Coil, and then the perception that Skitter could take his place in the scenario after his death, and then her surrender being seen as probably throwing that out the window. This strongly suggests that it was their leadership of Brockton Bay’s resident villains that was a key factor in their relevance to the scenario. The most obvious reason for that might be due to the portal, although BB’s potential relevance to their plan pre-dated it’s creation.
*(One solution would be to mind-wipe and release everyone that didn’t become monstrous, and to speed up the doping and testing process so much that that other people wouldn’t realise they’d been abducted. This would probably increase the proportion of freaks, but that’s acceptable. Then, with the large numbers of people suddenly randomly getting powers and losing their memories, you might be able to convince academia that this was simply the other way that people triggered, other than trauma. The ones that don’t work out simply get disappeared.)
You’re trying to brute force the issue of the Endbringer and that is commendable. Your line of reasoning is sound enough, and still a doubt lingers: Do you see arguments for them not trying exactly that? Cauldron has a load of parallel worlds to chose from, perhaps settled with hunter-gatherer humans. They could easily abduct those by the thousands, run slight variations of the formula multiple times and see how they’ll develop. Cauldron oughtn’t really have any shortage of guinea pigs.
Alternatively, they abduct all kinds of terminally ill people and give them formula. If they survive? Hey, high tier cape! If they die? Meh, write a fake report or something and no-one’s the wiser. If they’ll horribly mutate or something? Kill’em, repeat step 2.
For all we know they’ve been injecting people with Triumvirate potency formula and only get mutated and dead subjects.
This is kind of my point, if stopping the Endbringers was really that important to them, then they’d be doing something along those lines, or what I outlined. Well done on the two suggestions for other sources of warm bodies.
The story being how it is can mean two things. One is that stopping as opposed to stalling the Endbringers not to be one of their goals. Or as you highlighted it requires all these extra subjects to die or be mutated at a much higher rate than that which we’ve observed, which feels… Inelegant?
I think they might already be doing exactly what you suggest.
if so, it’s obviously not working perfectly. Probably because they don’t have unlimited formula or unlimited manpower.
Personally, I think the best anti-Endbringer and anti-evil-in-general strategy would be for Cauldron to give powers to as many truly good people as they can find. Use Thinkers to find people who would use powers well if they had them, and give them powers.
But Cauldron is probably way too control-freak-ish to do something like that.
greatwyrmgold on August 5, 2013 at 23:13 said:
I’d imagine that the biggest issues would be creating the more “powerful” formulae and finding people they trusted even halfway to enough to give it to.
And we don’t know enough about how Cauldron works to say they could do this. They obviously have some way of guessing the type and strength of the powers they give, but we don’t know how precise these are. We also have no clue idea how the formulae are made or what their interactions and reactions are with the Passengers.
You’re assuming there isn’t a big risk in using unbalanced formula.
What if you end up with an insanely murderous Triumvate+ level cape that you can’t put down?
Something for instance that has teleportation and a wide range instant death effect? Something like Siberian but without a controller? An antimatter creator? Or a long distance mind controller? Or just an unrestrained AI in humanoid form?
That was my initial thought, but the timeline doesn’t fit. Mid eighties Alexandria was our little cancer victim, if I get it right, and something like 1991 the first Endbringer roared its defiance to the world.
Does anyone recall which hit first, second, or third, or if one came in succession before the others showed up? I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but it’s making me curious.
Partly wondering because I’m curious if they were already here, or if they arrived. If here and inactive, why activate? If not, what brought them? I know we don’t know yet, but someday, wildbow willing, our guesses will be slightly less wild and haphazard.
i’m faairly certain behemoth was the first one, as seen in the alexandria interlude, otherwise they would not have been so surprised when he popped out.
in extermination 8.2 leviathan was mentioned as the second of the three, which makes the smurf the final one and the one that probably really caught them by surprise…
Ronin on June 5, 2013 at 17:25 said:
I was introduced to this work less than a week ago, and got hooked enough to read the entire behemoth up to its current point in that time frame. Thanks for writing. It is a fantastic work of fiction, and I will definitely be keeping up with future updates.
MrVoid on June 5, 2013 at 20:01 said:
Just out of interest, who or what directed you here?
Holy carp. The Behemoth.
Nothing more needs be said. Well, I suppose I could say something about the meeting between Weaver and the Undersiders, but, well…
I wonder what would happen if Grue covered Behemoth with his darkness. (Posted after the discovery of what happens.)
I don’t get Dragon’s speech thing. She can communicate with Defiant, so why not get a text-to-speech converter?
“Did last… time,”
Very odd that a pause in speech of an AI would coincide with a human relevant time-scale. Send all three words to a buffer and fire off when ready? Why doesn’t she have a backup AI like the ones in the suits to answer simple questions like this?
It really seems to me that you’re treating an AI as an odd human rather than an intelligence that is further from human than an octopus is.
” I’ll forgive your past transgressions if you look past mine, and if there’s any disparity in the two, I’ll make it up for you with this.”
Only a true Mary Sue can get away with murder and still have people apologising for harsh words and saying they forgive the Sue’s crimes.
“For years, they’ve alleged that the PRT and the Protectorate are fundamentally corrupt, the source of the problems currently plaguing the world.”
“Yes,” Defiant said.
No, they were not. More villains than heroes naturally and more heroes using Cauldron. They also aren’t known to be responsible for Endbringers.
What’s the opposite of a Mary Sue? Something that warps reality in a way that makes people irrationally dislike them and make up bullshit about them?
I agree that Dragon’s inability to speak is weird. Text-to-speech should be trivial to enact. The scary thing is that it implies much nastier, more fundamental things are wrong with her than they want us to think. Don’t think ‘basically okay but unable to speak’ . Think ‘has had a crippling stroke and can barely think straight’.
The ‘more villains than heroes naturally’ thing is kind of the point. The PRT don’t seem to get that. They’re not out there doing good things like establishing trauma counselling, helplines for new triggers, etc. Instead they’re playing cops and robbers, picking unnecessary fights with groups that have them outgunned and turning a blind eye to corruption and bullying even in their own ranks. (Hint: proximity to capes + trauma = trigger events. Turning a blind eye to one of your Wards being a viciously bullying high school students? There’d be no Skitter in the first place if it wasn’t for the PRT’s idiocy). The PRT may not have caused all the world’s problems, but the way they’re responding to them is making them worse, not better.
Ok,Imma comment the same to each of your comments I find very strange from now on
Are we freaking reading the same fracking story?
Well here we go on yet another USA is better than everyone else crusade. Joy can’t wait. But onto this chapter:
Well for a start I’d like to point out that I don’t think we’ve seen one tinker be maintaining stuff for the rest of their team, they could easily maintain armour for the rest of their teammates. Or some weapons.
2. On AI, it wasn’t around for ages, yet I never saw Dragon or Armsmaster maintaining a whole bunch of tinker equipment, it’s only recently they’ve added like 50 drones each with AI and without removing their tinker maintained armour, etc.
3. You don’t need tinkers to be tech support, have a whole bunch of tinkers stick them in a room to create a jetpack or whatever, DOCUMENT IT, then mass produce. If something breaks bring up the documentation employ a couple of 1000 ordinary people to mass produce and work as servicemen. Step by step instructions and descriptions for everything. Or phone in Accord equivalent and he can just write down what to do to fix it.
4. 28+ HEROES FROM A FUCKING BILLION PEOPLE. SERIOUSLY. 28!!! COME ON. CHINA ISN’T EXACTLY 1ST WORLD AND YOU SAID 3RD WORLD WAS MORE LIKELY TO GET TRIGGERS.
5. Maybe I missed something here but you said Eastern Europe and now it’s in India, why? Did Dragon’s tracking mechanism fail? Why? There doesn’t seem to be any mention even though Eastern Europe was explicitly mentioned numerous times. Europe is 3.1 times the size of India, that’s not really big enough to warrant saying Eastern Europe but not saying Northern/Central/Eastern whatever India. Just interesting choice there nothing really wrong about it.
http://mapfight.appspot.com/in-vs-europe/india-europe-size-comparison
6. I didn’t say this before but excluding someone who can copy powers without any negative effects at all I think Accord’s power is the best power in the universe. It’s unbeatable. “I want to get more powers, solve this problem” Boom, his power writes up a simple step by step guide. “I don’t want to die, solve” Boom. Or FAR MORE APPROPRIATELY “I want to defeat the Endbringer’s or minimize their damage” Like fucking seriously, Accord isn’t exactly a no name secret hidden power person he fucking hands his report to everyone! Why the shit haven’t they offered a couple of million for him to do that analysis, why hasn’t he done it? Also solve the problem of people ignoring his reports.
7. Has the UN seriously not organized anything for these Endbringer’s, like communication, when to attack, how to team up?
8. WHERE ARE DA ARMIES, FUCKING HELICOPTERS, JETS, TANKS, ETC THEY DO WAY MORE THAN SKITTER
9. Why aren’t they abusing Clockblocker, he could win the battle basically on his own. All you need is one personal teleporter, and some RC helicopters. Get them to hold up a wire, freeze it, teleport to wherever his range ends, freeze another wire, repeat.
10. Speaking of RC helicopters, where the fuck are they? You don’t need tinkers weapons or power, stick a bunch of RC helicopters with machine guns in the fight and you’re doing a little bit more damage.
11. I still think fighting is stupid and pointless, just let him kill people. He’s not doing that much damage, a couple of million people is not a big deal and now Scion’s gonna come kill him anyway assuming that the girl didn’t make him her sex slave or whatever. They’re losing capes that could be doing more important things, like applying Accord’s world hunger things, or erasing Slaughterhouse Nine or dealing with non-cape criminals, or dealing with cape criminals, or building up cape numbers until they can fight. Also how come it’s only the Americans who fucking go fight Endbringers, no one in Europe flies in, no one in the rest of the world flew in to Brockton Bay, I swear this story is seriously sucking the USA’s dick hard. De facto conquering Canada, having no other capes in the world with capable powers they all just suck balls compared to the USA. Also if this fight has more capes than ever before then they don’t really need to worry do they? Capes-who-are-willing-to-fight-Behemoth production is growing faster than Behemoth and other Endbringer’s are killing them. Meanwhile Endbringer’s aren’t getting stronger, it’s a war of attrition that mankind is winning. Why aren’t more villains there? The Undersiders showed that villains don’t murder and shit like that mostly so seriously where are the rest of the villains and rogues who just don’t want to be under the rulerships thumb. Speaking of rulers what about places where you said that 3rd world countries had been over thrown and capes ruled and stuff, why wouldn’t they send people? But moving on to a counterpoint why are so many useless people there? They help for rescuing but half the fucking people they end up rescuing will be the useless people mark my words. Regent especially, what is he going to do exactly?
I have more to say but whatever too much
mremaknu on September 23, 2013 at 17:33 said:
Serious question: What are you on and why aren’t you sharing?
Oh,you are one of these idiots “m’lady”neckbeards,that explains it .
(seriously,hope you were kiddin on this pic)
dreugeworst on November 19, 2013 at 17:44 said:
I just read this chapter, and I’m wondering where all of Europe’s capes are as well. He’s right about that much. The european project can’t afford the p.r. hit of not having a group of capes to send to deal with endbringers. Similar reasoning goes for any country that wants to be seen as relevant. Where are they? Why is it only the US?
See my rant below,11b to be exact.
Ok,you are not an obvious troll,like Daniel,so imma gonna answer ya seriously.
0)Did you get the “USA are better”vibe from Skitter commenting “they were right”?or from Defiant agreeing?or perhaps from their high efficiency?Up till now,few parties has been shown to be purely bad in Worm,and none purely good.So USA might not be worse,but the story certainly does not say its better.
1)Tinkering is very time consuming,and most capes are loners.We also do not know if some do create stuff for their teamates (bonesaw for example).What you propose is them sacrificing their free time to practically do anything else,and if we judge from Blasto and Kid Win interludes,that includes the great enjoyment of inventing new things.
2)it happens offscreen.And the drones seem disposable.
3)Tinkers work like artists,their way of inventing things is understandable only to them,so they cant really document it,they cannot even distinguish between obvious and nonobvious.Even if we assume what they do is not an extension of their superpowers,as it have been speculated,but possible with normal technology,it might be impossible for even the most brilliant of thinkers to document.
4)28+China was willing to sent.There are a thiousant of reasons for why it doesn’t want to send more:its not worth the potential losses,it doesn’t want to reveal its hand to other countries,most capes are anti government and hunted there,something more complicated might be happening….
5)Analysts (not Dragon) guessed eastern europe was more likely,no one was certain.
6)No,he ain’t that good.He cannot do martial arts like the number man that well,his power doesn’t work for simple problems,he has a penchant for complicated solutions,and he only uses known quantities to solve problems,the Endbringers themselves are not exactly known.He is top tier,but Lung and Tattletale are too,and the Simurgh is probably able to outhink him.
7)Assuming there is a UN in Worm.there is no reason to think It hasn’t.Communication happened fast enough,heroes are by nature hard to coordinate and they only have less than a few hours to reach the center of the fighting,lets to strategise,before the Endbringers leave.They cannot be aware of the destination until the attacks happen (or until a while before,after the fight with Leviathan where Dragon and Armsmaster designed the new prediction system)or even the exact day the happen,so they can program to at least have heroes on standby.Its a testament to how Endbringers affected the world that so many people actually manage to come that fast.
8)no,they can’t,they are fodder.Most capes might be completely useless against Endbringers,but it pays to bring many,because you never know when one has a power that might be useful on an Endbringer,and because capes are actually highly trained in fighting irregular threats,unlike the normal military,who is meant to fighting humans.Most weapons are slow vs Endbringers,Except maybe BEHEMOTH ,who has an insta kill aura that can destroy them anyway,prolly longer than the range of their weapons.Weapons,assuming they hit are gonna do little to no damage (these things survive NUKES),and the armor they use,which in a normal battlefield compensates for their low speed or inflexibility,is a joke vs an Endbringer.The only use they would have is evacuating civilians,and thats only vs BEHEMOTH,as it will distract him by forcing him to do target practice.
9)We do not know what Clockblocker’s range is,Leviathan is too quick and Simurgh is too smart.It might work vs Behemoth,assuming his range is longer than his insta kill aura(doubtful,he only got Echidna because the situation was close to his trigger event),but who says they ain’t gonna try anyway?And get killed for their troubles with only one hit which would damage him,but not kill him because no vital organs,so he could survive being sliced in half.Maybe it could cause him to retreat though.
10)Lol,machine guns vs an Enbringer,sounds like a good way to Suicide,without doing damage,to boot.Assuming they do have bullets that can be shot from outside his aura AND not melt midair by the extreme radiation.Again ,survived.nuke.
11a)You forgot,their attrition is intelligent.If left to their own devices,they a)cripple countries economically,b)destroy landmass (non replendishible,so attrition is happening)c)destroying necessary for humanity resources and d)accomplish nefarious side goals.Imagine if your suggestion was the standard response:Leviathan would get to Noelle,instant game over.They cannot afford to be cruel for the greater good.Also,considering the Endbringers retreat and they are not getting any weaker (so actually only humanity suffers attrition,whether it sends capes or not),its unlikely a greater amount of capes would do much more that the same amount spread on time rather than space,as you suggest…And they couldn’t transport so many capes fast enough to react to Endbringers anyway…more capes up the chance some can do something,but that is true over time,and causes less attrition thanks to the ones that can only drive it off,buying time for humanity until some plan/Scion can kill them.
11b)Where is Europe,the villain/rogues,the warlords and the villains?On the team names Dragon showed to Weaver that were too fast to read all.Seriously,they are there,the story just doesn’t focus on them.Also,Protectorate sends 50% of extracountry help in Endbringer situations anyway.Thats not because MURICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.Thats because Cauldron,and because Eidolon.
11c)sefrackinriously,do you hate America just to hate America?the author is Canadian,for god’s sake,and America is portrayed as quite flawed,no more or less that it really is,or would be in a cape scenario.Bad cops,corrupt government,etc etc.
Sengachi on September 26, 2013 at 00:38 said:
“bastard spheres that had electorcuted me”
Probably meant “electrocuted”.
Loserthree on October 1, 2013 at 23:17 said:
This is where I stopped reading, a few months ago. I’ve come back to say my piece. Maybe once I’ve had that out of my head for a while I’ll be able to come back and start reading again.
I read up to this point with feverish devotion. I read well over a hundred webcomics and I check them every day, often multiple times a day. I let them all slide for the weeks it took me to read to this point. Every moment I had with the Internet I used to read this. I used my phone at work to read. It was bad enough that one of my subordinates commented on my distracted state, to my embarrassment.
(I’m a slow reader.)
I think the reason I was so caught up in this is the way tension is so well sustained. I suppose sustaining tension is more important in a serial like this than it would be in other forms. It’s very well done, in that way.
At the time I stopped I thought I had done so because the story had changed, grown weaker. Now I think it more likely that it was some sort of literary fatigue. Too much sustained tension for too long, or something. It wore me out. Maybe someday I’ll reread the story and know better if it got weak around this point. Maybe others have already commented on this in a less biased-by-numb-exhaustion fashion.
Anyway, I’ll get on to things I’m more definite about.
There’s a problem with the treatment of sex in this. Specifically, the treatment of male desire for sex.
There are places where desire for sex by a female is treated in a positive fashion. The circumspect phrase “things with boys” does a tidy job of demonstrating sexual desire and a kind of innocence at the same time. It’s quite charming.
In contrast, the vast majority of expressions of desire for sex by male characters are predatory or otherwise involve violation. The three exceptions to this that I recall are themselves twisted in such a way that they almost make it worse.
First, Grue’s desire for sex begins and ends with his role as a love interest for the narrator. We don’t learn about what he wants, we just learn about how he can supply what the narrator wants. That’s not really that bad, on it’s own. Most of this is, after all, a first person work. Some egocentricity is expected. And they’re kids, of course, so it’s understandable that the narrator doesn’t do as a good job of understanding the needs of her partner in intimacy as she does in recognizing the her own. Except that, so far, she’s not an unreliable narrator in any other way.
(The narrator’s understanding and acceptance of her own needs is a strong point of the story. A real human being might be more fixated, might be more muddled in thought if not in their conception of themselves or their self-censored memories. But what could pass for narration and could also pass through a real human being’s mind-in-the-moment wouldn’t be fun to read for over a million words.)
Second and weaker, Legend has a sexual partner and his homosexual relationship is (so far) blessedly free of any (TvTropes) Bury Your Gays crap. But there’s less expression of desire there than seeking for comfort. His present-but-not-actually-involved status on the top tier heroes team smacks a bit of (TvTropes) Pet Gay, but he’d have to have more screen time before he could fall into that pit.
Thirdly, and most damning, Armsmaster’s relationship looks like it’s being presented as something positive. His desires for intimacy with Dragon are reciprocated. They each consent to their relationship with the other. But it reads like the kind of relationship domestic violence victims _think_ they’re in.
Dragon was abused by her parent. She was made incomplete and then abandoned. She needs someone to complete her. She went looking for someone to replace her parent, and she loves him despite his obvious, villainous faults. Her man is fixing her. He has to hurt her to do it, and he does so — with maybe some guilt — for her own good.
In other words, Dragon has some nasty Daddy Issues. Maybe this has already been pointed out. That’s all I have to say about sexuality in the story, I think
Stereotypes are problematic as well. It could be a fine play off communism that the Chinese superhero hero team are all forced to be the same and assimilate foreign heroes, if it weren’t for all the “All Chinese are the same.” stereotypes that make that feel like racism at worst or naïveté at best. The caste-bound Indian heroes are a bit heavy handed. I think there were a couple other examples, but it’s not as freshly in my mind anymore.
It can be difficult to celebrate a foreign culture without presenting a mockingly-simplified version of that culture. I guess it takes practice, so maybe getting it a bit wrong is understandable. I gather the author is quite young and not from a particularly cosmopolitan background, too. (In fact, the combination of what looks like a special interest in Asian cultures and a lack of weeabooism leads me to suspect the author has Asian heritage. So maybe it doesn’t look racist to the author, like it could look to some cis, straight, white, middle class, male American who thinks himself fair and somewhat ‘enlightened.’)
(While I’m making barely-educated guesses about the author, I’ll suggest they are female, firstborn, with at least one sibling more than three but less than ten years younger.)
There are a couple of places where a point of view character thinks of a subordinate in a “They just don’t know.” fashion more appropriate in an older but still child-aged sibling condescending to one younger.
It was cool that the author respected Circus’ privacy regarding his or her gender enough that the character with the expository superpower couldn’t tell. But then clones of Circus ended up running around naked and the way the narration specifically left his or her physical sex unmentioned was garish like a bare bulb. It seems like either the character’s privacy should be respected and they should not end up naked in front of the camera of narration, or that the violation of the character’s privacy should be acknowledged in the narrative (preferably in some manner that adds meaning to the story, of course).
Finally, somewhere in the about-a-million words that I read up to this point, it started to get a little obvious that the narrator gets off too lightly for the things she has done. Like, some degree of that is totally fitting to the genre. Not every story should be punishingly gritty, brutally just, or arbitrarily cruel.
I don’t know what the narrator would be like if something precious to her like her pride or her security or her powers were taken from her. But it felt as though it was getting too obvious that wouldn’t happen. Jail lacked appropriate indignities.
It is said that many authors lose the will to hurt their characters as they grow more attached to them. But maybe later chapters involved more authentic hurting for the narrator, deserved or otherwise.
I hope that someone finds something in these twelve hundred words useful. It’s satisfying enough to me, though, just to take it off my To Do List.
“the narrator gets off too lightly for the things she has done”, I’m sure that’s just because wildbow hasn’t started being *really* horrible to her yet! bwahaha…
btw, your guesses about wildbow’s gender and ethnicity are, uh, not entirely accurate. 🙂
I think your interpretation of Dragon and Defiant is a bit harsh. Certainly few of the relationships (and you forgot Regent + I’m, BTW) are what could be considered healthy, we’ll-adjusted relationships. But I don’t think that’s so much ‘a problem with the treatment of sex in this’ as it is a natural consequence of the fact that this is a dark (essentially superhero horror) setting about damaged people doing the best they can in a crapsack world. And that extends to the relationships.
I agree that so far the portrayals of the Indian and Chinese capes are rather one-dimensional. However, I mostly put that down to the fact that we haven’t seen them ‘from the inside’ yet, like we have many of the other groups. All we really know about them thus far is Defiant’s capsule summary of them, and he’s not renowned for being the most tolerant and sensitive guy ever.
As for Taylor getting off too easily? To an extent she does. But part of that is earned through her own effort and smarts, and a significant part of it was achieved through Coil ‘stacking the deck’ (not to mention the assistance of precognitives and super-intuitives). She’s been a bit lucky, but a lot less so than it would appear at first glance. One of the great things about this serial, IMO, is that the level of Taylor’s opposition ramps up and up and up, but it feels like the author has rare if ever had to resort to deus ex machine to get her out of it. The only possible exception that comes to mind is when the Undersiders were saved out of the blue by the Travellers after they crashed that big party (and in retrospect that one too can be put down to Coil’s abilities at work). Oh, and maybe having her blindness cured so conveniently (albeit not until after it had caused her a lot of trouble).
I wouldn’t expect Taylor to be put into a brutal prison given the terms of her agreement with the PRT. And she *was* treated pretty poorly when Tagg first arrested her – it’s just that it’s hard to discomfort someone who can shunt their consciousness out into the swarm until the discomfort goes away.
Long story short: There’s probably scope to be a bit more punishing on Taylor, but she cops a fair amount of punishment already – she’s just incredibly good at wiggling out of it…
“You know we love you too!”
Listen to your own advice, Regent. Otherwise you come off as an idiot. This is no time to start being honest!
swiftmockingjay451 on September 15, 2014 at 02:43 said:
This has possibly been the most intense chapter yet…
I was listening to Centuries by Fall Out Boy while reading this, and I’m pretty sure it made the whole scene about a thousand times more awesome (I think it fits well with some of Worm’s themes, too).
Wildbow, you are a true master.
Wow I am having a really hard time dealing with the fact I genuinely really really like Colin now! He has really become a true repentant mentor figure to Weaver! That is simply astounding that he has grown up so damn much. The jetpack thing is pretty sweet.
I love the comments from Regent when they got together. I am torn between totally expecting someone to die now or simply them all living so that he can snark about them beating the odds yet again and Coil must be alive somewhere dicking around. Aww Foil and Parian! They should’ve had lines.
I am…surprised that as soon as Taylor was told “You’re really not supposed to go talk to the Undersiders but if it happens in battle nobody cares.” the very first thing she did was go talk to them before anything started! Way to push the rules when people already dislike you kid. Real bloody smart there.
I totally called her going back with the Chicago guys! So glad I wasn’t wrong about that! I liked Tecton. He was chill back when he didn’t have to be and he seemed reasonable. He scores so many more points now for specifically saying he wanted Weaver and for letting her LEAD his team!! I love that guy! It’s also pretty sweet to see that Theo got powers. I’m guessing he’s Golem. Own the name dude! Don’t change it, make yourself big!
Dreadnoughtful on July 6, 2015 at 04:59 said:
Electrocution means death induced by electric shock.
Dragon’s drones never electrocuted her.
Cool, now Weaver can strike fear against her enemies with dragonfly wings!… Or Butterfly wings, depending on how you interpret them.
Good thing she decided to go with the Wards, when she meets up with the Undersiders there’ll be a good chance she’ll end up leading both teams together.
That reunion was too touching, I am deathly afraid that someone from the team is gonna die from Behemoth…
MisterTeatime on December 14, 2015 at 13:33 said:
“Fuck you guys. I’m as badass as ever. Recommending drugs to kids, strangling a ten year old, forcing bugs down my allies’ throats…”
This is still hilarious. “Remember that thing about feeding bugs to people who weren’t my enemies? Last week I did it to the New York Wards and they had to thank me afterward. It was great.”
Xabjvat jung unccraf arkg (naq jub vg unccraf gb), guvf vf fgvyy terng.
a) holy shit that’s horrifying. Even the ones who reverted to being completely uninjured…
b) ubyl fuvg gung’f gur guvegl-fvkgu cngu, rkpryyrag pbafvfgrapl
c) ubj gur uryy qb gurl rira svtug juvyr gnxvat pnfhnygvrf? Qba’g gurl nyy ybfr n crefba’f cbjre jura gung crefba qvrf? Gung fbhaqf yvxr vg jbhyq znxr fgengrtvmvat n uryy bs n ybg uneqre.
ClickPause on October 8, 2017 at 08:28 said:
“Drones, the annoying little bastard spheres that had (electorcuted) me on multiple occasions”
First semi-critical comment. #awkwardsauce
When and if this gets published, the descriptions of New Delhi and nearby locations *really* need to be improved.
As far as we know, this is the first time Skitweaver’s even left the country, this arc may even be the first time she’s been out of *Brockton Bay*! Yet Being-In-India doesn’t seem to register with her, and as a background aspect isn’t communicated clearly to the reader. She’s flying half-way around the world (jet lag? first super-long flight?). The temperature and humidity would probably be a shock coming from the North Atlantic coast to New Delhi. The people would be different, the roads, the buildings, the skyline, the road signs, the billboards…. The environment would be *weird* to her, something to decide to ignore to focus on more important things; not something she wouldn’t notice.
So far, we have three Hindi terms for superpowers, one New Delhi place name, and a lot of very barebones descriptions. They land in “a field”; buildings are ramshackle and dirty; “half the city” is on fire. The fields, okay, urban American teenagers don’t know fields, but the city? New Delhi has a distinctive look to it, even by Indian standards; the few descriptions here border on problematic. And more fundamentally, what does it mean to the reader for half a city to be on fire, if we haven’t gotten a picture of what that city is like in the first place?
I suspect you’ll do better with the Indian bugs, but based on past descriptions of her power, I would have expected her to be physically conscious of the difference in bugs upon arrival.
Fine chapter overall, but this is the first time the limited descriptions have really hurt the story for me.
aaronryuchi on June 18, 2018 at 22:52 said:
Behemooooooth!
Jezus fck they’re scary
Thomas Hindle on August 16, 2018 at 05:15 said:
Very late typo thread!
Electrocuted spelled as electorcuted
[ROT13 for spoilers]
Ertrag pbzcynvavat nobhg Fxvggre’f frys-qrngu-synttvat orsber znxvat uvf bja fgngrzrag bs “V ybir lbh thlf”? Evtug orsber lbh-xabj-jung? Jvyqobj, lbh purrxl fbq.
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Live from the Road
Purchase links: Kindle, paperback , and Audible
Available in Kindle Unlimited.
“A delightful book. Four strong women on a wonderful road trip having fun and discovering themselves and dealing with relationships.” – Amazon review
Live from the Road takes the reader on an often humorous, yet harrowing, journey as Meg Newton and Sally Sutton seek a change in the mundane routine of their lives. “Is this all there is?” Sally asks Meg after visiting a dying friend in the hospital. That’s when Meg suggests they take a journey to discover the answer. Joined by their daughters, they set off on a journey of salvation enhanced by the glories of the Mother Road. Along the way, they are joined by a Chicago bluesman, a Pakistani liquor storeowner from Illinois, a Marine from Missouri, a gun-toting momma from Oklahoma, and a motel clerk from New Mexico. Meg, mourning for her dead son, learns to share her pain with her daughter CC. When Sally’s husband of almost thirty years leaves a voice mail telling her he’s leaving, both Sally and her daughter Ramona discover some truths about love and independence.
Death, divorce and deception help to reveal the inner journey taking place under the blazing desert sun as a Route 66 motel owner reads the Bhagavad-Gita and an eagle provides the sign they’ve all been seeking. Enlightenment comes tiptoeing in at dawn in a Tucumcari laundromat, while singing karaoke at a bar in Gallup, New Mexico, and during dinner at the Roadkill Café in Seligman, Arizona. The four women’s lives will never be the same after the road leads them to their hearts – the true destination for these road warriors.
A Lethal Legacy
Purchase links: Kindle and paperback
“A Lethal Legacy by P.C. Zick was a real surprise-find and treat for me. Knowing this superb author from her award nominated environmental novel Trails in the Sand, I was not prepared for a psychological thriller so incredibly well written and breath-taking.” – Christoph Fischer
A Lethal Legacy follows the life of Ed Townsend who yearns for acceptance by helping those around him. This psychological thriller takes the reader on a journey through Ed’s discovery of why his family can’t find the acceptance they all seek. It takes divorce, disease and death for Ed to finally realize that acceptance only comes from within once he’s willing to face his own true feelings.
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Call +44 (0) 1787 888 590 or Email us
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Rob travels to Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools and Matusadona – October/November, 2013
Home Staff Travels Rob Rob travels to Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools and Matusadona – October/November, 2013
Set on the southern banks of the mighty Zambezi River, in northern Zimbabwe, Mana Pools has always been one of the most beautiful National Parks in Africa, home to an incredible array of wildlife. It has also always been one of my favourite safari destinations, and so I had a feeling of quiet excitement as I sped down the Zambezi by speedboat en route to Mana for the first time in 13 years! I couldn’t believe it had been that long.
The Zambezi River is wide and gently flowing at this stage of its long journey, and unlike some other great African rivers, rarely suffers from the ravages of rainy season floodwaters as the river’s flow is controlled by the Kariba Dam upstream. There are shallows, sand banks and islands which not only help to set the idyllic scene, but are home to hippo, crocs, elephants, buffalo and a wide variety of bird life.
There is also a wide floodplain, the remnants of a previous higher river level, which is not only scenically stunning (especially with Zambian escarpment as a backdrop), but also tailor-made for wildlife viewing.
Within Mana, driving and walking is permitted and with a limited number of specialist guides who have made Mana their home, it is possible to enjoy some really exceptional wildlife encounters. Crawling up and sitting within 30 metres of a pride of lions may not be everyone’s idea of a relaxing morning on safari, but there are few if any other places in Africa where it would be possible to do this with such regularity. Approaching wild dogs on foot is almost as thrilling too, but with less of the ‘fear factor’ (wild dogs are never known to have harmed humans). Mana is also renowned for its huge and very relaxed elephant bulls, which can also be approached on foot (they are typically famous for standing on their hind legs to reach into the crown of the albida trees for those tasty pods or fresh growth). These more specialist walking experiences are
of course optional additions to normal game drives and walks. During my short visit to this riverside region of the park, I especially enjoyed an experience with a pack or around 25 wild dogs. Having located their tracks heading off into the bush, we left the vehicle and continued on foot to find them relaxing at waterhole. Creeping in quietly to around 20 yards, we had the opportunity to watch them wake up, interact, stretch, drink, and regurgitate food for the pups, before heading off on an evening hunt. A very special experience!
Away from the river the habitat and landscape changes and becomes much harsher with large tracts of mopane woodland and jesse thickets. Here, two different sources of water are able to support wildlife during the dry season and provide dramatic wildlife viewing as animals from far and wide rely on them. Chitake Springs is well known as a very adventurous camping destination where the local lions are brazen and the large buffalo herds imposing. This is ‘raw Africa’ and not to be taken lightly – the stuff of wildlife documentaries and occasionally in the past, human tragedy. However my destination was the lesser known of the two, Kanga Pan. Visiting at the end of the dry season I was truly stunned by the amount of activity here. If the surrounding region was a little quiet at times (in terms of numbers compared to the riverside areas), the pan itself was a hive of activity
from dawn to dusk and throughout the night. During the day you could sit and watch baboons, impala, zebra, kudu, elephants, buffalo and even wild dogs come and go (the morning before I arrived, the dogs made two impala kills in camp). But it was at night that the show really began. Dinner was routinely interrupted by elephant, buffalo, genet, civet, hyaena and leopard (five in one evening!) and later when the camp ‘quietened down’, the more shy creatures such as porcupine and honey badger emerged. Guests who remained for that ‘one for the road’ were usually joined by the local lions sauntering into camp. On one occasion they lapped up water as we looked on from our raised deck just metres away. At the right time of year, Kanga Pan is a must for anyone visiting Mana Pools and it is easy to combine a couple of ‘interior’ days at the pan with a few on the floodplain region.
From Mana Pools I headed to the very different Matusadona National Park on the southern shores of Lake Kariba. For those who don’t know, the lake is man-made, sitting behind the Kariba Dam (on the Zambezi River) which was built in late 50’s to provide hydro-electric power for both Zambia and Zimbabwe. As lake levels rose, Operation Noah took place to save as many animals as possible and re-locate them to higher ground. Evidence of the lake creation is easy to see, as the Matusadona shoreline is characterised by partially submerged forests of leadwood trees. Leadwood is such a dense wood that despite the trees dying out they still stand in the shallows to this day, creating a memorable scene that is easily recognisable.
The lakeshore is a haven for birds, especially waders, and for cormorants, African darters, cattle egrets and various herons which use the leadwood trees as safe roosting grounds. Matusadona is also a stronghold for black rhino, which can be tracked on foot through the harsh environment away from the shoreline into the hills. More general game-viewing is definitely best along the shore where nutritious grasses support good populations of impala, elephant, buffalo and waterbuck, which in turn support the healthy lion population. Boat cruises are the more comfortable mode of transport and I found it particularly relaxing to gently potter through the bays and inlets in search of game and birds. I don’t think Matusadona can be compared to Hwange or Mana Pools as a game drive destination, but it offers such a complimentary and different experience that it naturally should be included on any balanced safari itinerary through Zimbabwe, and is a ‘must’ for birders.
My overall impression of Zimbabwe was that it is very much ready for tourism to take off again. Of course the industry has suffered these past 12 years, and overall standards of comfort are still a little behind some other countries, but the game-viewing, guiding and hospitality is exceptional. If anyone is short on time, then Mana Pools and Matusadona make an excellent week long combination with access via Lusaka, Zambia. I travelled this route and found it worked very well.
If you’re interested, you may also wish to see Bill’s report from earlier this year when he visited the south and west of the country – Victoria Falls, Hwange and Matobo Hills.
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“Why it’s top: The firm’s knowledge – of hundreds of camps in 12 countries – is extraordinary, gained through thousands of hours spent exploring the continent. Ask directors Michele and Rob where to see wild dogs, for example, and not only will they tell you the prime spots, but they’ll name the very best guides for the species”.
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Hi Michele, another really wonderful trip and great contrast to the Pangolin one. Much more classic sightings, but the quality of the sighting was amazing!
John and Sophia from London travelled to Kenya
Hello Rob, we would not hesitate to recommend you to anyone booking a trip to Africa. The next time we go, you will be the first company we go to
John and Valerie from Worcestershire travelled to Zimbabwe
Dear Rob, the trip exceeded my expectations. Accommodation and food generally of a higher standard. I purposely did not do much research before going, so much of the trip was a wonderful surprise. Certainly has stimulated thoughts of visiting Africa again.
Susan from Worcestershire travelled to Namibia
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Feast on the 10 Best Turkey Trots in Chicago
by Jeff Banowetz
The Turkey Day 5K in Chicago features a Lakefront course in Lincoln Park. Turkey Day 5k; Life Time Fitness
Turkey, football and family. You may rank those in any order you like, but for most people the fourth Thursday in November means checking them all of them off the list. Runners add a fourth—competing in a turkey trot race to burn some calories in advance of the big feast. Here are our 10 favorite turkey trots in Chicago (and the surrounding suburbs) that offer plenty of reasons to get up early and start the holiday off right.
1. Turkey Day 5K and 8K, Chicago
The Turkey Day 5K brings runners to Lincoln Park each year. Nate Burgos
The biggest turkey trot in the city of Chicago, the Turkey Day 5K and 8K will draw runners to its Lincoln Park course for its 39th running this year. The family-friendly event features 5k and 8k runs in addition to a kids’ race along the Lakefront. The “Turkey Tailgate Zone” features turkey bowling, a football throw, beanbags, and a kids activities tent. The race benefits the Chicago Food Depository, and all runners will receive a long-sleeve technical T-shirt.
2. North Shore Turkey Trot, Highland Park
The North Shore Turkey Trot brings several thousand runners to Highland Park each year. North Shore Turkey Trot
The North Shore Turkey Trot , organized by RAM Racing, starts and finishes in downtown Highland Park and features both 5k and 10k distances. It’s grown into a big event, with more than 3,500 runners participating. RAM is known for its premium giveaways, and this year is no different, with a fleece trappers hat that will come in handy all winter. Let’s hope you don’t need it on race day. The race benefits Black Diamond charities, which supports returning veterans transitioning to civilian life.
3. Fox and Turkey Races, Batavia
The Fox and Turkey Races feature courses along the Fox River in Batavia Fox Valley Trail Runners
The 19th annual Fox and Turkey Races start in downtown Batavia and feature a course along the Fox River. Choose from the 4-mile race or a 1 mile youth race for kids 12 and under. All runners receive a lightweight hooded sweatshirt, and hot chocolate will be served after the race along with snacks. Nonperishable food donations are also encouraged on race day, benefitting the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry.
4. Naperville Noon Lions Turkey Trot
The Naperville Noon Lions Turkey Trot draws 7,500 runners each year. Naperville Noon Lions
Organized by the Naperville Noon Lions, this annual turkey trot through scenic neighborhoods around downtown Naperville attracts 7,500 runners, making it one the largest turkey trots in the state. The 5K starts and finishes at Naperville Central High School, and all runners receive long-sleeve performance T-shirts. After the race, enjoy a pancake breakfast in the high school cafeteria. The race draws all types of runners, with the guys from North Central College’s cross-country team often setting a fast pace, but plenty of participants dressed in costume or walking the course following.
5. Beat the Bird 5K, Oak Brook
The Beat the Bird is an off-road 5K through Fullersburg Woods that also has runners predict their finishing time. You’ll get a start on the Thanksgiving meal early with Standard Market catering the event with gourmet snacks and Two Brothers Beer providing the post-race liquid refreshment. The race benefits the Chicago Hope Academy, a near West Side nondenominational college and life prep school that helps deserving youth in the neighborhood.
6. Rotary Run 3.14 Pie Run, LaGrange
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWrhSUuPhnA
Be one of the first 750 people to enter the Rotary Run 3.14 Pie Run, and you’ll leave with dessert—a Sara Lee pie to add to your Thanksgiving feast. The run itself starts and finishes at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange and features a route along the tree-lined streets of the village. All adults receive a technical T-shirt, and the race benefits the Rotary Club of LaGrange.
7. Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot, Elmhurst
The Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot has become an Elmhurst tradition. Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot
This 32 nd annual Thanksgiving Day tradition in Elmhurst has to date raised more than $3.5 million for hunger-related charities in DuPage County, providing more than 4 million meals. The 5K course runs on the streets of downtown Elmhurst with the start and finish near Elmhurst College and Wilder Park. And before the race begins, runners will be treated to a fly-over from the Lima Lima flight team.
8. Flying Turkey 5K, Evanston
The Flying Turkey 5K features a course that runs through the Northwestern campus in Evanston. Flying Turkey 5K
Run through the Northwestern University campus with more than 2,000 other runners at the Flying Turkey 5K in downtown Evanston. The race features a start and finish at Centennial Park near Clark Street Beach, and runners will receive a winter hat for their effort. Awards will be given to the top three in each age group as well as the top three men and women overall. Canned food donations also be accepted on behalf of the Harvest Food Closet.
9. Poultry and Pie Predictor, Joliet
The 34 th annual Poultry and Pie Predictor takes place in Pilcher Park in Joliet. Runners predict their finishing time before the race, with the top 15 closest receiving a turkey, the next 25 receiving a pie. There’s also a 1-mile kid’s race and a Toddler Gobbler sprint for those 5 and under.
10. Long Grove Turkey Trot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aS1UU-mB0Y
The Long Grove Turkey Trot isn’t one of the older races in the area (its sixth running is this year), but it’s quickly becoming a favorite. Run through the historic streets of Long Grove and finish through the town’s covered bridge. Choose from either a 5k or 8k course, and all participants receive a hooded sweatshirt. A band will provide live music at the finish line and post-race party, and the event benefits the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
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Sounds Like It’s Still ‘No Limit’ For Prograis After a Tough Break (Loss No. 1)
By R.L. Woodson
Last Saturday night at London’s O2 Arena one of boxing’s good-spirited fighters, Regis Prograis, lost his WBA Super Lightweight title – and undefeated status – in one of the year’s most anticipated bouts. The bout, a championship unification fight against IBF champion Josh Taylor, was the culmination of a year-long commitment to the World Boxing Super Series.
Let’s start with a few obvious realities.
Impatience, from both fighters and fans, regarding the WBSS’ ability to finalize this season’s final bouts began to crop up in the spring, so nobody really wanted the conclusion of Prograis-Taylor to be a draw.
Watching the fight on TV it felt like the judges determined the right winner in Taylor. But, and while scoring is subjective, aren’t judges seated in the perfect position to deliver a better (or more informed) decision than us viewers at home?
Did I already mention that the boxing world really wasn’t mature enough to deal with the Ali Trophy not being awarded to either finalist?
So look, nobody is in a major uproar because Taylor’s hand was raised at the end of a phenomenal unification title fight. A fight that will easily contend for Fight of The Year. Nobody’s suggesting that an American was done dirty over in the UK. Notwithstanding my “An American Werewolf in London” campaign that never quite got off the ground.
And actually, now that I’ve tracked down an image of the fight’s actual scorecards, and realize Prograis actually won the eighth round on each of the three judge’s cards the main idea of this piece changes. Slightly.
Before an interview call with Prograis on Monday, Sirius XM’s co-host of Fight Nation’s boxing show At The Fights, Randy Gordon, stated that Prograis didn’t win a single round on all three scorecards. That was not true.
Prograis won the eighth round on all three scorecards – as well as the scorecard of the fourth judge. Upon hearing that discussion in the show’s opening, I thought Prograis might have caught another one of boxing’s bad breaks, fully believing that he fought well enough have won at least one round in consensus fashion. In fact, that round should have been the 12th round.
In light of confirming that important fact, the point of this piece is that every single fighter is going to need some things, for lack of a better word, to go his/her way over the course their career. This becomes even more apparent when we get to assigning greatness to a fighter.
One of the game’s earliest bad breaks I witnessed, on HBO Boxing, was Marlon Starling’s stunning knockout loss to Tomas Molinares in July 1988. Starling appeared to have been knocked out after the bell in the sixth round. Replay confirmed it for viewers at home, but Starling exited the ring that night with his fifth loss, and without his WBA title. The decision was subsequently changed to a No Contest. According to follow-up New York Times piece in August the WBA declared Molinares as champion, disregarding the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board’s findings which nullified the victory over Starling. In February Starling bounced back by stopping Lloyd Honeyghan to win the one-loss champion’s WBC title.
Of course, for fans who came of age with the sweet science around the same time as I, Mike Tyson either suffered a bad break with the seemingly long count for James “Buster” Douglas with six seconds to go in the eighth round of their fight in February 1990; Or, Tyson was wronged long before fight night when the inept team was assembled to accompany him in his defense of his WBA, WBC and IBF titles in Tokyo.
Some would argue Floyd Mayweather’s “TBE” status was achieved, in part, with catching a break with a unanimous decision in his first fight versus Jose Luis Castillo in April 2002. Perhaps Marcos Maidana – if only in the view of the opps of the “TBE” movement – caught a bad break in his majority decision loss to Mayweather in May 2014. Or, maybe that was a great break that resulted in a lucrative rematch four months later where afterwards Maidana walked out of the ring and into retirement. Andre Ward hustled his way to a favorable break in November 2016, getting off the canvas to pull off a comeback win versus Sergey Kovalev.
Last Saturday, judge Alfredo Polanco – the judge with the sensible 115-113 card the majority of fans seemed the most comfortable with – was the only judge that scored the 12th round for Taylor. Had Polanco went along with the rest of the world, his card would have been 114-114 along with the outcome for judge Benoit Roussell. A second even card changes the outcome to an extremely anticlimactic majority draw. Certainly we didn’t wait a year only to need another… Well, actually there was a fourth judge (116-112 for Taylor in the image above) with a card intended to serve as a tie-breaker. So this piece really is all for naught.
Taking a closer look at Polanco’s card is an interesting study in judging – or maybe the difficulty of the task. In the toughest parts of the fight to score, the opening rounds where the action tends to be more tactical, Polanco scored the first frame for Prograis. Him and Roussel had the same winner. In the second round Roussell, third judge Matteo Montella, as well as the tie-breaker judge all scored the round for Prograis. Polanco stood alone with Taylor. Round three was the opposite, with Polanco being the only one of the four who scored the round for Prograis.
Montello was the lone wolf in rounds four and five, scoring them for Taylor and Prograis, respectively. Taylor won rounds six and seven on all cards. Remember there is a convention in Prograis’ favor in the eighth. Taylor sweeps all of the cards again in rounds nine and ten (Taylor had a total of four unanimous rounds). Montello – the judge with 117-112 outlier card – scored his sixth straight round for Taylor in the 11th, with only the tie-breaker card in agreement. Then we get to the 12th and final round where Polanco is the lone wolf with Taylor as his winner.
That’s a tough break for Prograis who responded with six valiant minutes after hearing his corner’s opinion that the championship rounds were must-haves in order to win the fight. But, did Polanco give Prograis a clear Taylor round in the third?
Frankly, while the Polanco’s winner for the 12th round seems like a head-scratcher, I find it hard to question his performance of his duties altogether. In fact, the overall decision seems to be the reason why boxing has three judges – the right winner invariably comes out in the wash.
Despite the four categories that judging is dependent on – clean punches, effective aggressiveness, defense and ring generalship – the way that these are all applied and/or valued is not an exact science. In fact, in a closely contested round, I’ve often heard the determining factor was a matter of, “Fighter A landed the best punch in the round.” To make matters more confounding, scoring a 10-10 round like Montello’s card in the eighth round (Prograis’ best per the judges) is a frowned upon practice. We’re almost forcing some fighter to catch a bad break!
In Prograis’ case, he stood tall in his moment of defeat, offering no excuses while standing within earshot of Taylor during the post-fight interview. He even conceded that Taylor was the better man that night. During his call into At The Fights Monday, October 28 the New Orleans native remained upbeat regarding both his performance and his next move.
“It was just my fault,” he admitted, “I knew that coming over here from America, I felt like I wasn’t going to get the decision unless I knocked him out. And I really felt like I could knock him out.
I think my biggest thing was that I stood and fought with him for too much, and that was his game too. He was a very good inside fighter, and I thought that I could really break him down and get him tired for the later rounds. And, he was still there, basically.
I think the first four rounds, for sure, I went out there and I out-boxed him clearly. Then he started bringing the fight to me. He came to me, and I wanted to bring the fight to him, I wanted to just go there and trade, and make it a war.
Same as it is with any sport, the more an athlete works before and during the game, contest or match they stand a better chance at influencing what their break is – a boost or a step backwards. Prograis understands he lost the fight to his own penchant to go to war, when the battle of the middle rounds against Taylor ultimately called for what he believes was his superior boxing ability.
Bad break or learning experience, Prograis’ “0” is forever gone, along with the world title he worked so hard to capture. His spirit sounds no worse for wear, and since he willingly accepted the format of the WBSS and whatever circumstances it presented him, hopefully in the near future the business of boxing can be worked out so that him and Taylor can run it back. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Rougarou, the warrior, boxing’s latest break wasn’t able to leave broke.
All photos by Mark Robinson/MDR Photography
Related Items:At The Fights, DAZN, Dibella Entertainment, Featured2, Fight Nation, Floyd Mayweather, IBF Boxing, Josh Taylor, Matchroom Boxing, Mike Tyson, O2 Arena, Randy Gordon, Regis Prograis, super lightweight, WBA boxing, World Boxing Super Series Season 2
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coronavirus 2020 elections School segregation / integration All Topics
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Republishing the Chalkbeat article "At Success Academy schools, high-octane test prep leaves nothing to chance"
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At Success Academy schools, high-octane test prep leaves nothing to chance
Originally posted on Chalkbeat by Patrick Wall on May 1, 2014
Before the state math tests began this week, the Success Academy charter school network had left nothing up to chance.
School leaders had provided teachers with color-coded agendas with precise instructions for every few minutes of test days, along with boxes of supplies that might come in handy — from pencils and tissues to extra clothes for students and deodorizing powder to sop up vomit.
Teachers had been taught the proper way to hand out tissues during the test (pass the student a new sheet first, then use a second sheet to grab the used tissue). They knew to set their classroom temperatures to between 66 and 70 degrees, and to call each student’s family every evening before a test to remind them of the next morning’s exam.
On test days, some teachers would take Success-funded cabs to pick up chronically late students (“Taxi Scholars,” as the agendas refer to them). Outside auditors, who had already observed the network’s practice tests, would monitor the real exams to safeguard against charges of test-rigging.
But students were perhaps the most prepared of all. They had spent weeks taking practice tests modeled off the actual state exams. They starred in test “dress rehearsals,” where exact testing conditions were simulated. Some had even practiced tearing perforated reference sheets out of mock test booklets.
If history is any guide, the preparation will pay off. Last year, Success students’ pass rates on the new and much harder state exams beat those of every other city charter school network and far surpassed the city and state averages.
Success says test prep is a minor factor in its students’ remarkable scores. More important, it insists, are the network’s curriculum, teacher training, and longer school days.
“No amount of test preparation will enable a child to do well on these challenging tests without extremely high-quality instruction,” Success CEO Eva Moskowitz said in a statement.
Success is the city’s largest and most polarizing charter school network, and its high test scores have been the subject of passionate debate. Critics have said the network has boosted its scores by “counseling out” hard-to-teach students (a charge Success denies) and by not replacing many students who leave.
What’s less debatable is that outstanding test scores are crucial for Success Academy. They have enabled the network to attract an army of well-heeled, results-oriented donors. And recently they bolstered the network’s case when it appealed to lawmakers for support after the city blocked some Success schools from moving into public buildings.
To ensure it achieves those results, Success invests an extraordinary amount of time and resources into preparing students for the state exams, according to interviews and conversations with current teachers, parents, and students from several Success schools, as well as a review of internal Success documents.
Many of those interviewed said the work leading up to the test was rigorous and conceptual, a far cry from rote “drill-and-kill” prep, and a valuable use of school time considering the high stakes attached to the exams.
“I’m all for it,” said Maria Torres, who drives her daughter from Staten Island to a Success school in Harlem each day. “The more instruction they get, the more prepared and confident they are.”
But others said the intensive test preparation distorts students’ view of the purpose of education and detracts from learning not directly related to the exams.
“I think it’s important that if they’re going to be tested on something, they feel prepared to do it,” said one teacher who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity. “But I don’t think it needs to come at the expense of authentic learning, which is what’s happening.”
At Success, students encounter tasks modeled off those on state tests as early as the fall, when they are given network-produced packets with reading passages and questions during sessions called “Close Reading Mastery.” Around winter break, they take full practice tests. By March, students answer test-inspired questions every morning, and teachers report their daily scores to the network.
In the weeks leading up to the exams, test preparation dominates the school day.
Before the English tests, that means eight reading passages with questions every day at one school. In the lead-up to the math tests, another school’s schedule showed students taking a two-hour practice test in the morning and another two-hour practice test in the afternoon, with some students scheduled to spend recess going over wrong answers.
Teachers said they lose their own prep periods during these weeks and students miss out on academics — from reading about current events to studying history — that are not assessed by the state exams. To pack in more test prep, the network holds Saturday sessions and put off spring break until after the math exams. In the afternoons after the tests this week, students will solve practice problems modeled after the next day’s exams.
Some teachers and parents said all this preparation builds up students’ work ethic and tenacity, but others worried that it skews their sense of what it means to be successful.
“Their self worth is all tied to their performance on this test,” a teacher said.
The network goes to great lengths to keep students happy as they are chipping away at all this work.
Teachers receive boxes of prizes — basketballs, bracelets, magnets, puzzles, socks — to reward students based on their effort and scores on the daily practice tests. Other students earned Popeyes chicken, pizza, or trips to the park. One school paid a street vendor to pass out ice cream to students after last Saturday’s “Slam the Exam” prep session.
Students receive daily reports with their practice-test results. Those who achieve top scores have their headshots posted on a hallway bulletin board, called the “3s and 4s Club,” in one school. But low-scoring students also see their results posted in school hallways. Those students, along with ones who made careless mistakes or were not invested in the practice tests, miss recess to attend extra work sessions, called “Effort Academy” or “Revision Academy.”
“If there’s noticeable areas for improvement, then we work on it,” said one teacher. “Not as a punishment, but as an opportunity to improve.”
Success also finds ways to keep teachers invested.
The network pays for catered lunches for staff during the weeks of test preparation and issued every teacher new Converse sneakers. (The shoes come in handy on test days, since Success teachers are required to wear soft-soled shoes to reduce noise.)
More galvanizing are the daily, network-wide emails that rank teachers by name based on the percentage of their students who passed that morning’s practice tests. Multiple teachers said they were motivated by the rankings — “You want to have your name on the top of that list,” said one — and noted that top-ranked teachers share tips and materials.
Those rankings may carry consequences: A bottom-ranked teacher was told she is being demoted from a lead to an assistant teacher, according to two teachers who learned of the move. They find the ranking system demoralizing.
“I constantly feel criticized and under pressure,” one said.
Kevin Heffel, Success Academy’s instructional chief, said in a statement that the network believes educators should be held accountable for “preparing our scholars to succeed,” and that it provides teachers “extensive professional development and support to help them meet this goal.”
Heffel added that Success considers test preparation a matter of equity.
“Minority children have historically been denied educational opportunities because they haven’t been adequately prepared for standardized testing,” he said. “We owe it to our kids to make sure they’re ready.”
Wake up to a comprehensive round-up of New York City education news by signing up for our Rise & Shine newsletter here.
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Rhino conservation in a time of crisis
For vulnerable wildlife and communities, a steep drop in tourism means an uncertain future
Corryn Wetzel and Curtis Segarra • September 28, 2020
International tourism has been halted by the coronavirus pandemic. [Credit: Treefarm | CC BY-NC 2.0]
Butting heads over rhino horns
Shira Polan • May 18, 2016
Flying rhinos, flocking birds, and Barbie brains
Scienceline Editors • November 11, 2011
Coronavirus: a name game
Corryn Wetzel • April 17, 2020
A natural-born birder
Curtis Segarra • June 24, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted economies across the globe. With international travel on hiatus, the toll on tourism has been immense. So where does that leave the communities — and animals — that depend on money from travelers?
In this episode of Distanced, we explore what the drastic drop in tourism in southern Africa means for economies, vulnerable wildlife, and communities dependent on international tourism. We speak with experts to answer the big question: Has poaching increased as local economies suffer? And we look to the future by exploring how the industry plans to cope and how conservation challenges may evolve as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Combining interviews with experts from several organizations centered on the conservation of vulnerable African animals, this episode paints a vivid picture of the challenges of conservation in a time of crisis. Experts include: Nina Fascione from the International Rhino Foundation; Jon Taylor from Save the Rhino, and Neil Midlane, a Manager at ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris.
This story was reported by Corryn Wetzel and edited and produced by Curtis Segarra.
Curtis Segarra: Who doesn’t love to travel? What’s better than exploring the world and seeing the sights? Maybe doing so while actually helping improve the world! That’s the lofty goal of ecotourism. It’s a more responsible way to travel,” according to the International Ecotourism Society. It’s centered on environmental conservation, education and sustaining local communities. So, when ecotourism is done well, it’s a way to travel that helps support communities and protect nature. Sign me up!
This is Distanced, Scienceline’s Special Project about how different communities are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. In this episode we’ll be taking a trip into the world of ecotourism and African rhino conservation. — So sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.
(Jet sounds)
(Record scratch)
Curtis Segarra:: Wait a minute –– as you know, coronavirus has made travel nearly impossible. Last year, over 120 million tourists travelled internationally in the month of May. That’s from the United Nations World Tourism Organization. This May, that number dropped to a little over two million –– international tourism was down 98% since last year.
So what happened to the communities, habitats, and animals that depend on ecotourism revenue? To find out, we spoke with several organizations that operate in Southern African countries like Botswana and South Africa. Usually, these countries draw hoards of ecotourists, eager to see the striking wildlife of southern africa, like rhinos, lions and giraffes. But this year, things are different.
Nina Fascione: So how does one even talk about this situation? It’s so hard on everybody, the world over it, like nothing we’ve ever seen.
Curtis Segarra:: That’s Nina Fascione from the International Rhino Foundation, or IRF for short. It’s a group that supports the lumbering animals through research, community support, and conservation funding. Now, they’re providing emergency funds to ecotourism companies in southern Africa that have seen their income source — that is tourism — dry up.
Nina Fascione: (3:48) It is impacting IRF and rhino conservation as much as anything. And our biggest concern as this started, was how the lack of tourist dollars were going to impact rhino protection and monitoring and conservation on the ground because tourist dollars really pay for a lot of these important, vital programs.
Curtis Segarra:: What are these vital programs? And what do they look like?
Curtis Segarra:: Many ecotourism companies based in Africa follow a similar model: tourists travel to Africa to see some of the rarest animals. Of course, we’re talking about elephants, giraffes, lions, and yeah — rhinos. In doing so, tourists provide economic support to companies and communities that work to protect these animals. Now it’s worth noting that not all ecotourism companies are created — or operated — quite the same. Some have drawn criticism for exploiting local communities. But the ones that are transparent about their funding, education, and leadership seem to do some good conservation work. They’ve done so despite many challenges, as Jon Taylor, Deputy Director at Save the Rhino points out.
Jon Taylor That’s an industry that has survived all kinds of, of, of political unrest in local areas and natural disasters and disease, uh, outbreaks more locally, but COVID-19 has just shut the entire industry down, uh, virtually overnight. And for many of our conservation partners, particularly in Africa, but not only Africa, it’s their primary source of income.
Curtis Segarra: Save the Rhino, is an international organization fighting rhino poaching and trafficking. Now they’re feeling COVID’s effects too.
Jon Taylor: So, uh, ourselves and other NGOs who support their efforts for conservation have, um, had to leap into action to try and fill some of those funding gaps, where conservation has just shut down.
Curtis Segarra: In 2018, tourism contributed 139 billion rand –– the equivalent of 8 billion US dollars –– to South Africa alone. But many of these counties also face the temptation of poaching. Rhino horn can fetch 3,000 dollars a pound or more. And Rhino horns can top 20-lbs, so a single horn can be a life-changing amount of money.
This poaching market is driven primarily by a demand in China and Vietnam, where some people believe horns have curing properties. Despite a lack of medical evidence, they’re used in traditional medicine to help with everything from cancer to hangovers. And people are willing to pay a lot of cash to get their hands on the rhino goods, which of course, can increase the temptation for poachers.
Conservation efforts for this charismatic animal have helped save some species from the brink. The greater one-horned rhino has bounced back from two hundred individuals, to a few thousand. For other species, like the northern white rhino, it’s a bleaker story: only two individuals, both female, remain. Currently, three out of the world’s five rhino species are critically endangered.
So for tourists, ecotourism is about seeing these endangered animals in the wild. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For the animals, it might be life or death.
As Neil Midlane, a Manager at Wilderness Safaris, a luxury tourism company offering tours in Africa, explains:
Neil Midlane: Travel can be about a lot more than just getting to see it, to see, see sites like the Eiffel tower or Canals of Venice, or if you choose to go to the right places and travel with the right people, just by traveling there, you can make a significant, positive difference to both, you know, conservation and communities.
Curtis Segarra: Midlane says Wilderness Safaris hasn’t been forced to make layoffs yet.. He says they should be able to make it through the year. But like everyone, they’re hoping the pandemic ends sooner rather than later.
Neil Midlane: We’ve got lots of different scenarios that we’re kind of playing with. We can open camps, you know, pretty much tomorrow but if people can’t travel internationally to get there, then um, it’s just not going to happen.
Curtis Segarra: Midlane says this translates to hard times for communities that rely on money from tourism.
Neil Midlane: I suspect that it’s going to get, going to get worse. Some people, I think even with the first reduced salary, were immediately thrown into a position where they couldn’t afford to buy food. And some people may have some small savings that carried him through, but maybe in two months time, that’s gone. So I think it will probably escalate at the time. And we know from research that we did that we have an average of about seven people dependent on one salary from tourism in the villages where we, where people, where our employees live. So the impact can be very significant in terms of numbers of people down the line.
Curtis Segarra: Jon Taylor, from Save the Rhino, says he also worries what the mounting pressure from limited resources could mean in the long-term.
Jon Taylor: Well, you’ve got communities whose income have just been, has just been significantly reduced, obviously they’re suffering. But, the product of that suffering can be an increase in attempted poaching activity….(closer to 9:40) People are desperate. So they go looking in the forest for resources, they go looking for bushmeat, whether that’s in Asia or Africa.
Curtis Segarra: So things are looking bleak in the near future for some communities dependent on ecotourism. For wildlife, that can complicate survival too.
Tourism is a major deterrent to poaching. After all, poachers don’t want to take down a rhino while tourists are around. But now that the watchful eyes of tourists are gone, has poaching increased in South Africa?
John Taylor: The country has been through a very serious lockdown for the last three months. So what we’re, what we’re seeing at the moment is definitely a decrease in poaching, which is gratifying in the short term, but we’re also picking up anecdotal evidence of poaching gangs building using this time to build up their resources, to recruit new people, um, to, to re regroup themselves
Curtis Segarra: As it turns out, poachers aren’t immune to COVID-19, so they’re staying inside too. But they’ll undoubtedly return eventually. The question is when?
Nina Fascione: I mean, poaching is a huge problem. You know, poaching has increased in 2019. So frankly the fact that there was almost a little bit of a relief from that this year was a good thing, but no one can let their guard down. so right. My biggest worry is, uh, is the crime syndicates moving again before the tourists do. (Laughs.)
Curtis Segarra: For now, it’s a waiting game — one with high-stakes and impatient players.
Nina Fascione: I don’t know that I’m any different than anyone else and just kind of holding out hope for a vaccine and treatments and getting past this so that we can get back to the business of protecting rhinos.
Curtis Segarra: Taylor says this could be a time to re-think how to support conservation.
Jon Taylor: With the wider environmental picture with climate change, clear and present with biodiversity loss on a massive scale, uh, clear and present danger, um, is a bigger question about in the long term, how do we value conservation and how do we, how do we monetize it? The challenges are huge, but there is also an enormous community of people around the world who care very much about conservation and are willing to try and do everything they can to help. Um, so I think in the short term, it will be the worldwide community of people who care, who probably have to step up and, and try to plug these, these funding gaps while as the ecotourism industry picks itself back up again.
AfricaconservationcoronavirusCOVID-19tourismtravelwildlife
Corryn Wetzel and Curtis Segarra
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About ScreenFish
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Dope: How High Would You Go For Your Dreams?
October 13, 2015 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment
Malcolm (Shameik Moore), Jib (Tony Revolori), and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) are three geeks trying to survive life in the dark world of “The Bottoms” in Inglewood, California. Malcolm is our likable star, longing to make it out of Inglewood to the Ivy-lined walls of Harvard. But when Malcolm accidentally ends up with Dom’s (A$AP Rocky) drugs and a gun, it sets in motion a series of events that will either get Malcolm into Harvard or wind up destroying everything that he’s worked so hard for up until that fateful night.
The script, written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa (Brown Sugar, The Wood), is insightful, funny, and a bit screwball. It’s the mashup of Boyz N The Hood and How High, as the dorky, clean-nosed kids learn to fight with the tools that everyone assumes they’d be comfortable with just because they’re from there. It’s a look at labels, expectations, dreams, and dangers, all wrapped up into an extended parable/music video produced by the likes of Pharrell Williams and Sean Coombs.
Along the way, Malcolm falls hard for Dom’s girl, Nakia (Zoe Kravitz), and woos her by doing her homework. [Somewhere, John Hughes and Cameron Crowe are smiling.] But the romance, or the sex at least, aren’t the main thing here: Malcolm really wants to go to Harvard.
While the story itself is a funny take on how someone might tackle the drug trade if they were super smart, with a photographic memory and the math skills to boot, it’s really a social rendering of what it means to grow up under someone else’s expectations for your life.
Malcolm is young and black; the world expects him to fight, give up, and slink lower into the system that is pushing him towards death or lockup. However, he’s tired of being pushed around and, while he didn’t ask for this bag of drugs and a gun, he will use it to his advantage.
While we want Malcolm to succeed, and he does get the better of several levels of filth within The Bottoms, he ultimately succeeds by selling out. He embraces the darkness that he wants to leave behind and in the process, he sells drugs to people to get himself into Harvard.
Yes, Malcolm succeeds, but he victimizes people along the way. [Sure, you can argue that they willingly use the drugs, but… ] This ultimately leaves our ‘good guy’ just as filthy as the people he wants to leave behind. While he aimed so high to achieve his dreams, he ultimately fell lower than ever before to get there.
The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, with a special feature available on how ‘Dope is Different’ and the music of the film.
Filed Under: DVD, Film, Reviews Tagged With: coming-of-age, drug dealing, Harvard, Inglewood
About Jacob Sahms
Jacob serves as a United Methodist pastor in Virginia, where he spends his downtime in a theater or playing sports
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Treat yourself 2020: The ultimate photographers' gift guide
A gift guide just for you It's been a doozy of a year but thankfully, it wasn't all sour grapes. While many aspects of society ground to a halt, manufacturers still had cool and exciting products in their pipelines that they managed to bring to market. And while opportunities to get and out shoot may be limited at the moment, we can still dream big. And what better way to do that than by 'browser window shopping'. What follows is a rundown of the headiest products of 2020, the ones photographers really want. So pour a tall cold one and get ready to treat yourself! Canon EOS R5 There's no two ways about it, the gold award-winning Canon EOS R5 is our favorite mirrorless camera over $3000 and perhaps Canon's most impactful full-framer since the 5D Mark II. And while the RF mount is still relatively new, there's no shortage of fast aperture primes and F2.8 zooms available, including 'the holy trinity' of the 15-35mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm. Well-suited to enthusiasts and professionals alike, the R5 offers outstanding image quality, excellent ergonomics, fast burst shooting and fabulous autofocus performance, not to mention lovely oversampled 4K. In short, if you really want to treat yourself to the best of the best, it's the camera to get. View our Canon EOS R5 sample gallery Fujifilm X100V Of course, not everyone wants or needs an interchangeable lens camera, for some of us, the simplicity and GAS-reducing nature of a fixed lens camera offers greater appeal. Lucky for folks in this camp, two new large-sensor, fixed lens cameras are featured on this year's list including the glorious Fujifilm X100V. Which begs the question: What do you get when you take a wonderfully designed camera and tweak it over the course of four generations based on user feedback, without straying from the original ethos? Why, the X100V of course. Building on its legacy, the 'V' bring all sorts of lovely refinements to the series including a newly designed lens with better corner/close-up sharpness, an updated sensor and AF system, better build-quality, a tilting touchscreen and more! View our Fujifilm X100V sample gallery Leica Q2 Monochrom Another fixed-lens, large-sensor camera launched this year is a 'Monochrom' version of the Leica Q2, a staff favorite here at DPR. The camera's B&W-only sensor offers improved dynamic range and noise performance over its color sensor counterpart. Plus, the super sharp 28mm F1.7 lens and moody monochrome output make it the perfect all-in-one option for street photographers, live music shooters and/or anyone who loves shooting after the sun goes down. And while some may find 28mm a tad too wide, the camera's 47MP full-frame sensor provides ample resolution for cropping. Plus the Q2 Monochrom handles just like the standard Q2, which is to say it's built like a tank and both straightforward and immensely gratifying to shoot with. And immense gratification is what 'treat yourself' is all about. View our Leica Q2 Monochrom sample gallery GoPro Hero9 Black GoPro's latest flagship, the Hero9 Black, is a seriously impressive piece of kit and easily the most compelling action camera to come out in quite some time. For filmmakers, it can shoot up to 5K/30p, offering room to crop in post, assuming you're outputting 4K, or 4K/60p. And GoPro's Hypersmooth video image stabilization is jaw-droppingly good. On the stills side, resolution has jumped from 12MP on previous models to 20MP on Hero9 Black. The camera isn't just capable though, it's also well-designed: control/menus are accessed via the rear touchscreen and the whole unit is water/freeze/dust-proof without the need for a case. It also provides improved battery life over predecessors, a front-facing 'live' screen and even the option to attach an accessory wide angle lens. In short, it's the perfect companion for anyone's extreme lifestyle, whether that means leisurely bike rides to the park or free-climbing rock faces. Treat yourself! iPhone 12 Pro & 12 Pro Max iPhones, like GoPros, tend to see iterative yearly updates, but occasionally a new model drops with enough advancements that it's impossible to ignore. The iPhone 12 Pro is that model and the ultimate 'treat yourself' device, not just from a photo/video shooting perspective but also when it comes to displaying and viewing your work. Apple devices have been able to shoot HDR photos and videos for some time, but this new model (like all iPhone 12 models) can now display 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR on a beautiful OLED screen, right from within the photo app: an industry first! The camera is also impressive. It consists of three 12MP modules, including standard wide-angle (with a 47% larger sensor than its predecessor), an ultra-wide and telephoto options. Additionally, the phone will make use of Apple's new Raw format, ProRaw, in beta now and coming soon. And, as if that's not enough, Apple claims the device has enough processing power to make it 50% faster than any
A gift guide just for you
It's been a doozy of a year but thankfully, it wasn't all sour grapes. While many aspects of society ground to a halt, manufacturers still had cool and exciting products in their pipelines that they managed to bring to market.
And while opportunities to get and out shoot may be limited at the moment, we can still dream big. And what better way to do that than by 'browser window shopping'. What follows is a rundown of the headiest products of 2020, the ones photographers really want. So pour a tall cold one and get ready to treat yourself!
There's no two ways about it, the gold award-winning Canon EOS R5 is our favorite mirrorless camera over $3000 and perhaps Canon's most impactful full-framer since the 5D Mark II. And while the RF mount is still relatively new, there's no shortage of fast aperture primes and F2.8 zooms available, including 'the holy trinity' of the 15-35mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm.
Well-suited to enthusiasts and professionals alike, the R5 offers outstanding image quality, excellent ergonomics, fast burst shooting and fabulous autofocus performance, not to mention lovely oversampled 4K. In short, if you really want to treat yourself to the best of the best, it's the camera to get.
View our Canon EOS R5 sample gallery
Of course, not everyone wants or needs an interchangeable lens camera, for some of us, the simplicity and GAS-reducing nature of a fixed lens camera offers greater appeal. Lucky for folks in this camp, two new large-sensor, fixed lens cameras are featured on this year's list including the glorious Fujifilm X100V.
Which begs the question: What do you get when you take a wonderfully designed camera and tweak it over the course of four generations based on user feedback, without straying from the original ethos? Why, the X100V of course. Building on its legacy, the 'V' bring all sorts of lovely refinements to the series including a newly designed lens with better corner/close-up sharpness, an updated sensor and AF system, better build-quality, a tilting touchscreen and more!
View our Fujifilm X100V sample gallery
Another fixed-lens, large-sensor camera launched this year is a 'Monochrom' version of the Leica Q2, a staff favorite here at DPR. The camera's B&W-only sensor offers improved dynamic range and noise performance over its color sensor counterpart. Plus, the super sharp 28mm F1.7 lens and moody monochrome output make it the perfect all-in-one option for street photographers, live music shooters and/or anyone who loves shooting after the sun goes down.
And while some may find 28mm a tad too wide, the camera's 47MP full-frame sensor provides ample resolution for cropping. Plus the Q2 Monochrom handles just like the standard Q2, which is to say it's built like a tank and both straightforward and immensely gratifying to shoot with. And immense gratification is what 'treat yourself' is all about.
View our Leica Q2 Monochrom
GoPro's latest flagship, the Hero9 Black, is a seriously impressive piece of kit and easily the most compelling action camera to come out in quite some time. For filmmakers, it can shoot up to 5K/30p, offering room to crop in post, assuming you're outputting 4K, or 4K/60p. And GoPro's Hypersmooth video image stabilization is jaw-droppingly good. On the stills side, resolution has jumped from 12MP on previous models to 20MP on Hero9 Black.
The camera isn't just capable though, it's also well-designed: control/menus are accessed via the rear touchscreen and the whole unit is water/freeze/dust-proof without the need for a case. It also provides improved battery life over predecessors, a front-facing 'live' screen and even the option to attach an accessory wide angle lens. In short, it's the perfect companion for anyone's extreme lifestyle, whether that means leisurely bike rides to the park or free-climbing rock faces. Treat yourself!
iPhone 12 Pro & 12 Pro Max
iPhones, like GoPros, tend to see iterative yearly updates, but occasionally a new model drops with enough advancements that it's impossible to ignore. The iPhone 12 Pro is that model and the ultimate 'treat yourself' device, not just from a photo/video shooting perspective but also when it comes to displaying and viewing your work.
Apple devices have been able to shoot HDR photos and videos for some time, but this new model (like all iPhone 12 models) can now display 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR on a beautiful OLED screen, right from within the photo app: an industry first!
The camera is also impressive. It consists of three 12MP modules, including standard wide-angle (with a 47% larger sensor than its predecessor), an ultra-wide and telephoto options. Additionally, the phone will make use of Apple's new Raw format, ProRaw, in beta now and coming soon. And, as if that's not enough, Apple claims the device has enough processing power to make it 50% faster than any phone currently on the market (not to mention, it's 5G-enabled). Now that's a treat!
View our iPhone 12 sample gallery
Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art
Everyone needs a good 85mm portrait lens and Sigma's latest 85mm offering for mirrorless full-frame E-mount and L-mount makes a strong case for inclusion in your kit.
One thing that truly sets it apart from others like it, including 2016's Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, is its compact and lightweight design. However, despite a comparatively smaller footprint, this lens remains optically outstanding, offering really good sharpness at all apertures (including in the corners), minimal chromatic aberrations and well-controlled ghosting and flare.
It's also 'dust and splash proof' and impressively well-built. And at $1200, the Sigma is priced more affordably than the competition, too. Which is to say, it checks all the boxes for what make an outstanding F1.4 portrait lens – a difficult feat and a major treat.
Watch our video review of the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art
Have you been holding out for the right moment to spread your wings and treat yourself to a drone? Well my friends, the moment is now. DJI's new Mavic Air 2 represents the most lust-worthy enthusiast drone to launch in some time.
The perfect balance of size and capability, Air 2 fits in the palm of your hand but can deliver great stills image quality from its 1/2" 48MP CMOS sensor, including both Raw and JPEGs formats. It can also shoot up to 4K/60p video and offers a variety of accident avoidance technologies as well features like subject tracking, HDR video and a panorama mode. Battery life is a useful 34 minutes and perhaps most importantly, the Mavic Air 2 is easy and enjoyable to fly.
Read our DJI Mavic Air 2 review
Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x
I've tried my best to keep this year's 'Treat Yourself' guide somewhat mount-agnostic, but certain new glass is just too darn difficult to ignore. Take, for instance, the new Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x for Micro Four Thirds bodies. It's not for everyone, but for a certain type of photographer, this is the the ultimate optical treat!
I'm talking of course about nature and wildlife photographers. Olympus' king of tele-s packs a whopping 300-800mm equiv. focal range into a surprisingly well-sized, well-weighted body. But that's not all! A 1.25x built-in teleconverter bumps that reach to an impressive 1000mm (at the cost of 2/3 EV of light). And, as is the case with most high-end Olympus gear, this lens is sealed against dust and moisture, and built to take some punishment – just be sure to protect that big, beautiful 95mm front element!
View our Olympus 150-40mm F4.5 TC1.25x sample gallery
The second iteration of DJI's pocket-friendly vlogging machine is a real winner. This little unit is easy-to-use, offers a nice wide 20mm field-of-view (wider than its predecessor) and shoots high quality, super-smooth 4K video. It also features an updated four-way directional in-camera microphone, capable of recording good quality audio without the need for an accessory mic. And did we mention it's pocketable?
Basically, the Pocket 2 is the perfect no-fuss, all-in-one vlogging machine and the right piece of kit for sharing your adventures with the world. And while now might not be a great time to leave your house and embark on any adventures, the Pocket 2 will be waiting for you when it's safe to travel again. So go on and treat yourself to this tiny wonder.
Watch our DJI Pocket 2 video review
There you have it, our favorite lust-worthy gear of the year. Here's hoping 2021 has even more treats in store. Until next time, Treat yourself!
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Reading at Recess
A blog about things we do when we're supposed to be doing other things, updated Mondays and Fridays
Best Movie of All Time
Worst Best Picture
Major Issues: Drifter #1
Written by Ivan Brandon
Art by Nic Klein
Published by Image Comics on 11/12/2014
In Major Issues, we look at one newly released comic book from the last week.
Gardner Mounce
On a recent podcast, the guys at Cracked discussed an idea called parallel thinking. It’s what happens when two completely unrelated creators simultaneously come up with a similar idea. It’s not that the two creators are spying on each other, it’s that both have their finger on the culture’s pulse and feel that it’s an appropriate time for a certain type of story.
All that to say, Image’s Drifter isn’t the only new release to open with a spacecraft crash landing on an alien planet. Boom!’s Deep State starts in an eerily similar way. It soon veers off in a different direction, but both stories share the theme of living on a planet that soon defies your original understanding of it.
In Drifter, Abram Pollux crash lands on Ouro, an alien planet where everyone conveniently speaks his language. We begin with narration overlaying images of Pollux’s spacecraft hurtling through the atmosphere. The narration is written somewhere between the tone of Cormac McCarthy and Matthew McConaughey. You can imagine either delivering the opening lines: “Maybe it was shrapnel. A piece of all the things we’d left out there in the night.” Presumably, McConaughey would have then said, “All right all right all right,” whereas McCarthy would have let the protagonist get shot by a blind prophetic coon trapper. However, neither of those things happen so we can only conclude that writer Ivan Brandon is trying to go for something new here.
Following the crash landing, Pollux almost drowns, is almost eaten by an alien, and is subsequently shot. When he wakes up in a medic bay, he’s understandably in a lot of pain. However, he soon gets up and limps across town to get a drink (he’s grizzled like that) in the town’s bar, gets into a bar fight, and finally tracks a man through dangerous mountain terrain. The point is that Pollux is a bad ass (?).
At the end of the issue (no spoilers) Pollux discovers something that that upends his understanding of who he is and how long he’s been on Ouro. It’s not a unique or even necessary cliffhanger–I would have kept reading for the art and style of writing–but it raises some interesting questions nonetheless.
The art in this comic is out-of-control good. The images are crisp and beautiful. The world and the characters are defined and realistic. The world is submersive. Why take my word for it when you can drool over this spread of Ghost Town?
Should You Get It?
Do you have a crash-land-on-an-alien-planet-narrative-shaped-hole in your heart? If the idea of parallel thinking is true, then the teams behind Drifter and Deep State suspect that you might. Between the two, I’d hands-down choose Drifter.
Gardner Mounce is a writer, speaker, listener, husband, wife, truck driver, detective, liar. When asked to describe himself in three words, Gardner Mounce says: humble, humble, God-sent. You can find him at gardnermounce.tumblr.com or email him at gmounce611@gmail.com
Posted in Comics, Literature and tagged art, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, drifter, drifter #1, Image, image comics, issue 1, Ivan Brandon, major issues, Nic Klein on November 19, 2014 by Alex Russell. Leave a comment
Major Issues: God Hates Astronauts #3
In Major Issues, we look at one newly released comic book from the last week. Updated Mondays.
God Hates Astronauts #3
Story, Art, and Colors by Ryan Browne
Published by Image Comics 11/5/2014
God Hates Astronauts is what you’d get if Adventure Time was written by the guy who made the videos at SickAnimation. It’s a ridiculous space opera about about a group of superheroes called the Power Persons Five who are hired by NASA to prevent redneck farmers from launching their rocket ships into space.
Browne manages to give this story cohesion by consistently introducing the weirdest elements imaginable. There’s King Tiger Eating a Cheeseburger, the despot of the Crab Nebula. He is, in fact, a tiger eating a chesseburger always. There’s the Southern ghost narrator in the cowboy hat who honestly just gets on my nerves. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But since Browne is doing the art and the words and everything, there’s really no one to tell him no.
The best visual element of this series has to be the sound effects, which Browne uses as another opportunity to tell a joke. When Dr. Professor suddenly wakes up in issue #3 from a bad dream, there’s a motion line leading from his pillow to his head and the sound effect “WAKE THE FUCK UP!” that follows. At other times, it seems Browne is subverting the sound effects trope at a more basic level. When characters point, there’s a sound effect for that (point!). When characters eat a burrito, there’s a sound effect for that, too (“burrito!”).
But, brevity being the soul of wit and all, these recurring jokes that were so funny in issue #1 and were starting to wear off in issue #2 are now plain boring in issue #3. Browne’s off-the-wall writing is now expected, and he raised the bar so high to begin with that there’s really nowhere else to go. It’s like a good SNL sketch turned into a lackluster movie. It’s an exercise in stretching a joke to its breaking point.
I would read the online comic first over at his website.
Posted in Literature and tagged art, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, God Hates Astronauts, God Hates Astronauts #3, Image, image comics, issue 3, major issues, Ryan Browne on November 10, 2014 by Alex Russell. Leave a comment
Major Issues: Rasputin #1
Rasputin #1
Story by Alex Grecian
Art by Riley Rossmo
Colors by Ivan Plascencia
Letters by Thomas Mauer
Published by Image Comics 10/29/14
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
There are few historical figures as primed for a magic realism retelling than Grigori Rasputin. The man survived something like (let me check my research) seven thousand assassination attempts. In Rasputin, Alex Grecian suggests that the mad monk’s knack for avoiding the grave wasn’t luck, but magical abilities.
Issue #1 begins at a dinner party. Rasputin is offered a glass of wine which he’s certain is poisoned. In narration, Rasputin muses on the origins of his name and mortality. The art in this scene is dark and full of cramped panels with off-kilter compositions. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that a ghost, which is presumably only detectable by Rasputin, is standing behind the mad monk’s chair the whole time. More on that in a second.
Off a shot of Rasputin toasting his hosts with the poisoned wine, we’re transported back to Rasputin’s childhood home in Siberia where he helps his mammoth father collect firewood. This scene, and the one following, is mostly devoid of dialogue or narration. There are panels that could be accused of being redundant and unnecessary, or meditative and brooding, depending on your take. Personally, I think it takes guts to allot two pages to silent wood collecting in a debut issue. It slows down the pace and allows the reader time to ruminate on Rasputin’s humble beginnings. Or maybe writer Alex Grecian just really likes stories about wood collecting.
Following this scene are two scenes that introduce Rasputin’s ability to not only heal wounds but to bring back the dead. In the latter of these scenes, Rasputin has the choice to revive a man-eating Siberian death bear or his abusive father. Sorry, dad, but this choice was too easy. The colors in these Siberia scenes are faded, low contrast blues and browns, presumably to reflect the hazy recollection of memories rather than a favorite Instagram filter.
Probably my favorite detail in the flashback portion of this issue is how the creative team chose to express the Rasputin clan’s illiteracy by using icons for items like “firewood” and “death” instead of written words. Ever since the “pizza dog” issue of Hawkeye, I’ve been dying for more “icon speak” in comics. Rasputin’s dying father uttering “[skull icon]” isn’t as cute as pizza dog, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Issue #1 wraps back at the dinner party where Rasputin calmly downs the glass of poisoned wine. By now it’s obvious that the ghost standing behind Rasputin is his dead father. Whether his ghost dad follows him around as a sort of revenge or as a demented guardian angel is not clear just yet. So far he’s just stood there with his hand on Rasputin’s shoulder, perhaps to show that Rasputin feels his overbearing influence even years after his death. Or maybe death has given his dad some much needed perspective about how much of a dick he was in life.
If you like slow-building historical magic realism fiction about occult religious figures with magic powers, then yes, probably you’d like this.
Posted in Literature and tagged alex grecian, art, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, Grigori Rasputin, Image, image comics, issue 1, ivan plascencia, major issues, rasputin, rasputin #1, riley rossmo, thomas mauer on November 4, 2014 by Alex Russell. Leave a comment
Major Issues: Memetic #
Memetic #1
Story by James Tynion IV
Art by Eryk Donovan
Published by Boom! Studios, 10/22/2014
Combining the cursed media trope of The Ring and the narrative structure of a zombie movie, James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan’s Memetic imagines a meme that, twelve hours after it’s seen, induces eye-bleeding zombieism. (It just happens to be the meme at the top of this post, so you’re fucked if you’re reading this.) At first blush, this conceit sounds like a cheap way to tie an exhausted horror subgenre to something “relevant to millennials” but Tynion and Donovan pull it off and then some.
First of all, Tynion IV isn’t making a land grab for a millennial readership he knows nothing about. The meme, “Good Time Sloth,” is a perfect parody of everything that makes a good viral meme. And as the world of Memetic falls under the meme’s spell, the social media response is spot on. People start writing “PRAISE HIM” beneath the meme, which is something no one has thought to write on a Grumpy Cat meme for some reason.
Tynion IV just as convincingly establishes his characters. Aaron, the protagonist, is a social media savvy college student whose vested interest in the social media storm that surrounds the meme is thwarted by his color blindness. For some reason, people only feel the meme’s euphoric effects if they can see it in full color. But luckily for Aaron, this keeps him safe for the meme’s delayed zombie effects. Martin, an insufferable philosophy major, brags about how he was probably the first to see the meme when it hit Reddit. Tynion rewards his “I was there first” douchery by giving Martin the honor of being the first to suffer zombification.
Donovan’s art shows a complex range of color and paneling, but the standout feature is the compositions. There’s not a sour composition in this issue. Scenes and panels flow with perfect pacing and positioning, easily reflecting the story’s emotional beats.
I think it was David Mamet who said that anyone can write a good first act. James Tynion IV has knocked the first act of Memetic out of the park. He introduced the zombies in a unique way, but the question is how will Aaron’s fight against them in acts two and three be any different from all of the zombie stories we’ve seen before? If the final two issues are anywhere as good as issue one, we’ve got nothing to worry about.
Absolutely. I haven’t been this excited about a zombie-anything in a long time. All the stars.
Posted in Literature and tagged art, Boom! Studios, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, Eryk Donovan, image comics, issue 1, James Tynion IV, major issues, Memetic, Memetic #1 on October 27, 2014 by Alex Russell. 1 Comment
Major Issues: Wytches #1
Wytches #1
Story by Scott Snyder
Art by Jock
Colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Edited by David Brothers
Published by Image Comics, 10/8/2014
Disclaimer: I missed my opportunity to write about Wytches the week it came out because I was on vacation. I’ve been waiting for this comic all year, though, so I’m going to break my own newly-released comic rule. You can berate me in the comments. I can take it. (Full disclosure: I can’t take it)
What Scott Snyder wants you to know right off the bat is that Wytches won’t have anything to do with the witches of popular lore. He cleverly shows this in the first two pages. On the first page is the definition for “witch,” and the second page shows that definition scratched out. His point: abandon all preconceived definitions here. That’s also probably why he spelled it “wytches,” though he could have just misspelled it. Jury’s still out on that.
Issue #1 focuses on a horror movie trope as old as time. The Rooks family, running from their dark past, moves into a new house in a new town, only for that past to outrun them. Our teenage female protagonist’s name is Sail (full name Sailor). It’s more likely an implication that she’s the “sail” of the metaphorical family ship that keeps it moving forward, but all I could think of was that cat video…
The dad reads like a Jack Torrance for the 21st century. He’s a great father to his daughter, a great husband to his wife, a writer–though of comics rather than novels–and very good under pressure. He’s certainly the lynchpin for this family. A character this noble must have flaws, though, and by the end of issue one, Mr. Rook’s cracks begin to show. He has a short fuse, which is a little too close to the Jack Torrance mold for him to be his own unique character, but whatever. However, since the mother is in a wheelchair, could we conclude that the father’s short fuse put her there? Jury’s out on that, too, though that would be a wonderfully dark twist.
The part of their dark past that we do find out about in this first issue is that Sail (SAIL!) witnessed a bully get shoved through a tree hollow.
Did I mention that this comic is creepy? Everyone believes that Sail killed the bully, thus why the family moved to a new town. Obviously, Sail is more than a little shaken up by all this.
One of the worst mistakes a horror writer can make is to play their story heavy handedly. The creepier the horror, the greater need for a humorous or light counterpoint. Snyder does this well via the fun-loving Mr. Rooks and a couple of well-planted details that give the story authenticity. For example, one of Sail’s new classmates warns her of their teacher’s knack of “dick brushing” students–what happens when someone passes behind you in a crowded room and “accidentally” brushes you with their dick. This is the perfect way to bring us out of the horror for a moment before Snyder thrusts us back in.
The art team’s efforts are sharp, layered, and studied. Jock lays the groundwork with effortlessly composed panels of razor sharp inks, while Hollingsworth uses a multimedia approach to his colors. In the girl-shoved-through-the-tree scene above Hollingsworth blends moody greens and bruised purples to emphasize the primal violence seen in Jock’s drawings. In the scene below, Hollingsworth matches nauseating yellows and greens to the visceral mood of the scene.
Speaking of deer sneaking into your house and vomiting viscera on the carpet, Snyder manages to lay the groundwork for a theme that I’m partial to in horror movies: nature is evil and will intrude the shit out of our puny civilization. It’s epitomized by the woods, deer, and, of course, the wytches. As we soon see, the wytches in this title are closer to the monster in The Blair Witch Project than the double, double, toil and trouble witches of popular lore. But unlike Blair Witch, which derived its power from withholding what the monster looked like, Wytches reveals the monster by the end of issue #1. Though the monster is terrifying, it does seem like the wizard reveals himself too soon. In spite of this, issue #1 leaves us with more questions than answers, and that will certainly keep us reading.
Though Snyder employs nearly all the horror movie tropes in this first issue, he delivers a truly creepy, character-driven story that promises a new twist on an antiquated monster. This is a must-pull.
Posted in Literature and tagged art, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, David Brothers, Image, image comics, issue 1, Jock, major issues, Matt Hollingsworth, Scott Snyder, Wytches, Wytches #1 on October 20, 2014 by Alex Russell. Leave a comment
Major Issues: Butterfly #1
In Major Issues, we look at one newly-released comic book each week. Updated Mondays.
Butterfly #1
Story by Arash Amel
Written by Marguerite Bennett
Art by Antonio Fuso
Published by Archaia 9/24/14
New artforms all fight the same uphill battle to be respected by the artistic community. Like movies and novels before them, comics have gradually transcended their “juvenile” origins to gain a modicum of respect. Critics, aggregator sites, and culture publications have even started using that thorny word, “literary,” when it comes to comics. But what is a “literary” comic? In a Google search for “literary comics” you’ll find the realists like Craig Thompson, Will Eisner, and Daniel Clowes, which is to be expected if the same folks compiling the literary canon are compiling the graphical one. But unlike novels, these lists of “literary comics” also allow for the more fantastic (Watchmen, Maus, Bone). In this regard, the comic literary canon has more in common with the cinema canon that generally includes aliens and killer sharks. I bring all this up because Archaia, the publisher of Butterfly, says its goal is to publish graphical literature. Whatever that means, I took it as a cue to judge Butterfly carefully.
Butterfly is the story of a secret agent (codename Butterfly) whose cover is blown after she’s blamed for a murder she didn’t commit. Writer Marguerite Bennett deliberately paces this first issue with tense scenes and violent action bookended by flashbacks. It’s a complex introductory issue, but with just three issues to go, it needed to hit the ground running.
The writing is lyrical yet terse, with a penchant for the poetical. Take one of the opening pages in which Butterfly recounts a memory of her father teaching her how to shoot. More than just a pretty page, we see Butterfly’s personality and worldview jump off the page. The careful, clean pacing reflects her highly analytical mind, and the language speaks to her intelligence and insightful nature.
The art, too, is astounding in its reflection of the narrator’s psyche. Harsh lines and black shadows enclose muted colors. This reflects how Butterfly bridles her world in strict self-imposed rules and conduct. When Butterfly is in control of the situation, pages are evenly laid out in six panels of equal sizes. Notice how this technique is used when Butterfly stalks a man to an elevator and kills him.
She is calm and in control. Elsewhere, when Butterfly is out of control, the panels vary in size and shape, to reflect the frenzy of the moment or the fractal nature of memory (couldn’t find an example of that online, so unfortunately you’ll have to go buy one, ya freeloaders).
The worse thing to be said about Butterfly is that at points its plot is too overtaken by its style, which results in confusing storytelling. To go any deeper would be to spoil a key part of the story, so I’ll just say that my hope is that the questions I have now will be answered in subsequent issues.
The creative team behind Butterfly achieves a rare unity of purpose that most comic teams can only dream of. Art and words work in tandem to construct a world grounded in its character. It tells a story, but it also creates a graphical language which transcends it. I don’t know if that makes it literary or not, but it does make it a must-read.
Posted in Literature and tagged Antonio Fuso, Arash Amel, Archaia, art, Butterfly, Butterfly #1, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, major issues, Marguerite Bennett on September 29, 2014 by Alex Russell. Leave a comment
Major Issues: Escape from Jesus Island #2
Escape from Jesus Island #2
Written by Shawn French
Art by Mortimer Glum
Letters by Peter Parker
Released 9/17/14
Full disclosure: I had trouble picking a comic to review this week. All of the comics I bought at my local comic shop I had reviewed before or didn’t come out this past week. So, heart pounding, I scoured Comixology’s new releases for something that struck my interest. Finding nothing, I went at it from a different angle. I tried to find the most ridiculous thing possible. I think you see where this is going. Ladies and gentlemen, Escape from Jesus Island.
Escape from Jesus Island is about a corporation called ReGen that attempts to clone Jesus on a remote island by using the nails once used to crucify him on the cross. Many mistakes are made, and ReGen is left with a horde of mutants (“Christards”) whom they use in divinity-testing experiments. The Pope catches wind of Regen’s efforts to clone the King of Kings and sends a team to infiltrate the island to rescue him.
Obviously, the creative team behind EFJI has two goals with this project: maximum camp and maximum horror. It’s all kitsch and viscera, exploiting every horror movie trope, pushing every limit until it’s all a hilarious mess. It had me scanning the credits for some mention of Sam Raimi.
It’s irreverent and silly, but some of the humor rises above the camp with a nimble Vonnegutian edge. Issue two opens with, “In the beginning, God created earth, where animals lived in harmony with the natural world for millions of years. Then God created man, and that was the end of that.”
The art has a photorealistic quality that lends itself to twisted violence. A more representational style would have made this feel less Evil Dead and more Stick Wars. But the horror is over-the-top and pretty damn scary. Just check out the following image:
You’ll love this if you’re the sort of person who enjoys over-the-top comics like Preacher or movies like Evil Dead and I Spit On Your Grave.
Posted in Comics, Literature and tagged #2, art, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, escape from jesus island, major issues, mortimer glum, peter parker, shawn french on September 22, 2014 by Alex Russell. Leave a comment
Major Issues: Hawkeye #20 and Why It’s the Best Superhero Comic Around
Written by Matt Fraction
Cover artist: David Aja
Art: Annie Wu
Published by Marvel, 8/18/14
My problem with most superhero stories is that superheroes are defined by their privilege rather than their problems. The first question we ask about a superhero is “What powers (privilege) does the hero have?” instead of “What problems do they face?” Superman has super speed and super strength. Spiderman can shoot webs. Wolverine has claws and can heal himself. In all of these cases, the power is more important than the problem the hero faces.
This is bad writing because we can’t emotionally relate to privilege. We can’t relate to a person who has super speed or strength or laser vision. We can relate to Rick in Casablanca because of his problem: he’s torn between the love of a woman and helping a Nazi resistance movement. Now, if we just threw in there that Rick also has the ability to fly, then we’d expect for his ability to fly to play a big role in the movie. If he can fly, then the chance for Rick to solve his problems in a relatable, human way is over. Now the movie is about how he’ll solve his problems in a superhuman way that we can’t emotionally relate with.
Hawkeye doesn’t completely avoid this problem. After all, we know Hawkeye for his power. He is the person who’s great with a bow and arrow. But writer Matt Fraction sets this iteration of Hawkeye on a human (rather than superhuman) scale. For example, the whole series kicks off not with a display of might, but with an injury that puts Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) in the hospital. No matter how good Hawkeye is with a bow, he is but human.
Why is this better than a superhero comic? Because we can relate to it. Clint Barton is an Avenger, but a human one with really shitty “powers” compared to Thor and Iron Man and the others. His pride in his abilities causes him to fly too close to the sun, time and time again. It’s not his powers that keep us rooting for him, but his lack of powers. Unlike Superman, who can only be harmed by some ultra rare element, Hawkeye can be defeated by anything. Fraction doesn’t have to keep inventing bigger and badder super villains to compete with Hawkeye’s abilities. Because he’s human, Hawkeye can be defeated by gravity, or even his rent.
Not only does Hawkeye have relatively shitty “powers” but there’s not even just one Hawkeye. There are two: Clint Barton and Kate Bishop. They’re just human, after all, so why not share the responsibility of being a hero? This male-female counterpart dynamic could potentially blow the door right open for some sexist, rigid, gender role bullshit, but Matt Fraction makes both characters not only equally as talented, but allows both to have their own quirks, neuroses, senses of humor, and charms. Personally, I like Kate Bishop more. She’s a hell of a lot funnier.
What Fraction can be praised for more than anything else is that he’s made this comic about the characters rather than hokey cliffhangers or a single central conflict. There are overarching conflicts, but many issues are standalone stories, and oftentimes about completely innocuous things like what Clint Barton’s dog does when Barton’s out of the apartment (Fraction’s just skilled enough to make those issues the most endearing [seriously, pick up the dog issue, it’s amazing]).
If you start reading Hawkeye, you’ll be hooked. Not because it offers a glimpse of superheroes punching each other, but because Matt Fraction has written a couple of great characters dealing with relatable problems both big and small.
Posted in Comics, Literature and tagged annie wu, art, Clint Barton, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, david aja, hawkeye, hawkeye #20, Kate Bishop, major issues, marvel, marvel comics, matt fraction, superhero, superheroes on September 15, 2014 by Alex Russell. Leave a comment
Major Issues: The Kingdom – Rise of the Ape King
The Kingdom – Rise of the Ape King
Story and Art by Jason Bienvenu
Published by Kingdom Publishing
In the afterword to The Kingdom, writer-artist Jason Bienvenu states that his goal with this project was to create a story reminiscent of the 80s cartoons he grew up with. And though you won’t find fighting robots or cats with boobs in The Kingdom, you will find a lovably familiar good vs evil story with a knack for cheesy one-liners. So in that regard, Bienvenu succeeded.
The story is archetypal and familiar: Pale, the outcast hero, rises to power in the wilderness only to come back to save the kingdom–like Luke Skywalker, Simba, and David did before him. He wears the hero of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth thousandth face. In any case, the series’ raison d’etre isn’t its story, but its art.
Character design, in particular, may be Bienvenu’s special gift. Bienvenu communicates his characters’ essences through their designs. Trepidacious, naive Pale wears showy red armor that nonetheless doesn’t fully protect him; his white mohawk and hard features reveal a youthful determination. Pale’s father, the lovable oaf, hardly wears any armor to show that he’s cocky and unconcerned. The Boar-O, a giant [mega]bear, wears nothing but an eyepatch and a metal arm–exposed, vulnerable, but fully confident. Even without backstory or dialogue, these characters are three-dimensional.
With such attention to detail, it’s frustrating that Bienvenu feels the need to over-explain the comic through dialogue and narration. The first issue is the most guilty of this, and acknowledges a lack of confidence in Bienvenu to tell a visual story. However, as the story progresses, the narration takes more of a back seat. By issue two, Bienvenu makes bolder moves in page layout, sequencing, and framing. By issue three, his confidence is perceptible. And issues three and four show Bienvenu at his most confident. The narration is minimal, the dialogue enhances rather than hinders, and the art flies off the page. Take the following splash page, for example. Among other things, Bienvenu breaks the background environment into broken panels, like cracked glass, to reflect the sudden violence of the scene.
Speaking of environments–as a native Louisianian, Bienvenu understands how to communicate the heat and humidity of the jungle with muted greens, muddy browns, and a sun that emits waves of feverish heat. Conversely, his night scenes communicate quiet awe for a pre-electricity view of the stars. The cities of The Kingdom are designed with similar attention to detail. Each has its own style of architecture and mood. My only wish is that he would have made some of these environments splash pages for us to drool over.
Though The Kingdom oftentimes runs through the motions of the hero myth, it never takes itself too seriously. Bienvenu set out to have fun, and he did. The story is full of wise-cracking corny stepdad jokes, but that’s sort of what makes it so fun. In any event, it puts on full display a new artistic voice who will no doubt helm exciting future projects.
Where to get it:
Posted in Comics, Literature and tagged art, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, Jason Bienvenu, kingdom publishing, major issues, rise of the ape king, the kingdom on September 9, 2014 by Alex Russell. 1 Comment
Major Issues: Wayward #1
Wayward #1
Written by Jim Zub
Art by Steve Cummings
Colors by John Rauch and Jim Zub
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Published by Image Comics 8/27/14
My high school English teacher taught me that it’s bad form to begin an essay with a quote, and that’s why I’m saving it for sentence two. Someone once said that anyone can write a first act. It’s fun and easy to come up with a group of characters and establish a conflict; it’s in act two where things get tricky. Even so, a first act can be told poorly. Wayward’s problem is that it sets up its pieces so quickly that it doesn’t seem to enjoy its own premise.
Issue one falls into the trap of trying too quickly to get to the action. It assumes readers don’t have patience for the setup and are rolling their eyes until someone draws a sword. Protagonist Rori Lane, an Irish-Japanese high school student, lands in Japan to start a new life with her mom. For some reason, her mom doesn’t pick her up from the airport, which conveniently allows Rori to discover her new superpower–the ability to see her literal future path displayed for her in a red line (exactly like Donnie Darko’s ability to see his future path in a blue line). She catches up with her mom over dinner and explores Japan a little. Three men in an alleyway accost her. She’s saved by a ninja girl. They fight them off. The guys end up being turtle monsters, she discovers she can jump buildings for some reason, etc, etc.
This would be too much for one issue anyways, but writer Jim Zub dumps additional exposition on us in gobs of narration. Comics are a combination of words and pictures, but I’d argue that they’re a visual medium first. I hold them to Alfred Hitchcock’s standard that, like film, if they are played “silently” (without narration) the story should still work. It’s the cliche: show don’t tell. Narration should never do the work that the visual element could do. Most of the narration in Wayward could have been relayed to the reader visually, but oftentimes the narration just parrots what the comic is already showing. For instance, in one scene Rori struggles to take an afternoon nap, but is unable to do so due to jet lag. There are three frames. In frame one, Rori is lying down, staring at the ceiling. The narrator says, “I wonder if my brain will stop whirling long enough to take a nap.” The second frame is the same shot, to show that time has passed. The third frame shows Rori sitting up, indicating that, no, her brain won’t stop whirling long enough for her to take a nap. The reader understands this and needs no further indication, but Zub provides two additional layers of narration. First, Rori says, “Nope!” Second, the narrator says, “I guess it’s time to go exploring!”, which is an unnecessary line since the next panel shows Rori exploring. Zub commits this crime of over explaining constantly in issue one. The overall effect is that it reads like a rough draft, like Zub is still in the process of learning what his characters want and hasn’t yet found a way to tell the story in an interesting visual way.
Artist Steve Cummings and colorist John Rauch created this comic for a niche audience: the anime-ers. Skin is translucent. Hair is green or blue. Everyone’s dressed like they’re in attendance at Anime Expo. I’m not an anime or manga fan, so the art doesn’t feel like an homage to a Japanese style so much as it feels derivative of it. However, Cummings’s perspectives are noteworthy. Wide shots distort like wide angle lenses, giving the effect that the comic is filmed. It gives issue one a slick cinematic feel that definitely catches the eye. Now, if only Zub would trust him enough to take that camera eye and show us Japan and Rori Lane’s knotty relationship to her parents rather than tell us about it.
No. Unless manga is an obsession for you, and you’ve read all the manga, and you need anything that looks like manga or anime right now.
Posted in Comics, Literature and tagged anime, art, comic book review, comic books, comic review, comics, image comics, japan, Jim Zub, John Rauch, major issues, manga, Marshall Dillon, Steve Cummings, wayward, wayward #1 on September 2, 2014 by Alex Russell. Leave a comment
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A Patient’s “PAL”
By Julie Janovsky-Mason
Mayo Clinic patient Sharon Klemm enjoys some cuddle time with Murphy
Let’s face it, it’s never fun going to the doctor.
But for some patients coming in to receive radiation at Mayo Clinic’s Phoenix campus, sitting in the waiting room just got a little more relaxing, thanks to a furry, four-legged Mayo Clinic ambassador named Murphy.
“I think Murphy helps people forget they have cancer. He is such a sweet, loving and gentle dog and people feel that immediately from him,” says Phil Whitton, manager of Radiation Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
Murphy is part of a pilot program called Pets are Loving Support (PALS) that’s being tested at Mayo’s Phoenix campus. Since February, this white Bichon-Poodle and his handler, Mayo employee Kellye Wagner, have been delighting patients as they make their rounds in the waiting area of the Mayo Clinic Specialty Building (MCSB).
“I will let him take the lead and he will make his rounds and greet,” said Wagner, of Murphy who appears to enjoy snuggling up to patients and entertaining them with an array of tricks including hi-fives.
Wagner, a quality improvement specialist, said she always knew there was something special about her loveable, mellow dog. “He has been calm in all environments since he was a pup. I knew I wanted to do something with him,” said Wagner, who took the advice of Murphy’s obedience trainer that he’d be a great therapy dog.
After the cute canine completed a year of obedience training, Wagner, along with Murphy’s trainer, began six months of animal assisted activities and therapy training with two-year-old Murphy. Murphy and Kellye became certified last fall for animal assisted activities and therapy through the Delta Society, a non-profit organization that trains, screens and certifies volunteers and their pets so they can visit patients in a number of facilities including hospitals, hospice, therapy centers and nursing homes.
"I think pet therapy is so important for our patients. Murphy seems to take away some of their stress by giving patients a nice distraction while they wait for their appointment. He really brings a smile to people's faces," said Whitton, who helped Wagner get the PALs program started at Mayo earlier this year. Wagner said her managers were also receptive to the idea of her volunteering some time (on her lunch hour) taking Murphy to see patients a few times a week.
Murphy seems to have an innate sense of which patients seem to need his attention most, said Wagner, recalling a time when a patient got teary-eyed when Murphy laid beside him on the loveseat he was sitting on and nudged his head under the patient’s hand.
“The patient said he was having such a hard day and was so touched by Murphy that it made his day,” said Wagner.
She also remembers another patient encounter where a man, who suffered a stroke and was now battling cancer, broke into a smile when he saw Murphy. The patient pet Murphy and spent some time with him before his appointment. “It really touched his (the patient’s) wife that he was so happy,” said Wagner.
Wagner said she’s seen patients and their family members react to Murphy in different ways. “Some want to play with him, pet him, snuggle or hold him. Some even want to take their picture with him,” said Wagner, adding her dog often evokes positive memories for patients who like to talk about their own pets or pets they had growing up.
And it’s not just patients who enjoy seeing Murphy.
"In radiation oncology, Murphy is known as their mascot,” said Wagner. “They will ask when he is coming in next so they can have some ‘Murphy time’ as well.”
“It’s as if he knows he has a job to do today,” said Whitton, “And that job is to brighten someone’s day.”
This story was written by Julie Janovsky-Mason, a communications consultant at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
Tags: Amenities, Cancer, Pet therapy
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Shipley Art Gallery
Managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums on behalf of Gateshead Council
About the Shipley
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Created by Antony Gormley at a twentieth of the size of the Angel of the North
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Artists and designers often use maquettes to test ideas before producing the final form and these are rarely seen by the public.
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It was used by Gormley to cast the bronze replica of the Angel that is on display at Gateshead Civic Centre.
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When is John Wick 3 out on DVD?
There isn’t too long to wait. John Wick 3 will be on DVD and Blu-ray on Sept. 10, 2019.
hiddenremote.com/2019/08/01/john-wick-3-parabellum-dvd-blu-ray/
Does John Wick 3 have a post-credits scene?
John Wick 3 does not feature a post-credits sequence If you have seen the movie after its theatrical release in the U.S., you would have noticed - if you stayed long enough - that like John Wick 1 and 2, John Wick 3 doesn't feature a post-credits sequence or extra footage that tease John Wick 4.
John Wick 3 after credits scene: All you need to know
www.monstersandcritics.com/movies/john-wick-3-after-credits-scene-all-you-need-to-know/
When does John Wick 3 come out on video?
The film’s coming to home video, and here’s everything you need to know about the release. John Wick 3 will be available to purchase digitally on Friday, August 23. The film will be available on all major digital video storefronts, so pick your platform and pre-order John Wick 3 in Apple, Amazon, Vudu , and Google Play.
decider.com/2019/07/30/john-wick-3-on-vod-blu-ray-netflix/
Is John Wick 3 at Redbox?
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum Netflix rental release date is September 10, 2019 and Redbox release date is September 10, 2019.
www.newdvdreleasedates.com/m4628/john-wick-chapter-3-parabellum-dvd-release-date
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1 day ago · Entertainment One (eOne) has tapped “John Wick” writer Derek Kolstad to develop a “Dungeons & Dragons” TV-series pitch. Dungeons & Dragons, which has been adapted for the big-screen before ...
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1 day ago · Followed by a simultaneous release in select theaters, drive-in venues and on Hulu on February 19. Onward: Released in North America as planned on March 6, 2020. However, it was released digitally earlier than usual on March 20, 2020 and on Disney+ on April 3, 2020 due to theater closures. Our Friend
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1 day ago · While everyone was busy arguing what the next “Game of Thrones” might be, the answer seems to have been under our noses all along — “Dungeons & Dragons.” We already knew that a feature film based on the insanely popular fantasy tabletop role-playing game was in the works, but now “John Wick” creator and writer Derek Kolstad has been tapped to write a potential series based on the ...
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What is the movie Peterloo Massacre?
Movie Info. Internationally acclaimed and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Leigh portrays one of the bloodiest episodes in British history, the infamous Peterloo Massacre of 1819, where government-backed cavalry charged into a peaceful crowd of 80,000 that gathered in Manchester, England to demand democratic reform.
Peterloo (2019) - Rotten Tomatoes
www.rottentomatoes.com/m/peterloo
Who directed Peterloo Massacre?
Directed by Mike Leigh. With Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Neil Bell, Philip Jackson. The story of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre where British forces attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester.
Peterloo (2018) - IMDb
What is Peterloo like?
Peterloo is like something between Ken Loach’s Land and Freedom and Ava DuVernay’s Selma. A director such as Paul Greengrass might have made the massacre of Peterloo more violent, more kinetic, more disorienting. Leigh and his cinematographer Dick Pope keep a clearer, calmer view but it is no less impressive or immersive.
Peterloo review – grit and brilliance in Mike Leigh’s very ...
www.theguardian.com/film/2018/sep/01/peterloo-review-grit-and-brilliance-in-mike-leighs-very-british-massacre
When does the movie Peterloo come out?
It was released in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2018, by Entertainment One and in the United States on 5 April 2019, by Amazon Studios . The film Peterloo marks the 200th anniversary of the notorious Peterloo Massacre.
Peterloo (film) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterloo_(film)
‘Peterloo’ review: A cast of lived-in faces lend a ...
www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/...
Apr 17, 2019 · Movies ‘Peterloo’ review: A cast of lived-in faces lend a documentary realness to Mike Leigh’s fascinating epic . April 17, 2019 at 6:00 am Updated April 18, 2019 at 8:33 am . By .
Author: Moira Macdonald
Peterloo is ultimately an enraging movie that is far too boring for far too long to feel much more than a sense of relief when it's over. Nate's Grade: C+ Nate Z Super Reviewer
Category: drama, history
Content Rating: PG-13
Apr 05, 2019 · Directed by Mike Leigh. With Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Neil Bell, Philip Jackson. The story of the ...
Henry Hunt
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6.4/10 (3.9K)
Director: Mike Leigh
Peterloo movie review & film summary (2019) | Roger Ebert
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/peterloo-2019
The massacre, which came to be called Peterloo, can be seen as a foundational milestone of class struggle not just in England but all of Europe. According to reports, the great British filmmaker Mike Leigh has long sought to make a film about the events leading up to the massacre, and the massacre itself. I wish the long-gestating dream had ...
Peterloo (2018) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb
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Peterloo (2018) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
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Sep 01, 2018 · With this richly intelligent, passionate movie, Mike Leigh has fought a brilliant rearguard action on history’s political battlefield. • Peterloo opens in the UK on 2 November and in the US on ...
Peterloo - Movie Reviews
www.rottentomatoes.com/m/peterloo/reviews
Mike Leigh's Peterloo is a rare story about the fight for a fairer democracy: one of carnage rather than triumph, one that ends with tragedy and unfinished labour rather than success and social ...
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there's something about mary watch online
Is There Something About Mary free?
You are watching a movie : Theres Something about Mary Free on 123movies.mom, Produced by the director: Bobby Farrelly Peter Farrelly, With the cast: Ben Stiller, film synopsis : Having never fully recovered from a prom date that became a total disaster, Ted hires Pat, a private eye, to find his long lost love. Pat finds Mary and
Watch Theres Something about Mary (1998) For Free on 123movies
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What is something about Mary?
There is something about Mary ! Something About Mary was a Farrelly Brothers romantic comedy featuring Mary (Cameron Diaz) and Ted (Ben Stiller). He fell in love with her in high school and then tried to find her when he became an adult.
Watch There's Something About Mary | Prime Video
www.amazon.com/Theres-Something-About-Mary-Cameron/dp/B000I9VZ1G
Is There Something About Mary on Hulu?
Plus, There's Something About Mary is now available to stream on STARZ! What’s New On Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, And HBO This Weekend: 'Okja', 'Loving', '20th Century Women', And More •. Some of the best movies of the last year are finally available to stream.
There's Something About Mary | Where to Stream and Watch ...
decider.com/movie/theres-something-about-mary/
Is Ted still in love with Mary?
Ted was a geek in high school, who was going to go to the prom with one of the most popular girls in school, Mary. The prom date never happened, because Ted had a very unusual accident. Thirteen years later he realizes he is still in love with Mary, so he hires a private investigator to track her down.
There's Something About Mary (1998) - IMDb
www.amazon.com/Theres-Something-About-Mary...
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY tells the story of Ted, who at the age of 16 planned to go to the prom with Mary, a hearstoppingly beautiful tennage girl, but blows it in the most hilarious way! Thirteen years later he tracks her down only to be a competetor in a competition over Mary. The acting was absolutely superb and believable, the plot ...
Genres: Comedy, Romance
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Christine Caine - There's Something About Mary » Watch 2021 ...
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But there is something about Mary because out of all of the people in all of humanity that God ever chose to birth his son through to this planet, the Messiah, the promised One, God chose this young unwed virgin teenage girl in the back of nowhere. God picked a very ordinary girl through whom he was going to do an extraordinary act.
There's Something About Mary | Buy, Rent or Watch on FandangoNOW
www.fandangonow.com/details/movie/there-s...
Buy, Rent or Watch There's Something About Mary and other Movies + TV Shows online. Download or stream from your Apple TV, Roku, Smart TV, computer or portable device. An unusual accident prevents Ted, a high school geek, from taking the popular, beautiful Mary to their high school prom. Years later, Ted can't be kept away.
Director: Ed Decter
Actors: Lin Shaye
Jul 15, 1998 · Directed by Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly. With Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans. A man gets a chance to meet up with his dream girl from high school, even though his date with her back then was a complete disaster.
7.1/10 (290.2K)
Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Content Rating: R
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Jeffrey Cox
A big deal about absolutely NOTHING! And I'm not talking about the people who died (which I'm sure some of the trolls will comment on) ... the "nothing" is the hype of the talking points, as if there was some malfeasance regarding why the American people were not told all the facts early on.
Hayley Barbour is a twit.
I suspected something like that might have happened and it actually makes some sense.
Early during the Benghazi incident, no organization came out taking credit for the attack. Yes, our intelligence community knew that it was a terrorist attack. Even if it were an angry mob, it would qualify as a terrorist attack. But what we also knew at the time was that Al-Qaeda did it. However, without any organization coming forward and claiming responsibility, divulging what we knew might potentially compromise intelligence resources STILL on the ground and in potential danger. There was also the sticky situation of the Libyan's sovereignty and relatively poor diplomatic channels of communication.
I always suspected that someone had "de-classified" the unclassified version of events more zealously than necessary in order to allow the unclassified sources of information catch up. It looks like, when that did not happen, we were stuck with an oversanitized version of events.
In the aftermath of this latest fabricated outrage as part of John McCain's "constant sorrow" tour of doing anything possible to undermine the Presidency, I was even shocked to hear one of his surrogates on CNN divulge that there was a CIA safehouse nearby. I was thinking "it'd better be real safe now". It is sad to see some of these Senators, for whom I had a lot of respect, stoop so low.
Thanks for making sense.
Anny Rabit
This whole 'controversy' is invented. It was a tragedy. Let the ambassador rest. McCain does not care about him. We killed thousands in Iraq based on the Bush admins lying 'WMD' nonsense, including our own kids – and McCain never said a single word. Where was his outrage then? Hypocrite! The only reason the tea party lunatics are screaming now is because, as usual, they want find a way to 'destroy Obama,' as if he was not our duly elected president. It is disgusting.
McCain and the republicans are just dying to 'watergate' Obama and half of us jump to their tune like robots.
Meanwhile, we need jobs, we need our country to be working and thriving again TOGETHER – but the tea party fools just want to keep creating havoc, dividing people, obstructing, having tantrums, yelling no to everything, and making a mess and a disaster out of everything they touch – with their billionaire friends helping them along.
I am sick to death of them. They should get to work or get the h- out.
compound21
funny how we need jobs now. glad we wasted 4 years on healthcare reform.
yet none of that explains why the president refused to call it a terrorist attack. and why do we STILL not know who changed the talking points? I'm guessing it wasn't the department of energy, but could anyone be a little more specific, or are we just supposed to believe the WH had no influence on the draft coming out of the intelligence community? As if the WH had no idea what was going on and out of the blue they received a memo from "tips@usintelligencecommunity.com"
Excellent post. McCain is loosing his credibility when he continues to go after the president based on Fox News' allegations.
Nopnuts
Ansar al Sharia had claimed credit for the attack on Sep 11th on Facebook and Twitter, yet weeks later the administration was still blaming the video. Why? Why not say, "this group has claimed credit for the attack on facebook and twitter. We're still investigating."
Thanks for another Obama apologizer, but didn't Obama already say, he lied and that only he should get the blame? I saw him on TV saying it.
Ok, tell me again why the "video" was sited as the cause? Why this was labeled a spontaeous (mob) action...when it was not? Why there was little if any support that resulted in four Americans giving their lives to this Country?
Now, please don't come back with deflecting questions. I could give a rat's you know what if it was this admins screw up or an agency down the line.
Can we afford wasting precious energy, time, and TAX DOLLARS on this B.S. instead of paying attention to how to resolve the IMPENDING FISCAL CLIFF?
I know I can't afford any more of my tax dollars on this political bull crap.
Obama likes your thinking. Way to cover his rear.
Next you are going to say the fiscal cliff was just a talking point to distract from Benghazi.
The fiscal cliff is a HECK of a lot more important than Benghazi, and the WMD lie that killed hundreds of thousands and wasted trillions of dollars of taxpayer money was way more important than Benghazi.
Do you grasp that?
Ken, why don't you ask the intelligence community.
bbrooker
While I agree this was clearly a planned terrorist attack, there were also DOZENS of protests going on in Egypt and other countries on the same day and day after that WERE in protest of the video. Makes perfect sense to me that the attack in Libya could initially have been seen as a protest that got out of control. And since rational people don't jump to conclusions, it was the right thing to do to not immediately discount that.
It all becomes a matter of semantics. Can you imagine the field day the Romey campaign and the GOP would have had with headlines of 'Al-Qaeda attack on 9/11 anniversary'? Barack never could have been re-elected and we need him too much. He has to fix the economy destroyed by the repeal of the 1930's-era banking laws that kept the financial system stable..
Substantial changes? Extremists instead of Al Qaeda and at that when things were still unclear, or they were getting different information from different sources?. Absurd. King et. al. are poster boys for goper absurdity. And all of this is after the fact; the attack had happened and there was nothing to be done. This is playing out as McCarthyism 2012 – a witch hunt, when in fact it is no more than an argument about semantics. They all need to shut up and they need to fix the damn budget.
The more they holler the more egg on their face.
As King what he thinks about Iraq.
I know I didn't even want to get into the Iraq WMD lies that actually led to a war. People just can't seem to understand the hypocrisy.
zometimer
Extremists christian taliban right here in the US, fail
ib1sage
How about that McCain? You are wrong again and like your Palin selection, you ability to filter, decide and judgement is suspect. Also, Mr. South Carolina jerk, eat crow!
Is McCain trying to solidify his reputation as an increasingly bitter and senile failed politician who wastes taxpayer money on crap?
so who made the next change to announce it was the internet video? Or are you going to deny that Rice Obama and Clinton all said that?
Oh give it up already. How lame to keep repeating garbage that's been disproven.
Gee the Libs on here have become rabid dogs.Nothing has been proven as to who decided to say "movie" Perhaps you didn't see these 3 people SAY just that on TV.This has nothing to do with who won or lost the election.It is about being honest,transparent and forthcoming to the American public.Something that was promised 4 years ago and has yet to come to fruition. If you could sit in a room with the ability to try to help someone that you see being attacked ,would you? Do not tax yourself JC by rebutting me,I am signing off.
Yep, they all said what the intelligence agency told them to say to protect resources in the area. Now if they said something different, you and the rest of the Neo-con Repubobots would be looking to Crucify them for not adhering to the intelligence. Barf on you and your kind!
So when can we expect the repubs to apologize for all the crap they've been spewing, only for it all to be proven lies OVER AND OVER AGAIN!?
BeingRealistic
Not until campaign season starts again.
Repubobots have a machine like mind, unable to reason and lacking logic. Apologize? They don't know the word!
Cite your source or shut up!
If you claim the republicans lied, either cite the source or shut up! Otherwise it's just another democrat playing games with the truth.
Ojai Ellen
There will NEVER be an apology. The republicans don't make apologies. They do no wrong. Just remember two weeks ago when they were utterly suprised by the re-election of President Obama.
Sven Svenson
And the Repubs put another nail in the coffin. Do they not have a clue the American public is sick & tired of this kind of behavior?? This is not the GOP I voted for for 30 years....I'm embarrassed.
Apparently your not embarrassed how the media has been trying to cover this up by giving it little mention. If Obama were a republican this would be front page news and the media would have their top people trying to find every detail of what happened. Why do you think Obama went after Fox news during his first term, because he had every other news agency under his thumb.
Mike Landars
Right, Fox news is the only independant source of news out there. That's why News Corp (owns fox) is the ONLY news network that gets money directly from the RNC (republican national committe). Yet you suggest that everyone but Fox is under Obama's thumb? Put the tin foil hat back on.
Thus why I left the party. Please turn out the lights when you're the last one to leave.
Oh good God! Every news organization EXCEPT FAUX News is under Obama's thumb? Can you understand paranoia?
Mike Laundars: Why then did Obama only go after Fox news and not CNN,MSNBC,CBS,ABC,NBC.
Let it go GOP. It really isn't THAT important and it won't change what happened or win the election for you.
We must keep trying. We now have to make sure I kids are taken care of and have skills, like making a living off welfare and finding good free healthcare. After all, new Obama Americans don't really want to work hard anymore.
Anyhow, I am disgusted with this bull schitt political game. I don't want my TAX MONEY going to legislators who are playing politics. I do not want another replay of the Ken Starr decade of bull manure "investigations."
I see Democrats have been crying out the republicans are done but if your a democrat you know your victory is only for 1 cycle and the reason I say that is because in about 10 years the GOP will have successfully integrated with the changing face of this nation and once that's done your now powerful ammunition of " Old racist white men " will turn into nothing more then half ass spit ball. You Democrats know you lack Backbone – Patriotism – and Morals. The Democrats ass whooping will begin with Marco Rubio in 2016 and it will be a back to back republican in the White House for the next at least 4 cycles. 🙂 the truth hurts HUH????
Bet a thousand dollars a month ago you were saying Obama would be "one and done" and "the truth hurts, huh!"
If the truth hurts you've been on pain meds for, what is it, 4 years now and 4 to go??? BTW, you think when the economy turns around America will hand it back to Republicans when they couldn't even win with 7.9% unemployment???
Is it patriotic and moral to waste taxpayer money on a load of bull "investigations" when the FISCAL CLIFF is looming?
Is it moral to lie and insist that it was the administration who changed the talking points, when the intelligence community itself has come out and said that IT was responsible for the change?
Robert Branham
I hope we go over the cliff together...
And when all the goverment money; welfare, food stamps, etc stops flowing we will have riots in the streets of the big cities just like Greece... burn baby burn.
AndyInAtl
The word "Democrat" doesn't belong in same paragraph with morals or patriotism. Democrats are a party of Hollywood decay, self-destructive types (LGBT) and perverts. They'd gladly lay down before any of those before they'd put national interests first.
Backbone? What do you know of backbone? I think you are mistaking compassion for weakness. And what truth? Your apparently saying you can predict the future and we have to deal with ha ha? Pretending to be someone you're not to get votes doesn't mean you're not the same close minded idiot.
Chesswithcolors LOL should be shoots and ladders.
Mark Rubio?! 2016?! If that's your painful truth it makes me giggle.
So let me get this straight... It's going to take you " ten years to successfully integrate with the changing face within this nation.." but yet the "ass whooping by republicans starts with Marco Rubio in 2016." Do me and your country a favor learn arithmetic!! That's is what's wrong with the GOP not only are your 10 years behind the times( legitimate rape and and the "biblical description of marriage," what does that even mean?? Polygamy??) see ya in ten years by the way that would be 2022! Hopefully you can finish high school by then.. Hey and while we're talking about Marco he's a republican that believes in evolution how's that fit your conservative republican values? Oh wait you'll really don't have any, it's all talk out of you folks. Like I said stay out if my house and my bedroom , focus on some real issues and then maybe just maybe you'll might become relivent again in this political landscape!
Name*phillip marlow
My question is How can a president of the United States of America Knowing full well what was coming over there Sit and watch it on television As it was happening And do nothing. the president of United States is supposed to be for the people of America and stand up and defend them no matter what. President Obama seems to care more about this people overseas and these other countries then he does about the American people. I feel in my heart President Obama is trying to destroy America what she stands for what she is a great power. I feel the president that was elected by the people of America but stands for all of the Muslim countries and puts them first should not be leading a country as great as America. if he loves to a Muslim country so much he should move over there because the working man is tired of his crap and why he acts like he's really doing something for America y sticking a knife in your back. you need to get off your Muslim ass and do something for America. because the American people is fed up I know I am.
I don't think you should listen to your heart because it's clearly lying to you. In any kind of attack, if you think it's feasible to defend any and all Americans from any point on the globe within minutes or hours, then I got news for you.
The whole thing began and ended in less than an hour. You say we should have just called in a bomb in that place without knowing exactly what civilians may be there as well?
Why aren't you calling for bombing and drone attacks on all the other violence that was going on on 9/11/2012 in other places as a result of the anti Islam video?
Wouldn't bombing the place have killed those inside, too?
"yawn"
OnTheOtherHand
...fortunately, what you "feel" doesn't consist of facts. Call him a crummy President if you'd like. Maybe his Liberal way of doing thing doesn't fit your Conservative view of how America should be run. That too is fine. Saying repeatedly that he's a Muslim, and that he's somehow going to single-handedly hand America over to the Muslim world....it's just dumb. You know there's another 534 people that would need to sign-off on that...right?
The President IS supposed to look out for the interests of ALL Americans. That occasionally means the President needs to let the needs of a few individual Americans go unanswered. Additionally, the President is not a God, so there ARE limits to what he (or she) can do.
I do not know why we did not help the people in Benghazi that night. It might have been a belief that no aid could actually reach them in time, or it might have been an error in judgement. Or it might have been because those in charge (including the President) believed that doing so would ultimately cause more harm to Americans than it prevented.
I do know that anyone who thinks that the President is trying to destroy America is clearly biased against him, and is therefore unlikely to look at the situation with an open and clear mind.
Edwin: like democrats believed about George Bush? Anyone who thinks any of our Presidents are all good or all bad are fools...
It's very obvious that no matter what the facts are, you hate the president. And by your racial statements, it's very obvious that you are a racist. Hate filled people like you are a detriment to society.
Reading citizen's comments...on this and many other issues....makes one thing perfectly clear: Us Americas get the Govt. we deserve...GOP or Dem doesn't really matter. Our leaders in Washington represent what we really are....and the comments we make is proof. So deal.
FollowerOfTheWay
By far the most insightful comment in this forum
ProfPalefuddy
Does it strike you a bit odd that the CIA/DoD/FBI all of the sudden are the tools of the Democrats? I thought the GOP took pride in the assumption that the CIA/DoD/FBI was all on their side. Remember how sure the GOP has been with getting the Military vote they worked hard to extend voting for Vets and not Urban Citizens in some states. Well, keep calling the CIA/FBI/DoD a tool and your going to lose even more of their support. The agencies were in "Operational Mode" and quite frankly still are in "Operational Mode" and guess what, I Don't need to know every last detail about what they are doing in response to the attack. I also don't want disclosed the current nature of security and safety measures known to the public and thus to the terrorists. LOSE LIPS and all.
tgbvt
What is with you people assuming it has to be the President or the White House and then when more information is release, well, then it's clearly the Democrats crafting the story so we can't get the facts. The article (if it even has enough of the facts) states that the information was not significantly altered outside of the CIA.
mrhapiguy
So they basically did the opposite as the inept Bush administration. Instead of immediately blaming their favorite bad guy (ie Saddam and 9/11) without any proof, the intelligence community chose their words with caution and waited for more intel before making any snap judgements. Amazing. Clearly they must be punished for being reasonable.
Exactly. Where's the like button on this comment?
dah00
You know, this story is so old. Republicans still can't let go. What, are you guys still bitter about the election? Get over it.
Mike Rogers should spend some time figuring out which is which. If I recall correctly, CNN quoted my congressman as saying that he had seen no intelligence that pointed to Al-Queda in the days immediately following the attack. Now he's all whipped out of shape following his re-election and following the drumbeat raised by his own 'extremist' buddies in Congress. Which was it, Mr. Rogers? Did you, or didn't you have intel reports that pointed to Al-Queda? Dork.
Real Patriot
The GOP leadership is so filled with revenge after getting their a**es handed to them in the recent elections that they will continue to seek out criminal intent where there is none. I am TIRED of our elected officials wasting time on our dime. GOP: If you have no new ideas about how to get our economy moving and that DOESN'T consist of rewarding your most generous campaign donors, get the hell out of the way and quit wasting our time.
I'm right there with you. I guess all we can do is keep reminding those who kept spouting "one and done" that they are an ever shrinking minority. I think they're in such a panic that they've thrown common sense out the window. The reasoning behind the dialogue coming out of the WH regarding this attack makes perfect sense to me. Since when does any investigation of an attack like this take 1-2 weeks to come to a conclusion? Insurance claim investigations take longer than that.
The GOP is just seeing here what they imagine to be a political opportunity Ken Starr Style. Remember Whitewater and Susan MacDougall and all that crap that they spent six years of taxpayer funded "investigation" on? I say we wasted enough capital and energy on that B.S. then. They are shameless.
Why didn't they holler so much about Iraq and the lying that led to the hundreds of thousands of deaths there?
If the GOP is so intent on spending so much of their energy on this political crap, they could at least investigate and impeach the Iraq war neocon liars and killers.
Albert Friday
Get over it. The Whitehouse changed this not to screw up Obama's reelection.
Albert, could you please READ this article and the reporting in it and please correct the fallacy you just wrote?
Healthcare for All
This is a no win situation...if they had shared everything they knew or suspected and the investigation showed something diametrically opposed, the President would be challenged just as he is now. The public is owed facts not suppositions...the public also needs to realize that sometimes information needs to be withheld until an investigation is complete. I have often been concerned that we are so "nosy" that we feel we are owed more than we need to know. It's call covert intelligence for a reason. How many reputations have been destroyed before the facts finally came out?
However, if you are this upset about 4 people dead, what do you think about the 5,000 American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqui civilian human beings, including children, who died because Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, lied to us all that there were WMDs in Iraq?
Should not your anger be a million times greater? Why the silence over that? Is that not a great injustice.
If there is a God, he or she must be VERY DISGUSTED WITH THIS HYPOCRISY.
Not one of these attacks on the Democrats by the GOP will ever change the fact that our people died doing their duty. So they beat to death the fact that the early fog reports were not detailed enough to suit them. None of the arguments that it took 10, or more days to get additional facts and bring them out will ever change the sad outcome. As a military officer often in charge of an Emergency Operations Center during a 33 year career, I can guarantee you that in minute one of an event you get a report, and that the details of the event may not be any clearer as more reports come in on the same event and have conflicting details even days later along with hundreds of other reports on other events. There were times when I couldn't even decide which of the hundreds of events being reported were highest priority. I have seen reports of deaths that later turned out to be totally incorrect!! I reported items my self which later turned out to be wrong, but were honestly reported based on what I had at the time. This is often the reality, and I never lost sleep for an incorrect report, but I always looked for ways to get better intel based on lessons learned. So let it go!!
Insight Law Firm
(Patriotic Music Plays in the Background)
Well stated Bill. These aren't situations we should be second guessing. Humans are humans. Our people need to be able to make the call.
Keith T. Maxwell
Where were the calls for Colin Powell's head when he used knowingly false, manufactured intelligence "talking points" to prop up the case for an invasion?? Was Johnny McCain screeching at the cameras then??
you are funny, you make it sound like people think the president should be riding around in the death star shooting lightning from his hands. Of course the term "administration" implies a group of people, overseen by the president. So did the president say "lets just cover the whole thing up and lie to everyone"? Most likely not. Is it possible the president knew that certain facts where admitted from public knowledge? Most likely. And it is his responsibility as a leader to hold his subordinates accountable and find the truth and tell the American people that truth at the cost of his approval rating, something that he does not want to seem to do. It is easier to stick with plausible deny ability. But anyone who knows anything about leadership knows that as a leader you are responsible for the actions of your subordinates and you can delegate authority but not responsibility.
gregingso
Keith, I guess you have a short memory or you just don't think things through to arrive at any type of conclusions. I have read many, many comments that challenge why didn't Sen. McCain challenge Powell, or Condi, or accuse Bush of this or that. If you just stopped for one minute to think about it you could answer your own question. The year was 2001 and our country had just been attacked. John McCain had JUST lost the Republican primary to the sitting President who happened to be Gee Whiz Bush. John McCain, the military veteran and hero, must of dislike George more than any other human on this planet, but because he WAS and IS a true American Hero, he supported the President, JUST LIKE THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY DID AT THE TIME. I think I was one of the few people around who didn't like Bush even right after the 9/11 attacks. Everyone else, the firefighters in NY, the Press, and the Public, all were staunchly behind this Cowboy President. Do you really think a patriot like John McCain, at a time right after our country was attacked, would of voiced any criticism at the Commander-In-Chief? Even as much as McCain had to dislike Bush for the vicious lies Bush told about McCain in the primaries, McCain, because he is a true patriot, stayed silent. All he has done in response to Benghazi is challenge the story that the American people were told. I happen to disagree with him on this subject but I am able to disagree with him respectfully. Considering all he has sacrificed for our country, and for You, I don't think it's too much for you to do the same. Disagree with him all you want but use your own intelligence a bit and maybe you can understand why, after a time when we had just been attacked, he was silent about some things that you probably didn't question at the time either.
You mean it wasn't Obama personally? My God!!! What lies. We need another investigation that shows that Obama changed them. Bigger than Watergate? Why? Because I tell you so.
All administrations have dirty little secrets its true. But when your dirty secret involves the deaths of 4 people alone and isolated far from home; well then its time to save face and come clean. And before one of you simply say I am a bitter racist Republican and the whole thing is Bush's fault. You are wrong, so save your keyboard from the wear and tare of typing a pointless rebuttal. The White House placed politics before lives and now they have their hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar. I think at this juncture it is best to simply come out with the truth and perhaps maintain some form of trust with the American people, instead of stonewalling the topic and simply delaying closure for those families and the American people.
Yes. It is much better when it involves 3,000 people right here at home. But when it is 4 people out in the middle of Libya, well this is where we need to draw the line and guarantee absolute safety. Blah...blah....blah.....
Could you please expound on that? I'm not sure I follow your line of thought.
Juzo Takagi
Please don't spread truther stuff
If it's Iraq, it's okay though
nunya
Ah, I couldnt disagree with you more. Why dont the Republicans make this big of stink EVERY time that a Service Member loses his or her life? Just get over it. While I have compassion for the fallen, they are; at the end of the day; CASUALTIES OF WAR- NOTHING MORE - NOTHING LESS. CAN IT!
They do. They made a huge stink about the dead agent in the Fast and Furious hearings. Once it no longer served their narrative, and it actually supported the gun control narrative, we haven't heard about him since. We recognize these tears. They are the tears of anger with Obama, and they didn't start with Benghazi. They started on January 20th 2009.
you clearly don't have any compassion at all. If you did you would have not posed that idiotic post, slap yourself please : )
SorryYouLost
So, an airstrike into a neighborhood based off half-baked intelligence...that's what was needed? How about a danger-close missile sent in to a 1 acre lot plus the alley in front of this "compound"?
Look...it's tragic that it happened. This constant droning on and on about how we should have deployed STS-6 and Chuck Norris to get these men out during their 5 hour fire-fight against 100's of extremists is getting old.
Think you know anything? Think any of these Republicans know anything? Visit any actual Embassy in non-European countries. The first thing you'll notice is....no, there's not 50 Navy Seals standing guard. At best, there's two locals up front with the same AK's that will be coming at your "compound". Second...this wasn't even an Embassy. Heck, not really even a Consulate. It was a "villa" with bullet-resistant glass and a crappy safe room. By the time the Ambassador's email was read...that skirmish was already over.
" Second...this wasn't even an Embassy. Heck, not really even a Consulate. It was a "villa" with bullet-resistant glass and a crappy safe room. By the time the Ambassador's email was read...that skirmish was already over." Unfortunately for you, those facts are incorrect. And I use the term "fact" only out of respect.
4sanity
What exactly are you complaining about ? That the Obama administration was told by intelligence agencies it was a loosely organized group of militant protesters following the lead of rioters in Egypt that erupted because of an anti-Islamic video, it was a loosely organized local militant group (Ansar al Sharia) that had a grudge to bear for the US drone attack that killed their leader 6 months earlier, or it was loosely organized "al Qaeda" plot that sought a high profile target on the eve of 9/11. Perhaps labeling everything and anything anti-American in the Muslim world as "al Qaeda" is about the level of sophistication that the US can comprehend, but it really isn't very productive or insightful. And until the perpetrators are caught and prosecutors are caught, I doubt anyone can truely claim who was truely responsible. But certainly the Obama administration was not to blame for the deaths. Just as no one can rightly claim President Bush was to blame for 9/11. Ultimately bad things happen. And we should blame the perpetrators not our own side for the deaths. Everyone should keep that as the focus.
teakwoodkite
It is sad to see that Dana Bash and Pam Beson publish the Motel 1600 talking points as if they are fact. The process of creating these "community" papers leaves only the the White House with the changes made to the original analysis...all of which the POS TUS knew within 15 minutes of the event occuring.
respectfullyPlease stop being a propaganda arm of this administration. It's insulting to the readers.
Is that youDONALD? Your insulting to the readers! what's next you want a birth certificate? I'm just going to assume your one of the greedy,bad mortgage taking, self centered, world revolves around me type of person that got us in this whole mess.. Don't worry though the generation In front of you has the balls and common sense ( something your lacking), to make up for your mistakes. Just stay out of our way.... You had your chance, your time is over go grab your rocking chair and get a bag of popcorn we are going to show you how it's done!!! (with pride, enthusiasm and our glass always half full ;)!!
Good luck with that you moron
Good luck with that moron.
JWN in SC
Old man McCain, go on home........you too, Lindsey..
They are actually Gay Lovers, Lidseed and McShame............
Com on people, It's simple, they dont want the U.S to be represented by to Blacks..I'm sorry but somebody has to say the truth...GOP white men won't allow it, sad but true..
You should take a look at Bush's administration. He put together an administration with one of the highest percentage of African Americans. So please stop painting all republicans as racists. You are the true racist by immediately interjecting race into the discussion. It is an easy and convenient argument for you to make. It is also inaccurate (at least for most GOPers) and unfair. But it distracts from the real message. And that is what you are hoping for.
Eric without getting to upset with you and your feelings, I will only kindly remind you that the Secretary of State under George Bush was BLACK and a WOMAN. Her name is Condoleeza Rice. Remember her? She was from the GOP. Look up the history of the GOP and the Democratic Parties and see the TRUTH about which party supported CIVIL RIGHTS and MINORITIES> YOU WILL BE SHOCKED.
The president has been anything but transparent on this issue. He has politicized it which is why the Reps wonders why. The Prez knew what he did, when he did it and how and he refuses to answer any question without saying, it's under investigation. If a Rep president did what Obama has, the Dems would be all down his throat over it. Thank you McCain and Lindsay for standing your ground to get to the truth.
I agree so much with you.They just can't take it. Even if they are qualified or not. So we all know that it was extremist/ terrorists we the public are not fools and they did it .Some attacks will be thwarted some not unfortunately this is new reality . I think these Foogey""s have forgotten 9/11 and the intelligence they received what did they do about it. Bush should have resigned.
jwilson
To say that changes were made to a report to protect the innocent terroists, or to protect a criminal investigation completely ignores the incompetence of failing to protect an ambassador and then failing to assist in the firefight of those taking it upon themselves to jump in where an inept government bureacracy would not. That is really what the coverup was about.
Wouldn't it be GREAT if NOBODY got KILLED in a War Zone? Then the THOUSANDS of Americans who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan to distract US away from the guy whose FAMILY was Oil Business Partners with President Bush – the BIN LADENS.
I really am tired of the nonsense and the twisting that comes out of the Left wing, liberal WH. Are you trying to say that they changed the talking points because the version that gen Petraus wrote had divulged CLASSIFIED information? The General doesn't know what is and what's NOT CLASSIFIED? Do you not see a difference in the words AL QUEDA and Extremists? The whole thing is about using the words Al Queda. The WH doesn't want "Al Queda'" and "Americans murdered" in the same sentence after Obama took such credit in killing Bin Laden.
intelligent reader
Read it again, you idiot. The only change the white house, where a black guy now lives, was to say "mission" instead of "consulate" – one word. Nothing else. geez...
david esmay
We are tired of right wingnut witch hunts that lead nowhere. The House Intelligence Committee, which includes repugs knew the details from the beginning and knew we were disseminating misinformation to protect covert activities. This just exposes the GOP for the hypocrites that they are.
doctorc.jim
For fiscal 2013, the GOP-controlled House proposed spending $1.934 billion for the State Department's Worldwide Security Protection program - well below the $2.15 billion requested by the Obama administration. House Republicans cut the administration's request for embassy security funding by $128 million in fiscal 2011 and $331 million in fiscal 2012. (Negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Senate restored about $88 million of the administration's request.) Last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that Republicans' proposed cuts to her department would be "detrimental to America's national security" - a charge Republicans rejected.
Are you that Pathetic?
The Old Gas Bag is so unconcerned about the actual facts and so fixated on trying to redeem his failed political career that he skipped the classified briefing to rail about being kept in the dark that he began hysterical rants about no one being fit to question his obvious mothives. Are the Chickenhawk Lawyer and the Old Gas Bag following in DICK cheney's treasonous footsteps to reveal information about a classified CIA operation that failed? Is their hatred for the President so great that they are willing to publicly expose covert CIA operations for their own politican gain? If so the Senate must take action and expel them immediate and turn them over to DoJ for prosecution.
Woah! Slow down and SIP the kool aid...don't guzzle.
YOU are SCARY. Where do you live? Are there more of you? Please you must say you are SORRY, right away. You don't want this to be a stain on your legacy.
David Feaster
This is not a surprise for those of us who have trust in the administration.
BLIND FAITH!?
I ask those who here, who approve of the administration's handling of this attack, to answer these questions:
What do you tell the parents, brothers, sisters, loved ones- of those who lost their lives- when asked why nothing was done to improve security prior to the attack?
What do you tell the parents, brothers, sisters, loved ones- of those who lost their lives- when asked why nothing was done for 7 hours while the intelligence community and administration officials watched live feed of their loved ones being killed?
newsrell
What do you tell the parents of those soldier dying in Iraq for WMD that never existed ? That the president lied to the country to go into Iraq for personal revenge ?
So you are saying they are the same? Two leaders involved in self preservation and power only?
The previous case was clear. The culprit is now retiring in shame, hated by the whole country. The current case remains to be answered, but just as this article showed, the admin will be vindicated in the end, when CIA decided they could tell all. Wait and see and learn.
Amen Newsrell....... Oh, where was the righteous indignation then over the loss of THOUSANDS of lives?
When Bill Clinton apologizes and says the mistake was his for following the intelligence that BUSH also followed then we can speak. Both president's followed and acted on the same intelligence.
Out of curiosity, did you react the same way after the dozen similar attacks during the previous administration and the deaths of 60+?
Shalako77
I'm neutral on it because I understand that when you're spread all over the world and terrorists are out to hit you anywhere they can, every once in awhile some crap is gonna happen. Blaming this on the administration is just partisans grasping too far. The same people trying to turn this into an issue are the same ones who didn't have anything to say when we lost thousands in a war that never should've happened and that administration blamed it on.. guess who... the intelligence community. Don't give a damn about an entire war and four people in Libya merits an investigation, really? Now try to tell me it's anything but politicians using dead patriots for politics.
Mike Hyland
Forbinned question all refuse to ask... What the heck was Junior Ambassador Stevens doing meeting with the Senior Ambassador of Turkey in Benghazi Lybia on the anniversary of 9/11??? Amswer that one any you'll uncover why Stevens had to be killed
Russo–I would tell them that the GOP killed a bill to fund more security for our embassies even though the state department requested it. I would further tell them that according to our intelligence department and the Pentagon, there was no live feed. That's a Fox lie.
How are those Fast and Furious hearings coming along? Is it still bigger than Watergate? Still crying over those dead agents whose lives were taken because the gun laws were so lax in this country?
ushosjh
The president refused to testify in the fast and the furious. So where do you go from there. Why stonewall.
To the Parents. Your son's lived a life of service to others that put them in an environment that both had great risk but also great impact on the progress of humanity. Libyans and Americans morn their loss, and the cutting short of their work. We as Americans owe them, and you and future members of our foreign services the following. One we must identify what could have been done to improve security and survivability of our people and facilities. Two, we must identify the people who did this and arrest, capture, or kill them with the assistance of the Libyans and the peoples of the region who also lost lives that day protecting our beloved citizen servants. Three, we must continue their work to encourage a more peaceful humane planet and international relations. Fourth, we must not reverse their life work as we seek justice. May we have the wisdom do be able to distinguish between justice and vengeance and revenge.
And run it like a real investigation. "We don't have any facts, but one thing that seems to be clear is that Obama is an incompetent liar. We have to wait to get some facts, but in the absence of any facts whatsoever, I think it is at least safe to assume that this is bigger than Watergate and the President is involved in a cover up. And if he isn't, so what? We don't need to apologize to that loser for accusing him of the worst things imaginable."
It is very unfortunate and sad when anyone has to die, and my heart goes out to the families of those involved.
Have you ever served? I have and if you had, you would understand that these guys volunteered, they harbored no illusions about the situation they willingly put themselves in, nothing ever goes as planned. As long as we go into war zones these things will happen, hell people die in training, get over it and move on.
"Second, when links were so tenuous – as they still are – it makes sense to be cautious before pointing fingers so you don't set off a chain of circular and self-reinforcing assumptions."
So the "tenuous links" – even after two months – this is what the wingnuts are up in arms about?
The real reason Obama had to order Ambassador Stevens Silenced was... earlier that day Junior Amb Stevens refused to be threatened or silenced by the Senior Turkish Ambasador and a Muzzie millionare arms dealer in Benghazi. THe Turk Ambassador dropped a dime on him via a secure Washington DC phone link. Once the Turk Ambassador cleared the Al Quada /Muslim Brotherhood road blocks and was airborne... the group ordered to silence Stevens and his group of CIA gun running scouts attacked. Now Obama would do anything to not have his weapons smuggling to the Syria Muslim Brotherhood and Al Quada Jehadis hit th emedia BEFORE the election. All th eGeneral Bangin Bimbos and the UN Rice lying to the TV shows was a diversion from the killings and gun running.
bill pike
PMA–PROTECT MY AXX, the election is over. wolfe and the candy company would help with the cover up so no problem.
Oh, come on! The script was changed by the "intelligence community"? For what purpose? It would have served no other reason than political and the CIA, HS, etc. is supposed to be partisan neutral.
Did not understand the text ??? To protect CONFIDENTIAL source. Too much is revealed, the ennemy will know why we know so much, so fast, they can deduce who told us, thus the danger to the source. Blindly ignorant is not good partisan practice.
Wait a sec....Didn't Ansar al Sharia claim credit for the attack on Sept 11th on facebook and twitter? Are facebook and twitter now confidential sources?
I think the Republican party wants the CIA and FBI to just be transparent to the point that they can not longer do their job. Just tell the terrorists everything we knew so they can make a clean get away.
Argument from ignorance.
REALITY BUBBLE – Do YOU know who the 'Extremists' were? You must know more than the CIA because you are so FAUX. The CIA has some Reason to Believe that the people who carried out the attack were part of an Organization that consists of one-time members of the GADAFFI forces that fought AGAINST the 'Rebels' who we support who have set up their center in BENGHAZI rather than the Libyan Capital of Tripoli. These people MAY have a Loose association with Al Qaeda but NOBODY is SURE. So Just WHAT Difference does it Make WHAT they are CALLED? Except as a way to DISTRACT the american people from a Republican Leadership that lets AMERICA'S Economy Suffer for ITS Political gain.
One cannot help but wonder, will this official account quell the shameless drone of conspiracy masterminds, John McCain and his hapless crew? Note: If you had to affix yourself to Fox Network to prior to a reasonable conclusion, you need not bother to share their talking points. Self immolation appears to be the choice of these misogynists. Perhaps this feckless, disingenuous posse hold out for the ever dying "throw paint at the wall" strategy. Forever the undaunted warmonger, Sen. McCain is still n denial of his 2008 flailing flop. Hey, GOP! Tell your guy that his expertise is needed elsewhere. Specifically, to assist in gathering the fragmented, antiquated shambles that remain of your 2012 implosion.
Why, because we still have people on the conducting operations, the GOP idiots put everyone in jeopardy to score political points. Myth Robme was blathering away three hours after the attack and the ambassador wasn't the target.
rokidtoo
Duh! It's too bad that John McCain is ending up like this.
And the GOP still want to block Susan Rice, after this testimony, I tell u they r sore losers and shame on them just because they lost election they wana try to make pres. Obamas job impossible.
Anybody who would knowingly lie to Americans, like Susan Rice did - cannot be trusted.
Susan Rice repeated nearly verbatim the intelligence estimates she was given by the intelligence community. Out of curiosity, did you react so strongly when the previous administration parroted even worse intelligence?
Yeah, and if you believe this... (oh, yeah...never mind, you voted Obama).
Anything they can do to bicker, instead of !!!FIXING THE ECONOMY!!!
Does it really make anyone feel better to know the CIA ("intelligence community") went over the head of it president?
There are times that the President declassifies information that the CIA and such don't want declassified. The President apparently respected their holding back of information for National Security Reasons. Sorry you have so little comprehension of the idea that the situation was and is still an Ongoing Operation and not every detail can be released without possibly compromising lives and information gathering.
McCain should resign from the Senate. He should apologize to President Obama, Susan Rice and the American people. Let McCain go.
To paint John McCain with such a broad brush shows your ignorance and blind hatred of anyone who is not a democrat. He is a veteran who has voted against his party on issues like water boarding and military actions. He has also crossed the aisle many times to pen bills with the democrats. Obama did not do that as a senator nor as a president. On issues of the military, intelligence and national security, McCain is credible. But your view of anyone associated with the GOP is clearly tainted by your belief that you and people with beliefs like you must be correct 100 percent of the time.
I used to have a lot of respect for McCain. However, I lost most of it during the Presidential Campaign of 2008 for choosing a bimbo like Sarah Palin for VP and for losing his own integrity on a number of issues.
In this case, McCain and Graham were trying to make political hay from a tragedy. Such tragedies have happened under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Remember we lost 270+ in Middle East under Reagan. Both these Senators should apologize to Obama and Susan Rice for getting ahead of the facts, making unwarranted accusations, and trying to make political hay out of tragic situations. If they were serious about protecting our country and national security, they should have tried to get to the bottom of the facts.
Shame on you Senator McCain. Shame on you Senator Graham. You need to apologize. Then you need to resign for acting so irresponsibly in such important national matter.
OC: thanks for schooling me. please respond to this post, since no one else on your political side has: The US government and the media announced it was Al Qaeda, the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden on the afternoon of 9/11. They also announced Al Qaeda almost immediately when the USS Cole and the embassy in North Africa were bombed. And now we are supposed to believe they held it back for 5+ days this time for intelligence and security reasons. Hard to believe. Elections aside, the White House would have known the intelligence pointed directly at a planned Islamic terrorist attack and either changed the message or at least signed off on the message change.
McCain is a noise maker and tries to be relevant even when he knows that he's a noise maker and quickly fading. The investigation is still going on and he skips briefing only to go to press seeking relevance. Even you as boisterous as you sound in defending the attention seeking Mccain appears to be filled with ignorance, name calling and in fact close minded rubbish.
Care to point out my name calling or ignorance specifically? Probably not since you will not find any in either of my posts. My posts are factual. And I am not a big McCain fan by any means. But I respect his questioning of this situation. Many Americans are asking the same questions. If there wasn't anything controversial going on, the questions could have been answered quickly and painlessly. But you seem to want to defend this administration blindly and unilaterally. I choose not to. A right I and John McCain and every other American share. Too boisterous for you Victor?
The issue should be to find who the culprits/murderers are and how to bring them to justice and not to resort to looking for Susan Rice to apologize to McCain while infact the investigation is still going on. Why can't McCain and his cohorts wait for the completion of the investigation before passing judgment and looking for relevance. He should channel his grieviances, if any, to the President, but I guess he is still sad and bitter that he lost the 2008 election to President Obama and the American people voted for the President again. McCain should be interested in nation building rather than divisive noise making. He is apparently losing the respect of the people that admire him. There is no need to play politics and jump the gun while investigation is on-going and some American lives are lost.
so here they admit they tell the rest of them what to say. oh no we told them what to say... – I think that IS what we have been saying. – the tail is wagging the dog. –
Dave Espo
Obama won the election because the majority of American voters are familiar with the kind of silliness that permeates this commentary. The GOP and other miscreants are trying, desperately, to find a scandal where there is none. We have seen it all before. That is fine if you want to keep digging a hole, do it..... just do not expect everybody to believe your partisan, illogical, garbage. Congress is wasting time and money on this non-issue just like the GOP wasted millions trying to defeat a very effective President. We voted , you lost.
The Obam administration acted coolly and responsibly in the face of blatant and ignorant accusations. In the end, the administration came out justified and sterling. Only the accusers need to hide their faces now.
remember...the GOP wasted $70 million on the witchhunt called Whitewater, which was fundamentally a failure, except we got to invade a couple of peoples privacy...
wthwth
I could care less who won the election. What I care about is that EVERY situation is either under investigation, or the answer changes with the weather. Almost two years after Fast & Furious we still do not know who in OUR government ordered the program. Fort Hood a domestic incident? Libya is because of a video, a spontaneous event, really! Why can't this administration ever answer ANYTHING with a yes or no, some facts. What day is tomorrow? Not sure it's under investigation!!!
Fast & Furious was started under the Bush administration and then carried forward.
wthwth-and we didn't really land on the moon. Kennedy was killed by the mafia. Foster didn't commit suicide, he was murdered by Hillary and Barack Obama is a radical Christian, atheist, muslim who was born in Kenya and whose parents planted birth notices in the local papers in 1964 just so he could become president 45 years later! Get over the conspiracies, man....it's ever so paranoid of you!
Obama won the election because mindless zealots like you buy the party line no matter the facts. The average intelligence of the O-voter is about 6.5 on the brain scale....
swb–what we lack in brain power, we make up for in numbers. Get over it the election's over and 3 1/2 million more people voted for Obama than Romney-we can't all be as brilliant as you are.
BS makes a cover up grow.
Days and weeks before the attack, many requests for additional security at the consulate went unanswered. The administration watched live video of the events unfold for 7 hours, again unanswered as Americans died. Requests from the administration as to exactly what happened WAS answered – by deceptive descriptions of an attack instigated by radicals upset over some bogus video.
When the lack of action by our government results in AMERICAN lives being lost ...and then apparent attempts are made to either cover it up ...or, at best water it down- we no longer have a government "for the people". We have a government devoted to self-preservation of their power and position.
what about funding?
So you say weeks went by without anything being doen perhaps had the republicans in the house not strippedthe funding to protect our state department people something could have been done!
Russo, I agree100%.
There was failure all the way around, from beginning to end and even after, when Susan Rice went on 5 TV shows and lied.
Hillary failed, also, and she needs to testify, too.
Thank you CNN! Now lest hear it on CNN TV!
The conspiracy theory dies in the hands of truth but lives on in GOP and FOX.
I want to hear some humble apologies from the 2 loudmouth who accused ambassador Rice.
One of those loudmouths is a veteran and former POW. He suffered so people like you can voice your opinion, however ignorant it may be.
Mike G – Unfortunately McCain has been reduce to a babbling piece of garbage unfit to hold his office...He needs to go.
Mike-just because McCain is a veteran and was a POW, it doesn't mean that he's anything other than a cranky old man now. He lost whatever integrity he once had when he named Sarah Palin as his VP pick without vetting her.
SueB and ???: check MCain's record for voting against his own party on military issues (e.g. Waterboarding). Also check how many bills he co-authored with democrats. You (or I for that matter) may not agree with all of his positions, but he is not a shill for the GOP. Take a look at Obama's voting record while in Congress – Pretty much straight line with the democrats and the most liberal voting record of any senator during that time period. To assume McCain is playing partisan politics now is ridiculous. He has legitimate concerns that should be taken seriously.
The US government and the media announced it was Al Qaeda, the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden on the afternoon of 9/11. They also announced Al Qaeda almost immediately when the USS Cole and the embassy in North Africa was bombed. And now we are supposed to believe they held it back for 5+ days this time for intelligence and security reasons. Hard to believe. Elections aside, the White House would have known the intelligence pointed directly at a planned Islamic terrorist attack and either changed the message or at least signed off on the message change.
Mike: DO you Republicans read or is it the comprehension thats missing.Read the frigging article.The intelligence community – not the White House, State Department or Justice Department – was responsible for the substantive changes made to the talking points
And you want me to believe that someone in the "intelligence community" took it upon himself or herself to make such changes to a memo that was to be shown to the President. WHO exactly is that person in the "intelligence community" who did that? and even if there's a remote possibility that this did happen, then that person must have been following instructions from someone in the White House...that's for darn sure...we have a bunch of liars and frauds in the White House starting with Obama.
All this and we still don't have the answer. Why did 7 hours go by without our government/military sending help? We can send troops to Jordan to protect King Abdullah, but we didn't have them protecting Stevens, even after he sent several emails saying that there was not enough protection, and didn't sent them any help whatsoever during the 7 hours they were getting murdered??? I want answers NOW!!!!
Fareed
McCain, Graham, The Donald, and Issa are going to launch an Investigation into the "Intelligence Community".
Why does Peter King always looks like hes lying? Graham, King and McCain are the stupidest people that ever walked the earth. No wonder they lost.
You are a sheep being led to the slaughter and you are not aware of it that's why you are supporting your slaughterer. When you do realize what you have done, it will be to late!!
Chumash: Hey Chicken Little-go outside, look up. The sky is not falling!
journey50
@Sam, Yeah, this tidbit of Lies coming from the Ultra Liberal Wing of CNN, plus if you really want to Look at some Liars, check out obama, biden, reid, pelosi, (both) clinton's, Rice, Holder, carney, etc, etc, also, since you're a ultra-liberal yourself, I guess you can join the dreaded list.....I also see where the "Liar in Chief" has finally found some un-suspecting Fall Guy in the Intel Community, lol, lol....wonder who that Idiot is....
His lips were moving
None of this explains why 7 hours went by without sending help. THAT is the ISSUE!! We can send our troops to Jordan to protect King Abdullah, but we can't send them to Benghazi to rescue an ambassador and three ex Navy Seals? I WANT A FREAKING ANSWER!!!!
Seven hours or seven years, it's all the same to them.
Hey Rambo: You really need to stop watching so many movies. Chuck Norris or Stalone don't come to the rescue.
My dad was military career, I was military and my son wants to be military, but I am scared to death to let him serve under such an administration and public that no longer values their contribution to the point that they'll wAtch them die on video when they could have been there with help. And they'll say the words, but there is really no appreciation for the sacrifice they and their families make for us.
llmb
Watch something besides Faux News and you will no longer be afraid.
Have you ever served? BTW watch something other than CNN or MSNBC and you may get the TRUTH!
Nomacs
And you served where?
moushka
He continues to be black. Sorry.
rationalintin
That comment was over the top. First, there were no ACTIVE duty military members killed in Benghazi. Why didn't the Bush administration stop the terrorist attack on Sept 11, 2001? It went on for several hours, on our own soil, and 3000 people died. I bet George Bush watched it unfold on television just like the rest of us. Why didn't he save those Americans?
Your comments are ridiculous.
JoeGee
Defenders of this administration will never accept that a wrong has been committed even if there is enough evidence to bury them to their eyeballs. They will resort to name calling as these comments show and be dismissive of the claims, instead of studying the evidence. That's what they do. Investigative hearings are still necessary however, if only to learn from it and prevent future similar occurrences.
How can they ever think they're wrong when they always think they're right?
Leave the Stage while everyone is clapping
How about sharing the evidence you are referring to or has that been classified by FOX.
Qodex
Detractors of this administration will never accept that no wrong has been committed even if there is enough evidence to completely exonerate them. They will resort to name calling as these comments show and be dismissive of the claims, instead of studying the evidence. That's what they do. Investigative hearings are still necessary however, if only to learn from it and prevent future similar occurrences.
He's black. Get over it.
jlh1955
You have hit the nail squarely on the head.
I think Americans need to realize that there is a huge Intelligence community. And that community vets every statement made public from its partners. Anyone informed knows that confidential sources help this community. When too much is revealed those sources are put in jeopardy. The Valerie Plame affair clearly exemplified this issue. In all likelihood, her "outing" probably led to dire consequences by those suspected of being in her influence. These conspiracy stories are just crazy talk. Obviously, some are ill formed or just don't understand the depth and extent of national security.
The main thing the intelligence community lacks is intelligence.
Right on! Why do people think the intelligence community is made up of abour 100 people or so! God, I cant believe how small some peoples minds are to not realize the complexity of that community.
The administration acted responsibly in accordance to this practice, but the accusers will happily ignore it, just to be able to accuse. You know why they lost now...and still did not learn.
A lot of back lashing, of course there is sensitive material involving this ordeal. I dealt with highly classified material in the US Navy, the president wasn't shy to name the Seal team that brought down Osama Bin Laden. The problem is why dilute the information with nonsense. Those in position need to be held responsible for their actions. Either way, the comments made from Intel or CIA have been twisted and the truth is yet to be unearthed from all this.
schmoozer
Naah, Barry just backtracking.... Looking for a scape goat...usual crap...
Hey Joe: Read the Article.The intelligence community – not the White House, State Department or Justice Department – was responsible for the substantive changes made to the talking points
The real reason Republicans don't want Rice–because she (and her name) looks too much like Condelezza Rice, who might be a future VP candidate for the Republicans because their bench is so short.
Is this the same intelligence community that says marijuana is as dangerous as heroin?
Yeah Jose... Its the exact same people. Seriously?
McCain went from well liked pragmatic wise man of his party; respected by both sides to angry white guy after the 2008 election to lunatic now. How sad, he is destroying his legacy that was built over a lifetime.
Heard today on the Randy Rhodes show that McCain may have been so openly critical of Susan Rice because she may be named Secretary of State and his friend, John Kerry, wants the job. So – there's more to this that meets the eyes. Too bad the republicans didn't get so out of whack when we attacked Iraq. Half the people thought Iraq was involved in 9/11. People, you have to get educated!
pinochled
Actually, McCain detests Obama. This is a personal vendetta.
Allannde
Connecting the dots before events happens is really hard but anyone can do it in hindsight. The Republicans are really upset that they lost the Presidency and need to make sure that they can make themselves noticed. Well, there is nothing to notice here (Bengazi) and never has been. They had hoped that there was something to it. Sad.
Republicans owned.
TakeAXanaxPlease
To say that we could been "on station in an hour" is stupid. That is just Fox News talking. Firstly, after RPGs were fired, the whole place (a small building) was on fire after five minutes. Nothing is going to "save" that situation. No marines are going to ride in like cowboys and "save the day" on that one. They guy was already dead 10 minutes into the attack. Second, what are you going to do with a military action. Drop a cluster bomb on the site? Or drop a cruise missile on site? How can you do that if you are not sure there may be American survivors there, not to mention women and children in nearby buildings? OK, so you say we should send in helicopters full of marines. Now if one of those helicopters goes down, then you have a bigger problem on your hands. Second, Libya is an independent nation. Normally, you just don't send helicopters over an independent nation, without permission. It may have taken over an hour to get that permission. Third, the militants are probably gone before the marines even get there. Please think things through people. Don't automatically accept the heated partisan trash you get from Fox News as "fact." In other words, let the intelligence people and the military commanders do their jobs, and stop trying to play aim-chair quarterback.
Someone should have said that they had WMDs.
All reasonable arguments points, but of course, for redneck GOP bent on rabid reaction, these responsible, intelligent measures could never be understood by them.
The problem is not that we did not send protection after the terrorist attack started, it's the fact that protection was not sent months earlier when it was requested, Who the hell declined that? And who thought remaining there was a good idea when other countries left for the fact it was to volatile? Investigte and dig dig dig for more answers!!
Republicans cut the budget Kim...you get what you pay for...
jas b
Saying that the information from is false because it is from Fox News is the same as saying that if something it is from CNN is probably is more true. You resort to fallacy to make your point and it is not well taken.
Hillcrester
Facts will not deter the haters and obstructionists. Rep. King and Sens. McCain and Graham should be ground into fine dust over their irresponsible attacks on Amb. Rice, but instead those egoists will just continue to spout lies.
King and McCain should HUMBLY apologize to ambassador Rice at the very least, at worst, they should eat crow. What is it with GOP, all of them seem to want to jump the gun for any conclusion. Remember Romney reacted grossly to Benghazi when he did even know much details ? This shoot first and ask questions later is not dignified for politicians. They should change career to cowboys.
will all you conservative go back to the red-neck hills of rural counties and drink you some moonshine for the next 4 years and wake up in 4 years to for get about these 4 years of president obama
deb whitcomb
Purpose accomplished- 4 MURDERED Americans and US people are arguing who said what. Bottom line any nation or group can get away with murdering and targeting US citizens. Nothing will be done and every American Citizen should be wary because we are all disposable now. Message is sent loud and clear.
The hole world is out to kill every American. I guess we all should stay here in the USA.
jset
A little dramatic I would say...What administration killed Bin Laden? Bengazi just happened. The intel. officials seem to still be workng on this. And you cry Armageddon!!! Relax. Stressing everybody out for nothing. YOu must been freaking out after 911/ and every other disaster that has happened since then. I give you permission to take a vacation and Chill.
Thinking back, I remember 9/11 freaking out a lot of us. But no big deal to you I guess. If the murder of 3000 fellow Americans doesn't get your attention then what would 4 more bodies matter? No big deal.
What plot are ya cookin' up next Wiley Coyote, err, I mean John McCain. Mr. McCain should be ashamed of himself dragging the other Republicans down with him. Like the republican party doesn't look rediculous enough already. Just Shameful.
Will you conservative please give up yall witch hunt. obama has the be most honest president of recent history because you conservatives haven't gotten him with nothing as the president and his administration. And I surely know you have all tried. Stop getting yall news from Fox Entertainment (tabloid news).
What a rediculous waste of time and money.
I am glad to hear that this incident may be cooling down. I am exhausted at hearing and reading about this. My heart goes out to the families of those lost, just as it has to all the families of the American soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. It doesn't matter what you call it - we're talking about the Middle East - and any violence in this part of the world, whether it be by al Quaida, extremists, rebels, religious sects, violent protesters, etc., are acts of terror. Whether or not the talking points regarding Benghazi included the word "terror", it still meant the same thing. Most importantly, the word "terror" being included in the description of what happened would not have swayed my vote in this election. I still would have voted for President Obama.
I am tired of this as well. Someone could please explain to me the very big difference between "armed extremists" and "Al Qaida affiliates" and someone else could explain why we are SHOCKED that people are killed in a small outpost in the middle of someone else's civil war. Of course it is sad – as it is sad that we have lost thousands in the unnecessary war in Iraq, at the World Trade Center, in Afghanistan. If the Intelligence Community is smart enough to excercise some discretion, and McCain and Graham are not, I can only say that I am glad McCain lost.
I am retired from military and I haven't had a pay raise in the last 5 years and Obama responsible for it. So now, let move on and cut spending and fix the tax problem.
You did say retired? Why would you get a raise?
It is a not really a "raise" – it is a cost of living allowance (COLA) like Social Security gets!
What? What military are you retired from that you haven't gotten a raise in 5 years? That is BS. I am also retired from the military and we get a raise every time social security recipients get a raise. We got a raise last year at the same rate as social security so I have no idea who you are trying to fool! We didn't get one for 2 years when SS didn't get one, but not fives years!!!
funny my husband is retired military and has been since 1994 he gets a cost of living raise every year ...even during bush ...isn't much but it is a little ...if you want more blame congress not the president....congress can give you more ...the president only recommends in his budget!!
Penny Wright
John McCain just had a hissy fit.
I suspect that Faux News will not report this on their site. I have checked and they are still insinuating that the White House covered it up. What a bunch of fools!
You hitting the CNN sauce so early? Koolaid-a-holic.
I'd rather drink the CNN kool-aid than the Faux-rubbish!
leukevent
CNN sauce, koolaid? Now you've heard it from the spokesman for the Director of National Intelligence who formalized the reports. Just who will you believe? Dolt!
Political_Moderate
If you hate CNN, why do you read their articles?
Don't worry being ingornat is not a crime.
"ignorant" sorry for the mistake but this CNN group makes you stupid.
I do not result to Rush Limbaugh tactics. Good riddance...
Fox is reporting nearly 100 House members sent letters to Obama opposing his potential nomination of UN Ambassador Susan Rice as next secretary of state, over her controversial remarks on Libya attack. My oh my, if this story is true won't they be eating a lot of crow! Nothing like 100 House members totally embarrassing themselves.
Senator McCain made a fool of himself. It's he who owes an apology, not Ambassador Rice.
worse than Watergate, the president placed politics before American lives. Honestly it makes me sick to think that he is our commander and chief when he is willing to lie to the people he swore an oath to protect. Those of you who think that nothing happened and this is nothing more than a angry republican party have to face facts that while republicans are bitter; the president failed in his duties and failed those who died in that sandy little country in northern Africa. And the worse part about it all was that he lied, he lied to every last American just so his voter base would not be damaged. I cant believe it. . . .
did you read the article???????
Unfortunately, believe it. They are like Teflon in their protection of their god, Obama. Will deny he does anything wrong, just like Obama himself. He is only responsible if something good happens like taking out bin laden and like in that case, he rarely has anything big in the good that was done. Sandy victims are still hurting, but not on CNN. He really needs to do another photo op so that things will be fixed in the storms aftermath.
If you only knew what you was talking about.
1. Sadly I do know what I'm talking about.
2. "If you only knew what you was talking about." I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you used poor grammar at an attempt to make some sort of witty joke, which you no doubt thought was clever. If it was not a joke then I apologize for mentioning your poor grammar pointing out that you are a fool.
Joseph B
You are absolutely right. We should be prosecuting George W Bush for his awful actions that led to the deaths of over 4,000 US Soldiers, fomented hate towards to the US internationally, and spawned many more members of Al Qaeda.
George W Bush placed politics before American lives, failed those many Americans in that sandy little country, and failed in his duties as president both internationally and domestically (9/11, Katrina, etc.). And the worse part about it all was that he lied, he lied to every last American just so his voter base would not be damaged. I can't believe it. . . . Oh wait – you did not care about that when Bush did it – you are just upset that a black democrat is president and so are complaining now...
I see you have mounted the Bush was a bad guy horse and riding that one. First Bush did what was right for our nation, no one likes loosing soldiers of course. But thats what WE sign up to do if need be. All so the other 99% of America can complain about everything else. I supported Bush while I was over there and to this day I know it was the right thing to do bringing the fight to the enemy. He was clear and honest in his intentions. " if you are not with us you are against us" he always said what he meant and meant what he said. period.
Also your comment "you are just upset that a black democrat is president and so are complaining now..."
Don't use the color of the presidents skin as a scapegoat reason for people being angry that he lied to us all, it makes you sound unintelligent.
Please stop with the BS!!! If this was not politicized by Fox News you would not utter a word. You don't like the President ok we got it but to act like you have a clue about the inner workings of government and the President's abilities to manipulate every facet of government is laughable.
batjones
Chairman Rogers owes the public an apology for muddling up the Petraeus testimony that he himself attended. Ansar al Sharia is not Al Quaeda. They may overlap in cause, but it is inaccurate to say that Conservatives are Republicans. Senator Joe Manchin is conservative, and he is a Democrat. However, I would classify someone who attacks a U.S. mission without cause as being an extremist. If we do not have verifiable evidence as to who specifically attacked the U.S. mission in Benghazi, it is more accurate to say extremists attacked the mission than saying Al Quaeda attacked the mission.
Why blame it on a video than? And why ignore all requests to beef up security at the consulate especially on 9/11? Especially after 4 prior incidents on the consulate and even after the British deciding to leave the area. One incident involved terrorist blowing a hole in the wall big enough to fit 40 people through. That's the issue here. Why not just say ' it's being investigated still and we do not have all the facts ' instead the administration spins a story around and blames a video resulting in the American people thinking the president put politics first.
The Administration did say that all of the facts were not in, and that the matter was being investigated, and that the perpertrators of the violent acts would be brought to justice. You have selective memory or are not reading the full account of the Administration's response.
Stop trying desperately to make excuses for all the lying that the White House and its minions did. Susan rice is a professional fraud as is her boss...the great obama. What they should have said is to say that they didn't have all the facts and would not make a statement until they did...and not attribute the whole tragedy to a video...that's the epitome of fraud and misrepresentation...and now to top it all off...they're saying that "someone" in the "intelligence community" took it upon himself or herself to change the wording on a memo given to the White House. This is the ultimate in insults to the American People. How dumb does the White House think that Americans are?...This has been typical of this administration...NEVER TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING...JUST BLAME SOMEONE ELSE...ANYONE...EVEN BUSH...OR EISENHOWER...WHATEVER...AS LONG AS IT'S NOT THEM!!!!!
McAlzheimer's, the GOP Benghazi point-man, was last seen roaming the halls of the Senate asking people where he lived.
Well said... Critical left wing thinking at its best. You just can't get thoughtful input like this outside of the CNN bubble.
So why was this information so slow to get out? Why all of the hearings, etc.? It seems that the administration is desperately trying to find a scapegoat that will cause the least political damage.
Are you just dumb or don't you get the fact that your government cannot tell you everything it is doing at the time it is going on? Sheesh, get a life...it is called classified intelligence. The GOP is on the way to extinction since you are a bunch of morons!
Wow! Arresting a guy making a bad video really is good defense of our security intel! Put an American citizen in the crosshairs of extremists to hide what we're doing? You sir are just a friggin genius! :)~
These repubs who insist on transparency think that releasing classified information to the American public is transparency. They have no clue!
Classified intelligence? Ansar al Sharia claimed credit for the attack on Facebook and Twitter on Sep 11th. Facebook and Twitter are hardly classified intelligence.
you don't "tell all" in the intel game – go back to playing halo...
AnnoyedTaxPayer
This whole delay seems to fit right into this administrations pattern. They knew the facts on day 1 but it wasn't politically convenient with the elections. They lied to the public to make Obama not look like he's failing at his war on terror. I'm reasonable and understand how difficult a war on terror can be but I can't stomach the idea of him lying to the public to win an election. Now this comes out in one small sampling, typical BO. Just like Rice, Hillary and everything else he does. Throw out a little taste and sample the publics response. Then over protest to defend your scapegoat...fabricate a lie and come out looking like a hero. It's been working so far. I'm not OK with "intelligence community" changing facts. Ultimately someone is responsible for fabricating lies and they should be held accountable. Or is this the type of government you're OK with?
Who changed the freakin words? Everybody now plays dumb?
So Susan Rice had talking points that were watered down a bit for logical reasons. But the delivery of the message focused on a fictional protest with indications of extremist elements. I don't get it. Why push the protest message so much. That obviously wasn't proven. Seems pretty foolhardy. Why not a more accurate and honest depiction that explained that it was still unclear whether the attack was instigated from a spontaneous protest or a coordinated, organized attack led by extremists. It it was still unclear, why push one story...
You're the first person who's accused Rice of slanting the talking points. Not even McSenile did that.
She has a top security clearance. She had access to classified information and knew that the CIA pointed the incident towards a planned terrorist attack on the anniversary of 9/11 where 4 prior attacks were also made including one where a hole was blown into the wall big enough to fit 40 people inside. Especially after the Ambassador requesting more security and the administration failing to provide that, makes sense that the administration would use the intel 'string' that came in which spoke of a video and try to water down anything aligning the incident with a terrorist attack with full blown al Qauda operations still active in the area.
Lay off the insults.
EXACTLY! I really do not think that the Republicans are upset over the word "terrorists". They are upset because a video, that no one had heard about until attention was drawn to it, was blamed. A cheap, poorly produced video on YouTube was blamed for the deaths of Americans! They can claim that they chose to blame it on a video for one reason or another, but the truth is, they told America that lie because they obviously think we are stupid! I am an expat living in China, and this is exactly the kind of ridiculous fairy tale propaganda that the CCP feeds their citizens. It is offensive that so many left leaning individuals do not see the BS that is floating right in front of them. This isn't about sour grapes, this is about endangering the lives of more Americans by inciting riots all over the world over a stupid YouTube Video. This is about spending MILLIONS of dollars to make apology videos in the Middle East to perpetuate that lie. Our government did something shady at the financial expense of taxpayers and the safety of her citizens. I don't care what GW Bush did, you need to be outraged at what your Government is doing right now!
Seems pretty clear to many of us. But, I don't think you are in the right place for clear thinking and constructive debate. This forum is limited to neener, neener, name calling, and other clever outbursts. Brilliant base of knowledge represented here. Kind of sad to see that this is the state of our electorate. (insert insult here)
rosethornne
Gee whiz, a responsible and competent person, with a good understanding of international issues, did not reveal clasdified informationon talk shows.
So Oldy McOlderson wants to lynch her for that.
Everything McCain and Graham have said was purely political and that is very upsetting. They had no information to back up their accusations so they lied, not the President!
Okay, so why pushing a video and arresting someone exercising their free speech (disgusting or not)? Why no aid sent to help our troops leaving them to die when we could have been on station in about an hour? Why were the security assets the Ambassador requested not be pulled removed ahead of this? Why when Stevens said they couldn't withstand an attack and we watched Britain and the Red Cross pull out after earlier attacks did we not bring our facilities up to standard and supply sufficient security staff?
The insults are hurling above and below this, but anyone have any answers to these questions? Sounding like you all are just regurgitating talking points and can't answer these basic questions...
Sounds like you already have the answer. Why should anyone else bother?
Chris from California
Just give everyone Sodium Pentothol and call it a wrap this is getting really old, Rice obviously didn't cook up the talking points on her own, and if she didn't then the President should be able to nominate her for Sec of State. This is no different than Powell going in front of the UN claiming WMD's from supposed flawed Intel... wait that intel got 4K men and women killed and these dolts are arguing if it was a terror attack or over some stupid movie! Either way this is not about Susan Rice.
The election is over. Why is this still relevant? Do the conservatives think they're going to get years worth of material from this? There are something like 900 million guns in the US alone. Who knows how much US/Soviet gunpowder is still kicking around in Africa? The bottom line here is that there are a lot of guns and ammo out there including all manner of military surplus. With regard to Libya its terrible but they're not going to stop trying.
Wait until you have kids if you ever do. Losing our soldiers needlessly is relevant regardless of any stupid election. God help our service members who put everything on the line for all of us daily now that they've seen we will turn our backs on them and leave them to die. You are a glaring point for what is wrong with us. Maybe not relevant in your little pathetic world, but needless, and worse abandoning, lossl of our soldiers lives is important whether you believe it or not. Pathetic...
Chance Novak
F'n A Bubba
Littlecompman
People get over it and you people didn't have any problem getting over 3000 man and women killed in Iraq over OIL. Oh that was OK because it was the GOP doing that.
You think those two ex SEALS parents should be getting "over it"? My dad was military career, I was military and my son wants to be military, but I am scared to death to let him serve under such an administration and public that no longer values their contribution to the point that they'll wAtch them die on video when they could have been there with help. And they'll say the words, but there is really no appreciation for the sacrifice they and their families make for us.
demdave
Where was your outrage when Bush sent our finest to war for oil? Isn't what he did with lies about WMD just as bad?
Your comment on kids and your ability to point out what is 'wrong with us' indicate you are older. I have to ask: since you and yours (older) were the responsible stewards of this country up until now, and there is something 'wrong with us', HOW DO YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO CALL SOMEONE ELSE PATHETIC?
Jim, you will not find what you seek here. I know, and so many of us know what sacrifice, honor and dedication truly are. That freedom is not free – some pay quite a bit more than others. It was only 4 i know, but they paid the highest price. I appreciate the service and sacrifice you and your family have given this once great land. We can only hope, and pray that this sad state will be short lived and looked back on as a turning point in our history.
you are sad. you assume everything is about winning elections. this is not and has not been about elections. its about incompetence. Its about why we had a consulate in an unstable country with no security when other nations had left the country due to the instability. Its about why it took 7 hours for help to reach them. Its about why requests for security were ignored. its about why the president was unaware the consulate needed added security (biden's excuse). its about why the president 2 months after the attack still claims he needs more investigation to find out what happened.
The only way you improve yourself and avoid making the same mistake is to be honest about what happened and fix.it.
CAWinMD
If it's about what you just said, then why is all the uproar about talking points and who altered them? That has nothing to do with any of the things that you rattled off that this was "about". It might be about those things for you, but for Congressional Republicans, it's about the potential scandal. And why? Because both Republicans and Democrats are unhappy about the points that you raised, so there's no story there - normal business will figure that out. Now it's about the political theater, the innuendo, the faux bravery ("You may have stolen the election Democrats, but we can still deny you your choice of personnel to work with."). *That's* the part that is pathetic.
This has nothing to do with the election. I would like you to stand before the families of the 4 men killed and tell them this is no longer relevant. Questions still need to be answered about why requests for additional security before 9/11 were denied, why during the attack was help denied and why were orders given to stand down.
Susan Rice would make a terrible secretary of state. No integrity. Not trustworthy.
Get a job and go back to school and learn for yourself what is true and false.
DonnieH.
And you base that on what exactly? Fox News and Republican's character assassination. This is nothing more than a witch hunt. As an Asst. Fire Chief I have had to brief the press on many situations. some of which I had first hand knowledge and others I relied on the intel given to me by others. She read a statement prepared by CIA and other intelligence officials. To demonize her for "reading " a prepared statement is petty. It won't change the past. Besides how smart is it to divulge to much information on an ongoing investigation? Besides it was the Republicans in Congress that voted down funding for additional security to that embassy as well as many others. So who should be persecuted more, the people that did or did not call it terrorism or the people that voted against funding for additional security that might have prevented it?
Seems like she'd be a perfect fit for this administration.
RillyKewl
Alright. Sounds good enough to me. I just want the culprits caught + tried for their acts. TV talking points, before the investigation is completed, doesn't seem nearly as important as getting the bad guys + trying them for their crimes.
The administration is still trying t hide the truth and it still refuses to answer questions about why no aid was rushed to those who were desperately calling for it
Wasn't that because congress voted down the money for those reinforcements?
Watch C Span for a change, no spin left or right. In the hearings the state department said the denial of security had nothing to do with funding. Funding was sufficient. You don't approve increases when not needed and state dept said they had plenty of funding already.
That's correct. The Republicans in Congress slashed $300 million from the State Department's security budget.
If you'd listened to the Sunday talk shows, you'd know that there's was no help available that could be sent on time.
Chris M
Snarfblat
Never. A smart POTUS always has plausible deniability.
So that is how you absolve Bush for the biggest financial meltdown of the century and failure to fund two wars. LOLOLOLOL
You really need a reality check.
Waiting for the administration to blame this whole thing on Bush. Deflecting blame seems to be their m.o.
"Waiting for the administration to blame this whole thing on Bush. Deflecting blame seems to be their m.o."
You sir are correct. Always blame the predecessor, seems like a decent tactic. I wish the white house would just grow a pair and tell everyone the truth, maybe save a little face. only a little though ; )
credit card reform, ending the wasteful iraq war, healthcare reform, and he was reelected.
Looks like the witch hunt is almost over.
Hopefully it is just getting started, duh!!!!!
Let's hope so. We've got bigger wars to fry right now.
cnote22
Trust me... the Republicans won't stop until they've made themselves look as stupid as possible. They are the party of ridiculous, and by God, they won't let facts get deter them.
Not if the repubs have their way. Hopefully the GOP will heed Gov Jindal's statement they the GOP has to stop being the stupid party!
They have...years ago. See you at the revolution.
2 more years and "poof" republicans will be gone
4 Americans were killed. No help was sent. Trying to understand who knew what and when... and who made key decisions along the way... is important. It's one thing to sweep little things under the rug, but we should all be pressing to understand what happened. Not because we are D's or R's... but because Americans died in the service of our country and we owe it to them to figure out what happened and prevent it from happening again.
The GOP witch-hunt into what people were told AFTER the event has no bearing on the legitimate issues you raise.
Yes, "Snarfblat" needs to understand whats' going on so that he/she can micromanage the State Department and the Intelligence Community. I'm sure they need your help. What are you going to recommend? Don't get killed? Throw strikes? Get hits? Don't throw interceptions?
4400 americans died in iraq, where is the investigation?
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Tag Archive: rate cuts
Wait A Minute, What’s This Inversion?
by Jeffrey P. Snider
Back in the middle of 2018, this kind of thing was at least straight forward and intuitive. If there was any confusion, it wasn’t related to the mechanics, rather most people just couldn’t handle the possibility this was real. Jay Powell said inflation, rate hikes, and accelerating growth. Absolutely hawkish across-the-board.And yet, all the way back in the middle of June 2018 the eurodollar curve started to say, hold on a minute.
The Greenspan Moon Cult
Taking another look at what I wrote about repo and the latest developments yesterday, it may be worthwhile to spend some additional time on the “why” as it pertains to so much determined official blindness, an unshakeable devotion to otherwise easily explained lunar events.
A Day For Rate Cuts
Well, that wasn’t he had in mind. The whole point of a rate cut, any rate cut let alone an emergency fifty, is to signal especially the stock market that the Fed is in the business of…something. The public has been led, by and large, to assume that something good happens when the Fed Chair shows up on TV.
Economy: Curved Again
Earlier today, Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) confirmed the country’s economy is in recession. Updating its estimate for Q4 GDP, year-over-year output declined by 0.5% rather than -0.3% as first thought. On a quarterly basis, GDP was down for the second consecutive quarter which mainstream convention treats as a technical recession.
Don’t Forget (Business) Credit
Rolling over in credit stats, particularly business debt, is never a good thing for an economy. As noted yesterday, in Europe it’s not definite yet but sure is pronounced. The pattern is pretty clear even if we don’t ultimately know how it will play out from here. The process of reversing is at least already happening and so we are left to hope that there is some powerful enough positive force (a real force rather than imaginary, therefore...
History Shows You Should Infer Nothing From Powell’s Pause
Jay Powell says that three’s not a crowd, at least not for his rate cuts, but four would be. As usual, central bankers like him always hedge and say that “should conditions warrant” the FOMC will be more than happy to indulge (the NYSE). But what he means in his heart of hearts is that there probably won’t be any need.
Very Rough Shape, And That’s With The Payroll Data We Have Now
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has begun the process of updating its annual benchmarks. Actually, the process began last year and what’s happening now is that the government is releasing its findings to the public. Up first is the Household Survey, the less-watched, more volatile measure which comes at employment from the other direction. As the name implies, the BLS asks households who in them is working whereas the more closely scrutinized...
The FOMC Channels China’s Xi As To Japan Going Global
The massive dollar eruption in the middle of 2014 altered everything. We’ve talked quite a lot about what Euro$ #3 did to China; it sent that economy into a dive from which it wouldn’t escape. And in doing so convinced the Chinese leadership to give growth one more try before changing the game entirely once stimulus inevitably failed.
More (Badly Needed) Curve Comparisons
Even though it was a stunning turn of events, the move was widely celebrated. The Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee, the FOMC, hadn’t been scheduled to meet until the end of that month. And yet, Alan Greenspan didn’t want to wait. The “maestro”, still at the height of his reputation, was being pressured to live up to it.
The Inventory Context For Rate Cuts and Their Real Nature/Purpose
What typically distinguishes recessions from downturns is the inventory cycle. Even in 2008, that was the basis for the Great “Recession.” It was distinguished most prominently by the financial conditions and global-reaching panic, true, but the effects of the monetary crash registered heaviest in the various parts of that inventory process. An economy for whatever reasons slows down.
Three (Rate Cuts) And GDP, Where (How) Does It End?
The Federal Reserve has indicated that it will now pause – for a second time, supposedly. Remember the first: after raising its benchmark rates apparatus in December while still talking about an inflationary growth acceleration requiring even more hikes throughout 2019, in a matter of weeks that was transformed into a temporary suspension of them.
What typically distinguishes recessions from downturns is the inventory cycle. Even in 2008, that was the basis for the Great “Recession.” It was distinguished most prominently by the financial conditions and global-reaching panic, true, but the effects of the monetary crash registered heaviest in the various parts of that inventory process.
Macro Housing: Bargains and Discounts Appear
While things go wrong for Jay Powell in repo, they are going right in housing. Sort of. It’s more than cliché that the real estate sector is interest rate sensitive. It surely is, and much of the Fed’s monetary policy figuratively banks on it. When policymakers talk about interest rate stimulus, they largely mean the mortgage space.
From JOLTS Series Shift To Series of Rate Cuts
I’ve said all along that they would be dragged into them kicking and screaming. After all, the Federal Reserve undertook its last rate hike in December 2018 – just as the markets were making clear he was completely mistaken in his view of the economy. What followed was the ridiculous “Fed pause” which pretty much everyone outside of the central bank and the Economics profession knew wasn’t the end of it.
Waiting on the Calvary
Engaged in one of those protectionist trade spats people have been talking about, the flow of goods between South Korea and Japan has been choked off. The specific national reasons for the dispute are immaterial. As trade falls off everywhere, countries are increasingly looking to protect their own. Nothing new, this is a feature of when prolonged stagnation turns to outright contraction.
Is The Negativity Overdone?
Give stimulus a chance, that’s the theme being set up for this week. After relentless buying across global bond markets distorting curves, upsetting politicians and the public alike, central bankers have responded en masse. There were more rate cuts around the world in August than there had been at any point since 2009.
The Path Clear For More Rate Cuts, If You Like That Sort of Thing
If you like rate cuts and think they are powerful tools to help manage a soft patch, then there was good news in two international oil reports over the last week. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) cut its forecast for global demand growth for the seventh straight month. On Friday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) downgraded its estimates for the third time in four months.
US Economic Crosscurrents Reach the 50 Mark
In the official narrative, the economy is robust and resilient. The fundamentals, particularly the labor market, are solid. It’s just that there has arisen an undercurrent or crosscurrent of some other stuff. Central bankers initially pointed the finger at trade wars and the negative “sentiment” it creates across the world but they’ve changed their view somewhat.
What Does It Mean That Real Estate, Not Equities, Is Driving Monetary Policy?
In the world of assets classes, I don’t believe it is equities which hold the Federal Reserve’s attention. After the 2006-11 debacle, the big bust, you can at least understand why policymakers might be more attuned to real estate no matter how the NYSE trades. It may be a decade ago, but that’s the one thing out of the Global Financial Crisis which was seared into the consciousness of everyone who lived through it.
As Chinese Factory Deflation Sets In, A ‘Dovish’ Powell Leans on ‘Uncertainty’
It’s a clever bit of misdirection. In one of the last interviews he gave before passing away, Milton Friedman talked about the true strength of central banks. It wasn’t money and monetary policy, instead he admitted that what they’re really good at is PR. Maybe that’s why you really can’t tell the difference Greenspan to Bernanke to Yellen to Powell no matter what happens.
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Socialism and Trade Unionism East
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Time running out to save airports at heart of regional economies, warns Unite
29 May 2020 Steve Leave a comment
More than two months on from the promised but yet to emerge government support for the UK’s beleaguered aviation industry, the UK’s leading aviation union is warning that without urgent action regional economies will take a big hit destroying the prime minster’s pledge to `level up’ the economy.
Research commissioned by Unite the union highlights the vast economic contributions airports make to regional economies and details the devastating effect that closure of an airport or severe reductions in activity would have on the local area. An estimated 1.2 million UK workers rely on aviation for their employment, many of them in the airports, airlines, retail, services and transport jobs associated with air travel.
easyJet blow
The report is published 24 hours after the sector suffered yet another blow as airline easyJet announced plans to cut its workforce by 30 per cent. easyJet is a hugely important player in terms of regional airports with major bases at Gatwick and Luton.
Unite’s research details how Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport supports a total of 190,000 jobs across the UK and generates an income of £9.7 billion for the surrounding and national economy. It also details the economic benefits of regional airports to local economies, for example Bristol airport indirectly supports 15,000 jobs in the South West and generates £1.3 billion, while Glasgow airport is another significant economic contributor, supporting 8,200 jobs and generating £590 million for the Scottish economy.
Northern Ireland is particularly reliant on air travel to ensure connectivity to the UK mainland but its two airports Belfast International and Belfast City are also major employers, supporting 4,000 workers who are directly employed at the airports.
Cardiff, the principal airport in Wales, directly and indirectly supports 2,600 jobs and generates £93 million for the local economy.
Studies have suggested that Gatwick and the local town of Crawley could be worst affected by lack of support for the aviation sector, the airport generates £2.7 billion for the South East and directly and indirectly supports 43,000 jobs.
But it is not just the larger airports that support local economies; smaller airports including Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Doncaster/Sheffield, Exeter and Southampton are all vital to their local economies.
Full regional impact
The new research Economic and social importance of the UK’s regional airports further develops the key messages found in Unite’s own blueprint UKaviation flying into the future which provides details of the actions needing to be taken by the government to protect airlines and airports and to preserve jobs and conditions in the sector, which has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unite is warning that without a specific bespoke package for the aviation industry tens of thousands of jobs could soon be lost. All airports are impacted and smaller regional airports may even be forced to close permanently
Massive economic activity
Unite assistant general secretary Diana Holland said: “Airports are hubs for massive economic activity for our towns and cities, supporting jobs from cabin crew and ground handling to engineers and cleaners.
“But they are facing huge challenges at the moment and need urgent assistance to secure a future where they can continue to provide important routes and support millions of direct and indirect jobs.
“The prime minister himself made clear yesterday that he is committed to levelling up the economy, to spread the economic benefits more fairly. That really must mean helping our airports through these tough times as, possibly more than any other industry, they provide jobs and incomes in every corner of the country.
“To lose them or see them diminish as employers will open up huge holes in local economies the length and breadth of the country.
“It is crucial that regional airports are supported by the government to ensure that regional connectivity and local economies are not irrevocably damaged with mass job losses, especially in those parts of the country where they are a major employer or the heart of the economy.
“Regional connectivity is a vital lifeline that needs to be preserved and enhanced through support for specific routes through public service obligation funding.”
“Our airports are central to our infrastructure and vital for business, travel and even the NHS. They must be preserved for the nation’s benefit.”
Unite is urging everyone in the local community surrounding an airport to contact their local MP to lobby the government and explain how regional airports and the entire aviation sector needs specific financial support.
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Home » News » Experience David Attenborough’s The Green Planet as a 5G AR App
Experience David Attenborough’s The Green Planet as a 5G AR App
David Attenborough’s next project The Green Planet, focuses on flora and fauna from across the world and thanks to a new collaborative effort will be turned into an augmented reality (AR) experience.
Led by immersive content studio Factory 42, BBC Studios, mobile network EE, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Talesmith and Dimension Studios have announced The Green Planet 5G AR Consortium to create the AR experience and promote 5G technology.
Awarded £2.2 million GBP as part of the 5G Create competition, the consortium’s AR app will allow you to explore this fascinating subject from the perspective of plants. You’ll be able to use an AR-capable device to nurture rare and exotic plants, observing their behaviour whilst encountering the various animals that live among them.
“The importance of protecting the planet has never been greater and the opportunity to use emerging technologies to engage audiences of all ages in environmental issues in new ways is hugely exciting,” said John Cassy, Founder and CEO, Factory 42 said. “We’re delighted to have pulled together a unique consortium of world-leading organisations and look forward to showing how 5G networks will enhance our everyday lives and our understanding of the world around us.”
“5G Create is about exploring new and inventive ways we can use 5G to give British industries a competitive advantage. This cutting-edge app, fronted by broadcasting legend Sir David Attenborough, is set to be an inspiring example of how new technology can reconnect us with the natural world whilst demonstrating the power of 5G to a huge new audience,” said Matt Warman, Minister for Digital Infrastructure.
As the project is all about showcasing the power of 5G the interactive experience will be available “in a number of set locations” around the UK notes Factory 42. How many and where have yet to be finalised. The Green Planet AR will be released in 2022, plenty of time to get a compatible 5G device.
For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
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Archives for category: Bands
“Why” Skeleton Crew Partners With Music For Good
April 12, 2013 //
Skeleton Crew is proud to announce the band’s participation in Music For Good. We have partnered with Music For Good to help raise awareness and money for OXFAM America: “Creating Solutions to Poverty, Hunger & Injustice.”
Every artist selling music on ReverbNation that participates in Music For Good chooses a charity they’d like to support and splits proceeds of that sale right down the middle: $0.56 for the artist + $0.56 for the charity + $0.17 processing. So every time a fan buys a song from a ReverbNation artist, they’re demonstrating their support for indie music and a worthy cause.
Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice. OXFAM save lives, develop long-term solutions to poverty, and campaign for social change. Oxfam is one of 17 members of an international confederation, they work with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions.
Oxfam America works on the scene, helping people gain the hope, skills, and direction to create a new future. They are also active in the global arena, addressing social injustice through our advocacy, public education, and emergency assistance programs.
Skeleton Crew has contributed our song: “Why.” Originally inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award winning film, “Schindler’s List” and the genocide that was taking place in Bosnia-Herzegovina circa 1994. “Why” has never been released as a recording to the public until now. Our purpose is to inspire the power within everyone to speak up, help others, and simply “do good.”
Download “Why” by Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew’s “Why” was first enlisted as the soundtrack to the band’s video of the same name focusing on the 2011 Arab Spring uprising taking place in Egypt:
Why Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYJY9F9ZE68&feature=share&list=UUMaGtvTSkV2lmE-pz55tBJw
The sound recording is the original conceptual demo of “Why,” basically written and recorded the moment that inspiration hit that same day. The song shows the band experimenting with found sounds and tape loops to help illustrate the chaos and carnage taking place in the world at that moment.
While the band would prefer that interested parties donate to a worthy cause we are also making the song available as a free download here: Nimbit Store: http://www.nimbitmusic.com/skeletoncrew/#shop/why
Tags Arab Spring, Beth Hart, Beyonce, Bosnia, Destiny's Child, Egypt, Imagine Peace, Justin Timberlake, Music For Good, OXFAM America, ReverbNation, Schindler's List, Skeleton Crew, Skeleton Crew Music, Star Search, Steven Spielberg, Why, Yoko Ono
Categories Bands, Downloads, Music, Music For Good, New Music, OXFAM America, Recordings, Skeleton Crew, Skeleton Crew Music
Skeleton Crew® Has “Faith” In First Single Release On New Label
November 11, 2010 //
Skeleton Crew® New Single | Faith
Detroit (November 11, 2010) – On November 11, 2010 Skeleton Crew® will release their first single, “Faith,” on their own recording label, Skeleton Crew Music. The new single is available for digital download on iTunes, Amazon.com, CD Baby, ReverbNation, Nimbit and most popular digital music download sites. “We’re excited about taking control of our music catalog and how it is presented to the public,” said William Pilipchuk, Skeleton Crew® lead singer. “We’ll be following this release up with a re-mastered version of our debut album “pre-historic…dig!,” a collection of un-released demos and new music in 2011.”
Record Producer, Marc Pastoria
“Faith” was produced by Grammy® Award winning record producer Mark Pastoria (for his work on the Luther Vandross Tribute Album with Aretha
Author, Mitch Albom
Franklin) and recorded at Harmonie Park Studios in Detroit, Michigan. The song was originally released as the band’s contribution to the Christmas in Detroit 3 project. Proceeds from Christmas in Detroit 3 went to author/columnist Mitch Albom’s S.A.Y. Detroit Charity to help the homeless in Detroit. “’Faith’ is still available on Christmas in Detroit 3,” adds Pilipchuk, “and we encourage everyone to purchase that incredible recording at http://www.christmasindetroit.org.” “Faith” single cover photograph by artist Julio Pallone.
This not-so-stereotypical Detroit band has enjoyed a wealth of accolades bestowed on them by their hometown in recent years. The band garnering top honors at The Motor City Music Awards as “Band of The Year” and pre-historic…dig! was named “Best Pop/Rock Record.”
Skeleton Crew® was the first Michigan band to release an “Enhanced CD,” technology that combined video and computer interactivity in addition to the music tracks. “pre-historic…dig!” was also one of the first “Enhanced CD” releases in the country, even in advance of enhanced products from the Rolling Stones and Madonna!
As performers, Skeleton Crew has opened shows for such diverse acts as: The Rembrandts, the Smithereens, Robert Palmer, Todd Rundgren, Tesla, Kenny Loggins, Foreigner and Eddie Money. Venues have ranged from 2000-seaters, to the outdoor DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, Tiger Stadium in Detroit and The Palace of Auburn Hills arena.
Skeleton Crew® also merits a musical footnote in the career of superstar Beyonce Knowles as being “that scary band” that defeated the then 12-year and her group Girl Tyme on Ed McMahon’s Star Search.
Tags acoustic, Album Cover Art, Aretha Franklin, Bands, Beth Hart, Beyonce, Christmas in Detroit, Destiny's Child, Ed McMahon, entertainment, Girl Tyme, Harmonie Park Studios, Justin Timberlake, Luther Vandross, Marc Pastoria, Mitch Albom, Music, Pastor Henry Covington, Record Label, S.A.Y. Detroit!, Skeleton Crew, Skeleton Crew®, Star Search
Categories Art, Bands, Cd Release, Downloads, Internet, MP3, Music, Music Publishing, Musicians, New Music, Recording, Recordings, Studio Recording
True Blue Crew: Take A Look At Tat Beauty!
Connie Marshall-Rautenberg | Applying Skeleton Crew Tattoo
Connie Marshal Rautenberg can be considered either the sixth or seventh member of Skeleton Crew depending on which configuration of the band you discuss. Over the years Skeleton Crew has performed at a select few weddings that has earned the band the additional honor of “Wedding Band!”
When we were asked to perform at our “Harmony Partner’s” wedding to a great guy and great musician no less, Art Rautenberg, we were honored. But we were totally not prepared for the surprise Connie had in store for us!
Connie has been true blue Crew since day one and our legacy owes a large part to her incredible efforts on our behalf. So I guess it really shouldn’t have come to much of a surprise when Connie revealed underneath her wedding dress the glorious-to-behold Skeleton Crew tattoo emblazoned on her ankle!
Connie was gracious to supply us with photographs of her getting tattooed along with some pictures of the band performing “Siren Song” and “Faith” at her and Art’s wedding held at the stately Detroit Athletic Club. A splendid time was had by all!
Tags Bands, Events, Music, Skeleton Crew®, Star Search, Tattoo, wedding band, weddings
Categories Art, Bands, Tattoo
Confirmed: Skeleton Crew LargeFM.com Interview Friday 7-30-10 at 7 pm
Confirmed: Skeleton Crew will participate in their first band interview of 2010 this Friday, July 30, 2010. The interview begins at 7 pm sharp on internet radio powerhouse Large FM! Skeleton Crew will be the guests of DJ Corey “Hack” King and DJ Coori “Ferrari” Francis.
The band will discuss their Star Search experience, Beyonce, the collapse of their record label, Intersound, just when the band was talking off, their resurgence in 2009 with the recording and release of Faith, solo projects and Skeletal plans for the future.
Tune in and listen to all the antics at http://www.largefm.com/! We’re slated for 15 minutes of on-air time, maybe more if Bogdon is on a roll!
This is a worldwide internet radio event so tell all your friends in Prague, Barcelona, Kingston, Okinawa, Cologne, St. Petersburg…
Tags acoustic, Bands, Beyonce, Destiny's Child, Ed McMahon, Girl Tyme, live perfomance, Music, Musical Instruments, My Brutha's Keepa, Skeleton Crew, Skeleton Crew®, Star Search
Categories Bands, Internet Radio, Interview, Music, Musicians, Radio, Recording
Skeleton Crew | Live at Griff’s Grill | Twilight
Attention: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and gurls, cats and dogs, vampires and mammals of all ages; welcome back to another video in the Skeleton Crew® Live at Griff’s Grill series. Many songs from the Skeleton Crew® repertoire only appear in this rare video footage which makes the Skeleton Crew® Live at Griff’s Grill series a true gem.
The video is hand-held, well-worn, and not up to the quality of the Palace of Auburn Hills performances, but good enough to get a raw feel of what the band was like in close quarters.
This week’s song is our precursor homage to the hugely popular and successful “Twilight Saga.” Please savor some of the tasty bass licks from our wunderkind, Chris Badynee (aka Bogdon Vasquaf), and bite into this musical serving appropriately titled: “Twilight.” Njoy!
Tags acoustic, Bands, Beth Hart, Beyonce, Christmas in Detroit, Destiny's Child, Ed McMahon, entertainment, Events, gigs, Girl Tyme, Justin Timberlake, live perfomance, Music, Skeleton Crew, Skeleton Crew®, Star Search
Categories Bands, Live Music, Music, Musicians
Skeleton Crew Launches Live at Griff’s Grill Video Series
In the spirit of transparency we offer up this next series of Skeleton Crew® video performances. We don’t want to give the world the impression that Skeleton Crew® only performed at 20,000 plus seat arenas. On the contrary, Skeleton Crew® was an equal opportunity venue performer; yes we played large venues, but also enjoyed some of our best performances in smaller ones, too, like the State Theatre and Royal Oak Music.
One thing the band takes great pride in is its consistency. We played exactly with the same intensity and attention to detail in a parking lot, back lot, beer hall, bistro, coffee shop or in someone’s living room.
Which brings us to our new video series: Skeleton Crew® Live at Griff’s Grill. Griff’s was a cool place to gig, right in the heart of the city of Pontiac, Michigan and in the shadows of the Pontiac Silverdome where the Detroit Lions used to play. The video tape of this classic footage of the band was dug up by our drummer Greg’s beautiful wife, Janine Tyler. Thank you so much Janine!
Many songs from the Skeleton Crew® repertoire only appear in this rare series which makes the Skeleton Crew® Live at Griff’s Grill series a true gem. The video is hand-held, well-worn, and not the quality of the Palace of Auburn Hills performance, but good enough to get a raw feel of what the band was like in close quarters.
Come back often over the next few weeks to get down and dirty with Skeleton Crew® Live at Griff’s Grill. This week’s song is “Trumpeting Soul.” Hope you Njoy!
Tags acoustic, Alternative Music, Bands, Beth Hart, Beyonce, Destiny's Child, entertainment, Events, gigs, Girl Tyme, Justin Timberlake, live perfomance, Music, Pop Music, Rock Music, Skeleton Crew, Skeleton Crew®, Star Search
Skeleton Crew | Palace of Auburn Hills Concert | Lost My Way
February 20, 2010 //
As Jim Morrison so eloquently put it: “This is the end”…of the Palace of Auburn Hills Concert Series. We hope you’ve enjoyed watching the videos over the past few weeks as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing them to you.
Skeleton Crew® would like to send the love out to our harmony partner, Connie Marshall, who made this concert and the video footage you’ve been watching a reality. We love you Connie! And, we happen to love to love this song, “Lost My Way.” Njoy!
Tags acoustic, Bands, Beth Hart, Beyonce, Christmas in Detroit, Destiny's Child, Ed McMahon, entertainment, Events, gigs, Girl Tyme, Justin Timberlake, live perfomance, Music, Skeleton Crew, Star Search, The Palace of Auburn Hills
Categories Bands, Live Music, Music
Skeleton Crew | The Palace of Auburn Hills Concert | Trumpeting Soul
January 9, 2010 //
Welcome to The Palace of Auburn Hills Concert Series! Each week we will be uploading a different song from that performance. This week’s Skeleton Crew® song is “Trumpeting Soul.”
It’s fitting we had the opportunity to perform “Trumpeting Soul” on the Palace stage as the idea for the music was first introduced there. Skeleton Crew® had the honor of performing the national anthem at several Detroit Pistons games. It was backstage at one of the anthem performances that Scott first played me the idea he had for the opening guitar line. I had had the title “Trumpeting Soul” running through my head for some time and the moment Scott played me the opening guitar line I said: “that’s trumpeting soul!”
The song deals with coming to terms with the loss of a loved one; in this case the passing of my father a few years earlier. His death to this day weighs heavily on my conscience as it was the result of an accident I felt to blame. I am forever grateful to have hugged my father the night before the accident and told him directly that I loved him. ~William
Thought you might like reading the lyrics so here they are:
trumpeting soul
no never mind i never needed to tell you i want you
i’d sooner die than believe in the weakness of fools
all my life i’ve waited…it’s true
to realize i never needed no one more than you
a hand for the helpless to help tie my shoes
listen to me (hush my darling)
hear the word, speak the truth (don’t you cry)
there’s somebody up there (keep your head up)
smilin’ down on me and you (high…)
baby i (like), maybe i’d (to), like to know (know)
the trumpeting soul
i had in mind a little faith in this trial and error world
you might have been sorry for leaving so soon
take your time don’t hurry…this through
i’d rather die than be left all alone without you
a sign for the silent and a sun dripping life
hold on to something (hush my darling)
the key that we hold (don’t you cry)
it sounds just like music (keep your head up)
and it feels good as gold (high…)
maybe i (take), maybe i’ll (con), take control (trol)
of the trumpeting soul
a symbol of hope we don’t dare let go
cry if you need to (hush my darling)
said the calm before the storm (don’t you cry)
and know that i love you (keep your head up)
as you walk through that door (high…)
Gabriel! (blow), Gabriel! (your), come blow your horn (horn)
you’re the trumpeting soul
Word & Music by Skeleton Crew® | ©Skeleton Crew Music (ASCAP)
Tags acoustic, Bands, Beyonce, Destiny's Child, Ed McMahon, entertainment, Events, gigs, Girl Tyme, Justin Timberlake, live perfomance, Music, My Brutha's Keepa, Pine Knob Music Theatre, Skeleton Crew, Skeleton Crew®, Star Search, The Palace of Auburn Hills
Learning, Coincidence & Reconnection: Skeleton Crew Live at the Wagon Wheel by Steve Schultz
December 19, 2009 //
Learning, coincidence and reconnection. Sometimes a unique series of events come together to produce lasting memories. If you’re lucky, you actually get to see how these events continue to connect and expand into even more unique remembrances. And sometimes these recurrences excite suppressed yearnings.
Learning So it’s another Friday morning, I’m an AV engineer at GTN/CSG and checking the entertainment section in the newspaper before actually doing any real work. Jim McFarlin writes that a new local band called Skeleton Crew is playing tonight at the Wagon Wheel in Troy. This band is made up of some musicians that I have previously run sound for. Jim calls their music “power acoustic”. Geez, it’s been at least 4 years since I’ve seen Chris Badynee (ex- Cadillac Kidz bassist/songwriter), Russ Epker (ex- BSA guitarist) and Bill Pilipchuk (ex- BSA vocalist/songwriter). Maybe I’ll go. Ah, I don’t know…. Well, Darlene (my wife) probably won’t want to go since she has to get up early for work.……Ah, I don’t know, after all, it’s just the Wagon Wheel. Never ran sound there, it’s not exactly a rock joint. Large painting of Diamond Jim Brady on the outside. Oh well, better get some work done…….
Later that day, I run into Gary Pillon, the godfather of remote audio, playing with this weird microphone. He says it’s a prototype stereo sound pressure mic from Crown® called a SASS-P MKII® (Stereo Ambient Sampling System). This updated mic hasn’t yet been released (its serial number is 0003), and he tells that he’s been testing it out on classical music and choirs. He says it works great for getting that live acoustic sound of the room. Crown® has loaned it to him to try, all they want is informative feedback, and maybe some sample recordings.
What the hell, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. “Hey Gary, how’s about I try it out on a bunch of local rockers doing an acoustic gig tonight?” “Sure”, says the big man, “you can also use my new portable (TCD-D3) Sony® DAT recorder and some headphones. Just take some notes and bring it all back Monday.”
It’s 5 o’clock and I’m outta there. I roll home eat dinner, play with Chelsea, our 2 year old daughter and chat with Darlene, my again pregnant wife. After they both go to bed, I play around with the gear for awhile, then get ready to go to the show.
When I get to the club, the place is jam packed and the boys (Bill Pilipchuk, Scott Christy, Dan Hess, Chris Badynee, and Russ Epker) have already started. It must be 85 degrees and 90% humidity in the place. Humidity has a small, but measurable effect on sound speed (causing it to increase by about 0.1%-0.6%). Nothing like a hot, sweaty, smoky, dimly lit crowded club- this is my idea of a perfect combo for any show. It’s what Dave Rat calls the Thermodynamics of a Rock Show.
Their front of house (FOH) engineer, John Wysk, a fellow soundman in the Detroit scene for Toby Redd, and I have worked many a show together. His mix is perfect and the place is getting more crowded by the minute. I see many friends have arrived to cheer the boys on. In between songs, and after I buy him a beer, I tell John about the portable recording gear in my car and ask if it’s ok to give it a shot. “Go for it, man. Better get a spot quick, looks like the room’s gonna be too tight to move soon.” I tell the giant Bouncer I’ll be right back, just need to get some stuff in my car for the band.
I grab the gear, return to the entrance. Man, must be 40 people in line waiting to get in. Screw it, I push my way to the front carrying the gear. As soon as I get one foot in the door, the same Bouncer places his huge hand on my chest, stopping me dead in my tracks. Listen, 155lbs of a long hair soundman ain’t nothin’ next to a 250lb ex- linebacker.
“The place is too full, you’ll have to wait in line with the rest.”
“What the f… I just told you I was going to my car to get some recording gear.”
“It’s too packed, and the owner just told me not to let anyone else in until some people leave.”
“Dude, I just left, and now I’m coming back. Christ, don’t you remember me. It’s not like there’s anybody else with a handlebar moustache that just left to get some audio gear out of his car.”
“Sorry man, I can’t do anything about that, right now. You’re gonna hafta wait like–” Just then, the song ends. Again, if you don’t ask… (Holding up the gear) “John! Hey John!” Wysk nods to the Bouncer, who concedes (not without crap from everyone else waiting in line).
I setup as quick as I can. The mic is on a stand (thanks Gary!) about 40’ Stage Right of the band and 6’ from the floor. I set levels on the DAT and cross my fingers cause the headphones aren’t loud enough to really monitor with. The boys rip through 4 tunes (In Another Life; Don’t Look Back; One Last Chance; Since I Met You) before taking a break. Geez, I thought Bill’s voice was going to plunge the recording into digital overload on “One Last Chance”. That dude sure has some pipes! Good thing I was visually monitoring levels. And who the hell thought of covering a Hermione Gingold tune? Brilliant! It’s a good thing it wasn’t “The Borgias Are Having an Orgy”.
Holy Crap! Now that I’m not so focused on the recording, I realize that the place is about 100 degrees with 100% humidity and about to burst at the seams. I’m in the middle of a human car wash, without any protection for myself and the gear, and if I don’t move to some place safe, I could really be in trouble.
I move the gear next to John’s FOH console, buy him another beer, and promise not to get in his way. The mic is now 55’ from the stage, about 5’ from the back wall, and 6’ from the floor. Not exactly ideal, but at least it’s a drunk proof zone (I hope). The boys come back on for their last set. The place is so packed that Bill announces to the people still waiting in line that he will come outside and sing if they don’t let everyone in. The boys and the audience are thoroughly enjoying and playfully interacting with each other. I cross my fingers that the Crown® mic is doing its job. Everything is going smooth for 4 more tunes (Sentimental; Siren Song; Sea of Jealousy; We Ought to Know Better), when the batteries start to poop out as Chris begins to do “God Loves George Jones.” Thank God I’m not in the middle of the audience as I struggle to get the dead Duracell’s replaced, just in time to catch the end of the tune. Dang it! Shoulda checked the voltage levels before leaving the house. Fresh batteries allow me to continue as the boys pull out another 4 to close. (Excuse Me Sir; Paper Promises; Cry Myself Dry; Freedom On Your Mind).
At the end of the show, the boys go into the crowd to meet & greet. Rich Nelson from BSA and I try to listen to the playback, but the noise floor in the club has to be 90dB. If I push the monitoring level too high on the DAT, it sounds distorted. John makes me promise to get him a copy. Hopefully I can come through. I try listening via headphones on the way home, but the nuances of the recording are lost in the car road noise and my tinnitus. Man, have I just wasted my time, and dented my rep? Oh well, it was a memorable night either way. I’ll just hafta wait until Monday to give the tape a listen at the GTN studio with Gary.
That Monday afternoon I hookup with Gary. We give an initial listen, but he has other work pressing, so I leave a few blank cassettes for him to make copies. The next day (October 8th – for the significance of this date, read on), I pickup the cassette copies. The quality is pretty good, except for the area where the batteries died. The mic captures the essence of sitting in the audience better than anything else I’ve ever used. We both agree that the mic seems to work best from the first position. He asks if he can submit examples of the tunes to Crown®. I fill out the mic position info, attach it to a cassette copy of a few of the tunes, then sent it on its way. A few weeks later I received a copy of the Crown® SASS Demo CD as a thank you for my input. Gary went on to design a surround sound rig using two SASS-P MKII® mics, and Crown® gave him two free mics for his help. He still uses them to this day. I’ve used this mic to do a 3 day national college marching band competition, as well as some High School marching band recordings. Worked great every time!
Fast forward a few weeks later. Skelton Crew has another gig, so I drop off a cassette copy to John, buy him a couple of beers, and stay to enjoy the show with my lovely wife Darlene. A few months later, I get a call from Skeleton Crew asking if I can run sound for them. In 1992, I was slowly removing myself from the scene, only working gigs for special friends. Chelsea, our two year old daughter was my main focus, and our second daughter Hailee was on her way.
“John’s not available. Can you work the next few gigs? And, oh by the way, we now have a drummer.”
“Sure, why not. But, are you sure? I mean, I don’t exactly have a light touch and I might tend to Rock it up a bit more, especially now that you have a drummer.”
“We trust you. Please help.”
So I did. Filled in for John for about 6 gigs. It was a blast, but I really had to work to control my volume and keep a ‘light touch’. The boys were handling the dynamics well enough by themselves, and adding anything major really took away from their ‘feel’. Back then my mix was about punch, shock & awe – with vocals always wet & on top. Every once and awhile Darlene & I would go to see them when John mixed. I always thought John did a better job than me, a ‘more refined’ touch. Some soundmen just fit well with certain bands. Me, I always seemed to do best with power pocket drummers and interesting lead singers (Rhythm Corps, Via Satellite, Cadillac Kidz, the Roommates). And with Adrenalin, I could vibrate the prosthetic leg of their follow spot man Tony V every time (and that was with the guitar leads, not just the kick drum).
Reconnection After the birth of our second daughter, Hailee, I was completely out of the Rock n Roll business – focusing more on TV & recording studio design. Chris called me one day to let me know that Skeleton Crew was competing on Star Search. They almost made it to win it all too. It still makes me smile to see the YouTube video of these local boys beating out “Girl Tyme”, Beyonce’s precursor to Destiny’s Child. What a trip!
Learning Over the next decade and a half , besides being a Dad, I’ve changing careers multiple times (from TV design, to supervising a creative advertising department, to photographer, to 3D virtual reality room display design, to PMI certified project manager). Now I’m a musical playwright. Somewhere along the line I even managed to get a Top Secret security clearance (but if I tell you about it, I might have to kill you after I answer). In between all this I’ve sporadically done my fair share of audio gigs. Just lucky I guess. After working with Skeleton Crew, I’d leaned toward more listening and understanding what not to do in a mix, instead of what I could add. Every time I did a jazz group or church gig, I’d do my best to let the artists shine through, without trying to add too much of my own signature. Twice, I had the honor of doing sound for Kem just before he was signed at Motown, this is one artist that works best with the ’light touch’ approach I learned with Skeleton Crew.
Reconnection. Throughout the years, I always kept in touch with Chris Badynee, occasionally checking out his shows under his alter ego Bogdon Vasquaf. Darlene and I watched his daughter do a soft-shoe while his band played jug music to accompany her. I even took Hailee and her bass playing boyfriend to a gig where he was demonstrating his box bass. I feel it’s important to connect with and support people who continue to pursue their dreams, especially when they’ve occasionally dropped their passions so that they could take time out to be a parent.
When I did my first interview with Encore Michigan about my playwrights group trying to get something going locally by holding open staged readings of our plays, Chris was the first to post it on Facebook. Because of the positive response from many of the musicians I had worked with, and constant pressure from Darlene and my daughters, I succumbed to the world of social networking. Low and behold, if I didn’t reconnect with other Detroit musical souls, including Bill Pilipchuk. I found out that he and the Skeleton Crew boys decided to get back together to record at Harmonie Park Studios for the Christmas in Detroit CD to benefit S.A.Y. Detroit, a nonprofit organization dedicated to programs for the homeless. This charity is founded by local wunderkind Mitch Albom. Darlene just finished reading his latest book ‘Have a Little Faith’. Bill tells me that the song they are recording is called ‘Faith’ and they were adding Pastor Henry’s choir (featured in Mitch’s book) to the end of the song. Coincidences?
I’ve been slowly digitizing all my old live show cassettes, so I decide to transfer the Wagon Wheel show next. While I’m cueing up the cassette, I decided to use the tune ‘One Last Chance’ for a level check (remembering the peaks Bill hit with his voice that night). Darlene was listening, and commented that she’d forgotten how good Bill’s voice was. This is one dude who, as they say in the theatre, can really “hit the back wall”. When I emailed Bill to see if he would be interested in a digital copy of the Wagon Wheel concert, you could feel beaming excitement pour through his response. Seems his wife Susan has practically worn out her cassette copy of the show. The craziest thing is that Bill’s email to me was on October 8th – yep, boys & girls, 18 years to the date when I got my first copies of the Wagon Wheel recording from Gary P. Coincidence? As Albert Einstein said “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” These types of events always make me push further, just to see what dreams may come.
Reconnection. The following Monday I call Bill to see if I can drop off a CD copy on my way to my monthly playwrights meeting in Ferndale. I arrive at his brownstone near Lola’s Salon a few minutes late. I get to meet his beautiful wife Susan, and we catch up quickly.
Bill mentions he’s been retired from singing since the late 1990’s, and never really intended to go back, but after he forwarded the tune ‘Faith’ to Brian Pastoria and, with some heavy persuasion (never, ever discount Brian Pastoria’s enthusiasm), he decided to reconnect with the boys to give it a go. He recounted this story about a person who is in Pastor Henry’s choir that was at a crossroads in their life until they were given the lyrics to ‘Faith’. Coincidence?
Says Bill – “…In fact not too long ago this individual was sleeping in a box next to Harmonie Park Studios, and also used to party too much at Lola’s Midtown Tavern.” (another supposed coincidence? I think not.). “Of all my music experiences, this songs’ effect on this person meant more to me than anything.”
Images of concern, restless ideas, passion flow out and surround our 60 minute reconnection.
“…I’ve had an idea for a musical, but I just do know whether I have enough time”….“So email me your thoughts and let’s see what happens…”
“Dude, you’re a little rusty, I’m a little rusty.” – We ask our friends to get the oil can, and apply.
Learning, coincidence and reconnection. As Bill shows me around iContact Designs impeccably appointed brownstone they call their workspace, I’m impressed with his openness and passion for his work; but I sense an underlying yearning for balance between the impact of the Detroit economy, the ability to stay the course, and a sense of restrained dreams within. I’m reminded of the tough times in 1980’s early Detroit, which bred musically like minded souls to band together to make sense of the poor economy through music. Somewhere, along the path, we all took slight detours away from our desires in order to suppress disappointment, yet, have a little faith, fire doesn’t fade away. These recurring episodes ignite smoldering passions that eventually awaken as closed away memories catch fire. As we mature, events manifest revealing when it’s time to move. We need to seize these opportunities, because we might just have one last chance, one last chance to be drawn toward these moments of truth, discovering from each event, and reconnecting like trumpeting souls as they occur.
-Steve Schultz
Tags acoustic, Bands, Christmas in Detroit, Destiny's Child, Ed McMahon, Events, Faith, gigs, live perfomance, Music, Skeleton Crew, Star Search
Categories Art, Bands, Live Music, Music
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Style takes centre stage in Guinness ad
DIAGEO has unveiled the next stage of its ‘Made of More’ campaign for Guinness.
The new ad, which breaks on January 15, features the Sapeurs, a group of ‘refined gentlemen’ from the Republic of Congo, as they set aside the grime of the local fields to dress in their signature sharp suits and proceed to party with their local community.
“What we love about the Sapeurs and drew us to them was not only the vibrancy and colour, but at its core, their story is one of dignity and self expression,” said Stephen O’Kelly, marketing director, Western Europe, for Guinness.
“In the spirit of Made of More we wanted to capture the story of a group of men whose integrity and character shone through despite the challenges they face.
“Dressing well can symbolise many things, but for the Sapeurs, fine clothes stand for peace, integrity and honour.”
Supreme Court ruling could lead to COVID insurance payouts
Nicole will make her Mark in bourbon role
New hospitality development programme launches
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Home Churchill Tank (Plastic)
Churchill Tank (Plastic)
Scale: 28mm - 1/56th
This product is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue and paints not included.
The Churchill, undoubtedly one of the most successful and famous British tanks of the Second World War, is arriving to bolster your army very soon and here is your chance to grab 3 of the beasts early so you can represent no less than 7 variants on your battlefield and keep...
The Churchill, undoubtedly one of the most successful and famous British tanks of the Second World War, is arriving to bolster your army very soon and here is your chance to grab 3 of the beasts early so you can represent no less than 7 variants on your battlefield and keep the enemy guessing!
The British Army adopted a doctrine centered around the use of light, fast 'Cruiser Tanks' coupled with slow, better armed and armoured 'Infantry Tanks', that would be used to smash the enemy defences with infantry support... and the Churchill was a prime example of the latter - one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war, it featured thicker frontal armour than that even of the Tiger!
Although it suffered from being under-armed, a defect common to most British armoured vehicles of the period, it was nevertheless loved by its crews: its cross-country ability was unrivalled and it was less inclined to ‘brew-up’ from a direct hit than the Sherman.
It will be no surprise to you to know that it was named after the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, but you may not know that he had also been involved with the development of the tank as a weapon during the First World War.
Taking the form very reminiscent of earlier WWI tanks, the Vauxhall motors built Churchill was the basis for a slew of variants from the MkI with a 2pdr gun to the MkVII 75mm guns. Other versions would see more specialist engineering equipment added including the likes of bridging equipment and minesweeping devices - and a favoured 'close support' option of the 95mm howitzer!
In this new plastic kit from Warlord and Italari you'll get 7 turret variations (yes - we said SEVEN!) allowing you to build the following marks:
MkIII - with 6pdr gun
MkIV - Cast turret with 6 pdr gun
MkV - Cast turret with 95m Howitzer
MkVI - Cast turret and Welded turret with 75mm gun
AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) with 290mm Petard Mortar (aka the flying dustbin!)
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Fashion fail! Best friends show up to party wearing same boyfriend
conrado / Shutterstock.com
By Sara Gibbs | April 25, 2017
A friendship between two Harpenden women has become strained after an unfortunate incident involving the pair arriving at a party wearing the same boyfriend.
Miranda Copperfield and Ella Danes, both 22, had painstakingly co-planned their outfits for Siobhan’s 23rd in order to avoid any potential embarrassing overlap.
“We thought we had it all covered,” explained Miranda, “we both decided to wear black, but she wore a jumpsuit and I wore my classic little black dress. It was perfect. We didn’t clash, but we also didn’t look too ‘matchy matchy’. We were BFF goals.”
But due to a series of incidents beyond their control, involving Miranda having to work late, and Ella oversleeping, the once-inseperable duo made the fatal error of getting ready separately and agreeing to meet at the party.
“Usually, we’d hang out beforehand, have a little pre-lash at mine,” explained Ella, sadly. “But, just this once, we thought we could phone it in.”
“We were wrong,” she added, morosely.
“I first noticed something was amiss when I met up with Ella at the party,” recalled Miranda. “We hugged, said hello, and then we both reached for Phil’s hand at the same time.”
“We both laughed it off at first, thinking the other was just being silly, but then it happened again. As it turns out, we’d spent so much time deciding on our dresses and jumpsuits, we hadn’t even covered accessories like earrings or boyfriends.”
“It was mortifying,” agreed Ella. “Miranda said that one of us should go home and change into a new boyfriend, but it very quickly became clear that she had no intention of being the one to do it. Why is it always me who has to change to accommodate her?”
Miranda, however, is optimistic about the future of the friendship: “I heard about two women in the States who showed up to their wedding wearing the same groom. If they can survive it, then me and Ella can totally get past this.”
Sara Gibbs
Sara is editor-in-chief of Succubus. Sara studied Writing & Producing Comedy at the NFTS and has written for The Now Show, Dead Ringers, The News Quiz, The Daily Mash and The Mash Report. Sara makes it her business to be at least five years behind the latest trends, so she can devote more time to her Tamagotchi.
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Field Hockey Notebook: Sometimes a loss feels like progress
After watching her 12th-seeded Greenport/Southold field hockey team tangle with No. 4 Harborfields on Friday, coach Rebecca Lillis was able to stand back and appreciate what she saw in her team’s 1-0 loss in the Suffolk County Division III game.
“It does say a lot when you really look at it,” she said. “I’m happy with today’s loss, if you can be happy with a loss.”
Lillis immediately understood how funny that may sound, but for the young Clippers, a one-goal loss to the strong Tornadoes was seen as encouraging, even though they didn’t manage a single shot and were outnumbered in penalty corners, 16-1.
“It’s an achievement, I feel like,” Greenport goalie Katie Tuthill said. “Today’s game definitely proved how much we improved.”
Lillis said she was impressed by her team, which has many players new to the varsity level. She said tough practices during the week helped the players exhibit skills they didn’t show in a 4-1 loss to Shoreham-Wading River on Sept. 13.
Harborfields’ quality won out, though. Sarah Gray, stationed in front of the goal, swiped in a loose ball for the only goal 6 1/2 minutes into the game at Greenport High School.
Harborfields nearly added a second, but Caroline Sheehan clanked a penalty stroke off the left goalpost with 7:51 to go in the game.
Lillis liked what she saw from young players like freshman midfielder/forward Emma Quarty, who played the entire game against Harborfields, and freshman defender Andrea Mena-Ochoa.
“I guess what’s exciting to see and what I’m learning is some of them are coming in very, very dedicated and motivated to do their best,” Lillis said. “Like a girl like Emma really shows me that there’s a future for the program.”
A busy goalie is happy, mostly
As a goalie, Katie Tuthill likes to be busy, with a qualification.
“If I’m busy playing well,” she said. “Games that I’m playing well, I really do enjoy being busy, but other than that, it can go either way.”
Tuthill was busy Friday and she played well in Greenport’s 1-0 home loss to Harborfields, turning aside seven shots.
“She did great, amazing,” Rebecca Lillis said. “She’s got talent and she’s got the skills to defend that way. She definitely had a great game.”
Tuthill and her teammates were under a good deal of pressure, defending against 16 penalty corners.
“It was a lot of fun,” the senior said. “I mean, I had a lot of action. I mean, even though it’s really pressure, a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure, I just feel like it’s more fun for me.”
Was Tuthill happy with how she played?
“I mean, obviously that goal went in, so I wasn’t too pumped about that, but other than that, I mean, a lot of my position is luck, where the ball goes,” she said. “There’s a lot of luck in there.”
Photo caption: Greenport/Southold goalie Katie Tuthill (99) is cheered on by her teammates before Friday’s game against Harborfields. (Credit: Bob Liepa)
Greenport/Southold
Harborfields
Katie Tuthill
Rebecca Lillis
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Beatles She Said She Said lyrics
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She Said She Said by Beatles
She Said She Said lyrics
She said I know what it's like to be dead
I know what it is to be sad
And she's making me feel like I've never been born
I said who put all those things in your head
Things that make me feel that I'm mad
And you're making me feel like I've never been born
She said you don't understand what I said
I said no, no, no you're wrong
When I was a boy, everything was right
Everything was right
I said even though you know what you know
I know that I'm ready to leave
'Cause you're making me feel like I've never been born
She said, she said
I know what it's like to be dead
I know that it's like to be dead
I know that it's like
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Home 4WD Trails Bring a Swim Suit! Bobcaygeon 4WD Day Trip
Bring a Swim Suit! Bobcaygeon 4WD Day Trip
Rain, mud, high water levels, and a warm lake promised an overland adventure of pure, 4x4 bliss!
by Quinton Neufedlt
Words by Quinton Neufeldt
Quinton Neufeldt
Anticipating a great day on the trails.
After what felt like months of rain in Ontario this past June, many areas were reporting high water levels with potential flooding. Yet, undaunted and ready for summer, I suggested to a few other adventurous wheelers that we head out to see what the conditions were like.
Fueled up and ready to run.
We met at Flynn’s Turn Service Station at the intersection of Highway 36 and 507. Here we chatted with its proprietor Phil while we topped up with fuel, except for John as his CJ uses diesel. Flynn’s also sells fresh produce, baked goods, coffee and other items you may want before heading out.
The proprietor of Flynn’s Turn Service Station
Father and son Les and John were out for the day with a few companions. Each of them had taken a different route on modifying and restoring their Jeep CJ’s.
Of particular note on this warm sunny day was that we received a notice from a Facebook Group Page regarding a planned rally that was taking place. It was planned to run the Forest Access Road from 507 to Loom Lake. Depending on timing, we were prepared to avoid this route or wait for clearance to pass through.
Our planned route for the day was the Concession Lake Trail, which passes by Concession Lake, followed by a short couple of jogs that would lead us to the Forest Mountain Trail. After that, depending on time, we were interested to try a few other trails around the area. Of course, that was a bit optimistic. However, it’s better to have more options than less at times.
We turned on the Forest Access Road and passed by several check points set up for the Rally when they notified us they would be starting at 11 am and car speeds could hit 160 kph in places! By 10 am we were on the trail to Concession Lake and off the Forest Access Road.
Once we got into the bush, we found the wet conditions. However, water levels were already quite a bit lower than a month earlier as evidenced by the water line on the edge of banks.
Slow and easy through the muddy water.
Other adventurers braving the wet conditions.
We passed by a line of enthusiasts in their ATVs and UTVs who hadn’t heard of the rally. So, we warned them to be cautious when approaching the intersection at the access road.
Simon was excited to pilot the 01 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 33’ BFG’s over the various rock ledges and swampy water crossings.
Negotiating a tough part of the trail.
John and Les’s CJ’s had plenty of ground clearance so the high water and mud weren’t an issue.
Once we arrived at Concession Lake, we got out to look around. Sometimes people use these two areas for camping, but no one was there on this day. So, I went down to the water’s edge and was surprised to feel it was quite warm as I guessed it to be around 26 C (80 F). On this hot day, it seemed like a good (and refreshing) idea to jump in.
Taking a break and a refreshing swim.
After our short break, we carried on through the rocky and watery trail until we came to the intersection on the west end. Here, we took an easier connector trail over to the Forest Mountain Trail.
By this time, rain had moved in and so had the mosquitoes and black flies (not to mention the Deer Flies). Forest Mountain has some technical turns around rocky ledges and can be a challenging hill to climb, especially at one sharp break over near the top. Sure enough, Simon got high centered on this spot. After a bit of trying different lines, he backed up and used momentum to clear the obstacle.
Running at Forest Mountain.
By the time we were down, it was raining quite steadily and decided to call it an early day at 2:30 pm. Simon, Erin, myself and Al went into Bobcaygeon for a coffee and snack to dry out, talk about the fun we had, and shared some pics on social media – See you next time!
Bobcaygeon, ON Grand Cherokee Flynn’s Turn Service Station Concession Lake Trail Forest Mountain Trail Concession Lake Jeep CJ ontario trails Ontario
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USA captain Alex Morgan tests positive for COVID-19
Alex Morgan, a two-time World Cup winner with the US women’s football team, has tested positive for Covid-19, the star striker said on Twitter on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, my family and I closed out 2020 learning that we had contracted Covid while in California over the holidays,” Morgan, 31, said in a Tweet.
“We are all in good spirits and recovering well. After our isolation is completed, I will follow US Soccer’s return to play guidelines to ensure my body is fully recovered and I can join my teammates back on the field soon.”
Morgan is married to former Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Servando Carrasco, and the couple have a seven-month old daughter, Charlie.
The family returned to California from London, where Morgan had appeared in five matches for Tottenham in the Women’s Super League before announcing her intention to return to the United States to play in 2021.
She had been expected to report to the US women’s training camp later in January.
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Quick Answer: Where Do Birds Die?
Do birds die in flight?
Do any birds sleep while flying?
Do birds sense death?
What bird dies when its companion dies?
What happens if you see a dead bird?
Can I bury a dead bird in my backyard?
Why are the birds dying 2020?
What birds are a sign of death?
Which bird is a symbol of long life?
Do birds feel love?
Why do birds stare at me?
How do birds die a natural death?
Why do we never see dead birds?
What do birds do when another bird dies?
Should I bury a dead bird?
Where do birds go to die naturally?
How do you dispose of a dead bird?
What happens if an airplane hits a bird?
Birds don’t usually drop dead in mid-flight – they die in their nest or are caught and eaten, much like other small animals.
Read more: …
Do plants die of old age?.
Due to the lack of studies monitoring the sleep patterns of flying birds, these hypotheses had previously been left unconfirmed. Now, however, according to a new study from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, researchers have finally found evidence that birds do indeed sleep while flying.
And yes, these senses are so finally tuned that they can sense physiologic distress and imminent death. Birds. Some Birds can smell death and decay from miles away. … It is reported there are 800 or so chemicals that can signal “death”.
Mute Swan pairs reportedly stay together for life. However, divorce does occur in less than 3 percent of mates that breed successfully and 9 percent that don’t. They re-mate when a partner dies; how quickly this happens depends on the survivor’s gender.
Traditionally, the death of a bird is a sign of new beginnings, an omen of renewal. … If a bird flies into your window it might mean that you are about to encounter an obstacle in your life. But again, because it is a sign of renewal, that obstacle, once removed will reveal something newer and better in your life.
In most cases, you can bury a bird on your own property with few restrictions. Because laws vary from place to place, it’s always a good idea to call your municipality to find out if they have any laws regarding the burial of animals. Avoid burying a bird or any other animal in a vegetable garden.
The cause is not at all clear, with some scientists theorizing that climate change factors are playing a part. Most of the birds are insect eaters, and they’ve been found emaciated and disoriented, suggesting a gap in the food supply. There’s also speculation that wildfires are affecting the lives of these birds.
A kingfisher is a very lucky bird. Three seagulls flying together, directly overhead, are a warning of death soon to come. Sparrows carry the souls of the dead, it’s unlucky to kill one (again, we think killing any birds is wrong).
cranesCrane: Long Life and Grants Wishes The graceful crane symbolizes longevity in Asian cultures. The crane is a bird that’s thought to have existed in the old world and can live for one thousand years. It is also said that if you fold one thousand origami cranes, your wish shall be fulfilled.
While the range of emotional expression of birds can be hotly debated, there are prominent emotions that can be seen in many wild birds. Love and affection: Gentle courtship behavior such as mutual preening or sharing food shows a bond between mated birds that can easily be seen as love.
In humans, the eyes are said to be the ‘window to the soul’, conveying much about a person’s emotions and intentions. New research demonstrates for the first time that birds also respond to a human’s gaze. Predators tend to look at their prey when they attack, so direct eye-gaze can predict imminent danger.
Trauma. Many bird die-offs are caused by massive trauma to birds’ heads, wings, and bodies from powerful collisions. This can occur when flocks are startled and panicked and their natural agility is compromised.
Often, these predators will eat the prey themselves or take them back to feed their young, which is why it’s rare to find the remains of dead birds. Due to a bird’s light body mass, those that aren’t found by predators or scavengers will decompose rapidly.
Once a bird of any species is dead, other birds have no more interest in it than they do a rock; they either walk around it or over it.
Doing so will attract predators such as raccoons, rats, cats, or dogs which could become ill from the carcass. Predators can also become accustomed to an easy food source and may begin threatening other backyard birds. Similarly, do not bury dead birds as predators will still find them.
One reason is because most birds don’t die from old age, they’re killed and eaten by predators such as other birds and other animals, especially cats. Another reason is that birds migrate, and many die along the way and end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Guidelines For Dead Bird Reporting And DisposalAvoid touching the dead bird with your bare hands. … Use gloves or multiple heavy-duty plastic bags to pick up the dead bird.Grasp the dead bird with your hand inside the plastic bags. … Tightly seal the two bags.Dispose of the “double-bagged” bird carcass by placing it in a trash container.More items…
When a bird flies, or is sucked into, the engine of a plane, the poor critter usually disintegrates. However, in incidents with larger birds there can be extensive damage to the engine. “Losing one engine is not going to cause an aircraft to crash because they are designed to fly with one engine down,” said Landells.
Question: How Do You Get Rid Of A Diabetic Headache?
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How do you relieve severe muscle tension?
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Can a scratched eye heal on its own? A minor scratch
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Should you drink water before bed? It’
Can Intestinal Bleeding Stop On Its Own?
What foods help with intestinal bleeding?
Quick Answer: What Size Is An AA Bra?
Is 34b bra size big? It’s a common misconception
What Does Sumatriptan Feel Like?
Can sumatriptan get you high? There is a risk of serotonin
Question: How Does The Concentration Of Salt In Water Affect The Specific Heat Capacity Physics IA?
What is the temperature of sea water when it started to boil?
Why Do Adults Eat Boogers?
How many adults pick their nose and eat it?
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Beartown / Fredrik Backman.
Backman, Fredrik, 1981- (author.). Ireland, Marin, (narrator.).
Check Out E-Item
Request E-Item
Available Online from Overdrive. Click here to download. Available Formats - Status:
Large Print Material (1)
Physical Description: 1 online resource (1 sound file (13 hr., 16 min., 27 sec.)) : digital.
Publisher: New York : Simon & Schuster Audio, 2017.
Copyright: ℗2017
Translated from the Swedish.
Read by Marin Ireland.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream--and the price required to make it come true.People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected. Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.
Source of Description Note:
Hard copy version record.
Subject: Hockey teams > Fiction.
Hockey > Tournaments > Fiction.
Scandals > Fiction.
Sweden > Fiction.
Humor (Fiction).
Literature.
Hockey teams.
Hockey > Tournaments.
Scandals.
Sweden.
Genre: Fiction.
Sports fiction.
Downloadable audio books.
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Protesters Set Iranian Consulate Building in Najaf on Fire for 2nd Time in a Week - Reports
© REUTERS / STRINGER
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107742/24/1077422427_0:292:3000:1980_1200x675_80_0_0_64d3ba2e88a7c00a67ca011797a4c2a9.jpg
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201912011077455710-iraqi-protesters-set-fire-to-iranian-consulate-in-najaf-for-2nd-time-in-a-week/
Dozens of demonstrators were injured in clashes with security officers close to the Iranian consulate in Najaf on 28 November.
Demonstrators have reportedly set the Iranian consulate building in the Iraqi city of Najaf on fire for the second time in a week as violent protests rock Iraq’s southern regions.
Protesters, mostly young people, have reportedly accused the Iraqi elites of being corrupt and serving the interests of foreign powers, especially Iran, while the country is plagued by endemic poverty and mass unemployment.
Again, #Iraqiprotesters set fire to #Iranianconsulate in #Najaf. A group protesters have set fire to #Iran's consulate amid ongoing anti-government protests.
Protesters chanted "#Iran out of #Iraq" as flames engulfed the building. This is the 3rd attack on an #Iranian consulate. pic.twitter.com/srSGkvo6Ab
— Ehab Al Obaidy (@Ehab8Alobaidy) December 1, 2019
The reports come after demonstrators broke into the Iranian consulate building in Najaf and torched it a few days ago. The situation prompted the authorities to declare a curfew in Najaf province. On 29 November, media reported that at least 45 demonstrators had been shot dead by security forces and 152 others had been injured during violent protests in the south of Iraq and the country’s capital of Baghdad.
#Iraq: Someone put fire on a mausoleum in #Najaf, which is for many Shia a holy-like town. pic.twitter.com/YZloHLLZFZ
— Ali Özkök (@Ozkok_A) November 30, 2019
Demonstrations reportedly continued in Basra and Nasiriyah, where the largest oilfields are located. In Kut, Basra, Hilla and Najaf, the protesters held peaceful sit-in demonstrations.
More than 350 people were killed and about 15,000 people have been wounded since the beginning of the protests in southern Iraq. The demonstrators are rallying against corruption, low living standards, and unemployment.
Najaf, fire, protesters, consulate, Iraq
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US Sanctions Won't Affect Energy Supplies to Crimea - Russian Energy Ministry
© Sputnik / Sergey Malgavko
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201811081069640711-usa-russia-crimea-sanctions-impact-response/
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The new US sanctions against Russia are meaningless as they will not force Russia to change its course, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik on Thursday.
"We can see that the United States, despite repeatedly stated, including recently at various levels, intentions to move toward the normalization of relations, still attempt to apply pressure and use the policy of dictate, which are categorically unacceptable for us,” Ryabkov said. Ryabkov stressed that the meaningless and fruitless steps taken by Washington will not change anything in Russia's approach and firm determination to follow its own course.
© AP Photo / ASSOCIATED PRESS
US Sanctions 9 Russian Entities, 3 Individuals Over Crimea - Volker
"Frankly speaking… we do not feel any impact from these steps, in terms of the circumstances in which we continue to implement our own plans for economic development. So all this has nothing to do with real life," he added.
Ryabkov also said that Russia's potential counter-measures may be taken in response to all US sanctions as a whole, rather than target specific sets of sanctions.
"To a large extent, we simply ignore this kind of hostile moves," the diplomat said.
READ MORE: Two US Public Groups Members Want to Visit Crimea in 2019 — Lawmaker
Meanwhile, Russian Energy Ministry said Thursday that the new US sanctions would not affect the work of the Crimea TPP company.
"The imposition of sanctions will not affect the energy supply for consumers on the Crimean peninsula or the work of the Crimea TPP… The modernization and expansion of one of the facilities of the Crimea TPP — the Sakskaya thermal power plant is carried out with the use of Russian equipment," the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the United States imposed sanctions on three individuals and nine entities over their investment and economic activity in Crimea and Donbass. The designated entities include Southern Project operated by Bank Rossiya owned by Yuri Kovalchuk, Mriya Resort as well as Spa in Yalta and its owner Garant-SV LLC.
© Sputnik / Michail Kutuzov
Moscow Can Cope With Possible US Sanctions Against Russia's Debt - Deputy Finance Minister
The Infrastructure Projects Management Company, engaged in construction of residential and non-residential buildings in Crimea, and its three sanatoriums — AY-Petri, Dyulber, and Miskhor — were also sanctioned on Thursday.
In addition, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Krymtets, a company that operates electric power generation facilities and transmission systems in Crimea.
Finally, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Vladimir Zaritsky, former Commander in Chief of the Missile Forces and Artillery of Russia and owner of Ukip LLC located in Simferopol.
READ MORE: Iranian Businesses Interested in Exploring Sea Trade Route to Crimea — Reports
Sanctions Wheel
'Effectively Gone Dark': US Envoy Reveals How Iranian Tankers Avoid Sanctions
energy supplies, sanctions, Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian Energy Ministry, Crimea, Russia, US
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Barns/Grounds
Feed/Supplements
Grooming/Tack
Stable Management Extra
Dressage Today
Logo Licensing and Reprints
Dan James Returns as a Road to the Horse 2018 Competitor
Road to the Horse
He’s no stranger to Road to the Horse. The crew loves him, the fans love him, let’s just be honest, everyone loves the charismatic Australian horseman Dan James! Since his very first appearance at Road to the Horse 2012, fans have had a front row seat to the colorful life of Dan James and his beloved grey 6666 Ranch bred gelding, fondly known as Swampy.
After winning his Road to the Horse World Championship title in 2012, as one half of Team Australia, James purchased his winning 6666 Ranch bred colt Remember Sunset (nicknamed Swampy) and both have embarked on nothing short of an unbelievable journey. Thousands of horse lovers around the world have been left speechless by the unbelievable bond that has formed between James and Swampy, obvious in their mesmerizing liberty demonstrations.
“I can’t wait to be a part of such a milestone at Road to the Horse and help kick off the 15 anniversary celebrations,” stated James. “Road to the Horse has always been such a special event for me, and I couldn’t be more excited to return as a competitor in 2018.”
Born in Queensland, Australia, on a small cattle farm, James first began his lifelong passion with horses at six weeks old. The family milking goat had to suffice for riding until he got his first pony. Starting his first colt in his early teens sparked his hunger to understand more about the horse’s thinking patterns. After studying at Longreach Pastoral College, James began traveling the world to gain a better understanding of the horse. James first traveled to Hokkaido, Japan, then to Celina, Texas, working for cutting horse trainer Punk Carter.
In 2008, James joined his good friend, Dan Steers, in Western Australia at El Caballo Spanish Horse Centre, where they performed together each weekend in the ‘Dan and Dan Show’ developing their horsemanship techniques. In 2009, Steers and James relocated to New South Wales and Double Dan Horsemanship was born. After winning Road to the Horse 2012, James has continued to excel as a horseman, collecting multiple Kentucky Gold Cup and AQHA Congress Freestyle Reining Championships.
Now based in the United States, James continues to perform, teach and inspire horse lovers continuing the legacy of Double Dan Horsemanship at the Australian Equine Performance Center, based in Midway, Kentucky. James is joined by his wife, Elizabeth, and new-born daughter, Isabella.
James will join the Road to the Horse 2018 line-up with Kiwi sensation Vicki Wilson, who will return to defend the title she courageously captured in 2017. International showjumper Vicki Wilson was not only the first cowgirl to capture a Road to the Horse title from her homeland of New Zealand, she was also the first competitor from an English discipline.
Road to the Horse 2018 tickets are available online at www.RoadtotheHorse.com or by calling 877-772-5425. Follow Road to the Horse on Facebook for the latest information. For sponsorship opportunities at Road to the Horse 2018, contact Tammy Sronce at 940-859-6512 or email tammy@roadtothehorse.com.
Road to the Horse is March 23-25, 2018, in Lexington, Kentucky.
A vision of Steven and Tootie Bland, Road to the Horse was created with passion and perseverance. Steven and Tootie were believers in a message they wanted to share with the world. The message: create a relationship which is based on a foundation of trust with the horse, and everything else can be accomplished. Fans at Road to the Horse, follow the journey and witness an accumulation of a lifetime of passion and knowledge be put to the test as elite clinicians from around the world face off for the coveted World Championship of Colt Starting title. Fans witness partnerships develop before their very eyes, they witness the setbacks and witness the triumphs, as competitors build a relationship with an untouched 3-year-old American Quarter Horse which will then be put to the ultimate test, where only one can walk away with the World Championship of Colt Starting title.
Dan James Road To The Horse Competitior 2018
The Release of the Road to the Horse 2018 Remuda from the 6666 Ranch
The 6666 Ranch has compiled a selection of their finest for Road to the Horse 2018.
Road to the Horse 2018 Unmasks Canadian Horseman Jim Anderson
With the announcement of competitor and talented Canadian reining horse trainer Jim Anderson, Road to the Horse 2018 is shaping up to be an unprecedented worldwide showdown.
Another Tootie Twist on the Road to the Horse
For the first time in the colorful 15-year history of Road to the Horse, competitors will be starting two colts simultaneously.
Horse Radio Network’s Free Live Coverage of Road to the Horse
Horse Radio Network with Horseware.com is pleased to announce its live coverage of Road to the Horse for all three days of this premier colt starting competition on March 24-26, 2017.
New Zealand Showjumper Takes the World Title at Road to the Horse 2017
In the closest scoring competition in the history of the event, less than approximately 8 points per judge separated each competitor. There was no mistaking Vicki Wilson was different, but there wasn’t any doubting her horsemanship.
LIVE Broadcast Scheduled for Road to the Horse 2017
Third Competitor of Road to the Horse International 2014 to Represent Canada
The third competitor for the World Championship of Colt Starting competition will be Canadian Jonathan Field. He will walk into the American Quarter Horse Association Remuda from the 6666 Ranch for the second time in three years.
Road to the Horse and Double Dan Horsemanship Partner to Create 2017 Sponsorship Opportunity
First Lady of Road to the Horse to Host in 2017
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Key Points – Ebola Virus Disease, West Africa
HAN ; 365, Key points
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.). Emergency Operations Center. Joint Information Center.
8/13/2014 FOR EXTERNAL DISTRIBUTION Key message document accompanying HAN 365 : CDC Ebola update #1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with other U.S. government agencies, the World Health Organization, and other domestic and international partners in an international response to the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This document summarizes key messages about the outbreak and the response. It will be updated as new information becomes available and distributed regularly. Please share the document with others as appropriate. Prepared by the Joint Information Center, Emergency Operations Center, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola
HAN Info Service
Africa, Western
Health Alert Network (HAN)
urn:sha256:6558231043fed0ce0028132e4a176e2873cb250d0a2d176d991e279d70992268
Human infections with avian influenza A (H7N9) vruses
June 7, 2013, 14:00 ET (02:00 PM ET)CDCHAN-00347Human infections with avian influenza A (H7N9) viruses This health advisory provides an update on the avian influenza A (H7N9) virus [H7N9] situation and includes new recommendations on who should be te...
Fact sheets concerning respiratory disease symptoms
Wednesday, September 12, 2001, 004:05 EDT (04:05 AM EDT)CDCHAN-00003-2001-09-12-ALT-RPlease retransmit the attached fact sheets concerning respiratory disease symptoms to all local public health jurisdictions and other appropriate healthcare organiza...
CDC case definition of anthrax and summary of confirmed cases
Saturday, October 20, 2001, 13:39 EDT (1:39 PM EDT)CDCHAN-00038-2001-10-20-UPD-NCDC case definition of anthrax: CDC defines a confirmed case of anthrax as 1) a clinically compatible case of cutaneous, inhalational, or gastrointestinal illness that is...
COMMUNICATIONS TOPIC : Initial health alert notice to states and local public health agencies
Tuesday, September 11, 2001, 13:25 EDT (01:25 PM EDT)CDCHAN-00001-2001-09-11-ALT-NSUBJECT: ALERT: Terrorist Activity ResponseDue to current events, CDC is on heightened alert status to monitor for any possible unusual disease patterns associated with...
CDC expands guidance for travel and testing of pregnant women, women of reproductive age, and their partners for Zika virus infection related to mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission in Miami-Dade, Florida
August 19, 2016, 1515 ET (3:15 PM ET)CDCHAN-00394CDC has previously issued travel, testing, and other guidance for local mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission (active Zika virus transmission) for a one-square-mile area in the Wynwood area of Miami t...
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Slain singer Christina Grimmie remembered in New Jersey
Tina Grimmie, mother of musician Christina Grimmie, is comforted by her husband Bud as Tina speaks during a memorial service held for the singer at Fellowship Alliance Chapel in Medford
By Laila Kearney
(Reuters) – A memorial took place for rising singing star Christina Grimmie near her New Jersey hometown on Friday after she was fatally shot by a deranged fan last week while signing autographs in Orlando, Florida.
Grimmie’s funeral at the Fellowship Alliance Chapel in Medford, New Jersey, opened with a recording of her cover of the song “In Christ Alone” before relatives and friends shared their memories of the 22-year-old Grimmie.
“Christina I am so proud of you. I love you girl. I love that you’re walking with Jesus on streets of gold. I’ll see you later,” her aunt Kathy said during the service.
Grimmie was shot in Orlando’s Plaza Live concert hall on Saturday evening after performing as the opening act for the band Before You Exit.
Kevin James Loibl, 27, of St. Petersburg, Florida, approached her and opened fire before being tackled by the singer’s brother. Loibl died on the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Grimmie, whose career was launched after she posted videos of herself singing on YouTube, began working with professional music producers at age 16, the funeral home’s obituary said.
She later finished in the top three on the sixth season of “The Voice,” performed on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and opened for singer Selena Gomez.
The obituary also said she recently raised $250,000 for the Humane Society of the United States.
Grimmie is survived by her parents, Albert and Tina Grimmie, and brother Marcus.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Bill Trott and Alexander Smith)
Scandals That the Royal Family May Never Live Down
U.S. top court overturns Virginia ex-governor’s corruption conviction
Florida politicians urge use of Intrexon GM mosquitoes for Zika
New York man found in bay wearing cement shoes was asphyxiated
Milwaukee police shooting videos will not yet be released: official
Former Trump Campaign Chair Paul Manafort, Business Associate Charged With ‘Conspiracy Against the US’ in Connection to Russian Collusion Probe
Man pleads guilty in 2014 Missouri highway shootings
Man who brandished gun near White House enters guilty plea
United Spinal’s VetsFirst Applauds Passage of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act
Senators, Trump open to ban on some gun sales after Orlando
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Featured » Blog » Scoring-as-a-Service To Operationalize Algorithms For Real-time
Scoring-as-a-Service To Operationalize Algorithms For Real-time
March 29, 2016 Chris Rawles
Joint work by Chris Rawles and Jarrod Vawdrey.
If you are using data science for only one-time, ad-hoc analysis, then you are doing it wrong.
There is no doubt that companies can benefit greatly from this type of one-time data science exercise and most start here. However, much more value is created when data science can be applied in real-time scenarios and in an ongoing manner. We can’t just build a machine learning (ML) model and share the insights, we have to go to the next step and operationalize it, making it part of the fabric of our business processes and affecting outcomes in real-time. For example, what becomes possible when we can score human movement in real-time—like a system that can tell you that someone is currently running or moving at 30+ MPH when they shouldn’t be or just fell down on the floor.
In this post, we lay out the foundational components—data ingestion, data storage, model training, and model scoring—for real-time data science and for operationalizing the entire modeling pipeline, all within the context of microservices deployed to Pivotal Cloud Foundry. We also discuss why and when operationalizing real-time data science models is most crucial, industries which gain the most from real-time data science, and introduce a real-time data science pipeline centered around personalized human activity classification.
Operationalizing Data Science Models
As data scientists, we spend much of our time preparing and analyzing data, building machine learning models, running experiments, and writing code—all requirements for a successful data science project. The crucial, concluding step of successful data science project is model operationalization.
Model operationalization is the process of implementing a data science pipeline, including data ingestion, data storage, model training, and model scoring, into the real world and applying it to real data in an automated, low latency manner—affecting business activities as they are happening. Predictive models need to interact, grow, and come alive, often in real-time, to actually induce change and drive action. And, model operationalization is what brings out the full value of a data science workflow. To that end, production-ready, high-quality code is a key requirement for any data science workflow, and crucial steps must be taken to harden data flow pipelines, embed data validation checks, support exception handling, and ensure model validation. They should also run on a Cloud Native stack for the purposes of reliability, accessibility, and scale.
Applications Of Real-time Data Science
While there are many non-real-time data science use cases, real-time data science is a requirement for many applications including the Internet of Things (IoT), fraud detection, risk calculation, health-related alerts, network analysis, marketing personalization, customized rewards programs, and more.
Within the IoT realm, our heavy industry customers strive towards zero unplanned downtime, and we have built predictive models to target their high-risk equipment. For example, the Pivotal Data Science team recently worked with a major oil and gas customer to implement a mud motor failure prediction model. Operationalizing this predictive model has significant impact— according to The American Oil & Gas Reporter, mud motor failure could account for 35% of non-productive time and cost $150,000 per incident. The Pivotal Data Science team has also tackled many other IoT problems—detecting and tracking jet-engine degradation using sensor data, predictive maintenance in automobiles, automobile driver identification, virtual machine capacity forecasting, a connected car pipeline, and more.
Regardless of the domain, enterprises realize tremendous value in operationalizing data science models, incorporating new data and responding appropriately—all in real time.
Real-time Data Science: Building And Scoring A Personalized Activity Model
To make data science operational on a real time basis, we’ve created an example pipeline for the entire, real-time data science stack—data ingestion, data storage, model training, and model scoring. The pipeline demonstrates real-time data science using Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF), Pivotal Big Data Suite, Spring Cloud Data Flow, Node.js, RabbitMQ, and Python-based open source machine learning. The pipeline builds and scores a customized “personal activity recognition model” using streaming accelerometric sensor data from a smartphone. To put it into business scenario parlance, this pipeline would allow us to evaluate and score almost any feed of streaming data to drive real time action.
Figure 1. The data science pipeline for personalized real-time activity classification.
The Real-Time Modeling Pipeline
In Figure 1, data is created by the accelerometer on your mobile phone and a mobile app—this is acting as a proxy for any IoT or similar app with streaming data. From there, the data is sent via a TCP channel at 30 Hz through the WebSocket protocol. This data lands on a Node.js endpoint. We could have chosen a faster rate for this feed – 30 Hz was determined to be optimal based on research prior to operationalization. From there, the data moves to RabbitMQ. RabbitMQ is a message passing interface that publishes data through an exchange to the remaining services.
To develop our model we first need a small cache of data to train on. We decided to cache this data in Redis however we could have used Pivotal GemFire, which is especially useful for high-volume and latency-sensitive systems. Redis does not natively consume data from RabbitMQ so we deploy a Spring-XD stream via an API call to pipe the data from RabbitMQ into Redis. As depicted in Figure 2, the data that is piped to Redis is the training data, and it is used as input for the feature engineering and machine learning components, which are written in Python as a microservice deployable to Cloud Foundry using Ian Huston’s Anaconda Python buildpack.
Figure 2. The training workflow. The feature engineering and model training are contained in a Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) Python application.
Our training service accesses each training batch from Redis. These are not batch data uploads but specific groups of time-series data used in the near real-time portion of the architecture. Then, it builds model features, and trains a machine learning model using the Python scikit-learn machine learning library.
The PCF training application workflow consists of a feature engineering stage and a model training stage. Feature engineering is performed using the Python packages numpy and scipy. During feature engineering, a one second moving window is applied and a bandpass filter is subsequently applied to each window. For each window, features are then generated using time-domain summary statistics and the frequency domain Fourier Transform coefficients. Finally, a Random Forest model is trained on the data and the resulting model is stored in Redis.
In addition to the Random Forest algorithm we tested Support Vector Machines, Logistic Regression, Naive Bayes, but the Random Forest model was chosen for operationalization as it demonstrated the best performance at identifying different human activities. It is important to have the ability to rapidly test multiple models during the R&D stage as each approach has tradeoffs between accuracy, computation time, and interpretability. Finally, we chose 20 seconds per activity for the training stage as it generated optimal tradeoff between performance and practicality.
Figure 3. Learning Curve for an individual user showing accuracy as a function of activity training time.
Figure 4. The model scoring workflow. The model scoring PCF application is provided as a service via an API call.
The architecture’s real-time component is shown in Figure 4—the model scoring application. This app has two components. First, the feature engineering component is fed by the streaming input window data from RabbitMQ, and this then feeds the prediction component. The trained model is also retrieved from Redis and scores each 1 second window. At the end, the scoring application is accessed via an API call where it applies the feature engineering process described above and outputs an activity score upon request. With this API, any external app can request the current status of movement activity for a specific user, and get the most likely state based on the highest score.
Scoring-as-a-Service With Cloud Scale
By providing the scoring services as an API, there are two outstanding benefits. First, multiple applications can access the scoring application, even those outside the scope of the initial system. Second, exposed API endpoints allow for autonomy—the application can go through its own set of development iterations without requiring the deployment of other apps.
By implementing model training as a service on Pivotal Cloud Foundry and its Elastic Runtime Services, we have implemented a highly scalable approach as well. For example, when there are more sensors to train on, more data collected, or more real-time queries, we could scale up our pipeline by just spinning up more instances of the apps.
Heading To Strata?
Don’t miss co-author Chris Rawles speak on this same topic:
The Internet of Things: How to do it. Seriously!
11:50am–12:30pm Wednesday, 03/30/2016
Location: 230 B
This framework applies broadly and can incorporate any streaming data source—from machine sensor data to unstructured text data. In our next posts, we take a deep dive into the real-time data science architecture, including both the training and scoring applications. We will also show how to operationalize models by taking prototypical code into production.
Pivotal Cloud Foundry and Cloud Foundry Foundation
More blog articles from Pivotal’s data science team
More blog articles on Redis and RabbitMQ
Chris Rawles is a senior data scientist at Pivotal in New York, New York, where he works with customers across a variety of domains, building models to derive insight and business value from their data. He holds an MS and BA in geophysics from UW-Madison and UC Berkeley, respectively. During his time as a researcher, Chris focused his efforts on using machine-learning to enable research in seismology.
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Pivotal Conversations—Sam Ramji, CEO of the Cloud Foundry Foundation
How do you organize the work around building a shared cloud platform between vendors and actual users of th...
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VoiceOps Launches to Boost Enterprise Sales by Analyzing Voice Data
Adam Rowe April 12th 2017 5:50 pm
The top tech companies have heavily invested in voice UIs: Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri are now the face of voice-powered artificial intelligence. It makes sense, as I've written before, since voice is likely the most natural, organic and simple UI for a post-mobile era.
Naturally, secondary voice-based services will now emerge: Voice-based SEO, for instance. But that's just on the consumer side. Enterprise voice data must be studied, too, which is why AI-based voice analytics platform VoiceOps has just left stealth to a seed round with the participation of Accel, Founders Fund and Lowercase Capital.
VoiceOps works by transcribing phone calls and using their artificial intelligence engine to parse the information in order to provide insights such as an individual employee's core skillset and any week-over-week trends.
“VPs & managers now know if their sales reps are highlighting benefits or just feature dropping on their calls,” the company explains. “Asking probing questions, if they’re making upsell attempts, or asking for the close at the appropriate moment. VoiceOps then compares individual performances to team averages, and tracks progress longitudinally. VoiceOps is doing in an hour what used to take managers days.”
Here's my interview with the co-founder and CEO of VoiceOps, Daria Evdokimova. In it, she discusses the company's business model, its foundation in cutting-edge machine learning algorithms, and what lessons any entrepreneur can draw from the company's challenges and successes.
VoiceOps CEO Daria Evdokimova
Can you explain what VoiceOps does?
“In its simplest form, VoiceOps is a call analytics platform. Designed for enterprise sales teams and leveraging a form of AI (natural language processing), we’ve built a product that does in an hour what currently takes sales managers days – understanding what their team is actually saying on the phone.
We transcribe calls, parse at better-than-human quality, and then break down those conversations into core skills. That helps us analyze what behavior is most successful (e.g. how many probing questions to ask on a call, what's the value of describing benefits vs. features, when to time an upsell or close attempt, etc.). Once we understand what works, we help managers scale that out, improving performance across their entire team.
In short, we help sales teams close more deals.”
What makes now the right time for an audio data AI?
“Good question, Adam. Part of it is that the nature of sales teams is changing: while inside sales is growing, attrition rates for salespeople keep going up, which means that there's more need for efficient training on what reps should say on the phone. Every other part of the sales stack (email especially) are already data driven, but sales reps spend most of their time on the phone, so it makes sense that it's the most important activity to have analytics on.
The other very important piece is the more recent advances in Machine Learning – it's only now becoming possible to have a large scale voice analytics operation because of the recent advancements in speech to text, machine learning algorithms, and the cost of computing power becoming extremely cheap.”
What challenges have you overcome in your path to cofounding this company?
“I think in general the hardest part in starting a company is building something valuable enough that people or companies are willing to pay real money to use it.
From a very early stage, we were extremely focused on not pricing ourselves out of business, which meant we needed to build real value into our product, i.e. the output needs to have an impactful return on investment. For our users, saving time by automating and providing accurate data for sales coaching is great. But by improving core sales processes we’re able to show an increase in metrics like successful close attempts and revenue. That’s where we become indispensable for our customers.
Understanding how we can provide the most value to our customers, and then executing on it will always be the challenge we’re most focused on.”
Any startup lessons for any young entrepreneur who might be interested in a similar journey?
“For anyone considering starting a company, I'd absolutely suggest finding co-founders that you trust and that accel in the areas you’re weakest. That means first understanding that you can’t do everything, nor should you try. I’m extremely lucky in that regard — both (cofounders) Ethan Barhydt and Nate Becker have put in heroic efforts to get us where we are today.
The other piece of advice I can give is to be the expert in whatever space you’re attacking. So many parts of starting a company are sales oriented, whether it’s recruiting, fundraising, or actually selling your product or service to clients. Having a passion for what you’re doing helps with selling, but being the most knowledgeable in the room about your subject matter builds credibility, and having credibility as a first-time entrepreneur is no easy feat.
In other words, make sure no one else knows more than you about your business.”
What’s in VoiceOps’ future?
“For us, our wedge in the door is the call analytics platform we’ve built, which is essentially a very powerful sales enablement tool.
However, almost every customer we’ve onboarded has rolled out VoiceOps to other teams within their company. Eventually our goal is to serve every single function of a company that relies on calls to be successful, be it sales, support, customer success, or compliance.
Eventually, we believe we can become the hub of all voice data for the enterprise.”
@AdamRRowe
Adam is a writer at Tech.co and has worked as a tech writer, blogger and copy editor for the last decade. He's also a Forbes Contributor on the publishing industry (and Digital Book World 2018 award finalist) and has appeared in publications including Popular Mechanics and IDG Connect. When not glued to TechMeme, he loves obsessing over 1970s sci-fi art.
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Get time on your side
Research suggests we take 23 minutes to refocus after any interruption. See how you can stay productive with these solutions from Lenovo.
Smarter Way Forward
Let us help your business find the smarter way forward. Keep employees protected, connected, and productive. Wherever they work.
Quick steps to unlock productivity through mobility
Get your strategy right and going mobile could provide a productivity boost to your business.
Has the enthusiasm for business mobility dampened in the UK? Working from home, or on the move, can be a productive use of time. But research has shown that unless your business has implemented the correct processes and procedures, out of the office working can prove to be a waste of time. The theory sounds great – rather than having to stay rooted to desks, employees can now use mobile technology to stay productive from any location. In practice, however, many employees and employers are struggling to see the benefits. Workers are certainly keen to embrace flexibility, with market researcher Censuswide suggesting almost two thirds (61 per cent) sometimes work from home. Yet a break from the office is not necessarily commensurate with an efficiency boost, with three quarters of British employees believing they are less productive away from their desks. So why is mobile working failing to deliver big productivity benefits?
It is a perplexing question for the senior executives who are charged with managing the move to mobile working, many of whom are now under increasing pressure to find an answer. Research from the Future of Work Institute suggests 33 per cent of employees believe their company has not successfully implemented flexible working arrangements, while the Cranfield School of Management found flexible workers were less likely to be chosen for crucial or urgent work. Such downsides mean the pressure to deliver productivity through mobility can be seen as an intractable challenge. Executives must not be discouraged. The crucial role of mobility means business leaders must create clear definitions about how and why people can work flexibly. Executives should direct strategic attention towards three key areas: people, policy and processes. Mobile workers, particularly those working from home, can quickly feel isolated, especially when a culture of presenteeism – the act of attending work while sick – pervades the business. Ensure out-of-office workers feel part of the organisational culture by using collaborative technologies, such as video, chat and messaging. Then back up the approach through senior sponsorship, creating a clear executive statement about how people can work flexibly and why it helps the business.
Some organisations will choose to eschew allowing workers to bring their own devices to work in favour of a more controlled approach to mobility. Others will let workers experiment by sourcing their own applications. The aim should be to deliver as much choice to workers as possible but with little or preferably no risk to the business. Governance and data integrity should always be central to your organisational approach. And a successful mobile strategy will incorporate key security features, such as mobile data management and remote wiping. Create the right supporting mechanisms for mobility and your disparate workers will feel part of the business. The office might still be the centre of business operations, but it no longer has to be the only productive location.
ITIssue
Working From Home: Improving Wi-Fi performance
Working From Home: Staying healthy & productive
Pardon the Disruption: The Future of Remote Work
There is almost nothing you don’t do online anymore. You can get educated, meet your spouse, learn new recipes, connect with family and friends, collaborate with peers; the list goes on.
Five Ways to Promote Happiness in the Workplace
A study from the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick, in the UK, has found that happiness made workers around 12 per cent more productive
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Community// October 11, 2018
Why It’s Easier Than Ever to Donate to Charity
It's now easier than ever to donate to your favorite causes.
Joe Resendiz, Research Analyst at ValuePenguin
Photo by Kat Yukawa on Unsplash
Millennials—that generation representing a growing portion of the purchasing power in the United States—have been lax when it comes to charity. Although the generation makes up about a quarter of the population, millennials have generally fallen behind when it comes to giving, only accounting for 11% of charitable spend in the U.S.
But there’s good news: Donating to charity has never been easier. And since millennials are happy to give when it comes to causes like hurricane relief, there’s still plenty of potential for millennials—and charitable givers of any generation—to increase their giving in a variety of ways. Here are some reasons it’s easier than ever to donate to charity.
Reason No. 1: Charitable Online Programs
Ever notice how easy it is to part with loose change while waiting for your meal at a drive-thru? Charitable online programs work the same way, encouraging donations at the point of purchase. The same psychology that makes it easy to throw in a pack of gum with the groceries can help anyone who wants to be more charitable as well. Here are some examples:
Amazon’s Smile “donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice,” according to Amazon.com, making it a seamless way for people to put money toward charity in doing something they likely do every month: shop on Amazon.com.
eBay for Charity offers a wide variety of digital options, including the ever-convenient automatic PayPal collection of charity funds. PayPal’s Giving Fund then takes a monthly donation from the verified account and sends 100% of said funds to that charity.
Goodshop combines frugality—seeking online shopping deals and coupon codes—with charity. Simply by using the relevant codes and shopping with Goodshop makes it possible for customers to send money to a charity they select. According to the site, more than $11 million has already been raised by Goodshop members.
Reason No. 2: Credit Card Charity Rewards
Although millennials are struggling to keep up with older generations when it comes to charitable giving, there’s one area in which they excel—spending with credit cards. One study found that 40% or so of millennials would even spend money beyond their means to keep up with friends.
But all is not lost; consumers can use the leverage of credit cards to make donations almost automatic. There are plenty of credit card charity rewards programs that make it possible to collect money for charity while shopping, which makes the entire process effortless and automatic.
Most of the major credit card programs have some sort of charity offerings available, so be sure to contact your individual provider to find out what they might have in store for you. There are even credit cards designed for charitable giving, such as the Charity Charge World MasterCard Credit Card. This card offers 1% cash back on all purchases, which can then be sent to a nonprofit organization.
Reason No. 3: Mobile Apps
It seems as though most of our lives are run through apps these days—which is why it’s not surprising that there are plenty of apps that make charitable giving much easier. For example:
Charity Miles Signing up with Charity Miles allows users to sign up, choose their charity, and then run, walk or bike their way to charitable donations. Charity Miles utilizes a “corporate sponsorship pool” to make these donations, requiring no investment on the part of the user.
Walk for a Dog by WoofTrax works on a similar concept: By taking your dog out for a walk, you can raise money for an animal charity organization. The app currently lists 10 million walks already, in all 50 states.
Reason No. 4: Charity Is Electronic
In this day and age, there’s no shortage of ways to make charitable payments online or electronically. Some church parishes allow their parishioners to tithe in automatic monthly payments by signing up for automatic withdrawal. In other cases, you can simply sign up to a charitable organization and put the charges on a card each month—you won’t have to raise a finger to continue making payments.
The key: setup. Each of these solutions requires an initial setup, even those apps and additions that require no work thereafter. As millennials grow their disposable income and bring Internet savvy to the world of charity, there’s no limit to the good that can be done.
— Published on October 11, 2018
Joe is an ex-Wall Street banker turned blogger at ValuePenguin.com, an NYC-based personal finance company. Joe is currently focused on the credit card industry and helping people make sound financial choices.
The Millennial Approach to Charity
by Ralph Byer
Community// March 11, 2018
Donation- An act of Volunteering for Charities, Cause or something else?
by Richa Sharma
Community// December 4, 2020
Millennials are More Charitable Than We Think – Charities Take Notice and Learn Technology
by Yuri Vanetik
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Faith of Ibrahim Redeemed: Texas Family Released from Hutto Prison
No Comments on Faith of Ibrahim Redeemed: Texas Family Released from Hutto Prison
By Greg Moses
ElectronicIntifada / CounterPunch / UrukNet / DissidentVoice
For three painful months while his brother’s family was imprisoned by USA immigration authorities, Ahmad Ibrahim, a United States citizen of Palestinian heritage, kept his faith that “the people of America are good people.”
But Ahmad did not know that the one good American who would finally orchestrate the dramatic release of the family had himself been exiled by USA immigration authorities to China. So Ahmad’s faith in America had to hold strong from the beginning of November through the sacred Eid ul-Adha season of early January, until the exiled American could return.
On January 8, when Dallas real-estate developer Ralph Isenberg came home from China with his wife and infant daughter, the wheels of the Ibrahim family release were soon to roll.
On or about January 10, New York immigration attorney Theodore Cox sent Isenberg an email, asking if he’d heard about children imprisoned by the federal bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Essentially, I’d had my run-in with immigration,” explained Isenberg over the telephone Friday night. “My wife had been detained at the immigration prison in Haskell, Texas, deported with our 3-month-old daughter to China, and I had to leave my adopted 16-year-old daughter in America in order to live with them and fight for their re-entry.” That fight lasted 14 months. “So I knew how lovely ICE could be.”
Following up on the email from Cox, Isenberg says he “looked at pictures of the kids in prison, found out it was in Texas, and I just went berserk. You do not imprison kids in Texas, the U.S., or anywhere. No, no, no, no, no. Goodness gracious, kids in prison? Give me a break!”
As a big-city real-estate developer, Isenberg knew the difference between wishing and doing, so he got busy grinding out results. By Jan. 26, Ahmad Ibrahim had a brand new friend and two new lawyers. How could anyone know that because of these things, release of his brother’s family was only one week away?
This past Thursday, Feb. 1, attorney Cox and his colleague Joshua Bardavid filed habeas corpus motions in federal courts of Dallas and Austin, stating shocking facts about the treatment of mother Hanan Ibrahim and her four children. The children sobbed uncontrollably at times. Hanan had been denied pre-natal vitamins for her pregnancy. Trips to the doctor were 8-hour ordeals during which the children back at jail fretted and cried. Hanan was placed in shackles for medical transport. She was torn between her children and her health care.
When Cox and Bardavid walked into the federal court building in Dallas, accompanied by Ahmad Ibrahim and his tiny niece Zahra–who had been separated from her family and placed into her uncle’s care–they were greeted by a half-dozen television cameras, a lobby full of reporters, and a phalanx of federal marshals. Whatever went on next between the legal professionals in those closely-guarded chambers of the Dallas federal court changed everything very quickly. Freedom for the Ibrahim family was only 48 hours away.
On Friday afternoon, Dallas attorney John Wheat Gibson sent out a jubilant email titled “Amazing Grace.” The Bureau of Immigration Appeals (BIA) had caved overnight. Suddenly, after years and months of denying Gibson’s pleas in behalf of the Ibrahims, the BIA reversed course completely. Gibson’s November 2006 appeal for the family’s asylum would be considered. And if the family was now eligible for asylum, then there could be no legal basis for their imprisonment. “Now there is no excuse for the Gestapo to keep the children in prison any longer,” wrote Gibson.
“I have never heard of the Board granting such a motion for Palestinian asylum seekers before, even though many people have tried,” wrote attorney Bardavid Friday evening. “I believe that the pressure put on the government by the actions filed in the federal courts, the media attention . . . and good work and thorough preparation of Mr. Gibson in his motion on behalf of the Ibrahims resulted in this outcome.”
“It’s the Declaration of Independence for the Palestinian people,” said Isenberg in a giddy mood Friday night. “We got the American government to blink!” How can he help but mention that he is proud of this achievement? How can he help but reflect that he is a son of Holocaust survivors?
“Every group goes through that period when they are treated with discrimination and then one event breaks the pattern. From now on the American government will no longer treat Palestinians as terrorists, but as humans. And I would hope that American citizens are realizing that if we continue to take away the rights of foreign nationals in an indiscriminate fashion, we are next.”
Meanwhile this Friday night, Jay Johnson-Castro, faithful organizer of three vigils outside the Hutto prison, promises to send photos of three ugly walls that stand between the USA and California: “I mean they are ugly ugly.”
It is past dark now and he stands upon a mass grave at the Holtville Cemetery near San Diego, where border crossers are buried who don’t make it over alive. “They are found dead and turned over to be buried.” It’s not the only mass grave at the border. There will be more to visit as the Marcha Migrante II Border Caravan begins its trek from San Diego to Brownsville and back.
“They say women are brought here in the middle of the night to do the burying,” says Johnson-Castro. “The federal government contracts with Imperial County to pay the city to bury these people, and nobody knows who they are. These are totally anonymous people who died as a result of our pathetic immigration system. Nobody is thinking of these people. The bodies are just thrown into the ground and dirt is pushed over them with a blade.”
From Holtville Cemetery, Johnson-Castro will caravan along the border, through the cities of the Rio Grande, making his way back to Hutto prison for his fourth vigil on Feb. 12. The release of the Ibrahim family is great news. But we know there are more Palestinian families in there along with anonymous border crossers and their children.
“We’re going to shut that prison down,” is something that Johnson-Castro and Isenberg have both promised over the phone tonight. In those merging voices, the faith of Ahmad Ibrahim is redeemed.
“I’m just enjoying the day,” says Ahmad Saturday morning, speaking by cell phone from a limousine that is somewhere between home and Hutto prison. The voice of his little niece Zahra chatters in the background. She is on her way to meet her mother. “It is a good day.”
Editor’s Note:John Wheat Gibson argues via email that the quotation–“Now people will no longer see Palestinians as terrorists”–does, in his words now, “nothing but deflect attention from the question of what forced the Ibrahims to flee their home to seek asylum.” And he continues:
Once again, the genius of the US media and even the organizations that pretend concern for human rights has been turned to the purposes of Zionist propaganda. The Ibrahims are Holocaust survivors for the time being, but the Israeli Occupation Force kills more Palestinian children every day. Your distortion of the relationship between criminal and victim helps the Holocaust to continue in the Occupied Territories, Afghanistan, an
d Iraq, and
will help ignite genocidal aggression against Iran. Shame on you.
Indeed, we share his concern that whenever we associate the terms terrorists and Palestinians, we risk doing nothing more than deflecting attention from a power relationship. It is a concern worth raising. However, at some point we have to ask, why are Palestinians so easily singled out for their political vulnerability. And we have to name the stereotype that works against them. If readers take our intention in the quote to be anything but mindful that there is a powerful stereotype on the lurk, then we have indeed written the story poorly.
As we are interested in Gibson’s claim that the story distorts the relationship between criminal and victim, we asked him to explain that a little more:
Here is a clue: Who are the people mentioned as conceivably “terrorists” and who are the people with respect to whom the question is not even
imaginable–in the universe of your story? What is the manichaean mythology underlying the dichotomy? Why did you choose to ignore the real reasons for
the release of the children and focus on the inane interventions of folks from New York? Can it be that the real reason is that you do not want the Palestinian Untermenschen to be perceived as victims of the criminal Zionist Master Race? Or can it be that you really, like the great mass of television watching North Americans, honestly do not know who is stealing
the land and killing the children, building roads and “settlements” for Master-Race Only, no dogs and Untermenschen allowed, imprisoning thousands,
and locking the rest behind an Apartheid Wall; and who it is that is getting killed and expelled from their own land and locked into concentration camps in their own country by foreign invaders? Why did you not mention that the Ibrahims survived a Holocaust?
In the 1930s a ship named the St. Louis docked in New York with a load of Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. The U.S. government refused to let them land. Reporting the event, would you have found a Good German to quote, “Americans no longer will think of Jews as terrorists?” As if, apart from the Master Race propaganda, there would have been any reason to think of the victims as “terrorists” in the first place!
Gibson’s clues have been invaluable to this case. And again, if our quote seems to indicate anything other than a claim that master-race propaganda has in fact been damaged by the Ibrahim victory, then we sincerely apologize.
However, the interest that Gibson raised with respect to language and power left us feeling a bit more curious. So we have the following exchange, which I promise, dear reader, will be allowed the last word on the matter:
We wrote:
Hi John, along the lines of worrying about how
language is playing into or against unjust power
relationships, I wonder what you thought about the new legal rationale on the part of the BIA that Palestine is now under the leadership of a terrorist
organization?
I do worry that such language, adopted as a fact of
state policy to acknowledge “new realities,” may
signal worse news to come for the Palestinian struggle
at home. In fact, I had received an email sugggesting
that right-wing Zionists may have common interest in
the a solution of Palestinian repatriation.
It does seem something to think about.
To which the learned attorney replied:
I agree completely. But, as Hans Magnus Enzensberger reminds us, “People who work in the sewer must not be afraid to handle some shit.”
And so, today we dance.–gm
← CounterPunch Readers Reply to 'So Little Seen' → Bardavid: Don't Forget the Unnamed Children
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Home A Black History Reader: 101 Question You Never Thought to Ask
A Black History Reader: 101 Question You Never Thought to Ask
by Textbook Valet
Author: Dr. Claud Anderson
Details: Product Description A Black History Reader: 101 Questions You Never Thought to Ask is a stunning book on Race Matters, by Dr. Claud Anderson, noted Forensic Historian. He combines his investigative, research skills and keen knowledge of American history to reconstruct from evidence just how America and Blacks arrived at today s racial conundrum. In this brilliant book, Dr. Claud Anderson, best-selling author, noted political strategist and businessman, explains why race is such an enduring problem in America and why the country is embroiled in issues of the Confederacy, slavery, immigration, athletes taking-a-knee and a myriad of issues based on race and racism. Written in a Q & A format, this book is an easy read and the 101 answers he presents in A Black History Reader reflect the unique background and perspective that will make this, and have made his other books, PowerNomics: The National Plan and Black Labor, White Wealth, national best-sellers and text books continuously for more than 20 years. About the Author Dr. Claud Anderson, noted forensic historian, has a matchless reputation for critically analyzing the social economic dilemma of Black America and crafting solutions. The rare combination of his life experiences has given him authority to make the recommendations he does in his books, to help Black America become self-sufficient and competitive. And he has devoted his life to doing just that. It is this background and his independent thinking and research that forms the foundation from which he has written five books and developed the strategies he offered to Black America. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Author of five best-selling books about Black History and ways to use history to reverse the bottom rung status of Blacks: President of PowerNomics® Corporation of America, Inc., the company that publishes his books and is president of The Harvest Institute, a non-profit public policy research and education organization that works for the self-sufficiency of Black America; is current president. - Doctorate degrees: earned and honorary. - Established the State Action Council, an organization of Black activists and other leaders who formed a voting bloc that supported candidates who promised and delivered benefits to the Black community. The State Action Council became powerful and was decisional in numerous elections. - Campaign Manager in Florida for President Jimmy Carter, Governor Reubin Askew and numerous other elected officials. - Appointed by Florida Governor Reuben Askew as his advisor and Coordinator of Education for the state where Anderson authored first state and nationally approved Affirmative Action plan in 1971. -Appointed by President Jimmy Carter as Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Federal Chairman of the Coastal Plains Commission; chaired meetings with governors of the Southeastern states and approved funds for economic development projects in the region. - Special Project Director, the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. - Marketing Development Officer, Federal Minority Bank Development Program. - Funded and constructed a Jones Island crab storage facility for Blacks in South Carolina and a Hilton Head Island Seafood Co-op for Black fishermen. - Chief of Mission for Governors; organized and headed international trade missions to Europe, Africa and Latin America, and developed profitable trade programs with West African countries and countries in the Middle East and Latin America. -United States Marine Corp: Marine Aviation, Safety and Survival Flight Specialist. - Certified pilot.
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James Chance/Getty Images Sport
Premier League, Championship, League One clubs ‘eyeing’ AFC Wimbledon hotshot
James Ray
@_jamesrray
According to the Daily Mail, AFC Wimbledon hotshot Ryan Longman is attracting interest from the Premier League, Championship and League One.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s loaned out forward Ryan Longman has enjoyed a thoroughly successful first half of the season.
The youngster has impressed with loan club AFC Wimbledon and now, it has been claimed that he is attracting a wide range of interest ahead of the January transfer window.
Not short of suitors…
As per the Daily Mail, clubs from the Premier League, Championship and League One are all considering moves for Longman.
Parent club Brighton have the option of recalling him this winter. With a whole host of clubs keeping tabs, it seems the Seagulls will have a transfer decision to make.
Longman’s season so far
The 20-year-old has been in impressed form for Glyn Hodges’ Dons so far this season.
After 23 games, Longman has contributed five goals and laid on three assists across all competitions. He has featured mainly through the middle for Hodges but has played on the right-wing as well.
Longman has started to break into senior football after impressing in Brighton’s youth ranks.
He made his senior debut for the Premier League side last year, coming off the bench in a Carabao Cup clash with Aston Villa.
Would you like your club to make a move for Longman? Let us know what you think in the poll at the bottom of the page.
Would you welcome a January move for Longman?
Everton poised to ‘drop out’ of race for Bournemouth man- Fulham also linked
Barnsley boss reveals biggest concern after ‘stupid’ moment in Swansea City defeat
Sunderland loan man targeted by Championship side
Luton Town ready to make a ‘decent offer’ for Swindon Town’s Scott Twine – Bournemouth, Brentford, Reading also interested
Huddersfield Town using a ‘top agency’ to flog midfielder – Burnley, Newcastle United in waiting
Bournemouth man Josh King’s ‘stunning’ wage demands revealed after West Ham move stalls – Fulham join race, but summer move more likely now
Preston North End keen on Luton Town’s Sonny Bradley – ‘cut-price’ January bid possible
Hull City don’t hold an option to purchase Cardiff City man on permanent basis
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The Best of Reggae
Reggae & Ska Music Terms Glossary
Reggae Artist Search
What is Ska Music
By The Best of Reggae Editor Leave a Comment
The original sound of reggae (pre-reggae), played in Jamaica in the early 1960’s, originated largely by the island’s resort and studio players who came together to form The Skatalites. The early hits from The Wailing Wailers, such as “One Cup Of Coffee,” “Simmer Down,” and the original “One Love” are all great examples of ska featuring vocals. (A large part of original Jamaican ska was instrumental—check anything from The Skatalites! The Skatalites were the instrumental backing band for some of the early Wailers’ tracks.) Ska relies heavily on the saxophone, trumpet, and trombone to carry the melodies, and has a prominent steady upbeat carrying the music forward.
List of notable bands and musicians who performed primarily Ska or Ska-influenced music for a significant portion of their careers.
The originators of Ska started performing in 1950s
Laurel Aitken
Roland Alphonso
Theophilus Beckford
Val Bennett
Baba Brooks
The Blues Busters
Clue J & His Blues Blasters
Stranger Cole
Jackie Edwards
Alton Ellis
The Ethiopians
Derrick Harriott
Justin Hinds
Jah Jerry Haynes
Lloyd Knibb
Count Machuki
Carlos Malcolm
Tommy McCook
The Melodians
Johnny “Dizzy” Moore
Derrick Morgan
Eric “Monty” Morris
Jackie Opel
The Paragons
Lee “Scratch” Perry
The Pioneers
The Skatalites
Lynn Taitt
Lord Tanamo
The Wailers
Delroy Wilson
Starting in late 1970s – 2 Tone Ska Revival
The 2 Tone sound was developed by young musicians in Coventry, West Midlands, England who grew up hearing 1960s Jamaican music.They combined influences from ska, reggae and rocksteady with elements of Punk Rock and New Wave music. Bands considered part of the genre include:
Andy Cox
Pauline Black
Rhoda Dakar
Mike Barson
The Beat (known as The English Beat)
Mark Bedford
Buster Bloodvessel
The Bodysnatchers
Chris Foreman
Lynval Golding
Everett Morton
Roddy Radiation
Ranking Roger
Chas Smash
The Specials ( known as The Special AKA)
Neville Staple
Suggs
Daniel Woodgate
1980s /1990s Ska Punk / Ska-core (skacore)
Ska Punk is a fusion music genre that combines Ska and Punk Rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s.[Ska-core (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.
The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting genres. The more punk-influenced style often features faster tempos, guitar distortion, onbeat punk rock-style interludes (usually the chorus), and punk-style vocals. The more ska-influenced style of ska punk features a more developed instrumentation and a cleaner vocal and musical sound. The common instrumentation includes electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, brass instruments (such as trombones or trumpets), saxophones, and sometimes an organ.
Below is a list of famous Ska Punk and Ska-core Bands and Musicians
7 Seconds of Love
Against All Authority
Allniters
The Allstonians
Animal Chin
The Aquabats
Area-7
The Arrogant Sons of Bitches
B. Lee Band
BAMF!
Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution
Blue Meanies
Big D and the Kids Table
Bim Skala Bim
Bomb The Music Industry!
Buck-O-Nine
The Busters
Capdown
Chase Long Beach
The Chinkees
Choking Victim
Chris Murray
Citizen Fish
Common Rider
Deal’s Gone Bad
The Donkey Show
Edna’s Goldfish
The Forces Of Evil
The Gadjits
General Rudie
Go Jimmy Go
Gollbetty
High School Football Heroes
The Hippos
Hub City Stompers
I Voted for Kodos
The Insyderz
Jeffries Fan Club
The Johnstones
Johnny Socko
Kid British
King Apparatus
The King Blues
The Know How
Let’s Go Bowling
Long Shot Party
Los Kung-Fu Monkeys
Los Hooligans
Mark Foggo’s Skasters
Mealticket
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Missing Andy
Mustard Plug
No-Cash
No Torso
Nuckle Brothers
The O.C. Supertones
Operation Ivy
OreSkaBand
Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra
Panteón Rococó
The Pietasters
Pilfers
The Planet Smashers
The Porkers
Potshot
Random Hand
RedSka
Reel Big Fish
The Rough Kutz
Ruder Than You
The Rudiments
The Rudimentals
Rx Bandits
The Scofflaws
Skankin’ Pickle
Skavoovie and the Epitones
Skinnerbox
The Skunks
The Slackers
Slow Gherkin
Spunge
Sonic Boom Six
Sounds Like Chicken
Spring Heeled Jack
Sto zví?at
Streetlight Manifesto
Stubborn All-Stars
Subb
Sublime with Rome
Suburban Legends
Suburban Rhythm
Superhiks
The Supervillains
The Taj Motel Trio
Tip The Van
The Toasters
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
The Unlimiters
The Upgrades
The Uptones
Tijuana No!
Voodoo Glow Skulls
Westbound Train
Zdob Si Zdub
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Song Review: CLC – Me
Posted on May 29, 2019 by Nick 30 Comments
This January, CLC out-(G)IDLE’d (G)-IDLE with the Soyeon-composed No. That quirky, attitude-driven track seemed to spark a sonic revolution in the group, drawing upon their charisma for an ear-catching performance. New single Me (美) harnesses that same vibe, but comes across as diminished returns.
The first time through, it’s easy to compare Me to 4minute’s 2016 hit Hate. Both center around a similarly aggressive beat drop, hammering their choruses with an electronic attack that feels more noisy than creative. As exciting as Me’s energy is, it’s also a case of style over substance. Beyond all of the hard-hitting production flourishes, there’s not much of a song to be found. The verses pulse with attitude, but fade from memory as soon as they’ve passed. The main hook hinges on one under-cooked phrase, repeated without variation. This simplistic construction is at odds with the maelstrom of sound swirling around it, and gives Me an unbalanced (and ultimately unfulfilling) presence.
Within all of the song’s bombast, there are a few interesting instrumental quirks to be found. The percussion stands out, moving from intense drum fills during the chorus to more hesitant, disjointed patterns in the verses. I particularly like how the beat drop modulates to trace the girls’ vocal line during Me’s final few seconds. It’s a gratifying bow tied on an altogether messy package. But in the end, the song is just too one-note to stand out. It’s powered by one of the least engaging refrains in CLC’s arsenal, and its brash production choices will likely polarize listeners.
Hooks 6
Tags: clc, cube, k-pop, kpop, rating 6, review. Bookmark the permalink.
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30 thoughts on “Song Review: CLC – Me”
JYHB says:
I remember you not liking “Black Dress” that much while I loved it, and I feel the same way here. “Me” is cool!
Of course, “No” stands as one of the best songs of 2019 to date, and that’s hard feat to follow, but as far as things go – I’m glad that CLC aren’t back to their ill-conceived cute concept of a few years ago and that they’ve kept this “hardcore” empowerment-lite image. “No” was successful for me in large part because of the amount of detail in the instrumental, and “Me” somewhat measures up in that department, with all sorts of cool textural details. However, “No” also had a killer chorus melody and cool off-kilter structure, and “Me” has neither of these aspects.
What pushes it over the line? Well, the pre-chorus is undeniably great (and even better when it’s played for the third time during the bridge), and I shockingly like the Skrillex drop because it has rough textures but doesn’t succumb to the lurching rhythms of dubstep/trap. I do wish that the vocals had taken a backseat during the repetitive “areumdaun me” bit, because there’s no harmonic or melodic movement there, which gets grating. Even *any* changing harmony in the bass line would have lifted that section way up. A good example of this is “Hellevator” by Stray Kids where the choice to include an Actual Chord Progression (surprisingly uncommon in bg swag tracks) transforms a boring one-note riff into an effective chorus. That’s not a huge gripe though, and it could be that I need to crank this on a better speaker to hear it properly!
I think where we differ in general is that you really don’t like drop-as-chorus structures, while for me they’re not ideal but far from a deal-breaker. I enjoy pure noise, and this comes off as a kpop-goes-vaguely-metal moment more than anything else. CLC have done better than “Me” (as evidenced by them being on my favorites list almost as much as Twice in 2018), but overall? I like it.
Xenoterran says:
I REALLY “want” to like this song. Having CLC rise from the brink of extinction during their cutesy phase (similar to Dreamcatcher) means sometimes wanting to like the unlikable to avoid losing upward momentum. But that drop.. {grits teeth}. It’s as if the writer began with the idea of using “that” and then tried to tie a girl crush bow around it with ham-fisted success.
Yeah, I’m definitely in the minority when it comes to Me. But honestly, I think I’m in the minority with CLC as a whole. I’ve never quite vibed with them, and this particular style is not at all to my taste. And you’re right… I am stick and tired of drop-style choruses. They can be done well occasionally, but I like it when they feel more organic to the song.
myma says:
I think you underrate it by a bit. Below 7 means basic or basic minus kpop, and this one is at least aurally interesting.
The main problem is that Skillrex “Hate” sound over the first part of the chorus. It is uneven in intensity with the vocal line that alternates with the bam bam bam sounds, and then the noises are also uneven with the rest of the song. It is the equivalent of having a lovely little bungalow in pastel colors, and then neon orange trim on the windows but only the windows. Get rid of the neon, and then it is still a lovely little bungalow.
The 2nd part of the chorus with the clapping I thought was nice. Also, the song un-abashedly uses a reggae beat for the verses.
I appreciate that this is also homegrown talent in Soyeon, and not some corporate glossy pastiche.
I’ve yet to see a review on this site that scores below 5 (though I’m sure some must exist). If anything, I think the reviews are “too careful” not to step on toes. Let’s be realistic; if you were rating people on a scale from 1 to 10, there are definitely some 1 through 5’s in the world. ..a lot of them.
I think if a song is going to dip below the 5 mark, then it simply doesn’t get reviewed here. A “if you’ve nothing good to say, then say nothing” sentiment. I love CLC and this release was.. ..meh. Their B-side “Like It” (off “No.1”) is much better than this.
My point is, I guess, if we don’t voice hard truths when a song doesn’t meet our expectations, then we can’t expect a group to evolve in the right direction. “Me” is not the right direction for CLC. My2p.
This comment was super interesting for me to read, and made me realize I really need to update the “About” page that touches on my philosophy when it comes to reviews. (It’s basically never been updated…)
You’re right. Reviews here rarely go below the 5’s. My lowest was in the 3’s, I think. My 1-10 scale exists out of necessity (it would be weird to simply start with 5), but I mostly ignore the bottom few ratings. As apathetic as I can be about some of the industry’s current trends, I’m a K-pop fanatic at heart. Even the most “meh” K-pop releases are better executed than so many Western tracks, in my opinion. Now, if I was rating certain songs coming out of the States these days, I would definitely be firing off those 1’s and 2’s with regularity!
And yeah, if a song is bad enough to score that low, I usually just don’t cover it here. The exception would be if it’s also high-profile enough that ignoring it would seem unavoidable. But the thing is, comebacks that are that high profile have usually been polished and perfected to a point where, even if they’re not my cup of tea, I can’t objectively trash them. As far as crappy lower-profile tracks go… it’s just not worth it. It takes a lot of time and effort to write and edit reviews for this site. I don’t really want to waste that on something I hate.
You’ve also probably noticed that I have yet to award a “10” rating to a newly released track. I just don’t think a song can be a perfect ten on its first day, or even first week. It takes time to grow into that. Someday, I’ll have to write a feature of songs released since the start of The Bias List that I would now consider 10’s.
Anyways… super long reply to a comment that wasn’t really asking me any questions. Haha! Take it as an early draft of what will become an updated “About” page sometime in the future. Maybe.
I would kill for a “songs that have been upgraded to legendary status” post/series.
Maybe some time in the summer, when I’ve got more time and energy (these last few weeks before summer break in an elementary school are killer)
There is a tinge of “apology” in your explanation that is completely unnecessary. This is a “your site/your rules” world we live in. I actually like your methods so keep fighting the good fight.
If I don’t see a song reviewed then I can take that as: “It’s bad”, “It’s not relevant”, or it’s been shuffled to the bottom of the “Some day…” pile; which is fine with me.
If I see a song reviewed higher than I’d expect, then I can attribute that to personal tastes. I don’t get offended if others don’t think exactly like me.. ..because I wouldn’t interact with anyone that is exactly like me.
Nope. I like your system. It’s simple and fair:
“579-10” Well, that’s going to be very tricky, isn’t it?
Once you cross the threshold of perfection, you really are talking more about your personal likes than with every other review. The concept of a song being a “10” is visceral. It’s personal. It’s reflective of the individual that’s scoring it. This “10”.. ..spoke to you, specifically, in ways all of the other songs couldn’t. It’ll be interesting to see which songs spoke to you.
Wow.. ..HTML coding ruins another of my posts. The “Nope. I like your system” part was completely hosed. I reformatted the rest of my reply as follows:
Less than 5 = why bother.
Greater than 5, less than 7 = Well, it exists, so there’s that.
Greater than 7, less than 9 = Playlist worthy.
Greater than 9, up to 10 = Well, that’s going to be very tricky, isn’t it?
Once you cross the threshold of perfection, you really are talking more about your personal likes than with every other review. The concept of a song being a “10” is visceral. It’s personal. It’s reflective of the individual that’s scoring it. This “10”.. ..spoke to you in ways all of the other songs couldn’t. It’ll be interesting to see which songs spoke to you.
You pretty much nailed it! It’s worth noting, though, that I’m very stingy with my 9+ ratings, so songs with an “8.75” are kind of in a category of their own, with many bumping up to a “9” as time goes on.
khizuo says:
“Now, if I was rating certain songs coming out of the States these days, I would definitely be firing off those 1’s and 2’s with regularity!”
I remember a time when I complained about how American pop was copy-pasting itself. Nowadays even the most basic of American pop songs is at least listenable to me, when compared to the mumble-“rap” my high school is obsessed with. If I could rate ‘Production’ as 0 for 90% of those, I would. I’m so glad I quit the American music scene before the Trash Trap Takeover. (Kpop trap, even if it is an overused trope that I want to see kicked out of second verses, is still ten times better.)
I would love to see an American song you would rate a 1. I remember you liked Cat and Dog, so how strongly do you object to mumble rap? (I definitely have a gigantic bias against it, thanks to its prevalence in my school’s events.)
Funny you should mention this, because I’ve been working on editing the music for my school’s talent show this week and there are these two “songs” that just sound like pure garbage to me. I don’t know how popular these are/were beyond youtube views, because I really haven’t followed much American music in the past four years, but each would be the lucky recipient of a “1” (or worse)
And yeah… not a fan of mumble rap. TXT is an exception because I think the guys are just such irresistible performers and the song is so stupid that it’s actually kind of great.
I believe in this thread we have successfully defined “song gets mixed reviews”.
I will add one more comment that just as there is bias that over-rates a song (in other people’s opinions), there also exists bias which can under-rate songs (in other people’s opinions). And then there is the bias of review selection or omission. For example for me, recent groups that have a lot of stans and I just do see it, I may not comment on – I just scroll on by. Or for Nick, how he will probably never review another Kyuhyun (my bias) solo song again.
At least Nick uses the full sub-scale from about 5.5 to about 9.5. On the public grading scales, usually 1 to 5, if the restaurant or movie you are going to isn’t at least an average of 4, it is horrible. the scale is almost binary – above 4 or below 4. Because no one fills out a review for a 2 or 3 stars, all the statistics are skewed. 1 star was something horrible about how the manager treated them. 5 stars, plus something about how the meal was memorable for something other than the food (the sunset was pretty!). 4 stars when it is pretty good.
I’ve only started posting comments/replies a day ago. I’ve been coming here for a long while, but I didn’t want to create yet another social account just to make posts, but.. ..I caved.
I guess I keep coming here because I like Nick’s review methods. I think he stays as impartial and objective as he can. His 5-9 review system makes sense to me. He covers a quasi-relevant spectrum of the industry that I identify with. He does a good job referencing the past works of a group being reviewed to provide counterweight to their current effort. And, most importantly, he’s not a douche-nozzle like some other sites out there that review K-pop music. ’nuff said on that.
I’m so glad you’ve decided to start commenting. Don’t be a stranger!
You don’t know how much I agonize over every little 0.25! Over time, even the smallest changes in my ratings have developed a specific meaning for me. (Crazy as that may be)
And never say never when it comes to Kyuhyun. I love the guy, but his pre and post enlistment ballads have been very boring (in my opinion). I hope I get a chance to write about non-ballad material from him sometime.
QINQIN says:
I feel like this song is made for their girl-crush performance. And yes, the rating is a bit too harsh. It’s not that bad, I mean, at least it’s not tropical house and that forgettable. Lol.
sornbias says:
your review sucks bigtime! this is their best song to date! period bitch\!
Omfg bro,,
I especially like the unexplained “\”
I can’t tell if they were starting to write code, or if the “!” that follows is just a pair of surly eyes over the screwface mouth. Either way, it pretty accurately represents my facial expression when I read this comment.
/! = A wink with a half grin???
Nick came across as intelligent and respectful, but honest and candid; …you didn’t.
Kray-Z says:
Ever heard of opinions?
Kind of unrelated, but I always enjoy the comment sections on your posts and this one is a prime example of what I’m talking about. People expressing their genuine opinions, but with solid reasoning backed in music knowledge, and flavored with a sprinkle of snark – this is the kpop community I love! The copy-paste field of bias-hyping we always get in Youtube comment sections is to be expected, but of course it gets unbelievably tiring. Every time I see another “x-group did that, y’all” I retreat to this website. I love reading your reviews and I love reading the comment section. Keep it up, man.
Yes, yes, yes! I love the comments this site gets. I wish there were even more, but I’m so happy to provide a place where people can geek out about K-pop in a genuine and thoughtful way. Time constraints mean that I’m not always able to respond as quickly as I’d like, but I read everything and I’m glad that others do, too!
After the last song, the released which I wasn’t a fan of the group comes back with a banger. This time the group goes into the EDM/trap genre for the new single. The production on the song goes hard making it something worth listening too. The vocals on this song are way better than their track now, and the drop after the chorus fits the song perfectly getting me excited. The rapping on the song flowed well with the production being one of my favorite sections of the song as it was terrific. Near the end of the song, the electronic production does this cool thing where it plays the melody of the song fitting well with the vocals closing out the song well.
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Lead Singer of Gwar Found Dead Sitting Upright in a Chair
By Larry Putzgerald March 24, 2014
David Brockie, lead singer of Gwar aka Oderus Urungus, was found dead early Sunday morning sitting upright in a chair at his home in Richmond, VA. A law enforcement source says, “There were no drugs found, as far as I know.” They don’t believe it was a suicide either, no note was found, and there’s no suspicion of foul play. His body was discovered by his roommate.
On the bright side, he wasn’t found with a belt looped around his neck and his pants down. I’m a glass half full kind of guy.
#david brockie
#deaths
#gwar
Partner highlights
Regis Philbin Dead at 88
Grant Imahara of ‘MythBusters’ Dead at 49
Kirk Douglas Dead at 103
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Report: Neighbor steals skeleton over offensive gesture
Culture & Commentary By: The Bullet Wire March 7th, 2020 11:02 pm
CUYAMUNGUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico woman is facing a larceny charge after authorities say she stole a neighbor’s anatomical skeleton model that allegedly was making an offensive gesture toward her.
Court documents filed Monday show that Diana Hogrebe was charged with one count of larceny in connection with the skeleton heist, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
Hogrebe of Cuyamungue, New Mexico, told Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies she was offended by the way the skeleton’s hand was posed — with the middle finger pointed up.
Hogrebe told the Santa Fe New Mexican the episode was the culmination of a monthslong feud between her and neighbor Joseph Downs, who she said has hassled her family and other nearby residents.
“I just, you know, had it,” Hogrebe said. “It was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back, and I don’t know what to do.”
The skeleton has not been located, authorities said.
According to the deputy’s statement of probable cause, the skeleton was a gift to Downs from a family member and was worth about $1,500.
Hogrebe took it in the early morning hours Feb. 27, the statement said. She told the deputy the finger pose had offended and upset her.
“It just put me to the boiling point,” she said in the interview Tuesday.
Downs, who has lived near her for less than a year, regularly harasses her, her 19-year-old daughter, her husband and other neighbors and family members who live in the area, Hogrebe said.
He sets off a propane cannon, typically used by farmers to scare birds from their fields, she said, and plays loud music at all hours.
The deputy’s statement said Downs had video showing Hogrebe entering his property and then walking back to her home with the white skeleton.
Hogrebe “stated she knew what she had done was wrong and admitted to having removed the skeleton,” the statement said.
No phone number was listed for Downs.
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Home NEW Nintendo Switch CLANNAD Tomoyo After~It's a Wonderful Life~CS Edition JAPAN
NEW Nintendo Switch CLANNAD Tomoyo After~It's a Wonderful Life~CS Edition JAPAN
by Nintendo
Brand: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Texts are available in both Japanese and English! "Tomopedia" is also included!
Texts are available in both Japanese and English (Voice is available in Japanese only). The environment settings and digital manuals are also compatible with both Japanese and English, and the display language can be switched at any time during the game. Also, if you set the display language to English, you can use "Tomopedia" to explain terms such as Japanese culture that appear in the game.
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Difference between revisions of "Category:Language Coordinators"
Isiliel (talk | contribs)
* Leo de Cooman http://www.ted.com/profiles/235836
::http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_grizaleono/
==Estonian==
* Aari Lemmik https://www.ted.com/profiles/1551794
::http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/aari_lemmik/
==Finnish==
Language Coordinators are experienced volunteer translators in TED's Open Translation Project who have shown exceptional translation skill and an extraordinary level of commitment to advancing their language community within TED. Language Coordinators help TED maintain translation quality and advise TED on a range of project-related subjects, from technology to community.
If your language has no Language Coordinator, please contact dimitra@ted.com or translate@ted.com
Below is a list of Language Coordinators, followed by links to the Coordinator pages on OTPedia.
1 Language Coordinators, with link to TED and Amara profiles
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1.42 Macedonian
1.43 Malayalam
1.44 Marathi
1.45 Mongolian
1.46 Nepali
1.47 Norwegian (Nynorsk and Bokmal)
1.48 Persian (Farsi)
1.49 Polish
1.50 Portuguese (Brazil)
1.51 Portuguese (Portugal)
1.52 Punjabi
1.53 Romanian
1.54 Russian
1.55 Sardinian
1.56 Serbian
1.57 Silesian
1.58 Sinhala
1.59 Slovak
1.60 Slovenian
1.61 Spanish
1.61.1 For Spanish TEDx Transcripts
1.62 Swahili
1.63 Swedish
1.64 Tamil
1.65 Tatar
1.66 Telugu
1.67 Thai
1.68 Turkish
1.69 Ukrainian
1.70 Urdu
1.71 Vietnamese
2 Language Coordinators on OTPedia
Language Coordinators, with link to TED and Amara profiles
Africaans
Ingrid Lezar https://www.ted.com/profiles/374908
https://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/41711/
Helena Bedalli http://www.ted.com/profiles/837819
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/bedallih/
Ahmed Omer http://www.ted.com/profiles/4678806
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Ahmedoo/
Anwar Dafa-Alla http://www.ted.com/profiles/122540
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_anwarking/
Ayman Mahmoud http://www.ted.com/profiles/37209
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/aymanity/
Lalla Khadija Tigha http://www.ted.com/profiles/645049
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/LallaKhadija/
Muhammad Ramadan http://www.ted.com/profiles/3319689/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/muhammad_ramadan/
Mahmoud Aghiorly http://www.ted.com/profiles/321965
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/maghiorly/
Ghalia Turki http://www.ted.com/profiles/2188999
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Ghalia.Turki/
Allam Zedan http://www.ted.com/profiles/2743826/translator
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/allamzedan/
Riyad Almubarak http://www.ted.com/profiles/1481456
http://amara.org/en/profiles/edit/
Kristine Sargsyan http://www.ted.com/profiles/364823
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/kristinesargsyan/
GulchinTaghiyevahttp://www.ted.com/profiles/596934
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/gulchin/
Ziyaddin Sadigov http://www.ted.com/profiles/1972587
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/zsadigov/
Jone Aliri http://www.ted.com/profiles/1787545
https://www.amara.org/es/profiles/edit/
Hanna Baradzina http://www.ted.com/profiles/1343896
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/baradzinka/
Alena Zhaliazniak http://www.ted.com/profiles/1272302
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_159/
Palash Ranjan Sanyal http://www.ted.com/profiles/1187950
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/palash019/
Darina Stoyanova http://www.ted.com/profiles/45215
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/pronoia/
Anton Hikov http://www.ted.com/profiles/10559
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/anton545/
Myo Aung http://www.ted.com/profiles/2451980
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Myo%20Aung/
Sann Tint http://www.ted.com/profiles/2256505
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/sann_tint/
Òscar Aznar Alemany http://www.ted.com/profiles/808759
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/oscarazal/
Núria Estrada http://www.ted.com/profiles/2356039
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Nuria_Estrada/
Fran Ontanaya http://www.ted.com/profiles/1500891
Tony Yet http://www.ted.com/profiles/42895
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/tonyyet/
Jenny Yang http://www.ted.com/profiles/250727
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_JennyYang/
Coco Shen http://www.ted.com/profiles/193561
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/renaiis/
Yolanda (Mengmeng) Zhang http://www.ted.com/profiles/2673019
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/yolanda_zhang/
Bill Hsiung http://www.ted.com/profiles/232130
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_bbkh/
Chunfung Chen http://www.ted.com/profiles/258692
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/fung/
Adrienne Lin http://www.ted.com/profiles/451426
http://amara.org/zh-tw/profiles/profile/adriennelin/
Regina Chu https://www.ted.com/profiles/996714
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/reginachu2/
Chinese Yue
Alan Watson http://www.ted.com/profiles/4819574
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/alan_watson/
Ivan Stamenković http://www.ted.com/profiles/874069
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Stamen/
Jan Kadlec http://www.ted.com/profiles/604172
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/JanKadlec/
Samuel Titera http://www.ted.com/profiles/309474
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/samueltitera/
Anders Finn Jørgensen http://www.ted.com/profiles/1291837
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/andersfinn/
Sune Vilsted http://www.ted.com/profiles/4447498
http://amara.org/da/profiles/profile/vils_sun/
Els De Keyser http://www.ted.com/profiles/524687
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ElsDK/
Axel Saffran http://www.ted.com/profiles/495912
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/AxelSaffran/
Christel Foncke http://www.ted.com/profiles/794451
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ChristelF/
Valerie Boor https://www.ted.com/profiles/1764168
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/valerie_boor/
Peter van de Ven https://www.ted.com/profiles/3435792
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/248282/
English (for TEDx Talks)
Robert Tucker http://www.ted.com/profiles/1750175
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/robert_tucker/
Tulio Leao http://www.ted.com/profiles/522798
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Tupaschoal/
Leonardo Silva http://www.ted.com/profiles/1751105
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/leonardo_silva/
Camille Martinez http://www.ted.com/profiles/452246
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/camille816/
Sebastian Betti http://www.ted.com/profiles/228293
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/se6as/
Kinga Skorupska http://www.ted.com/profiles/144511
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_Snai/
Denise R Quivu https://www.ted.com/profiles/364502
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/denisadee%20/
Ellen Maloney https://www.ted.com/profiles/3786769
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ellen_maloney/
Theresa Ranft http://www.ted.com/profiles/2431981
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/173241/
Muriel de Meo http://www.ted.com/profiles/5523303
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/muriel_de_meo/
James Rezende Piton https://www.ted.com/profiles/237167
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_sudastelaro/
Leo de Cooman http://www.ted.com/profiles/235836
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_grizaleono/
Aari Lemmik https://www.ted.com/profiles/1551794
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/aari_lemmik/
Ulla Vainio http://www.ted.com/profiles/275410
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/uvainio/
Sami Niskanen http://www.ted.com/profiles/5749429/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/sami_niskanen/
Elisabeth Buffard http://www.ted.com/profiles/239263
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_ogrebattle/
Hugo Wagner http://www.ted.com/profiles/674444
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_HugoWagner/
Shadia Ramsahye http://www.ted.com/profiles/356667
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ramsy/
Anna Cristiana Minoli http://www.ted.com/profiles/336211
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/AnnaCristiana/
Eric Vautier http://www.ted.com/profiles/244060
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ericv/
Patrick Brault http://www.ted.com/profiles/715805
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/PatrickBrault/
Serge Brosseau, http://www.ted.com/profiles/869676
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/sergiobro/
Xusto Rodríguez Río http://www.ted.com/profiles/1050055
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/xustorod/
Levan Lashauri http://www.ted.com/profiles/3836398
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/levan_lashauri/
Nadine Hennig http://www.ted.com/profiles/597058
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/austine/
Angelika Lueckert http://www.ted.com/profiles/1428226
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/angelika_lueckert/
Johanna Pichler http://www.ted.com/profiles/333489
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/1gehtno1gehtnoleicht/
Swenja Gawantka http://www.ted.com/profiles/5898179
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/swenja_gawantka/
Dimitra Papageorgiou http://www.ted.com/profiles/199963
http://www.amara.org/es/profiles/profile/41006/
Nikolaos Benias http://ted.com/profiles/472661
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/NikosBenias/
Chryssa Rapessi Takahashi http://www.ted.com/profiles/1302038
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/japangr/
Lucas Kaimaras http://www.ted.com/profiles/2631477/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/lucas_kaimaras/
Ido Dekkers http://www.ted.com/profiles/358462
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/idekkers/
Sigal Tifferet http://www.ted.com/profiles/458544
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/tifferet/
Shlomo Adam http://www.ted.com/profiles/144579
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/aknv/
Tal Dekkers http://www.ted.com/profiles/2355912
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/tal_dekkers/
Roni Ravia http://www.ted.com/profiles/4941019
http://amara.org/en/profiles/account/
Abhinav Garule http://www.ted.com/profiles/1410240
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/abhinav_garule/
Omprakash Bisen http://www.ted.com/profiles/950995
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/iOP/
Judit Szabo http://www.ted.com/profiles/1015785
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Judit/
Csaba Lóki http://www.ted.com/profiles/395933
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/dandelion88/
Dewi Barnas http://www.ted.com/profiles/254595
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/dewi_barnas/
Anna Cristiana Minoli http://www.ted.com/profiles/336211
Michele Gianella http://www.ted.com/profiles/190069
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_TradottiInItaliano/
Elena Montrasio http://www.ted.com/profiles/490889
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_elenamontradio/
Patrizia Romeo Tomasini http://www.ted.com/profiles/2034158
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/patrizia_romeo_tomasini/
Alessandra Tadiotto http://www.ted.com/profiles/1272587
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/aletadiotto/
Caterina Angela Dettori https://www.ted.com/profiles/3975292/translator
https://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/caterina_angela_dettori/
For Italian TEDx Transcripts
Marco Caresia http://www.ted.com/profiles/532638
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/caresia/
Yasushi Aoki http://www.ted.com/profiles/259035
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_aoky/
Natsuhiko Mizutani http://www.ted.com/profiles/263695
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Natsumizu/
Mari Arimitsu http://www.ted.com/profiles/1776223/
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/mari_arimitsu/
Kazunori Akashi http://www.ted.com/profiles/543950
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/konstrual/
Moe Shoji http://www.ted.com/profiles/1975491/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/moe_shoji/
Riaki Poništ http://www.ted.com/profiles/1627653/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/riaki_hirota/
Naoko Fujii https://www.ted.com/profiles/2025859/translator
http://amara.org/el/profiles/profile/naoko_fujii/
Askhat Yerkimbay http://www.ted.com/profiles/1546319
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/urimtal/
InHyuk Song http://www.ted.com/profiles/138186
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/flapancy/
Gemma Lee http://www.ted.com/profiles/1636047
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/gemma_lee/
Jihyeon Kim http://www.ted.com/profiles/2591230/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_jihyeon_kim/
Jae Yoon Kang http://www.ted.com/profiles/333391/translator
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/rapaello/
Ahmed Yousify http://www.ted.com/profiles/1894270
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Ahmed_Yousify/
Hiwa Foundation http://www.ted.com/profiles/1468634
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_hiwa_foundation_ii/
Kristaps Kadiķis https://www.ted.com/profiles/608660
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/KristapsK/
Edite Husare http://www.ted.com/profiles/2311436
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/edite_husare/
Ilze Garda http://www.ted.com/profiles/1176585
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ilze_garda/
Andrius Druzinis http://www.ted.com/profiles/711773
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/andrius.druzinis/
Sigita Šimkutė-Macanko http://www.ted.com/profiles/3765728
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/sigita_mcsimkute/
Aleksandar Mitevski http://www.ted.com/profiles/1019167/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/SERVAPILI/
Netha Hussain http://www.ted.com/profiles/1794888
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/netha_hussain/
Indra Ganzorig http://www.ted.com/profiles/2709652
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Indra.G/
Tuya Bat http://www.ted.com/profiles/3838138
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/tuya_bat/
Sundari Enkhtugs http://www.ted.com/profiles/2592973
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_sundari_enkhtugs/
Deepak Basyal http://www.ted.com/profiles/716207
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/dpakji/
Norwegian (Nynorsk and Bokmal)
Martin Hassel http://www.ted.com/profiles/165498
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/mhassel/
Marleen Laschet http://www.ted.com/profiles/5594387
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/marleen_laschet/
Bidel Akbari http://www.ted.com/profiles/379147
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/bidel/
Soheila Jafari http://www.ted.com/profiles/794574
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/soheilajafari/
Krystian Aparta http://www.ted.com/profiles/78265
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_symbolt/
Rysia Wand http://www.ted.com/profiles/507534
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Trisha17/
Sylwia Gliniewicz https://www.ted.com/profiles/1777408/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/sylwia_gliniewicz/
Marta Kliber http://www.ted.com/profiles/1939349/translator
http://www.amara.org/pl/profiles/profile/marta_kliber/
Marta Grochowalska https://www.ted.com/profiles/2030481/translator
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/marta_grochowalska/
Rafael Eufrasio http://www.ted.com/profiles/369213
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/rafaeleufrasio/
Elena Crescia http://www.ted.com/profiles/524284
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/mec34/
Gustavo Rocha http://www.ted.com/profiles/1530709
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/gusrocha/
Tulio Leao http://www.ted.com/profiles/522798
Leonardo Silva http://www.ted.com/profiles/1751105
Ruy Lopes Pereira http://www.ted.com/profiles/2240658
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ruy_lopes_pereira/
Maricene Crus http://www.ted.com/profiles/2966969/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/maricene_crus/
Raissa Mendes https://www.ted.com/profiles/1073778/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Raissarrm/
Claudia Sander http://www.ted.com/profiles/4349225/translator
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/claudia_sander/
Marcelino Jesus http://www.ted.com/profiles/5318580
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/CustosVigilat/
Isabel V. Belchior http://www.ted.com/profiles/481244
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/isabellchior/
Rafael Galupa http://www.ted.com/profiles/1081921
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/RafaelMGalupa/
Margarida Ferreira http://www.ted.com/profiles/2633052
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/margarida_ferreira/
Satdeep Gill http://www.ted.com/profiles/2220406
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/satdeep_gill
Emil-Lorant Cocian http://www.ted.com/profiles/1173239
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/emil_lorant_cocian/
Adrian Dobroiu http://www.ted.com/profiles/304289
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/40666/
Cristina Nicolae https://www.ted.com/profiles/1957860/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/cristina_nicolae/
Delia Bogdan http://www.ted.com/profiles/1168179
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/dobedobedooo/
Ana Lorena Ciutacu www.ted.com/profiles/3413785/translator
http://www.amara.org/de/profiles/profile/ana_lorena/
Anna Kotova http://www.ted.com/profiles/2368137
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Anna%20Kotova/
Yulia Kallistratova http://www.ted.com/profiles/3809607
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/yulia_kallistratova/
Natalia Ost https://www.ted.com/profiles/2241073
http://amara.org/ru/profiles/profile/547378/
Ivana Korom http://www.ted.com/profiles/377323
http://www.amara.org/pa/profiles/profile/ted_sophisticatedcat/
Mile Zivkovic http://www.ted.com/profiles/1703609
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/mile_zivkovic/
Dulini Yasara Mudunkotuwa http://www.ted.com/profiles/512690
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/duliniyash/
Ivana Kopisova https://www.ted.com/profiles/1478973
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ivana_kopisova/
Nika Kotnik http://www.ted.com/profiles/1172407
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/SheCloaksTheWorld/
Matej Divjak http://www.ted.com/profiles/579588
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/matejdivjak/
Lidia Camara http://www.ted.com/profiles/261373
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/lidiacamara/
Francisco Gnecco http://www.ted.com/profiles/746996
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Paco6/
Emma Gon http://www.ted.com/profiles/52693
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_egon/
Mariela Rodio http://www.ted.com/profiles/669086
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/girlofsummer85/
Ciro Gomez http://www.ted.com/profiles/857282
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Ciro%20Gomez/
For Spanish TEDx Transcripts
Javi Garriz http://www.ted.com/profiles/1621264
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/javigarriz/
Joachim Charles Mangilima http://www.ted.com/profiles/9397
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/joachim/
Annika Bidner http://www.ted.com/profiles/1761845
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/annika_bidner/
Lisbeth Pekkari http://www.ted.com/profiles/325032
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/listoplisto/
Tharique Azeez http://www.ted.com/profiles/236879
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/tharique/
Rashat Yakupov http://www.ted.com/profiles/2830976
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/rashat_yakup/
Samrat Sridhara http://www.ted.com/profiles/2126276/translator
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/samrat_sridhara/
Unnawut Leepaisalsuwanna http://www.ted.com/profiles/437296
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_tuwannu/
Kelwalin Dhanasarnsombut http://www.ted.com/profiles/845201
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/Kelwalin%20Dhanasarnsombut/
Thipnapa Huansuriya http://www.ted.com/profiles/367341
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/thipnapa/
Bank Pohtirak Saengsawang http://www.ted.com/profiles/104565
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/yahoo2mee/
Ahmet Yukselturk http://www.ted.com/profiles/37221
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/nanoturkiye/
Meric Aydonat http://www.ted.com/profiles/449109
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/maydonat/
Eren Gokce http://www.ted.com/profiles/307177
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/erengokce/
Hanna Leliv http://www.ted.com/profiles/659588
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/HannaLeliv/
Khrystyna Romashko http://www.ted.com/profiles/1044747
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/piligrymka/
Umar Anjum http://www.ted.com/profiles/934090/
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/umaranjum/
Irteza Ubaid http://www.ted.com/profiles/1110624
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/irteza/
Nhu Pham (Shita Fukushi) http://www.ted.com/profiles/1533836
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/shita_fukushi/
Anh Pham http://www.ted.com/profiles/5598734
http://www.amara.org/en/profiles/profile/ted_anh_pham2/
Ai Van Tran http://www.ted.com/profiles/7114995
http://amara.org/en/profiles/profile/av_tr/
Language Coordinators on OTPedia
The pages below refer to the OTPedia user pages of the Language Coordinators. Not all Language Coordinators have an OTPedia user page yet.
(Portal)
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The Popcorn Bucket
Been looking forward to rewatching this one.
With Connery vowing to not return as Bond after the insane media circus that was his life at the time finally got to him, the hunt for a new Bond was on. Over 400 actors were auditioned (including a young Timothy Dalton), but the part eventually went to Australian model George Lazenby, a man with very little previous experience, but semi-famous in Britain for his “Big Fry” ads. It was a risky move, but then a lot of things about OHMSS are pretty bold changes in direction.
“There’s always something formal about the point of a pistol.”
James Bond (George Lazenby) investigates Blofeld’s (Telly Savalas) new plan involving holding the world to ransom using chemical warfare. During the mission, Bond meets the troubled but beautiful Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (or Tracy for short), played by Diana Rigg. Bond and Tracy fall in love and the two start making plans for their future while Bond ensures there will be a future worth living. OHMSS is the black sheep of the Bond family (that’s the official Bond family, the two unofficial ones are treated like ginger-haired stepchildren). Lazenby has a tough job replacing Connery. He’s alright, but he struggles with the off the cuff quips and inherent charm that came naturally to Connery. Unhappily, the script seems littered with one-liners that even Sean would have a hard time with. Diana Rigg is fantastic as Tracy, giving us a much more complex and layered Bond girl than seen before. She can be aloof, bratty, vulnerable, independent and stubborn whilst simultaneously being completely endearing. It’s easy to see why 007 fell for her. Telly Savalas gives a pretty uninteresting turn as Blofeld. I prefer him as Kojak. Be on the lookout for a brief appearance by a young Joanna Lumley too.
I can’t help but feel OHMSS would have been better with Connery for the sake of continuity if nothing else. To introduce a new actor playing Bond and have the character have to deal with the emotional heft of (SPOILER, I guess, but it has been 43 years) finally settling down only to have his new bride murdered is the wrong move in my opinion. OHMSS is a film with an identity crisis. The film has a horrible habit of emphasising that this film is part of what’s come before. The (sub par, apart from the awesome Barry theme) opening titles feature pictures of Dr.No, Goldfinger and the like, along with Bond’s previous squeezes. There’s also a crushingly shit bit of fourth wall breaking where Tracy speeds away after a failed suicide attempt. Georgey Lazers says “This never happened to the other fellow!” and looks directly at camera. Cue titles and vomit. There’s even a bit where Bond has “quit” MI6 and is cleaning out his desk, coming across Honey Ryder’s knife, Red Grant’s garrote watch and his breathing apparatus from Thunderball, all with their respective musical cues. That’s not to mention the dwarf cleaner whistling “Goldfinger”. Rather than fun little nods, these strike me as desperate attempts to get the audience to accept Lazers as Bond, presumably so that they’ll feel something at the end.
So, things I like. The action scenes are pretty good. The hand-to-hand fighting is more vicious than we’ve seen before, for starters. There’s all the fun winter sports bits, including the series’ first ski-chase sequence which holds up pretty well, excluding the dodgy bluescreen work. Tracy is a great character. The photography of Switzerland is lovely. The Barry theme is one of his best. Plus, I like the love story between Bond and Tracy. It doesn’t feel forced and manages to quite affecting, especially with Louis Armstrong’s “We Have All the Time in the World” accompanying their courtship. Also, something I hadn’t noticed until now was Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell) at the wedding. She’s happy for Bond but she’s completely heartbroken at the same time. Hats off to Maxwell in this scene, Moneypenny’s unrequited love is almost as devastating as the end.
Speaking of which, dat ending. It’s probably the biggest emotional punch the series has. I really think Lazenby does a great job here. The bit that always gets me are Bond’s last lines when the policeman shows up. Cradling Tracy’s lifeless body, Bond turns to him and says in a quiet but quaking voice: “It’s all right. It’s quite all right, really. She’s having a rest. We’ll be going on soon. There’s no hurry, you see. We have all the time in the world.” Fuck. It’s devastating. Then the film just ends, credits rolling past the fatal bullet hole in the windscreen. It’s a hell of a brave move. Unfortunately, just after this, the triumphant Monty Norman theme comes in. Not sure why they wanted to wreck the mood like that, but whatever.
“This department is not concerned with your personal problems.”
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a weird one. On one hand, it’s got a decent plot, some good action and an emotional slant that other Bonds lack. On the other, Georgey Lazers ain’t all that great and the film is pretty plodding in parts. I can see why some Bondians love OHMSS, but it just doesn’t do it for me.
Author Ben BrownePosted on September 30, 2012 April 12, 2013 Categories Bondathon, ReviewTags Bondathon, George Lazenby, James Bond, On Her Majesty's Secret Service
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Leaders Eat Last
Leaders Eat Last.pdf
This is not a crazy, idealised notion. In many successful organisations, great leaders are creating environments in which teams trust each other so deeply that they would put their lives on the line for each other. Yet other teams, no matter what incentives were offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure.Why?Today's workplaces tend to be full of cynicism, paranoia and self-interest. But the best organisations foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a Circle of Safety. It separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.Everyone feels they belong and all energies are devoted to facing the common enemy and seizing big opportunities. As in Start with Why, Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories, from the military to manufacturing, from government to investment banking. He shows that leaders who are willing to eat last are rewarded with deeply loyal colleagues who will stop at nothing to advance their vision.It's amazing how well it works. 'As refreshingly simple and easy to follow as it is thought-provoking' - Management TodaySimon Sinek is the bestselling author of Start with Why, Leaders Eat Last and Together is Better which have helped organizations around the world inspire their people to reach new heights. He has presented his ideas to Fortune 100 companies and small startups; to non-profit organizations and members of Congress; to foreign ambassadors and the highest levels of the US military, among many others.His TED Talk based on Start with Why is the third most popular video of all time on TED.com, with more than 33 million views." />The New York Times bestseller by the acclaimed, bestselling author of Start With Why and Together is Better. Now with a new chapter on millennials in the workplace, based on Simon Sinek's viral video 'The Millennial Question' (180+ million views). Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work.This is not a crazy, idealised notion. In many successful organisations, great leaders are creating environments in which teams trust each other so deeply that they would put their lives on the line for each other. Yet other teams, no matter what incentives were offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure.Why?Today's workplaces tend to be full of cynicism, paranoia and self-interest. But the best organisations foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a Circle of Safety. It separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.Everyone feels they belong and all energies are devoted to facing the common enemy and seizing big opportunities. As in Start with Why, Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories, from the military to manufacturing, from government to investment banking. He shows that leaders who are willing to eat last are rewarded with deeply loyal colleagues who will stop at nothing to advance their vision.It's amazing how well it works. 'As refreshingly simple and easy to follow as it is thought-provoking' - Management TodaySimon Sinek is the bestselling author of Start with Why, Leaders Eat Last and Together is Better which have helped organizations around the world inspire their people to reach new heights. He has presented his ideas to Fortune 100 companies and small startups; to non-profit organizations and members of Congress; to foreign ambassadors and the highest levels of the US military, among many others.His TED Talk based on Start with Why is the third most popular video of all time on TED.com, with more than 33 million views.
This book talks about how great leaders sacrifice their own comfort for the good of those in their care. With the help of numerous intriguing examples, the author attempts to prove that the ... Leaders Eat Last Review.
When danger is present, the group expects the leader to mitigate all threats even at the expense of their ... Leaders eat last. This one choice, whether a leader puts themselves or their people first, determines if they are worthy of our love and loyalty.
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Message Boards » The Lounge Chit Chat Old School Sports Talk Entertainment Tech Talk The Garage The Soap Box Classifieds Study Hall Feedback Forum » Bolivia Page [1]
daaave
Here we go again. Evo Morales, who won a fair election, and even offered the right-wing protestors a second election, has resigned to avoid violence from the protest-aligned police and military. Because that's totally something a ravenous dictator would do. And now the police have put out a warrant for his arrest.
Seems like the tipping point for Bolivian oligarchs/the West was his efforts to nationalize the lithium industry.
Just like in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, etc, get ready for a surge of violence toward the socialist indigenous population:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50332167
https://twitter.com/nick_w_estes/status/1193711278574821376
https://twitter.com/redfishstream/status/1193826369702109184
[Edited on November 11, 2019 at 11:22 AM. Reason : .]
Dentaldamn
Global capital always wins.
A Tanzarian
drip drip boom
who won a "fair" election
horosho
Elections are only fair when the billionaire class benefits.
Stand with hong kong and Israel. Everyone else can fuck off.
"who won a "fair" election"
How was it not fair?
I guess we could start with running for a third* term when constitutionally limited to two.
(*under the new constitution)
Latin American governments are constantly under siege by right-wing opposition, often with the cooperation (or direction) of foreign intelligence agencies or multinational corporations.
Morales and MAS have made great strides in improving the lives of Bolivians and it would be an absolute shame to have that destroyed by racist, corporatist right wingers. So they extended the term limit via completely legal means to (hopefully) continue this work. And then they won the election, fairly.
This is a situation of colonized, indigenous people fighting for their right to self-determination. Let's not discredit that because they used a tool at their disposal to keep that fight going.
[Edited on November 11, 2019 at 4:36 PM. Reason : .]
NyM410
J-E-T-S
I wish the UK just said “fuck off” to their referendum vote like Bolivia did in 2016. Would have been better for all tbh.
Aside from that I know very little on what is going on in Bolivia (or Chile). Need to read up on it.
[Edited on November 11, 2019 at 4:41 PM. Reason : X]
"extended the term limit via completely legal means"
Yes, he lost a constitutional referendum, filed a lawsuit, and somehow found infinite terms are a human right.
MAS needs to find Morales' successor. He's not irreplaceable.
If you really want to dig in, I would highly recommend The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. It was published in 2008 so it ends with Iraq, but knowing the history of violent neoliberal regime change provides necessary context to why Latin American socialist leaders tend to forgo some democratic "norms".
"Yes, he lost a constitutional referendum, filed a lawsuit, and somehow found infinite terms are a human right.
MAS needs to find Morales' successor. He's not irreplaceable."
Ok? Plenty of other countries have infinite terms, including our very own legislative and judicial branches. Complain about the way it happened, whatever, but he still held fair elections afterwards and won. It's funny how when socialist leaders play dirty, they're corrupt and authoritarian and must be deposed, but when the first world (or their own opposition) does it, *crickets*
He's not irreplaceable, but when you're battling the constant threat of a hostile coup, name recognition could be what propels you to victory.
Forgo democratic "norms" like counting votes?
There is absolutely no proof that votes weren't counted. The results matched exit polling. More on that here:
http://cepr.net/press-center/press-releases/no-evidence-that-bolivian-election-results-were-affected-by-irregularities-or-fraud-statistical-analysis-shows
And despite this, Morales was offering another election before the right wing fascists threatened him and his party with violence.
Do you want fascists in Bolivia like in Brazil? Because that's how this ends.
dtownral
Is Sanders the only candidate correctly calling this a coup?
Yeah. AOC and Omar are the only other ppl that have issues statements condemning it as far as I know. Corbyn had a good statement also.
This is just so disgusting and sad
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1194000271745179649?s=21
StTexan
The election wasn’t fair and the people wanted him out. What is the problem?
No evidence that the election wasnt fair, he was ousted in a coup, the people who ousted him are violently attacking his supporters
What's not the problem?
GrumpyGOP
yovo yovo bonsoir
There was absolutely evidence of election fraud, and that's bad.
This is also absolutely a coup, which is also bad.
On balance I suspect Bolivia will be worse off without Morales, but this isn't a battle between "fairly elected" and "devious criminals."
"It's funny how when socialist leaders play dirty, they're corrupt and authoritarian and must be deposed, but when the first world (or their own opposition) does it, *crickets*"
Just off the top of my head, I can think of one prominent first world leader who is decried as corrupt and authoritarian, and who a plurality of Americans support deposing. Of course, he's also calling it a coup, but I'm pretty sure he's not a socialist.
Can you link to the evidence, all I've seen were early statements that were shown false
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-donald-j-trump-regarding-resignation-bolivian-president-evo-morales/
"The United States applauds the Bolivian people for demanding freedom and the Bolivian military for abiding by its oath to protect not just a single person, but Bolivia’s constitution. "
https://twitter.com/MarkWeisbrot/status/1193644001783623683
"They never did find any evidence of fraud in the October 20th election, but the media repeated the allegation so many times that it became "true," in this post-truth world. Thread:"
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-11/bolivia-faces-power-vacuum-and-more-chaos-after-morales-quits
Descendants of Spanish colonizers violently deposing the first indigenous government and saying "the bible has returned to the government palace."
There's no need to both sides this one based on flimsy evidence from an organization that is historically a tool of right wing regime change (OAS).
The OAS report is flimsy, but implying that one side is worse because it has a higher percentage of Spanish ancestry is rock-solid.
are you saying the anti-indigenous people motivations to this are not real or that they don't matter
Neither. I'm saying that invoking the conquistadors is stupid.
how does that not play a part of the anti-indigenous motivations?
"The OAS report is flimsy, but implying that one side is worse because it has a higher percentage of Spanish ancestry is rock-solid."
They're not worse solely because they're descendants of colonizers. They're worse because they own the vast majority of the wealth in Bolivia and are racist & discriminatory toward indigenous people.
Sort of like the Republican Party, who descended from slave-owners. It's an issue of generational wealth and supremacism.
https://twitter.com/marwa__osman/status/1194497747929485312?s=21
[Edited on November 13, 2019 at 12:03 PM. Reason : .]
history of colonization definitely has nothing to do with the new president saying that the city is not for indians
https://twitter.com/jmcolony/status/1196241867261857799?s=21
" "The Bolivian dictatorship has announced that starting Monday it will arrest legislators from [@evoespueblo's] Movement Towards Socialism Party. [Arturo] Murillo, [a govt minister] who days ago spoke of a "hunt" being on, says he has a list of MPs to detain. This is very grave.""
0EPII1
^^^ that's so terrible.
here is one of the replies, and it figures she wants to do what her ancestors did for 100s of years starting 500 years ago:
https://twitter.com/niceprinter12/status/1194609430580604928
utowncha
send more missionaries
https://twitter.com/adamserwer/status/1196413373333884928?s=21
(btw this is what would have happened in Venezuela as well)
https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1196519189583974402?s=21
BanjoMan
Sometimes I wonder what latin america would have been like without US involvement due to drug enforcement.
The entire continent would have been run by drug money, but maybe they would have been better off.
So....an agriculture based economy?
"US involvement due to drug enforcement. "
lol this is not why the US got involved in Latin & South America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Doctrine
^ Yes, I am aware of other reasons that the US got involved with Latin America. I am talking specifically about the US getting personally involved in the drug trade.
Opinion: The OAS lied to the public about the Bolivian election and coup
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-oas-lied-to-the-public-about-the-bolivian-election-and-coup-2019-11-19
https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-supports-the-transitional-government-in-bolivia-to-achieve-free-fair-and-inclusive-elections/
send more wesleyans
Bolivia dismissed its October elections as fraudulent. Our research found no reason to suspect fraud.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/26/bolivia-dismissed-its-october-elections-fraudulent-our-research-found-no-reason-suspect-fraud/
OAS is a propaganda org if that wasn’t clear yet
https://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-064/20
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Will target best player available in draft aug 17 3
by admin_user | Sep 15, 2020 | Uncategorized
We’re very excited about the opportunity to work with them in 2010 and beyond.
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It’s one thing for them to see us on TV.
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They’re the ones who aren’t going to be able to work, which impacts their lives.
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Garbine Muguruza $6M custom football jerseys Garbine Muguruza $6M 7.
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Assuming Reed does play on Sunday it’s probably safe to assume he’ll be on something of a pitch count, but it’s too soon to guess https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0837PBXSW what that will look like.
BodyArmor has already upped the ante, unveiling a flavor, Knockout Punch, co-branded with UFC, as well as signing the first four UFC fighters to its roster of athlete endorsers.
Naomi Osaka tennis $37M 2.
22, will be a home game for Cleveland and air nationally ESPN’s ll.
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We have the ability to find innovations and solutions and bring them to market very quickly.
New York Jets NFL $3B 20.
2 Forbes Top 25 World’s Most Valuable Sports Franchises 2020, Dallas Cowboys NFL $5B 2.
It is one he wholeheartedly agrees with.
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Surviving the first-year learning curve
Cord ImportJune 30, 201012 mins read
First year at university provides such an exciting, sometimes overwhelming, wealth of new experiences. And with the full agenda of meeting new people, spending time in residence, getting involved in extra-curricular activities and going to parties, the importance of academic commitments can sometimes get lost in the fray.
It is easy to lose sight of the fact that academics are what brought us here in the first place, and good performance in this area will keep us here for the next few years.
Academics are part of the first-year learning curve and can set the tone for the next three to four years of study.
For some students, the transition from high school to post-secondary education is a smooth one. For others, getting into the swing of the undergraduate program is a longer process.
Starting to hit the books
In an attempt to ease the secondary to postsecondary transition, psychology professor emeritus Don Morgenson provides his first-year classes with “The Secrets of an A Student,” a guide which includes advice regarding course learning and exam taking.
One item on this list is actively reading the textbook. Morgenson recommends study tips such as reciting and recalling the chapter material to oneself.
Confirming age-old words of wisdom, third-year business student Matt Caruso emphasized the importance of keeping up with course work and readings throughout the semester.
“The university exam period is much more stressful than high school,” said Caruso, pointing to post-secondary’s breadth and depth of content, combined with the heavier weighting of final exam marks.
This combination of factors makes achieving high grades by cramming a lot more challenging.
Vice president of student affairs David McMurray noted that it is important for students to recognize that university is very different from high school. While it may have been easy enough to “coast” through grades nine to 12, university has different demands and expectations.
“If you don’t have good study habits [and] study skills, you’re going to struggle,” cautioned McMurray.
Professor of communications studies Natalie Coulter, who has taught first-year communications course “Mass Communications in Canada,” also emphasized the importance of doing course reading, commenting that “a big mistake is not realizing how important the text is in relation to learning.”
“We teach from the perspective that the two are connected,” said Coulter. “What they learn in the lecture comes from a position of having done the reading.”
Business professor Laura Allan, who teaches a first-year business course, added that too many students fail to recognize that the first month of class in university is a critical period.
Whereas high school classes may have taken a few weeks to “ramp up,” students should be starting to engage with course content from the beginning.
That being said, starting strong isn’t enough on its own. Students should continue to remain academically committed throughout both terms.
“Keep improving and keep fine tuning and keep working at it,” advised Allan, quoting the adage that students will only get out of their first year what they are willing to put into it.
It’s no surprise that professors also advocate for lecture attendance. We’ve all heard the monetary consequences – the dollar value lost with each missed class – which are sometimes used to encourage students to go to their classes. But according to our professors and fellow students, it really does pay off academically.
“I’m in my fiftieth year of teaching,” said Morgenson, “and I know that my students who attend do significantly better.”
Agreeing with Morgenson, fourth-year Global Studies and Sociology student Meropi Deligiannis advised, “Even when you’re falling behind, that extra time you think you need is better spent in class learning.”
Fourth-year English student Stephanie Land also acknowledged the benefits of attending lectures.
“Students think they can get away with not attending classes,” she said, “but I think that’s probably one of the most important things in order to reach your full potential in the course.”
Lecture notes, for Land, are a valuable resource for assignments and quizzes, providing content that is easier to understand than the textbook.
Land has also found that another plus to attending class is the relationship it creates with one’s professors.
“If you ever need help with editing a paper or studying for tests, [professors] are more willing to help a student who they know cares and pays attention rather than someone who doesn’t put in the effort,” explained Land. “It’s a two-way street.”
While Coulter tries to include student interaction during her lectures to make them more engaging, she said it is a challenging balance to achieve, given the size of lectures and the prominence of laptop computers.
Coulter said that the prominence of technology in the classroom is particularly distracting for other students in the lecture who may be sitting behind someone playing games or surfing on their laptop.
While laptops can be a helpful tool for note-taking purposes, she stresses that their allowance in the classroom should not compromise the learning experience for oneself or other students.
Those little details
Global studies professor Ali Zaidi and Coulter both noted that their level of interaction with students outside the lecture hall is minimal due to the fact that TAs are students’ primary resource for dealing with course material in large first-year courses.
According to Morgenson, whose first year classes do not have TAs, most students who visit during his office hours come with specific questions.
“A couple of students want to talk about educational issues, theories, philosophy,” he explained, “but for the most part they are interested in what specifically [they] can do to get a better mark.”
Zaidi has found that students often get hung up on specifics such as assignment length, which results in a lot of questions pertaining to format. In response, Zaidi said, “From a faculty members’ point of view, we want them to focus on the quality of the content.”
As a geography and economics major, Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union President Kyle Walker has discovered that the details of formatting often come second to content, noting that it is easy to dwell on the former.
“The typical essay format we learned in grade 12 is not applicable to essay writing or paper writing at university,” explains Walker, “and I think a lot of students struggle with that.”
However, if students are struggling with a problem or specifics of an assignment, Deligiannis recommends that students take advantage of opportunities to talk to professors and seek help as soon as possible.
“It’s much easier to say that you’re having trouble before the due date and actually get help, [rather than] asking for it afterward.”
In regards to writing, Coulter, Zaidi, and Allan had similar opinions, highlighting this as a crucial area for improvement for university students.
“Faculty members across the board are complaining about the writing ability and level of first-year students … and every year we’ve been hearing anecdotally that the writing is getting worse,” explained Zaidi. “Somewhere along the line, people are not picking up how to express themselves articulately.”
Coulter, too, expressed concern about student writing. She noted the importance of employing resources beyond the classroom since lectures are reserved for course material, leaving little time to teach writing skills in class.
“There is no question that there are deficiencies in writing,” added Allan, commenting that it’s not just grammatical issues that pose a problem but the overall approach to structuring a logical argument.
As a business student, Caruso has experienced the organizational challenges Allan identified. He noted that there are discrepancies between high school and university because the structure of assignments becomes a much more important factor at the university level.
“I found essays in university much more difficult to get good marks on than in high school,” continued Caruso.
In exams, Zaidi identified a similar problem, finding that his first-year students often lack planning in their work. He emphasized the importance of organizing thoughts and ideas through preliminary notes before starting to write.
Both Zaidi and Coulter also linked strong writing with reading, stressing that students would benefit from acknowledging that the two really go hand in hand.
Coulter noted that students often don’t read thoroughly enough to provide support for their written work.
“I think with internet culture, students want to read in pieces, and they don’t read the whole,” she explained, “so things get taken out of context.”
As Zaidi said, “The very process of writing is helping you to think and to think clearly. When you can think clearly you can write clearly and when you write clearly you can think even more clearly.”
Referencing her own dissertation as an example, Coulter stressed just how much work it takes to produce quality writing.
“I think what I really wish my first-year students knew is that writing is a really hard, hard skill,” said Coulter.
Land emphasized how greatly she has benefited from giving herself time before a deadline to read over and refine her writing.
“It’s most beneficial when you write your good copy and leave a few days in between to edit so you’re not overwhelmed with last minute details and stressing about time constraints,” explained Land. “It leaves you less worked up and with a better, well-rounded paper.”
Achieving balance
Although Morgenson’s “A Student” guide only includes course-related tips, he also stressed the value of balance, acknowledging how challenging it can be to achieve.
“In first year every student is overwhelmed with the university experience, which is totally understandable,” said Land. Keeping priorities straight, including weighing one’s social life and academics appropriately, is in Land’s opinion, a key factor to success both in and out of the classroom.
In terms of fulfilling academic commitments, Kyle Walker explained that his experience has taught him the importance of understanding how to push yourself without going too far.
“You don’t get a lot of work done when you’re stressed, or pulling all-nighters, or you’re exhausted or sick,” said Walker. “Work hard, but know your limits,” he advised.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle was also a concern for VP:Academic Deb MacLatchy.
“That link between physical and mental is really important,” explained MacLatchy, commenting that a healthy lifestyle requires budgeting time appropriately.
Deligiannis also noted the importance of prioritizing health and its impact on achieving academic success.
“It doesn’t matter how much time you have in the world to complete an assignment,” said Deligiannis. “If you feel terrible you will not be productive.”
Reluctant to use the cliché of time management, Morgenson called attention to the fact that even the early Greeks argued for balance in life. He encouraged “finding a balance between social obligations and academic obligations and family.”
Walker noted that beyond juggling academic, social, and extracurricular responsibilities, achieving a balance also means allowing for down time.
“Whether you’re really involved outside of the classroom or whether you’re not,” said Walker, “there’s nothing wrong with … taking an hour for yourself.”
Despite the convergence of much of the advice, there is no formula for achieving the perfect balance. As McMurray and MacLatchy both emphasized, this idea of balance is unique to each student.
“Different students have different balances,” said MacLatchy. She pointed to the fact that the ability to effectively manage multiple activities while also achieving a desired level of academic success depends on the individual, and students should assess for themselves how much they can handle.
However, students shouldn’t be discouraged by the apparent stress of this balancing act. According to McMurray, “A lot of students here are involved and they actually do better in school because they’re managing their time and they’re making commitments.”
Working in groups
Working in groups can also present a fresh experience to university newcomers, posing the challenge of achieving group dynamics that allow students to produce successful results.
According to Allen, whose first year business students are required to complete numerous group projects, group work is a valuable learning experience, as it mimics the structure of a real job.
However, students can encounter problems if they fail to take group work seriously or continue high school practices of “riding on” other team members’ efforts. Just like in a job setting, there are definite repercussions to not meeting group expectations on team projects.
“Students do not understand how critical it is that you act in your group, in your team, the way you act in the business world,” explained Allen.
Allen also acknowledged that understanding how to work effectively as a team is a big hurdle and something that students learn over time through experience. She advised that group members should establish objectives, develop a timeline, and delegate appropriately.
Aside from doing group assignments, working with peers can also be a valuable study tactic. However, Deligianis’ experience warns that this can also ineffective if not approached correctly.
“Before you get together for a ‘group study’ make sure you have a study session on your own first,” advised Deligiannis. “Groups can be really helpful for recap and figuring out things you don’t understand, but they can be detrimental when you go in knowing nothing.”
In addition to the concrete skills and techniques that can be recommended, however, more intangible and immeasurable characteristics are seen as assets by professors.
Morgenson spoke of a love for learning and pursuit of knowledge, noting that many students “lack that genuine curiosity, that desire to engage intellectually.”
“They’re here, going through the motions, and they’ll leave having gone through the motions,” he added.
Zaidi agreed, stating “The one thing we want students to have is curiosity. Aside from all the skills … a real genuine curiosity to learn [and] wanting to engage. That would be the quality that would hold [students] in good stead.”
– With files from Linda Givetash
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Global Guides
The Expater
September 30, 2018 Lifestyle
Politics could kill my kid, not a pumpkin seed
Last week my son suffered a severe anaphylactic allergic reaction. He nearly died.
While we suspect it was caused by a single pumpkin seed, we can’t be sure until we start allergy testing in around five weeks time.
The second most disturbing thing, after almost losing my son, is the crazy, dirty world of pharma politics.
There’s a global shortage of Epipen jrs, the adrenaline autoinjectors for kids which need to be used straight after an anaphylactic allergic reaction. We’re based in Chile, one of many countries facing a shortage.
Call this an alternative?
The alternative to using an Epipen is to administer adrenaline directly with a syringe, but this isn’t ideal for two reasons.
Firstly it’s a little fiddly. You try breaking open a glass vial, filling a syringe to just 0.15ml (that’s just over a fifth of a teaspoon by the way), then injecting it into a squiggly two year old, all whilst dealing with a crying newborn and an excited four year old. Believe me, it ain’t so easy.
Secondly, imagine you face a (still scary) false alarm and it’s wasted. Because the syringe takes a little while to prepare, you’ve got it ready just in case a reaction turns truly ugly. You’ve broken the seal and the syringe is no longer sterile.
This happened to us. After his reaction, Rafa developed a lump on his neck which seemed to be growing at an alarming rate, and causing him horrible pain. I took the doctor’s advice and had a syringe ready to go, just in case. Thankfully the ambulance arrived in time and he was OK.
But now we only had one vial of adrenaline left. And we were told always to have two ready.
So I went to the pharmacy to stock up.
But they didn’t have any. Nor did the other pharmacy over the road. Or the next.
Then I was told that for legal reasons, pharmacies aren’t allowed to sell it. Only hospitals can.
So I returned to the hospital and explained the issue.
But they couldn’t sell me adrenaline either. It was against the law, they said. It was only available for hospitalised patients.
So if you’re a kid in Chile and you’ve lost your Epipen jr, the only way to get more adrenaline (legally) was via an attack. Hmmm.
Ecstasy over Epipens
Eventually I did track down an extra vial, but the person who gave it to me broke the law to help me. And they told me to ‘never, ever do this again, because the implications [were] serious’.
So what should I do if it happened again? What should I do if I ran out?
Pharmacies can’t sell me adrenaline, hospitals can’t either. There were no Epipen jrs in Chile and I was told the government is blocked from offering an alternative autoinjector.
So the person who gave me the insulin reluctantly assured me I should come back if I had any issues, ‘but please try not to… and don’t tell anyone. Just come straight to me’.
Let’s be clear. We’re talking about a life saving drug for my two year old, not some underground clubbing high. In fact I’m told ecstasy is easier to get hold of.
The price of monopolies
A generic alternative to the Epipen jr (Impax autoinjector) cost a friend $168 USD (£130GBP) for a pack of four in the U.S.
Here in Chile Epipen jrs cost $127 CLP (over $190 USD, almost £150 GBP) each.
Due to the Epipen Jr shortage issue, Canada made an alternative to the Epipen jr available (Auvi-Q 0.10mg). In the UK, doctors are prescribing an alternative called Emerade. I was told that Chile isn’t allowed to import either, however.
Some countries, such as Australia do have better supplies and no prescription is necessary. But I’m told that Chilean customs won’t allow Epipens to be shipped to patients from abroad. There are ways to get round it, but it’s complicated and contacts come in handy.
British newspaper, The Guardian, wrote in 2016 that ‘since buying up the exclusive rights to the EpiPen in 2007, the pharmaceutical company Mylan increased the price … more than 400%‘ and that ‘almost every case of outrage over pharmaceutical prices traces back to a company that has exclusive rights over a medication’.
Learning the hard way
Mylan did respond to my appeal for help over Twitter. After a phone call I was assured that Epipens would be made available in Santiago in the upcoming days and they kept their bargain.
But in the meantime I was left scrambling for help, messaging, tweeting, calling, texting hundreds of people around the world. I was without this life saving drug for over a week. I’d been told by doctors I’d have to wait one to two months.
But what about the Chileans who aren’t fans of social media? What about those who can’t afford the cost of an Epipen? What about those who don’t have friends across the world to help?
What about travellers or expats who lose their Epipen and can’t get any form of replacement? Should they just hope for the best on the flight home?
Is it the government’s fault for not allowing an alternative drug? Is it the drug manufacturer’s fault for forcing a monopoly on the country? Or the clinic’s fault for misinforming patients about how to access the drugs? Or my fault for not doing enough to change the system?
Fingers crossed we’ll be getting our Epipens later today.
I don’t pretend to understand the complexities of pharma politics. I’m very new to this game.
I just want my kid to be OK.
My new spin bike obsession (& a guide …
Tastes of Chile : Curanto
My December Lovelist
I want to go ‘home’
allergies, anaphylaxis, cows milk protein allergy, customs, epipen, Mylan, pharma, pharmacy, politics, pumpkin seed allergy
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Review: Suspicious Partner
Suspicious Partner is what I would call a reasonably successful blend of crime and romance – a rarity in dramaland, from my personal findings.
Great lead actors, excellent OTP chemistry, a quirky supporting cast, and a compellingly delivered Big Bad all come together to make this a solid drama, despite Show sagging somewhat in its later episodes. Perhaps most importantly of all, Show ends on a satisfying note – another rarity in recent dramaland history (again, from my personal findings), and therefore a plus point not to be taken lightly in my books.
Overall, a pretty engaging and rewarding watch.
A trend that I’ve noticed in dramaland of late, is the blending of thriller (often specifically murder), romance &/or comedy in a single show.
Generally, I find these to be unnatural and uneasy bedfellows, and my own attempts at watching such shows have turned out more misses than hits. I don’t know if that’s an indication of how the cookie really crumbles, or just an indication of my poor show selection skills, heh.
Regardless, the good news is, this show doesn’t do too bad a job of blending it all together. In fact, since I found more to like than dislike in this one, I’d call it a win.
One of the first things that I liked about Suspicious Partner, is how a lot of stuff seems to happen right off the bat, and, despite the weirdness of some of the events, given the context of our story, somehow it all still makes sense. And, even though a lot happens in the first hour of the show, I didn’t even feel like it was rushed. Instead, I actually felt engaged. And surprised. Which is a very good thing indeed.
Show manages to keep its taut pace for a good run before it doesn’t (more on that later), and for a good stretch, I even found this moderately cracky.
Here’s a quick rundown of the top things I enjoyed about this one.
1. Ji Chang Wook as Ji Wook
I see shades of Fierce Healer and Funny Bong Sook in Ji Chang Wook‘s portrayal of Ji Wook, and that’s awesome, especially since you guys know how much I love Healer. I love that I’m getting Healer vibes, even in this very different character. When Ji Wook glowers fiercely and growls at people to get lost, he reminds me of Badass Healer. On the other hand, Ji Wook’s occasional nervous ticks remind me of Bong Sook. Both very good things indeed, in my books.
Don’t get me wrong though. Ji Chang Wook does a fantastic job making Ji Wook a different and separate character, and I found a lot to enjoy in Ji Wook, whom I found to be quite adorkable, with his prickly outer shell and his marshmallow underbelly.
Most of all, I loved Ji Chang Wook’s silently profound delivery of Ji Wook’s wordless moments. Often, I felt like he communicated so much, without having to say anything at all.
Here are just 2 examples:
E14. When Ji Wook sits on edge of Bong Hee’s bed and Bong Hee turns away from him in her sleep, the look on his face, and the way he blinks a few times, says so much. He’s processing too; he’s confused; he’s feeling wistful; he’s catching himself. All of that is so evident, without him having to say a word.
E28. When Ji Wook wakes up the morning after, with Bong Hee in his arms, only to see the photograph of Bong Hee and her dad next to her bed, and realizes that this is the same man he’s been having nightmares about.
Only a few short moments transpire, but we see Ji Wook wake up all contented and dreamy next to Bong Hee, snuggling close to her and adoringly kissing her shoulder, then grapple with realization when he looks at the photograph of Bong Hee with her dad, then struggle with disbelief as his brain struggles to comprehend the realization itself and the ramifications, then hold Bong Hee with a mixture of confusion, worry and fear. SO MUCH goes on in Ji Wook in those few moments, and I feel like it’s clear as day for us to see, written only on Ji Chang Wook’s face, since he has no lines of dialogue in this scene at all. Wow.
2. Nam Ji Hyun as Bong Hee
I found Bong Hee a pretty awesome character, and that’s thanks in part to the way she’s written, and also in part to the way Nam Ji Hyun portrays her.
Nam Ji Hyun has a wonderful warm onscreen presence, and makes Bong Hee likable and relatable all the way through our story, regardless of the situation. Even when she misunderstood Ji Wook in episode 1 and reacted strongly, I didn’t find her annoying, just misguided.
Bong Hee’s a great character coz she’s not only down-to-earth and relatable, she’s also strong. I love that she can literally kick ass if she wants to. Beyond the physical strength, she also shows mental and emotional fortitude. I love that she decides to roll with the “crazy” label her classmates bestow on her early in the show, instead of letting it get her down. She’s a survivor, and I like that.
[SPOILERS]
Here are a couple of times when I really loved Bong Hee for her strength.
E3. After the whole ex-boyfriend murder debacle, Bong Hee cries in the shower, but it’s not out of self pity; it’s more at the realization that her ex-boyfriend is actually dead. Despite the daunting circumstances, she works to be strong.
E5. I like how Bong Hee chooses to speak up for herself, even in the face of the glowering, intimidating father of the dead ex-boyfriend. She flinches physically, thinking that she is going to get hit, but she continues to speak up for herself and doesn’t back down from it, all while being respectful and polite. That is awesome.
E5. I love that when Ji Hye (Kim Ye Won) insults Bong Hee’s outfit, Bong Hee stands up for herself without batting an eye, “My clothes are cheap, but my soul and body are so classy that they make up for everything.” Ha.
3. Ji Wook and Bong Hee together
Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun have excellent, sparky chemistry, so whether Bong Hee and Ji Wook are bickering fiercely, or being chummy, or getting up close and cozy, they are a pleasure to watch together.
In particular, I enjoyed the early bickering between them, which I thought was fab. You could practically see the sparks fly, amid the tension. Right away, I could see definite promise in this OTP connection.
Here are my 3 favorite things about this OTP relationship:
1. It feels organically grown
One of my favorite things about this relationship, is how organically it is portrayed. From both leads’ points-of-view, I could believe how and why each would trust the other, and how each would fall for the other. In a sea of dramas where the OTP characters love each other because they just do, this felt refreshing and very engaging.
I like that first and foremost, Ji Wook and Bong Hee like each other as people, and root for each other and care about each other’s goals. [SPOILER] A great example is in episode 20. I love that Ji Wook gets all proud of Bong Hee when she solves the case, and is more concerned with how well she did, than how gross she is after not showering for 3 days. Aw. [END SPOILER]
On a related note, I also very much enjoy the fact that our OTP relationship is built on a very solid foundation. From the beginning, because of the circumstances, they’ve been thrust straight into the deep stuff, of literally defending &/or worrying for the other person’s life; of giving the other person space to make tough decisions, and supporting them in those decisions.
And out of that, they gain a pre-laid, extremely robust foundation for when they actually start dating. There’s something rather admirable about that; that right away, once they start dating, and when their relationship is put to the test, they find a depth of loyalty and understanding, already there.
2. It feels healthy
Another of my favorite things about the OTP relationship, is how healthy it is. Both Ji Wook and Bong Hee are shown demonstrating respect for the other person’s right to personal space, personal opinion, and personal agency. Even when they disagree with the other person’s decision, they stop short of actually interfering. Again, this felt really refreshing.
A great example of this is in episode 12, when Bong Hee returns home after being physically intimated by DA Jang (Kim Hong Pa).
Ji Wook’s response is perfect, really. He’s sensitive enough to Bong Hee’s behavior, that he realizes something is off. He checks on her, but is completely respectful in the process. He knocks on her door instead of barging in; he gently takes her hands away from her throat so that he can see the bruise; he quietly asks what happened instead of shouting at her; when she says she doesn’t want to talk about it, he respects her wishes and only asks if she will be alright.
Such a perfect mix of care and respect.
3. It gets swoony
From the initial up-close-and-personal moments, to the full-on kisses, this OTP has chemistry by sparky bucketloads. Given this couple’s organic, solid, healthy foundation, this electrifying tension in the air every time they actually get in each other’s personal space, feels like the bonus that we wouldn’t have dared ask for, on top of everything else.
Every time our OTP shared a moment of burgeoning tension, my heart flailed and my brain fizzled. Dang.
Here’re just 2 OTP moments that brought on the swoon:
E14. That moment of burgeoning tension, as Bong Hee and Ji Wook’s eyes meet after he wakes up to her undoing his tie. So crackly, and so sexy. The look in Ji Wook’s eyes is also incredibly sexy. He’s just honing in on her, like she’s the only thing in his line of vision, as he wakes up. Swoon.
E16-17. Such an emotional moment between our OTP, with Ji Wook emotional with worry, and Bong Hee emotional with fear. Ji Wook finally gives in to his feelings, and pulls her into his arms. The hug is so heartfelt; it’s like he’s taking refuge in Bong Hee’s nearness.
And then the kiss.. so unhurried and tender.. Augh. It feels like he’s trying to breathe her in.
Flail. Puddle. Swoon.
4. Jang Hyuk Jin as Chief Bang
I enjoyed more than a few of the supporting characters in this drama world, but I must say that Chief Bang was a favorite of mine. Jang Hyuk Jin’s comic timing is solid, and his droll expressions are simply gold.
5. The hodge-podge office gang
By the later stretch of the show, the hodge-podge office gang had really grown on me, and I also very much enjoyed the crisscrossing friendships among the gang.
Besides Eun Hyuk’s (Choi Tae Joon) recovering long-time friendship with Ji Wook, I also loved Ji Wook’s bond with Chief Bang. Also, I was pretty taken with the friendship that grew between Eun Hyuk and Bong Hee. It’s so platonic; she feels safe to turn to him, when she needs someone to talk to about important, scary stuff.
Essentially, the office gang learned to really care for and support one another, and they kinda felt like a found family, and I love that.
Special shout-out: Dong Ha as Hyun Soo [SPOILERS]
This was my introduction to Dong Ha, and I must say, he is outstanding as Hyun Soo.
He delivers Hyun Soo in a pitch-perfectly creepy, mentally unstable, subtly psychotic sort of way. The more we saw of Hyun Soo, the more I became convinced that there was something wrong with him. I feel like Dong Ha even elevated the script by giving Hyun Soo all these small ticks and twitches, which made Hyun Soo come across as more psychotic than the actual dialogue was making him out to be. The way Hyun Soo shakes his head to try to get things straight in his mind, made me feel like he was on the verge of malfunctioning.
All in all, Dong Ha makes Hyun Soo a thoroughly fascinating villain. I had complicated feelings towards Hyun Soo because of Dong Ha’s portrayal. Most of the time, I wanted Hyun Soo put away for good, coz he harmed people and was quite the psycho. But then some of the time, when Hyun Soo showed his vulnerability, like in episode 33-34, when he remembered the girl he had loved, and shed broken tears, my heart completely went out to him.
Watching Dong Ha as Hyun Soo, I felt like I understood what people mean when they say a show is as good as its villain. He makes this show more interesting. Kudos indeed.
STUFF I LIKED LESS
Kwon Na Ra as Yoo Jung
I think Show tries to portray Yoo Jung as a sympathetic character, but I hafta say that I didn’t care for her much at all.
[SPOILERS] I mean, yes, she first came across as pretty cool and badass, taking down would-be thieves in the cafe in episode 8, but really, THE thing that bugged me the most about Yoo Jung, was the way she acted like Ji Wook and Eun Hyuk owed it to her to forgive her and take her back.
I found that profoundly annoying, and every time she petulantly complained that the boys were ignoring her, or had replaced her, I really wished she would shut up and go away, because no one owed her forgiveness. Especially since she consistently showed very little remorse about everything. If she appeared sad, it was mostly because she felt sorry for herself, not because she was truly remorseful, and I didn’t have patience for the pity party that she kept throwing for herself. [END SPOILERS]
The resolution of the big elephant in Ji Wook and Eun Hyuk’s friendship
For the record, I liked the portrayal of the recovering friendship between Eun Hyuk and Ji Wook.
Also for the record, I didn’t like the way the Yoo Jung issue was resolved between them. Throughout their recovering friendship, Eun Hyuk’s past indiscretion with Yoo Jung was the elephant in the room that couldn’t be magicked away. Even though Eun Hyuk had quite thoroughly distanced himself from Yoo Jung since then, and Ji Wook had found new love with Bong Hee, this history with Yoo Jung was a thing in their past that couldn’t be undone; a betrayal of trust that couldn’t be simply swept under the carpet.
I appreciated that Show didn’t sweep the issue under the carpet, and allowed our boys to go through the related consequential angst, and explore what it did to their friendship.
That is, until Show kinda did sweep it under the carpet, in service of hinting at a rekindled loveline between Eun Hyuk and Yoo Jung. Suddenly, the boys had made peace with the past, and it was ok if Eun Hyuk had feelings for Yoo Jung.
I dunno, I feel like this wasn’t handled in a way that was believably organic. Or maybe my distaste for Yoo Jung as a character bled into my ability to embrace this Yoo Jung resolution between the boys.
Show slows in the later stretch [SOME SPOILERS]
At about the episode 18-19 point, I started to feel like there wasn’t a lot of forward movement on any of Show’s fronts. In both the crime and romance departments, it felt like Show was cycling in place, and a lot of the stuff onscreen felt like filler.
And then it felt like Show went off on a tangent, entangling both Ji Wook and Bong Hee’s dads with DA Jang. It all felt too overwrought and too convenient, at the same time. I could’ve really done without the Entangled Dads backstory.
While this was going on, Show also introduced a couple of elements which felt quite try-hard to my eyes. Bong Hee and Ji Wook’s moms hating each other, and their animosity putting a damper on their kids’ relationship was played for comedy, but didn’t feel very funny to me. Also, I found it weird and jarring that Ji Wook would be portrayed as being that averse to the kid in episodes 31 & 32, when there hadn’t been any signs of him having a kid aversion before. The whole kid thing felt shoe-horned in to earn cute points with audiences, but because of how random it seemed, I felt it came off as rather try-hard instead.
Combining all these elements together, Show’s later stretch became a lot less fun to watch, which was a pity.
THEMES/IDEAS
Despite Show’s missteps, I did appreciate its efforts to introduce and reinforce various themes throughout its story. I found them rather thought-provoking, and felt that the themes deepened the watch for me.
Here are the themes that resonated with me the most:
The idea of appearance vs. reality. The stalker looks normal but is crazy. Bong Hee looks crazy to a lot of people, but she isn’t.
The idea that we have all lost someone, whoever we are, whether we are good or evil. I appreciate that sentiment. Hyun Soo has clearly lost someone too, and that’s probably what’s driving his psychotic behavior. It’s not the right way to deal with any situation, sure, but context makes us all human, including the murdering psychopath.
The idea of memory, and how it’s not absolute. Our memories aren’t constant and are shaped by our mind. Like the way Ji Wook’s memory flipped when he was floating in and out of consciousness. Our minds get in the way of the truth.
I’m pleasantly surprised by how satisfied I feel with this ending. It’s not blow-my-socks-off amazing, but it feels wholistic and balanced, and satisfying in a quiet way that leaves me smiling quite contentedly.
I liked the penultimate arc resolving Hyun Soo’s story for its element of surprise; I absolutely did not see the twist coming, about his involvement in the original gang-rape crime. Yet, what a great way to emphasize Show’s central theme of memory and how our minds respond to it; that memories are subjective, and can be twisted. Additionally, what a great performance by Dong Ha, particularly of the confusion and horror Hyun Soo experienced, as the truth dawned on him again, overshadowing his twisted memories.
Beyond the central murder arc, I liked watching Bong Hee and Ji Hye become real friends. I personally didn’t feel completely on board with Eun Hyuk and Yoo Jung’s romance, but, it was nice to see Eun Hyuk happy and smiling.
Most of all, I appreciated that Show spent its last hour exploring our OTP relationship. After all, Ji Wook and Bong Hee have only ever faced big obstacles together as a couple, and had completely skipped the everyday stuff. It was amusing to watch them stumble over how to behave as a normal couple, and it was also refreshing to see them obsess about the little things for once, instead of fighting to save each other’s lives.
In the light of all they had been through, getting to fuss over the little things feels like a luxury well-earned, and I just really enjoyed watching them learn how to love each other even in the midst of everyday annoyances. I smiled at Ji Wook’s proposal and Bong Hee’s glad acceptance of said proposal, and I can just imagine them loving each other, and bickering with each other, and laughing with each other, for a long, long time to come.
Leans more heavily on crime than I like, sometimes, and a little meandering in the later stretch, but still manages to be a pretty satisfying watch.
FINAL GRADE: B+
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This entry was posted in Review and tagged 2017, Choi Tae Joon, Dong Ha, Jang Hyuk Jin, Ji Chang Wook, Kim Hong Pa, Kim Ye Won, Kwon Na Ra, Nam Ji Hyun, Review, S, Suspicious Partner on October 3, 2017 by kfangurl.
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72 thoughts on “Review: Suspicious Partner”
I have just finished watching this, and I liked very much ,because like you said the general intent of mixing crime and romance, doesn’t go really well most of the times(strong woman Bong soon is a great example ),i also don’t like the murder or dark theme arcs so much ,but I was surprised with this one, on the way it didn’t felt uneasy to watch (I think is because the leads seemed strong enough to catch the bad guy ,unlike in other shows ),about the things that didn’t work for you (and I understand) ,i think stuff like “they knew eachother as kids”,”their parents knew/know eachother”,”cute random moment “,aren’t to be seen as actual flaws but kind of ” is already part of the Kdrama gender “,I know there are times that some shows abuse of it ,and it gets really cringe/annoying ,and the same goes for other things like the kdrama idea of funny or cute (wich I actually like),for example, the little boy that comes out of the blue in the lasts episodes ,it wasn’t a very “professional writing ” thing ,rather it was there just to provide cute scenes to us ,but I really enjoyed ,and I confess that i was waiting for them to adopt him even if it was on the last episode or scene lol (wich if actually happend, at the end I do realize that would feel a bit forced, perhaps if they introduced the boy before or in another way?idk maybe I was just excited to see the couple getting a child or something ), and about the relationship between ji wook, Eun Hyuk and Yoo Jung,I agree that a proper reconciliation was missing, and yoo Jung should be a more defined character (like she wanted ji wook back even without properly apologising, but at the end easily accepted Eun hyuk , it felt really strange, if she almost cheated on ji wook with Eun hyuk, why did she tried to get ji wook back at many times ,if in the end she actually liked Eun Hyuk I really didn’t get it ,but in resume it’s on my best dramas list and introduced me to both ji chang Wook and Nam ji hyun,I loved it
kfangurl April 29, 2020 at 11:13 pm
Lol. Yes, a lot of stuff wasn’t fantastically written, in this show. For me personally, the writing was decent-not-great, but the OTP sold this for me. Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun together elevated this drama for me, I think. And yes, somehow, this show made the romance with crime work quite well, which is quite a feat in itself, and deserves at least a brownie point or two. 😉
daughtikawaii January 13, 2020 at 8:51 pm
I can’t believe I’ve been putting this kdrama on the bottom of my to-watch list. This show is a gem. Just as you said.. it’s the right blend of crime and romance and comedy.
It takes a long time for me to finish an episode… because I keep replaying the scenes.. because of how good it is. The characters are so well-played I feel like I’m watching real people.
And I really liked this drama because the characters are like genuine people. I like that the characters are quick-witted (except for Mr. Byun 😅). I like it so much when people in kdrama land process things like real people and not rushed/delayed like in other kdramas. I like how both leads took their time to understand what their feeling.. about their feelings towards the other person, or any information that they would stumble upon and actually using their common sense when they face certain situations.
I really loved JCW delivery of his character in this drama. I love how his eyes is just so expressive with every scene, may it be a serious scene, dramatic scene, melo scene, romantic scene and even comedic scenes. I like how I can see in his eyes how annoyed he is when the meeting gets chaotic and gets nowhere. haha
Aside from the waking-up scene you mentioned, I also loved the break-up scene where they were holding hands but something feels off. I loved his delivery of that scene, you could see in his eyes, how he is wondering what Bong-Hee was thinking but at the same time he gets a hunch of what it could be, and the feeling that he is scared what the outcome may be, how scared he is to lose Bong-Hee.
Another scene that I actually love when Ji-Wook told her that he is sorry that it took some time for him to realize his feelings and she probably doesn’t like him any more. That he respects her.. and would wait for her decision. I actually find that a rarity in kdrama land. I actually swooned in this scene and keep replaying it.
I also liked the pacing of their relationship. Just as you’ve said it is organically grown. And so when the break-up happened, I actually cried. It feels like watching and caring for a plant to grow and then it just died. I know they would eventually end up together because it is a rom-com.. but the break-up also felt real to me. Some kdramas just put conflict out of nowhere so that somehow both leads would break-up and then get back together. Some are so rushed, like if a kdrama is 16-episode drama, leads would have a conflict at the 15th episode mark and then make-up with each other on the last episode like magic, with no proper conflict resolution. I like how each of the leads their time to internalize on how they are feeling towards the information about their dads.. and how their feelings could affect the other person. I like that it actually took several episodes for them to make up. I also like it that even though they’ve broken up you could still see that they truly care about each other but at the same time they are careful to not overstep their boundaries. I also like that we as viewers could really feel their awkardness with each other other and they are struggling of how to act towards the other person.
I honestly cannot get over this drama and their chemistry is just.. daebak. Now I’m binge-watching Behind the Scenes and youtube clips of the series.. and fan-made videos. And as I’m writing this very long comment… I’m listening to the OST. 😍😍😍
kfangurl January 17, 2020 at 11:57 am
Hi there daughtikawaii, it’s so nice to hear about how much you love this drama. 🙂 You clearly have much deeper love for this show than I did, and that’s great. It’s such a treat, to get all sucked into a drama, and fall in love with the characters and the music. Enjoy the lingering sweetness! <3
daughtiKawaii January 19, 2020 at 10:23 am
omoo thank you for replying.. i really love your reviews.. every time I finish one drama I always read your review after to reminisce the moments in it. looking forward to more of your reviews. ❤️
kfangurl January 22, 2020 at 6:21 pm
Aw, thanks for enjoying the reviews, daughtiKawaii, that makes me happy. 😊🥰 I hope you’ll continue to enjoy them, going forward into 2020! <3
KG August 17, 2019 at 3:26 am
I love how nuanced this review is! I’m going to go ahead and read your view on all my favourite kdrama, it’s so interesting! This is actually my first time posting a comment on the internet, I am so impressed. Glad I found fangirl verdict 🙂
hafsa March 22, 2019 at 6:22 pm
hey is suspicious partner appopriate for 11 -12yrs?
kfangurl March 25, 2019 at 7:02 pm
I’m not really sure it’s suitable for 11-12 year olds.. The network itself targets audiences that are 15 years old and above. Plus, there’s a psycho killer in this that is portrayed in a somewhat sympathetic fashion. Maybe you’d want to consider something less dark, if you have tweens in mind for the watch? Perhaps something like I’m Not A Robot would work? 🙂
Mel February 13, 2019 at 2:03 am
I was so pleasantly surprised with the show, I only saw the mini trailer on Netflix and I thought it would be about a hate to love / forbidden love story between an uptight boss and his intern. I just went with it because of Ji Chang Wook. I know Netflix’s teasers can’t be trusted and I purposely didn’t seek out more details as I wanted to be surprised and boy it didn’t disappoint.
The characters are the highlight of this show. And by that I mean the office gang as you called it. I loved them all individually, but their interactions were absolute gems and it was refreshing to have those little moments in the midst of all the drama.
I loved our main couple so much, their growing feelings and relationship felt genuine and their bickering was SO CUTE. I loved how they were both shooting wits at each other back and forth at the speed of light.
And I just want to do a BIG shoutout to Ji Wook for respecting his partner’s wishes. How often do we see male leads being soo patronizing towards their girlfriend. For instance the whole I was afraid for you so now I’m gonna scream at you like a madman because I’m SO angry? Gosh I hate that. But Ji Huk always put Bong Hee’s feelings first (as it should), not pressuring her to talk and giving her space when she needs it. He was so respectful and gentle toward her. Even the wrist-grabbing thing (would it be a drama without a slow-mo zoom on a dramatic wrist grabbing) was done gently. But yeah, I’m all in for a healthy relationship and the leads being supportive of each other. We couldn’t avoid the noble idiocy arc with the “I’m breaking up so YOU won’t suffer” that honestly makes me want to pull my hair off everytime but at least Bong Hee ends up apologizing for it and admits that she shouldn’t have reacted the way she did. (Still frustrating when it happened though but ok). And thank god they were behaving like a real couple. Casual morning kisses and sex hell yes.
I agree with you on Yoo Jung. I wish they had written a likeable character but she turned out to be a pretty typical second lead female. However, Ji-Hye was a pleasant surprise. We didn’t see her apologizing to Bong Hee for what she did to her but I think she matured a lot throughout the show and her growing (denied) friendship with Bong Hee was nice to see. Actually it would’ve been nice to see more of the three girls together instead of focusing on Eun Hyuk and Yoo Jung love story. He’s an angel and deserves to be happy but that love story was such a waste of time.
I agree as well for the useless dad tropes but I guess it was needed to fill the angst quota. The DA prosecutor manipulating proofs and twisting the witness’ memories was interesting and resonated with Hyun Soo’s own story so I wish we could have had that story without involving Bong Hee’s father and dived into the DA’s corruption more. It would also have left plenty of times to develop Hyun Soo’s side a little more. But I guess the writers didn’t expect such a good portrayal of the villain. It’s almost like Dong Ha gave to Hyun Soo a whole story that wasn’t on paper.
Anyway thanks for the review, it t was really nice to read.
Sorry it was insanely long but if can add one last thing: can we talk about Eun Hyuk’s laugh because I was cracking up everytime omg I love him.
kfangurl February 13, 2019 at 9:53 pm
Hi there Mel, so glad you enjoyed the show – and this review as well. I’m with you, I was pleasantly surprised by this one too. Show did make some missteps, but overall it was a pretty satisfying watch all the way through to the end. I do like your idea of Show focusing more on the girls together instead of the love story between Eun Hyuk and Yoo Jung. I think I would’ve enjoyed watching that version way more! 😀 And yes, Eun Hyuk’s dorky laugh was hilarious! 😆
subhajit20015 November 13, 2018 at 12:07 am
Loved the drama. But can anyone please tell me , Why didn’t Eun huk or Cha clarify to Ji Wook that nothing actually happened between them on that night , and that Ji Wook misunderstood them? In one episode Eun and Cha were discussing about this . They surely implied that nothing happened between them , but still they didn’t clarify to Ji Wook ???!!?
WHY??!?!
kfangurl November 15, 2018 at 4:11 pm
I think that it wasn’t about anything actually happening; I think the very fact that it even ever got close to that, was enough of a betrayal to break down the various relationships.
subhajit20015 November 15, 2018 at 5:38 pm
Did you watch ‘Where stars land’?
Give it a try, you will surely enjoy it.
I’ve started watching Where Stars Land, and am currently just a few eps in.. around 6, I think? So far I’m liking it quite well (even though I did randomly poke at it before and decide it wasn’t for me, heh). Fingers crossed that I’ll enjoy it all the way through! 🙂
justlikethat0705 August 12, 2018 at 11:48 am
Haha, yes, that’s why i too watched the whole drama without skipping at all 😁
justlikethat0705 August 9, 2018 at 2:33 am
I truly enjoy reading your reviews 😊
JCW looked even more attractive in this drama than in Healer, IMO. I loved watching it because of many reasons. Still, I disliked how the director/story writer expected us to believe that after 3 murders in the same city no one would actually try to find a link between them and think about the connection between the victims, to find out their past. In a case of serial murders it’s the first thing police/ detectives should go after. I was kind of frustrated watching this kind of lacks of logic in this drama.
It’s true that the chemistry between JCW and NJH is remarkable but I think the latter sometimes disappoints with her acting. She delivers dialogues in a too much childish way when it is not required at all. Which is annoying.
Nevertheless, it’s much better a drama than many others in the same genre.
kfangurl August 10, 2018 at 11:00 am
Aw, thanks for enjoying the reviews! That makes me happy 😊
Yes, this one was flawed, and the policing is as inadequate as one might expect in dramaland. I used to get really frustrated at the lame policing in dramas, but I’ve come to accept that it’s part and parcel of dramaland. Taking that into account, this one managed to balance the murder and the romance much better than most other dramas I’ve seen that have attempted a similar dichotomy, so I give it points for that. 🙂 Now that you mention it, I do see what you mean about NJH’s delivery sometimes leaning a touch childish. It didn’t bother me much in this show since it fit pretty alright with her character, but I can see how this could be a problem. I think I forgave a lot because of the excellent chemistry that she shared with JCW, heh. 😆
MAY ROBINSON March 13, 2018 at 6:28 pm
I had been waiting for your review of this drama since it aired. I do agree with lot of points in your review, although bong hee’s character was sometimes inconsistent and had a little too much childlikeness for my liking, a trait in kdrama heroines that somewhat disconnects me from the romance/chemistry like ”anna” in k2. That childish/overcutesy quality makes me feel like the female lead just has a girly high school crush on the guy and not a deep adult romance with sexual chemistry.
I also felt like some of her limitations as an actress were made more evident by acting with a stellar actor like chang wook .This was her first real adult role and sometimes dressing her in extra girly fashion didn’t help .
Someone pls burn down her nightie ,in one of the scenes she wore the most unflattering nightie ever,i might sound vain or vapid but for me it didn’t help to push the romantic attraction narrative. I can’t imagine that a hottie like JCW would fall for any girl with that nightie.
Overall i immensely enjoyed this drama and the acting from the villain and the other supporting actors was top notch. I watched it while it was airing and i couldn’t wait for wednesdays and thursdays .
Aw, thanks for waiting for this review, May! I hope you found it worth the wait! 😉
I do agree that most kdrama heroines tend to lean on the innocent/cutesy side, and that can feel odd, especially if the characters are in their late twenties or beyond. Still, I suppose it is a cultural preference, so I try to acclimatize myself to it. 😅 I do agree with you about Anna in The K2. That’s one loveline I personally couldn’t get behind, no matter how hard Show was trying to sell it. 😛 Glad you enjoyed Suspicious Partner though!
Gem January 6, 2018 at 1:42 am
Great review! Love the thought process =) I think I’ll be reading your reviews before watching any kdrama lol
kfangurl January 6, 2018 at 9:35 am
Welcome to the blog, Gem! 😀 Glad you enjoyed the review, and I’m happy to know that you plan to keep on popping by! 😀
demonicdivas November 30, 2017 at 7:58 am
I’ve got to say, Suspicious Partner is my favourite Kdrama by far, and also introduced me to Ji Chang Wook for which I’ll be forever grateful. I came to it straight off the back of the wonderful Shopping King Louie where I adored Nam Ji Hyung and I adored her in this as well. I thought the romance was perfect and such amazing chemistry between them. I also thought the antagonistic relationship between Ji Wook and Hyun Soo was brilliant. The scene on the bridge and then again in the courtroom was electric. I was also really pleased that there was no ridiculous love triangle. There were a few minor inconsistencies in the plot but I personally never felt it was slow. In fact I sat up and binge watched the final nine hours and went to sleep at 5.30 am to finish the series. It was a very compelling story throughout.
The major irritant for me was the super nasty girl suddenly becoming a friend. I wasn’t comfortable with that at all. Also I wish that Kdramas didn’t always have some kind of weird family link to the lead couple which just felt like a cheap excuse to keep them apart and introduce even more angst, but lol that seems to be the way of many dramas so you just roll with it.
I’m now gripped by Healer and will watch all JCW’s dramas while patiently waiting for him to make a return. I see people comparing this to Fight My Way which I think is a bit unfair as SP is a crime drama romance not just focussed on friends to lovers. A totally different story, although I loved Fight My Way. I also see rave reviews for Because This Is My First Life, where I really can’t be bothered to watch the final episode and don’t understand the hype. Suspicious Partner has been the best by a mile.
kfangurl November 30, 2017 at 11:43 am
Well, I would say any show that introduces you to Ji Chang Wook deserves a special place in your heart 😉 I agree that it felt weird to have the nasty girl suddenly becoming everyone’s friend. That felt quite unnatural to me too. And I vote for less childhood entanglement between leads as well – it’s been so overused!
I’m so pleased that you’re moving on to Healer, that is one of my favorite kdramas – LOVED it, so much! <3 <3 Every time Healer parkoured off a building, my heart wobbled. 😍
Personally, I've been enjoying Because This Is My First Life a lot, but it's a very different type of show than the typical rom-com, so I think you'd need to be in a particular sort of mood for it. Also – drama love is very personal, so it's very possible that it simply doesn't work for you, even though it works for a lot of other people. I've bucked the trend myself many times, so you're not alone 😉
demonicdivas November 30, 2017 at 9:14 pm
Thanks so much for replying! I definitely am of the fluffy romance preference, so I was surprised by how much I took to Suspicious Partner with the interwoven crime story. It was fascinating though, I thought they handled the two really well. The way they handled the storyline for the murders was superb and the acting was stellar.
Aaaaah angst in romance stories. I 100% know it’s inevitable and necessary, but sometimes writers do go ott. That was the major wobble for me in Suspicious Partner, the whole Dad thing you mentioned. It felt unnecessary and forced. But the rest was <3<3<3 sooo happy with that romance. Coming off the end of Healer (how am I going to cope when it's over, I only have episodes 18, 19 and 20 to go), I think has one romance which has been done to perfection. Such an awesome female character, no drama, no bs, her doubts and trust shown beautifully. More of the same please!
I know this is a Suspicious Partner review but Because This Is My First Life has been on my mind heaps so I hope you don't mind a minor deviation. I started off loving it. Se-hee is fantastic. CEO Ma and Su Ji are a favourite couple and Su Ji is my hero. The writers tackle some really necessary topics. I literally just wrote an essay on it but then I thought spoilers so I stopped! I didn't warm to Ji Ho. Which was at total odds with some of her other actions which I was cheering on. So, without revealing story, I will just leave it as I understand her point of view, but I don't agree with the route she chose to took? It wasn't just her character though. Often I was left feeling very uncomfortable and actively dismayed by how some things were portrayed. I mean, both her and Se-hee had utter facepalm moments and some really funny then heartwarming scenes but yeah, there was a lot that I found hard going. Worth a watch, most definitely, but it left a bad taste in my mouth on many occasions which is why I'd not rank it as a favourite.
I also adore Park Seo Joon and Park Hyung Sik *dreamy sigh* but honestly Ji Chang Wook my poor heart, please stawp….or not hehehe. Gonna have to eek out his dramas slowly over the coming 19 months or so to keep me satisfied until he returns from his military service. Fortunately, there's always rewatching, right??!
kfangurl December 1, 2017 at 9:25 pm
Hehehe! Yes, there is ALWAYS rewatching! I’ve watched Healer twice, and loved it both times – and would watch it again. 😍😍😍 When you’re done watching Healer, you might enjoy the monster review I wrote for it.. if only to relive some of the feels. <3 You can find that here. I personally would recommend staying away from The K2 though. It was such a disappointment. I couldn’t get through it, not even for Ji Chang Wook. 😝
As for Because This Is My First Life, I’m 15 eps in, and except for E15 where I felt slightly confused, I enjoyed E1-E14 very much. I haven’t seen the finale yet, so I have no idea how I’ll find the drama as a whole. But maybe when I’m done with that show – and have written it a review to go with – you can share some of your spoiler thoughts 🙂
demonicdivas December 2, 2017 at 4:03 pm
Awesome, thanks! I will go check out the Healer review now. I finished it last night and I have so many feels it’s ridiculous.
I’ll await your spoiler review for Because This Is My First Life, looking forward to it. I hope you enjoy the final episode 🙂
kfangurl December 3, 2017 at 11:38 am
Thank you – I hope I enjoy the last ep of BTIMFL too.. there seem to be some mixed reactions to this show’s final 2 eps, so I’m definitely curious to see where I land! 🙂
A3kings November 2, 2017 at 2:56 am
Hello! I just found your blog. This review is so on point. You expressed my own thoughts perfectly. I also agree with you on the x-girl friend plot, but I think it suffered from underdevelopment. I was actually so irritated that they didn’t because it had a really good chance of being portrayed well by the actors. What you describe as cycling and going off on a tangent of the Entangled Dads, I called wasting time. They could have used that time to write for the Yoo Jung and Eun Hyuk story. It just felt unsettled.
kfangurl November 2, 2017 at 9:56 am
Hi there A3kings! Welcome to the blog, I’m glad you found me! 😀 And yes, I would’ve definitely been open to Show just dropping the entangled dads arc, and spending the time and effort on making the relationship angle more fleshed-out and believable. That would’ve probably made the entire show feel that much more satisfying to watch. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by how satisfied I already felt with the ending, as it was. I guess I’ve been burned too many times lately, by shows going off the rails in the second half 😛
Pingback: [Ongoing] Suspicious Partner – Episodes 1-12 – Kdrama Memories
Verity Rose October 10, 2017 at 12:04 am
Just wanted to share my opinion on this show. By the way I like how your reviews are so on point.
Out for 4 dramas that I’ve watched of the year 2017: Chief Kim (Dong-Ha is in this drama too), Fight my way, Big Hit, & Suspicious Partner. It was Suspicious Partner that left extremely disappointed. Which is a shame since it has the same screenwriter who wrote “I remember you” which is one of my favorites dramas. Here are the things that I didn’t particularly like.
1. The decline of Ji-wook and Bong-hee personalities. At first I liked our main protagonists but then came “your dad killed your dad” plotline. It ends predictable with Bong Hee dad being innocent. Ji-wook black&white mentality started to annoy me. His talk on how “all criminals are the same” became tiresome and unhealthy. Because that is simply not true while there are criminals who do it for the enjoyment, but then there are those who a much complex reasoning for being behind bars. Also, that he was mostly right about his clients, sure he got a few times wrong but it did little for his character. In the end he became such an unlikable protagonist that I didn’t care much for him. The only scenes where I tolerated him was when he interacted with Hyun-soo.
In the second half of the drama Bong Hee ends up being more in the background than anything else. After Hyun-soo woke up from his short-term coma she didn’t share one scene with him. Yes she suspected that he had an amnesia but did nothing to investigate further she just shrug off her shoulders and went on her day. This felt like the show took “Her story & her villain” leaving her with nothing but crying and being boring. Hyun-soo was the guy who framed her so why in the world did the drama erase that connection?. I liked her scenes with Hyun-soo and would I have liked to see more of it. Because it would have been a good way to test her capabilities as a lawyer. Speaking of which she does very little cases of her own. I saw so little of it that I genuinely forgot she was a lawyer.
By the end of the drama I just didn’t care for either of them.
2. The fact that the District Attorney gets to walk away freely. He loses his job sure people will condemn for his actions but he still be a member of the society. People will soon forget what he had done. Sorry but that doesn’t do it for me. Its like the drama is telling us its “fine to do corrupted things: lie & manipulate evidence but not murder”. His character as a whole did little to the story, except for being a plot device of adding more drama to our main heroes. And despite they gave a scene where he is grieving for his son. I felt nothing for this character. He feels more like a cardboard cut character then a real human being.
3. So what happened to the rapist that turned himself? Did he get a shorter jail sentence? Was he set free?
4. The ending of our tragic villain Hyunsoo: I found his jail sentence way too cruel.The fact that he has a mental illness and suffers from a trauma that went untreated for 13 years. Also, for a main antagonist he had the least screen time I`ve ever seen for a villain. It would have been riskier to make Hyun_sooo the main protagonist, ever heard of a villain protagonist? But that would have been an intriguing route to take. Anyways that we still know so little about his past. Where are his parents? Is he an orphan?. If it wasn’t for Dong-Ha splendid performance he made his character more complex then he was on paper. After he receives his sentence we dont see him ever again. A year has passed and I was waiting for at least a short scene of him. Is he now in a deep depression? Is he at peace with himself?.
I´m still a bit sour on how the show went on and killed of Chan-Ho (offscreen), when it before showed hope that he was still alive. For some reason I thought the drama will add more dimension to Chan-ho relationship with Hyun-soo.
5. The fact that it takes so long for our heroes to find out Hyun-soo’s past even though he told them indirectly why he did the things he did.
If you ever happen to watch “I remember you” expect a stronger writing (though it does drag in the middle) and complex villains but a weak romance. You will notice some scenes in that drama that is similar to “Suspicious Partner”.
Anyways, hope I didn’t bore you or confuse too much.
Really ,the guy MURDERS about 6 people and you think his jail sentence is cruel ,wow. His murders were very intentional and well executed ,he was even blackmailing one of his victims (chan hoo) .which makes him a slimy bastard in my mentions. i would hate to have such a character running loose in society, even if he gets psychiatric help,he can get the help in jail.
Bharati October 9, 2017 at 9:49 am
Fangirl, what a review! The way you described EP -28 Scene of bed, where Ji Chang Wook said nothing but said it all through his face, I can’t get over how intense his acting has become. That’s one of my favorite acted scenes among dramas, I totally want to give you some credit for mentioning it here. You made my day! Lots of love… <3
kfangurl October 9, 2017 at 2:18 pm
Aw, thanks Bharati! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the review! And yes, Ji Chang Wook was so good in that scene, I was mesmerized both times I watched it. Coz of course I had to rewind and rewatch the scene, to appreciate his amazing delivery! 😉
Jo October 6, 2017 at 9:51 am
Thanks for the great review! I was super late to the JCW train (what have I missed all my life???) and only stumbled on your site when I watched Healer after Suspicious Partner! I loved your review and was looking forward to your review on SP!
I really enjoyed the mature adult relationship they had and how they communicated with each other (for most parts other than the noble idiot I-will-carry-this-burden-on-my-own bits).The chemistry between them was so intense and electric. I totally agree with what you said about the tie scene. I found myself holding my breath whenever they got close to each other on screen and am convinced they need to date in real life. I also felt the ending was perfect for them, after all the craziness they have gone through. JCW is obviously a great actor and so dreamy (those eyes!) but NJH was a real revelation for me in this.
The show did feel a little slow in the middle, especially when Dong Ha was in a coma. I also was not a fan of the Yoo Jung/ Eun Hyuk pairing which felt convenient and was actually rooting for the Eun Hyuk/ Ji Hae pairing instead! I also do wish the girls had more scenes together. The scene where they were all drunk was very enjoyable. There were some issues with the law parts – how Ji Wook could act as the attorney for Dong Ha and be the prosecutor against him thereafter. To me, this would be a total conflict of interest.
That said, I enjoyed this thoroughly. In fact, way more than I had expected and am now a total fangirl for JCW and NJH!
kfangurl October 6, 2017 at 10:39 am
Hi Jo! Great to meet you, and glad that you found me! 😀 I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the Healer review, that review is one of my personal favorites on the site, and has a special place in my heart, coz Healer feelz <3
YES, that tie scene! It's not played as a major scene in the show, but it just leaped out at me, in all of its electric glory. Ji Chang Wook's intense dreamy gaze pretty much knocked me over every time. 😍 This was my first time properly watching Nam Ji Hyun (I couldn't get into Shopping King Louis), and I loved her in this. I do love her warm screen presence and very natural delivery. <3
I agree, I think an Eun Hyuk/Ji Hye pairing would've been much better than having him mope over Yoo Jung all series long. And you're so right about the law stuff. I rolled my eyes at all the legal stuff that was perfectly fine in this drama world, but wouldn’t have stood a chance in the real world. But, I've also learned that drama professions take a lot of.. uh, artistic license and mostly don’t make much sense. It used to bug me a lot more, but I’ve learned to just close both eyes and roll with it – most times 😉
Jo October 6, 2017 at 4:09 pm
Yes his gaze is so incredibly intense and dreamy! I read this hilarious comment somewhere that his smexy eyes alone could make someone pregnant! LOL
To me, the non-kiss in the tie scene really added to the tension between them and when they finally kissed I squealed so much!
I figured I just had to let go of the legal inconsistencies in the kdrama world and roll with it! I do have to say the series of questioning by Ji Wook and Hyun Soo realising he was there during the attack was excellent.
Lovely to meet you too and I look forward to more reviews! <3
kfangurl October 6, 2017 at 10:32 pm
Hahaha! Yes, I can see why someone would say that; Ji Chang Wook’s schmexy gaze is mesmerizing 😍😍😍
Kat October 4, 2017 at 5:33 am
Your review is really spot on. The romance in this one really worked for me. I also liked looking at someone who cheated not as an evil person, but as someone who honestly makes a mistake and is trying to atone in his own way. He is such a nice guy and the actor portrayed him so well that I could feel his regret. Also, all too often the woman is always the one betrayed so it was interesting to see a guy have to work through the hurt and pain of being betrayed. I think that some of the story with Yoo Jung was a misfire. The whole issue of her getting back with either guy was just weird.
I think my two main issues were the k-drama coincidence regarding the childhood stuff. I am so tired of the childhood cliche. Also, there seems to be a thing in k-drama (It was also in I Can Hear Your Voice) where defense lawyers seem surprised they are defending guilty people. Gee what a shock. Of course they are though certainly not all the time but odds are one of the defendants is going to be guilty and the lawyer is going to get him off . That’s why certain personalities end up being public defenders and others end up being prosecutors (because there is the possibility of sending an innocent person to jail.) So which is worse?
I hit the lull late in this drama, and it actually took me a while to get back to this one but I’m glad I did. I think it definitely could have been shorter but overall enjoyed it. Loved the crazy office meetings.
I think this one doesn’t take over Fight My Way for my favorite romance relationship of the year. Are you checking that one out? It’s not perfect but one of the few friends to lovers dramas that really works for me.
So pleased that you enjoyed this review, Kat! And also, that we are in agreement about this show 🙂
I love your point about how Eun Hyuk was humanized despite being the one who betrayed his best friend. Choi Tae Joon really did a good job of the role, down to the weird nervous laughter. I’d found the laugh really strange at first, but when I realized that it was Eun Hyuk’s coping mechanism in the face of being estranged from his best friend, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. I wish Show would’ve just focused on healing the broken friendship between the boys, instead of trying to drag Yoo Jung back into the picture as a potential romantic partner for either of the boys. I absolutely agree that that was a misfire.
I also very much agree on the childhood stuff. It’s SUCH a kdrama trope, and often feels like it’s thrown in there, just to fulfill Show’s quota of tropes. I literally rolled my eyes when Show started hinting at the childhood connection between our leads. 🙄
As for Fight My Way, yes, I’ve seen it, and I like it! 🙂 I’m working on the review at the moment, and hope to post it soonish. I can’t wait to see if we’re in deep agreement again, with another show 😉
neurodiagnostics2017 October 4, 2017 at 5:31 am
This one had a good start but really dragged on way too long. I recently watched Strongest Deliveryman and really enjoyed the good writing and that all of the episodes held their own.
I haven’t checked out Strongest Deliveryman, actually. Good to hear that you liked it! I do like the cast, but my interest had been seriously dampened by the generally meh responses the show seems to have been getting.
This one had a good start but really dragged on way too long.
junny October 4, 2017 at 4:52 am
It did drag in the middle and a few things weren’t really resolved well, but overall it was a decent watch. I liked the chemistry between Ji Chang-wook and Nam Ji-hyun, and also the camaraderie of the Noh-Ji-Eun-Byun-Bang gang – such a mouthful for a law firm’s name!
The kiss was well done. As was the point about young adults having healthy sexual needs.
If you haven’t seen the BTS of that kiss scene:
Oh my, junny! *fans self* Thank you for sharing that kiss scene BTS – that was intense. Somehow, without the background music, the scene feels even more intense. And a little voyeuristic, even 😛🙈
My takeaways from the BTS: Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun have a molten chemistry when they’re given the space and freedom to express it. And, PD-nim is wise to give them the space and freedom to do so 😉
Friendlyquark February 10, 2018 at 3:57 pm
I feel for poor Nam Ji Hyun, having to kiss Ji Chang Wook over and over again. 🙂 LOL What an awful job she has! 😀
Lol. Yes, SUCH a difficult job indeed! 😂😂
Sia October 4, 2017 at 3:33 am
it’s been ages, i’ve missed you, i have been in a drama slump lately, it’s been hectic and i started a new job, so i come home, try watching something and just fall asleep cause i am exhausted,
i did try to watch SP, but after 4 episodes, couldn’t really get into it, i’ll give it another shot one of these days but i want to watch chicago typewriter (am et epi 5) and lookout/the guardians first 🙂
welcome back!!!!
ps have enjoyed your posts on chinese/japanese drama’s, haven’t watched any of them but have already put those that you liked on the everlasting watchlist 🙂
Hi there Sia! HUGS. Great to see you! 😀
Sorry to hear about your drama slump.. I’ve been similarly drama slumped for a while, which explains why the blog went so quiet for the last 2 months 😛 I’m sure RL is a factor, but, it also feels like lots of other folks have been experiencing drama slumps, so I think it also has to do with the dramas themselves not being as fantastic as we’d like them to be. So don’t feel too badly if this show didn’t work for you. You can always give it another try when you’re in a more suitable mood. 🙂 I’ve heard good things about Chicago Typewriter, but haven’t gotten around to checking it out. As you know, the ol’ watch list is stupendously long! 😝
Out of the various C & J dramas I’ve written about recently, I do think you’d enjoy We Married As A Job. I was immediately engaged with it, despite feeling like I was deep in a drama slump. 😉
Sia October 5, 2017 at 12:49 am
hi!!!
yeah drama slump seems to be everywhere lately, although some of the recent drama’s seem to be good (Age of youth 2, girls generation 1979, circle), i just haven’t felt like picking one up in a while 🙂
I do think i’ll pick up We married as a job next, i ran out of english series to watch (again and i’m super picky about what i watch) and have been mostly reading books lately
Are you out of your drama slump now?
*HUGS*!!!!
kfangurl October 5, 2017 at 9:27 am
I do think I’m out of my drama slump now, come to think of it. I mean, I’m watching more dramas again, and am feeling more engaged in general. And, I’m even writing about them again – and quite a bit too, as you can see from my recent posting rhythm! Or maybe that’s just all the writing juices come out to play, after building up over the 2 or so months I was in a drama & blogging slump! 😆
I have Age of Youth 2 and Girls Generation 1979 on my list. Right now I find myself enjoying The King Loves quite a bit more than I expected to. I was going to give it a miss, but the buzz around Hong Jong Hyun and Yoona’s chemistry got me curious. And now, about halfway through the drama, I feel pretty sucked in, which is a feeling I didn’t expect to have, especially with a sageuk whose premise hadn’t interested me much! What a happy surprise indeed 😉
akagenomusume October 4, 2017 at 12:13 am
Hi there! I really like your reviews! 😄I haven’t been able to finish the first episode… I didn’t like Bong Hee right from the start and just found nothing that interested me enough to continue. (Not even Ji Chang Wook! 😮) Maybe I should give it another chance… 😞
Hi there akagenomusume! Great to meet you, and glad to know that you’re enjoying the reviews!
As for your disconnect with this show, it might’ve been a mood thing. I find mood to be a very finicky thing, and it can make or break a watch. Maybe give this one another try when you think you’re in the right mood for it? If you can get past Show’s flaws, it’s a pretty solid watch, with some excellent performances 🙂
akagenomusume October 4, 2017 at 4:26 pm
Oh, thank you for replying! You’re right about the mood… and I guess I wasn’t sure I should be in the mood for what exactly, since as you said, it’s a rare mix of romance and crime! I might try it again 🙂
Yeah, romance and crime don’t mesh easily, and that’s why I mostly shy away from them. This one has been the most successful show at mixing the two, that I’ve seen personally. In terms of mood.. I’d say maybe when you’re in the mood for a strong heroine and some bickering romance? Coz that was a big part of Show’s appeal for me in the earlier episodes. Well, that and Ji Chang Wook, of course 😉
Timescout October 3, 2017 at 10:57 pm
Them romcoms with the side of murder… nah. That’s a mixture I have no interest in and even less if it’s the other way down. 😛 That and the fact that Ji Chang Wook always leaves me cold for some reason made me pass on this one. I’m probably one of two people who wasn’t enamored with Healer either. *g*
Awww! I’m sad that you didn’t enjoy Healer, coz I am still very much on the Healer train! 😍 But I am very much with you on not having much interest in murder romcoms. I honestly want to shake the person who came up with the bright idea: “Hey, I know! Let’s mix murder and romcom together! They’re so different; no one’s done it before – it’ll be GREAT!” Ha. Not. 🙄
Timescout October 4, 2017 at 12:22 am
I know! Everyone and their dog loved Healer and I was alone in my corner wondering what’s the fuss. 😉
Yup, that was such a bad idea. What were they thinking!
nonie October 3, 2017 at 9:55 pm
hi kfangurl! awesome, on point review as always… i agree, i guess the show could be less than 40 episodes and we still would’ve loved it.. anywayyyy…
i was actually so thankful for this after the underwhelming K2! so i just took it all in and swam in the crime, love and sillyness!
that scene when he realized who Bong Hee’s father was kinda reminded me of Park Bo Gum’s acting in Love in the Moonlight, when his character discovered the eunuch was a girl…i mean, those acting skills without words, are a gem!
appreciate your review. i’ve been following just recently and am watching the dramas you graded high since i think we have similar taste most of the time. 🙂
Hi nonie, welcome to the blog! 😀 Great to know that you’re enjoying the reviews, and that we have similar tastes in dramas! 🙂
Yes, I definitely agree this show could’ve been shorter. I often felt, in the second half, that Show was cycling in place. But, like you said, this was still a big step up from K2, which I simply could not finish. Also, you’re so right! Ji Chang Wook’s masterful micro-expressions do remind me of how Park Bo Gum slayed with his micro-expressions as Yeong. 😍😍 Those are some serious skillz, and I’m so glad that I got to enjoy both shows – and therefore not miss either of their great performances! 🙂
nonie October 4, 2017 at 8:19 am
have you checked out Fight for my Way? 😀 .. i look forward to your review on that ..☺️
Yes, I did watch Fight My Way, and liked it! 🙂 I’m working on the review, hopefully I’ll be ready to post it soonish! 🙂
OnColouredPens October 3, 2017 at 3:29 pm
Finally you’re back with Kdrama review!!!
First, I would like to say Thank You, KFangurl! Thank you that your “comeback review” goes to my love, Ji Chang Wook. 🙂 (sounds so formal) 🙂
Anyways, as always I love your review, although I am already biased, because hello were talking bout JCW here. 😉
But on a serious note, I really loved the show. I loved how the story was written and executed. I maybe sound BIASED again. sorry.
And oh, I love the supporting cast so much. 😉
Hee! Your comment made me giggle – thanks so much for the warm welcome back! 😉 Ji Chang Wook was fantastic in this, and I’m glad I got to see him in action. Some of his scene deliveries were seriously masterful. <3 I'm sure your fangirl heart must've been so, SO full, watching your big bias do so well! 😍
Dianne October 3, 2017 at 3:05 pm
Love your review! It was so eloquent and I agree with a lot of your points! SP brought me back from a drama slump and was my crack drama. Dong Ha was so amazing! And the romance, oh the romance. I’m trying to be coherent here but all I wanna do is squeal!
Aw, thanks Dianne! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the review! 😀 And, congrats on getting out of your drama slump – those things can be so difficult to shake off! And YES, the OTP was fab, and Dong Ha was absolutely one of the best things about this show. And I rarely ever feel that way about villains, so that’s saying a lot 😉
josquarede October 3, 2017 at 2:26 pm
OMO. Am I first? Hahaha anyway. Healer feels!!! I will say that I almost dropped this at Ep 1 because I did get annoyed with Bong Hee after the subway incident. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood to tolerate her. Good thing I gave this show another chance.
Agree with everything, including the villain! I will say that there were gaping plot holes here or there but it ended up a nice watch for me. And oh my goodness the kisses. *swoon*
Thanks for this awesome review.
Hee, yes you’re first, my dear Jo! 😀 Yay that you gave this one a second chance; it really turned out to be a better watch than I’d expected. Of course, my expectations weren’t that high, given my past not-very-successful stabs at murder rom-coms (I still can’t believe that is an Actual Thing!). But this one was definitely worth the watch. That OTP, and that villain! All so good! And oh my, yes, those kisses.. 😍😍
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The Football Tactics Board
Football Analysis, Discussion and Insight
Stat Standouts
Opinion/Debate
19th Sep 2019 Nick Pasquet
The effects of playing Europa League football on domestic performance (Man Utd 2016/17 Case Study)
Image Credit: standard.co.uk
The Europa League. The annual competition that highlights our underachievement from the previous season. Quite simply, if we are playing Europa League football, we did not meet our targets. However, now that we find ourselves in this situation, we need to utilise the opportunity to secure Champions League football as we did in 2016/17 under Jose Mourinho. With the Premier League top 4 race looking as competitive as ever this season, with the usual 6 battling it out for the Champions League spots and the likes of Leicester City adding another name in the mixer, it would be naive to undermine how important this competition could be for us this season. The problem however is always finding a balance between efforts in the Europa League and Premier League. Reaching the Europa League final adds an extra 15 matches into the diary and if mismanaged this can result in high levels of player fatigue and increase the likelihood of injuries resulting in reduced performance levels.
A common belief is that playing in the Europa League directly hinders a team’s chances of performing very well in the domestic league. Specifically the idea that the league match played a few days after a Thursday night match will not be up to standard due to short turn around times and often significant air miles. But is this true? To find out, I will investigate Man United’s 2016/17 Europa League run, assessing the Premier League results directly after Europa League football, specifically whether the result was an underachievement, as expected or better than expected. As a reminder, we won the Europa League but finished 6th in the Premier League.
Europa League Results + Following Premier League Match Results
Feyernoord 1-0 Man United (15th September 2016) – LOSS
Watford 3-1 Man United (18th September 2016) – LOSS
Conclusion: Underachievement
Man United 1-0 Zorya Luhansk (29th September 2016) – WIN
Man United 1-1 Stoke City (2nd October 2016) – DRAW
Man United 4-1 Fenerbache (20th October 2016) – WIN
Chelsea 4-0 Man United (23rd October 2016) – LOSS
Fenerbache 2-1 Man United (3rd November 2016) – LOSS
Swansea City 1-3 Man United (6th November 2016) – WIN
Conclusion: As expected
Man United 4-0 Feyernoord (24th November 2016) – WIN
Man United 1-1 West Ham (27th November 2016) – DRAW
Zorya Luhansk 0-2 Man United (8th December 2016) – WIN
Man United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (11th December 2016) – WIN
Conclusion: Overachievement
Man United 3-0 Saint-Etienne (16th February 2017) – WIN
Blackburn 1-2 Man United (19th February 2017) – WIN
Saint-Etienne 0-1 Man United (22nd February 2017) – WIN
Man United 3-2 Southampton (26th February 2017) – WIN
Rostov 1-1 Man United (9th March 2017) – DRAW
Chelsea 1-0 Man United (13th March 2017) – LOSS
Man United 1-0 Rostov (16th March 2017) – WIN
Middlesbrough 1-3 Man United (19th March 2017) – WIN
RSC Anderlecht 1-1 Man United (13th April 2017) – DRAW
Man United 2-0 Chelsea (16th April 2017) – WIN
Conclusion: Better than expected
Man United 2-1 RSC Anderlecht (20th April 2017) – WIN
Burnley 0-2 Man United (23rd April 2017) – WIN
Celta de Vigo 0-1 Man United (4th May 2017) – WIN
Arsenal 2-0 Man United (7th May 2017) – LOSS
Man United 1-1 Celta de Vigo (11th May 2017) – DRAW
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Man United (14th May 2017) – LOSS
Totals + Analysis
In domestic matches following Thursday Europa League match…
Underachievement – 7
As Expected – 5
Better than Expected – 2
Wins – 7
Losses – 5
Draws – 2
5/14 wins in both Europa League match and following domestic match.
If we imagine every single game we played all season (including cups) was worth 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss, we can compare the points per game average for games played after a Europa League fixture and those without a Europa League fixture before it.
Points per Game (after playing Europa League) = 1.64
Points per Game (without Europa League) = 2.06
Loss Percentage (after playing Europa League) = 35.7% (5/14)
Loss Percentage (without Europa League) = 5.8% (2/34)
Man United lost 7 games in all competitions outside of the Europa League. 5 of these occurred in the match played directly after a Europa League match. The 2 that didn’t were an EFL Cup 2nd leg defeat to Hull City in a tie we still progressed through and a 2-1 defeat to Man City.
These findings suggest that Man United’s Europa League success in 16/17 did come at the cost of a better domestic season. In my opinion, we underachieved in 7 out of 14 matches following a Europa League match. This doesn’t make particularly pretty reading, however, the most striking statistic is the difference in loss percentage between games played with and without a Europa League game before it (35.7% and 5.8% respectively).
If we want to challenge in the Europa League as well as maximising our Premier League points tally, it is clear that we will have to make the most of our squad. We have a large number of players coming through the academy looking for game time (Greenwood, Gomes, Garner etc.) and alongside some more experienced members of the squad, this is the perfect time to start implementing them into the starting XI.
It is important to find the balance between Europa league and Premier League as throwing all our eggs in one basket can quickly result in disaster. For example, if we focus our best XI to the Europa League every Thursday and let that hinder our Premier League performances and then we got knocked out, we’d have killed both routes to the Champions League with one stone.
Therefore, I think Man United’s best move is to assess the fatigue levels of each player individually on a match to match basis an decide on the sharpest XI for each game rather than forcing clearly tired players into the team resulting in an increased likelihood of a lacklustre performance.
Written by Nick Pasquet
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nick_FootballPA
Published by Nick Pasquet
View all posts by Nick Pasquet
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Smith spends Thursday morning buying fresh fruits at local markets
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It is impossible to have confidence in Simon Harris over Coronavirus
Posted by admin | Feb 28, 2020 | Irish News, Latest | 0 |
Gript News
A few short days ago, the nation’s gallant Minister for Health strode purposely out of a meeting with his officials, sleeves rolled up, frown artfully affixed to his forehead, and announced to the waiting public that he had a plan to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus: He was going to cancel a rugby match.
It mattered not that at the time he was speaking, he had not even picked up the phone to the IRFU. A day later, the announcement of the cancellation was downgraded to mere recommendation. Harris would not directly cancel the match, but he was recommending that the IRFU did so.
In the 24 hours or so between the announcement and the follow up, at least seven planeloads of people arrived into Ireland from Italy.
It appears at this point that nobody took a list of their names, or tracked their whereabouts.
One person, infected with the virus, came off one of those planes and is now in isolation in a Belfast hospital.
At the time of writing, nobody knows how the sick person got from Dublin Airport to Belfast. Bus? Train? Rental car? Taxi? Anybody’s guess. But it’s at least a reasonable supposition that somebody got on a bus or a train and coughed and sneezed the whole way to Belfast.
The virus has a 27-day incubation window. It’s very possible that a whole bunch of people are now carrying the virus who do not know it, and will not know it for a month.
By the time many of them realise it, it may be too late, and other busses, and trains, and schools, and workplaces may become giant petri dishes for China’s hottest new export.
It is an absolute imperative that the sick person’s movements be forensically traced, and the route they took into Ireland, and while they were in Ireland, identified.
The people they came into contact with should be warned. Ideally, those people should be told to quarantine themselves for a month.
There has been, to date, no such action from the department of health.
It is perfectly possible, three months from now, that there will be thousands of coronavirus cases in Ireland. Many of these cases will require hospitalisation, and isolation.
Gript
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The Town That Food Saved
by Ben Hewitt
Arthur Morey
Over the past several years, Hardwick, Vermont, a typical hardscrabble farming community of three thousand residents, has jump-started its economy and redefined its self-image through a local, self-sustaining food system unlike anything else in America. Even as the recent financial downturn threatens to cripple small businesses and privately owned farms, a stunning number of food-based businesses have grown in the region—Vermont Soy, Jasper Hill Farm, Pete's Greens, Patchwork Farm & Bakery, Applecheek Farm, Claire's Restaurant and Bar, and Bonnieview Farm, to name only a few. The mostly young entrepreneurs have created a network of community support, meeting regularly to share advice, equipment, and business plans and to loan each other capital. Hardwick is fast becoming a model for other communities hoping to replicate its success.
Hewitt, a journalist and Vermonter, delves deeply into the repercussions of this groundbreaking approach to growing food, both its astounding successes and potential limitations. The captivating story of a small town coming back to life, The Town That Food Saved is narrative nonfiction at its best, full of colorful characters and grounded in an idea that will revolutionize the way we eat.
Ben Hewitt - Author
Arthur Morey - Narrator
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Edition: Unabridged
Science Sociology Nonfiction
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Ian Hislop comes out on BBC Question Time
26 Saturday Jan 2013
Cameron, Clegg, Coalition, Liberal Democrats, open government, Osborne, Tories
(not satire – it’s the UK today)
As the leading political satirist of a country whose present government’s idea of tackling the worst economic crisis in generations is to shoot badgers and tax pasties, bedrooms and grannies – I expected Ian Hislop’s head to have been bursting with hard-hitting nuggets of pure comedic gold when he appeared on BBC Question Time last Thursday.
But surprisingly, Hislop spent most of his appearance actually praising coalition ministers and the government.
First of all Ian praised the prime minister for his speech on the EU.
Then he answered a question about the massive cuts to our armed forces by attacking Labour for ‘wasting’ so much money at the MoD when it was in government.
He rounded off his bizarre appearance by strongly praising an infamous speech by Tory Health Minister Anna Soubry in which she claimed she could tell someone’s background by how overweight they are.
I was confused.
Satire is supposed to prick the consciences of those in power – with the word ‘prick’ being the operative word.
But not only was there no comedy from Mr Hislop – I couldn’t even detect any criticism at all directed at those running the country.
Ian doesn’t seem to have realised yet that Labour are no longer in power.
The country’s now being run by a triumvirate of out-of-touch Bullingdon Club caricatures, whose idea of being in touch is to eat Pizza in an exclusive Swiss ski resort while the rest of the country launches headlong into austerity and an unprecendented triple-dip recession.
So what’s happened to the editor of Private Eye?
I suspect Hislop’s problem is that he’s being confronted by a government which he actually rather likes – surely professional death to any satirist.
I recall a couple of quotes from Hislop which I dismissed as meaningless at the time.
In an appearance on Question Time in 2008, he praised the Liberal Democrats and even joked about “standing for them.”
Ian has also said in an interview that if he were forced at the point of a gun to stand in an election for any British political party, he would stand for a “Vince Cable for Treasurer Party”
A situation we actually just about have now that Cable is Business Secretary.
What to do when our country’s so-called leading satirist is a secret right-wing Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg supporter who’s quite keen on what those in power are actually doing?
Erm. Can we have a new editor of Private Eye please?
Please feel free to comment – no need to register and I’m extremely minimal with the moderating.
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146 thoughts on “Ian Hislop comes out on BBC Question Time”
Dyanne Aslan. said:
I didnt watch the programme but had intended to. Well, that is really disappointment observation of Ian Hislop. I may not be renewing my subscription for Private Eye. Seriously. VERY disappointing.
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Noctilu Centish (@Centish) said:
I’ve always though Hyslop two steps right of centre. Private Eye appears to have lost it’s bite since 2010 too.
It’s worth a view. You’ll see I’m not exaggerating. As you say – very disappointing. And worrying.
crankyacid said:
His swipes at Labour were perfectly valid BUT they effectively become support for the coalition, who’s mantra of ‘it’s all because of what we inherited from the last Government’. Not a particularly sophisticated stance from Hislop, and you are right, on the whole he came across as a supporter more than a critic.
As for the pizza link. Bit weak that. Looks like the journo’s had a piece written with sordid details on lavish expensive meals (which Cameron would be only too aware of) and wrote it, despite the fact they only got a picture from a pizza restaurant. Bit of a non story going nowhere and devalues your argument somewhat.
7/10 Could do better. Keep up the otherwise excellent work.
Andy said:
I new Ian Hislop had gone over to the dark side when I saw him sitting in the Royal Box at Wimbledon.
Before the 2010 election Hislop would have a weekly anti Labour/Gordon Brown rant on HIGNFY. He seemed to forget it was a comedy show on the BBC.
It’s easy for Hislop et al to sound anti establishment when they are attacking a Labour government they don’t like. Not so easy when we have a right wing government they support.
The fact they are now attacking the Labour opposition more than the Government gives the game away.
Angie Pedley said:
He & Paul Merton created Boris’s popularity by finding him amusing on HIGNFY.
I haven’t bought Private Eye since they mocked Blair Peach who was killed on a demonstration in London.
I’ve always thought Hislop was orientated to the right. Even his predecessor, Richard Ingrams, was a small “c” conservative. The Eye is the house journal for the Oxbridge establishment, in that sense, it has become the very thing that it eclipsed: Punch. Remember Punch?
I’m with you all the way on that one Tom.
Hislop is adept at criticism but far too comfortable to rock the coalition boat. His HIGNFY show is tired, played out, and increasingly irrelevant, but it does still serve to enrich the Hislop coffers, and to keep him onside at the expense of licence fee payers.
The TV show is tosh, but the Eye definitely deserves better.
Hey – 7/10’s not too bad. I can live with that.
D said:
Ian Hislop is a Tory and a fan of the Royals, what do you expect?
Robert AF. said:
He attacked Labour because its true that £37billion is missing from the defence budget and no arrests have been made as after all you would be charged for Benefit Fraud far less fraud while holding public office as he suggested. Biased Journalism here on your page just as the BBC can commit at any given time 😦
Robert – you’re missing the point. The time for satirists to attack Labour was when they were in power – not three years later.
There are plenty of things the present government is doing which need to be highlighted.
Satire – by its very definition – cannot support those who are in charge of us. Because by doing that it ceases to be satire.
It’s not biased to expect our so-called leading satirists to aim their attacks on those in power.
Not unless you’re a secret government supporter – which like Hislop – I suspect you are.
Is there a rule which says satirists have to be from the left. IH appears to be centrist in his politics, so what. At least on Question Time he gave his own views unlike the politicians who always boringly stick rigidly to the party line. He is chosen to be on QT to provide independent views with a measure of comedy/satire, he did this reasonably well but wasn’t outstanding.
Obviously he is never going to repeat his crowning glory when he slaughtered Mary Archer in 2002.
Clive – no rules about satirists being left-wing but there are definitely rules about satirists not supporting the status quo by praising those in positions of power.
If he wants to speak out in support of the government – that’s his right – but he should then drop the pretence of being a satirist.
Do satirists have to be satirists 100% of the time. If they sometimes support the status quo why shouldn’t they say so. It’s also partly an age thing, young satirists tend to be angry and against most status quo things, with age their views mellow.
chibipaul said:
Not so surprising given his anti-jonny foreigner quips on HIGNFY
That’s the thing about old school ties.
They all get knotted together.
It’s not an age thing at all. Satirists aren’t satirists if they support the status quo.
As for Hislop – he was invited onto the BBC Question Time panel in his capacity as a satirist.
Otherwise the BBC could just invite any person down the pub to give their views.
Let’s see Clive.
Attack the establishment when it is New Labour, then attack the old establishment when they are no longer in power.
Then defend and promote the new regime.
That isn’t being a satirist. That is being a jerk.
And yes, to answer your question, it is a FULL TIME job.
nuggy said:
he ruined private eye if you notice its no longer nearly as subversive as it used to be.
Andrew Walker said:
Hislop has a former Grammar school twerp who discovered satire to prevent his head being flushed down the loo by the Rugger Buggers.
With aspirations of having been part of the Bullingdon set himself, he feel more in tune with the “educated, but not moneyed, upper middle class Liberals” who made their way off the back of a free University education when times were better in the 1960’s and 70’s.
There was no voice from the Left what so ever on last week’s panel on BBC QT.
Hislop has no time for the Left and probably sits somewhere between UKIP and the Tories.
Hislop secretly loves the Pinko Liberal ideology but knows it to be unfashionable to say so..
Ian Hislop likes to save money. After all, nobody reads private eye despite him being on HIGNFY round the clock on Dave and elsewhere.
It’s printed on recycled toilet paper, in an unappealing format, with a tiring writing style that drones on in a whinging and irritating narrative,
Much like Ian himself during several public speaking engagements I have witnessed.
Ian Hislop has moved to the right, along with the vast majority of British middle and upper class journalists and political commentators.
The Labour party were a re-branded version of Thatcherism dressed up as Blairism.
Everyone satirised Thatcher and Blair, but they were still in power for ages.
Gordon Brown is a good man, but was not media savvy, so was taken apart by the chattering media classes who are part of this countries establishment.
Nobody seems to satirise Gideon and Dave in the press, simply because there are a lot of people who still think they are doing the right thing?
Because people like Ian Hislop think the Con-Dems are doing the right thing by Britain.
Ian isn’t stupid, but he is certainly tempted by the idea of backing the winning side for self-interest and personal and professional gain.
If he increases the readership of the “eye” he might be able to afford a better printing company, better paper with better investigative journalists who un-doubted, will be even further attuned to the neo-Liberal doctrine of free market enterprise with a society that relies on charity for the poor.
I am disappointed and worried that social cohesion and inclusion is so far off the political agenda.
With prolonged austerity, comes deeper divides in society.
Sure, Labour got a lot of things wrong.
It got most of it wrong, under Blair though.
The Con-Dems have done nothing to improve matters and have in fact made things even worse.
It’s getting worse in countries like Greece, Spain, Italy, and Portugal and further afield too.
Hislop is a small state Englishman who secretly mistrusts Jonny foreigner like so many middle class Tory and UKIP voters. The poor and the working class have no say in the matter but are certainly living in fear of the consequences of immigration.
The trick the left are missing is that there are many people who are not “British” living in the UK who are suffering at the hands of the Liberal and Right wing exploiters…
Farmers and Factory owners will soon have a workers revolt on their hands if this madness continues.
Only a Quadruple dip recession followed by a global banking collapse will alter the course of this government. And they are determined to stay on it, despite Hislop joining in with the Tory narrative of “its all Labours fault!”
It’s not the Labour party who caused the banking crisis, it was the banks themselves!
Bookworm said:
Let us examine Pride’s World closely. The BBC must feed us a diet of left wing drivel. Indeed Private Eye must feed us a diet of left wing idealogy. The noble Labour Party must never be criticised. If you do so you must be a fascist and stopped from telling the truth. I must forget that Tom pride wants us to be ruled by a chancellor who did not know he had a 76 billion structural deficit at the height of the last boom. In Pride’s world there must only be one box to cross on the ballot paper, LABOUR. Interestingly as a Conservative voter, if I had a thousand quid for every local goverment left-wing extremist and union activist who announced loudly, aggresively to all in their place of work ‘If you vote Conservative you should not be employed by the Local Authority/ Civil Service etc’ I would have been able to retire many years ago, a very rich man. You will of course have been horrified by Ian cornering that corrupt hypocrite red Ken Livingstone, and forcing him to admit on HIGNFY that all his money went into an overseas account, a Consultancy Company, specialising in giving advice to city authorities throughout the world, and receiving his ‘pay’ from this overseas account. He admitted what everyone in the Labour Party and the left-wing press hads denied, claiming it was a Conservative smear campaign.You have forgotten Paul Merson and Richard Herring muttering Ed Milliband over and over again during a question on super-injunctions. I am sure Ed Milliband has not got a super-injunction, and I am sure it would have nothing to do with the disposal of any inheritance from his Marxist father, as Marxists of course do not believe in personal property. It is very simple Mr Pride you do not have a sense of humour and therefore cannot actually ‘do’ satire. Expressing your hatred of people with which you disagree is prefudice. As the inventor of Satire, Patronius Arbiter said so succinctly, ‘You can see the flees on me, but you cannot see the ticks on yourself’.
Madame du Lac. said:
It seems to me that whatever Heslop’s views are he has a responsibility as a satirist to question the status quo. By revealing his views when he arguably wasn’t being paid to be a satirist he has rather shot himself in the foot….and indeed disappointed, though not entirely surprised, some of us.
Bookworm – show me where I said the BBC must feed us a diet of left-wing drivel.
Mind you – my blog can’t be all that bad. It’s got even foamy-mouthed, right wing Conservative supporters like you reading it – and to write lengthy comments about it too.
Crankyacid, ‘the mantra’ as you call it, is perfectly reasonable. Gordon Brown’s, very good joke, about the advice he received from his predecessor who gave him three letters and was told to open each in turn when he got into trouble, is relevant here.During the first crisis, he opened a letter, and it said blame your predecessor; during the second crisis he open a letter, it said blame the economy; during his third crisis, he opened a letter, and it said, write three letters. The electorate so far have given all except one goverment since the Second World War two or more goes to sort out the economy, and in point of fact every goverment, including Labour one’s are prisoners of their predecessors for at least four years. The last Labour goverment inherited an economic boom, and close to a balanced budget. it was in a strong position, but smartly in my view chose to adhere to Conservative spending plans for four years. This also involved significant cutbacks for local authorities, which impacted directly upon service users. Yet the unions did not go on strike, and pseudo-protestors did not burn and loot our cities. Strange that. Gordon Brown unwisely in 2001/2 announced a massive five year spending plan, which was not budgeted; it was predicated on ‘growth’. In 2007 instead of reigning back, as good Keynesians say you must he announced another spending plan, again unbudgeted. Again predicated on growth, which on this occassion did not happen. Since 1990 neither goverment has attempted to do anything to narrow the countries trade deficit, and that deficit has to be paid for either by a fiscal surplus, which we do not have, or more borrowing. Labour left ‘a perfect storm’ or should I say an ‘omnishambles’ , of the biggest national debt, probably ever, (as oddly the bank bail out is not on the current account, as of course unlike Iceland, Eire or Portugal goverment did not actually take over the banks); an enormous fiscal deficit, and a growing trade deficit, (most of our trade deficit is with those good fair minded fellows in the EU). I do not think this goverment has done everything right, nor do I put it very high on competence, (at the moment it is bumping along on a level with Brown, Calaghan and Major), but I have heard nothing from Balls to convince me he would do any better; and I do not think I have heard anything at all from his little acolyte Ed milliband. The one goverment the British people did not give a second chance to was that of Ted Heath, who was unfortunate with the oil crisis, but displayed monumental incompetance in relation to the unions, and of course by joining the EU guarantteed the mass unemployment of the seventies and eighties, simply because British industry was not in a fit state to compete once all trade protection was removed.
thecridland said:
Hi – you might like this then – http://www.dorseteye.com/south/articles/is-bbc-question-time-fit-for-purpose Best wishes Jason
Surely satirists have a reponsibility to include all sections of society as potential targets not just the status quo, although the status quo/governing groups will mainly be the target as they do are actually doing things whereas opposition groups are just talking about what they might do.
A good source of satire should be people in any political party with strong tribal views who believe anything any opposing group does is wrong/evil whatever the facts of the situation.
Wasn’t it Tom Lehrer who said that awarding the Nobel prize to Kissinger made political satire obsolete? Having the Bullingdon Club in charge of the country must be much the same.
Tom Moore said:
Ian pig-slop Hislop is clearly a Freemason.
Spudgun said:
You’ve clearly never studied the relevent ‘regulars’ in the Eye, ‘HP Sauce’, ‘New Coalition Academy’, ‘Dave Snooty & his New Pals’, to name but THREE that lambast the PM and his Cabinet with vicious precision. I lost count after THIRTY, seperate articles in the latest issue, which derogate the Tories or their policies. I fear the pervading stench of Socialism is muddling your perceptions, somewhat……
Spudgun – “I fear the pervading stench of Socialism is muddling your perceptions somewhat…”
And with that sentence I fear the pervading stench of Anti-Socialism is muddling your perceptions somewhat….
On a more relevant note – if you took the time to actually read the article above, I’m not attacking PE or claiming Hislop is a supporter of Cameron.
I’m accusing PE’s editor of being a Lib Dem, Vince Cable supporter.
The evidence for that supposition is pretty strong I believe.
This is odd as Ian is no fan of corporate skullduggery. He contacted a journo to investigate something I wrote to him about on that matter. Oh and let’s not forget the investigations into paedophiles in positions of power. Oh lets not forget his admiration for the late Paul foot who wrote for the eye. He also ridiculed Louise mensch on hignify . Oh and he signed a private eye year book for me
As I said. The swipes at Labour were valid.I would even go on to say that being HM Governments opposition is still a position of power in my book. Compared, let’s say, to tapping away ineffectually on a laptop in the outskirts of Manchester. So attacking Labour isn’t a resignation of all satirist credentials, just an undermining.
However I would argue that this government has done a lot worse than just ‘not got everything right’. What was missing was someone who would throw light on it’s failings but what we got was limp support for the status quo from the person we looked to.
Redndead said:
I’m not sure why you are confused.
Question Time would be auchincloss better programme if they binned the party hacks entirely and replaced them with non aligned sorts like Hislop.
Private Eye is the closest we come in this country to an unbiased press outlet; they will report on stupidity and injustice in government, local authorities, NHS and the police with equal vigour, regardless of party.
Labour truly f*cked the economy, with PFI, cosy tax deals with the likes of Vodafone, starting to privatise the NHS, ridiculous overspends on defence, and PE denounced them all, long before the true effects were obvious.
They highlighted Murdochs baleful influence on UK politicians of all stripes.
And they also exposed Cyril Smith and Savile donkeys years ago.
In 2 of the 3 cases you highlight, Hislop agreed with a FACT. Big deal, get over it
Tom bookworm like most Tories are stuck in the cold war. Perhaps he would like to tell us what’s to support the Tories ?
They are threatening to close my local hospital. The health minister is a mate of mudorch he hates nhs. The Tories were meeting up with private health bods during the listening exercise . The welfare reform is a shambles which will result in ppl being homeless and worse off whilst they collude with the media in slagging off unemployed ppl whilst their corportatd buddies line their pockets. This aint a left right thing its a right wrong thing
And of course, we know the last Labour goverment got nothing wrong. We know this because they tell us every day, every hour, every minute that they were perfect, and that if elected again we would have even more of their perfection. Whatever happened in this episode to so outrage the left, HIGNFY regularly highlights any failings of this goverment; and many BBC news programmes do so, often through satire; not to mention that the BBC have actually added an extra national news programme on Sunday, and of course have attempted to revive TWTWTW, with rather dire results. Was there no extra news in 2008 to warrant such an extension of news coverage? Nor is there a lack of left-wing press both able and willing to satirise and criticise the goverment, The Independent, Guardian, the Mirror for instance, and they regularly do their news slots on BBC and Sky news to pddle their opinions. For those who actually remember their history the Sun was a Labour suporting newspaper from 1969 to 1978, and from 1996 to 2009,and if anyone believes the Murdock press is not also after this goverment, they have not read it recently. I as a Conservative except the right of all of these people to make negative comments, and if those comments are genuinely funny, usually laugh. It is the left that are incapable of self-criticism or self analysis; the problems are all out there, they must be pinned on someone else.
Satire has never been exclusively about criticising the goverment; it is about exposing pomposity and hypocracy whereever it is. To highlight one particular area of hypocracy, Labour’s attempt to turn paedophilia into a political issue. The vast majority of abuse in children’s homes was physical cruelty, which does not get acknowledged at all, but the vast majority of sexual abuse was committed by residential staff, whether social care or teachers, with a scattering of non-residential social workers and foster carers. Many of the abusers were investigated, charged, put on trial and imprisoned most of them during the time of the Thatcher and Major goverments. Before then the response of most major institutions to allegations of physical or sexual abuse, which often came from staff shocked by what they saw and heard, was to ignore the allegation, silence the whistle-blower, or to move the alleged offender to somewhere else, or to pay him, (the list of North Wales offenders indicates they were not all men), to go quietly. I have pointed out before (and as a whistle-blower in the 1970’s I have direct experience of this), every paedophile that was quietly moved or queitly paid-off by the LA, was supported in getting their move, or getting their payoff, by a NALGO or NUPE official, many of whom are Labour Party councillors or even MPs now. As far as I am concerned they are as bad as the paedophiles they protected.
That makes me quite modern then, as most Socialists are locked into the 1920’s or even the 19th Century. Labour built, (by massively increasing the national debt),lots of new hospitals and massively extending existing ones. This expansion was predicated on closing and selling off the old Victorian hospitals, and the smaller ones. Hence in my town, which is about as Labour as you get, the big out of town centre hospital has been massively extended, and even accident and emergency moved there. The town centre hospital, the eye infirmary and other small units have all been closed, as has the out of town rehabilitation unit, (though the in town one has been extended). Strangely all of this means there has been a significant shift of resources from the underclass to the middle class, as the middle class are more likely to access a suburban hospital than a town centre one. Interestingly at the last election the Conservatives were proposing to eliminate the national debt over 5 years, but Labour were proposing to half it in the second half of the parliament, that is from December 2012 to June 2015. I am sure that as a gifted intellectual you will realise that means that starting last month Labour would have had to raise taxes or cut services at exactly the same level as the coalition to achieve its target, with exactly the same impact, for good or evil, upon the economy.
Yes Labour got some things wrong, but to keep banging on about all the world’s faults being attributable to the previous administration as we approach this government’s mid-term has long passed from having any credulity into needle stuck in vinyl territory.
The more you carry on about it all being Labour’s fault the more desperate and pathetic you sound.
In any case, blaming the previous government is so passe. It’s the weather you have to blame for the desultory economic performance as we slide down the piste into a triple dip recession. Not the ConDemn’s incompetence of course oooh noo. Deffo they are not to blame.
As for Hislop, it is not satire to agree with the government. If that is his opinion so be it, but it ain’t a fair and balanced debate if all members of the panel are old boys from the same club.
So switch off the gramophone click switch off the gramophone click switch off the gramophone click…
Just because IH is a satirist it doesn’t mean he can’t support particular government policies on Question Time which is a serious discussion programme, not satire. The programme makers invite him on to discuss things seriously in keeping with the aims of the programme but with the odd satirical comment thrown in. The guests are asked on to give their real opinions not to put on an act, although most guests from our political parties rarely give their true opinions, and are usually a waste of time.
Hislop was invited on to the panel as a satirist – we expected wit combined with insight into the underbelly of the rich and powerful.
No-one’s interested in what his personal opinions are. Might as well just ask someone down the pub.
I am afraid that’s wrong. He’s asked on to give his personal opinions, that’s what QT IS ABOUT. However, as a satirist I agree that wit is expected in expressing them.
Your reference to the rich and powerful shows your bias. They should obviously be the target of satire but any part of society should be potential target if they merit it.
Sorry Clive, that is not quite correct.
Satire does indeed use, “…humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues” (Oxford Dictionaries)
By ignoring to expose the stupidity and vices of the incumbent incompetents is unforgivable for someone who professes to be a satirist. He should attack the vices irrespective of party. His observations ought be beyond party lines. But they are obviously not.
So he was invited to provide his political preferences? In which case, as I said above, there seems to have been a lack of balance ie bias in favour of the right, which is not very sporting of Auntie Beeb.
naughty *wags finger*
What happened to QT having a balanced spread of opinions?
Forget that it was Hislop, forget satire, why was there not a voice on the panel to counter the toadying?
There was probably was a bias towards the right of centre in that edition of QT. However, not every edition can be perfectly balanced. Is it fair to call agreeing with particular aspects of government action toadying, he has nothing to gain unlike party politicians who do it all the time hoping to get promoted or at least keep their jobs.
Duona said:
I had my suspicions for a while but when the Coalition came in,
I thought finally Ian would stop knocking Labour and turn his beady eyes on this shower of fools, but surprise surprise… As weeks went on & turned to years he turned out to be a short fat Tory in disguise…
Patricia Farrington said:
Tom I’m glad I wasn’t the only one to be terribly disappointed with Ian Hoslop and by the look of your responses there are lots of us. What a let down! I always liked him but he gave away his right wing political views quite openly on Thursday and I agree we need another editor of Private Eye. ” A short fat Tory in disguise” is a perfect description….what a waste! Couldn’t understand why he sided with the Soubry woman who was all fake empathy and head nodding….shame on them all!
Debbie Kendall (@Injury_Claims_) said:
That Pizza Party Trip must have cost more than the wheelchair I’ve been waiting for, for over a year now!
I read right down until ‘Gordon Brown is a good man’… when I stopped. Anything further you may have said after that suddenly lost all validity.
kelpiemare said:
I used t like him….
And for Anna Soubry. Two words. Ed Pickles.
As I perused other readers’ comments, I was disappointed to see government advocates still blindly believing Osborne. Since he took over the treasury the deficit has increased, not decreased.
Further, he took over a much healthier coffer in t’treasury than Gordon Brown did from the Tories. Balanced books indeed!!
Gordon Brown helped low paid workers afford to live. His policies helped raise British children out of poverty. The only problem I have with then is, bankers were not being hauled over the coals for their greed. A bit like this lot NOT doing anything about tax dodgers.
Osborne and the sec of state for works n pensions, the right DIShonorable IDS, have sent thousands of children into poverty, cut benefits t disabled and sick, are going to send hundreds of thousands more disabled and sick into solitude and penury with their disgusting changes to DLA.
Then there’s the deficit. Osborne is borrowing far far FAR much more than labour. But, I suppose, Tory and lib dem worshippers will, as we fall into recession 3, 4 or more, times still believe Osborne knows what he is doing. If the consequences were not so dangerous and deadly (73 sick/disabled/vulnerable deaths a week AFTER they’d been put thru the unfit for purpose WCA), I would laugh.
Janet Edwards (@Janiete) said:
I’m so pleased other people are finally seeing through Ian Hislop. His overly vicious attacks on Gordon Brown before the election frequently bothered me and I felt he enjoyed attacks on Labour a bit too much. A few appearances pre-2010 confirmed for me that he was in essence a Conservative.
HIGNFY was very slow to restart after the election and when a new series was finally broadcast it was surprisingly apolitical. On the few occasions it now touches on politics, the targets of ‘sattire’ are: all politicians, foreign political figures, sometimes Lib Dems and, occasionally, minor Conservatives. Cameron and Osborne are carefully avoided as objects of ridicule.
It seems many working people thought they were watching a harmless bit of political (and even-handed) satire. In fact, HIGNFY was a perfect opportunity for Hislop to do his bit for the Conservative push for power. We’ve been had!
Denise Prideaux (@DRPrideaux) said:
Re. satire: While we are all busy pointing and giggling at the corrupt establishment we are signally failing to muster torches and pitchforks and march on up to Westminster dragging tumbrils and guillotines in our wake. It’s not actually a laughing matter, in a democracy, to be serially and repeatedly lied to and betrayed by those we have elected to represent *our* interests. Satire, and a “free” press (cough…Leveson…cough) are tolerated for just this purpose.
Don’t be surprised if a leading satirist turns out to have been a quisling all along. The little people didn’t make up the rules of the game and it is never, ever explained to them.
In what way is he a bad man?
What moral deficiencies has he displayed to deserve the contempt the media had for Gordon Brown, other than he didn’t have a “charismatic” personality?
My bad, was forgetting that image is of course sovereign in politics.
He didn’t take his tie off, wink at the ladies and say, “Call me Gord.”
Pity. He may have been more appreciated.
It’s ludicrous to call Ian Hislops views right wing. He’s probably right of centre and in the mainstream. Why dislike him because he has some Conservative views, it doesn’t change him as a person. Is it beyond the pall to have such views, I was under the impression we lived in a society where we can disagree on politics and still be friends unless the politics spread intolerance as with the BNP etc. As for Private Eye all that matters is whether he’s doing a good job. The editor shouldn’t let his political views influence the content of the magazine to ensure wrong doing, hypocrisy etc is exposed in any part of society.
Absolutely spot on that we’ve been had by those masquerading as political satirists when in reality they just did a hatchet job on Labour & sat back to let the Coalition lie to all of us.
I always despised the little toad that is Hyslop, hypocrite of first order.
I say just end the farce that is HIGNFY, its not funny any more.
Is there any other reason needed to dislike someone other than they have Tory views?
It is surely sufficient
Chibipaul. (below) “That bigoted woman”? Brown was an asshole of the first order. Now shirking and hiding on full pay and expenses.
Tom can I say this ? The lot on the right don’t give a fuck about anyone but themselves. Bring back hanging so what if an innocent dies as result . Privatise the planet all that matters is someone makes a profit . All.disabled are lazy . Any one who disagrees is a paid agent for the kgb.
And so on. The left are all hand wringing mustnt upset the bloke down the road .
So what is the answer?
IH appears to have some Tory views, none of which are extreme, but are in the political mainstream. It doesn’t make him a bad person. To dislike someone for opposing but mainstream views is out of step with the principles of a tolerant democrat society. Such an approach can lead to an unhealthy polarisation of the political system such as exists in the USA.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mobileweb/ramesh-patel/growth-cameron-austerity_b_2007552.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
That’s the link for truth about Gordon Brown and Cameron’s sTory about deficit etc.
Beware Tories bearing er…telling porkies.
What she said was racist
“Indeed Mr Brown’s sole personal earnings are his salary as an MP because he has also renounced the prime ministerial pension he was entitled to receive immediately he retired as PM.”
The evil money grubbing bastard!
Don’t talk to me about tolerant Tories.
The phrase is an oxymoron.
People like myself have had nothing but abuse from “mainstream” conservatives.
You expect us to behave like saints and turn the other cheek, except that already has bruises; or maybe you prefer subservient plebs who know our place, and are expected to remain silent.
The anti-EU xenophobia is not exactly about tolerance either.
I salute your “tolerance” with two fingers.
Classic Tory response ..talk down to everyone to.show how superior you are.
Well.you didn’t do the quote back thing.
That’s irritating.
I see its all about the money all the time.
Sod the public as long as you don’t have to cough up for anyone else that’s ok.
As for jezza hunt as health sec. A man so miscast its embarassing. But nice job to help out your mates like dicky branson and hid virgin on the ridiculous health care where even a judge thought they were illegal.
And of course there were never any Tory paedos were there of course not.
Ted heath.a good pm. You have no idea.
Murdoch is an opportunist he will back any party just to suit himself . He even backed Chinese dictatorship because of his interests there so dont start that old crap. Ha ha . Classic Tory troll who loves to talk down to ppl to show his own superior intelligence…. well you didn’t do the typical quote back so that makes a change.
Still we got jezza hunt as health minister a man so miscast as health sec its a wonder why he got the job in the first place . Still a good place for him to help his mate dicky branson with his crappy virgin on the ridiculous health care . A company that a high court judge suggested was practically illegal.
But I.guess there were no Tory paedophiles ever oh no of course not o mean Leon Britain was completely blameless. And that’s just one.
Ted heath good pm ? Oh ha ha . You have no idea…
Twerp..
Stupid WordPress ..wipes out what you write then when you rewrite it puts it back. Wish they would fix this bug.
I am surprised and disappointed by your reply. What is this abuse you have suffered from Tories. By the way I am not a Tory.
Don’t forget, the money from his talk tours? Gordon Brown has donated all monies earned to charity.
He IS a man of depth and integrity-no matter what Progress, the media or LibDem or sTories may say.
Regarding deficit etc…..
chibipaulp said:
Are you completely obliviously to the torrid attacks on the low paid, the unemployed, the sick and disabled?
What she said was not racist in the slightest. A fact Brown himself acknowledged when he issued his grovelling apology.
Gordon Brown also declared Iceland a terrorist state, and added them to a list of terrorist states. Their crime was to arrest the bankers after they bankrupted the country. He will be long remembered in infamy by Icelanders for this.
Similarly he scuttled off to ratify the Lisbon treaty in an underhand fashion which gave a further measure of the deceitful, bullying, incompetent man that is Gordon Brown. Please don’t attempt to rehabilitate his reputation here, the history books will show that he was as prime minister exactly what one of his colleagues predicted he would be – ‘a fucking disaster’.
lizzie said:
I’ve never found Ian Hislop particually funny or likeable come to that. Little toad just about sums him up.
Gordon Brown could have behaved like Jesus and would still have copped for it.
Mordorck’s minions were out to get him from the start and suckers like you swallow the shit bait.
The woman’s remarks were racist. She was banging on about immigrants.
Not found any credible report about Iceland being terrorists
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/10/banking-creditcrunch
So the Prime Minister tried to protect the financial interests of British councils, police forces etc.
What a bastard.
RMurdoch is Evil said:
Good delusion you far-right nutter
Tories = Better off Dead.
Thank you for your thoughtful and intelligent comment.
It’s a shame you chose to be abusive to a poster you disagree with, pretty pointless.
And if the woman was racist why the much televised apology? Why apologise to a racist unless you’re a two-faced cunt?
You are evidently cut from the same cloth. Are we to understand that no-one has a right to express a legitimate concern for fear of being branded racist? Similarly Israel can do no wrong lest I be an anti-semite?
FYI I swallow no shit bait, neither Murdoch’s nor yours. I value the evidence of my own eyes and personal experience. No doubt I too would be smeared as ‘racist’ for voicing a concern, that didn’t chime with your particular political agenda. Being black, and having a niece who is Muslim, it still wouldn’t trouble you in extending that epithet to me to further your point I take it?
‘Banging on about immigrants’ is exactly the sort of dismissive, partisan, and dogmatic interpretation of a counter point that this country has endured during the Blair/Brown years. It’s stale, it’s old, and it’s transparent – as were mass murderers Brown and Blair. Why not use your time in future to eulogise Ian Brady? – You’ve more chance of success.
Cut from the same cloth… comparing Gordon Brown to Ian Brady…
Your grasp of reality is so poor that you cannot figure out why the public apology.
Good grief you must be even more stupid than I gave you credit for.
Ian Brady, however despicable and abhorrent his crimes has nothing on this government . 74 per week. The Moors Murderers can’t compete with that. Not in the same league.
You are clearly grasping at straws to resort to nasty ad hominems and worse language.
The woman clearly made racist remarks, If it had been anyone other than Gordon Brown, it wouldn’t have been an issue. .
Brown was right you are wrong however much you try and discredit him or me by such disgusting analogies. It says more about your own poor judgement and character than either Brown’s or mine. Your slanderous, vile attack does yourself even less credit.
A blog discussing the Old School Tie brigade becomes an attack on a former prime minister, who it so happens just doesn’t quite fit in with the clique does he. Well that makes him a pleb so he must be fair game.
You will have to remind me old fruit, just how was Gordon Brown is connected to Hisslop on QT? I seem to have forgotten.
Is it merely a diversionary tactics take the attention away from Ian Hisslop
Mustn’t criticise the establishment must we. Sorry once again for refusing to doff my cap and the good old Agincourt wave to you.
mo said:
Thought I’d note my agreement for your point on Brown since others seem so determined to paint him as a villain. I think he was a pretty appalling PM in the end, had no end of trouble with his media image, and given the rumours of his temper I’d say he was far from perfect as a human being also, but I think there’s a core of decency to him, and I don’t understand why people can’t see that because the evidence, should one choose to look for it, is all there.
Then produce your evidence for the crimes that you allege. For proven Labour Party Paedophiles access Labour 25. Of course you may be suggesting they were all ‘tooled-up’ by the authorities, who let Conservative ministers go. In which case produce your evidence.
Mr Chewie, your natural intelligence is only exceeded by your personal charm.
“The woman clearly made racist remarks, If it had been anyone other than Gordon Brown, it wouldn’t have been an issue.”
Interesting if duplicitous take on reality.
So “British jobs for British workers” wouldn’t be considered a ‘clearly racist’ statement by you had it not been uttered by Brown?
People have the right to express concern on any issue they like. You are not the arbiter of what is or isn’t ‘clearly racist’. I grow weary of individuals such as yourself who try to beat down legitimate concerns with the racist stick. It’s fascism. Perhaps if you understood politics on a higher level than you apparently do you would know that.
Blair and Brown are responsible for more innocent civillian deaths than Ian Brady – Fact. Brown was complicit in an illegal war, he lied to involve us as did Blair, and the many lives lost as a result of that war are therefore results that he sanctioned. Brown should be in the Hague as a war criminal next to Blair.
If Brown was right and I am wrong as you suggest then we surely live in a topsy turvy world. He knew of Blair’s criminal conviction for importuning, he knew of the dodgy on Iraq, he knew the kind of hate filled smearing government he was a part of, yet simpleton’s like yourself still still consider him a good man? Do more research before spouting your codswallop in future fella, because those of us that already have don’t buy it – however much you peddle it.
poetmcgonagall said:
I’d like to see Steve Bell on Question Time. It would be mayhem.
Ok I don’t have time for an obfuscating Tory.
Seriously what the fuck is your problem?
We have a government in charge that is screwing up the economy, making lives a fucking misery for millions, then announces a billion pound white elephant project to get to Manchester, via Brum 10 minutes sooner.
And you drone on about a back bench MP who you dislike because you believe the shit in the Sun.
Sorry for the swears but I am out of patience. You can abuse others as much as you like but need look to yourself first.
Now please excuse me while I talk to the wall. It has more understanding, compassion and flexibility than you will ever possess. It is also more interesting.
Even if it didn’t go to the right school.
I have looked at Ramesh Patel’s article. He fails to mention that all of the key players, including the IMF have endorsed every one of George Osbourne’s budgets, and indeed are the chief promoters of austerity. The IMF’s most recent comment is that the rate of budget reduction should be slowed down, not that it should be reversed. He also fails to mention that the national debt of 42% of GDP was reducing, and that its reduction to 29% by 2002 was as a consequence of Gordon Brown carrying out Kenneth Clarkes budget plans for four years. He also notes this had increased, (in a boom according to Keynsians it should decrease) to 37% by 2007. 37% of 1.7 trilliuon is I believe the structural deficit of 76 billion, which Ed Balls did not know existed, now that is Satire. According to the BBC Goverment Spending, which is not the same as the national defficit grew from 35.5% of GDP in 2007 to 56.8% of GDP in 2009, and almost certainly grew some more by 2010. Goverment spending is currently 61.4% of GDP, and so the goverment can no more than claim it is stopped or slowed the rate of increase. Ramesh Patel makes the point that a big country, which he thinks we are, can have a bigger debt than a small – this is true – but the tipping point, that is the point when creditors become reluctant to lend is about the same ie 90% debt to GNP. This figure is currently 86.8% and this is why Alisdair Darling was also proposing austerity if Labour had won, and in Ramesh does not comment upon two other figures which prevent the economy from growing, namely that Labour left the economy with companies having 120% debt in relation to annual income, and individuals with 140% debt to annual income. All of the evidence I have seen indicates that the ‘maxed out’ generation are too busy repying their debts, (which is very sensible and what they should do) to become ‘confident’ and reflate the economy. That is an economic reality that Labour would also face if in power. The article was cited no doubt because of the political leanings of the Huffington Post, which I would guess is right of centre; it ought to be noted that both Kenneth Clarke and Alisdair Darling were put under great pressure by their backbenchers to draft inflationary and therefore ‘feelgood’ budgets in 1997 and 2010, and both to their credit refused to do so. I would guess that there are many Conservative backbenchers urging Osbourne to do the same, and of course Ed Balls is promissing practically everything, all of which will be paid for by the ‘filthy rich’. We will see.
madge said:
I always knew he was a bit of a tory twit; sneaky fellow too.
Terribly sorry, just a short note in response to the above.
MD of IMF, disagrees with Osborne’s hacking at govt expenditure.
And he isn’t done yet. Whilst ensuring his friends and family are safe (can’t deprive the rich of an extra thousand.or two) he, Iain Duncan-Smith etc intend imprisoning over 500,000 chronically sick/disabled people in their homes, by ensuring DLA in its’ new guise of PIP, doesn’t get into their accounts.
Before you defend Osborne, or any govt prat at the moment, I suggest you have a look at BlackTriangle website or Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC). Perhaps even some of Calum’s List-a list of some of those who have died as a result of Osborne and Duncan-Smith. If that doesn’t make you rethink sTory worthiness, try some coroner’s reports, where they are now stating if the torturous WCA has played a part in a person’s suicide.
Yes, labour introduced Atos to the ill and disabled, but Duncan-Smith and his disciples altered the initial assessment. But do your own research.
Peter Lockhart said:
Surprised, i’m not, always thought Hislop was typical public school boy.
You have expressed your opinion about things yet to happen and as such they are not fact. However you are welcome to express your opinion, as by the way so am I. I do plenty of research, and would I probably know as much about those who receive state benefits as you do, as I have worked with them all my life. If your party is so convinced that austerity is wrong why does it simply not state that it will engage in a significant spending plan, perhaps equivalent to that of Gordan Brown between 2002 and 2007. It should then cost it, and then tell us, the electors, where it is going to get the money from. Until it does that you are likely to get austerity either way. Of course it may be in your personal self interest to vote Labour, most Labour voters vote Labour out of self interest, it is not a humanitarian act. You are not worthy of the Nobel prize, though you seem to think you are.
Not my figures, but government Minister for Disabled, Esther McVey, parroting Freud or Duncan-Smith or some other penny pitcher, who claimed over 600,000 PEOPLE, who currently receive DLA, will not receive PIP. Now to my poor brain, that smacks more of government contrivance and number/word games to reach their desired end, rather than a method to help anyone….other than themselves (higher salaries, expense accounts, shares in companies awarded public contracts ad infinitum).
As to your knowing “as much about those who receive state benefits as” I “do”. Perhaps. I’ve never laid claim to knowing it all but, to me, and a few thousand others who live this life at sTory whims, your claim is purely anecdotal.
Why must I “have” a party affiliation? My views are entirely my own, not formed out of a misbegotten sense of loyalty to a liege lord aka party chairmen. But, BW, my views on public investment are not out there on their own. Oh no, quite a few economists and tax experts take the same line. And these are people who actually work with money and theories for a full-time job-not merely as a political game as that smirking, laughing jackanapes of a chancellor does…especially when hacking benefits.
“Where will the money come from?” you ask. Well, let’s see…tax-dodgers, sealing off their tiny loopholes so they, legally, are termed tax-avoiders. Hire those recently dismissed HMRC inspectors and set them loose, no curbs on their investigations…go get ’em. Turning ultra-rich from the handout queue by setting their taxcode high enough to be fair to ALL citizens. Restart Gordon’s Sure-Start programme, his family credits too. Get those children recently fallen back into poverty, out of it. Again. In fact, make a living wage a legal necessity. Then working tax-credits will be a thing of the past. Hospitals…Hire nurses they’ve trained and qualified. What sense in sacking the newly qualified nurse, training more and then, because of a shortage in qualified staff, hire in agency nurses at a greatly inflated price.
Public investment: workers earning a living wage, pay taxes and, SHOCK! HORROR! spend money on local businesses. That creates demand, more jobs, pays more taxes-an upward spiral not, ad at present, a deepening vortex.
Now, “labour voters vote out of self-interest. It is not a humanitarian act.” You forget, Tories weren’t elected, they do not have a mandate, nor do they have the will of either commons or lords on their side to do to the poor ad they are doing. They have the libdem. Now THEY do vote out of self-interest.
Your ending snidey, pathetic remark bears no relevance to my life-it speaks more to your life’s desires.
guy fawkes said:
Bookworm says he has worked with benefit claimants all of his life, is that why he supports this government so vociferously, as with most of those working in the wrong profession they resent their clients, the ones that keep THEM employed.
Bookworm has not shown any resentment of benefits claimants in his posts. Guy Fawkes views of him seem to be based on prejudice ie all Conservatives views are evil as do many of the posters on this thread.
Hi Guy, no I did not resent my service users, and did my level best to provide the best service I could. This included ensuring that they got the maximum benefit they were entitled to. It also included trying to improve their parenting of their children, and also protecting their children from them when they behaved neglectfully or abusively. How dreadfully oppressive of me. You of course might be able to blame the Conservatives for the fact that many of the parents on my caseload preferred to spend their money on drugs or alcohol; if you examined a 100 case conferences you would find in at least 60% drugs and alcohol significantly impacted upon the parenting.
I would note that when income support and the social fund were introduced the same hysteria took place; the poor were going to starve, the disabled were going to die; life as we know it was going to come to an end, (by the way that is satire). I observed the transition process, and as far as i could judge, everybody ended up roughly where they were before. Incidently one or two of my clients were defrauding social security under the previous system, and continued to do so under income support, mainly by claiming income support and child benefit from multiple addresses. That was a minority but a very skilled minority of my case load. The income support system which Labour criticised so noisily in opposition was left more or less intact by them for 13 years. I suspect the same will happen with the current reforms.
My personal view is that all the major public services have suffered so much change at the hands of both the Conservatives and Labour for so long, that there should be a moratorium for say ten years to see just what works and what does not. That is not going to happen because really the public services is all that goverment actually controls. If we took that from them there would be nothing for them to do.
The posts on this thread if you actually read them consist of fairly moderate centre-right views, and abusive, aggresive, threatening left wing views. All I can say is the latter is consistent with my experience of many labour supporters and union activists in local goverment, and I had forty years of that.
Mild centre-right views as opposed to aggressive left views.
Well I may as well live up to stereotyping you vacuous trollop of the right.
Is it any wonder we are angry?
The abuse, stigmatisation and bullying we have received from the oh so polite right wing government has pushed us beyond patience.
You pretend to have knowledge and insight to justify your posturings, but haven’t got an iota of what it is like to be on the receiving end of the torrent of pigshit dropped on us from a great height.
This is not comparable to previous shifts in benefit systems, but a concerted attack on the unemployed, low waged, sick and disabled.
I don’t ever recall such a campaign of vilification, not even in the wretched barren days of Thatcher. There are constant fabricated stories being printed in the press about benefits abuse and scroungers, with ITV’s Daytime show getting in on the act.
A friend of mine has just learned that from her massive payout of £60 per week she will now be expected to contribute 14% of her rent thanks to the Bedroom Tax devised by a bunch of thieves who have spare rooms coming out of their arseholes.
Who incidentally are getting second home grants and making a profit from the purchase and selling of land paid for by taxpayers in the form of expenses.
People are dying, losing their homes, struggling to make ends meet while all this is going on and you expect us to doff our caps like good docile plebs?
You really are a sanctimonious jerk.
Nice to here from you again. I am pleased to hear that you do not work in the public sector, or are dependent on benefits, and therefore could not possibly see it as being in you self interest for Labour to return to power. I rarely experience such a dispassionate response. Yes there are economists who do not agree with goverment policy, the BBC economists for instance do not. They state fairly clearly where they are coming from, which is that they hold a neo-Keynsian view. However they accept, as you do not that other economists reasonably hold different views.
You are in agreement however with Ed Balls, which is that all of Labour’s expenditure, (if there is any, and we are still to see if Labour really holds a significantly different position from the Conservatives) is going to be funded by the ‘filthy rich’. Most goverments of both complexions have implied this in opposition, and it has never worked in practice. The reason is very simple, which is that the top 1% of income earners, (which is defined as those who earn over £120,000) already pay 27% of the direct taxes. This will be about 500,000 people; maybe a little more. As you have stated many of these people are tax dodgers, and on the fiddle, but you are expecting them to pay for your spending programme. Clearly such an honest set of people are going to do this. And if they do your economic strategy will work, and of course we can pay unlimitted benefits, we can employ tens of millions of public sector workers, and while we are about it lets us have an army as big as China’s, and put the first Brit on Mars, (by the way i would nominate you for that honour, note that is satire)
What happens if you are wrong, and this group of thoroughly dishonest miscreants move let us say to Belgium or Luxembourg? The bulk of the taxation would then fall upon the most vociferous class of all, the ‘squeezed middle’ which the two Ed’s are smoozing for all their worth. This is the part of the population which has complained the most about any increase in taxation or any reduction in public services. This is the group that earns £43,000 to £120,000 a year, and therefore includes most academics, most public sector managment as well of course as the bulk of the professional classes in the private sector, (there are not that many Freddie Goodwins about).
What follows is anecdotal, (anecdotal is used by socialists to dismiss any experience which does not accord with their dogma), but in my last few years as a social worker i did agency work, and always opted to for PAYE. This is because as a Conservative ‘I am incredibly relaxed about people being filthy rich, provided they pay their taxes’. Most of my left-wing colleagues, (including members of the Socialist Worker’s Party, opted to set up their own agency, which meant that they only paid corporation tax on income not considered a legitimate expense, ( and in relation to business rightly or wrongly much is considered to be a legitimate expense). The same will be true of most agency nurses and doctors, most agency teachers, the majority of whom are likely to be quite left-wing. Increasingly even social care workers, (I suspect this is not good for them personally) are being encouraged to be ‘self-employed’ or set up their own agencies. Tax avoidance is not the preserve of the ‘filthy rich’ or the political right.
Snide, I do not know the meaning of the word, but I am sure you do.
Congratulations, you have lived up to your stereotype.
It was the least I could to for you, poor wretch, who has lived down to our lowest expectations of a snivelling Tory Toad.
What I find most revealing about your post, how you completely grossed over YOUR party’s figures re the current DLA recipients who are touted to lose mobility funds upon their configuration to PUP……oops…..(Freudian slip, Tory govt selling us pups…..and they’re failing at that too)…PIP.
Let me remind you. 600,000 DISABLED/SICK PEOPLE will be denied the freedom of movement. The new qualifying criteria is purported to change the <50m current walking distance to <20m. In addition, the removal of the very short, but heavily loaded, statement "in a reliable, safe and timely manner". The removal of THAT statement leaves the person at the hands (mercy) of a private company which is paid on results. Abhorrent to all justly minded folk. But you ate a Conservative, so that doesn't apply. (Especially when this govt :cough: stops legal aid for benefit tribunals.)
That you gloss, no, failed to address the above in your post resembles your leader, Dave, who unremittingly fails to answer a direct question! Deficit and debt….didn't he know the difference? And you have the gall to condescending berate any other possibilities?!!
Oh, BW, you are a complete Tory. So don't sell yourself short, you have all the snide, patronizing, smirking, snorting attributes of your front benches.
And that Mars shot? Seriously, if I believed that you and your ilk would be left in charge of the world, for the rest of my lifetime? I'd volunteer – like a shot.
Peace on you
Ahr, and piss on you
Love and peace man
An Angel once did warn me,
Beware the Blue skinned toad.
He offers Peace, he offers Love
And Happiness in your abode.
But it’s worms he eats and worms his words
That true Love and Peace erode.
Hi there Kelpiemare, you seem to be losing it completely, and I do expect better of you. I am not avoiding, as you suggest, the subject but we start from different positions. You ask, ‘what can my country do for me?’, and I ask ‘what can I do for my country?’. The two questions are different. This links with ‘The Other Man’, I believe if you want to give all of your wealth to the poor, that is ok. I will do nothing to stop you. But you believe , ‘I want to give Bookworm’s wealth to the poor, because I envy him’. That is very sad indeed, because I am almost certainly poorer than you, and indeed most left-wing people I know. I do not envy that – I resent you being hypocritical. You act entirely in your own self interest, while pretending you have concern for the poor. You are happy for other people to pick up the bill for your personal philanthropy. I am sure it helps you sleep at night. As I quoted very early on in my posts, which by the way is on the subject of Satire; Petronius Arbiter, who invented, if anyone did, the genre; ‘You can see the lice on me but you cannot see the ticks on yourself”. I would strongly advise everyone to think on that before criticising others.
Love and peace.
Look into my face – my name is Jasmine –
I am also called Tira – Maria Coldwell –
I no longer hold to my ear the seashell;
no longer do I sit silent and unseen –
or hold to my eyes the glass where what is seen
is a face broken by my parent’s spell –
now bruised and palid form intolerable.
Hidden from the world my death scream.
Broken me – how still I am – while you dart
from excuse to lie – expressing such surprise
at my waisted body and distraught sighs –
did you see me smile when you chose to depart?
As I sat there too afraid to flinch and start –
hungry and parched with cold colourless eyes?
Me with a little help from Dante Gabrielle Rosetti. Why not blame this on the CDonservative Party as well?
What ails thee twat of harm
All alone and palely loitering
Thy sledge has withered as thou art fake
And no bird sings
What ails thee dim of wit
Bereft of heart and feeling
The Banker’s granary is full
The harvest robbed
I see a lily on thy liver
With anguish moist and fever dew
On thy cheeks a Blooming Rose
Thy arse kicked black and blue.
My dear BW, tush tush. You are deliberately choosing to misrepresent my posts.
I did say fair taxation for all, not “less have all the taxes from the rich”. Or do you consider someone, with cancer, receiving chemotherapy, being told they will have to undertake a Work Capability Assessment whilst they undergo that awful, but essential, treatment, whilst George Osborne cuts 5% off of top tax payers? Perhaps you do. This horrendous government does, and all good Tories must too.
Woodlands under labour seems to be the latest spin of Daves’. From 2005 to 2010, yes, under labour, rose from around 3000 to 40,000. Trussell Trust figs-approximately. From 2010 up to present day, foodbanks are now at approx 140,000 and by the end of this year, at current rate of growth, the number is expected to rise to 230,000. Now Dave used the percentages, which made his “big society” label disingenuous. But he is a multi-millionaire that didn’t ask “what can I do for my country” but grasped free nappies and DLA-definitely a case of “what can my country do for me”. Now THAT is hypocritical.
Another example. A person on jobseekers allowance. A princely sum of £71 per week. Out of which the transport to jobcentre and interview, heating, food, clothing…and then, a late arrival at the job centre….a late letter, a wrongly addressed letter, no responses from prospective employers…..not good enough…and earns a suspension. Not for a few hours. For days, weeks, months and even up to 3 years as one moronic tory mp put forward.
Shoplifting is on the increase. And, with gloomy heart, i expect a few other crimes where lack of benefit has created a criminal underclass. But, what the hell, Georgie Osborne told the selfish, greedy members of the rich section of the community how to avoid paying inheritance tax, I believe, on an episode of the Daily Politics programme. So, thank God for the country helping rich such as JK Rowling, a woman of real integrity, who didn’t horde her earnings in some offshore haven. Or the lottery millionaires who also give generously to charity.
Being rich isn’t a crime. But avoiding your dues should be. After all, one Fred Goodwin is one too many.
:O gobsmacked….. 🙂
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Porkiepies,
you have made a very serious claim, in effect an accusation of murder. Let us quote you exactly, “I suggest that you have a look at Black Triangle website or Disabled People Against Cuts(DPAC). Perhaps even some of Callum’s list – a list of some of those who have died as a result of Osbourne and Duncan-Smith” We will go through your evidence bit by bit, and that may take some time, but I am sure that you will not object to airing the ‘facts’ as you see them.
Let us start with Callum’s List. Firstly he claims that his list is apolitical, but his list starts in 2010, whereas both the ESA benefit an the assessments attached to it started in 2008, following legislation in 2007.
Callum claims the following; “Might I respectfully remind the readers – most of whom are decent and fairminded human beings – that this list is compiled by disabled people, and those directly affected by the loss of a member, where welfare reforms have been an alleged contributary factor’. You may note that he stops well short of your accusation, although some of his sources do not.
There is a suggestion on the internet by someone sympathetic to Callum that he has been subject to a mental health assessment, a suggestion he categorically denies, but he does not explicititly deny that he has a mental illness. It may therefore be true that the site has been compiled by a person with a disability, but it has not been compiled by any direct contact with disabled people, or their relatives. It consists of a series of newspaper reports, mainly from local press, two or three campaign pieces by the Daily Mirror, and some information recirculated from DPAC. The site looks like it has been generated by a search engine programmed with 2010 onwards, the words benefits and deaths. It is likely, as I know ‘reporters’ can access some specialist sites that it is in the main constructed by accessing a local press site. From about mid-2012 on it contains some commentary by Callum, which may suggest that at that point the entries are contemporary.
It is very difficult to gain access to this site, because, Callum suggests, again he does not quite say it, of some sinister deliberate action by Google. There may be two very good reasons why Goggle might have problems with this site. It may be that some of the local newspapers he has downloaded onto his site object to their logos being associated with what is in effect a libellous cause. It may also be the case that many of the relatives would be unhappy with the spin he puts upon the deaths, and there have been complaints. As there is not the slightest indication that Callum has consulted with any of the families in anyway, this is quite likely.
Whether you have read this site thoroughly or not, Callum did not, as he has gone by the date of coroners reports, which will be closely associated with the date of publication, and coroners reports can be ten to twelve months after the date of death. By doing so he has accidentally given a window into the situation in 2009, and many of trhe deaths that both he, and yourself implied happened under Osbourne and Ian Duncan-Smith, happened under the Labour goverment. Yet every photograph and every aside included in the site by Callum is designed to give the impression that all the deaths referred to are the direct consequence of the actions of this goverment. It is what you may call an own goal.
Out of respect for the living I will refer to his examples anonymously. One or two of the cases are so distinctive that they may be identifiable, but I will try to keep this to a minimum. Callum is not only hostile to Atos assessors, he also seems to be hostile to mental health professionals, (or at least some of his sources are), and where I think it necessary I will clarify any distortions in that field as well, (I was an ASW for eleven years and undertook about 200 mental health assessments). To be continued.
Case1, dated 2013, death occured in 2012. Callum does not quote a local or national press article, and the quotes from the coroner’s report come exclusively from an MP. The only condition mentioned is grand mal epilepsy, which is of course a very serious illness; but how many people work with this condition? The young male died as a result of a massive seizure which took his life. Neither the MP or the relatives accept this as the cause of death, but rather it is the consequence of a reduction of his benefits. Interestingly the Mirror is not quoted, and it is running these stories all the time; the BBC did not highlight it, and neither did SKY news, both of which are pretty hostile to this goverment. Why would there be such a silence from all other sources, if the facts were as simple as the MP claims?
Case2, a suicide, published in 2013 in local press, subject had been asked to attend Job Centre, they were accompanied, and there is no indication in the article that the benefit had been changed, or that either the interview or any form of assessment was going to be negative for him – the suicide was as a result of ‘fears over benefits’. Perhaps the political left should think about its scarmongering – it may also be contributing to the stress of vulnerable people.
Case3, a suicide, published in local press, early 2010. This man was in considerable debt, caused in part by change in his benefits, which were reinstated. However the victim gave no reason for his suicide and the coroner did not link the two, perhaps indicating that not all the debt arose from the change in benefits.
Case4,2013, from local press the suicide followed a letter from his Job Centre, but there is no suggestion that his benefits were changed, or that any assessment had been undertaken . the man was divorced and had been suffering ill-health, probably depression for many years. The man seemed to be in good spirits just before the suicide, but this is not in my experience, which is limitted unique. Neither the man or the coroners report linked the two events.
Case 5, 2012; not from a press source, but from a posting on the interenet, by a political activist. The woman involved had four very serious health conditions, none of which are said to have contributed to her death, but, yes you’ve guessed it, the death was caused by a heart attack as a consequence of the actions of the goverment. She was engaged in an ESA battle at point of death, but the activist makes references which may imply that this was the last of many battles against ‘the system’. Again i am slightly surprised that if the facts are as they described by the political activist as transparent as they seem that the Mirror, BBC or Sky News did not run with this; they all run anti-goverment stories at every opportunity.
Case6, published local press 2012, death 2011. this is a not a benefit story at all, but a Community Care story, and relates to the withdrawal of a long term support package for someone with a significant mental health problem. The article is not very clear, but this man was being monitored and had a care plan under mental health legislation, and that monitoring appears to have concluded that he had improved, which given the fact that he killed himself soon after, may not have been the case. The article does not mention benefits, but there is a reference to changes in proceedure at the sheltered housing in which this man lived. It is the man’s suppoort worker, whose support is withdrawn, who is critical of the decisions of the mental health professionals involved.
Case7, local press, 2012; basically a tirade by the son of a man who died of a stroke soon after an Atos assessment found him fit for work. The problem with the tirade is that it contains ‘soundbites’ likely to be planted by a politically minded person. The matter was taken up by an MP, but interestingly only 16 out of 200 or so Labour MPs supported the MP. The man himself wanted to return to work, he could not come to terms with the fact that he was disabled and needed help. To be continued Porkiepies.
Well Porkiepies, let us continue.
Case8, published local press 2012. The source is very likely to hostile to the Conservative party. The man involved died a few weeks after DLA was stopped. His conditions were epilepsy, anxiety and chronic alcoholism. Assuming this man’s epilepsy was a significant factor he was constantly mixing alcohol and his epilepsy medication, and probably medications intended to ween him off alcohol. This does not seem like a good idea to me, but you will be pleased to know that his relative considered the alcoholism alright, because alcohol cured his epilepsy! Interestingly at this point the article droped out that the relative was pursuing the ESA claim. Callum proudly cites several cases where relatives have ‘won’ postumous tribunal cases.
Case9, published local press, 2012. This gentleman suffered from a significant heart condition, and this had been operated on. he lost his incapacity benefit, and was in the process of appeal. At this point he decided to go on holiday, and died of a heart attack.This assessment may have been wrong, but the deceased thought they were fit enough to travel a considerable distance, and undergo the stress that preparing for a holiday and travelling causes.
Case 10, published local press, 2012, suicide 2011. Male who had a long lasting mental health problem, either exacerbated or caused by drugs. He was living with ‘friends’. it is claimed that he had not taken drugs for several years. He had attempted to commit suicide before, and the reason for this was that this was what his voices told him to do. I suspect that this man would not have been honest with his GP, Psychiatrist or relatives about what was really going on in his life, over his mental state, his drug use, or home circumstances, but I do not see how either they, or the goverment can be blamed for his death.
Case 11, web-page no longer exists, local press strap line indicates suicide as a result of extreme physical pain.
Case12, report 2012, death 2011, source MP who gives little information about the death, but criticises the Atos medical examination, because it lasted only ten minutes, and was a ‘tick-box’ assessment. MP argues that GP examination should be sufficient. The MP clearly has access to private medicine, because any medical examination by my GP I have experiened lasts no more than ten minutes, and follows a ‘tick-box’ .
Case13, provided by DPAC. Written by a relative who is highly critical of everyone involved, the doctor, mental health authorities. The deceased appears to have developed a significant mental health illness and to have consistently refused both help or to have engaged with any service on a voluntary basis. The authorities are accused of unwarranted use of the mental health act, and then for not helping the woman, as she lost her job/income, her property, (it looks like she was a house owner). The relative made an application for benefits, which was accepted. The authorities are then blamed for the woman going overseas and committing suicide in another country. In relation to any mental health illness good practice is to try to work with the patient voluntarily, and this was not going to happen in this case. The authorities seem to have undertaken a mental health assessment, which may have come to a wrong conclusion. The writer does not indicate whether they were the nearest relative under the Mental Health Act; if she was and she was opposed to a compulsary admission, this would have had to be considered by the professionals involved. In any case it should make the critics of the Atos assessors think carefully before slating them. To be continued Porkiepies.
Hi there Porkiepies,
Case14, local press 2011, again nothing to do with benefits, but tossed in to make up the numbers. Essentially the death of a man being made redundant, likely to receive a thirty year redundancy payout, and so money not likely to be the issue. He was clearly badly affected by losing his job, but interestingly he applied for many jobs within the company and did not get one, (he would have been guarantteed an interview in most redundancy proceedures), and his relatives did not connect death and the redundancy.
Case 15, local press death of a woman 2011, a woman who was made redundant, but offered another post by her employer, opted for voluntary redundancy, and was likely to have received a large redundancy payment. Benefits do not seem to be the issue, she had been examined by a psychiatrist before the suicide, and evidently exhibited no suicidal tendencies. Clearly she had – but if a highly qualified psychiatrist, ( on at least £120,000 a year) can get it wrong, then perhaps we should be more tempered in our criticism of Atos assessors.
Case 16, from a legal web-site, April 2010. From a widow wanting criminal proceedings to be iniated against Atos and DWP because of the death of her husband. The text does not indicate cause of death. It indicates that ESA had been paid for six months, then stopped, but does not say why. The solicitor’s advice seems tempered, namely to gather whatever evidence they had, and then to consider her legal options. I would assume if there had been any legal mileage in this it would have hit the news big-time.
Case 17, from the Daily Mail, April 2010, a 21 year old woman commits suicide following benefit changes. Now I assume Porkiepies, being the person of immense integrity that you are, that you are now accusing Labour Party cabinet ministers of murder. Can you please confirm that you are, so I can pass your complaint on to the authorities.
Case 18, web-site no longer available.
Case 19 and 20, a double suicide, husband and wife 2011. Benefits were probably not the issue, except in so far as they were trying to evade the authorities, they may not have had access to money. One or both of this couple was suffering from a significant mental illness, with a paranoid component. If Callum knew anything about mental health he would not have included this on his list. The authorities in this case were actively trying to safeguard this couple, but the law is waited heavily in favour of the patients, who in this case were on the move.
The next case involves the Daily Manure, so it is obviously a pile of ……….
Speak soon Porkiepies
Case 22, Daily Manure, report in May, 2011, following coroners report, date of death unclear, but benefit issue followed from a decision made at least 8 months before death. The male involved died of a heart attack. Daily Manure indicated that benefit decision made by a ‘tough new Tory test’. Presumably this is referring to a medical which probably took place in September 2010, perhaps even earlier. Now as the system was set up by Labour, and was reviewed for the second time in about October 2010 I very much doubt that this is true.
Case23, Daily Manure, 2011. Interesting case, pretty much manipulated by the Manure for political ends. One of the ways the reporters manipulate the facts is that the piece reads as though everything that happened is the responsibility of the hear and now, that is this goverment, only once do they acknowledge that the whole process was introduced by Labour, but when they do it is important – they confirm that the format for the medical exaqmination was introduced by Labour. They quickly move on. The man involved had been employed by others until he had a heart attack, but then he continued to be self employed, (and self employed people tend to work much harder than employees), until advised to stop by his doctor. His medical assessment seems to have been very thorough, 39 minutes, (that is more than length of time of all the medical exaqminations I have had put together), and the recommendations were very precise, namely that he was fit for some work but not all work. There is no evidence that this man did not want to return to work, and indeed everything implies that he really wanted to do so. This and one or two other cases on this site would indicate that the medical assessment must not only saqfeguard against those trying to avoid work, it must also protect those who want to work and are not yet fit to do so. Now the idiots on this web-site who claim only right-wing people say negative things about the unemployed, seem to forget that both David Blunket and Jack Straw criticised those on benefits during the last goverment, and if they have forgotten the attitude of the left, all they need to do is read this article, “we’ve got no time for spongers who milk the system and no problem with medical tests”.
Case 24, local press, 2011, concerns a case of suicide, and it is likely that the woman involved had a history of suicidal tendencies. Benefits are not a significant issue in this case, but there is likely to be a lot more to it than meets the eye as her relatives were arrested by the police on suspicion of murder, though it must be made clear that all charges were dropped.
Case 25,26 Jan 2010, published by the Guardian. This is the case of a French woman, who like others on this site seems to have functioned well, and then developed some serious mental health condition. She became pregnant, and about six months after the birth of her baby killed both the baby and herself. Benefits were an issue, but only in so far as her sister was trying to arrange them, and she was refusing all forms of help. Her employment status, (no longer elligible for a work permit?) was a problem, but she was not homeless when she killed herself, which implies she was elligible for some income. In relation to food, heating the Children’s Services Department of Hackney Borough Council would have a responsibility to provide for her and her baby until benefits could be arranged, and indeed the Housing department would have an absolute responsibility for her, because she was a vulnerable adult with a child. These services are available 24 hours a day, I know because Ihave provided them when working out of hours. I believe this woman must have been very difficult to deal with, as I presume her sister would have ‘taken her in’ if she had been cooperative. If of course you believe that this is a case of murder then perhaps you may wish to complain to the police about the Labour ministers who were in power at the time. Now Porkiepies we are almost there, only four more murders to go through.
Well Porkiepies only four more murders to go, and guess what they were not all committed by the Conservatives.
Case 27, local press report mid-2010, date of death before June 2010. A young woman with a long history of depreesive illness, disappeared five months before. Not the slightest suggestion benefits involved, presumably included because the report dated to August 2010, and involved possible suicide.
Case 28, local press, suicide of a young male, with prolongued mental health problems. No indication of any change to benefit, but he was concerned about possible changes in the future, clearly this could not be because of scarmongering by the political left.
Case 29, suicide of Scottish male author and musician probably before June 2010, which results in the foundation of another of your web-sites Porkiepies.Gentleman involved allegedly wrote two best sellers, (though I have never heard of him), and had been a punk rock star. He did not leave a suicide note, but had recently had his incapacity benefit and housing benefit stopped. His friends blame the incoming Conservative Goverment, (why not the outgoing Labour goverment?). My guess is that there is more to this than meets the eye. I will examine Black Rainbow when we subject this piece of evidence to cross examination.
Case30, from a court reporting web-site, dated 2012. Involves a report on the suicide of a man, who had a long history of mental health problems, and had previously attempted to commit suicide in 2010. Suicide said to stem from a benefit problem because he was or wanted to do a course, (which implies he thought his problems were managable), but that the Job Centre said he must be available for work at all times. the court report does not claim to give the full story, and I think this is a problem that comes up again and again, and is usually resolved.
Now let us look at Atos. They are always referred to by the left, as ‘the French multinational Atos’, proving that the left also displays its fair share of racism and xenophobia. Who awarded Atos this contract, well if we look at Wikipedia, it was the Labour goverment, not once, in 1998, but twice, in 2003, and then again in relation to assessments for the ESA in 2007. Now if you and your friends in Black Rainbow and DPAC are alleging that Atos are engaged in a holocaust against disabled people – and you are, then it is a holocaust organised by the left.
The Atos check-list, and its ‘mechanistic’ medical assessment were also organised by Labour, and Atos have been working to it ever since. There are two types of assessment, mechanistic and impressionistic. Those that attack the idea of a check-list assessment, and favour the idea of a less formal, more subjective assessment are playing into the hands of the middle-class. they will always come out on top in that context, because they will relate better to GPs and other professionals. the losers would undoubtedly be the less literate and the more vulnerable. A mechanistic assessment will always miss things, because no one who designs a mechanistic assessment, not Doctor Gregg in Bristol, or the designers of the forms for the various Children’s Acts will think of everything. On the other hand it is likely to be less favourable to the middle class, and that of course maybe why there has been such a furore over the matter.
Now Porkiepies let us move on to Black Rainbow, DPAC and Capita.
let us start with Capita. My issue with them is that they own CRB, and everyone who uses my services has to pay £40 for a copy, of what is actually my document. I do not see why there should not be, and think this goverment might finally be looking at a fully portable CRB. At one stage I had six, four for four social work agencies, one as a fit manager, and one as a panel adviser. Now who awarded this license to print money, now let me see, ah it as Labour, after they received a bung, erh i mean donation of £1,000,00 from the founder of Capita in 2001.
Black Rainbow recirculates many of the allegations contained in Callum’s list, with particular attention I note to the death of union members. As it receives direct postings from the most strident of our trade unions, it seems to be their voice at one step removed. I do not see how you can regard it as an independent source, and it certainly conveys no objective information.
The DPAC site is even stranger. I have accessed its comments page and found a long and very worrying reply, from someone, who attended an Atos interview with his ‘dependent’ partner, who proudly told DPAC at great length how everything he did as her support was designed to prevent them accurately assessing any level of ability she had. His text was scrambled as though he himself had a mental health disorder, and he displayed both paranoid and controlling behaviour.That is who DPAC serves.
I spoke to a friend of mine, who suffered a stroke some years ago, and tried for a long time to return to work, with considerable help from DWP, but then had to acknowledge defeat, and has undergone both the medical assessment, and the follow up review. He reports that Atos were pleasant and carried out their responsibilities diligently. By the way Atos have killed less people than the NHS, (satire).
I can also report another anecdote. An aquiantance of mine, a ‘ladette’ from the seventies, who lived the rock and roll life-style, had by 2003 ended up on long term sick, and was in receipt of substantial amount of benefits, including housing benefit etc. She was on anti-depressants, (mainly for alcohol and ‘soft-drug’ issues), and was engaged in a long fight with the DWP over her benefits. She of course would fit the profile of many of the people on Callum’s list, and is there a chance that one day she might committ suicide. Well there is a chance, but perhaps not for benefit reasons. She was also running a cafe six days a week and earning considerable sums of money which was of course not taxed. Porkiepies i will now address your budget.
paul said:
Always new he was Tory. Haven’t you seen him on election night. If the little shit is more than happy to stand with them he can fall with them.
mish said:
I think you’ll find that that is actually satire, albeit of a schoolboy variety.
Yeah, he’s only being editing it since 1980something. Obviously down to Hislop an not the lack of a worthwhile opposition to a crap government.
And you are how old exactly? I mean this is the spirit of “do you remember anything before 1997, old bean?” rather than “oh gosh, what another little twentysomthing parvenu!”
However it *is* biased for you to expect a satirist to simply aim his cannon at the government of the time and not also the many other power cliques that exist, many of whom are unelected.
I think you simply wish for a confirmation of your prejudices.
I’ll grant you however that Hislop is probably far more comfortable with the idea of the notion of a Lib-Con coalition than he should be,
He went to Ardingly which is an independent school. While that might confirm your prejudices, it also makes you factually inaccurate in your very first sentence,
The opposition may be crap.
Andy might not be very old
Hislop might have been editing PE since Adam was a lad
Hislop is still a Tory stooge.
And…. er, how old are you exactly????
Hislop does not say the things you want him to say. There may be *some* level of him being a comfortable old fart which is to blame. I’m a little bit younger than Hislop but at slightly above min wage, I’m not that comfortable.
However he has seen a change from Tory politics (which he opposed quite vigorously, although I do suspect he wanted Douglas Hurd to be PM) to wonderful T Blair and back again.
Maybe, he is not convinced (and neither am I) that whatever is left by the PR disaster that is Labour is simply Not Fit To Take Government and quite frankly thinks that we need to examine some issues in at least a semi-logical fashion rather than simply baying like rabid bloodhounds every time that the rum coves we got dealt with at the last election make their inevitable screw up.
Yours in (quite agnostic) peace and the possibility that there is a solution to all this mess rather than an obsessive compulsive necessity to sledgehammer the facts into the rather restrictive selection of orifices provided by a facile ideology, religious or otherwise.
Erm… mind your own business
Satire is supposed to be the business of those that attack the establishment not defend it
There are enough kiss arses around to do that already.
Yes, before he took over it slagged off gays. Oi Hislop! You’re not homophobic anymore! What’s gone wrong!
You are a professional drongo then.
And I think I can safely say, I will leave it at that.
Someone disagrees with your sycophantic slatherings of a Tory toady so you have to resort to personal insults.
There is a difference between satire and slurs.
You seem to imply that everyone else is immature with your ad hominem arguments when the really immature person is yourself.
Are you Hislop’s Fag?.
Better a pro drongo than an arsesole for an aresole
Christ on a crutch! Resort to slurs???? Do you actually look at your own postings?
What does it take??!!!
At the risk of offending loadsa people and broadcasting standards:
The Tories are stupid greedy cunts run by get-rich-quick cunts, Labour are just stupid cunts run by a bunch of legal opportunist cunts and something that used to be trade-unionism, the Libs are just a bunch of political hobbyists who being idiots got dragged into just being dumb schmucks.
They are all part of the establishment. Being sarky about the idiots that simply happen to not have power at the moment does NOT AMOUNT TO CRONYISM no matter how much your addled imagination makes it so. Hislop also accused Kinnock of being a windbag when Thatch and Major were there —- was he wrong?
Oh, yeah. Hislop is also a CofE member. He hasn’t slagged of them voluably recently. Guess that makes him an accomplice to child abuse then,.
Well, that seems to be a .. er .. logical extension of what you post.
Would love to stay and chat but things to do, salads to make Caesars to bury, that sort of thing, and I also promised to take Donkey out to lunch.
byse bye have a nice time up Ian’s bottie xxx
It’s okay mate. Have a nice time and all that. Drop by the library sometime and look up the meaning of the word empirical.
腕時計 ブランド ランキング said:
腕時計 ソーラー 電波
I’m amazed that people hadn’t realised that Ian Hislop was a right wing Libertarian a long time ago. He’s a typical public school boy and of the same ilk as Boris Johnston. People were taken in by the idea of liberals as sandal wearing nice guys but the reality is liberals have always been right wing libertarians with more in common with thee tea party than socialism.
コーチ coach said:
バッグ 新作 said:
マンイー
After Reading the thread, it is clear that truly impartial political satire is quite hard to come by. The territory is determined by an interest in politics or current affairs. However, each person has their own natural tendency towards one corner or the other, of the personality / political spectrum.
Anyone else is just sitting on the fence or are perhaps unaware that politics is determined my personality and conscience.
The thread is pretty interesting, in the cross section of opinions expressed.
My opinion, being a socialist, is that opinions are like rectums.
Everyone has one and mostly full of faeces. Including my own at times, but at least im equipped with humility and emotional intelligence to be able to own up to my human frailty.
The joy of politics and economics, is that they are mechanisms designed to sustain life through labour, law and monetary exchange for the good of all. Those who are able to gain the most, will do so, given the chance.
I’m fine with that, so long as people are happy with me liking champagne as well as being a socialist.
And the fact i know what a fair days work looks like and i can see lots of people who have the cash, but not the blisters to have truly earned it.
That’s not me being jealous, that’s me wondering why people need so much personal wealth?
What Ian Hislop represents, is a media figure who does ok in life, commenting on life from within a bubble, talking sh1te for most of it.
That’s not satire, that’s making a career out of spouting sh1te.
That’s why i look back at HIGNFY and think of Angus “hookers & drugs” Deighton,and smile. I could go on, Frank Bough or Jimmy Saville, Gary Glitter etc etc.
Life in the celebrity & media bubble allows peoples egos to write cheques their bodies could never cash in real life.
The media illusion of life vs our own perception of reality.
A stark contrast if ever there was one.
marc jacobs said:
適切な場所
ボッテガ 財布 said:
アセトニトリル
tory burch 名刺入れ said:
哀れな
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AfterAtosAssessment (@AfterAtosAssess) said:
Ian comes from the same privileged background as Clegg and Cameron etc. An exclusive public school and male “in” crowd. Private Eye is a male “in” crowd clique of established white male upper class privileged school background and Oxford and Cambridge. It has no real female staff or presence. The female receptionist who answered the phone last time I called could have been right out of Roedean or Clarence House. Detached and Aloof and no awareness what so ever. It is a closed “in” crowd.
Have got things into the Private Eye re Atos nd sent them links to others which they have used (no mention and no reference back to me. THANKS!!)
But it is a closed in crowd of elite schoolboys trying to be funny and running the school paper or college rag against the establishment and head masters and system while being totally part of it.
Private Eye needs fresh blood, or we need a new satirical newspaper. I know plenty round here who could and would be excellent contributors, and more in the know and in touch with others and real news and reality. Including yourself Tom.
Private Eye an incrowd clique of the established elite poking fun at themselves whole being totally part of the establishment they pretend to prick. and no girls, other background or race.
Not what he appears to be, a rather smug little prick. Top Ho!
morris7372 said:
Have to say, it does seem a recurring theme that everyone has sch a problem with public schools & the Bullingdon club. There’s plenty to say about the government without resorting to this, and it smacks of having a rather large chip on the shoulder….hang on, I’ll get the Polyfiller out.
It’s all right Morris, you can put away the salt and vinegar.
If you think Bullingdon Boy behaviour is acceptable then you have the problem.
If you think that snobbery is acceptable you have the problem.
If you think that these characteristics are acceptable for a government, then you really do have a problem
#BBCQT last night, Mick “money not too tight to mention” Hucknall, presented a shadow of his former self.
Preparation amounts to a quick skim of the complimentary tabloids on the plane, from his Luxury villa in Italy.
Should have stayed at home Mick.
ladycrookback said:
Sadly it will always pays for anyone as much in the _public_ eye as Hislop to know which side his satirical-establishment bread is buttered.
I’m glad that many commentators on this thread have the wit to recognise the difference between ‘public school in-crowd’ and ‘public school’. Married to an alumnus of a school which sends a higher number of its ‘Old Boys’ overseas as doctors, chaplains and charity workers in war zones I can only say that people are always going to judge by those with the highest profile. The unassuming are necessarily the ones no-one hears about. The carers, the poets who care about man’s inhumanity to man, the soldiers … Soldier and poet are (in the case of Sidney Keyes one and the same (d.1943). Keyes as I discover when I do a Wiki search was also (allegedly) gay but…so what? Are we _for_ freedom of expression in our calls for humanity or are we just out to bash someone with a different set of experiences values?
If ones’ schooling could be judged by callousness you would think I’d gone to a top public school. I met plenty of selfish, self-aggrandizing types in five years at my local Comp. who considered my accent to be ‘posh’ and themselves to be a cut above me by virtue of having two working legs each. If the innate callousness of the ex-public school ‘type’ were true you would expect it to be my husband who abandoned me as soon as the Tory rhetoric made having disabled relatives uncomfortable. As someone whose considerably _less_ silk lined family wants nothing more to do with her, I am reliant on the charity of product of the public school system who unlike my family has never thrown in my face what giving up his reasonably well paid job to spend ten years caring for me does to his pension or job prospects were. You might as well complain of the innate ‘scroungerdom’ of the ‘council-estate type’. Which for me pretty much sums this up for me as a silly, narrow, unthinking ‘class’ war.
My partner may be too polite to say anything but I am permanently furious that so many people seem to think that the public school mentality is always characterised by the likes of Cameron and co. Many of them are the men too polite to complain when they hear public schools decried as the place that bad manners are bred and those who don’t even dream of using that as an automatic pass to ANYTHING. In 15 years I have never once heard my partner tell anyone that he went to public school in order to prove or disprove anything. Certainly being part of any social group can help you if you are unscrupulous but I suspect (and have met) many more quiet unassuming folk who would not dream of rubbing anyone’s nose in their particular background and who would drop anything for anyone and go wherever they were needed at whatever cost to themselves. But these are not the men and women who make the news. Or the big bucks. They’re usually the ones happy to be buried in a quiet country churchyard:
“Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile,
The short and simple annals of the poor.
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave,
Awaits alike the inevitable hour.
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
Nor you, ye Proud, impute to these the fault,
If Memory o’er their tomb no trophies raise,
Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise.”
The rich aren’t always the ones who need a gentle reminder of where we are all heading regardless of our achievements . But it might be worth a try.
I’ll second that, Morris. And IF you agreed with the Tory party just because you were defending those slandered by association I dare say you _would_ as your commentator says, have a problem. But as you obviously don’t it was bit of a broad brush accusation but you have sufficient balance to see that.
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Linda Whyte said:
Gordon Brown never had a chance. He could have been Mother Theresa herself and would still have been demolished by the press. From the day when the Metro (note, FREE newspaper and read by just about every commuter) published a stunning pic of Mrs Cameron and a much less flattering one of Mrs Brown (I think that may have been the day they published a photo of Gordon Brown himself pulling an unfortunate face) it was obvious they were out to get him, and they did. Gordon Brown DID NOT cause global recession!!!
David | デイヴィッドです！ (@DavidDesu) said:
Having seen one of the Ray Winstone fronted Have I Got News For You episodes where they ALL got laid into Scots, in what I term in a rather xenophobic fashion, Hislop included, my respect for the man evaporated. I thought he was a guy that could discern the bullshit as it poured forth from Westminster, but clearly it’s only if it pours forth from Labour does he seem to notice. Fuck him.
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Home » Latest Nigeria Education News » No agreement to call off strike yet ― Professor Ogunyemi
No agreement to call off strike yet ― Professor Ogunyemi.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has denied news reports that it agreed to call off the ongoing strike after meeting with the Federal Government negotiation team on Friday.
The ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, who made this known yesterday, said the lecturers only agreed that union should convey Government message to their organs and get back to Government.
Prof. Ogunyemi, said: “I am not aware of that. All I know is that we had a meeting and we are going to report to our members. But I don’t know about suspension of the strike action.”
Recall that the Federal Government at the meeting at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Labour and Employment reportedly increased its offer for Earned Allowances (EA) to university-based unions and funding for the revitalization of public universities from N65 billion to N70 billion.
This gave rise to several news reports that the ASUU strike, which started since March, would soon be called off after a meeting with the leadership of the union and its organs.
TETFund Suspends Lecturers’ Conference Sponsorship Funds Over Corruption
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Bull Season 4 Episode 3
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Benny’s previous career with the District Attorney’s office comes into focus when Chunk, working with his law professor’s legal clinic, aims to get a new trial for Eddie Mitchell, a man he believes was wrongfully convicted of triple homicide by a prosecution team that included Benny.
Serie: Bull
Director: Kevin Berlandi
Episode Title: Rectify
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« 20 changes that would hugely improve football next season – part 2
Providing psychological support for the half-baked and seeing Arsenal as it is. »
20 Things that would hugely improve football next season: part 1
By Tony Attwood
These are, of course, just my thoughts. They won’t happen, but sometimes dreaming is nice…
This article contains items 1 to 12. The remaining eight appear in the next piece.
1. Change Premier League scheduling so that December / January are not the busiest times.
I know that the crowds are big during the holiday period, and we’ll never get that changed, but why is there a midweek game in early December, and often an extra game in January too? The weather’s bad, the travel is difficult… So I am not asking for the winter break, but rather a re-distribution of matches. And there will be every chance of that if we….
2. Remove all internationals
Of course that won’t happen either, which is why Fifa will sail on unharmed. “We’re against Fifa but don’t take away all those pointless international matches,” say the countries. It’s pathetic really.
Remove Fifa, remove internationals, transform the monopoly FA, should be the rallying cry, although I admit, it lacks the ring of the “What do we want?” chants.
3. Stop conglomerates buying multiple clubs on different continents.
The group owning Man City also own an identikit club in New York and another in Australia. More will follow, so that they can eventually exist in a world unhampered even by the half-hearted not to say half-baked rules of Fifa. It should be stopped now.
4. Total ref reform and true ref reporting
More video assistance to referees, more Premier League referees so each club only gets each ref twice a season, opening up of PGMO so we can see how they get their 97% right statistic, more open discussion of referees in the media, managers only to be fined for criticising a ref’s decisions if an independent panel finds that video evidence shows that the manager was wrong and the ref was right.
5. Abolition of the transfer windows.
I am still not sure why we have them. It doesn’t enhance or reduce the number of transfers, but does lead to stupid purchases at the 11th hour of the final day of the “window”.
The argument has been that clubs can and will try and buy themselves out of trouble – but we’ve seen already that multiple buying doesn’t bring victory. Especially if the “25 player” rule continues. Indeed, with the 25 rule established you don’t need transfer windows at all.
6. Change loan system.
This is the one idea from this list that actually has some support among some of the press scribblers who actually think (and yes, of course there are some).
The loan system in its present form has one more year to run before the “emergency loan” process is removed. But loans will stay there.
The current system allows very rich clubs to buy up everyone they want and then loan them out to any club they feel like – which means in effect the non-oil funded clubs simply never get near these players.
Another year or two of this process and the chances of us ever seeing players like Bellerin or Coquelin come through will be about zero. They’ll be owned by Chelsea and rented out to teams in Russia.
Of course we don’t want players just sitting there not playing, but as I point out a little later in my list in number 15. Journalists should take a short course in contract law, players have the right to force a move, and the loan system is also part of the way clubs are trying to get around this.
And this is not just me having a rant. The Guardian said recently, “the stockpiling of footballers by mega-rich clubs so that other mega-rich clubs can’t have them has become a major problem in Premier League football.” Paul Doyle in the same paper called it “pimping” and proposed a radical change to the law: “If a player does not start at least, say, five matches for his club, he should be allowed leave for free at the end of the season (if he wants to).”
I’ll go with that.
7. Stop talking about ticket prices without talking about the consequences
I read in the Guardian that “Far too many people are being priced out of watching the club they love.”
Let’s consider this in relation to any of the top clubs in England. All of those clubs and many lower down the league are full for every match, so it is not the pricing that is stopping people going it is the demand. It is whether you have a season ticket or a membership.
Yes Arsenal could cut prices and yes Arsenal could take £1.5m from each home match instead of £3m which cuts our income by about £35m a year. Which in turn means £35m a year less to spend on players, while Chelsea’s and Man C’s spending power continues unabated thanks to their oil revenue, and the collapse of FFP.
8. Four teams to be relegated, instead of three, with the last Premier League space decided by a six-team, inter-divisional play-off featuring the Championship and the Scottish title winners.
Not one of my ideas, it came from journalist Barney Ronay, but let’s celebrate a good notion and a clever bit of writing. I’d go with that. I suspect Celtic might as well. Rangers might be miffed.
9. No Thursday, Friday and Monday games. Thankfully because no one listened to the aaa Arsene Wenger stayed in charge and we stayed in the Champions League so Thursday wasn’t on the agenda. But Friday night is coming, and Monday is already here.
It is a pain, it is ludicrous, and all we need to do is overthrow Fifa and then change that rule about not televising matches on normal league days.
People go to watch the club they support irrespective of whether there is a match on. Goodness knows how many Arsenal matches are on TV each season, but I still do a round journey of 180 miles or so to see each game at the Ems, and the occasional away game too.
Football on TV doesn’t affect me, any more than it affects the locals who go to watch their nearby non-league club. Why can’t the FA and Fifa get that?
10. More coverage in the press and on TV for women’s football, lower league football, under 21 games and the like, with all the money thus raised being pushed directly back into facilities at the grounds where the filming takes place.
11. One newspaper, just one, should have an editorial conference where they decide to stop following the childish rampagings of the herd and instead recognise that football is played across a season, and that winning three in a row doesn’t mean one is going to win the league, and losing three in a row doesn’t mean automatic relegation.
While they are at it they can do their research earlier (then they would have realised what a record breaking run Arsenal were on in the Cup – the Arsenal History Society did publish a story on it one year ago), and drop their eternal love affair with Liverpool. Journalists could do a little more research. And while they are at it they could…
12. Abandon the notion that it is ok to ignore certain facts when writing articles.
Barcelona were banned from transferring players for year, not for some trivial slip in arrangements, but for the wholesale movement of children around the globe for their own gain.
Several other clubs are being investigated for the same offence, and several more are under investigation for taking state aid.
Such issues are a part of the game and should be mentioned in articles when a relevant topic comes up. Instead we still have journalists writing about who Barcelona are going to sign. Apparently Ramsey is going there this summer, according to the Sun.
Items 13 to 20 will appear in the next article.
2 June 2005: Ashley Cole was fined £100,000 for having illegal talks with Chelsea. He claimed he had done so because he was made to feel physically sick by the lowness of Arsenal’s offer in its contract discussions with the player.
June 2nd, 2015 | Category: Arsenal stories | 14 comments - (Comments are closed)
14 comments to 20 Things that would hugely improve football next season: part 1
Brickfields Gunners
20 competent and unbiased referees would do the trick ! And half of them from the south of the country . Or from other countries .
Arsenal’s problems solved !
Having just read that last bit about Cashely being ill , were there any reports as to the well being of those women who received photos of his ..errr ..package ? Were any hospitalised ? Were they ever compensated for the insult to good taste ?
About the loan players.
Could legislation be brought in to limit the amount of players a club can have on its roster. Those loaned out would still count against the parent club but also count against the club the player is loaned too.
If this was introduced into football then clubs like chelsea wouldn’t be able to buy up all the players and loan them out.
TailGunner
I could accept most of your points, but not number two. I like internationals and want them to continue. Yes, get rid of a “corrupt” FIFA of course, even if it results in the prolonged suspension of international competitions, but ultimately I want to enjoy UEFA & World Cups.
How on earth can people not want to see the best players in the world competing at the very highest level?
Less friendlies would be welcome though.
Tail Gunner, I’d certainly compromise and say, just get rid of the friendly games.
Mind you I think Uefa is planning to do this with its new competition, so maybe that won’t save us.
All loan players in the same league as the parent club must count in the parent clubs squad. They are not allowed to play against the parent club so they effectively represent two clubs. Loaned players outside of the league must be allowed freedom of contract after 2 years unless there are visa restrictions.
There has to be some method of fairness in player ownership.
I have been reading on reddit that the ban on Barcelona was that they cannot register a player rather than a transfer ban for a year.
Can someone shed any light on this?
colario
These are all admin changes. Are the remainder changes, changes you would like to see on the pitch?
Mandy Dodd
Great news blatters gone time to get our game back from the shite that has been running it
More refs and create a league table for refs and incorporate this in the PL tables. Incentives for the top three refs of PL, the bottom three refs drop down to Championship, their top three refs comes up.
In one season we would have better organised refs and better performing refs too.
Great news – Get the water cannon ready there’s a septic bladder about to explode. Lets hope the FA & PGMO follow suit. It’s time for PGMO to resign en masse.
Ozil wins award….
‘The German Foreign Ministry in conjunction with Deutsche Welle and the Goethe Institute has announced the three 2015 German Football Ambassadors. They’re Jürgen Klinsmann, Mesut Özil and Thomas Hitzlsperger.’
http://www.dw.de/klinsmann-%C3%B6zil-hitzlsperger-take-ambassador-awards/a-18493046?
OlegYch
“If a player does not start at least, say, five matches for his club, he should be allowed leave for free at the end of the season (if he wants to).”
there is such a rule already (10% of matches), and some players even used it
http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/administration/regulations_on_the_status_and_transfer_of_players_en_33410.pdf article 15
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When it comes to sports, it's currently sunny in Philadelphia
Will the Phillies relive glory days soon? ID 31111159 © Swa1959 | Megapixl.com
The success of the Eagles, 76ers, and Phillies has things looking good for Philly sports fans.
by Larry Lambert (article) and Milos Kitanovic (video)
April 21, 2018 at 11:20 PM April 21, 2018 at 11:20 PM
While it's not always sunny in Philadelphia when it comes to sports, Philly fans are experiencing a nice stretch of weather now. The Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl win, the 76ers are perhaps the most interesting team in the NBA playoffs, the Flyers are in the NHL playoffs and even the Phillies have a chance to see post-season play. Philadelphia sports fans could be entering a golden age. Here's a look ahead.
The Eagles look to continue to nest in the playoffs
The Eagles won the 2017 Super Bowl without their franchise player Carson Wentz. It turns out Nick Foles is a pretty good quarterback too.
The Eagles look to be in a position to contend for years to come. Carson Wentz is an MVP-caliber player and Nick Foles threw 27 touchdowns against only two interceptions in 2013. While those numbers aren't likely to be replicated by Foles, he is a good NFL quarterback. The Eagles have the best depth at quarterback of NFL team. Plus, they're solid across the board in every other area. Eagles fans have reason to look forward to the 2018 season.
Is the process nearing completion?
The Process has finally yielded impressive results. The 76ers are currently up three games to one on the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The 76ers figure to polish off the Heat and go onto the second round of the playoffs with confidence. While attention has been given, and rightfully so, to young stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, some old guys have also been getting the job done.
Marco Belinelli and JJ Reddick have been adding scoring, combining for 37 points per game thus far. Ben Simmons has continued his great all-around play, and Embiid is back and is a real difference maker for the Sixers. I like them as much as the Cavs to go to the NBA finals.
The Phillies are coming up fast on the outside
When Jake Arrieta signed with the Phillies, it didn't look like they were ready to contend.
It turns out, they may be ready after all. With Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta at the front of the rotation, they can match up against the best two of almost any other top two in the NL. It looks like the Phillies young hitters might be ready to be a force, also. Left fielder, Rhys Hoskins, looks to be the real deal as a hitter. Center fielder Odubel Herrera continues to improve and other young guys such as Scott Kingery and underrated second baseman Cesar Hernandez are also contributing and will get better.
Keep in mind, if the Phillies are in contention this summer, they also have the resources to get whatever trade deadline help they may need.
Can they go the distance?
The Flyers haven't had any consistent success in the playoffs for some time now. Still, even being down three games to two against the Penguins in the first round of the NHL playoffs, they have a puncher's chance. In the hometown of Rocky Balboa, that may be enough.
Larry Lambert
I written for various TV standups and cartoonists over the years. Currently I supply some of the gags for two syndicated cartoon strips, Dennis the Menace and Dustin.
Follow larry on Facebook Follow larry on Twitter
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Mobility Justice
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The Movement for More Equitable Transit Fares
By Angie Schmitt
Photo: TransitCenter
The fare is too damn high.
The nation’s biggest transit agencies — including Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and New York — are in the process for discounting fares for lower-income riders, many by as much as 50 percent.
It’s simply the right thing to do, advocates say.
“There were people standing at the gates begging for a swipe,” said Nancy Rankin, of the Community Service Society of New York, who first proposed the idea for New York City. “It was obvious that people were struggling to afford fares. That’s not the kind of city we want to live in.”
Beginning next year, 750,000 New Yorkers earning less the poverty wages will be eligible for half-priced bus and subway tickets.
Here’s an overview what each urban area has proposed:
Seattle — Orca Lift
Seattle’s “Orca Lift” program has offered a $1.50 flat fare — a 45-percent discount — to anyone making less than 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines. (At that rate, the discount applies to anyone making less than $24,280, given that the federal poverty rate is $12,140 for individuals). That program has been in place since 2015 and was an inspiration for other cities.
Funding for Orca Lift comes partly through a fare increase. About 75,000 people are currently enrolled in the program, said King County Metro’s Chris Arkills.
The agency has received lots of testimonials from riders saying it was life changing, including one from a user who said the lift card “allowed me to visit elderly mother more,” said Arkills.
Seattle is currently piloting a program to offer free transit for people with essentially no income, as well, he added.
Portland — HOP Program
Beginning in July, Portland-area transit riders earning less than double the federal poverty rate are eligible for half-priced transit fares as well. In addition, monthly fare passes for eligible riders will go down a whopping 75 percent.
Trimet estimates the program will save participating riders as much as $734 per year.
Since the soft launch three-and-a-half months ago, about 2,000 people a month have been enrolling, according to John Gardner of Trimet.
The $12-million program is funded through a new payroll tax of .1 percent passed by the state legislature. It was the first time Oregon provided operating support for transit.
“It was really about how much could we afford,” Gardner told conference goers. “We were not able to fund a program ourselves.”
Beginning in late 2019, four of the Bay Area’s biggest transit agencies will offer discounted fares.
A 12- to 18-month pilot with BART, SFMTA, Caltrain and Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District will offer a 20-percent discount to those making less than double the federal poverty rate. San Francisco’s Muni, meanwhile, is going to chip in additional money to offer a 50-percent discount to its low-income riders.
Beginning next year, people earning less than 185 percent of poverty levels will be eligible for a 40-percent discount on the Denver region’s transit provider, RTD.
By 2022, the agency expects 79,000 people will take part, about 50 percent of those eligible throughout the region. The program was paid for by a fare increase.
New York — Fair Fares
Finally, in New York City, the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority will give 50-percent discounts to all adults below the poverty line on buses and subways beginning in January. (Youth and seniors already receive discounts.) The $212-million program will be paid for by the city’s general fund.
Rankin and other social service and poverty groups had been advocating for the change at the nation’s largest transit provider for a while. Public defenders were eager supporters because many of their clients are poor.
“For want of $2.75 in their pocket people were risking jail time or deportation,” said Rankin. “This whole issue of we’re criminalizing poverty became another thread.”
Ironically, one of the biggest initial opponents was Mayor Bill de Blasio, who often touts his progressive bona-fides across the country, but didn’t want to pay for it.
In the end, it passed. About 750,000 New Yorkers will eligible to participate, the city estimates.
Filed Under: Equity, Transit, Promoted
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Best chance to win championship since Stockton and Malone
1 year ago Tai Justice
Tai Justice sports writer
Coming off the most aggressive and busy off-season [possibly] in franchise history, the Utah Jazz have the best chance to win a championship since John Stockton and Karl Malone.
The Jazz had an eventful off-season that was filled with the most roster turnover they’ve possibly ever had. The Jazz traded for Mike Conley and signed Bojan Bogdanović to a big money deal. Once they did, they officially threw their hat in the running for the NBA title this season. Now, I know technically every year they’re in that running by being a team in the NBA that plays NBA games, but this is different. They are actual contenders for the first time in almost two decades.
Even in past years when they were a good, playoff caliber team, there was a clear gap between them and the true contenders. That gap doesn’t exist anymore. Let’s take a closer look at the 2019-20 team, what the biggest storylines are for this team and make some predictions on how this season will go.
Prediction number one: The Jazz will have the best record in the Western Conference. The West is stacked. Even the teams in the West that are technically bad, will be a tough out on a night to night basis, but the Jazz roster is stacked top-to-bottom. Unlike the other powerhouse teams in the West (Lakers, Clippers and Rockets), the Jazz will have the motivation every single night. Those other three teams have older stars and know that it’s a long season. They won’t care as much if they don’t have home court in the playoffs. If the Jazz are going to get to where they want to go, they’ll need it. It’ll be crucial to the Jazz where I don’t think it will be for those other teams. The Jazz also have a high floor and always have under head coach Quin Snyder. The Jazz won 98 games the past two seasons combined with much less talent than they have now. The system Snyder has is a system set up to have great regular season success. That plus the hunger and energy the Jazz will play with every night will lead the Jazz to home court advantage in a stacked Western Conference.
Storyline number one: Can Donovan Mitchell take the next step? We all love Mitchell. He’s already a star in everyone’s eyes in this state, but can he make the leap on the court from, “really good player” to “surefire all-star”. Because if Mitchell can do that, I feel even better about my prediction above. Everyone compares Mitchell to Dwayne Wade. That’s always the go to comparison because of the way he plays on both sides of the ball, the small guard that can rise up and dunk on anyone and the fire that they both play with. Wade made that jump in 2006 and the Miami Heat went on to win the championship that season. If Mitchell can, the Jazz can follow in the Heat’s footsteps.
Predication number two: The Jazz offense will be better than their defense. It’s amazing that we can even say this without it being laughed at this season because in seasons past this would’ve been a joke with the Jazz defense being miles ahead of their offense, but this is the year that changes. With the new addition, mainly Conley and Bogdanović, the Jazz finally have multiple guys on their team that are elite level scorers to go next to Mitchell. The Jazz have shooting at every position except center and Rudy Gobert is a guy that defenses always have to respect because of his gravity towards the rim. With shooting around Gobert and Mitchell, expect the Jazz offense to be able to carry them to a lot of wins and be better than their defense. It’s not that I think the Jazz’s defense won’t be good, I think it will be, but I think the offense is going to be elite and losing Derrick Favors will hurt the Jazz defense enough for the offense to leapfrog over it. Whenever Gobert is off the floor, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the defense struggle to get stops.
Storyline number two: The depth. The depth of this team is worrying, especially in the front court. Obviously if Gobert goes down for an extended period, their probably screwed anyway, but even if he misses a game or two here and there (which is bound to happen over the course of an NBA season) I think you could see some problems on that end of the floor. I like Ed Davis as a player, but he’s not exactly Favors back there behind Gobert. If Gobert misses significant time, like he has two of the past three seasons, this could all fall apart. He’s the most important player on the team.
Final predictions: The Jazz lose in the Western Conference Finals to the Clippers. I wanted to pick the Jazz to win the whole thing so badly, but with the amount of star power that the West has and the teams that they’ll likely have to go through, it was too tall of an ask. I do think they make it the furthest they’ve made in the playoffs in 12-years, though.
This team is going to be good. The question is how good can they be? Because if everything breaks right, there could be a parade in Salt Lake City in late June. Let’s all hope for that.
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Ted Cruz rips Washington Post Obituary Headline on the Passing...
California Court Rules in Favor of LA Church Having Indoor...
by Anthony T
Bill Maher Says It’s Time to “Cancel God”
by Anthony T 5 months ago 5 months ago
The radical left is making war against Christians again and this time they have gone too far.
On his podcast, proud atheist Bill Maher stated ” We are going to have to cancel God” before stating this he claimed Jesus supported slavery by taking Bible verses out of context.
Here’s an idea let’s just cancel Bill Maher instead!
Bill Maher Says Cancel Culture Is so Out of Control 'We're Gonna Have to Cancel God' https://t.co/hFmuw5W2GF pic.twitter.com/nOdDB6oRaY
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) August 15, 2020
Every leftist in human history wants to cancel God. It worked in North Korea, the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Cuba…. https://t.co/IRmTRShunp
— Nick Searcy,INTERNATIONAL FILM & TELEVISION STAR (@yesnicksearcy) August 15, 2020
Yahoo had this to say about Bill Maher saying we should cancel God:
During the “New Rules” segment at the end of Friday’s “Real Time,” Bill Maher returned to one of his favorite things to complain about — so-called “cancel culture” — and in the process made a curious argument that seemed somewhat hard to parse in light of his history as one of the most outspoken atheists of modern times.
The rant, which advanced the point that as a culture we’re going overboard with denouncements of any association with America’s problematic past, centered around the joke that this can be taken to such an extreme “we’re gonna have to cancel God.”
But Maher was really annoyed by that because, as he sees it, it’s impossible to go anywhere in America that isn’t the site of horrors. “If this is the new rule it’s gonna be hard to go to a lot of places in the South. It was kind of one big plantation,” he said.
Adding that “every wedding, every funeral, every slip-n-slide on this blood-soaked land is inappropriate” given the facts of how America was built, he said “we can’t just pack up our government and pretend none of this country ever happened” and suggested instead the focus be on learning to”live in the present and make the future better.”
“If being a product of your time is no longer an excuse, what I have to say about this guy?” Maher said, at which point a painting of Jesus Christ appeared on screen.
.@billmaher takes on #CancelCulture in latest #NewRules segment for @RealTimers https://t.co/x7AwZeOpbY
— ET Canada (@ETCanada) August 15, 2020
MSN had this to say about Bill Maher’s comments:
Bill Maher took on cancel culture during his “New Rules” segment on Friday’s edition of HBO’s “Real Time”, joking that the phenomenon has become so pervasive that if things keep progressing it could result in the hashtag #GodIsOverParty.
Maher began the segment by discussing Ryan Reynolds’ recent apology for the location of his 2012 wedding to Blake Lively, which took place on a Southern plantation where slaves once laboured.
As Maher pointed out, even the Bible has some awkward passages that wouldn’t exactly be embraced right now, citing Colossians 3:22, Ephesians 6:5 and Peter 2:18, which encourage slaves to “submit to your masters.”
I said it once I’ll say it again let’s cancel Bill Maher.
He’s only relevant because he likes to make offensive statements against Christians and that’s been his bread and butter since he got a platform.
He literally said to cancel the God who created him, may God have mercy on his soul on the judgment day.
SIGN THE PETITION: We Need National Voter ID!
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1 Security and Compliance Weekly Episode #53 - November 24, 2020
2 1. Zero Trust Intersects XDR in Today’s Digital Era - 12:00 PM-12:30 PM
2.1 Sponsored By
2.3 Guest(s)
2.3.1 Zulfikar Ramzan, Ph.D.
3 2. Compliance Topic: Cyber Credit Score Industry - 12:30 PM-01:00 PM
3.3 Jeff Man's Content:
3.4 John Snyder's Content:
3.5 Josh Marpet's Content:
3.6 Scott Lyons's Content:
Security and Compliance Weekly Episode #53 - November 24, 2020
1. Zero Trust Intersects XDR in Today’s Digital Era - 12:00 PM-12:30 PM
Visit https://securityweekly.com/rsasecurity for more information!
The rapid shift to distributed work, along with radical changes in human behavior, is expanding digital risk for organizations and creating new opportunities for malicious actors. As such, organizations are rethinking how they define trust in securing critical data and resources. This interview will cover how capabilities and trends, such as XDR and passwordless authentication, are empowering organization to “never trust” and “always verify” leveraging unprecedented visibility and insight to protect what matters most. This segment is sponsored by RSA Security. Visit https://securityweekly.com/rsasecurity to learn more about them!
Guest(s)
Zulfikar Ramzan, Ph.D.
Zulfikar Ramzan, Ph.D. is Chief Digital Officer, RSA; CTO, RSA Security at RSA Security
As Chief Digital Officer, Dr. Zulfikar Ramzan leads RSA IT, Security and Risk Office, Cloud Transformation Organization, and Facilities for the organization. In this capacity, Ramzan drives the digital journey for RSA, including the implementation of IT systems and processes, refining the organization’s data architecture and connected flexible workplace strategy, and managing digital risk for the organization. Ramzan also serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the RSA Security Business Unit, which helps global organizations enhance their cyber resilience and address emerging cyber threats. In this role, he oversees RSA Labs, which focuses on forward learning research and advanced development. He joined RSA in 2015 from Elastica (acquired by Blue Coat Systems), where he was CTO. Previously, he was Chief Scientist of Sourcefire (acquired by Cisco) and, before that, Chief Scientist of malware analytics company Immunet (acquired by Sourcefire). Ramzan holds more than 50 patents and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT. His doctoral advisor was Professor Ronald L. Rivest, co-founder of RSA Data Security.
2. Compliance Topic: Cyber Credit Score Industry - 12:30 PM-01:00 PM
Jeff Man's Content:
Template:SCW53TopicJeffMan
John Snyder's Content:
Template:SCW53TopicJohnSnyder
Josh Marpet's Content:
Template:SCW53TopicJoshMarpet
Scott Lyons's Content:
Template:SCW53TopicScottLyons
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Revision as of 12:32, 6 December 2007 by ALALibRefSpecialist (Talk | contribs)
Here is a selection of resources on graphic novels specifically for librarians:
1.1 Anime and Manga
2 Help with literacy and reluctant readers
3 Library and educational organizations and groups
4 Collection development
4.1 Where to find reviews of graphic novels
4.2 Lists for specific age groups
4.3 Lists of notable and recommended titles
5 Challenges assistance and controversy
6 Vendors
Getting Started with Graphic Novels: A Guide for the Beginner - Winter 2006 issue (Vol. 46, No. 2) of RUSA's Reference & User Services Quarterly
The Graphic Novel Silver Anniversary by Andrew D. Arnold - TIME magazine article dated November 14, 2003
Graphic Novels 101: FAQ by Robin Brenner - From the March/April 2006 issue of The Horn Book Magazine
"Graphic Novels Issue." Young Adult Library Services (YALS), The Official Journal of the Young Adult Library Services Association. Volume 3, Number 3 (Spring 2005). Table of Contents.
Just What Is It with Graphic Novels Anyway? by Kat Kan - From the September/October 2006 issue of Knowledge Quest journal
Thought Bubbles series of columns (2002-2005) on graphic novels by Philip Crawford from ALA's Knowledge Quest journal
The Librarian's Guide to Anime and Manga
Help with literacy and reluctant readers
Expanding Literacies through Graphic Novels (PDF) by Gretchen Schwarz - from the June 2006 issue of English Journal
Graphic Novels for Multiple Literacies by Gretchen E. Schwarz - Online version of article from the November 2002 issue of Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy at International Reading Association's online database, Reading Online
Graphic Novels in My Classroom? (PowerPoint Presentation) by Jacquie McTaggart, December 2006
Library and educational organizations and groups
GNLIB: Graphic Novels in Libraries by Steve Miller
National Association of Comics Art Educators - Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom, http://www.teachingcomics.org
Kids Love Comics! - Kids Love Comics is a non-profit organization made up of comic creators, publishers, fans, educators and journalists, as well as those involved in the marketing, promotion, distribution, and retail end of the comic book medium.
Goldsmith, Francisca. Graphic Novels Now: Building, Managing, and Marketing a Dynamic Collection. Chicago: American Library Association, 2005.
Lyga, Allyson W. and Barry Lyga. Graphic Novels in Your Media Center: A Definitive Guide. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2004.
Miller, Steve. Developing and Promoting Graphic Novel Collections. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2005.
Where to find reviews of graphic novels
Graphic Novels reviews in School Library Journal magazine
The latest reviews of comics, anime, superheroes, manga, and more for the K-12 audience from School Library Journal
No Flying, No Tights! by Robin Brenner
See a brief review of this site from the September/October 2006 issue of Knowledge Quest
Lists for specific age groups
Graphic Novels for Teens: A Suggested Bibliography by Cheryl Scheer at Colorado State Library/WebJunction - Teens love graphic novels, but what should you purchase for your library? (September 23, 2004)
Graphic Novels for Younger Readers by Michele Gorman - May 2004 article from ALA's Book Links: Connecting Books, Libraries, and Classrooms magazine
New Featured Graphic Novels and Comics at Kids Love Comics!
'Tweens' curl up with graphic novels - Christian Science Monitor article dated August 16, 2006
Lists of notable and recommended titles
Great Graphic Novels for Teens and the 2007 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens, two new lists that debuted at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in 2007 from the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).
Challenges assistance and controversy
Dealing with Challenges to Graphic Novels from ALA's office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF)
Graphic Novels: Suggestions for Librarians (2006) Prepared by the National Coalition Against Censorship, the American Library Association, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Brodart Graphic Novels for librarians
Diamond Bookshelf for librarians - Diamond Comics Distributors
New York Anime Festival is December 7-9, 2007
Wizard World Los Angeles will be March 14-16, 2008
New York Comic Con will be April 18-20, 2008
Wizard World Philadelphia will be May 29 - June 1, 2008
Wizard World Chicago will be June 26-29, 2008
Comic-Con International in San Diego will be July 24-27, 2008
Dragon*Con will be August 29 - September 1, 2008 in Atlanta, GA
Wizard World Texas will be November 7-9, 2008 (dates confirmed by Wizard Conventions)
Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention - 2008 dates yet to be announced
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Hundreds of people attend drive-in service at Winnipeg church
Published Sunday, November 29, 2020 12:06PM CST Last Updated Sunday, November 29, 2020 1:15PM CST
Hundreds of people attended a drive-in service at Springs Church Sunday morning, Nov. 29, 2020.
WINNIPEG -- Hundreds of people in cars filled the parking lot of a Winnipeg church Sunday morning, defying provincial COVID-19 restrictions.
Springs Church on Lagimodiere Boulevard held three drive-in services Sunday morning and one Saturday night.
With a large screen set up in the parking lot, a steady stream of cars could be seen filing in Sunday morning.
Public health restrictions, however, forbid in-person worship services, including drive-in masses. Groups can also not exceed more than five people inside or outside.
Winnipeg police cruisers were parked in several spots around the church.
A spokesperson for the province could not say if any tickets were handed out but that an update would be made on Tuesday.
CTV News has reached out to Springs Church for comment.
Defiance of church near Steinbach, Man., coming at a cost to neighbouring church
Steinbach RCMP warns of fines for violating public health orders
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Home Tag: islam
Topic: islam
Professor Debunks Study that says Right-Wing Extremists Kill More People than Islamist Terrorists
January 19, 2016 , Spencer Irvine
The professor, Andrew Holt of Florida State College at Jacksonville, found that for every person killed by a right-wing extremist, 62 people have been killed by Islamist extremists/terrorists.
Muslim Cleric Touring United Kingdom says Hitting Women is Okay
From the College Fix: Egyptian cleric Fadel Soliman spoke at five British universities last year … using them, the Daily Mail says, “to refer Muslim students to an online lecture series in which he speaks in…
College Professor Defends ISIS Sex Slavery
December 31, 2015 , Spencer Irvine
Uh, this doesn’t make sense: Several Boston University professor and Muslim apologist Kecia Ali recently wrote an article forThe Huffington Post that attempted to make excuses for the pervasive nature of slavery (particularly sexual slavery)…
Muslim Students at UC-San Diego Demand Zero Tolerance Policy for Islamophobic Speech
Um, doesn’t that infringe on the Constitution, say, the First Amendment?! Gee whiz, students, read the U.S. Constitution for once.
Christian College Under Fire for Suspending Hijab-Wearing Professor for Equating Christianity with Islam
Wheaton College is under fire for putting one of their professors on leave for comparing the two religions, which by the way, Wheaton College is a Christian college.
Muslim Voices Against Radical Extremism
At the Heritage Foundation recently, several voices against radical Islam and extreme Islamist ideology stood as a stark contrast to the spokesmen represented in the typical 24-hour news cycle. Naser Khader, a member of parliament…
Harvard: People Concerned about Syrian Refugees are Islamophobic
Oh yes, social justice in the form of placemats at Harvard University: Placemats recently distributed to students by an office at Harvard University appear to brand Americans worried about accepting thousands of refugees from Syria…
PR Stunt? Wheaton College Puts Hijab-Wearing Professor on Leave for Remarks Comparing Islam to Christianity
The headlines typically have read, “Christian college places professor who wore headscarf on leave,” as Fox News said. However, when you read their summary, it was not because of wearing the hijab, but her statements on…
Assistant Professor at Mizzou Arrested for Dragging Hijab-less Girl by the Hair
December 1, 2015 , Spencer Irvine
Uh, so will reporters who report on it be labeled Islamophobic? Youssif Zaghwani Omar, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse this past week for “allegedly grabbing…
Jihad Expert Robert Spencer Blocked from Lecture at Saint Anselm
November 25, 2015 , Spencer Irvine
His op-ed, outlining and detailing his experience, can be found at the College Fix.
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Preston Park, Brighton
The grade II Preston Park is one of Brighton’s major public spaces. Cafes, gardens, sports pitches, play areas and a MUGA are all heavily used. acta prepared a conservation plan in 2005 and revised it in 2016. The plan is now being implemented through individual projects for the key areas identified.
The site is very well documented. There are original plans for almost all features and hundreds of photographs. We put this material into a comprehensive gazetteer and worked with the Friends of Preston Park’s oral history project on documenting changes and changing attitudes.
The park’s future lies with engaging community groups directly in its management and in setting conservation priorities. Activity has to be centred on ‘hotspots’ like the walled garden where high standards can be achieved and there are opportunities for training. The plan explored where the hotspots should be and the best ways of ensuring committed volunteer groups.
Brighton is the home of the National Collection of elms and there are some fine trees within the park. Nature conservation priorities were based on adding to, and interpreting, the collection. In addition there are places such as redundant bowling greens where it has been possible to create very good and very popular wildflower meadows.
The park is host to the UK’s biggest Gay Pride festival. One of the key issues has been to ensure that the infrastructure for the big occasions can also be used year-round for much smaller-scale and more local events.
Particular emphasis was given to enabling people to engage with the history of the park. For example, it has a good group of Moderne buildings which can be related to similar buildings elsewhere in the city and to the contemporary ideas of streamlined design, heathy living and dispelling Victorian gloom.
A successful wildflower meadow formed on a redundant bowling green
This area was originally part of the grounds of Preston Manor House and cultivated in the nineteenth-century wild garden style of William Robinson. It has become rather neglected without clear management objectives and is to be redeveloped as a modern wildflower meadow
The tile house was made to demonstrate different patterns of tiles at the Bath and West Show, purchased by Brighton Corporation and re-erected in the park
The original plans for the 1920s rose garden survive and there are many illustrations
The rockery is a horticultural hotspot managed to a very high standard and is the largest in an English public park
Among the many elms forming part of the National Collection there are the Preston Twins champion wych ems over 300 years old
Slindon Park, West Sussex
Parks & Gardens, Historic Landscapes
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Parks & Gardens, Heritage buildings, Heritage Impact Assessment
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Stonehurst/Many Waters, West Sussex
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Goodnestone Serpentine Walk and Avenue, Kent
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TN2 9WA
acta is a trading name of Actaland Limited (06535272)
Registered office: The Old Dairy Mill Farm, Hankham Hall Road, Pevensey, East Sussex, BN24 5AG
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Blog #004: Acting Is Observation
By Loren Johnson
Although the words we speak are important, it’s our non-verbal communication that is the most important, and as an actor it is vital to remember this. You may speak the lines beautifully but if you can’t commit physically to a character then your performance simply won’t be believable. This is where the art of observation comes in. As an aspiring actor you've probably found that you already notice things that your non-actor friends don’t, like the small details in your your interactions with others along with all their micro-expressions.
The basic job of an actor is to replicate life, now in order to do this you need to observe life. Next time you’re in a shopping centre, notice how the person in front of you walks. Notice his or her posture and physicality. Notice their small facial movements. The little lip purses, slight rise of an eyebrow, a quick glance away – what do all these mean. When you are on film, especially in a close up shot, every little movement your face makes the audience will take meaning from. So basically, just watch people - but not in a creepy stalker way. don’t breathe heavily while you sit in a dark shadow.
Now it’s not only important to observe the things that others do, but you must also be able to observe yourself. You need to know where certain types of emotion sit in your body, how they really feel. I’m sure if you talk to anyone who’s been acting a long time they will have experienced a time when they are miserable and in the middle of sobbing they realise, oh this is how you cry! This is what it feels like – I need to remember this!
You also need to observe how you are in every scene you play. Yes, you must commit to the character, and remember your lines, and hit your marks; but you must also know how your facial expressions and gestures are affecting the scene. 90% of all human communication comes from your physicality, so I really can’t stress its importance enough. There's
a classic story about an actor on Broadway who absolutely hated his character’s love interest on stage and was finding it impossible to act like he was falling in love with her. Then one rehearsal he noticed that she had incredible taste in earrings so decided he would fall in love with her earrings, and every night on stage he did. That little observation helped him to act feelings and emotions that he otherwise found impossible.
Acting is all about observation. As an actor you should be interested in everything around you. You should look at the world like a scientist looks down a microscope. You need to find the truth in everything. After all Pablo Picasso said, “Art is the lie that tells the truth.”
I hope that helps. Until next time, stay safe and as always – happy acting.
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The course is designed to be fun and creative, and with Loren's technical approach you are able to learn how a director thinks". - Leon Grey
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I have become far more confident in myself and his classes constantly challenge and inspire me, and I have seen the realistic potential of acting as a career. Loren pays attention to his students' needs and he always does his best to fulfill them". - Brendan Ellis
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exactly what I was looking for. The workshop went through all the basics and allowed us to put what we learnt into action".
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Such a supportive environment with so many like minded individuals. The class is a great way to build confidence. Without Loren's support I would not be where I am today". - Gary Clementson
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Copyright 2004 - 2017 © Acting Classes In Perth is a division of Atomic Light Enterprises Pty Ltd (ABN: 32 133 360 291).
All media published on this page is the property of Atomic Light Enterprises Pty Ltd or is used under license with the agreement of the copyright owner.
For the past eleven years our students have said that our courses are the best they've ever done. So now we guarantee it! We guarantee that all our courses are the most fun, exciting, and value for money workshops that you've ever done or you'll receive a refund, no ifs, buts or maybes! If you're unhappy for any reason once you have completed the full course, we don't want you to go home unhappy. Simply let us know at the end of the second day prior to leaving the workshop, and we'll have a refund issued to you. We've built the reputation of being PERTH'S BEST ACTING SCHOOL FOR BEGINNERS because WE ACTUALLY CARE!
Contact Us I Privacy Policy I Terms Of Service
Copyright 2004 - 2017 © Acting Classes In Perth is a division of Atomic Light Enterprises Pty Ltd (ABN: 32 133 360 291). All media published on this page is the property of Atomic Light Enterprises Pty Ltd or is used under license with the agreement of the copyright owner.
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Bird Hunting a Thing of Passion
General Posts May 18, 2018 May 18, 2018 Alvin Bregman
Day two started early again this year, at the “big hill”, the one over by the “hard road”. As there aren’t many landmarks to speak of in the sea of grass, they are forced to come up with their own for navigational purposes. The valley between the two dunefields was much narrower than the previous day’s, only a few hundred yards, but it was a similar approach with Charles covering the northern side of the valley and Charity the southern. Charity decided to use a figure eight pattern on this area, starting at the south and working eastward towards the middle of the dunes, using the highest peak as the centerpoint of the figure eight, then covering the north side of the dunes. It took her an hour to cover the first curve of the figure eight, stopping at a windmill for a brief break, taking a couple of sips of water. She then continued south, then turning westward to continue her figure eight pattern, back to the high dune as the centerpoint, then covering the north side, completing her figure eight. In two hours of hiking, she didn’t even see a flush in the distance.
Charles took his normal approach into his assigned area and not long after starting to work it, he watched BB run over a dune out of sight and she didn’t check back in quickly like she normally would, so he headed in that direction. Three or four grouse came sky charging away from where BB was last seen, straight towards Charles, with BB in hot pursuit. In order to work on steadiness, Charles elected not to reward bad behavior and chose not to shoot. He marked their likely landing zone back to the west and pursued. Not five minutes later, the dogs started acting birdy and were tracking hard, but once again charged the flushing birds, so he opted out of shooting once again. He did finally get a point out of BB, which is an anomaly in the dry Sandhills, as scenting conditions are basically nonexistent. Charles “whoaed” Sam into honoring BB’s point, then began to kick around the hill trying to flush the birds. But the wind was playing tricks and blowing the scent of a flock from the top of one dune a hundred yards away over to the top of the dune where the dogs were pointing, so the birds saw the motion and activity of Charles trying to find them and flushed way out of range. As he stood at the top of the ridge, he heard the chortling of a large group of grouse over in a dune range that they had never hunted before.
Charity and Charles met up and headed back to the truck for a bit of a break. Charles reported that he heard distant cackling coming from a north/south running set of dunes that they had never worked before, a half-mile across the valley, off to the west. They decided to each take one end of the field, Charity to the south and Charles to the north, zig-zagging to meet in the middle. Charity made it up and into the dunefield and her dogs found a group of three in a pocket of knee-high sumac. She fired off a downhill shot, but the birds were just out of range. As she headed off to take chase, she all of a sudden lost all energy, felt dizzy and her heart was racing. All she could think was, “There is no way that Charles could find me, let alone drag me out of here and I’m not sure the truck could get up here. I’ve got to get back down to the valley so that at least if I passed out he would be able to see me”.
Charles ascended the northern end of the new hunting grounds, just making the climb when seven or eight birds broke unexpectedly soon. Most of them headed deep into the high chop, but others oddly enough headed for some trees on the edge of the dunes. He made his way toward the trees, not usual sharptail grouse habitat, and sent the dogs in to run them out. Sure enough the grouse came running scared out from the trees, then flushed as they came to the prairie edge at about fifty yards out. A pellet found its way to a bird on the shot, but it wasn’t down for the count and sailed into the distance. The bird knew it was in trouble and flushed again at fifty yards, but was hit hard this time and Sam had no problem bringing it in.
They marched higher into the chop, bumping a mule deer buck and a jackrabbit, but BB and Sam knew better than to chase those. Not long after, three grouse got up, then a fourth was a bit slower on the jump that Charles put his bead on and harvested, with Sam once again delivered to hand.
Charity stumbled a few steps at a time back towards the east, sitting down frequently and feeling lucky when she heard Charles shooting just to the west of her, then him finally seeing her stumbling away from the hunt. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to tell him that she was having trouble and was hoping that she would be able to shake off the spell and resume hunting. But after a good 20 minutes of cramping and stumbling and feeling like Gumby, she accepted defeat and just wanted to get back to the truck. Of course, that was when birds got up within her range, but even though she took shots, there was no way that she was focused enough to hit anything.
The birds that she missed raced right past Charles, well within range, but he too was feeling the effects of dehydration and was unable to focus on the task at hand. With two in the bag and the day getting warmer, it was time to go.
They were both coming out of the dunefield at the same time, he with two in the bag and she just happy to have made it out without a medical incident.
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Faculty Profile | ISMC | The Aga Khan University
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Stephen Lyon
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Stephen.Lyon@aku.edu
PhD in Anthropology, University of Kent at Canterbury, 2002
BSc in Social Anthropology, Goldsmiths’ College, University of London, 1993
Conflict, Kinship, Social Organisation, Cognition, Legal and Political Anthropology, Development and Applied Anthropology, Agriculture and Resource Management, Islam, Pakistan.
Professor Lyon was the Head of Anthropology at Durham University and was Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Professor there from 2002-2018. He is on the executive board of the Society for Anthropological Sciences (President-Elect 2017-2019, President 2019-2021) (http://sas.anthroniche.com) and is the Treasurer of the Pakistan Studies Group, that organises the annual Pakistan Workshop in the Lake District. He has carried out consultancies in the UK and Pakistan on resource management, agricultural development and as a cultural expert for the British courts.
Throughout Professor Lyon’s academic career, he has sought to integrate computational research methods with traditional ethnographic field work. He has lived and worked in Pakistani Punjabi villages and cities off and on since 1982 and has carried out longitudinal research in the same northern Punjabi village for more than 20 years. His research integrates social network analysis, context coding, narrative thick description, and different varieties of quantitative and audiovisual data to address complex social and cultural questions of the human experience.
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Geography Club
A coming-of-age movie that tells a story unfolding in every high school around the country — a story of kids hiding their true identities in plain sight, even as they feverishly pursue their hearts’ desires.
Director: Gary Entin, Lesli Lytle
Actors: Allie Gonino, Ally Maki, Andrew Caldwell, Cameron Deane Stewart, Edward Hong, Jake DuPree, Justin Deeley, Meaghan Martin, Teo Olivares, Troy Hatt, Wesley Eure
Keywords:Geography Club
Bio-Dome
Bud and Doyle are two losers who are doing nothing with their lives. Both of their girlfriends are actively involved in saving the environment, but the two friends couldn’t care…
Modesty Blaise, a secret agent whose hair color, hair style, and mod clothing change at a snap of her fingers is being used by the British government as a decoy…
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Troma’s War
A small group of typical Tromaville citizens find themselves in the path of a terrorist army controlled by the power elite…
Blood Riders: The Devil Rides with Us
Blood Riders is a blood soaked adventure comedy about 4 young friends who stumble upon a body after stealing a car. That discovery pushes the friends on a road trip…
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Horror
The cheetah girls
A four-member teen girl group named the Cheetah Girls go to a Manhattan High School for the Performing Arts and try to become the first freshmen to win the talent…
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical, TV Movie
StalkHer
An obsessive prowler Jack (Jarratt) breaks into the home of his victim Emily (Fairfax). Finding himself wounded then tied to a chair, Jack soon realises he underestimated his intended prey…
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Thriller
El club de los buenos infieles
When your father is a pornographer, what can you do to shock him? If you’re Katrina Bartalotti, you announce that you’re going to lose your virginity — live on the…
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Two hapless frieght handlers find themselves encountering Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster and the Wolf Man.
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
The God of Cookery
The God of Cookery, a brilliant chef who sits in judgement of those who would challenge his title, loses his title when a jealous chef reveals him to be a…
Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy
Trailer: Geography Club
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