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ubernoxa · 4 years

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The Token: A Guns an’ Roses Fanfiction

Chapter 13: Halion

Story Summary: Story inspired by the movie She’s the Man. A female Duff is tired of dealing with the bullshit of trying to make it on the strip as a female bassist. In a desperate attempt to make it big doing what she does, she cuts her hair and mascardes as Duff. What’s the wors that could happen?

Chapter Summary: Michelle/Duff realizes how fragile her lie is.

(Masterlist)

Taglist: @viralwolf02 @littlemisscare-all @smokeandmirrorz @aratbaby @slashscowboyboots @queen-crue @achiweyow @bitter-13-suite @white-lightning-625

I wouldn’t be lying when I said that I thoroughly enjoyed the limo ride that Walter’s father had paid for to drive us to dinner. I almost felt like a rockstar. ALMOST.

As I sat in one of the bright red leather seats drinking a glass of champagne, I could still feel the silk fabric of my periwinkle A-line dress slowly tightening around me. It was almost snakelik. I was it’s prey, and it was getting ready to go in for a kill. The more I moved, talked, or laughed the tighter it felt.

Luckily for me, this wasn’t the first time I wore a tight fitting dress. I was a child of the strip, I was in Pixie, tight clothing was nothing new to me. This though, this was different.

I fidgeted with the headband that was strategically hiding the hairline to my now brown wig. Earlier that day, Macy had come home from work and dyed the wig for me knowing full well that bright blue hair would put Walter’s father in a foul mood. We had worked so hard to stay on his good side, and we weren’t going to throw all of that away because of a stupid wig.

There is no possible way for me to simply describe Walter’s father. He is a rather odd man, but odd in an overly professional way. He is a lawyer at a record company, and his job was focused on making sure the record company wouldn’t get sued. So yes, his uncle hated rock stars and countless lawsuits they would cause by bei absolute unprofessional idiots.

Before you ask, yes I had thought of using him as a connection for getting a record deal, but as I said before he really hates rockstars.

If he ever asked, I worked at a coffee shop and was not a part of a band. If you asked him, I actually hated rock music and didn’t play any instrument. I was the quiet and shy coffee barista who would one day marry a husband and raise a happy little family with two children, a boy and a girl. It was a beautiful lie. It was a simple life that I could have one time chosen, but it wasn’t for me. I knew I had to take the risk of becoming a rockstar; otherwise, I would regret it and live as a shadow of myself for the rest of my life.

Macy gently tapped me on the side with her elbow. I sent her a warm smile as a thanks for bringing me back to reality. I quickly looked back and forth, earning a confused look from everyone in the limo.

“Sorry, just zoned out for a couple minutes,” I faked a giggle in an attempt to soften the blow that I had actually grown incredibly bored of their conversation.

“No worries,” Henry cooed as he gently pushed the hair that was cascaded in front of my shoulder to behind it.

It was a sweet gesture, but it wasn’t entirely welcomed. Ever since the day in the music store where Steven practically told Henry that Izzy and I had fucked in the closet of the music store, Henry seemed to be acting like we were dating. Henry’s annoying actions were worth the price though, and I would do it again with Izzy if I had the chance.

Was it impulsive? Yes.

Was it immature? Yes.

Was it stupid? Yes.

Would I do it again without any hesitation? Yes.

“We’re here,” Henry said, guiding me out of the limo.

It was a beautiful venue. I noticed some paparazzi standing outside the door, creeping through the windows trying to get a picture of some celebrity that was probably trying to mind their own business inside.

That was the part of fame I didn’t look forward to. I had heard stories of some musicians breaking paparazzi cameras or telling them of fuck off. I couldn’t blame them. They just wanted their privacy, something rockstars or any celebrity would never get.

I felt a flash towards our direction quickly followed by some shouting. Panic flooded my bones as I stood paralyzed by the blinding lights. After a couple of deep breaths, I calmed myself down. Once I had collected myself, I looked over to see the questions were thrown at Walter’s father and not me. As quickly the panic had come, it left. All I had to do was follow Henry into the restaurant.

“Is it true that Halion, the rock stars who made your career, have walked away from the record company to pursue better options?” I heard a man yell amongst the small crowd.

Before we could enter the building, Walter’s uncle replied, “First off, they did not make my career. I have been doing this long before they were even born. Second of all, yes they left the company due to creative differences. There are no hard feelings, and we wish them the best.”

Walter’s father was the embodiment of class as he talked to them and shortly headed inside afterwards. This couldn’t have been the first time he had dealt with this. We then were able to sit down at a table that was decorated with elegant silverware and a deep purple tablecloth. Elegance was an understatement, I felt like a queen as I sat down at the table.

“Vultures, bunch of damn vultures,” I froze as Walter’s father cussed under his breath. So there was definitely more to the story of Halion leaving the band, and I would bet my bass that nothing that came out of his mouth was true when he was talking to the paparazzi.

It’s kinda poetic that Halion was one of the bands his record company watched over. Not only did I used to date the bassist, but Halion was a rock band from Sunset Stip. Heroes isn’t a word you would use to describe them because they were far worse that Motley Crue when it came to how they interacted with groupies, and sadly I had to learn the hard way. Despite their tendencies, which are common amongst rockstars, many of the bands on the strip still looked up to them. Why? Because they made it big. Even Pixie used to look up to them, once again, despite them being incredibly sexist.

“Don’t worry father, they’re just desperate to know about company business because they are talentless swines who can only leach off of others,” the air was caught in my lungs once Walter finished speaking. I forgot that I wasn’t the only one wearing a mask. While Walter was never the outgoing funny guy like Steven, he still was nice and had a good heart, to an extent. It was clear that Walter had expectations that his father had put onto him. I don’t know who I pitied more, him or me. My mind slowly wandered toward the thought of my own parents. What would they think of what I’m doing? Would they scream at me? I’ve done worse before, maybe I’d be okay?

I continued to look over the menu and attempt to not gawk at the prices. It was rather clear that between the 5 of us, we were going to spend more money than the price of my monthly rent for the apartment.

“Does anyone plan on ordering seafood tonight?” I couldn’t sense the poison or frustration that once laced Walter’s fathers words as he spoke. We all shook our head no, and he ordered some wine that apparently would pair well with our steaks.

I didn’t protest as the waiter poured me a glass. Yes, I wasn’t 21, but I didn’t complain. I had my fake on me, if I was asked but part of me was hesitant to use it. Had Walter’s father forgotten how much younger I was than his son? Granted it was only a couple of years, but I was 20...not 21.

Laughter erupted from the entrance of the restaurant, and when I looked to see who was the source of it, my stomach twisted. As if they were Beetlejuice, Halion was currently being led to a table not too far from the one I sat at. I made sure to keep my eyes on the menu as they sat down three tables over. To the naked eye, someone might not notice it, but I had personally been with Halion enough when they were trying to hide their drunken state. Part of me wondered how long they would last here before they would get kicked out. Wouldn’t be the first time they were ‘asked to leave’ as the waiters would put it.

I shot a quick glance over towards Halion as they sat at their table with what appeared to be groupies at their side. Like I said earlier, they were classic rockstars. My heart sunk as I recognized two of the faces of the girls who were draped over Halion’s shoulders. Despite the makeup she wore, covering her entire face, and the new clothing that left little to the imagination, I recognized her. No matter how much Betsy changed herself, I would still recognize her. It had only been a couple weeks since Guns N’ Roses took their gig, but even Cindy who was draped around the lead singer of Halion had changed too.

It was only for a moment, but when I locked eyes with Betsy my heart shattered into a million pieces.

I don’t know why the tears began to fight the dams I had built to keep them in.

Not here, I couldn’t cry here.

I couldn’t cry in front of Walter’s father because he would want to know why I was crying. If he had found out that I was a part of a band, he would evict me.

I shared a quick glance with Macy, who sent a concerned look my way. Not only were two member of Pixie here, but one of them was draped across my ex-boyfriend, someone who I foolishly believed could make my dreams come true.

I took a couple deep breaths before I spoke, excusing myself from the table and heading towards the nearest bathroom. I felt his eyes on me as I weaved through the restaurant. I felt Nyx’s bright blue eyes on me.

The moment the bathroom door closed behind me, shielding from the world, I leaned over the bathroom counter with only my hands supporting me.

I couldn’t tell what hurt worse, the fact that Betsy was draped around my ex-boyfriend or what she had turned herself into. Gone was the powerful kick ass drummer. She was reduced to nothing more than a groupie who barely wore clothing. I was honestly surprised that Cindy and her were let into the restaurant.

I internally cursed at myself when I heard the bathroom door open. I should have locked it. I looked over to see Betsy locking it behind her. It was clear she didn’t want us disturbed.

“What? Are you afraid that your new boyfriend will be walking in on us? You know it wouldn’t be the first time he walked into a woman’s restroom,” I snapped at her, keeping my voice hushed.

“When people asked you if he a tualy did that, you denied it!” Betsy shot back in a voice mimicking mine. I could tell that she wasn’t mad about that, but she was directing her anger through it anyway.

“Well of course I did. He would have broken up with me if I didn’t.”

“Ohh Michelle, you’re more pathetic that I thought you were,” I didn’t have to look at Betsy to know that she was rolling her eyes at me.

I couldn’t help the laughter that escaped my lips and now filled the bathroom.

“Me? Pathetic? He promised me that Pixie would open for them for their next tour!” I shot back. I knew I was acting like a totally bitch, but I didn’t care.

“Hmm, but we didn’t open for them.”

I looked over at her as she flashed a smirk at me.

“You’re a real fucking bitch.”

“I’m nothing compared to you,” she spat back, but now it was my turn to send a stupid smirk her way.

“Of course you are nothing compared to me. You never have been and you never would be,” I shot back.

Silence once again filled the bathroom. The only noise that could be heard was the muted conversations from the restaurant that was beyond a door. The conversations that felt like a world away.

I watched as Betsy slowly walked towards me and whispered into my ear, “Don’t forget that I know your dirty little secret. With only one sentence I can destroy EVERYTHING you have ever worked for. I’m currently dating Nyx, the bassist of Halion. I’m sure you’re familiar with how much sway he holds. All I have to do is whisper that one sentence into his ear, and you’re done. You think your name has been run through the mud before? Just wait until I’m finished with you! The funny thing is that people will believe anything I saw about you. Your reputation as a whore is already well known, so any little lie would be believable. Now the question is, do I start small with the little white lies or do I go straight to the big bombshell and work my way from there? Maybe I’ll start with Izzy, you two seem close. Trust me when I say that I will take great pleasure in watching your life crumble to pieces.”

I stood speechless as I watched her leave the bathroom, laughing.

Was this the beginning of the end? Was she really going to tell everyone that I was masquerading as a guy on Sunset Strip? Was she going to tell the world I was Duff?

With Nyx at her side, she had the power to destroy everything I had ever created. I once again held onto the bathroom countertop. Not only to help stop the shaking, but to make sure I wouldn’t collapse on the ground.

Bottom line I was fucked.

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d-criss-news · 4 years

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With the film industry as we know it—A-list stars swanning around studio lots amid the swirling winds of an entire city bellowing buzzwords about makin’ pictures—essentially nonexistent at the moment, here’s an especially provocative idea as we contemplate its eventual return: What if Hollywood was... better?

Not in terms of quality of output, though if we’ve learned anything through the industry’s glacial inching toward progress, that will follow suit. But what if the industry was more inclusive? What if it was less afraid of change? What if it allowed gay people, people of color, women, and minorities to tell their own stories, to be in charge—and what if the people accepted it?

Better yet, what if it was always that way?

Like the loud, harsh clack of a clapboard coming down on 70 years of motion picture history, Ryan Murphy’s revisionist manifesto Hollywood arrives Friday on Netflix with blinding, blaring, technicolor confidence. Hardly subtle, deliciously ostentatious, and admirably mischievous, the lavish seven-episode series is a love letter to Hollywood by way of 2020 think piece.

It is messy and thrilling, upsetting yet profound; as uneven and as enthralling as any of Murphy’s big-swing, genre-contorting efforts: Glee, American Horror Story, or The Politician. But as with his soapy historical study Feud: Bette and Joan, it is a fastidious celebration of a glamorized time in Hollywood that mines nostalgia for modern meaning—a fragile undertaking swaddled in the dazzle of unmatched production design and talent pedigree.

Hollywood flops as often as it soars, but never rests in its grandiosity and ambition. The result is something escapist and frothy at a time when a retreat to a Hollywood happy ending is as alluring a fantasy as they come.

There is brilliant acting and there is bad acting. There are ovation-worthy ideas and there are off-putting ones. But, above all, there is reason to watch: It is gay, it is sexy, it is Patti LuPone.

Hollywood is a revisionist history of cinema’s golden age. It’s the 1940s in all their glamour and art: Casablanca! Citizen Kane! Alfred Hitchcock! Jimmy Stewart! Rita Hayworth! Cary Grant! It’s an era that’s been romanticized for so long that we’ve internalized it, morphing our own lifestyle aspirations to conform to its very heteronormative, very patriarchal, very (very) white ideas about sex and gender roles. These were ideas, however, that the industry was telegraphing, but not living in real life. Not at all.

Murphy and his team’s rewriting of history pulls the curtain back, exposing the sexually fluid proclivities of the stars—leading men sleeping with male escorts; Oscar-winning actresses in bisexual affairs—and the damning, racist barriers to inclusion fortified by studio heads thwarting any opportunity for progress.

Then, and here’s the crux of the whole thing: Hollywood changes that narrative. We glimpse the power dynamics inside Tinseltown’s gilded cage, and watch them being dismantled.

Some of the players’ narratives are real, and some are fiction. That makes for an amusing parlor game for viewers, attempting to separate the true history from the imagined one, and should birth a cottage industry of “The Real Story Behind…” stories in the weeks to come. But these are actual people who never had the opportunity to live authentically or see true, equal opportunity in the industry. Expect there to be a split among those who find happier, reimagined fates for them a sweet gesture, and those who find it in bad taste.

The story trains in on Jack (David Corenswet), a World War II veteran arriving wide-eyed in Hollywood, hoping some gumption and a jawline God shed a tear after creating will be enough to get him into the pictures. But he’s got a pregnant wife (Maude Apatow) to think about. Until he catches the eye of a casting director, he has to find some way to pay the bills. That cash flow comes surreptitiously from a gas station owner (Dylan McDermott), whose dashed Hollywood ambitions leave a soft spot for attractive dreamers like Jack—particularly ones who prove lucrative in his under-the-table prostitution business. A customer comes in for a fill-up, so to speak, and whispers the code, “I want to go to Dreamland,” and, well, you know the rest—and hopefully get the hardly nuanced metaphor about sex, power, sacrifices, and Hollywood.

This gas station business is without a doubt inspired by Scotty Bowers, the notorious L.A. hustler who died last year at 96, following a scandalizing, dishy documentary and memoir revealing the brothel he ran out of a petrol stand, sleeping with (allegedly) Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Vivien Leigh, Gary Cooper, J. Edgar Hoover, and Rock Hudson.

McDermott’s character, however, is not actually Scotty Bowers, a distinction that’s necessary because Rock Hudson actually is a character, played by Jake Picking. So is Henry Wilson, the monstrous, closeted Hollywood agent played by Jim Parsons, who trades blowjobs for representation. Elsewhere, real-life trailblazers like Hattie MacDaniel, Vivien Leigh, and George Cukor show up. Their presence, on the one hand, lends credibility and grounds the fantasia of diversity and acceptance that Hollywood builds to. It’s also morally amorphous.

Hudson was closeted until the day he died of HIV/AIDS. He didn’t get the happy ending imagined here, publicly coming out of the closet by attending the Academy Awards with his fictional black, gay screenwriting boyfriend, holding hands on the red carpet, and staying on track on his ascension to Hollywood hunk. There’s also no evidence that Wilson, as caustic and self-loathing as the devil himself when we meet him in the show, had a change of heart and becomes a LGBT crusader seeking amends and atonement.

The wishful thinking is nice. But the bleakness of the reality shouldn’t be forgotten. There’s no clean place to land there, other than to consider both.

But these are just a handful of Hollywood’s players, and not even the true engine of the plot. In typical Murphyland fashion, there is a dizzying constellation of characters and their errant business to keep tabs on.

At the forefront is Patti LuPone’s Avis, the bored wife of a studio head (a scene-stealing Rob Reiner) who is first introduced as a client of Jack’s—hence all the press about the Tony winner’s explicit sex scenes that you’ve likely been reading—and eventually put in charge of the studio itself when her husband is incapacitated by a heart attack.

If it’s novel now to think of a female in charge of greenlighting projects and making commercial creative decisions, imagine it seven decades ago. And Avis shakes things up. With a casting director (Holland Taylor, perfect) and producer (Joe Mantello, heartbreaking) as her conspirators, she greenlights and positions as the studio’s next blockbuster a film called Meg, with its historically diverse creative team intact.

That means half-Filipino director Raymond (Darren Criss), black screenwriter Archie (Jeremy Pope), black leading lady Camille (Laura Harrier), and Jack and Rock in supporting roles. It takes willfulness to bulldoze the fortresses that bar progress. That is invigorating and moving to watch, especially as Hollywood dances between comedy, camp, earnestness, and tragedy with all the glee, if you will, that you’d expect from a Ryan Murphy production.

There’s sex—hot sex, gay sex, interracial sex, intergenerational sex—and there’s farce and there’s a wardrobe and set budget to sweep you away like a riptide.

There are scenes from Parsons and LuPone that will win them Emmys. Mantello and Taylor have a two-hander together that shattered me into so many pieces I am billing Ryan Murphy the cleaning fee. I worry that even with his Netflix money it won’t be enough—that’s how good it is.

Mira Sorvino and Queen Latifah give so much in their scenes as guest stars that you wish they were in more but are grateful for the flawless blips of bliss, while Michelle Krusiec as Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star, is the epitome of an actor making a monumental moment out of limited material.

Criss solidifies his leading-man status—he’s captivating in every scene, even without much to do—and Corenswet brings glimmers of gravitas to eye candy. But the rest of the kids nearly torpedo the whole damn thing, they’re so miscast. The scenes with the older generation are so rich and such an utter joy to watch, it only makes the woodenness of performers like Picking and Harrier all the more egregious. Thankfully, there’s a larger message to it all that acts as absolution.

If Hollywood were a treatise on how society interacts with movies and TV both then and now, then the thesis could likely be boiled down to an early conversation between Raymond, Criss’ director character, and Dick, Mantello’s studio exec. It’s Raymond’s dream to direct a movie starring Anna May Wong. Dick kills the pitch, saying no one will pay to see a movie with an Asian lead, or any lead of color.

Raymond doesn’t stand for that. How does he know? No one’s tried. “Sometimes I think folks in this town don’t really understand the power they have. Movies don’t just show us how the world is, they show how the world can be. If we change the way that movies are made, you take a chance and you make a different kind of story, I think you can change the world.”

It’s not a stretch to argue that as the mission statement of Murphy’s entire career. He’s proved it time and again, from Glee to Pose: Bring the marginalized out of the margins and watch how things change. Someone just has to be the one to do it.

In essence, Hollywood sees Murphy dramatizing the progress that he played a part in catalyzing today, but imagining if it had come at a different turning point in cinema history—70 years ago. More tantalizingly, he raises the question of what society today might be like had it actually happened then.

Is it a little self-congratulatory? Sure. But, hey, that’s showbiz, kid.

#darren criss #the daily beast #hollywood #press #hollywood spoilers #just in case #april 2020 #hollywood review

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just-a-caffeine-addict · 3 years

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Quotes Accrued in a Decade

“…as you well know, the source of the Nile remained invisible to those who lived next to it for a thousand years. Identifying it required a stranger. (A fresh pair of eyes may see what others miss)” –Sherlock Holmes (From The Perils of Sherlock Holmes: Short Stories)

“A couple of years before he died, I kissed my father goodbye. He said, ‘Son, you haven’t kissed me since you were a little boy.’ It went straight to my heart, and I kissed him whenever I saw him after that, and my sons and I always kiss whenever we meet.” –Terry Wogan

“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion.” –Chinese Proverb

“All great truths begin as blasphemies.” –George Bernard Shaw

“An army of donkeys led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a donkey.” –Genghis Khan

"An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it." –Mahatma Gandhi

“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” –Cesar A. Cruz

“As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” –Marianna Williamson

“Ask not what your country can do for you –ask what you can do for your country.” –John Kennedy

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply give you courage.” –Lao Tzu

“Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know.” –English Proverb

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” –George Bernard Shaw

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” –Confucius

“Can you really have a bad experiment? I don’t know. But can you have a bad result? Yes.” — EvanAndKatelyn (From Can Resin Preserve a Pumpkin Carving?)

“canon is but the sandbox in which i strike lightning to form glass. trouble me no more with your quibblings and quorums, lest i grind you to dust beneath my heel and build stories from the remnants of your bones. Avast, foul fiend” —taako waititi (From Tumblr)

“Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?” —Victor Hugo

“Cucullus non facit monachum (A cowl does not make a monk).” – Fool/Feste (From Twelfth Night)

“Demons run when a good man goes to war…” –River Song (From Doctor Who)

“Due to high cost of ammo, there will be NO WARNING SHOTS FIRED.” –Warning sign

“Every couple needs to argue now and then. Just to prove that the relationship is strong enough to survive. Long-term relationships, the ones that matter, are all about weathering the peaks and the valleys.” –Nicholas Sparks (From Safe Haven)

“Everyone gives the title of barbarism to everything that is not in use in his own country.” –Michel de Montaigne (From Of Cannibals)

“Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” –Brad Henry

“Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Fools take a knife and stab people in the back. The wise take a knife, cut the cord, and set themselves free from the fools.” –Unknown

“Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.” –Chinese Proverb

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” –Thomas Edison

“Herr, wirf Hern vom Himmel -oder Steine, Hauptsache er trifft (Lord, throw some brains from the heavens -or stones, as long as he hits the mark)!” –German Proverb

“History is for human self-knowledge...the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is.” —R.G. Collingwood

“Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility.” –James Thurber

“I can pretend I’m a fish, but I shouldn’t try to breathe underwater.” –Unknown

“I have the patience of a saint. Saint Cunty McFuckOff.” –Words on a cup

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 1,000 ways that won’t work.” –Thomas Edison

“I made some good deals and I made some bad ones. I really went in the hole with this one.” –Quote on a grave

“I occasionally think, how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. And yet, I ask is not an alien force ALREADY among us?” –Ronald Reagan

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” –Isaac Newton

“If our impulses were confined to hunger, thirst, and desire, we might nearly be free; but now we are moved by every wind that blows, and a chance word or scene that that word may convey to us.” –Victor Frankenstein (From Frankenstein)

“If the world tells me I’m mad, whereas I know I’m not, which of us is right? Thus, being mad is what? Inventing a life one hasn’t lived or loving a woman met in another lifetime? Is it clinging to unsatisfied desires?..” Doriel (From A Mad Desire to Dance)

“If you’re afraid - don’t do it, - if you’re doing it - don’t be afraid!” –Genghis Khan

“If you’re going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow.” —Louis L’Amour

"If you're not asking the questions in a thoughtful way, you're not going to get any results that are useful or interesting." –Tony Wagner

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” –John Quincy Adams

“I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.” –Jimi Hendrix (From Axis: Bold as Love)

"Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet has free access to the sum of all human knowledge." –Jimmy Wales (Founder of Wikipedia)

"In caucus terrae, luscus rex est (In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king)." –Latin Adage

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” –Abraham Lincoln

“In time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” –George Orwell

“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” –André Gide (From Autumn Leaves)

"It's not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer." –Albert Einstein

“It’s true. I forget important things sometimes… Sometimes I do think I should give up-- just let the crown win and the world freeze, with me in it. Some days I can’t remember a single reason to keep fighting. Some… Some days I-- I can’t remember her. But giving up’s EASY. You know what’s hard? To BELIEVE in your own worth, to KNOW you’ve got something special in you even if nobody else can see it. Even when YOU can’t.” –Ice King |Simon Petrikov from Adventure Time

“Learn yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” –Albert Einstein

“Learning to trust is one of life’s most difficult tasks.” –Isaac Watts

“Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor.” –Sholom Aleichem

“Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.” –Ann Landers

“Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” –James Baldwin

“Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” —“The Wonder Years”

“My family is my strength and my weakness.” –Aishwarya rai Bachchan

“Names are the sweetest and the most important sounds in any language.” –Dale Carnegie

“No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.” –Mary Wollstonecraft

"No mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips." –Sigmund Freud

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” –Lin Yutang

“NO TRESPASSING. Violators will be shot; Survivors will be shot again.” –Warning Sign

“Nobody knows you as well as our spouse. And that means no one will be quicker to recognize a change when you deliberately start sacrificing your wants and wishes to make sure his or her needs are met.” –Stephen Kendrick from The Love Dare

“Notice: Anyone found here at night will be found here in the morning.” –Warning Sign

“"One thing nature is very good at is creating incredibly complex microscopic structures. That's because nature's machines are the size of molecules, while our crude versions are the size of rooms." –Theodore Gray (from Molecules: The Elements and Architecture of Everything)

“Only the sufferers know how their bellies ache.“ –Burmese

“People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election.” –Otto von Bismarck

“People think intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is ‘You’re safe with me’ - that’s intimacy.” –Taylor Jenkins Reid (From The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo)

“Play taps for my ass, cause it’s dead as hell.” –Unknown Quote

“Six of one, half a dozen of the other. (It doesn't matter which one we choose; Equally involved, equally responsible)”

“Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are.” –Markus Zusak (From I Am the Messenger)

“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” –Theodore Roosevelt

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can” –Arthur Ashe

“Take nothing but pictures; Leave nothing but footprints; Kill nothing but time.” –Caver’s Creed

“Take with a pinch of salt (Don’t completely believe what’s told).”

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” –Richard Bach

“The end of one thing is only the beginning of another.” –Unknown

“The family is a haven in a heartless world.” –Attributed to Christopher Lasch

“The helper seeks to help others because he knows what it is to be helpless.” –’ Zen’ Wander (From Wander Over Yonder)

"The million-dollar question: Why aren't we kinder? The second million-dollar question: How might we become more loving, more open, less selfish, more present, less

delusional?" –George Sanders

“The need for a body of common knowledge and common reference ...grows more necessary so that people of different origins and occupation may quickly find common ground and, as we say, speak a common language...it also ensures a kind of mutual confidence and good will. One is not addressing an alien, blank as a stone wall, but a responsive creature whose mind is filled with the same images, memories, and vocabulary as oneself.” —Jacques Barzun

“The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them.” –Marilyn Monroe

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!” –Roosevelt

“The only time you should look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure you have enough.” –Louie CK

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” –Albert Camus

“The sacrifice which causes sorrow to the doer of the sacrifice is no sacrifice. Real sacrifice lightens the mind of the doer and gives him a sense of peace and joy. The Buddha gave up the pleasures of life because they had become painful to him.” –Mahatma Gandhi

“The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds.” —Tryon Edwards

“The secret to humor is surprise.” –Aristotle

“The surplus wealth of the few will become, in the best sense, the property of many, because administered for the common good.” –Andrew Carnegie

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” –G.K. Chesterson

"The word 'why' not only taught me to ask, but also to think. And thinking has never hurt anyone. On the contrary, it does us all a world of good." –Anne Frank

“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places.” –Ernest Hemingway From A Farewell To Arms

“There is no satisfaction in vengeance unless the offender has time to realize who it is that strikes him, and why retribution had come upon him.” –Jefferson Hope From Sherlock’s Adventures

“There will be something you hate in every job. The trick is finding a job where you love the good parts enough to make up for the crappy parts.” –post

“There’s a name for you ladies, but it isn’t used in high society… outside of a kennel.” –Crystal (From The Women of 1939)

“Though we tremble before uncertain futures… may we dance in the face of our fears.” –Gloria Anzaldua

“To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.” –Elie Wiesel (From Night)

“Un sot trouve toujours un plus sot qui l’admire (A fool always finds a fool to admire him).” – Sherlock Holmes (French translation)

“We’re taught Lord Acton’s axiom: all power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely[...] I believed that when we started these books, but I don’t believe it’s always true anymore. [...] What I believe is always true about power is that power always reveals. When you have enough power to do what you always wanted to do, then you see what the guy always wanted to do.” –Robert A. Caro

“We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.” –Joseph Roux

“What we have done to ourselves alone, dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” –Brother Albert Pike

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” –Henry Ford

“When you wish upon a star, you’re a few million light years late. That star is dead. Just like your dreams.” –Unknown

“When you’re a brat, running fast is enough to make you popular. When you’re a middle-schooler, the guys who can fight will be popular, and after that it’s the guys with brains who can get the girls.” –Master of Protagonist (From The Fruit of Grisaia)

“Where we love is home –home where our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” –Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” –Plato

“You are the company you keep.” –Unknown

“You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul" –Chef Gusteau (From Ratatouille)

“You walk around a drunk, you get a tired drunk. Splash ‘em with water, you get a wet drunk. Give ‘em a coffee, you’ve got a wide-awake drunk…” –Unknown

#quotes #sayings #everything associated honestly #some I need to review

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pickledchickenetti · 4 years

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Without a Crystal Ball’s alleged Derick Dillard interview

I don’t know how trustworthy I consider this woman given her claims of interviews often seem to back out of appearing on camera at the last minute, but here’s a recap of what she claims she’s been told by Derick. Sorry for the length and the change of tense midway through. This video is mind-numbing.

She claims she wanted to be able to do this with Derick speaking himself but instead she’s going to summarize their conversations via email and Twitter DMs. She reached out to Derick in response to comments he made in Dec/Jan about Counting On and JB/the Duggars. She plugs her earlier video talking about his tweets, then summarizes the events since Joshgate 1.0.

Her summary of Joshgate 1.0 honestly made me pretty uncomfortable. She tiptoes around the subject of what happened, and almost seems like she things the Duggars were victimized by In Touch getting them cancelled. She uses this to pivot to Jill being a victim (of In Touch, she says she was a “target” of Josh), and talks about the Megyn Kelly interview, calling it “awkward”. According to “Derick”, while 19 Kids and Counting ceased, the contract with Jim Bob did not stop or change. Then she explains what Counting On is, and repeats Derick’s claim from twitter that they were never paid. She makes it sound like their wedding and Israel’s birth were part of the show in which “their names were part of the title”, even though in reality those events were both part of 19KAC. She repeats his twitter claims that JB was the only one getting paid and told them they had donated their time to part of the “mission work” of the family.

She talks about Israel’s birth and repeats Derick’s since-deleted tweets about TLC refusing to pay any of the hospital costs. She continues to muddy the timeline, making it sound like Israel’s birth special was a part of Jill & Jessa: Counting On. Then she reiterates how Derick’s story has never changed over the years, which is blatantly false considering how many times he has contradicted himself in the same month even.

Then she moves on to comments Derick has made on instagram (so far I haven’t heard this woman say anything that we haven’t already seen on social media or reasonably extrapolated). She says that “Derick” said that “Jill had not wanted to film Counting On after the release of the information that had identified her as one of her brother’s victims. He said that she was forced to film by the threat or under the guise of legal action, that she was required by a contract to film.” Finally, as he said on twitter, they decided that filming was too hard on them and they decided not to continue.

Now she appears to actually be pulling up the “messages” from Derick, so I guess all of that was acting like she was saying something new when she wasn’t. I don’t like this woman’s video style at all.

She asked Derick what are some of the misconceptions “that the family, or the public, I’d say the public has about him”. “He got really candid here. He said when it comes to modesty, which is a big part of the Duggars’ show about how women wear skirts, they have long hair, and making sure that they dress without showing a lot of skin... He wrote, ‘I don’t think it’s wrong for girls to wear pants, get piercings, or have short hair. I will encourage my kids, girls or boys, to identify their passions and pursue them even if that requires higher education.’

He said one of the most prevailing misconceptions about him is that he does not like individuals that are in the LGBTQ+. He said ‘Regarding those misconceptions I love all people, including LGBTQ+. My little brother, our fraternity, in our fraternity in college, he is gay. And I still continue to keep up with him, and he is my friend. He’s also publicly noted on twitter, at the same time, that he does like all people, and he does not discriminate. Although he has made tweets in the past about Jazz that has prompted so much of that response by the public.

Then one of the other misconceptions is that Derick and Jill are against drinking because Jim and Michelle do not drink. He said, on alcohol, he said, ‘I don’t think it’s a sin to drink alcohol, but it’s still illegal under the age of 21, so I will always encourage my kids not to break the law, and they will have to decide where they stand on it after that. However I don’t believe it’s appropriate to drink to drunkenness. The Bible is pretty clear about that.’ But when I asked him, does that mean you have consumed alcohol, he said, ‘I have.’ He didn’t say whether or not Jill has, and I would say, based on the fact that he did not answer, I’m guessing Jill might have not...”

Then she shifted to briefly explaining IBLP, which has “questionable teachings” and a homeschool curriculum. She says that Bill Gothard “is not a God, but he claims to be one on TV.” (Can anyone else fact check this? I’ve never even seen him on TV yet alone claiming he’s a god.) She talks about his lawsuit for “a variety of inappropriate conduct” and how that resulted in him being forced out of IBLP. She asked Derick about IBLP and he said he didn’t know much about them but that they teach extra-biblical precepts as truth and he considers that harmful. His example of them being wrong was modesty. Allegedly “Derick” said, “Some stuff with the ILBP [sic] is definitely harmful, but we don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. The Bible is our ultimate authority. God’s word has been around infinitely longer than Bill Gothard and God isn’t worried about needing defense. What people need to realize is that times change but God doesn’t.” He says it’s okay to “be relevant” in somethings while maintaining your faith. He allegedly says that IBLP has too many rules and too many rules are unhealthy. She then literally says that “now we know” that Derick and his family aren’t following IBLP and “there’s some tea”, as if anyone assumed that Jill Dillard with her shorts and nose ring was still a member of IBLP.

Onto public school and Israel’s enrollment. “Derick” claims they considered both public and homeschooling and there was no specific reason they picked public school, just what felt right.

Next, courting, where she says Derick continued with the party line that they chose not to hold hands, hug, etc. on their own, not because of Duggar rules. She acknowledges the possibility that Jill didn’t decide those things, they were just “indoctrinated into her”, but she didn’t get into that with Derick.

“Now to the juicy stuff that all of you guys are here for.” I literally can’t stand this woman and for whatever reason her saying that just pissed me off more.

She didn’t discuss any of the Jazz stuff with him, but she let him know that “someone” made her video with Amy come down. (Not sure how these things are supposed to be related?) She asked if this was something Derick had experienced, with threats of being sued. She says that Derick said he wished Amy could speak to what she wants to, but “Amy is controlled by other people, and we weren’t even allowed to be the first to announce our own life events. Our marriage, expecting our baby, our genders of our children, our births, not by our own choice.” Apparently that gives this woman “a lot of insight”, but I’m not really sure what she thinks it gave her insight on. Obviously all of these people are under contracts and have no control. She says that “Derick” said if he had to do it all over again he’d have made his own announcements even if he’d have gotten in trouble. She says that Derick that plugged his blog and said that more info will come out over time as he “feels more comfortable”, but that they’re still recovering over the last few years and that Jill is still in the middle of a lawsuit over releasing info to InTouch.

“Now to get to the estrangement,” she asked him what made him finally speak out about it. She says the Duggars are following her channel but when SHE mentioned that they weren’t interacting much with the Dillards they “suddenly” wished Derick a happy birthday. (Literally everyone was commenting on that and you can’t “suddenly” wish someone a happy birthday.) She thinks her video made them invite Jinger to that Panera and Target day the day before because she said something about it and also Homeland Security is investigating Josh. (Also Derick announced that they weren’t allowed at the house.) “Derick” says it’s not true that they don’t want to be around Jill’s family at all but there are some people they don’t get along with or feel comfortable around. Supposedly he commented because he didn’t want rumors to be taken as truth.

Now she’s circling back to Jill being “forced” to film. “Derick” says they’ve been seeing a licensed counselor and it helps. The book Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and their counseling have both really helped. Then she repeats a bunch of her earlier opinions. She says that she things Joshgate 1.0 was the fault of JB and Michelle, not the police, and that a lot of people have let Jill down.

Apparently she and Derick then touched on his “advocacy for children” but he’d go more into that later. She mentions he’s in law school but that he wouldn’t say why. She thinks it’s in it to protect others.

“Finally” she asked “Derick” how they plan to raise their children differently. “Derick” said, “Neither of us are bitter about how we were raised.” Now she’s recapping much of what she already said once again. She says that “Derick has been pretty vocal that they do use birth control,” which he really has not at all been. He’s made like maybe two vague comments possibly suggesting that? More recapping of what she already said, with a bit more of her opinions of what she thinks they want even though supposedly Derick answered her questions. She (or “Derick”, she’s starting to blur lines here) says it’s important not trust social media as the only thing you know about someone as it isn’t always 100% accurate.

Now she’s plugging their blog and social media. She’s thanking Derick for his candor and trust and she looks forward to hearing from him again in the future.

Good God this woman is annoying. That was hard to get through.

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romancatholicreflections · 6 years

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28th January >> Sunday Homilies and Reflections for Roman Catholics on the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time -Year B

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel : Mark 1:21-28

vs.21 In the city of Capernaum, on a sabbath, Jesus went to the synagogue and began to teach. vs.22 And his teaching made a great impression on them, because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority. vs.23 In their synagogue just then there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit, and it shouted, vs.24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. vs. 25 But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking each other what. it all meant. ‘Here is a teaching that is new’ they said ‘and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.’ And his reputation rapidly spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.

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We have four commentators available from whom you may wish to choose . Scroll down to the name of the commentator.

Michel DeVerteuil : A Trinidadian Holy Ghost Father, late director of the Centre of Biblical renewal .

Thomas O’Loughlin: Professor of Historical Theology, University of Wales, Lampeter.

Sean Goan: Studied scripture in Rome, Jerusalem and Chicago and teaches at Blackrock College and works with Le Chéile

Donal Neary SJ: Editor of The Sacred Heart Messenger and National Director of The Apostlship of Prayer.

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Michel DeVerteuil Lectio Divina with the Sunday Gospels www.columba.ie

General Comments As we go on with our continuous reading of St Mark’s gospel, we find Jesus in Galilee where he starts his public ministry.

This passage is in three parts: – verses 21-22: a summary of the teaching of Jesus in the synagogue; – verses 23 to 27: an example of his ministry of driving out unclean spirits; – verse 28: the effect of Jesus’ ministry.

In the first section, the emphasis is on the contrast between Jesus and the scribes. Here the scribes are symbolical of those who are content to record the teachings of others; Jesus speaks with personal authority.

In verse 28 St Mark evokes, as he often does in his gospel, the spread of Jesus’ reputation. Ask yourself how the passage if being fulfilled today, of the church or of any great movement.

Prayer Reflections

Lord, when we look back on our lives we realize that most of those who gave us moral teachings spoke platitudes. They were scribes recording what others had said. But we thank you that from time to time you sent us someone like Jesus who spoke from their own experience, and shared honestly what they were feeling; these made a deep impression on us, because unlike scribes they spoke with authority.

“When the church concerns herself with the development of peoples, she cannot be accused of going outside her own specific field of competence, and still less outside the mandate received from the Lord.” ...Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis

Lord, when the church confines herself to going to the synagogue and teaching, concerning herself with what is internal to her, many are happy – they rejoice that she is making a deep impression on them. But your will is that we should go further and cast out the demons of our society – racism, class conflicts, discrimination against the disadvantaged. When the church does this there are convulsions and loud cries. We thank you that in many countries the church has persevered in following Jesus, and people have been astonished and questioned themselves, and her reputation has spread as one who gives orders to unclean spirits and they obey her.

Lord, we remember a time when we were held in bondage by an inner force: – we could not forgive; – we did not want to commit ourselves because we were afraid of failure; – ambition was clouding our vision of the truth. Then someone began to speak, challenging us to face the truth – one of our children, a friend, a bible passage. We got angry, denied it vehemently, wept, complained to another. Like the man in the gospel, we went into convulsions and cried aloud. We realize now that it was because we knew that the Holy One of God was with us, he had come to do away with our sin. Eventually, after a long struggle, we recognized the demon for what it was, and it went out of us. Thank you, Lord.

“I can only reach that depth in my neighbour that I can reach in my own spirit.” …Mathew Kelly, Cistercian monk

Lord, our teaching will be new and will have authority behind it only if we have accepted its authority within our own selves.

“Once brought into the light of mutual love, demons lose their power and quietly leave us.” …Henry Now

Lord, we thank you for the times when we have been able to share deeply with a friend and something that was holding back our spiritual growth left us. We knew that Jesus of Nazareth was with us.

Lord, prayer is a moment when we pass from experiencing the teaching of Jesus as something vague to knowing that it has authority behind it, it gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey it.

Lord, a movement will spread only of it moves from teaching in a closed room to casting out the unclean spirits which are oppressing society.

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Thomas O’Loughlin Liturgical Resources for the Year of Matthew www.columba.ie

Introduction to the Celebration

In today’s gospel we hear of the reactions of people on encountering Jesus when they were gathered as a community: they encountered him as a brother, as a unique teacher, and as the Holy One of God. In our gathering today we are encountering him as our brother, our teacher, and the Holy One of God who is calling us together to share his supper.

Homily Notes

1. Hearing the story about the possessed man brings a shiver to some of us, and a wry smile for others. For some, it is the tingly fringe of religion, an unsettling fear, and brings to mind films about possession or exorcism. This is where faith meets the eerie and the weird. For others, this is part of the historical dross that comes with Christianity having arisen before the modern psychiatry: it is just one more bit that needs to be dumped. For most people in an average congregation it will just be an item that does not seem important one way or the other: another bit of religion that just slips over us.

2. It is probably worthwhile acknowledging this range of reactions in the congregation. All too often people imagine that they, as individuals, are the only ones who have such reactions to the readings, and imagine that for the priest there are no such problems. This suspicion then breeds a form of alienation that makes people feel that they ‘deep down’ do not belong in the gathering.

3. So what can we learn from this passage despite our reactions to the exorcism? The whole passage is in the gospel to help a small group of Christians in the latter half of the first century to understand who Jesus is whom they are confessing to be ‘The Holy One of God.’ We can take ‘Holy One of God,’ the ‘Anointed One,’ and ‘The Christ’ to be just different forms of the same reality. Mark intended his preaching to be heard by the group when they gathered for the sacred meal which united them with one another and with the risen Christ, and so our hearing this gospel today is hearing it in a more formalised version of its original setting. So what aspect of faith in Jesus did Mark want to emphasise? Here lies the key to the passage: he wanted the gatherings to have an adequate appreciation of Jesus as the Christ.

4. Note that we are concerned with an adequate – adequate for us to realise that he is the Way – not a complete understanding: such might be possible in heaven, but never on earth. All the saints can testify that after a life-long pilgrimage of faith,they are just scratching the surface in understanding the significance of the Christ.

5. Mark was concerned that people hearing about Jesus might just imagine him as another preacher – so he adds that the people who encountered him were struck by his uniqueness: he was a teacher like no other. But Mark, equally, did not want people to think of him just as the greatest teacher: Jesus having come among us does the Father’s will, he liberates people from their demons, and he brings new life. But Mark, yet again, does not want Jesus just seen as a wonder-worker, a magician, so people must keep all these insights and try to understand them at the foot of the Cross. Only when we follow the teacher, the liberator, the one who suffered, and the one who rose from the dead do we start to imagine the mystery of the Holy One of God.

6. Getting some grasp of who we encounter in Jesus the Christ is the work of a lifetime. Sadly, many people think they know all about him. Our reflections here do not tell us who Jesus is; they merely attune us to being aware of the Holy One who encounters us in our loves, our trials, our fears, our talents,our demons, and right now in our gathering, our praying together, and our sharing in his banquet.

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Sean Goan Let the Reader Understand www.columba.ie

Gospel Notes

A dominant aspect of Jesus’ work in proclaiming the good news of the kingdom in Mark is his role as a teacher and this is particularly evident in the early chapters. Here we see his teaching making a deep impression on his hearers and they respond with wonder and astonishment. In this teaching Jesus was, no doubt, speaking of God’s will for the world in terms that were easily understood by his hearers. Added to this, his action of exorcising demons can be understood as a way of indicating the triumph of good over evil and showing that now is the time to respond with faith to God’s action in the world. The prevalence of exorcisms in the gospels is not to be taken as suggesting there was more demonic possession then than now. It is more likely that these accounts reflect ancient views around a range of illnesses that are more easily diagnosed nowadays.

Reflection

In this age of information technology and instant access to information and entertainment, we probably appreciate more than ever the worth of a really good teacher. It is an aspect of Jesus’ ministry that can easily be lost sight of, and that is a pity because it is more important that we understand his message than that we believe he was a miracle worker. As disciples we are challenged to continue to grow in understanding, to sit at the feet of Jesus the teacher and to take steps to make our own the wonderful good news of the kingdom. By being properly informed, we are less likely to be led astray by the whole range of ‘false prophets’ who today compete for our allegiance.

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Donal Neary SJ Gospel Reflections www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

The Power of Evil

Jesus was very aware of the power of evil that can be around us. Jesus named the spirit whatever that meant. This gave him power over the spirit. He knew evil when he met it and he overcame it, with love, power and with kindness for this man.

In Jesus the good and the evil of the world met.

One big evil in us is the ‘it’s mine’. We learn it from childhood. We take the plate of cakes or a packet of sweets and say “all mine”. We normally get over this but not always. We need the conversion from it’s mine to it’s ours. That’s the christian way. The environment is not ours, but for us. We have no right to kill off livelihood all over the world for our paper, our oil and our greed. Any abuse of people is the ‘you are mine’ syndrome. Nobody owns anyone in this earth and we belong only to God in a free way.

Evil will never win out to the end. It has been conquered on the Cross, with love.

Somehow this man was possessed. Evil came into him and maybe it was not his fault. He left clean and whole, with a kindness in his heart he would never forget. The people were amazed not just at Jesus but at the change in the man who had been possessed.

What are evil desires in myself?For control of others, for greed, for whatever leads me away from love.Imagine the light of God filling the darkness in me.Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

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junker-town · 4 years

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The 6 best NFL destinations for free agent Tom Brady

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

It’s gonna be the Patriots, but here are the teams that will at least be in the running for Tom Brady.

Tom Brady has been a New England Patriot for the past 20 years. He may not stick around for a 21st.

The two-time MVP and six-time Super Bowl champion is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career. That means he could be the most sought-after player in the league, even if the Patriots are willing to throw upwards of $30 million annually to keep him in Foxborough.

If 2019 is any indication, 2020 Brady will be a slightly above-average passer who mostly avoids risks, beats the teams he’s supposed to, and wins games with a heavy assist from his defense. There’s a chance that could change with a better supporting cast. There’s a similar chance that, at age 43, his inevitable decline is finally upon him.

He’s made it clear there’s gas left in his tank, though. And it’s possible he spends 2020 somewhere other than New England. The Raiders are reportedly planning a dogged pursuit, and they may not even be a top-seven destination for his services.

So which teams could provide the softest landing spot? Let’s look at the early standouts, broken down by best fits for Touchdown Tom.

The best fit for Brady’s passing game (and Chris Ballard’s revenge): Indianapolis Colts

It’s not a perfect fit, but it makes some sense.

The Colts could give Brady an offensive line Pro Football Focus ranked third-best in the NFL. Jack Doyle won’t be confused for Rob Gronkowski, but he’s a Pro Bowl tight end with a 73.4 career catch percentage. Nyheim Hines, electric as a punt returner, has 107 catches in his two seasons as a situational back. When Brady looks to air it out, he’ll have T.Y. Hilton as his top option.

This would all be a delightful turn of events for Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard. Back in February 2018, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels agreed to become head coach of the Colts. But before he could sign that deal — and, famously, after the Colts had tweeted it out — McDaniels reneged on his agreement and decided to keep his old job in New England.

Convincing Brady to finish out his career wearing Peyton Manning’s old shoulder stripes would be a pretty good heckle on New England. It’s not completely out of the realm of possibility, either.

Indianapolis may be in the market for a quarterback. Jacoby Brissett struggled late in the season after suffering a knee injury in Week 8. That turned a 5-2 start into a 7-9 finish and a spot outside the playoffs.

Bringing Brady to the AFC South would also unite him with his former backups in Brissett and Brian Hoyer. The Colts have a limited receiving corps, but also have more than $86 million in salary cap space to spend this offseason. They could throw money at A.J. Green to join Hilton in an all-initials receiving corps or use their solid draft position to take a crack at one of the deepest influxes of wideout talent in years.

If Ballard wants to make Brady a priority, there’s a lot he could offer.

Chance it happens: 1/10

Indianapolis Colts QB Brady seems like the fastest way to piss off two different fanbases. It also sounds like a credible threat to force the Patriots into investing heavily in their veteran quarterback and his wide receivers and tight ends this spring.

The best team that can give him big-play wideouts: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brady still wants to throw deep balls. The question is, should he? He’s only completed 37 percent of passes of at least 20+ yards over the last three seasons. While some of those incompletions can be explained away by an underwhelming receiving corps, the truth is that Brady misses a lot of deep throws.

He probably wouldn’t have anyone like Randy Moss or Gronkowski if he returned to the Patriots, but there’s one QB-needy team that can bolster him with a top wideout tandem. The Buccaneers are currently in the market for a quarterback with Jameis Winston set to hit free agency. A move to Tampa would pair Brady with field stretcher Mike Evans and budding star Chris Godwin, whose 1,333 receiving yards were third-most in the NFL in 2019.

These dynamos could help fill in the gap between any waning accuracy and Brady’s traditionally solid numbers. Instead of putting a ball in a tight window for Gronkowski to innately snatch, he could turn to the 6’5 Evans, who is similarly masterful at using his size and length to shield the ball from defensive backs. If he needs a sure-handed target at the sticks on third down, he’d have Godwin, who dropped just one of the 88 catchable passes thrown his way.

The Buccaneers operate behind an explosive passing game and a head coach (Bruce Arians) known for getting the most out of his quarterbacks. Brady would provide Tampa Bay with a prolific, if diminished, passer who can show what the Bucs are capable of behind a quarterback who doesn’t turn the ball over twice per game.

Chance it happens: 2/10

Brady would get two good receivers and a coach who could help restore his brilliance in Tampa. He’d also have a defense that ranked 29th in points allowed thanks to an awful turnover differential but fifth in Football Outsiders’ defensive efficiency metric. Factor in nearly $85 million in cap space this offseason and there’s a lot to like from Brady’s vantage point. As far as suitors go, though, the Bucs may not measure up.

The best team to offer him something he truly hasn’t had: Carolina Panthers

David Tepper assumed ownership of the Panthers in 2018 and oversaw a quiet transition ... until 2019. That’s when he fired longtime head coach Ron Rivera, released veteran tight end Greg Olsen, and threw oodles of money at college sideline standouts Matt Rhule and Joe Brady.

Tepper’s next splash could be to hire a man whose work he knows well. As a native of Pittsburgh and former minority owner of the Steelers, Tepper’s seen the Patriots end his hometown team’s postseason hopes in the AFC title game three separate times. Transplanting Brady from New England to Carolina would be his biggest move yet.

The main factor that could swing Brady south — besides a big chunk of cash made possible by the $20 million in salary cap savings the Panthers would gain by releasing Cam Newton — would be Christian McCaffrey. The All-Pro runner/receiver would be the most complete tailback Brady’s ever played with in his 20+ years in the NFL.

McCaffrey is James White and an upgraded rookie-year Sony Michel all in one. Having him on the field for all three downs would create a new level of flexibility to the QB’s playbook, and his play-action passing would branch out into more options than ever before.

Chance it happens: 2/10

The Panthers’ offensive line and its 8.4 percent sack rate aren’t exactly conducive to a 43-year-old quarterback. Carolina would have to make other upgrades to make Charlotte one of Brady’s preferred destinations.

The best place to take one more swipe at Philip Rivers’ legacy: Los Angeles Chargers

Rivers saw his season end thanks to Brady’s Patriots three times in his 16 seasons. He and the Chargers parted ways before the 17th.

Brady could take the reins for a team just one year removed from a 12-win season. He’d have one of the league’s top receiving backs should the club retain restricted free agent Austin Ekeler, as well as a dynamite deep threat in Keenan Allen. The Chargers could also use the franchise tag to keep tight end Hunter Henry in town to be Gronk Lite for the quadragenarian QB. While Los Angeles’ offensive line hasn’t earned much hype, it allowed Rivers — a player roughly as mobile as Brady — to be sacked on just 5.4 percent of his dropbacks in 2019.

A move across the AFC wouldn’t just give the Chargers a headliner to open their new, shared stadium in LA. It would also bring Brady back to his California roots. He grew up in San Mateo, some 360 miles north of Los Angeles, but Hollywood could make a lot of sense for the world’s most recognizable football player, his supermodel wife, and the children he threw into a Facebook reality show in 2018.

Actually, you know what? Hold that thought.

Chance it happens: 3/10

This feels less dirty than seeing Brady in a Colts helmet, but the Chargers’ limited defense and recent failures could be a problem.

The best hometown option: San Francisco 49ers

If general manager John Lynch thinks he’s seen the best of Jimmy Garoppolo already, he can trade away his quarterback while eating just $4.2 million in dead cap space this offseason. That would clear more than $22 million in room to bring Brady to the franchise he grew up cheering for. Want to get weird? THIS would be weird.

And probably pretty stupid from the Niners.

Chance it happens: 0.25/10

Garoppolo was 10 minutes away from a Super Bowl MVP. Brady is no guaranteed upgrade at age 43. This would be one hell of a swing from Lynch, who has mostly made the right moves after graduating to the Niners’ front office in 2017. There’s almost no way this happens, but dear god, imagine if it did.

The best fit because, come on, what are we even doing here?: New England Patriots

The storybook ending is for Bill Belichick and Brady to go out together, holding ring-clad hands (metaphorically) and turning into the sunset. That’s always been the plan.

If New England is willing to pay, free agency should just be a formality for Brady — a brief Rumspringa before returning to his hardworking, strawberry-free roots. Here’s what the Patriots can offer him:

his best shot at winning a Super Bowl in 2021

the best head coach in the game

an offensive line that’s allowed him to be sacked only 49 times the past two seasons (36 games, including the playoffs) — and one that should get center David Andrews back in the lineup after missing all of 2019 due to blood clots

the league’s top defense, even if several key pieces (Kyle Van Noy, Devin McCourty, etc.) are set to be free agents

the chance to finish out his career having played for only one NFL franchise.

Re-signing Brady may make it difficult to carve out the room needed to get receiver and tight end help, but that group could be improved with the growth of 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry and midseason addition Mohamed Sanu’s increased familiarity with the Patriot offense. But Brady returning to New England might not be such a sure thing after all. A couple reports from Feb. 27 suggested that him going elsewhere seems a bit more likely. Via Pats Pulpit:

First, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington said that he “would be stunned if Tom Brady went back to New England” during an appearance on his network’s show Get Up. A short time later, the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian added that the Patriots and Brady’s camp have not yet been in contact and that the odds of a contract extension materializing are “‘not looking good,’ according to a person with knowledge of the situation.”

Still, there’s a long way to go with these negotiations, so it’s probably best to take that with a grain of salt. Even if there are still plenty of questions to answer in New England, there’s a lot the Pats have going for them that other teams do not.

Chance it happens: 8/10

There’s only one place Brady belongs, and it’s in the warm, Twisted Tea-smelling bosom of screaming Boston fans.

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michelleinaba-english-blog · 6 years

Link

A Community Impact group sends Columbia students overnight to staff two Upper West Side homeless shelters weekly. The shelters need one volunteer every night to stay open.

MICHELLE INABA MOCARSKI

Columbia Daily SpectatorMarch 2, 2012, 7:51am

http://spc.columbiaspectator.com/2012/03/02/staffed-students-homeless-shelters-stay-open

When Henry Zhang, CC ’12, arrived at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Next Step Men’s Shelter on Wednesday night, volunteers had finished preparing dinner, and music was being played on the upper floors of the synagogue. The guests were about to arrive, and Zhang was there to stay the night as a volunteer.

“The first time I was here I was kind of nervous and shy,” Zhang said. But “they did their thing and it was very pleasant and easy going,” he said.

Zhang is a student volunteer with the Community Impact group Project for the Homeless, which provides volunteers for two Manhattan homeless shelters, both of them near Lincoln Center: the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue shelter, a men’s shelter, and the New York Society for Ethical Culture, a women’s shelter.

“It’s not dangerous, and it’s not scary,” Dane Cook, CC ’12 and PFH’s chief executive coordinator, said.

New York state law requires homeless shelters to have a non-homeless supervisor on the premises during all hours when the shelter is open. The Project for the Homeless group helps shelters stay open each night by recruiting Columbia and Barnard students to be those supervisors.

“They have to have someone there. If a volunteer doesn’t show up or if they don’t have a volunteer, they have to close the shelter for the night,” Cook said.

HIGH-IMPACT VOLUNTEERING “It’s a different kind of volunteering because, as Dane says, it’s high-impact,” Zhang said. “Just by being here, you’re helping the shelter to stay open.”

Sometime last semester, Zhang realized that he was going to graduate without having done much volunteer work while at Columbia. He found Project for the Homeless through Community Impact’s website.

“I really didn’t know what to expect because I haven’t actually volunteered at a homeless shelter before, and in my mind I expected something like a huge room, with lots of beds next to each other,” Zhang said. “But this area is really small and very nice, too,” he added.

Students usually arrive between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., when the synagogue volunteers are about to leave. All they have to do is be there—the shelter provides them with a private bedroom and bathroom, and they can spend the night studying, doing homework, or even sleeping. Lights go out at 11 p.m., and everyone wakes up at about 5:30 a.m.

“This type of shelter model is that the people who stay there are invested in the shelter, so they all have chores that they do, which means our volunteers do very little,” Cook said. “Our volunteers are the living, breathing person who’s there just to be there.”

Student volunteers can talk to the homeless men and women as much or as little as they want.

“Whatever you are comfortable with doing,” Cook said. “But I really enjoy talking to them because it kind of gives me a dose of reality you don’t get at Columbia.”

‘SOME KIND OF HOPE’ Stephen Wise Free Synagogue’s shelter hosts about 10 people at a time, most of whom are returning guests and all of whom must be pre-screened for tuberculosis and drugs.

The two shelters served by PFH are both considered transitional shelters by the city, because they serve people who are in the process of getting public housing. The shelters provide them with showers, as well as dinners prepared by synagogue volunteers.

Cook said that based on his experience, the shelter’s guests average between 20 and 35 years old, and come from all walks of life.

“Generally, the population is black and Latino, but not always, not necessarily,” Cook said.

According to Cook, there are several reasons that people take refuge in shelters like these two.

“They are not the people that you normally think when you think of homelessness in New York,” he said. “These are people who are working on not being homeless. They are real people. They have jobs. They have lives. They have fallen under harder circumstances,” he said.

That’s what happened to Ginyar Ejiofor, 28, who was at the synagogue shelter on Wednesday night. Ejiofor moved to New York from Florida in search of new job opportunities, but he was also drawn by the city’s culture and the possibility of finding love.

“Pretty much employment opportunities, just life in general,” Ejiofor said when asked why he had moved to New York. “Employment opportunities, love—because of my own sexual orientation—culture here, just events in so many different areas.”

Ejiofor worked in retail and in journalism, but things started to change when he lost his job and was diagnosed with depression.

“Depression led to substance use, lack of motivation, and I guess, at the end, total isolation,” he said.

Ejiofor is still looking for a job, and he keeps himself busy by writing and blogging about fashion and life. He’s now in his second week at the shelter, and he said he appreciates the volunteers’ work.

“I know I’m not at the best situation, but it makes it a lot easier and manageable. And it’s really uplifting,” he said. “There’s a clean environment that I can come to, and it’s safe, and it’s warm ... So it’s a kind of recharge.”

Although Ejiofor’s situation is harsh, he hasn’t lost hope.

“In terms of motivation, I am more than I can see,” he said. “My existence is my validation. Can I do this? Can I kinda survive from this? And the answer is yes, because I’m still here. So, there is some kind of hope.”

‘NOTHING IN STORE’ The search for a better life is also what holds Alex, 29, in New York City. Alex, who was staying at the synagogue shelter Wednesday night, suffers from schizoaffective disorder, a psychiatric condition which combines schizophrenia and mood problems.

Alex, who did not want to give his last name, said he thinks that being in his hometown, Lancaster, Pa., worsens his condition.

“While I was there, I was in psychosis the whole time,” Alex said. “When I came here, the psychosis cleared up.”

Before being diagnosed, Alex worked for over a year as an English teacher in Korea. Upon returning to the United States, he got diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and took a job as a waiter in a golf club in Pennsylvania. He believes he moved to New York because of the mental issues this caused him.

“I came here with no plans, nothing in store,” he said.

Alex currently works 20 hours a week for the city’s meals-on-wheels program, delivering meals to clients. He has been living at the homeless shelter for four months, but he does not plan to move back to his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.

“No, I’m not going back there,” he said.

‘A GREAT REALITY CHECK’ Both Cook and Zhang described volunteering with PFH as a very positive experience.

“Someone needed to be there for that shelter to be open that night for those guys to sleep in beds, under a roof, for the night,” Cook said. “And somebody has to do it.”

Cook also said he has learned from his experiences. Once, he said, a guest told him his life story, making a particular point to tell him to stay in school.

“When a homeless person is telling you very earnestly, ‘Stay in school and work hard in school,’ it’s such a great reality check,” Cook said.

The next morning, that guest offered to buy him a cup of coffee from a street cart.

Cook said he found himself in a moral dilemma: “Do I accept this person’s gift, who’s definitely in a tighter circumstance than myself? Do I accept him buying me coffee? Or do I say ‘Oh, no,’ because obviously I can pay for my coffee?” Ultimately, Cook decided it was appropriate to accept the coffee.

“The reason I think he wanted to buy me a cup of coffee ... was that he was really grateful for what the shelter provided for him, and he was really thankful for the volunteers that came down,” Cook said. “He liked meeting the Columbia kids who came down to volunteer.”

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junker-town · 4 years

Text

The 6 best NFL destinations for free agent Tom Brady

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

It’s gonna be the Patriots, but here are the teams that will at least be in the running for Tom Brady.

Tom Brady has been a New England Patriot for the past 20 years. He may not stick around for a 21st.

So which teams could provide the softest landing spot? Let’s look at the early standouts, broken down by best fits for Touchdown Tom.

The best fit for Brady’s passing game (and Chris Ballard’s revenge): Indianapolis Colts

It’s not a perfect fit, but it makes some sense.

Convincing Brady to finish out his career wearing Peyton Manning’s old shoulder stripes would be a pretty good heckle on New England. It’s not completely out of the realm of possibility, either.

If Ballard wants to make Brady a priority, there’s a lot he could offer.

Chance it happens: 1/10

The best team that can give him big-play wideouts: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chance it happens: 2/10

The best team to offer him something he truly hasn’t had: Carolina Panthers

Chance it happens: 2/10

The best place to take one more swipe at Philip Rivers’ legacy: Los Angeles Chargers

Rivers saw his season end thanks to Brady’s Patriots three times in his 16 seasons. He and the Chargers parted ways before the 17th.

Actually, you know what? Hold that thought.

Chance it happens: 3/10

This feels less dirty than seeing Brady in a Colts helmet, but the Chargers’ limited defense and recent failures could be a problem.

The best hometown option: San Francisco 49ers

And probably pretty stupid from the Niners.

Chance it happens: 0.25/10

The best fit because, come on, what are we even doing here?: New England Patriots

The storybook ending is for Bill Belichick and Brady to go out together, holding ring-clad hands (metaphorically) and turning into the sunset. That’s always been the plan.

his best shot at winning a Super Bowl in 2021

the best head coach in the game

the league’s top defense, even if several key pieces (Kyle Van Noy, Devin McCourty, etc.) are set to be free agents

the chance to finish out his career having played for only one NFL franchise.

Re-signing Brady may make it difficult to carve out the room needed to get receiver and tight end help, but that group could be improved with the growth of 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry and midseason addition Mohamed Sanu’s increased familiarity with the Patriot offense. Even if there are still plenty of questions to answer in New England, there’s a lot the Pats have going for them that other teams do not.

Chance it happens: 8/10

There’s only one place Brady belongs, and it’s in the warm, Twisted Tea-smelling bosom of screaming Boston fans.

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