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mccarthawrites · 1 year

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Drops of Jupiter - Chapter 4

Rating: General Audiences

Summary: Clarabeth meets Jack Thompson, son of a senator.

Words: 3,236

Drops of Jupiter Masterlist || Bucky Barnes Masterlist

Clarabeth was busy with Howard’s schemes while they began getting things in order for their company. She was also waiting for a call from Bucky. It had been two days since their date at Luna Park and she couldn’t wait to see him again. She completely forgot about the Saturday night dinner with the Thompsons.

Jane walked into her daughter’s room, not bothering to knock again. Clarabeth sat by the window, watching the city. Howard sat at the vanity, sketching something.

“Oh, Howard, I didn’t know you’d be here.” Jane explained.

“Hi, Jane.” Howard smiled at her.

“Howard’s staying for dinner.” Clarabeth looked at her mother.

“You know I adore you, Howard, but I am afraid you can’t stay for dinner tonight. Unless I was introducing you as my daughter’s fiance.” Jane smirked.

“Why can’t Howard stay?” She asked..

“Because we’re having the Thompsons over. Remember? I told you.”

“Shit. That’s tonight?”

“I don’t like that language, Clarabeth. And yes. They’ll be here in two hours. I just came up to tell you to get ready. I’d like you to wear the purple gown I bought you yesterday.” Jane explained, walking to Clarabeth’s closet.

“Sorry, Howard.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure my mother will be happy to see me pop in for dinner.” Howard replied. “I should probably get out of your ladies’ hair then.” He stood up, folding the paper he was writing on and shoving it in his pocket. “We’ll continue working on this tomorrow?”

“If I survive tonight’s dinner.” Clarabeth joked, getting a glare from her mother. “Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good. Have a goodnight, Jane. See ya, Clara.” Howard left the room. Jane grabbed an elegant purple evening gown from the closet, carefully laying it on the bed.

“What would you have done if Howard said yes about you introducing him as my fiance?” Clarabeth asked.

“I’d have started planning the wedding.” Jane replied. Clarabeth stood up and walked to the bed, looking at the gown. “I thought it was just dinner?”

“I want you to meet Jack. You only get one first impression.”

“Yes. You said that about Richard, Winston, Paul, George and Sam. And I didn’t like any of them.”

“You’re picky. Like me. My parents introduced me to so many men before I met your father.” Jane told her.

“You didn’t even like my father.”

“I liked him enough to marry him and have you, didn’t I?” Jane asked.

“Tell me about Walter.”

“Who?”

“Nancy said you loved a boy named Walter before you married my father.” Clarabeth looked at her mother, waiting for an answer.

“I was young and foolish. I didn’t love him. We just had fun together is all.”

“Why didn’t you marry him?” Her question made Jane laugh.

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

“Why not?”

“Because he was poor.” The coldness of Jane’s answer made Clarabeth’s stomach churn.

“So if I fell in love with a man who was less fortunate than us I wouldn’t be able to marry him?” Clarabeth asked.

“That’s not how things work, Clara.”

“But why are things like that? Who made that a rule?”

“There is a reason poor people are poor.”

“Howard comes from a poor family, but you want me to marry him. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Howard is working his way up. He went to school. Got a degree. He’s working in engineering and you said he’ll be starting his own company soon. Then he’ll be just like us.” Jane smiled. Clarabeth was disgusted with the conversation.

Clarabeth stood by the record player, deciding on what to play for when the Thompsons arrived, deciding on an Ink Spots record.

“You look nice, Clara.” Letta commented, exiting the kitchen with an empty tray.

“Thanks, Letta. My mother picked out the gown. She’s hoping I fall madly in love with the Thompsons’ son.” She scoffed.

“Sounds like her.” Letta laughed. “What about that boy, James? Do you like him? He’s extremely handsome.” Clarabeth’s smile at the mention of Bucky was radiant.

“He is. And yes. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since Thursday, but- I can’t wait to see him again, Letta.”

“Did he kiss you?” Letta asked in a hushed voice. Color rushed to Clarabeth’s face that she tried hiding behind the vinyl record she was holding.

“Maybe. Please don’t tell my mother. She’ll overreact.”

“When have I told her anything?” Letta asked. It was true. Clarabeth had a stronger bond with Letta than she did with her own mother.

“I’m hoping he’ll call me before the weekend is over.”

“I’m sure he will.”

“How are things in the kitchen? Do you or David need any help?” Clarabeth asked.

“No, we’ve got most of dinner finished.” Letta replied. “I just gotta grab the wine.”

“I’ll do it!” Clarabeth offered. After starting the record player she walked to the pantry where Jane kept the liquor. She grabbed two bottles of wine, nestling one under her arm, and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. Making her way to the dining room, Jane stopped her.

“What are you doing?” Jane asked.

“Surely you’re not treating your guests to a dry dinner when prohibition ended three years ago. I’m bringing the wine to the dining room.”

“Clara, that’s what the help is for.”

“I’m giving Letta a hand, because she’s been busy in the kitchen cooking all day with David.” Clara replied. Jane took the bottle of whiskey from her, inspecting it. “I grabbed it in case Mr. Thompson is a whiskey man.”

“You’re allowed to drink wine, but if I see a drop of whiskey in your glass, we are going to have a problem.” Jane warned.

“I would never dream of it.” Clarabeth took the bottle of whiskey back and continued on her way to the dining room, placing the bottles next to the ice bucket and water pitcher. Jane followed her.

“Senator Thompson and his wife are visiting from Washington, but their son, Jack is attending Cornell. If all goes well, Jack may become president and you could be First Lady.” Jane began fixing Clarabeth’s hair.

“I haven’t even met him yet. Let’s not jump to conclusions. For all we know he could be vile.” Clarabeth looked at her mother.

“He’s actually a very charming and smart man.”

“Sure. You say that about every boy you’ve tried to set me up for.”

“Have I been wrong?” Jane asked.

“Every time.” Clarabeth scoffed, pushing Jane’s hand away from her head. The telephone rang. Clarabeth quickly walked to where it was in the main foyer, but Letta got there before her.

“The Davis Residence. Thank you, Mr. Sheldon.” She hung up. “The Thompsons are on their way up, Miss Davis.”

“That means they’ll be here any minute. How do I look?” Jane asked.

“You look fine.” Clarabeth wanted the night to end and it hadn’t even started. A loud knock on the door grabbed their attention. Letta opened the door. Senator Dick Thompson was an intimidating man.

“Hello, Senator Thompson. Please, come in.” Letta welcomed him in. Following him closely was his wife and their son. “May I take your coats?”

“Yes. Thank you.” The senator’s wife shrugged off her fur coat, handing it to Letta. “Jack, dear.”

“Right.” The young blonde Thompson took his coat off, piling it on his mothers.

“Senator Thompson?” Letta asked.

“No. That’s alright. I like keeping my coat close to me.” He explained. Letta nodded and walked to the closet to hang up the coats.

“Dick, how are you?” Jane greeted the senator and his wife with a kiss on the cheek. “May I introduce my daughter, Clarabeth. Clara, this is Senator Thompson, his wife, Moira. And this is their son, Jack.”

“Hello.” Clarabeth put on an empty smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” She met Jack’s gaze. He was handsome, but that didn’t mean much to her.

“Jack, your father tells me you’re attending Cornell University in Ithaca. What are you studying?” Jane asked, wrapping his arm around his and leading them to the living room.

“Yes. I am studying pre-law. Hoping to go to law school.”

“A lawyer. You hear that, Clara?”

“Yes. That’s interesting. I’ve thought about attending Cornell.”

“To study what?” Dick asked. Jane gave her daughter a warning look not to embarrass her.

“It was just a thought. Not a serious one, though. I just finished nursing school a few months ago.” Clarabeth explained.

“Can I get anyone something to drink?” Letta asked, returning to the group.

“I’ll take a whiskey if you’ve got one.” Dick replied.

“Of course. Mrs. Thompson?”

“No thank you.” Moira politely shook her head. Letta walked to the dining room. “So nursing school? Are you working at the hospital?”

“Not yet, but that is the plan.”

“My sister is a nurse. She’s forty eight and unmarried.” Moira explained.

“Nursing is just to pass the time. When Clara meets the right man she’s going to settle down and be a wife, right?” Jane looked at her daughter.

“I don’t see why I can’t be a nurse and a wife.” Clarabeth replied. Jack smiled. “Did I say something funny?” She asked.

“No. Sorry. I just- it’s nothing.” He shook his head.

“What made you go into nursing?” Dick asked.

“My father. He died on the battlefield of a wound that could have been treated if a doctor or nurse had gotten to him in time.” Clarabeth explained. Dick nodded, accepting her answer. Jack was intrigued by Clarabeth. He was expecting her to be like every other girl his parents introduced him to, but she wasn’t.

Dinner was going well, but boring. Moira and Jane were speaking about Hollywood gossip with a few interjections from Dick. Clarabeth and Jack stayed mostly silent, sharing occasional glances to let the other know that they were both in this together.

“What do you think about that, Jack?” Moira turned to her son, but he had no idea what they were talking about.

“Sorry?” He asked.

“He’s got his head in the clouds. The boy never knows what we’re talking about.” Dick laughed.

“I think it’s wrong for Mr. Wallace to demand his wife quit her job.” Clarabeth explained, saving him. “Women can work and be a wife. Those two things are not exclusive.”

“You say that because you’ve never been a wife.” Jane replied.

“You worked when you were married to my father.” Clarabeth shot back.

“I’d hardly call looking pretty in front of a camera working.” Dick joked.

“That’s because you can’t act. You don’t know what it takes. If acting was easy, everyone would do it.” Jane replied, making Dick laugh.

“She’s got you there, Dick.” Moira laughed. “What do you think about a married woman working, Jack?”

“I- I don’t know. I guess- she wouldn’t have time to take care of the kids and put dinner on the table if she had a job.” Jack shrugged.

“Is that all a wife is to you?” Clarabeth asked. “Someone to take care of the kids and make sure dinner is ready and a martini in your hand when you come home?” She wasn’t surprised, only disappointed.

“I didn’t say all that. It’s fair to say she won’t want to be with the kids all day. We could get a nanny.” Jack replied.

“And you can also hire a cook to put dinner on the table.” Clarabeth challenged.

“That’s true.”

“I just don’t think a man has any right to tell a woman to quit her job. I don’t care if he is her husband. It’s preposterous. Would it be right for Mrs. Thompson to ask you to quit your job, Senator?” Clarabeth asked.

“Of course not. It’s not her place.” Dick replied.

“And I think it’s not a man’s place to ask that of his wife.” Clarabeth’s comment made Jack smile. “You seem to find a lot of what I say funny.”

“No, I- I don’t think I’ve met a woman as passionate as you about all this.” Jack told her.

“And you find that amusing?”

“I think it’s interesting.” He admitted. Jack was beginning to like her. She wasn’t the boring go with the flow girls his father pushed his way. There was a fire to her. She went against the grain and he liked it. “I think that you’ve made me see the other side of this argument.”

“I’m glad. The world is changing and we’ve got to keep up with it.” She replied.

After dinner, Clarabeth had excused herself to get some air on the balcony. She needed to get out for a moment. She had disagreed with nearly everything the senator had brought up. Jane had brought their guests back to the sitting room for drinks and to speak more.

“Jack, you should go see how Clara is doing.” Jane smiled.

“Oh. Uh- yeah.” Jack nodded. “Excuse me.” He excused himself and walked towards where he saw Clarabeth go. Stopping at french double doors leading outside, he watched her for a moment. She leaned on the balustrade, cigarette in hand watching the city. He opened the door, grabbing her attention. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She watched him curiously as he joined her. “Did my mother ask you to check on how I’m doing?” She asked, taking a drag.

“She did, but I was dying to get away from them too.” He replied. “My father is an acquired taste that I still haven’t acquired.” Clarabeth laughed.

“He’s a politician. I think they’re all like that.” She replied. “I don’t mind your mother, though. She’s like a nicer version of my mother.”

“My mother is a saint for being with my father for as long as she has. And she had to put up with me and my sister.”

“You have a sister?”

“Yeah. Her name is Emily. She would have been here, but she’s on her honeymoon.” He explained. “I think you’d like her. She said she’ll only quit her job when she has kids.”

“What does she do?” Clarabeth asked.

“Emily is an elementary school teacher. But don’t ask me what grade she teaches. I have no idea.”

“So I take it you two aren’t close?”

“We were before college and everything.” He explained. “You got any more cigarettes?”

“The table.” She nodded towards the small metal table to their left. A silver cigarette case sat open.

“Thanks.” He took a cigarette. “I assume you’ve got a light.”

“Yes.” She lit his cigarette. “The last boy my mother introduced me to thought women smoking was unbecoming.”

“What a prick?” Jack replied, making her smile. “I guess she’s like my parents. Desperate to set me up.”

“So you get it?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Unfortunately, I do. But they’re all the same. You’re the first girl that I’d like to see again.”

“Am I? I’m flattered.”

“So can I see you again?” He asked. “Ithaca is only a four hour train ride. I could come back to the city, or you could see Cornell.”

“Are you offering a tour?” She asked.

“You said you were thinking about attending.” He shrugged. “Seems that your mother wasn’t a fan of that, though.”

“My mother is never a fan of what I want to do with my life. Are you studying pre-law because you want to or because you’re trying to make the senator proud?” She asked. He looked at her, stunned by her question. She saw right through him. “Don’t worry. What is said on this balcony stays on this balcony.”

“Why do you ask?” He asked, avoiding the question.

“Because you don’t strike me as someone who wants to be a lawyer.”

“I don’t? Then what would you think I was studying?”

“I don’t know, but it’s not law.”

“Everything’s set up to follow in Senator Thompson’s footsteps.” He replied.

“And my Jane Davis thought her daughter was going to be an actress just like her.”

“You’re pretty enough for the pictures.” His compliment made her blush.

“Thank you. That’s the first compliment I’ve been given that doesn’t have to do with my mother. You don’t know how many times I’ve heard ‘you look just like your mother’ or my personal favorite ‘you’re going to steal your mother’s spotlight’.” She rolled her eyes.

“People like to tell me how much I don’t look like my father.” Jack chuckled. “One election year, one of his contenders tried saying I was a bastard and not really his son. That was the only reason my father ended up winning the election.”

“Your poor mother.”

“It could be true. The milkman was blonde.” Jack teased. She looked at him, concerned for a moment before laughing.

“Wow.”

“So are you coming to see me in Ithaca or am I taking another trip to the city?” He asked.

“Well- when are you going back?” She asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

“Oh. Well- there is a club a few blocks from here. Maybe you can take me dancing.” She smiled.

“Alright. How about three weekends from now? I’ll take the morning train on a Friday and I’ll take you dancing.”

“It’s a date.”

“Great.”

“We better be careful how we tell them. They might start planning the wedding.” Clarabeth laughed, putting her cigarette out in the ashtray. Jack did the same and followed her inside. They rejoined their parents in the sitting room.

“Clara, the senator has invited us to their christmas party in Washington! The President might be there.” Jane explained.

“Sounds fun.” Clarabeth replied.

“What were you two talking about on the balcony?” Dick asked.

“School and- when we plan to see each other again.” Jack replied. Jane’s face lit up.

“Well?” Jane asked.

“Can’t you just be happy that I agreed to see him again?” Clarabeth asked, sitting across from her mother. “You don’t need to know every detail.”

“She’s right, Jane.” Moira gave her son a look. “What time is it, Dick?”

“Oh.” Dick checked his watch. “I think it’s time to be getting back to our hotel. We’re going back to Washington in the morning.” He explained.

“Thank you for coming. It’s always a pleasure seeing you and Moira.” Jane explained. “And it was a pleasure meeting you, Jack.”

“Likewise, Miss Davis.” Jack nodded. He looked at Clarabeth. “And it was a pleasure meeting you, Clara.”

“Yes. Until next time.”

“Until next time.”

“Have a goodnight, Jane. Thank you so much for having us.” Moira kissed Jane’s cheek. “I hope to see you again, Clara. You should meet our daughter. You remind me so much of her.”

“Of course, Mrs. Thompson.” Clarabeth followed her mother to walk the Thompsons out. Letta helped Moira put her fur coat on. Saying final goodbyes, the senator and his exited with Jack following behind. Before he crossed the doorway, he winked at Clarabeth before catching up with his parents.

“Well, that couldn’t have gone any better.” Jane commented. “So you like him? I told you he was handsome.”

“I didn’t agree to see him again just because he was handsome.”

“It doesn’t matter to me. You’ll be First Lady before you know it.”

“Slow down. We don’t even know if this is going to turn to anything.” Clarabeth laughed, shaking her head. “And I’m still waiting on a call from James.”

“Please, that boy-”

“That boy what?” Clarabeth asked.

“Nothing. I’m just happy tonight turned out well.” Jane left her daughter in the foyer. Clarabeth rolled her eyes and made her way to her bedroom.

#Marvel Cinematic Universe #Agent Carter #Jack Thompson

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anthonysstupiddailyblog · 2 years

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Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (191): Thu 22nd Sep 2022

Looked after Luna today. After subjecting me to "Toot Toot Crissy Carson" possibly the most annoying TV show I have ever seen (It's a show about a family of cars that live in a house...fuck off) we had some fun playing games including stacking dominoes on every step of the staircase and trying to get them all to knock over which they eventually did. I love playing with Luna but the problem is she can't just do one thing once she has to do them over again. That would be like me staying in all night and watching the same YouTube videos over and over and...Oh. Anywho, I listened to Reece Sheersmith on Richard Herring's podcast where said that the ninth series of Inside No 9 will probably be the last. I get that this would be really poetic and I can understand the strain that doing this kind of show must put on Reece and Steve but I hope that this news turns out not to be the case because Inside No 9 is one of the best shows on TV. The rest of the podcast was a joy to listen to as well as Reece is a great interviewee especially when he's getting angry. I particularly enjoyed his rant about how fans are always suggesting he do a story set on a Number Nine bus...and that's it, no ideas for characters or story or twists just a setting. I also got a big belly laugh where he said that he'd turned down the chance to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, reasoning: "Imagine being told off by those cunts". He also expressed an interest in appearing on Taskmaster which needless to say I would be all for. I realized today that December 1st will be the 10 year anniversary of this blog (I wrote this blog under a different name on Wordpress for 8 years, then continued to write an entry every day just for myself for two years and earlier this year started publishing it again here on Tumblr). Man it seems like a previous life when I first started writing this blog but I can still remember the exact moment I posted on Facebook (from my cubicle at the call centre which they were starting to decorate with Christmas regalia) that I was going to be starting a blog. I was inspired by comedian Richard Herring who also does a daily blog after seeing an interview with him where he said that every day there are these great little moments that get lost in time because you don't write them down. At the time I had hoped that this would become a Hunter S Thompson-style blog where I would go out of my way to do things in order to get a story out of them...hasn't quite worked out that way. I normally finish the day during which nothing has happened and so I'm forced to write a bout a YouTube video or an episode of Hollyoaks and drag that out for a few hundred words. With the ten year anniversary of this blog not far away it feels like I really should do something special to commemorate this occasion and something this captures the original purpose of the blog. My gut is telling me to book a trip to Sarajevo in order to see the spot where Archduke Ferdinand was killed as this has long been a weird fascination of mine but it's now the run-up to Christmas so the money could be better spent on that instead. I was trying to think of something I could do locally. I've been interested in booking an IQ test at a Mensa centre for a while in order to confirm exactly how stupid I really am so I might look into that. I also think it would be a good day to have another attempt at launching a podcast which I have tried before but it didn't last long. One of the things I could do for the podcast is in the morning I could write down the top news stories on Yahoo News (one of the few news sites left where you don't have to subscribe to read the stories) and then just riff for half an hour on them sort of like what Collings and Herrin used to do in their podcast. Plus every Thursday I could upload a review of AEW Dynamite, on Fridays I could review Impact and on Saturdays review Rampage, plus occasional specials where I review pay per views.

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857hhh · 2 years

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Paul Pelosi's business investment raises concerns over Washington insider trading

FILE - Paul Pelosi, right, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of California, follows his wife as she arrives for her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Authorities say Paul Pelosi was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Northern California, late Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Napa County. He could face charges including driving under the influence. Bail was set at $5,000. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) WASHINGTON (TND) — It’s been a decade since a law passed banning members of Congress from trading stocks based on insider information, yet some say the practice is still alive and well in Washington. Now, there is controversy over new financial disclosures from one of the most powerful people in Washington. Records show the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Paul Pelosi, invested between $1 and $5 million in the semiconductor company Nvidia, just weeks ahead of a vote scheduled on a bill that would provide more than $50 billion to the chip industry to move more manufacturing to the United States. “He’s making those bets based on companies and industries that are highly regulated or are getting stimulus payments or part of stimulus programs that Nancy Pelosi is supporting," said Peter Schweizer, President of the Government Accountability Institute. Still, no laws appear to have been broken and a spokesman for Speaker Pelosi told Fox Business, “The speaker does not own any stocks. As you can see from the required disclosures, with which the speaker fully cooperates, these transactions are marked ‘SP’ for spouse. The speaker has no prior knowledge or subsequent involvement in any transactions." Some lawmakers say they see nothing wrong with Paul Pelosi’s purchase "That’s his business. That’s how he makes a living. That’s like saying, I’m married to a nurse, should I not vote on any healthcare legislation? It’s not an easy one to figure out," said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif. But many times, members of Congress are given information before it’s made public, one reason the STOCK Act was passed and signed into law back in 2012.

Pope Francis, greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her husband, Paul Pelosi before celebrating a Mass on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Pelosi met with Pope Francis on Wednesday and received Communion during a papal Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, witnesses said, despite her position in support of abortion rights. (Vatican Media via AP) But since then, critics say it’s been both watered down and unenforced, in part because those tasked with making sure the law is followed work in agencies funded by Congress.”

"We’re essentially asking our law enforcement to investigate the people that provide their paychecks," said Schweizer. Many lawmakers say they’d be ok with stronger laws on insider trading, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who thinks the STOCK Act could be strengthened.

"It’s important for the public to have trust and confidence in public officials," he said.

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holyfiremilkshake · 2 years

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Paul Pelosi's business investment raises concerns over Washington insider trading

https://kmph.com/news/nation-world/massive-business-investment-by-paul-pelosi-raises-concerns-over-washington-insider-trading-house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-nvidia-stock-act-peter-schweizer-nancy-pelosis-husband-makes-big-business-investmentFILE - Paul Pelosi, right, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of California, follows his wife as she arrives for her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Authorities say Paul Pelosi was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Northern California, late Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Napa County. He could face charges including driving under the influence. Bail was set at $5,000. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

WASHINGTON (TND) — It’s been a decade since a law passed banning members of Congress from trading stocks based on insider information, yet some say the practice is still alive and well in Washington.

0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 90% It’s been a decade since a law passed banning members of Congress from trading stocks based on insider information, yet some say the practice is still alive and well in Washington. (TND)

Now, there is controversy over new financial disclosures from one of the most powerful people in Washington. Records show the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Paul Pelosi, invested between $1 and $5 million in the semiconductor company Nvidia, just weeks ahead of a vote scheduled on a bill that would provide more than $50 billion to the chip industry to move more manufacturing to the United States.

“He’s making those bets based on companies and industries that are highly regulated or are getting stimulus payments or part of stimulus programs that Nancy Pelosi is supporting," said Peter Schweizer, President of the Government Accountability Institute.

Still, no laws appear to have been broken and a spokesman for Speaker Pelosi told Fox Business, “The speaker does not own any stocks. As you can see from the required disclosures, with which the speaker fully cooperates, these transactions are marked ‘SP’ for spouse. The speaker has no prior knowledge or subsequent involvement in any transactions."

Some lawmakers say they see nothing wrong with Paul Pelosi’s purchase

"That’s his business. That’s how he makes a living. That’s like saying, I’m married to a nurse, should I not vote on any healthcare legislation? It’s not an easy one to figure out," said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif.

But many times, members of Congress are given information before it’s made public, one reason the STOCK Act was passed and signed into law back in 2012.

But since then, critics say it’s been both watered down and unenforced, in part because those tasked with making sure the law is followed work in agencies funded by Congress.”

"We’re essentially asking our law enforcement to investigate the people that provide their paychecks," said Schweizer.

Many lawmakers say they’d be ok with stronger laws on insider trading, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who thinks the STOCK Act could be strengthened.

"It’s important for the public to have trust and confidence in public officials," he said.

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sheshallfromtimetotime · 4 years

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I got fired/let go/whatever from my stupid job the other night, and while it is -- in the big picture -- a good riddance situation that should be a stepping stone to bigger and better things, it's currently a stressful pain in my ass, and I am so grateful that a friend and I bought concert tickets for this coming Saturday literally months ago. Gotta have something to look forward to.

#This week is gonna be so much bueaucracy #figuring out how to file for unemployment #updating my student loan info #updating insurance info #job applications #etc. etc.#but on Saturday I get to see Richard Thompson #so that's cool #Rachel's life

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tiesandtea · 4 years

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SUEDE: Style & Substances

Alternative Press, May 1997 (no. 106). Mag cover. Written by Dave Thompson. Archived here.

Suede Give Us A Glimmer...

Bleeding through the debate about vocalist Brett Anderson's sexuality and rumored drug intake, the overall glamour with which society equates a fucked-up lifestyle drapes Suede like a second skin. Dave Thompson travels to London to discover why Suede are one of the few bands that matter in an age of stars who are "just like you."

Brett Anderson leans against an amplifier, hands in pocket, shoulders hunched. To his left, the rest of Suede are playing Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross"; to his right, a television crew is fiddling with camera angles. He wants a cigarette, but he never smokes this close to showtime. Instead, he swings a keychain and glowers into the monitors. It's rehearsal time in Studio Four, a theater-sized room as the BBC, and the only person who's enjoying himself is an increasingly rotund-looking Jools Holland. He's the host of this evening's show, and he's away in another room entirely.

Later...With Jools Holland is a British TV institution. Less than three years old, it has nevertheless sewn up a comfortable niche somewhere between the chart-conscious grooviness of Top of the Pops and the more indulgent pastures of MTV Unplugged. It's a showcase for bands to run through a handful of new songs, play a favorite or two and give a taste of their live prowess without boring the unconverted senseless. Boring themselves senseless, of course, is another matter entirely, and as Suede are counted into the third rehearsal of their opening song "Trash," you can almost sense the desperation in Anderson's face. Then the action starts, and he's utterly transformed. Though he's barely moving and scarcely singing, he's conveying an intensity that explodes from his very presence, drawing the most disinterested eyes in his direction. Even the soundmen look up from their meters, and the camera crew compete for his undying attention. If Anderson weren't a rock star, he'd make a great lunatic. But because he is a rock star...well, he's probably a lunatic anyway. You would be, too, in his shoes. If the 1990s have given us anything, it's the demystification of the rock star. From the boy-next-door Weezers to the angst-ridden whiners, the message is the same: I'm no different from you; I'm no better than you; and, of course, I'm just as screwed up as you. Enter, or more properly, re-enter Suede, with their third album, Coming Up (Columbia). And all that hard work reducing idols to idiots counts for nothing. Because Suede couldn't be "just like you" even if they wanted to. Bleeding through the "is he?/isn't he?" debate about vocalist Brett Anderson's sexuality and the "does he?/doesn't he?" of his rumored drug intake, the overall glamour with which society equates a fucked-up lifestyle drapes Suede like a second skin. The scent of teen spirit clings to them, the doomed romanticism of consumptive youth which peaked on their last album, 1994's Dog Man Star, and peeks through the stunning Coming Up. Suede deal in emotional extremes, from the A Clockwork Orange apocalypse of their "We Are The Pigs" video in which armed hooligans howl through a burning industrial landscape while Suede gaze down from giant video screens, to the incandescent loneliness of the current "Saturday Night" video, in which a London subway station is transformed into a rave to which the band have not been invited. The band's junkie chic is as apparent in the stoned immaculate presentation of their latest wasted-youth album-cover artwork, as it is in the gorgeously gaunt frame which Anderson angles for the television cameras. Add a live show that oozes subversive glamour; couple that with the fearless decadence of Anderson's greatest lyrics, and whether it's all an act or not, Suede are a walking advertisement for the joyful sins of sleaze. Backstage in the bowels of the BBC, Anderson sighs. He's heard all this before. "Yeah, you can look at it like that, but that's other people's interpretation of it, and that's their problem. You can't look at yourself through other people's eyes, then worry about what you say through their ears; you've got to have some self-belief in what you are." Which is, right now, the biggest thing on 10 legs. Across Europe and the Far East, Coming Up charted at No.1 and has already outsold both its predecessors. Three singles have kept the pot boiling ever since, and the current Suede line-up (their fifth on record since their 1990 "Be My God" 7-inch single debut) is their strongest yet. Like Brian Eno's departure from Roxy Music, founding guitarist Bernard Butler's exit did not so much rid the band of one creative spark, as open the door for the flowering of another. Anderson's unequivocal grasping of the reins, only partly aided by the recruitment of guitarist Richard Oakes, may have diluted Suede's overall sound, but it has sharpened their vision to a razor's edge. The further addition of keyboardist Neil Codling fills the gaps that teen maestro Oakes couldn't plug; the Simon Gilbert/Mat Osman rhythm section is a thunderous roar that never lets up; and Coming Up is unmistakably the sound of the same great band that recorded Dog Man Star. The difference is, Anderson affirms, they've stopped pissing around. "After Dog Man Star, everyone thought we were going to do an operetta or something like that. But you get things out of your system. We wanted to refocus the band, the fact that we were virtually starting again; we wanted to readjust the basics." And did it work? "You can't completely divorce yourself from your past. I haven't got the memory of a goldfish; I was aware that I'd made two albums before it. But it felt fresh, and it felt as though we were making the record away from a lot of the crap you have to deal with, away from the spotlight, which was great. Plus...", and here he gestures to new arrivals Codling and Oakes, "... there's less of an obsession with self-importance, which was definitely a change in the band. The last two albums were quite precious and self-important, and that can be good and that can be bad." Ah, preciousness. Plough through five years of Suede press and the buzzwords leap out: "superficial", "fake", "David Bowie" - three hollow sides to the same soulless coin. But most of the people who call Suede "pretentious" are the same ones who fancy the Spice Girls. And the closest those cynics get to class is the corridor outside the school room. "It does bother us a bit," says Anderson. "People always want to polarize bands into camps, and what I always find objectionable, even with journalists who are pro-Suede, is, they always want to write about us as an alternative to this good, honest musicianship going on elsewhere, which kind of implies that there isn't any good, honest musicianship going on within Suede." Anderson resents that implication, just as he resents the accusations of vanity that are flung at him with equal frequency - the two go hand in hand, after all. "People ask, 'Are you vain?' Hang on, let me turn the question around. If you were going to appear on television in front of five million people, you'd probably look in a mirror to see what you look like. You'll brush your hair and put a bit of make-up on because you don't want to look like a pig. Does that mean you're vain? I don't think it does. "Ninety-nine percent of my career thought is dedicated to thinking about music; a very tiny percentage is spent on image. I may go shopping once a month; but while I don't think we're the honest blokes down the pub, we're not kooky weirdos either. We're just what we are." A decent image, though, is still worth a thousand songs (ask Marilyn Manson), and if it's not their Englishness that holds Suede back in the U.S., then it has to be their appearance. They look weird. Catch the "Beautiful Ones" video: Codling apes the same abstracted pose of diffidence and boredom that once made a star of Sparks' Ron Mael; and Osman and Oakes look like they're trying to extinguish a particularly persistent cigarette end. Their singer is fey. Imagine Bryan Ferry if a stick insect stole his trousers. Their music is arty. And they come on like they're somehow special, so special that America poses little interest or challenge to Suede. Other bands make no secret of their desire to crack the country, nor do they hide their disgust when they fail. Suede, though, never seemed bothered. Past U.S. tours (three so far) have been languid affairs, barely publicized flirtations which almost gratefully acknowledge that as far as most people are concerned, Suede might as well be a lesbian performing artist. Anderson dictates the band's Stateside manifesto: "I don't give a shit." "Don't get me wrong: please don't portray us as some sort of anti-American thing, because we're not. But as far as America is concerned, you can talk about airplay and videos, but all it really boils down to is the fact that America doesn't like Suede. And I'm not going to knock it, if they don't like it, they don't like it." And what don't they like? Kurt Cobain had a tummy ache, and a nation felt his pain. Trent Reznor's dog died, and a nation held his hand. Brett Anderson wrote songs about holes in your arm ("The Living Dead") and pantomime horses ("Pantomime Horse"); he equates love with flyaway litter ("Trash"), and he's never been in rehab. "I hate that rehab shit! That's one place where America get really suckered, with those rehab rock bands. Let me explain what going into rehab means. It means you're cool because you used to do drugs, but now you're a good lad, and you're really '90s, so you want to give them up. But it's a complete excuse, and anybody who says it or does it is a complete careerist. I don't think the public shoulg go out and buy records by people whose record companies have told them to say they're going into rehab. You want to talk about fakes and falseness in the music business; I think this rehab rock thing is such a lot of dog shit." So you don't just say no? "I can't sit here and honestly say that drugs are bad for you, because I don't believe that, and I don't think anybody with a brain believes that." He elaborates: "Smoking a bit of pot and taking a bit of LSD can open a few barriers in your mind, although I certainly don't think taking smack, taking coke or taking crack does anything. I know I've taken drugs before and looked back on it and said, 'That's fucking crap; you should have got your act together and stopped taking them.' They just numb you and turn you into a wrong-thinking fucking idiot. "But that's the whole problem with drugs, isn't it? You can't say 'drugs' because there's so many different factes to it. 'It's an aid to creativity.' Well, some of it is, and some of it isn't. You can't paint everything with one brush." As for the veneer of glamour which Suede's own observations convey, the danger that, to quote the new album's "The Chemistry Between Us," "we are young and easily led," Anderson remains equally adamant. "There's no point in trying to filter things like 'Don't talk about this, don't talk about that.' Lots of times when I'm talking about drugs, I'm talking in a pedestrian context. I'm not trying to make it into a big deal; I talk about it like I'd talk about anything else that's in this room." And though he agrees there is a moral question, he also believes it's impossible to do much about it. "The only way you can set yourself up as something moral is in the broader sense, by not treating music as this completely throwaway, meaningless thing, and not treating the sentiments expressed in the music as completely throwaway, meaningless things. "That's where I see my position morally, someone who can write a love song and actually bring a degree of warmth to someone else. You can't act as censor in your words; you just have to be positive about what you're doing and see that making records that people love, that people cling to, and that help people through sticky patches in their lives is, at the end of the day, a positive thing to do. There's very few things I think that are positive in the world, but music is one of them." And that is that. In an age when a star is only as big as his last three videos, and most stars are as interesting as a line at the post office, Suede are three albums into a career that means more to more people than any of the bickering of Suede's petty, wormwood competitors; and certainly far more than the bitter, twisted harping of their detractors. Stars shine, shit stinks, and the lowest common denominator is nothing to be proud of. No one really wants to watch Hootie feed his blowfish, but Brett Anderson spends "Saturday Night" moping around on a subway train, and it's the best thing on MTV this year. Who cares what else he gets up to? Turning as he heads for the soundstage, Anderson won't be drawn. "My drugs of choice are ginseng and chamomile tea, but don't worry. I'm going into rehab soon."

#brett anderson #mat osman #simon gilbert #richard oakes #neil codling #suede #coming up month #coming up era

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bookclub4m · 3 years

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Episode 129 - Non-Fiction Film & TV Books

This episode we’re talking about Non-Fiction Film & TV books! We discuss media about media, self-pity book purchasing, spoilers, and more! Plus: Kakapos!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards | Appleberry

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West

Ayoade on Top by Richard Ayoade

Movies (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano and Arturo Torres

Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation by Questlove

Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss, Mathew Klickstein

Hollywood vs. the Author edited by Stephen Jay Schwartz

Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies by Ann Hornaday

The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero, Tom Bissell

Richard Ayoade Presents the Grip of Film by Gordy LaSure

Typeset in the Future: Typography and Design in Science Fiction Movies by Dave Addey

Typeset in the Future website

101 Movies to Watch Before You Die by Ricardo Cavolo

How to Watch Television, Second Edition edited by Ethan Thompson and Jason Mittell

Other Media We Mentioned

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power by Paul Fischer

Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun (Wikipedia)

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (Wikipedia)

Samurai Pizza Cats (Wikipedia)

My Pet Monster (Wikipedia)

The A-Team (Wikipedia)

Murder, She Wrote (Wikipedia)

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (Wikipedia)

Goosebumps (TV series) (Wikipedia)

Live from New York: An Oral History of Saturday Night Live by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales

Saturday Night Live (Wikipedia)

The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy by Paul Myers

The Kids in the Hall (TV series) (Wikipedia)

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

The Fugitive (Wikipedia)

View from the Top (Wikipedia)

The Room (Wikipedia)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Wikipedia)

Alien (Wikipedia)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Wikipedia)

Blade Runner (Wikipedia)

Total Recall (Wikipedia)

WALL-E (Wikipedia)

Moon (Wikipedia)

House (TV series) (Wikipedia)

Battlestar Galactica (Wikipedia)

The Video Game History Hour podcast

Decoder Ring - The Soap Opera Machine

Shrill (TV series) (Wikipedia)

Love, Actually (Wikipedia)

List of Hallmark Channel Original Movies (Wikipedia)

33⅓ (Wikipedia)

Criminal Minds (Wikipedia)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Wikipedia)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Wikipedia)

Dredd (Wikipedia)

The Muppets (Wikipedia)

Top Gun (Wikipedia)

Kate Beaton’s Top Gun comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Wikipedia)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Wikipedia)

Armageddon Films FAQ: All That's Left to Know about Zombies, Contagions, Aliens, and the End of the World as We Know It! by Dale Sherman

Links, Articles, and Things

Library Punk episode 014 - Manga

Episode 128 - Plucky Kid Detective

Fanart!

Episode 104 - Entertainment Non-Fiction

Toy Galaxy (YouTube channel)

Lindsay Ellis (YouTube channel)

Amanda the Jedi (YouTube channel)

Jenny Nicholson (YouTube channel)

Every Frame a Painting (YouTube channel)

Postmortem: Every Frame a Painting by co-creator Tony Zhou

Welcome to the Basement

Pushing Up Roses (YouTube channel)

Jacob Geller (YouTube channel)

Letterboxd (Wikipedia)

Demi Adejuyigbe on Letterboxd

Sidewalk Slam - Episode 57 - AEW Revolution 2021 (YouTube)

Kakapo (Wikipedia)

Lego set

Diegesis (Wikipedia)

The Stranger (newspaper) (Wikipedia)

Chuck Klosterman (Wikipedia)

Hanif Abdurraqib (Wikipedia)

24 Film/TV/Video Non-Fiction books by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire by Jonathan Abrams

“Indian” Stereotypes in TV Science Fiction: First Nations' Voices Speak Out by Sierra S. Adare

Ayoade on Top by Richard Ayoade

Contemporary Black Women Filmmakers and the Art of Resistance by Christina N. Baker

Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present by Robin R. Means Coleman

The Hollywood Jim Crow: The Racial Politics of the Movie Industry by Maryann Erigha

Framing Blackness: The African American Image in Film by Ed Guerrero

Why Wakanda Matters: What Black Panther Reveals About Psychology, Identity, and Communication by Sheena C. Howard

Something Like an Autobiography by Akira Kurosawa

Our Gang: A Racial History of The Little Rascals by Julia Lee

The Films of Bong Joon Ho by Nam Lee

Moving the Image: Independent Asian Pacific American Media Arts edited by Russell Leong

Farewell My Concubine: A Queer Film Classic by Helen Hok-Sze Leung

Cinema-Interval by Trinh T. Minh-ha

Get Out: The Complete Annotated Screenplay by Jordan Peele

Where Do You Think We Are?: Ten Illustrated Essays About Scrubs by Shea Serrano, illustrated by Arturo Torres

Arab Cinema: History and Cultural Identity by Viola Shafik

Maori Television: The First Ten Years by Jo Smith

Shaded Lives: African American Women and Television by Beretta E. Smith-Shomade

Tribal Television: Viewing Native People in Sitcoms by Dustin Tahmahkera

Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation by Ahmir Questlove Thompson

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song: A Guerilla Filmmaking Manifesto by Melvin Van Peebles

Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism by Nancy Wang Yuen

I See Black People: The Rise and Fall of African American-Owned Television and Radio by Kristal Brent Zook

Also check out the booklist from our episode on Entertainment Non-Fiction.

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Which zine do you most want to read? (Twitter poll)

RJ's zine about Love Actually

Anna's zine about Criminal Minds

Matthew's zine about Dredd

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

It’s almost time for our annual “We all read the same book” episode. So on Tuesday, July 20th we’ll each suggest and talk about one title and you’ll get to vote for which one we’ll read. (And yes, it will definitely happen this time.)

Then on Tuesday, August 3rd it’s time to jack in and download because we’ll be reading the genre of Cyberpunk!

#episodes #genres #nonfiction #films #movies #tv

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chlostertalks · 3 years

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I saw the shady Instagram story. Sha’Carri has a lot of growing to do.

For nearly 20 years, Allyson Felix has done countless media interviews, run among the best in the world in a plethora of sprint events, taken hundreds of drug tests, and has advocated for education and for women. She turned pro at 18 and had a tough go at her first Worlds after a long high school season. She can speak to a lot more professional experience than I can—she’s been where you are and where you’re trying to go.

There are people that are well educated on track and field and have given critiques over Sha’Carri’s Saturday performance in the Pre Classic. After the meet, Ato Boldon and Sanya Richards-Ross addressed Instagram live and discussed where she faltered in the race. Just as I said Saturday, there was a stark contrast between her start and those of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson, the two best starts in the world (Elaine didn’t even have that great a start Saturday, but still collected herself in the drive phase). At Trials, Sha’Carri even addressed how people say she doesn’t have a good start (4:15).

Sanya talked about this again on Brother from Another this week, and I agree with her points. While Sha’Carri has a bad start, she is an excellent closer in the last 40m of a 100m race, so it was shocking to see her not clock in a 10.8 or a 10.9, and an 11.14 instead. Imo, she also clenched her hands a few times in the race and could have run more relaxed to clock in a better time. However, track is mostly mental, and having to come from behind takes a lot of mental fortitude and focus to use your body to get back into the race.

When you’re catapulted into stardom and talk the talk, everyone’s gonna have something to say. It’s all in how you respond. We respect what you’ve done so far, but the only way to add to the story is to follow up with a better performance. Subposting isn’t gonna do much, especially to an athlete who gave her all to the sport and has a whole kid at home.

Anyone would have a bruised ego after waiting so long to prove people wrong (commercials and all) and getting burnt by the field. Feeding into yes people and haters and social media on a frequent basis only puts you in your own way. Gotta block out the noise and get back in the lab.

#sha'carri richardson #allyson felix #sanya richards ross #team usa #jamaica #track and field #pre classic #prefontaine classic #opinion

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kirkypet · 3 years

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Get to know me meme

Tagged by @ecouter-bien

last song: I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight (Richard and Linda Thompson). I’m not a big one for folk but when the old Spotify Discover Weekly threw this one at me it kind of stuck. I can’t quite remember if it was before or after I started watching American Gods but I realised last night just how very Laura Moon it was. And I would argue that the whole album of the same name is freakishly madwife.

last movie: I watched The Kid Detective last Saturday night and it was really good! Right up to the ending (as in, the ending was also good). Recommend!!

currently watching: Rewatching Derry Girls and Ghosts (comfort telly). DS9 is a regular regular. American Gods season three out of morbid curiosity and so I can join in with the bitching.

currently reading: still doing the Read All the Mad Max Fics thing. I’m up to May 2018. Also read the fabulous American Gods works of @theblackestfrost to reconcile me for the paucity of canon Madwife potential going forward (boo).

currently craving: time and energy to 1) knit the thing, 2) crochet the thing, 3) write the thing, 4) find and apply for All The Jobs

Tagging: @fadagaski, @hooptedoodley, @thehurriedhawk, @piwnymisiek, @sheliesshattered and the aforementioned @theblackestfrost if any of you can be arsed, it being Blue Monday on monday and all. Chin up!

#ask

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fatandnerdy30 · 4 years

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Land of the Avengers chapter 2

"This is the flight simulator," Dr. Storm showed the boy's the dome shaped room in the middle of the floor. "The main reason why there's so many generators in here because of this. It takes a lot of energy to run the simulator. Probably enough to run the entire city for three years."The boy's were stunned. It took that much energy to run the simulation machine?

"That's insane," Peter whispered. "But, isn't that bad for the environment? I mean, the generators make so much heat and the gasses they're known to produce have been proven to deplete the breathable air and-" Susan held up a hand with a smile. "I know all of that, but Richard actually developed these specially with that in mind. It's a new kind of energy, a renewable energy. It's something the world has never seen. Actually, you're the first people outside this building to see it." Her watch let out a beep and she turned her wrist to see the time. "And now it's getting late, so you two better get in there. You have today and tomorrow to practice before your test. I'd wish you boys luck, but I'm sure you won't need it." She opened the door latch. "Just so you know, there is a water dispenser and a bathroom. People tend to spend a long time in here and I got tired of having to clean up after they left." She sent a glare to the doors her brother went through. "So, I had Reed put in a bathroom." She gave the boys a tight smile. "Go on in. And we'll be monitoring you from out here, so we'll be the first to know if there's a problem." Peter and Harley gave a nod in unison and stepped into the chamber. As soon as the door was shut behind them, they looked at one another. "Let's do this," Harley said, holding his hand out. "And kick its ass doing it," Peter replied with a smile and they grabbed each other's hands in their secret handshake. "Did I mention that we have cameras and microphones in there, too. So no bad language," Susan's voice made the two jump and look up at the camera that had turned to look at them, feeling her admonishing look through the lens. "Sorry!" they yelled in unison and began making their way through the dome to the two seats in the middle of the room. In some odd way, they made the room seem emptier. Together they sat and buckled themselves in, looking around the white room. "Good job on buckling up, boys. You don't know how many trainees make that mistake and treat this as just a VR ride instead of a potentially dangerous experience. You two signed the wavers, right?" The boys nodded. "Good. The room will make an odd noise as the simulation starts, but soon it will fade into the noise of the flight sim. Simulation starting in three......two....one....good luck boys." They didn't get a chance to respond before the room started making a high pitched whirring noise before the room actually disappeared! In its place was the inside of a sub-orbital craft.Harley stared out the window and actually looked real, even down to the birds! "This...this is amazing!" His voice didn't even echo in the cockpit, as it was a small, full space. "The reality is so real." He reached out and touched a control, surprised to feel the yoke in his grasp. "Amazing." "I wonder how they do it? Maybe it's something to do with the brainwaves that measure your senses? That would be amazing tech to put into use in the real world! Imagine what could happen if people didn't have to leave their homes in order to work, that would mean they'd be able to spend their lives in filtered air and therefore increase their lifespan by at least ten years!" Harley gave him a look as if to say 'shut up'. "But, think of the damage the power one of these needs in order to run. Could you imagine something like that in every home? It would kill the planet indefinitely. It was a good thought, though, kid." The younger nodded and got a 'thinking' look on his face. "Worry about it after we're done, okay? Our futures ride on this simulation. We have to do good, or else those scholarships should be taken away." Peter's face turned serious in an instant and he gripped the yoke. "I'm ready. Let's get started." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twelve hours the boys stayed in the room, and the next day it was the same. It was Colonel Richards who came into the dome with a grin on his face. "Well, well. If I had known you would take it this seriously, I would have said yes to Virginia sooner. Twenty four hours in two days. You boys are probably my most determined students." He walked into the room and frowned. "Have you boys turned up the temperature in here?"The answer was obvious as Peter and Harley were drenched with sweat, their heads soaking wet as if they'd just taken a shower. "Didn't anyone tell you that you could turn on the air in here?" "Yes, sir, but we wanted this to be a challenge. We've done every simulation, but we needed a challenge." Peter wiped his forehead, grimacing as it came away wet. "Is that so? So, if I were to give you a test, you two think you would pass?" "With flying colors, Colonel," Harley said proudly. "Well, then I still hope you feel that way next week during your test. Now, get home so you can get some rest. You two still have class in the morning." The boys saluted, their actions half-hearted in their tiredness and they trudged out of the room. "What do you think, Susan?" He turned towards one of the camera's facing him. "I think Johnny is going to be upset at not being the youngest pilot anymore," the woman laughed. Reed smirked."I think you may be right." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next morning was a sluggish one for both boys. Both yawned with almost every step. With all the excitement from the simulation practice it was to be expected, though. Pepper felt bad for the young boys, especially Peter, who looked as if he hadn't gotten an sleep at all. In the morning class, she'd given her usual lesson, but had been lenient on her students and didn't give them the test she'd planned for that Monday. She would give it to them tomorrow. That would give the boys enough time to sleep. When the bell rang, the two tiredly gathered their belongings and were just out of the classroom when a coffee colored fist made impact with the wall next to Harley's head. "Hey there, fruity boys. I didn't expect to see you back in school this morning, with you being expelled and all." The older teen quirked a brow. "Expelled? What do you mean?" "Oh, everyone's talking about it. You don't get called to the Headmaster's office if you're not in trouble. So, what was it? You lost your scholarships and can't afford to pay for this school anymore?" Flash stuck his lower lip out. "Is that it? Mommy's part time job at the diner isn't enough to even cover one class here, and let's not talk about the orphan here," he jabbed his thumb at Peter, who simply looked down, his face flushed in embarrassment. Harley saw red at that movement and took a step towards Flash, his head towering over the freshman's. "Listen here, you little silver spoon lackey. We were not expelled. In fact, Colonel Richards has given us the chance to take the graduating test this weekend." He spotted the Colonel sauntering down the hallway, his face worried as he spotted the position of the trio and began making his way over to them. "Don't believe me? Ask him yourself." Peter was the first to alert Flash of the headmaster's arrival, going rod straight and saluting. "Colonel Richards, Sir!" he exclaimed, his voice breaking on the last part, causing his red face to turn redder. Harley was next, with Flash a second behind him. Richards smiled at the boy. "At ease, Cadets. Would there happen to be a problem here?" He eyed Cadet Thompson, who looked a little pale. "Actually, we were just discussing our test coming up, Colonel. Can you please tell Flash the rumors of our expulsion are false?" "Expulsion? Of the school's best two cadets? I don't know why you would be expelled. But, the flight test is true." He checked his watch. "Which means you two had better get to class." Peter and Harley saluted again, and hurried off. Flash tried to do the same, but Richards wouldn't have it. "Cadet Thompson, a word if you would." He was tired of hearing about this boy causing trouble. If he thought because his father was the mayor of New York he could get away with anything, he was about to be sorely mistaken. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two boys made it to Sergeant Barton's class just in time, as the bell rang as the youngest stepped foot into the classroom. "Heya, boys. Take your seats." Clint gave them a cheeky grin as they walked in. He had planned a video lesson because he knew the two would appreciate that after having a word with Pepper earlier. So, he lowered the lights and brought down the lights. "Remember to take notes," he reminded the class and started the videos. In seconds, both Harley and Peter were out, heads on their notebooks, slight snores coming from them. Clint wanted to wake them, but he didn't have the heart, so he made it like he didn't see them and sat back for the rest of the lesson, watching over his students. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For both boys the week went by so quick, it was almost as if some kind of magical genie had snapped their fingers and made the week rush by. Flash hadn't been bothering them since the Colonel had straightened things out, and both cadets had been getting odd stares from the others on their way to class. But, in the end, it was Saturday and Peter was packed and ready to go, his suitcase next to May's in the living room. "Come on May! My test starts in two hours!" He was pacing by the door, listening to the woman puttering around the dorm. "That's two hours, Peter! Relax and take a breath!" The woman came out smiling as she fixed the large glasses on her face. She walked over to him and pulled the boy into a hug. "Breathe, Petey-Pie. You'll be fine. And we'll leave as soon as I can find a camera." The day the boy had mentioned his test, and she had gotten clearance from her boss at the hospital, she'd been spending her time after work buying all the camera's she could in order to take enough pictures of Peter and the sights on the trip to show to her colleagues. To say they were both proud and jealous was an understatement. As soon as she was ready, the two rushed from the apartment. Or, Peter rushed May out to go pick up Harley, who was sitting on his dorm porch saying goodbye to his mother. The boy gave the woman another hug and ran towards the mono-taxi, a smile on his face. "Hey Pete!" The two boys did their handshakes as the oldest sat in front of them. "Thank you so much for picking me up, Ms. Parker." May was busy telling Mrs. Keener that her son would be in the best hands as they were pulling away. Harley waved again and sat back. "I'm so excited, worried and ready for this to be over." Peter nodded in agreement as he yawned. "That's what you get for being over anxious," May chuckled.The mono-taxi pulled up to the shuttle port, the driver staring at it with wide eyes. "You know, I ain't nevah taken anybody here, and nevah been here myself. These things are too expensive." He turned in his seat. "You goin' anywhere good?" "Actually, my nephew and his friend are about to take their pilot tests." May sounded so proud and Peter liked the tone she used. "Really? They look so young!" The man's eyes widened comically. "Pete here is the youngest cadet ever to take the test," Harvey said, ruffling the red faced boy's hair. "So if he passes, then that means you'll have had the youngest pilot in history in your taxi." "Hey, can I got your autograph, kid? It could be my feature moment here." The man produced a pen and paper from his glove box. Peter nodded and signed the blank paper, handing it to Harvey, who also signed. "Thanks, boys. Hey, good luck!" The trio got out of the cab and together they rushed to the entrance, the guards stopping them for a moment before, with shocked faces, let them pass. Once they walked in, they were greeted by a crowd of travelers, all walking fast to get to where they had be before their flights left. Peter and Harley grabbed on to May's luggage as she stepped into the crowd. They dodged and pushed past angry people, until the loudspeaker in the sub-port buzzed, gaining everyone's attention. "Cadets Keener and Parker to sub-port thirty-four, cadets Keener and Parker to sub-port post haste. I repeat, Cadets Keener and Parker to sub-port thirty-four post haste." People around them started looking around for the cadets, but Peter and Harley didn't even notice the attention they were getting, being the only ones in cadet uniforms, racing with May to the gate they needed to be at. Once they ran through the gates, the sunlight blinded them for a moment. "Cadets Keener and Parker," came the booming voice of Colonel Richards. Instantly the two young boys stood at attention, their hands coming up in a firm salute. "Colonel Richards, sir!" they shouted in unison. A second later they heard a chuckle. "At ease, boys. You have a long test ahead of you, so it will take all of your strength you don't need to be wasting saluting an old man like me." Reed patted both stunned boys on the shoulder then Ben walked up to them, his eyes alighting with interest at the sight of the older woman. "And who is this stunning young lady?" he asked, his gruff voice sounding husky as he gave the woman a once over. "H-hello, sir. I-I'm May Parker, Peter's aunt." The woman was turning red and stuttering over her words, and making Peter silently gag next to her. "Really? Well, who would have ever thought you of all people would be an aunt." Ben took the woman's hand and kissed the top of it. "I do hope you enjoy your trip, Ms. Parker. Pity I'm not going with you." "We-well, I'll be enjoying time with my nephew." She smiled, noticing the man hadn't let go of her hand as of yet, so she slid it from his grasp. "I'm going to put my bag on board, she said, but Ben suddenly grabbed her suitcase like it was nothing. "Allow me, Ms. Parker." He gave her a suave smile and walked away, his shoulders straighter than they'd ever been, making Reed chuckle. "Now boys, don't let this vacation let you think you'll be able to goof off behind the yoke. I won't have anything happening to my best pilots." He waved his hand and both Virginia and Clint came from the shadows under the plane. "I'll give you two over to your teachers. Good luck, and have fun." He smiled and walked away, going to the air control tower to watch how Peter took off. "Ready?" Clint asked, and both boys turned a certain shade of green he'd never seen before as they nodded. "Come on then! Vacation awaits!" The man walked off, having to practically push Ben out of the way to help May onto the plane, the gruff man glaring at the teacher. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter sat behind the yoke in the pilot's seat, looking over all the instruments, like he did in his simulations. But, this wasn't a simulation. This was real and he was about to fly a suborbital plane for the first time in real life. Captain Potts took the seat next to him, giving the boy a soft smile. "Nervous?" Peter nodded rapidly, eyes wide. "What if something goes wrong and I wind up crashing the plane?" The woman laughed and placed a hand on Peter's shoulder. "If anything goes wrong, I'll be right here. It's just like the simulation, okay? Just think of it that way and you'll do fine. Besides, after two hours, Harley can finish the test and you can go relax with your aunt." The teen nodded and shifted his vision back to the circuit board of switches. His palms were sweating so much he thought they might drip onto the control panel and fry something. It's just like the simulation, Peter. You can do this, he thought to himself. "Peter, just breathe. I'm right here, and I'll help you as much as I can." The trainee nodded and took control of the yoke. He could do this. It was only a short flight and if everything went right, he'd have his protege wings as be able to co-pilot the planes and take over on the longer flights when they pilot had to take a break. It wasn't like he was going to start flying by himself today. He still had a lot to learn and practice and his age required him to have an experienced co-pilot.. With an audible gulp, he nodded to the captain. This was it. Time to take this test and show it who's boss. He began flipping switches and watching lights blink all around him. In his rear flight camera he moved the rudders first up, then down, then left and right. They moved smoothly. He switched the view to the wings, watching as he moved them, noting they were smooth, too. "You're doing great," Captain Potts said with a smile. Peter nodded and grimaced. He made sure he was buckled in, then with a shaky hand, reached for the ignition button. The plane started so suddenly it made the boy jump, but he settled down at a chuckle from the captain, which he would not hold a grudge for.Two sets of eyes stared at the large black spot in the sky in front of them, hoping he was seeing things. But, Harley's question affirmed he wasn't. "The air space is clear for your test to begin," Colonel Richards' voice came over the communicator. "Have a safe flight, and may the light guide your way." "Thank you, Colonel. And you as well." Pepper responded and turned to Peter. "Whenever you're ready, Cadet." The boy nodded and started forward. It went slowly at first, but then the plane picked up speed until they were going at top ground speed. Peter glanced at the circuit board, noting that all the lights were green. Prime for takeoff. With steady hands, he brought the nose of the plane up, and up and up, until all wheels were off the ground and they were in the air. Peter didn't relax until he leveled the plane out, then he took a shaky breath. He'd done it. "Great job, Peter," Captain Potts said warmly, clasping his shoulder. She never called the cadets by their first names, so she must have been really proud. "Now you can sit back and look at the view. You've earned it." And that's what Peter did. With an awed look, he stared out the cockpit window. Below the hull of the plane lay the Earth and all the cities, though they were barely visible through all the smog and pollution. That made Peter sad. So, instead of looking at that, he fixed his gaze ahead of them. The transition of the black emptiness of space to the lit up horizon of the Earth, with the light bouncing off the ocean, and the clouds below them were white, looking nothing like the white balls of poof he was used to seeing from the ground. "It's beautiful," he whispered, awed. Sure, he'd seen the view in the simulator, but this was the real thing. It was amazing. "Isn't it? This is what we see every day." Pepper smiled at the look on the boy's face, sitting back to watch as Peter controlled the plane like a pro. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Susan was watching the screen for any anomalies, when suddenly something blipped. It was fast, so she didn't pay it much attention, until another blip came from that same spot, but this time it stayed and was bigger than the last time. "Reed, come in," she called over the communicator. "What is it?" her fiance's voice came from the console. "I don't know, but there seems to be something....oh no....it's in the path the cadets just took! Reed, get them to come back now!" The blip was growing and soon it was the bigger than the small plane. Big enough to swallow it whole. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pepper was pulled from her dozing state by a buzzing coming from the communicator. "I've got it, Peter. You just keep flying." She didn't want to distract the young boy from his task. Leaning forward she pressed the button that allowed the colonel's voice to break through the silence. "Pepper! Pepper, you have to return!" Reed's voice sounded panicked over the radio. "Pepper, do you copy! You have to return to base!" "Colonel, we copy. What's wrong?" "I don't-I can't explain it," this time it was Susan's voice coming over the communicator. "But there's a massive amount of gamma and radioactive energies coming straight ahead in your flight path." A beeping came out of the console and flipping a few switches, a map came up. The only problem was, they were too close. "We're too close to turn. We'll try going under that disturbance." She turned to Peter. "Do you need me to take over?" He shook his head. "No, Captain. I need to be ready for anything." Slowly the boy started to go down, but suddenly the plane started rumbling and turning around in the air. No matter what Peter did he couldn't control the plane. With wide eyes, he stared at Captain Potts. Suddenly, a big black cloud appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and started sucking the plane towards it! "What is that thing!?" The young teen was gripping the yoke tight, his fingers doing white. "I don't know, Cadet," Captain Potts said, her voice calm, but it had a wobble to it, letting them know she was nervous. "Just try and avoid its pull." "That's not an option," Peter retorted, his face going pale. "The systems are shutting down!" "What!?" Captain Potts shoved Peter out of his seat, taking it in his stead. "No, this can't be! Clint! Get your ass in here now," she called over the speaker. A second later the door slid open and in ran Clint, his eyes wide as he hung on to the doorway as the plane started rocking. "What the hell is going on? May is back there demanding to know also....and what the fuck is that!?" "That's what I need help with," Pepper cried in exasperation. "It keeps pulling us in!" "Peter, get to the passenger area," Captain Potts called, not looking back at them. "Go sit and buckle in, okay?" She finally took her gaze away from the black blob in the sky, smiling at the scared boy. "We'll be okay." Peter nodded, believing the woman, and was the first to leave the cockpit. "Peter?" May asked as soon as the boy had managed to stumble to his seat , eyes wide as she looked to the cockpit. "It's okay, Aunt May," the boy said, patting her hand after he buckled himself in. "We'll be okay." The plane shifted violently so suddenly, that were they not wearing their seat belts they would have been thrown about the cabin. Peter whimpered, his hand gripping the older woman's and Harley's. "We'll be okay!" he shouted over and over like a mantra. "OH shit!" The passenger cabin suddenly became pitch black. "Hold on!" Harley screamed. "Brace for impact!" Came the captain's voice over the loudspeaker. But, as soon as she said it, light encompassed the cabin, blinding the people inside. Instantly the plane stopped shaking. "What happened?" Peter asked, his head swiveling back and forth trying to see out the windows. It looked like a normal, sunny day, but there was something off about it. Before he could figure it out, though, the plane suddenly jerked, and fell. The passengers screamed all the time they fell, not even noticing the greenery that had encompassed the plane. The metal hull hit something hard enough to cause an explosion behind the seats. The noise had Harley and Peter jumping in their seats. In the next instant, they were hit with the powerful suction of the wind as the plane hurtled toward the ground. May was gripping the seat belt for dear life, the buckle clearly broken by the force of the explosion. Peter turned towards her, to grab his aunt, do something, when the plane was rocked violently, the sound of trees hitting the outside loud to everyone's ears. In the turbulence, May had lost her grip on the seat belt and was sucked out of the gaping hole on the side. It happened so fast, Peter didn't even have time to react. "May?" He whispered, shaking his head, staring at the seat the woman had just been sitting in. "May......MAAAAAAYYYY!!!!" "Everyone hold on!" Came Sergeant Clint's voice over the loudspeaker, but Peter couldn't react. He felt numb, like all of this couldn't be real. It just couldn't. A second later, the plane slammed into the ground, throwing Harley and Peter to the ground as their seat belts broke from the force of the impact. When Peter saw Harley go flying past him, he acted on instinct and grabbed his friend, holding tight to keep him from suffering the same fate as his only family member. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A pair of blue eyes were watching a radar-like map, studying it with an intense stare. There had been a small, moving object on the screen and-there it was again! "I've got something," the person called out. A head of red hair appeared by his side to study the screen. "What is it?" Her voice was smooth as silk as she bent down to look at the screen. "I don't know," the man replied, his eyes staring at the screen still. "But, it was small and came from the direction of the electromagnetic interference." "Really?" Suddenly the blip came again, and this time it stayed on the screen longer, but it seemed as though it was falling. The red head stood and smirked at the man. "Looks like we'll have to go check it out." "All right. I'll notify Tony and be right with you. I don't think we have to suit up for this." He stood and stretched, groaning when his back popped. Too many hours sitting can do that to you. The woman reached out and touched the holograph where the little blip had fallen. "Damn. It fell outside the compound's vicinity...this is going to take all of us to search an area that wide. I'll call the others." With that, the woman left the room. Blue eyes looked one last time at the screen before getting on the phone, walking out of the room. "Tony. We got something," was all he said before hanging up.

#g/t #g/t community #Marvelfanfic #irondad #pepperpotts #tony stark #peter parker #harley keener #clintbarton #steverogers #professor Hulk #black widow #land of the giants

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857hhh · 2 years

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Paul Pelosi's business investment raises concerns over Washington insider trading

Some lawmakers say they see nothing wrong with Paul Pelosi’s purchase

But many times, members of Congress are given information before it’s made public, one reason the STOCK Act was passed and signed into law back in 2012.

But since then, critics say it’s been both watered down and unenforced, in part because those tasked with making sure the law is followed work in agencies funded by Congress.”

"We’re essentially asking our law enforcement to investigate the people that provide their paychecks," said Schweizer.

Many lawmakers say they’d be ok with stronger laws on insider trading, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who thinks the STOCK Act could be strengthened.

"It’s important for the public to have trust and confidence in public officials," he said.

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truthbeetoldmedia · 4 years

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We Only Part to Meet Again; Farewell Unity Days

It’s been a wild three years, but this past January, the first “The 100” convention in North America had its final curtain call. Featuring an astonishing seventeen guests the (all too-short) weekend was jam-packed with fun and laughs. Created by Miah Bannerman and Leana Santos and held at The Pinnacle Harbor Hotel on Vancouver’s beautiful waterfront, there was palpable excitement in the atmosphere all three days. For many, this was their first opportunity to meet some of their favorite actors in person, for others, an opportunity to reconnect with friends both old and new, for all, an amazingly good time.

Returning to moderate the panels for Unity Days final year was Jo Garfein, co-founder of Cancer Gets Lost (CGL) and host extraordinaire. Moderating isn’t an easy task, but Jo managed to make it look like one, effortlessly handling fan questions and doing her best to pry a few Season 7 secrets from the zipped lips of the cast (the Spoiler Police never sleep). This year, Unity Days had a whopping ten (10!) panels, the first of which was the CommUNITY Panel on Friday night, which highlighted on the generosity of The 100 fandom and offered fandom a deeper look into Eliza Taylor’s Koh Tao Primary School (co-founded with Claire Wyndham) in Thailand. The documentary created by Pat Cotter (Eliza’s brother) was shown (and is also available on Koh Tao’s website here). Jo was also given the opportunity to talk about CGL’s fundraising efforts and more information was made available about other ways to support Koh Tao, including sponsoring a child. It was a great way to begin the weekend, but this was far from the last time we’d talk about charity at this convention.

The Saturday Welcome Panel (ft. Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley, Sara Thompson, Tasya Teles, Lola Flanery). Although, as noted above, no pressing details were dropped about the upcoming final season, the panel was still a great way to start the day. We did learn that the Season 7 looks promise to be exciting (and Bob Morley has been rocking a clean-shaven face after years of fandom debate over the merits of “The Beard”, so I’d hazard a guess and say they’re right on that.), we learned that Lindsey Morgan filmed an episode in lieu of Eliza this season for medical reasons Bob had yet to direct his episode (at the time of the panel) and that, after the loss of Abby, Clarke is no longer struggling with her friends. After a few quick fan questions, fans and actors leave the panel to grab autographs, enjoy meet and greets and take pictures.

The Bonus Guest Panel (ft. Chelsey Reist, Jarod Joseph, Chuku Modu, Jessica Harmon, JR Bourne, Richard Harmon, Tati Gabrielle, Lee Majdoub, Shannon Kook, and Shelby Flannery). So many guests and not nearly enough time. This panel opened up with a quick celebration for Tati Gabrielle, the talented actress (not just a spiritual advisor on The 100, but also a badass witch on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) turned 24 this year! There’s a quick introduction and then we jump right into the questions. There are questions about Miller and Jackson (Mackson are apparently “still there”), moments that defined characters (for Gabriel (Chuku Modu) letting go of Josephine, for Richard (Murphy) meeting Emori), before we once again parted ways.

The Sanctum Panel (ft. Chuku Modu, Sara Thompson, JR Bourne, and Shelby Flannery) did manage to give us a few new bits of information about what is perhaps the largest unknown still remaining on the show: Sanctum and its people. Again we are told the costumes are going to be something to look forward to this year (Chuku), we’ll learn more about Hope’s markings and what they mean in relation to the anomaly and that Russell will need to figure out where he fits in now that his family and his way of life, has been destroyed.

Finally, in perhaps what is my favorite moment of the convention this year, the Saturday Closing Panel. After discussing their favorite fan moments, JR Bourne, an avid supporter of The Grace Rose Foundation (which supports efforts to find a cure for cystic fibrosis), announced that he had a Season 7 “The 100” crew jacket up for auction, with proceeds benefiting the foundation, but soon decided to donate all proceeds to support disaster relief efforts in Australia . After an intense bidding war (something The 100 fandom might soon become famous for after a similar event at Conageddon 2 just last year), the jacket went to Megan for $3,700 dollars. Encouraged by the generosity, JR manages to find another jacket and secures a promise from Tara (the 2nd place bidder) for $3,600 dollars. In just 15 minutes, over $7,000 USD was raised to help Australia and it was an amazing reminder of the basic goodness of humanity.

The last day of the last Unity Days was a bit slower and maybe that’s because time knew it needed to give people time to savor this experience for the last time. Sunday’s guests were Lindsay Morgan, Tasya Teles, Sachin Sahel, Richard Harmon, Luisa d’Oliveira, Chelsey Reist, JR Bourne, Chuku Modu, Jarod Joseph, Jessica Harmon, Shannon Kook, Tati Gabrielle, Lee Majdoub, Blythe Ann Johnson, and Shelby Flannery. Both the Welcome Panel and The Bonus Guest panel were, unfortunately, hampered by the fact that guests weren’t able to share much about the current season, what that meant was, that for guests who were present on Saturday, there wasn’t much that they could add that was new. Despite that, the cast were naturally very charming which helped to create an overall joy. Unity Days has always been more about the joy of being together

Sunday was a big first for me, personally. It was the first time that I was invited to speak on a panel for my work. Myself, Yana Grebenyuk, Shanon Mizikoski and Gabriela Orsini were all featured on The Reviewer’s Panel (which Yana also moderated). It was wonderful to be able to sit and chat with some wonderful people about our favorite (and sometimes least favorite) aspects of this show we’ve all loved for so long. I even shed a tear or two! Unity Days was the first fan convention I ever attended, so to end the convention as a panelist was amazing to me. I am grateful for the opportunity and the experience.

The final panel of any convention is always a bit sad, and knowing that this was the final Unity Days and the last season of the show made it that much sadder. As always, I love hearing the “describe your character in x amount of words” portion and this is what we got for Season 7:

Lee: He Is Torn

Jarod: Somehow Still Alive

Chelsey: I’m Not There

Tati: A New Beginning

Shelby: Twisted and Wicked

Tasya: Never More Stressed

Jess: When’s It Over?

JR: My Family Died

Lindsay: Karma’s a Bitch

Sachin: I Lost Abby

Richard: Trying His Best

Shannon: Finding His Humanity

I don’t know about you, but I find myself excited to see what this last chapter holds. I’m so grateful to have been able to share this experience with all of you (both digitally and physically) one last time.

All pictures courtesy of Unity Days, via Shot by Devon

#The 100 #The 100 News

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