#cold prey 3 (2010)

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

SUMMARY: Takes place in the 80's where a group of teenagers go to visit an abandoned hotel, only to find themselves hunted by a psychotic killer through the Norwegian woods.

#cold prey 3 (2010) #slasher #2010s #norway #european movie #mentionable warning #child abuse #animal death #horror #movies #poll

[jordanfuckingfitch]

Presos no gelo 3

#cold prey 3 #horror movies #horror #slashers #2000s horror #2010s horror #2010s cinema #cold prey 2 #cold prey

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Red-Belted Clearwing

Synanthedon myopaeformis

Image Source

The red-belted clearwing is a part of the family Sesiidae. It was first described in 1789 by Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen as Sphinx myopaeformis. This was later changed to Synanthedon myopaeformis. This moth is called the red-belted clearwing in Europe, the apple clearwing moth in North America, and the apple borer. This is due to their tendency to damage their host apple trees. It is considered a pest in Europe.

They may be confused with the large red-belted clearwing and the red-tipped clearwing.

Description This moth has a thin, dark blue, segmented body. The body is hairless aside from a bushy tail at the end of the abdomen. They are noticeable due to a bright red-orange band on one of the segments of the abdomen. The wings are clear with a dark outline and veins and a fringe on the outer margin (outer edge). The wings help distinguish the red-belted clearwing from the large red-belted and red-tipped clearwings as the wings have no red-orange markings.

Wingspan Range: 1.8 - 2.8 cm (≈0.71 - 1.1 in)

Diet and Habitat This species eats mainly apple, specifically Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris), as well as Pear (Pryus communis), Hawthorn (Crateagus monogyna), Almond (Prunus dulcis), Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), apricots, cherries, mountain ash, peaches, plums, and quince. In Canada, adult moths have been attracted to the flowers of the snowy milkweed.

They can be found natively in Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor. This species was noticed to North America and first detected in Canada in 2005. They inhabit well established orchards and gardens, hedgerows, open woodland, and mature scrub.

Mating Adults emerge from their cocoons in early summer and on flight from May to August, this is presumably their mating season. Females can lay up to 250 eggs, usually singly in the cracks or damaged areas of the trunk and branches they are hosting in. Females attract males with pheromones released from glands. A 2010 study found that 3,13-octadecadienyl acetate is the primary sex hormone.

Predators The larvae of this moth are preyed on by parasites, fungi, and bacteria. The main parasite of red-belted clearwing larvae is Liotryphan crassiseta. Other parasites are Nematodes, Steinernema sp. The fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum are common causes of death in larvae as well as the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis.

Fun Fact

The adult red-belted clearwings are significantly less active on cold days compared to warm days.

In 2014, Judd and Eby found that S. myopaeformis does not discriminate between yellow, green and white or between purple, blue, red, and black. This suggests that they are dichromatic, meaning they can perceive mainly two colors. This affected traps set to catch this species as they acted differently depending on the light reflected.

As this species is considered a pest to apple trees, people have attempted to control the population. This has been tried with pheromone/mating disruption, pheromone laced traps, other chemical traps, the use of predators/enemies, and the covering of apple tree trunks in oil.

(Source: Wikipedia [1][2][3], Butterfly Conservation, Michigan State University)

#libraryofmoths #animals #bugs #facts #insects #moth #lepidoptera #mothoftheweek #sesiidae #red-belted clearwing #Synanthedon myopaeformis #apple clearwing #apple borer #very late post #sorry for the absence

[captainelliecomb]

AO3 Tag Game (Again)

I loved the last one I did, October 2021. I’m stymied on my current project. Hence, a revisit. 

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

30, none currently pending exchange reveal

2. What’s your current AO3 wordcount?

168,446 words. More than double what I had the first time around.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

14 listed fandoms. I still love writing treats for fic exchanges, but my focus has been Jaime x Brienne for a few months now. Not sure if I’ll do the Trick or Treat exchange and add new fandoms to this list or stick with Jaime x Brienne-specific exchanges for awhile.

10 A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms 5 Original Work 4 Trials in Tainted Space (Video Game) 4 Game of Thrones 3 A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin 2 Avengers Grimm 1 Chronicles of Riddick Series 1 Riverdale (TV 2017) 1 Cinderella (1950) 1 Video Blogging RPF (Goodnight Moon ASMR’s character the Celebrity Assistant) 1 Lynette Series - SouthernASMRSounds 1 Little Red Riding Hood (Fairy Tale) 1 Jupiter Ascending 1 Tangled (2010)

To break down the ASOIAF related fandoms tag, 3 are specifically show canon AUs, 1 has a show canon AU section, 2 are specifically book canon, 1 has a book canon AU section, 4 are broad AUs that build off both book and show canon, and 1 has broad AU sections. 9 are Jaime x Brienne, 1 is Oberyn x Brienne.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

More changes than I expected!

Breath and Blood, Original Work, Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply, Male Minotaur x Curious Female Historian Who’s Surprisingly Into That (unchanged) Summary: Let the other historians have their gods, smooth, cold marble. Nora loves her work and this stone minotaur, rough and warm from her touch. 

Here We Go to War, Game of Thrones, Mature, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Jaime x Brienne (new to the list) Summary: War to the east, the Dragon queen and her foreign armies come to take back the Seven Kingdoms with fire and blood and demand the North bend the knee.

War to the south, the Lannister queen took her throne in wildfire and the blood of innocents and demands the head of Sansa Stark.

War to the north, beyond the Wall, the Night King and his army of the dead demand nothing but death.

War comes for them all.

In the middle, two tired knights try to protect the ones they love and the ones to whom they're sworn.

Run, Red, Run Away, Little Red Riding Hood, Explicit, Rape/Non-Con, Big Bad Wolf x Red Riding Hood, Red Riding Hood x Wolf Pack (dropped one space) Summary: The great monstrous wolf allowed them to hunt in his forest and did not send creatures to devour them so long as every five years they provided him with a woman to be his prey. 

There were rules around her: she had to be able to run and jump and climb; she had to be fully grown; she could not have a child; and she could not be a virgin. Over the years, the elders had built up the legend until the ritual was complicated, covered the sacrifice in glory so they would not fight, so their families would not, their lovers.

And always, always, her name was Red.

Punished, Original Work, Explicit, Rape/Non-Con, Male Dungeon Monsters/Servant Girl Thrown Into Dungeon as Punishment (dropped one space) Summary: The minotaur found her first.

Come Over and Make Up My Mind, ASOIAF & Related Fandoms, Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply, Jaime x Brienne (new to the list) Summary: Five times Brienne swears it's the very last time...

Here We Go to War went over so much better than I expected. Wasn’t sure that broader Jaime x Brienne fandom wanted more GOT AUs, especially one that doesn’t specific fix S8. (It goes AU after S6.)

Every single one of these received wonderful comments from their recipients. I love writing fic customised to a specific person.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not.

I haven’t in awhile, but I miss it. I should try again. I constantly feel like I don’t have enough time to comment, my comments take a bit of time to write, but I should make more time for responding to comments as well.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

With an actual ending, my response from last time stands: I don’t know about angst, but the rape/non-con fics almost always have a bad ending for the main character by dint of their subject.

Angst in general, though, I was shocked by how many people found Here We Go to War full of angst and how many people worried it would have a major character death. My beta and I did not think it had that much angst, and I never once expected anyone to worry that I’d kill Brienne or Jaime.

I should not have been surprised, I know that now, but the comments were quite eye opening.

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

I do! Mostly I write AUs these days, but I would write a crossover. The closest so far is Lightning Before Thunder, “Five ways, in five worlds, the great hammer Mjolnir chose Brienne of Tarth”, which is a fusion not really a crossover. 

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No. I did once receive a comment that consisted only of telling me I should use “cum” instead of “come” in the fic. Much like “teats”, there is no power in the universe that could convince me to use it.

This was my original response, and it stands. It still makes me laugh, too.

9. Do you write smut?

Of these 30 fics, 9 are not rated mature or explicit for sex. I love writing sex. Since last October, I added 6 that aren’t rated mature or explicit, which is odd for me.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I’m willing to try.

This answer still stands.

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Brienne remains my Little Black Dress character. I ship her with nearly everyone, including characters she’s never met in her own canons and characters from other canons. 

For example, I haven’t written up my rec for it yet, but I love the storms of spring by days4daisy, a GOT/MCU Thor crossover with Thor x Brienne.

Jaime x Brienne is my favourite Brienne ship, and I suppose that also makes it my all time favourite.

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Of my work on AO3, the Riverdale tv show.

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I love my own writing and reread my fic regularly. I don’t have a favourite, but my current top three are Here We Go to War (I did not expect to enjoy writing at least brief Westerosi politics and war as much as I did. Will have to write it more often),  Kisses Stolen or Given Freely (I loved writing Oberyn courting Brienne and Brienne finding acceptance in Dorne), and Sexual Education: The Art and Anatomy of the Penis (I loved trying to balance clinical instruction and sexy writing).

This comment from the first time I answered this still stands.

Short version: I love the Jaime/Brienne fandom in particular and many people in the broader ASOIAF/Game of Thrones fandom, and I want to give more to it, always.

Not tagging anyone specifically, but I love when people do it.

#about me #tagged and answered #not actually tagged this time but it's the tag i use for this sort of thing

[jeanhm]

VANCOUVER

Couple of days here before heading home so whilst it's dry we headed to Grouse Mountain, somewhere I came with my boys in 2003.

We walked to the local bus interchange and took the bus which was really cheap and a good 30 minute trip. We then got into a much larger gondola than anything we've done so far taking over 30 people and travelling to the first stage mountain stop where most of the attractions are.

Its changed a bit since my last visit and become more commercial since then as it was used as an Olympic destination in 2010 but its actually really good with the ski lift open for panoramic views this time of year going to the top of the mountain. There was still deep snow on the ground which I didn't expect, but it wasn't too cold and the rain stayed away most of the day.

We had a coffee then decided to do the chair lift whilst there was reasonable visibility. At the top there were good views tiwards the mountains but the cloud did come in quite rapidly so we found ourselves in cloud. We found some colourful garden chairs there in the snow too! Then we returned down and went to see the bears who were having a nap so we went to see the Raptor display which were 3 birds of prey, a red tailed hawk, Harris hawk and horned owl. Then a lovely burger lunch and back for the lumberjack show, somewhat the same as the Ketchikan one!! We then went to see if the pair of bears had woken and they had and were play fighting in the snow. They have only recently come out of hibernation and are both 21 year old orphan bears, same ones as I saw in 2003 as cubs! They are called Coolah and Grinder who is the more grey of the two. Great to see but it started to rain and get decidedly cooler so aftwr watching for a while we headed back to the gondola and down back to the bus and on to the hotel.

[tenaflyviper]

Horror Movies for Easter:

Atrocious (2010)

Beaster Day: Here Comes Peter Cottonhell (2014)

The Being (1983)

Bunnyman (2011)

Bunnyman Massacre (2014)

The Bunnyman: The Sleepy Ridge Murders (2009)

Bunnyman Vengeance (2017)

Bunny the Killer Thing (2015)

Cold Prey (2006)

Critters 2: The Main Course (1988)

Cute Little Buggers (2017)

Dead Snow (2009)

Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut (2001)

Easter Bunny Bloodbath (2010)

Easter Bunny Bloodbath 2: No More Tears (2020)

Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! (2006)

Easter Bunny Massacre (2021)

Easter Bunny Massacre: The Bloody Trail (2022)

Easter Casket (2013)

Easter Holocaust (2020)

Easter Sunday (2014)

Family Dinner (2023) (Screambox exclusive)

Feaster Sunday (2020)

Fist of Jesus (2012)

Happy Horror Days (2020)

Holidays (2016)

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)

Kottentail (2007)

The Night Before Easter (2014)

Night of the Lepus (1972)

On the Third Day (1983)

Peter Rottentail (2004)

Pink Rabbit (2022)

Resurrection (1999)

Rottentail (2019)

Serial Rabbit (2005)

Serial Rabbit 3: Splitting Hares (2009)

Serial Rabbit V: The Epic Hunt (2017)

Serial Rabbit 7 (2023)

#Easter #horror #list #links #Easter horror

[aion-rsa]

Hulu New Releases: September 2021

https://ift.tt/3zxzTpM

September usually means the beginning of the traditional fall TV season. As such, Hulu’s list of new releases for September 2021 contains some impressive TV swings.

For starters, all of ABC and Fox’s (both now united under the Disney banner alongside Hulu) fall season offerings will be made available to stream on Hulu the next day. More impressively, however, two FX on Hulu originals make their way to the streaming world this month.

The first is the long-awaited adaptation of the classic comic Y: The Last Man. The story of a virus that destroys every mammal with a Y-chromosome (save for one escape artist and his monkey) is set to premiere on September 13. Shortly after that, the B.J. Novak-produced anthology series The Premise arrives on September 16. Even those who are fatigued from timely anthology concepts will want to check this one out.

Read more

TV

How Y: The Last Man Updates Its Story for the Modern Era

By Alec Bojalad

TV

Nine Perfect Strangers Review: Hulu Series Achieves Wellness

By Erin Qualey

There aren’t any original movies of note coming to Hulu in September but that’s alright as the library titles are uncommonly compelling. Edward Scissorhands, Gattaca, The Interview, Office Space, and Raising Arizona are just some of the library films this month.

Here is everything else coming to Hulu this month.

Hulu New Releases – September 2021

September 1 50/50 (2011) A Fish Called Wanda (1988) Anaconda (1997) Angel Unchained (1970) The Apparition (2012) At the Earth’s Core (1976) Blue City (1986) Bull Durham (1988) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Cannon For Cordoba (1970) Cellar Dweller (1988) Cold Creek Manor (2003) Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) Crazy Heart (2009) The Dunwich Horror (1970) Edward Scissorhands (1990) El Dorado (1967) Election (1999) Exterminator 2 (1984) Free Willy (1993) Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995) Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997) Free Willy: Escape From Pirate’s Cove (2010) Friday the 13th – Part III (1982) Friday the 13th – Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984) Fright Night (1985) Gattaca (1997) Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) The Glass House (2001) Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) Hoosiers (1986) I Spit On Your Grave (2010) I Spit On Your Grave 2 (2013) I Spit On Your Grave 3 (2015) Internal Affairs (1990) The Interview (2014) Jacob’s Ladder (1990) Just Between Friends (1986) The Killer Elite (1975) Kiss the Girls (1997) The Last Castle (2001) Magic Mike (2012) The Manchurian Candidate (2004) The Mexican (2001) McLintock! (Producer’s Cut) (1963) Miss You Already (2015) Mommy (2015) Mosquito Squadron (1970) Mr. North (1988) Much Ado About Nothing (2013) New Year’s Eve (2011) Nixon (1995) Office Space (1999) The Omen (1976) The Patsy (1964) Phase IV (1974) The Possession (2012) Priest (2011) Raising Arizona (1987) The Ring (2002) Road to Perdition (2002) Salvador (1986) Secret Admirer (1985) Shaun The Sheep Movie (2015) Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Solace (2016) Stephen King’s It (1990) Sucker Punch (2011) Tears Of The Sun (2003) The Tenant (1976) Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005) Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys (2008) Under Fire (1983) Vantage Point (2008) Volcano (1997) The Wedding Plan (2016) The Wrestler (2008) The X-Files (1998)

September 2 Trolls: TrollsTopia: Complete Season 4 (Hulu Original) Death in Texas (2021) The Unthinkable (2021)

September 3 The D’Amelio Show: Complete Season 1 (Hulu Original) What We Do in the Shadows: Season 3 Premiere (FX) Bolden (2019) Undine (2021)

September 4 Flower (2017)

September 8       Wu-Tang: An American Saga: Season 2 Premiere (Hulu Original) La La Land (2016)

September 10      The Killing of Two Lovers (2020) Transporter 3 (2008)

September 11       High Ground (2021)

September 13       Y: The Last Man: Three-Episode Series Premiere (FX on Hulu) Colette (2018)

September 15      Dark Side of the Ring: Season 3A (Vice) Joseph: King Of Dreams (2000) Love, Simon (2018) Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)

September 16       The Premise: Series Premiere (FX on Hulu) Stalker (2021) On Chesil Beach (2018) Riders of Justice (2021)

September 18       Dark Side of Football: Complete Season 1 (Vice)

September 20       Grown Ups (2010)

September 21 9-1-1: Season 5 Premiere (FOX) The Big Leap: Series Premiere (FOX) Dancing with the Stars: Season 20 Premiere (ABC) Ordinary Joe: Series Premiere (NBC) The Voice: Season 21 Premiere (NBC)

September 22 New Amsterdam: Season 4 Premiere (NBC) Our Kind of People: Series Premiere (FOX) The Resident: Season 5 Premiere (FOX)

September 23 A Million Little Things: Season 4 Premiere (ABC) Alter Ego: Series Premiere (FOX) Chicago Fire: Season 10 Premiere (NBC) Chicago Med: Season 7 Premiere (NBC) Chicago P.D.: Season 9 Premiere (NBC) The Conners: Season 4 Premiere (ABC) The Goldbergs: Season 9 Premiere (ABC) Home Economics: Season 2 Premiere (ABC) The Masked Singer: Season 6 Premiere (FOX) The Wonder Years: Series Premiere (ABC) The Eric Andre Show: Complete Season 5 (Turner Networks) Funhouse (2021)

September 24 Law & Order: Organized Crime: Season 2 Premiere (NBC) Law & Order: SVU: Season 23 Premiere (NBC) An American Haunting (2006)

September 25 Gemini (2018)

September 27 Bob’s Burgers: Season 12 Premiere (FOX) Celebrity Wheel of Fortune: Season 2 Premiere (ABC) Family Guy: Season 20 Premiere (FOX) The Great North: Season 2 Premiere (FOX) The Rookie: Season 4 Premiere (ABC) The Simpsons: Season 33 Premiere (FOX) Supermarket Sweep: Season 2 Premiere (ABC)

September 28 The Good Doctor: Season 4 Premiere (ABC) Felix and the Hidden Treasure (2021) Home Run (2013)

September 29 La Brea: Series Premiere (NBC) Minor Premise (2021)

September 30 New Order (2021)

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Leaving Hulu – September 2021

September 1 The Iron Lady (2011) Our Family Wedding (2009) Young Adult (2011)

September 2 Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2016)

September 23 An American Haunting (2006)

September 29 Destination Wedding (2018) Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006) Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) One For The Money (2012)

September 30 2012 (2009) 50/50 (2011) A Fish Called Wanda (1988) A Hard Day (2014) A Perfect Day (2006) The Adventures of Tintin (2011) Anaconda (1997) Anaconda 3: Offspring (2008) Anacondas: Trail Of Blood (2009) Angel Unchained (1970) The Assassin (2015) At the Earth’s Core (1976) Australia (2008) Bad Teacher (2011) Beasts Clawing At Straws (2020) Better Living Through Chemistry (2014) Big Fish (2003) Black And White (2000) BOY (2010) Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) Breakdown (1997) Bruno (2009) Bull Durham (1988) Burning (2018) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Caddyshack (1980) Caddyshack II (1988) Cannon For Cordoba (1970) Cellar Dweller (1988) Charles and Diana: 1983 (2020) Charlotte’s Web (1973) The Chumscrubber (2005) The Condemned (2007) Contagion (2011) Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) Coyote Ugly (2000) Dangerous Minds (1995) Daredevil (2003) Desperate Measures (1998) Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018) Don’t Think Twice (2016) Dumb & Dumber (1994) Dumb And Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003) The Dunwich Horror (1970) Eliminators (2016) Exterminator 2 (1984) Fired Up! (2009) Foxfire (1996) Fred Claus (2007) Fright Night (1985) From Paris with Love (2010) Galaxy Quest (1999) Grandma (2015) Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) The Grudge (2004) Gundala (2019) Hard Romanticker (2011) Hideaway (1995) Himalaya (1991) House of the Dead (2003) House of the Dead 2 (2006) Housesitter (1992) I Do…Until I Don’t (2017) I Wish I Knew (2010) Ice Age (2002) In The Cut (2003) Indignation (2016) Intolerable Cruelty (2003) It’s Kind Of A Funny Story (2010) Jacob’s Ladder (1990) Johnny English (2003) Just Between Friends (1986) The Killer Elite (1975) Knowing (2009) Lady Vengeance (2005) Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018) Lost in Hong Kong (2015) Machines (2016) The Man From Nowhere (2010) Maximum Risk (1996) Mercury Rising (1998) Mosquito Squadron (1970) Mountains May Depart (2015) Mr. North (1988) The Nightingale (2013) Nixon (1995) Old Stone (2016) The Omen (1976) Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) Open Water (2004) Open Water 2: Adrift (2006) Places In The Heart (1984) The Polar Express (2004) Pop Aye (2017) R.L. Stine: Mostly Ghostly (2008) R.L. Stine’s Monsterville: The Cabinet Of Souls (2015) R.L. Stine’s Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? (2014) R.L. Stine’s Mostly Ghostly: One Night In Doom House (2016) R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It (2007) Raising Arizona (1987) Reno 911!: Miami: The Movie (2007) The Ring (2002) Rookie of the Year (1993) Salvador (1986) Scent of Green Papayas (1993) Secret Admirer (1985) Sk8 Dawg (2018) Sleeping With The Enemy (1991) Sleepwalkers (1992) The Soloist (2009) Somewhere (2010) Sorority Row (2009) Space Jam (1996) The Stepfather (2009) Sunshine (2005) Super Troopers (2002) Sweet Bean (2015) Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) Take Shelter (2011) Taken (2009) This Means War (2010) Thunderheart (1992) Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005) Tokyo Rising (2020) Tooth Fairy (2008) Train to Busan (2016) Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys (2008) Under Fire (1983) Universal Soldier (1992) Virtuosity (1995) The Wailing (2016) Whip It (2009) Wilde (1998) Wings Of Courage (1995) The Woman Who Left (2016) Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

The post Hulu New Releases: September 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3zxzW4W

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[f107group4]

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: Fireflies by Owl City

───────────────⚪───────────────────

◄◄⠀▐▐ ⠀►►⠀⠀ ⠀ 1:17 / 3:48 ⠀ ───○ 🔊⠀ ᴴᴰ ⚙ ❐ ⊏⊐

Can you believe that these glowing light in the waters are sea fireflies? Everything is indeed never as it seems.

I bet you were awestruck[cod]! 

 Now, these millions of sea fireflies would like to wave “Hi!” as you go through the blog and get to know the bioluminescent ostracods under genus Vargula. 

CLASSIFICATION

          Kingdom: Animalia  

                Subkingdom: Bilateria                

                   Infrakingdom: Protostomia    

                      Superphylum: Ecdysozoa    

                         Phylum: Arthropoda    

                            Subphylum: Crustacea  

                               Class: Ostracoda          

                                  Subclass: Myodocopa            

                                     Order: Myodocopida

                                        Suborder: Myodocopina  

                                           Superfamily: Cypridinoidea        

                                              Family: Cypridinidae  

                                                 Genus: Vargula

                                                       Species Name: Vargula annecohenae

(ITIS nd ; Cohen and Morin, 2010)

BIOLOGY

Cod you see me?

Ostracods can be found in basically every aquatic environment ranging from marine, freshwater, and estuarine habitats. These organisms are either swimming in the surface waters or crawling on the sea bed and moist land. Their distribution depends on their adaptations to environmental parameters, mainly salinity and water temperature. Vargula species inhabit the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea coastal landmasses (Wilkinson, 1996; Ogoh & Ohmiya, 2005). 

Although they are everywhere, ostracods rarely grow to a few millimeters long; small but (Pechenik, 2015). A single organism can’t be easily seen unless we look closely. Still, they’re small but widespread. 

What do you mistake me as?

Ostracoda is an ancient group of crustaceans. Surprised? 

The unsegmented external feature separates them from other crustaceans (Pechenik, 2015). Besides this, they resemble bivalves by having their entire body laterally enclosed inside a pair of partially calcified carapace or shells held by adductor muscles, even during early development; hence, the common name — mussel shrimp (Moore, 2006). 

They are also similar to branchiopods Conchostraca (clam shrimps) such as water fleas, but the appendages, lack of growth rings, and smooth swimming of mussel shrimps gave it away. Another feature that differentiates both is the carapace formation. Clam shrimps add material to their carapace as they grow, while mussel shrimps shed their carapace with each molt (UC Museum of Paleontology, 1995). 

Mussel shrimps are mostly head which means that the other body parts are greatly reduced. Their trunk is merged to the head. Usually, they have seven pairs of appendages adapted for locomotion, grasping, feeding, cleaning the carapace, or as sense organs. Vargula uses two pairs of antennae for swimming, some species only utilize one pair or the other. Notably, they have setae or tiny hairs protruding through the carapace pores that function for sensory mechanisms (Wilkinson, 1996;  Pechenik, 2015). 

A light show to remember

Bioluminescence is often used, but only by males of the species V. annecohenae, for mating displays. Males of each species, like fireflies on land, use distinct patterns of light flashes (seen as a series of dots) that only attract females of the same species. By performing brief dances in which they release short bursts of light as they pass towards the surface of the water, males show off just how sparkling they can be. They start their "dance," which lasts 45 minutes on average, with a stationary period in which brief (second-long or shorter) flashes of bright blue light are produced, attracting the interest of possible female mates. Then in the next process, males spiral up the water column vertically, producing quicker light bursts that are less bright (Gonzales, 2017). 

(Courtesy of Gretchen Gerrish)

We compete to procreate

The male grabs onto his newfound partner with his antennae if a male is successful and an interested female arrives, and the pair will mate. Competition is intense, sometimes a woman's attention is won by the brightest male, but males can also impress by synchronizing their lighting display with other males or creeping up and taking a mate from another male (Gonzales,2017).

Life cycle

V. annecohenae has a long life cycle of up to about 1 year. It typically develops slowly for 3 months before adulthood. It has several broods of a few offspring numbering between 10-15, and has no free-living larval stage (Gerrish and Morin, 2008).

Five juvenile instars constitute the life cycle of Photeros annecohenae The life cycle of an ostracod in the genus Vargula (now Photeros) are divided by molts (that occur by the ecdysis) as well as an adult instar that is followed by a final molt (Gerrish and Morin, 2008).

The total growth period of ostracod eggs and embryos in females was 26 days, with an average of 7.84 days for the interval between mating and brood deposition, and an average of 18.4 days for the eventual release from the brood chamber. Eggs initially become evident within the female's body during development. While inside the mother's body, eggs increase in size but exhibit no other noticeable morphological changes. Females discharge fertilized embryos as translucent, spheroidal, or ovoidal masses into the marsupium or brood chamber (Gerrish and Morin, 2008). 

(a) One egg of this female has been released into the marsupium and the four remaining eggs are visible in the female ovary. (b) The eggs are extruded into a marsupial brood pouch after 7-8 days. Each egg consists of a large yolk mass at this stage, and the cells inside are barely visible. C) Cell division has created a defined, cloudy cellular mass that fills the egg by day nine in the brood pouch. D) The first apparent structures include the naupliar eye, a red speck, and the intestine as the embryo develops its organs. E) The embryos appear as A-V instars with a large brown eye spot and a fully developed and functioning light organ just before release (Gerrish and Morin, 2008). 

 I have a sperm bank?

Female V. annecohenae can produce several broods without male re-exposure. suggesting that sperm is stored between broods (Gerrish and Morin, 2008).

 I’m a natural

15-17 days after a previous cohort was released new broods can be formed (Gerrish and Morin, 2008).

ECOLOGY

Ostracods are considered to be useful paleoenvironmental indicators because their ecology is often reflected in the shape and structure of their carapaces and also considering their wide distribution in aquatic environments. They can range from warm waters of the tropics to very cold environments such as polar seas and are found from intertidal zones to many thousands of meters depth in the deep sea. They can also thrive in freshwater niches such as rivers, lakes, and even temporary ponds (Brandão & Karanovic, 2020). Generally, ostracods are characterized as omnivorous scavengers because they mainly feed on tiny organisms like algae, diatoms, bacteria, molds, and pieces of organic detritus that are present in the water or on vegetation. Some ostracods are also predatory. Being relatively smaller, they attack their prey in groups so that they can eat organisms larger than them. However, ostracods are also often preyed by small fishes (MESA, 2020).

Freshwater ostracods usually have smooth, thin, weakly calcified simple bean-shaped carapaces and feed on diatoms, bacteria, and detritus. On the other hand, pelagic ostracods may also have thin, smooth shells but they have long powerful swimming appendages or antennules. The formation of rostral incisures at the anterior of the carapace of pelagic ostracods allowed freer movement of these appendages. Furthermore, benthic ostracods are commonly detritivores or filter feeders. Their carapace is usually smooth, small, robust, and sometimes elongated because they tend to burrow into the substrate. Epifaunal ostracods have flattened ventral surfaces sometimes with projecting alar wings, frills, keels, or lateral spines while those found on coarser substrates in higher energy environments tend to have more robust heavily ribbed or reticulated carapaces (Olney, 2002).

RELATIONSHIP TO HUMANS

Generally, ostracods are useful for scientific purposes. According to Boomer et al. (2013), ostracods are being used in studies of earth science and related disciplines such as archaeology, ecology, and genetics. This is because ostracods are widely distributed and are easily preservable. Their assemblage and morphology are some of the important ecological proxies. For instance, in recent research conducted by McCormack et al. (2018) wherein ostracods are being used as a bioindicator. Their research has shown the sensitivity of ostracods’ faunal assemblage (Candona sp.) to changes in water salinity and alkalinity in Lake Van.

Next, valves of ostracods are also being used in paleoenvironmental studies. Valves of ostracods are said to absorb trace elements from host waters (Palacios-Fest et al., 1994). This characteristic makes these microcrustaceans ideal models for reconstructing and analyzing past environments that could range from deep-seas to small lakes. Aside from this, the diversity and variety of reproductive modes of ostracods are also one of the main reasons why they are being used as model organisms for laboratory and research studies (Martens & Hornes, 2009).

Moreover, laboratories have started culturing bioluminescent ostracods. The culture of these organisms is done to determine the biosynthetic pathways of bioluminescent substrates that could lead to the discovery of new tools for biotechnology and biomedicine. For instance, in the study conducted by Goodheart et al. (2019) wherein they cultured California Sea Firefly (V. tsuji) for studies regarding the biosynthetic pathway of cypridinid luciferin and genomic manipulation of an autogenic bioluminescent system.

Serve the Teaaaaa!

The T in Osctracod means Teaaaaa! 5 amazing facts you need to know about ostracods.

1. OLD BUT GOLD

Colymbosathon ecplecticos, a species of ostracod, holds the record of oldest known fossil penis. The historical penis was discovered from a 425 million-year-old rock in England. It was said that a wide variety of animals living in the sea 425 million years ago were killed by an ash fall from a volcanic eruption. However, the ash preserved the animals, including their soft parts. Through technology, the painstaking 3-D reconstructions of a preserved male ostracod revealed amazing details such as the hairs on limbs, gills, and a penis.

2. LIGHT IT UP LIKE A DYNAMITE

Some species of Myodocopida ostracods produce a bright blue light. These are known in Japan as Umi-Hotaru or sea-fireflies. The light is produced by mixing two chemicals together in the presence of oxygen and is for mating displays. Each species flash at different rates to stop any confusion in the dark. Japanese army collected Umi-Hotaru in baited traps during the Second World War. They dry them out and ground them down to a powder. Adding a small amount of water to the powder produces a low-intensity light used by soldiers to read orders or maps without giving their position away to the enemy during battles.   

3. ULTIMATE SURVIVOR

Ostracods can survive being eaten by fish. Experiments with the ostracod Cypridopsis vidua showed that 26% of specimens eaten by small bluegill sunfish came out the other end alive and unharmed. This is possible because ostracods can close their shells very tightly inside their carapace to survive passage through the gut of the fish eventually to be excreted out by the fish.

4. OSTRACODS ARE OMNIPRESENT

Ostracods are found in almost every aquatic habitat, even in some very small and isolated places. They are found deep in the sea, on the shore, on wet leaf litters, springs, groundwaters, puddles, small pools, rice fields, ponds, lakes, and rivers. Some species have a global distribution and are found from the subarctic to the tropics. Their dispersal abilities caused this massive distribution of ostracods. For example, the eggs and adults can hitch a lift on the feet of birds and are displaced because of migration.

5. WE DON’T DIE, JUST DRY

The ostracod eggs can be viable many years after being dried. This is the reason why many freshwater ostracods can be found in temporary water bodies, such as puddles and rice fields. These eggs start to develop and hatch when water is already available in their environment

References

Boomer, I., et al. (2003).  The Use of Ostracods in Palaeoenvironmental Studies, or What can you do with an Ostracod Shell? The Paleontological Society Papers. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1089332600002199

Brandão, S.N.; Karanovic, I. (2020). World Ostracoda Database. Accessed at http://www.marinespecies.org/ostracoda on 2020-11-15. doi:10.14284/364  

Cohen, A. C.; Morin, J. G. (2010). Two New Bioluminescent Ostracode Genera, Enewton And Photeros (Myodocopida: Cypridinidae), with Three New Species from Jamaica. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 30(1): 1-55., https://doi.org/10.1651/08-3075.1

Gonzales, M.R. (2017).  You Light Up My World! Smithsonian. https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/you-light-my-world

Goodheart, J., et al. (2019).  Laboratory culture of the California Sea Firefly Vargula tsujii (Ostracoda: Cypridinidae): Developing a model system for the evolution of marine bioluminescence. Research Gate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334600678_Laboratory_culture_of_the_California_Sea_Firefly_Vargula_tsujii_Ostracoda_Cypridinidae_Developing_a_model_system_for_the_evolution_of_marine_bioluminescence

Gretchen A. Gerrish, James G. Morin, Life Cycle of a Bioluminescent Marine Ostracode, Vargula Annecohenae (Myodocopida: Cypridinidae), Journal of Crustacean Biology, Volume 28, Issue 4, 1 October 2008, Pages 669–674, https://doi.org/10.1651/07-2934.1

Horne, D. J. & Smith, R. J. (2004). First British record of Potamocypris humilis (Sars, 1924), a freshwater ostracod with a disjunct distribution in northern Europe and southern Africa. Bollettino della Societe Paleontologica Italiana, 43 (1-2), 297-306.  

Laessle, A. M. 1961. A micro-limnological study of Jamaican Bromeliads. Ecology, 42, 499-517. 

Martens, K., and Horne, D.J. (2009). Ostracoda. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012370626-3.00184-8

McCormack, J., et al. 2019.  Ostracods as ecological and isotopic indicators of lake water salinity changes: the Lake Van example.  Biogeosciences, 16, 2095–2114, 2019 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2095-2019

MESA. 2020. Ostracods. Marine Education Society of Australia. http://www.mesa.edu.au/crustaceans/crustaceans03.asp

Moore, J. (2006). An Introduction to the Invertebrates (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Morin, J. G. and Cohen, A. C. 1991. Bioluminescent displays, courtship, and reproduction in ostracodes. In R. Bauer and Martin, J. (Eds.), Crustacean Sexual Biology:1 16. New York:Columbia University Press. 

Ogoh, K. Ohmiya, Y. (2005). Biogeography of Luminous Marine Ostracod Driven Irreversibly by the Japan Current. Molecular Biology Evolution, 22(7):1543-1545. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msi155]

Olney, M. (2002). Ostracods. Microfossil image recovery and circulation for learning and education. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/GeolSci/micropal/ostracod.html

Palacios-Fest, M.R., et al. (1994).  Use of ostracodes as paleoenvironmental tools in the interpretation of ancient lacustrine records. Revista Espanola de Paleontologia 9(2):145-164. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291990499_Use_of_ostracodes_as_paleoenvironmental_tools_in_the_interpretation_of_ancient_lacustrine_records

Pechenik, J. A. (2015). Biology of Invertebrates (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Sars, G. O. 1895. On some South-African Entomostraca raised from dried mud. Skrifter i Videnskabs-selskabet. I. Mathematisk-Naturvidenskabs Klasse 1895 (8): 1-56.  

Sars, G. O. 1896. On some west Australian Entomostraca raised from dried sand. Arch. Math. Naturv. 18, 1-35.

Seidel, B. 1989. Phoresis of Cyclocypris ovum (Jurine) (Ostracoda, Podocopida, Cyprididae) on Bombina variegata (L.) (Anura, Amphibia) and Triruris vulgaris (L.) (Urodela, Amphibia). Crustaceana 57, 171-176.  

Siveter, D. J., Sutton, M. D., Briggs, D. E. G. & Siveter, D. J. 2003. An ostracod crustacean with soft parts from the Lower Silurian. Science, 302, 1749 - 1751.

UC Museum of Paleontology. (1995).  Introduction to the Ostracoda. https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/maxillopoda/ostracoda.html

#bioluminescence #seafirefly #ostracods #microcrustaceans

[dancinginmovies3]

0:04 - Little Women (1994)

0:07 - The Last Dragon (1985)

0:10 - The Big Chill (1983)

0:14 - Twins (1988)

0:16 - Clue (1985)

0:20 - The Muppet Movie (1979)

0:22 - Treasure Planet (2002)

0:24 - Lilo & Stitch (2002)

0:28 - Kick-Ass (2010)

0:30 - The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

0:32 - Thunder Road (2018)

0:35 - Daisies (1966)

0:38 - The Farewell (2019)

0:41 - Birds of Prey (2020)

0:44 - Bad Education (2019)

0:49 - The Wrestler (2008)

0:52 - They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969)

0:59 - Dracula (1992)

1:03 - Harold and Maude (1971)

1:07 - Cast Away (2000)

1:09 - Philadelphia (1993)

1:11 - Addams Family Values (1993)

1:13 - Emma. (2020)

1:15 - Sweet Charity (1969)

1:16 - A Star Is Born (1954)

1:19 - Joker (2019)

1:21 - Perfect Blue (1997)

1:24 - Four Lions (2010)

1:28 - The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

1:30 - High and Low (1963)

1:32 - Da 5 Bloods (2020)

1:36 - The Lure (2015)

1:40 - Cold War (2018)

1:43 - The Skeleton Twins (2014)

1:46 - Sorry to Bother You (2018)

1:49 - Empire Records (1995)

1:51 - The Hunters (1996)

1:54 - Duck Soup (1933)

1:56 - Jojo Rabbit (2019)

2:00 - Pennies from Heaven (1981)

2:04 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

2:10 - Night Is Short, Walk on Girl (2017)

2:11 - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)

2:13 - Palm Springs (2020)

2:17 - Ikiru (1952)

2:19 - Sátántangó (1994)

2:21 - Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

2:25 - Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

2:27 - After Hours (1985)

2:28 - A Hidden Life (2019)

2:30 - RockNRolla (2008)

2:32 - The Boat That Rocked (2009)

2:34 - Iron Man 2 (2010)

2:35 - The Princess and the Frog (2009)

2:38 - The Rules of Attraction (2002)

2:40 - Suspiria (1977)

2:43 - A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

2:45 - Raw (2016)

2:48 - Apocalypse Now (1979)

2:51 - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

2:53 - Nocturama (2016)

2:55 - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

2:57 - Ingrid Goes West (2017)

2:58 - Carlito’s Way (1993)

3:00 - To Sir, with Love (1967)

3:03 - Jackass Number Two (2006)

3:06 - Modern Times (1936)

3:09 - The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)

3:12 - Midsommar (2019)

3:14 - Paddington 2 (2017)

3:16 - Another Round (2020)

3:18 - Mountains May Depart (2015)

3:21 - Silent Movie (1976)

3:23 - Honey, I Shrunk the Kid (1981)

3:25 - And Then We Danced (2019)

[beansonbread2]

BEANSONBREAD AWARDS 2020 - BEST SONG

AWARD NO.3 - BEST SONG OF 2020

PAST WINNERS

2019 > Weyes Blood ‘Andromeda’ (see full list HERE)

2018 > Let’s Eat Grandma ‘It’s Not Just Me’ (see full list HERE)

2017 > Richard Dawson ‘Ogre’ (see full list HERE)

2016 > Solange ‘Cranes In the Sky’ (see full list HERE)

2015 > Kendrick Lamar ‘The Blacker The Berry’ (see full list HERE)

2014 > FKA Twigs ‘Two Weeks’ (see full list HERE)

2013 > Oliver Wilde ‘Perrett’s Brook’ (see full list HERE)

2010 > Untold ‘Stop What You’re Doing (James Blake Remix) (see full list HERE)

2009 > Joker - ‘Digidesign’ (see full list HERE)

2008 > Lil’ Wayne - ‘A Milli’ (see full list HERE)

2007 > Panda Bear - ‘Bros’ (see full list HERE)

2006 > Hot Chip - ‘Over And Over’ (see full list HERE)

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RULES - A maximum of THREE tracks from any one artist. Songs can be tied in the same position.

-

*SPOTIFY PLAYLIST WITH (ALMOST) ALL THE TRACKS*

-

THE RUNNERS UP (in alphabetical order)..

100 Gecs, Count Baldor, GFOTY ‘Stupid Horse (remix)’

645AR ‘Bible And A K’ 

A.G. Cook ‘Silver’ 

Alabaster DePlume ‘Whisky Story Time’

Amaarae ‘Hellz Angel’

Arca ‘Time’

Arlo Parks ‘Black Dog’

Ashnikko ‘Daisy’

Blackpink & Selena Gomez ‘Ice Cream’

Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion ‘WAP’

Caribou ‘New Jade’ / ‘Home’

CHAI ‘No More Cake’

Chloe x Halle ‘Do It’

Clipping ‘96 Neve Campbell’

Cornershop ‘St Marie Under Canon’ / ‘No Rock Save In Roll’

Crack Cloud ‘Favour Your Fortune’

Dan Deacon ‘Become A Mountain’ / ‘Sat By A Tree’

Darkstar ‘Jam’ 

Dean Blunt, Joanne Robertson, Vegyn ‘Troll’

Deerhoof ‘Future Teenage Cave Artists’ / ‘Sympathy For The Baby Boo’

Dirty Projectors ‘Overlord’

DJ Douggpound ‘Creamed Popcorn On The Cob’ 

Dorian Electra ‘Sorry Bro (I Love You)’

Doves ‘Prisoners’

Dry Cleaning ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’

Dua Lipa ‘Hallucinate’

Fenne Lily ‘Alapathy’ / ‘Solipsism’

Fiona Apple ‘Shameika’

FLOHIO ‘Unveiled’

Gerard Black, Rozi Plain, Jamie Whitby-Coles 'Beiggy'

Giant Swan ‘Silkworm’

Good Sad Happy Bad ‘Blessed’ / ‘Star’

The Go! Team ‘Cookie Scene’

Grimes ‘Delete Forever’

Gupi & Fraxiom ‘Thos Moser’

HAIM ‘The Steps’

Happy Spendy ‘Feelings 2’

Hen Ogledd ‘Trouble’

Hot Chip ‘Worlds Within Worlds’

Janelle Monae ‘Turntables’

Jane Weaver ‘The Revolution Of Super Visions’

Jay Electronica ‘Ghost Of Soulja Slim’ / ‘Shiny Suit Theory’

Jessy Lanza ‘Anyone Around’ / ‘Lick In Heaven’

Jpegmafia ‘Bald!’

Kayla Painter ‘Prey At Night’

Kelly Lee Owens ‘Arpeggi’ / ‘Melt!’

King Creosote ‘Susie Mullen’

King Krule ‘Stoned Again’

Lambchop ‘Reservations’

Laura Marling ‘Strange Girl’

The Lemon Twigs ‘The One’

LICE ‘Conveyor’ & ‘Arbiter’ 

Lil B ‘I’m Kanye’

Lil Uzi Vert ‘POP’

Little Simz ‘Might Bang, Might Not’

Magdalena Bay ‘Story’

Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu ‘Renegade Breakdown’

Michael ‘Sole Trader’

Mogwai ‘Dry Fantasy’

Moses Sumney ‘Virile’

Mumble Tide ‘Love Thing’

Nadine Shah ‘Club Cougar’

Noname ‘Song 33’

The Orielles ‘Space Samba (Disco Volador Theme)’

Oro Swimming Hour ‘Cold Tangerina’ / ‘Crocodile’

Park Hye Jin ‘Like This’

Pa Salieu ‘Betty’

Paula, Povoa, Jerge ‘Primavera’

Pet Shimmers ‘Thawed Out Plainclothes Demon’ / ‘Snake Eats A Lady’

Phoebe Bridgers ‘Garden Song’

Pictish Trail ’Bad Algebra’

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs ‘Reducer’ / ‘Rubbernecker’

Planet 1999 ‘Replay’

Planningtorock ‘Jam Fam - Chanel Show Version’

Poppy ‘Fill The Crown’

Pottery ‘Texas Drums Pt. I & II’

Pozi ‘Whitewashing’

Princess Nokia ‘Green Eggs & Ham’

Remi Wolf ‘Woo!’ / ‘Photo I.D’

Rico Nasty ‘IPHONE’

RMR ‘Rascal’

Run The Jewels ‘Yankee And The Brave (ep.4)’

SAULT ‘Stop Dem’ / ‘Wildfires’

Scalping ‘Deadlock’

Sega Bodega ‘Salv Goes To Hollywood’

Sleaford Mods ‘Mork n Mindy’

Soccer Mommy ‘Bloodstream’ / ‘Crawling In My Skin’

Spectres ‘Tanning The Albatross’ / ‘On Nepotism’

Sufjan Stevens ‘Video Game’

SZA (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) ‘Hit Different’

This Is The Kit ‘Coming To Get You Nowhere’ / ‘This Is What You Did’

Thundercat ‘Black Qualls’

Tierra Whack ‘Peppers and Onions’ & ‘Dora’

Tim Heidecker ‘Come Away With Me’

Tkay Maidza ‘Shook’ / ‘Grasshopper’

Urkt ‘Rich Now’ / ‘Sour’

Warm Digits (feat. Rozi Plain) ‘Everyone Nervous’

Wasuremono ‘Big Big Smiles’

The Weeknd ‘Blinding Lights’

Wesley Gonzalez ‘Wind Your Neck In’

Wharfwhit ‘Bangers’

Willie J Healey ‘Fashun’

Working Men’s Club ‘White Rooms And People’ / ‘Valleys’

Yard Act ‘Fixer Upper’ / ‘Peanuts’

Yves Tumor ‘Kerosene!’

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THE TOP 70 SONGS OF 2020

70. Black Midi ‘Sweater’

69. 645AR ‘Sum Bout U (feat. FKA Twigs)’

68. King Krule ‘Alone, Omen 3’

67. Savage Mansion ‘Weird Country’

66. Pet Shimmers ‘Madonna’s People’

65. Daniel Blumberg ‘Teethgritter’

64. Katy J Pearson ‘Take Back The Radio’

63. A.G. Cook ‘Oh Yeah’

62. Kelly Lee Owens (feat. John Cale) ‘Corner Of My Sky’

61. Moses Sumney ‘Me In 20 Years’

---

60. Alexia Avina ‘Fit Into’

59. Kero Kero Bonito ‘Fortune Teller’

58. The Avalanches feat. Blood Orange ‘We Will Always Love You’

57. Yaeji ‘Waking Up Down’

56. Black Country, New Road ‘Science Fair’

55. These New Puritans ‘The Mirage’

54. Clementine March ‘Le Continent’

53. Shygirl ‘Freak’ / ‘Leng’

52. Ed Dowie ‘Robot Joy Army’

51. Pa Salieu (feat. Mahalia) ‘Energy’

---

50. Office Hours (Tim Heidecker, Fred Armisen & Daniel Cupps) ‘Brick By Brick’

49. Gorillaz (feat. Peter Hook & Georgia) ‘Aries’

48. Amaarae ‘Fancy’

47. Alabaster DePlume ‘Visit Croatia’

46. Pictish Trail ‘Fear Anchor’

45. Yves Tumor ‘Gospel For A New Century’

44. Dean Blunt ‘As Long As Ropes Unravel Fake Rolex Will Travel’

43. Oneohtrix Point Never ‘I Don’t Love Me Anymore’

42. Thundercat ‘Dragonball Durag’

41. Kero Kero Bonito ‘It’s Bugsnax!’

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40. Perfume Genius ‘On The Floor’

39. Dua Lipa ‘Levitating’

38. Rina Sawayama ‘Comme Des Garcons (Like The Boys)’

37. Pozi ‘The Nightmare’

36. Jockstrap ‘Acid VAPOURWAVE rap RMX’

35. Magdalena Bay ‘Airplane’

34. Arca & Rosalia ‘KLK’

33. Squid ‘Sludge’

32. 100 Gecs feat. Charli XCX, Kero Kero Bonito, Rico Nasty ‘Ringtone (Remix)’

31. Bonnie Prince Billy ‘In Good Faith’

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30. Good Sad Happy Bad ‘Shades’

29. Charli XCX ‘Claws’ / ‘Forever’

28. Bill Callahan, Bonnie Prince Billy, Dead Rider ‘Our Anniversary’

27. Pictish Trail ‘Lead Balloon’

26. Jockstrap ‘The City’ 

25. Oneohtrix Point Never ‘Auto & Allo’

24. Katy J Pearson ‘Hey You’

23. Self Esteem ‘Favourite Problem (Alternative version)’

22. Tim Heidecker ‘Nothing’

21. SAULT ‘Free’

---

20. Moses Sumney ‘Cut Me’

19. Shygirl ‘Slime’

18. Charli XCX ‘7 Years’

17. Rina Sawayama ‘XS’

16. The Flaming Lips ‘Flowers Of Neptune 6’

15. Wesley Gonzalez ‘Change’

14. Perfume Genius ‘Describe’

13. Dorian Electra (feat. Village People & Pussy Riot) ‘My Agenda’

12. Crack Cloud ‘Ouster Stew’

11. The Flaming Lips ‘Will You Return/When You Come Down’

10. Dorian Electra ‘Gentleman’

9. Tim Heidecker ‘Property’

8. Tara Clerkin Trio ‘In The Room’

7. Planet 1999 ‘Party’

6. Phoebe Bridgers ‘Kyoto’

5. Laura Marling ‘Held Down’

4. Crack Cloud ‘Post Truth’

3. The Flaming Lips ‘At The Movies On Quaaludes’

2. Oneohtrix Point Never ‘Long Road Home’

1. Jockstrap ‘Acid’

#list #Awards #2020 awards

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus

By the USFWS, in the Public Domain 

Etymology: Naked Nostrils

First Described By: Wied-Neuwied, 1841

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Eufalconimorphae, Psittacopasserae, Passeriformes, Eupasseres, Passeri, Euoscines, Corvides, Corvoidea, Corvidae, Cyanocoracinae

Status: Extant, Vulnerable

Time and Place: From 1.8 million years ago through today, from the Calabrian of the Pleistocene through the Holocene 

Pinyon Jays are known from the Southwestern United States 

Physical Description: Pinyon Jays are beautiful, distinctive blue birds. They range from 26 to 29 centimeters in length, making them somewhat small Corvids. The males tend to weigh more than the females. They are a beautiful blue color, fairly uniform all over their bodies, though they do have white and blue striped throat pouches. They have beady black eyes and long, black beaks. These beaks are very pointed and sharp, and the nostrils on them are completely without feathers - hence the meaning of the genus name. The juveniles tend to be more grey and become blue as they get older. 

By Seabamirum, CC BY 2.0 

Diet: Pinyon Jays have evolved, specifically, to eat the seeds of Pinyon trees for food. These seeds are very heavy and not great for wind distribution, so they rely on animals to eat them and disperse them. As such, the Pinyon Jay fulfills this role. They’ll eat other seeds too, and supplement their diet with insects and other arthropods and grains.

By John Drummond 

Behavior: Pinyon Jays live in large, cooperative, synchronized flocks - of up to five hundred individuals - which move around their ecosystem together in search of their specialized food, usually gotten on the ground or in seed feeders. They make a wide variety of calls, probably more than fifteen of them, allowing them to coordinate their activities and recognize different individuals in the flock. The begging calls of juveniles are also unique per individual, allowing it to be clear to the adults who exactly needs food. These unique calls for each individual Pinyon Jay means that the individuals can recognize each other completely across these giant flocks. They make long, alarm calls that are combinations of other calls; and they can make very long rambling songs for twenty or more minutes at a time. These giant flocks will roam over large areas, moving nomadically in search of their favorite flocks. 

By Noah Strycker 

Pinyon Jays do cache food, allowing for seeds to be grabbed when needed during development, courtship, nest building, egg laying, and incubation. They’ll fly many miles in order to cache seeds, usually in the Fall, and they’ll rely on these cached seeds during the cold months. They will often move the seeds as well, in order to avoid theft from other birds. They’ll cache them in the ground, usually buried in dead needles and twigs - so don’t throw out or pick up such piles!!! Let your fall leaves lie on the ground!!! They will switch to caching in trees when the ground gets too hard to dig into. They remember the location of their caches for at least a week, though it is possible they can remember these locations for longer collectively as a flock. 

By Albert Linkowski 

These jays begin breeding in the early spring and continue through to autumn if food is particularly plentiful. They form monogamous pairs, possibly for their entire lives (at least as long as ten years), and they make nests together in very synchronized colonies as flocks. Previous children do help build nests, but it’s not as common as in other species. Both parents will build the nests out of a platform of sticks, with a middle layer of coarse grasses woven together, and the nest lined with finely shredded plants, feathers, and hair. They’ll usually place these nests in pine trees. The pair will lay between 2 and 5 eggs which are incubated by the female for two and a half weeks. Both parents will feed and take care of the chicks in the nest for three weeks. The fledglings then gather together in creches which are guarded by a few adults, as foraging resumes back to normal; the parents will return to their fledglings with food every hour. The young depend on their parents for two to three more months. They are then juveniles, learning from the rest of the flock for a few more years. Sometimes these juveniles will move to other flocks, but they usually stay with their parent flocks for their whole lives. Females will begin breeding at 2 years old, and males at 3 years, and they’ll create many broods throughout their lives. They can live for as long as 16 years, in the best of conditions. 

By Hal & Kirsten Snyder 

Ecosystem: Pinyon Jays stick to woodlands and forests where there are pinyon-juniper trees. They’ll also go to chaparral and scrub oak forests, as well as locations of ponderosa and Jeffrey pines. They can also be found in city and town gardens. Pinyon Jays are highly preyed upon, though their flocking and colonial nesting helps to protect them; they also use pinyon, juniper, and ponderosa pine trees for cover, and rarely stray too far from these sites unless needed to for caching and food storage. These birds also mob potential predators, such as Great Horned Owls, Sharp-Shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Red-Tailed Hawks, and Common Grey Foxes. They are also preyed upon by ravens, crows, Steller’s Jays, Abert’s Squirrels, Rock Squirrels, snakes, gray foxes, and domestic cats. Sometimes, these predators pull females from their nests while they’re incubating the young. 

By Seabamirum, CC BY 2.0 

Other: Pinyon Jays are extremely common birds in their range, but they have undergone extremely rapid population decline due to the loss of its specific woodland habitat. The pinyon-juniper woodland is decreasing due to drought and tree-related diseases. Unfortunately, Pinyon Jays are very nomadic and social, which makes estimating the exact population of these jays fairly difficult. They do use bird feeders in urban and suburban habitats, which means they may be able to get by as their habitat decreases. Interestingly enough, fossils of this bird are known from the last Ice Age, indicating that they did not evolve recently, but have been a fixture of the Southwestern United States for millions of years.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources Under the Cut 

Balda, Russell P.; Bateman, Gary C.; Foster, Gene F. (1972). "Flocking associates of the Pinyon Jay". Wilson Bulletin. 84 (1): 60–76.

Balda, Russell P. 1987. Avian impacts on pinyon-juniper woodlands. In: Everett, Richard L., compiler. Proceedings—pinyon-juniper conference; 1986 January 13–16; Reno, NV. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-215. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station: 525–533.

Barton, Andrew M. (1993). "Factors controlling plant distributions: drought, competition, and fire in montane pines in Arizona". Ecological Monographs. 63 (4): 367–397.

Bateman, Gary C. (1971). "Flocking and annual cycle of the pinyon jay, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus". The Condor. 73 (3): 287–302.

Bateman, Gary C.; Balda, Russell P. (1973). "Growth, development, and food habits of young pinon jays". Auk. 90 (1): 39–61.

Bednekoff, Peter A.; Balda, Russell P. (1996). "Social caching and observational spatial memory in pinyon jays". Behaviour. 133 (11–12): 807–826.

Clark, L.; Gabaldon, Diana J. (1979). "Nest desertion by the pinon jay". Auk. 96 (4): 796–798.

Cully, Jack F.; Ligon, J. David (2010). "Seasonality of Mobbing Intensity in the Pinyon Jay". Ethology. 71 (4): 333.

Emslie, S. D. 2004. The early and middle Pleistocene avifauna from Porcupine Cave. In A. D. Barnosky (ed.), Biodiversity response to climate change in the middle Pleistocene; the Porcupine Cave fauna from Colorado 127-140.

Gabaldon, D. J.; Balda, R. P. (1980). "Effects of age and experience on breeding success in pinon jays". American Zoologist. 20 (4): 787.

Gottfried, Gerald J. 1987. Regeneration of pinyon. In: Everett, Richard L., compiler. Proceedings—pinyon-juniper conference; 1986 January 13–16; Reno, NV. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-215. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station: 249–254.

Gottfried, Gerald J. 1999. Pinyon-juniper woodlands in the southwestern United States. In: Ffolliott, Peter F.; Ortega-Rubio, Alfredo, eds. Ecology and management of forests, woodlands, and shrublands in the dryland regions of the United States and Mexico: perspectives for the 21st century. Co-edition No. 1. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona; La Paz, Mexico: Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noroeste, SC; Flagstaff, AZ: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 53–67.

Lanner, Ronald M. (1981). The Pinon Pine: A Natural and Cultural History. University of Nevada Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-87417-066-5.

Leidolf, Andreas; Wolfe, Michael L.; Pendleton, Rosemary L. 2000. Bird communities of gamble oak: a descriptive analysis. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-48. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.

Ligon, J. David (1974). "Green cones of the piñon pine stimulate late summer breeding in the piñon jay". Nature. 250 (461): 80–2.

Marzluff, John M.; Russell P. Balda. 1988. Resource and climatic variability: influences on sociality of two southwestern corvids. In: Slobodchikoff, C. N., ed. The ecology of social behavior. [Publication location unknown]: Academic Press, Inc.: pp. 255–283.

Marzluff, John M.; Balda, Russell P. (1988). "The advantages of, and constraint forcing, mate fidelity in pinyon jays". Auk. 105 (2): 286–295.

Marzluff, J (1988). "Do pinyon jays alter nest placement based on prior experience?". Animal Behaviour. 36: 1.

Marzluff, J. M.; Balda, R. P. 1990. Pinyon jays: making the best of a bad situation by helping. In: Stacey, Peter B.; Koenig, Walter D., eds. Cooperative breeding in birds. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press: pp. 197–238.

Marzluff, J. M; Russel P. Balda (2010). The Pinyon Jay: Behavioral Ecology of a Colonial and Cooperative Corvid. London: T & AD Poyner. p. 39.

Marzluff, J. (2019). Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Short, Henry L.; McCulloch, Clay Y. 1977. Managing pinyon-juniper ranges for wildlife. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-47. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station.

Springfield, H. W. 1976. Characteristics and management of southwestern pinyon-juniper ranges: the status of our knowledge. Res. Pap. RM-160. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station.

Stotz, Nancy G.; Balda, Russell P. (1995). "Cache and recovery behavior of wild pinyon jays in northern Arizona". The Southwestern Naturalist. 40 (2): 180–184.

Stuart, John D. 1987. Fire history of an old-growth forest of Sequoia sempervirens (Taxodiaceae) forest in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California. Madrono. 34(2): 128–141.

Stuever, Mary C.; Hayden, John S. 1996. Plant associations (habitat types) of the forests and woodlands of Arizona and New Mexico. Final report: Contract R3-95-27. Placitas, NM: Seldom Seen Expeditions, Inc.

Tomback, Diana F.; Linhart, Yan B. (1990). "The evolution of bird-dispersed pines". Evolutionary Ecology. 4 (3): 185.

#Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus #Gymnorhinus #Pinyon Jay #Jay #Dinosaur #Bird #Birds #Corvid #Passeriform #Songbird #Perching Bird #Dinosaurs #Factfile #Palaeoblr #Birblr #North America #Quaternary #Songbird Saturday & Sunday #Granivore

[nothlits-archive]

tagged byyyy leo @lastvalyrian thank you friend

Name: gav

Nicknames: that is a nickname

Height: 5′5 (165cm)

Languages: i only speak english because i’m a stupid american

Favourite season: winter but to be fair i live in texas, so it’s like anywhere else’s summer

Favourite flower: sunflowers

Favourite scent: coconut-y smells and citrus

Favourite colour: purple

Favourite animals: rabbits, sloths, koalas

Favourite fictional character: oh god. okay. yuuki mishima, goro akechi, kurapika, barnaby brooks jr, ryuichi sakuma, prompto argentum, nagito komaeda, tobias animorphs. yes i see the pattern.

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate: coffee but cold

Average sleep hours: anywhere from 6-10 hours depending on my mental health and other factors

Dog or cat person: cats if i have to choose but i love rabbits the most 

Number of blankets you sleep with: i only sleep under one but i have uh. 4 of them on my bed because i prefer to nest

Dream trip: honestly moving out of this godforsaken house is the only trip i can envision right now. i’ve never really traveled and certainly never been on a vacation so i haven’t thought about it

Blog established: i’ve been on tumblr since 2010 but i think i made this specific blog in 2017

Number of followers: 280 and they’re all inactive

Random facts:  a gulper catfish can easily eat prey bigger than its own body

i’m not tagging anyone because i have like 3 mutuals. chase your bliss

[good-times-with-theo]

Black Gold (Chapter Three)

Sydney Boutique Hotel; Sydney, Australia, 3:39 A.M.

Another day, another dollar, as they said. Australia was so uncomfortable with wearing suits and ties, as according to the UN and the Commonwealth of Nations dress code, so the second he always got home, he changed into his usual outfits. The outfits consisted of shorts, t-shirts, and savannah hats. Boots and socks, occasionally. Of course, since he was still trying to find a house for himself, he had to live in a hotel room by himself. The Australian States, or his kids, were all grown up and had their own houses. Mainly because they had the chance to go to college at a young age, unlike their father, who had to fight in both World Wars before even considering university so he could get a well-paying job to support his kids. That was well over 70 years ago now, and here he was: a broke college student trying to find a home so he can stop living at this cursed hotel. Australia sat down on his couch and grabbed his phone, immediately getting a call that was rather coincidental to when he always grabbed his phone out. He answered the phone, only to be greeted by a scream and then the line going dead. “What in the bloody..?” Australia muttered, looking at his phone to see who the caller really was. He felt his heart drop to his stomach when he saw it was from his older brother, New Zealand. What had happened? Australia quickly changed before heading outside, only to find his brother surprisingly okay. “Zealand? What even happened?” Australia asked worriedly. “I heard a scream and--” New Zealand couldn’t help but chuckle. “Australia. That was my Halloween voicemail. Sorry about that.”

“You can’t scare me like that, mate! Do you know how terrified I was?!”

“Haha, yeah, I know. Sorry. I’ll change it. Anyway, we have to go to the Commonwealth of Nations building. Again.”

Australia sighed in annoyance. He didn’t even bother changing back into his suit, mainly because he knew that doing such a task would just delay him and his brother from getting there on time. He got into the passenger seat of his brother’s car, which was a 2010 Ford colored in navy blue that their father had given New Zealand.

Commonwealth of Nations, London, United Kingdom; 7:19 P.M.

After a long drive to the airport, plus a 23-hour long flight from Sydney to London, Australia and New Zealand finally made it in time for the meeting. Of course, they had to stay with their parents until that Sunday, which meant that they would be in their childhood bedroom that they shared for about three to four whole days, plus today, making it five. “Ah, hello, Australia and New Zealand,” Brunei greeted them formally at the door. The two brothers greeted Brunei as they kept walking. Of course, due to Australia’s much taller height than his brother, he saw their father first. “What’s been going on?” Australia immediately asked. “Mom said that you left for London after America had a World War I bomb in his house, then you went missing for three days.” The UK sighed. “Yeah, I know. I went on a secret mission in Buenos Aires with Argentina to figure out certain fault lines. I just returned an hour ago, and now I have a meeting to attend despite my lack of sleep and energy,” the Brit replied, looking at his son.

“Well, what’s going on anyway? You know, with China and Southeast Asia?”

“It’s a long story. Basically, China’s power over the world has been increasing tensions within Asia, Europe, and even North and South America. Even Central America is starting to grow uneasy with China’s growing power. Though, little can be done to stop such a global superpower. The Middle East has been getting worse with the tensions, especially between Bangladesh and Pakistan. The two, once united as father and son, have been arguing due to India’s grip on Bangladesh. I’m sure you know of China’s intentions with the Philippines and North Korea. If not, then that’s a whole other story I’d rather not get into at the moment. In other words besides my own, the world is going on complete lockdown, and that’s all because of Russia and other OPEC members trying to gain Wyomingite oil for their own profits.”

Australia couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Though, China had the tightest grips on himself, his father, and Canada. The three had all been easily manipulated into thinking that China could do no wrong, even when he had been one of the reasons the Cold War even began back in the late 1940s. “Wow,” was all the Australian would say to such a situation. “Mr. UK, Mr. Australia,” Sri Lanka suddenly said to the two. “You’re both needed in Pakistan’s office immediately.” The two nodded, quickly walking to Pakistan’s office in the Middle Eastern section of the Asian Wing. They both hoped it was nothing serious, but who knows. They could both be in deep, deep trouble the second they enter that office.

After a 10-minute elevator ride from the Oceania and European Wings, the two swiftly made their way to Pakistan’s office, knocking on the door before entering. “Pakistan. You called us?” The UK asked firmly. “Yes, yes. Come in. The door isn’t locked,” Pakistan replied from the office. Australia walked in with his father. “What seems to be the issue?” Australia asked.

“Well, I called you two here specifically because of China’s tight, tight grip on us all. Firstly, with the UK. His grip on you is the tightest; always has been, always will be. If you disobey anything he says, your economy will collapse, and so will your nation.”

The UK visibly flinched at the thought. “I know. He also owns half of Australia’s land and helps with his economy as well, whilst he is merely your ally whom you have been having particularly horrid tension within recent years,” he said.

“I know, which is what I would like to acknowledge. His grip on Australia is almost as tight as yours, whilst his on me is hardly even considered a grip. Merely, I am just a puppet for his control. Australia must do everything China says, or else his economy will suffer greatly, but could possibly recover if Australia was forgiven by China for certain actions that he could possibly commit. For example, Australia could make propaganda about China’s communist government, which means that Australia is speaking out against a government that forbids such an act of treason against the Supreme Leader, or the dictator as many other democratic nations refer to them as. If that were to be the case of a situation, China could cut off all trade within Australia’s land, shut down factories, and stop network services, which could cause banks to close and many other tragic collapses in the government. The Australian stock market could collapse, and your own son would be in so much debt that he would never be able to pay it back,” Pakistan said.

Australia stepped a small bit closer to the UK. “Well, what about you?” Australia finally said with enough effort to speak once again. “What will happen if you disobey China?” “Simple,” Pakistan replied. “I will be executed in front of my daughters, Islamabad and Karachi, and my daughters will suffer greatly because of my own actions that were intended to be against China himself, or his government. I do not wish to die in front of my young daughters when even they cannot grasp the idea of death nor grief at such a young age.”

The UK sighed. “We need to deal with China before it’s too late. He could go to America next or even France. He could even reach U.S cities and states,” he said firmly. “He already has,” Australia replied quietly. “Georgia and a few other U.S States rely on China to live. He is their best trading partner. I mean, it’s better than who Louisiana trades with.”

“Who does that boy trade with?” The UK asked hesitantly.

“Saudi Arabia. One of the worst countries ever. He only asks for sand and weapons, which Louisiana, along with Uncle Scotland and a few others, are struggling to keep as their main exports to Saudi Arabia. Especially now since Riyadh, who is Saudi’s son, is now in charge whilst his father is in custody,” Australia answered. Now, it was up to those three to lead a revolution, whether they died in it, or died after it. They needed to break China’s control.

This is only because China is the reason as to why families are being ripped apart, why children are becoming orphans like Riyadh, and even why brothers and sisters are betraying one another for land, just like China had done to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War.

It was their job to either save the world or let everyone become puppets to China.

Cape Town, South Africa; 5:24 P.M.

Even African countries had fallen prey to China’s manipulation. Well, most of them except for a few others. South Africa was one of them. He was the most famous of the African continent and knew exactly why. Though, he hardly spoke and had a rather formal nature to him, possibly because of the British influence on his country. “Greetings, South Africa!” Egypt said proudly, taking a formal bow to the man. “I’m sure you have heard of recent news involving our dear neighbors in the Middle East; Pakistan if I may specify.” South Africa looked up from his work. “Let me guess: China’s taken control again and is causing tension within Southeast Asia and the rest of the world?” He asked in a formal tone. “Good guess! A correct one indeed, Sir!” Egypt replied happily. “Well, I have come to inform you that the United Nations leaders have called you and Somalia to represent all of Africa. Of course, I envy you, but I do not wish to cause sabotage upon you nor our dear Somalian friend!” The two countries suddenly heard a car rolling up in the driveway. Somalia’s car. “Ah! Speaking of our Somalian buddy!” Egypt said with a bright smile, going to the door and letting Somalia in with a bow. “Greetings, Somalia, sir!” Egypt said proudly. Somalia just nodded and went to South Africa. “Hey. I’m sure our messenger here told you about the recent news and the calling of our presence for the representation of the entire continent, right?” Somalia said formally. South Africa nodded. “How will we represent 54 total countries on a supercontinent, though? All of them have different opinions, different claims, and even different ideologies,” he said. Somalia sighed. “I’m not sure,” he replied quietly. “We could ask all of them about the current situation and see which decision has the most. In that case, then we go with that.” South Africa got a pen, paper, and a clipboard. He quickly put the piece of paper on the clipboard and held his pen in his hand. “That’s the best option we have,” he said. “Egypt!” The South African said firmly. Egypt looked up from getting the mail. “Get one of the cars. One of the business ones. I’m sure you know which airport to take us to by now,” South Africa commanded. Egypt nodded, swiftly going out to the garage with a pair of car keys. After a few more minutes, the car that was perfect to arrive at the airport was in their driveway with South Africa and Somalia entering. Now, they had a long drive ahead of them to the nearest airport. A long, quiet drive with nothing but their thoughts.

Cape Town International Airport; 6:24 P.M.

The two countries were now waiting for their flight to Manhattan, New York, so they could attend the United Nations meeting they never thought would happen in their own lifetimes. “I can’t believe what’s going on… First, China’s manipulating everyone, now he’s causing nothing but tensions throughout the world? Soon enough, we’re gonna be hearing about Russia and North Korea’s relations strengthening into a global superpower relations rank,” Somalia said, looking at the news articles on his phone. “Yeah… It’s getting much, much worse ever since China’s population reached one billion,” South Africa replied. “And that’s mere because of the taxes in his own country. They’re high, and they’re giving him nothing but money to him and his government, yet he claims he cannot feed his own children nor his own brother. He also claims that the Hong Kong protests aren’t happening, even though protestors within his daughter’s own country have been getting beaten and arrested by Chinese police officers who work for China.” Somalia knew how serious the situation was getting, and what it could mean for the future of the world. Especially Africa. Most of the countries had some sort of trading route with China, but Somalia never knew if South Africa himself had ties with the communist. The PA System announced that their flight was boarding and the two stood up with their carry-on bags. “You got first class, right? I don’t want to be sitting next to a crying baby the entire flight,” Somalia said to his friend. “Of course I got first class. Who do you think I am, Central African Republic?” South Africa retorted, looking at Somalia. Somalia chuckled. “No, of course not. Besides, being rich is better than being poor. We can laugh in the faces of those poor imbeciles and watch their countries collapse into chaos, war, and even protests. Like Europe’s current condition,” the Somalian said, a proud grin on his face. South Africa fell silent as he boarded onto the plane. Sure, he was rich and kind of a snob, but that doesn’t mean he was rude and arrogant like many people thought he was. He always offered his help to the other countries of Africa, and even on other continents like Oceania and North America (even though North America didn’t really need his help anymore. Well, Mexico does but he prefers not to speak of it.) After they got situated on the flight, they were offered food and drinks, which the two politely declined for the first half of the flight. Oh, how they regretted it later. As they were flying over the Indian Ocean, they felt an unusual amount of turbulence. It caused people's carry-on bags to fall out of their compartments and spill all over the floor. “What’s happening?” Somalia asked nervously, looking at South Africa. “We have to jump out of this plane. It’s going down,” South Africa replied, only loud enough for Somalia to hear. Somalia was shocked as most people would be, but he nodded in agreement not a moment later, grabbing out the life jackets and raft from his carry-on bag. “I keep these on me at all times. I always come prepared,” Somalia said when South Africa looked at him weirdly. South Africa just nodded and they went to the back of the plane, opening the cargo door as some cargo fell into the Indian Ocean. “Push the life raft into the water after you get your life jacket on!” Somalia shouted over the roaring plane engines next to him and South Africa. They felt a jolt and the life raft suddenly fell out with Somalia still in it. “Somalia! Are you okay?” South Africa asked from the cargo door. “Yeah! I think,” Somalia replied. “Jump down! The boat’s drifting away too quickly for me to try and stop it with the ore!” Somalia then shouted up. South Africa took a running start and jumped into the life raft, landing on the boat safely. “Thank the Gods,” Somalia muttered. “You alright?” He then asked South Africa. “Yeah. I’m fine. What should we do now?”

“We wait until we see land. It’ll be a long, long drift to New York’s coast.”

“Okay. I understand.”

The two countries started their long journey to the United States coastal line. It would be a long, cold road ahead of them. But they had each other. For now.

Mexico City, Mexico; December 16th, 2019

Christmas was always hectic for Mexico. Of course, so was Mexico City, but that was normal for his capital. He had just gotten out of the local cafe shop when he was called by America. “Hola?” Mexico said as he answered. “USA, why are you calling me? Aren’t you busy with the current situation between you and OPEC?” America sighed. “I was, but then South Africa and Somalia washed up on New York’s shore. Now I have to take care of their injuries,” he replied.

“Let me guess; you called me so I could go over and take care of them while you deal with a possible third World War on your hands?”

“Yeah! That would be great! Could you come over right now if that’s possible?”

Mexico was a little concerned. He still had to finish wrapping gifts for his kids, and if he stopped, they could find them and it would no longer be a surprise. “USA, it’s almost Christmas! I cannot take care of them while I still have a family to care about!” Mexico said, clearly upset.

“Fine, fine, fine. When you’re done wrapping gifts, get over here. Or else I’m telling Argentina of what happened with you and Brazil,” America replied as he hung up. Mexico immediately knew he couldn’t let Argentina know how he actually broke his arm back in September. He quickly drove up to America’s border and got in, meeting America there.

“Wrapping gifts didn’t really seem that important after all, huh?”

“Oh shut it, you American idiot.”

Long Island, New York; 11:23 A.M.

“So what exactly happened? Do either of you remember anything?” Canada asked the two African countries. “I remember hearing that the plane was coming down, jumping out of the cargo door, and landing in this life raft,” Somalia replied. “Canadá, just give up already,” Mexico said, looking at the Canadian. “Somalia is the only one that can still be considered alive, whilst South Africa could die at any moment if we don’t get a blood transfusion in the next hour.” Canada just sighed, pulling a chair from the dining room table and sitting down, staring at the ground. “USA, you should call Switzerland. He’s the only doctor around for miles,” Greenland chimed in, looking at America. The American shrugged. “Does it look like I would have the number for that Swiss?” America said firmly.

“Well, isn’t he one of your closest allies, like that Italian?”

“What did you just say about Italy?!”

Canada grabbed America and made him sit down. “I know I have Switzerland’s number, so let me call him.” He then turned to America. “Don’t attack Greenland unless you wanna get on Denmark’s bad side. You know fully well how he can get if you attack his territory that is already beginning to melt because of your pollution.” He swiftly left the room, his snow boots clicking on the hallway floor as he dialed Switzerland’s number. “Hey, Switz? You got a moment or two?” The Canadian asked.

“Yes, why? Did America run out of medication?” Switzerland asked.

“No, no. America is fine. He’s been taking his BPD meds. It’s about South Africa. We found him and Somalia stranded on Long Island’s beach after New York called us, demanding we rush over there immediately.”

There was a moment of hesitation before Switzerland answered. “I’ll be right there,” he then said with a sigh. He then hung up.

Canada walked back out of the other room. “Switzerland is on his way. We can also assume that Austria might be brought over as well,” he said to the others. America visibly flinched at the mention of Austria, for Austria had been the person to approve of the oil heist. “I know you don’t want him to come, but I still want so save South Africa. He doesn’t deserve to die because of him trying to escape a crashing plane,” Canada then said. He then heard knocking and let Switzerland inside. “He’s upstairs in the guest room. Somalia is fine,” Mexico said to Switzerland, looking at him. Switzerland nodded, and Austria soon followed him upstairs. The Austrian felt America’s eyes on him the whole way. He was honestly nervous to be in the same house as someone whom he had tried to steal from. Now, they had to deal with not just the crisis, but two African countries found injured on American soil. That added more tension, and now European countries were beginning to get involved.

#country humans #countryhumans #countryhuman #ch #countryhumans mexico #countryhumans somalia #countryhumans south africa #countryhumans canada #countryhumans america #countryhumans switzerland #countryhumans austria #statehumans #statehumans new york #countryhumans egypt #countryhumans australia #countryhumans new zealand #countryhumans pakistan #countryhumans china #xountryhumans uk

[alexsmitposts]

When the Criminal Liars Shout, “Conspiracy Theory!” You Should Stick to the Facts Do you know who coined the curse, “conspiracy theory” or accusation, “you are conspiracy theorist!” – It was nobody less than the CIA in the 1950s, to silence those who saw through the lie of the Cold War against the Soviet Union. This was a complete lie by US war strategists, to install fear in the population in general and in Europeans in particular and to boost the American Military Industrial complex – and presenting a constant threat to the communist Soviet Union. A complementary phrase developed in the last years is “fake news” — people who are saying well-founded truths, are being accused of spreading “false news” – and that by the very media that spread the real false news and lies in the first place. A dystopian world indeed, and most of the public doesn’t capture it. The fear factor is always a crucial element in dividing people, and in corralling them into chambers of fear – which allows anything outside to happen – building up armament, faking an arms race – when there was none. The Soviet Union came out of WWII – where they lost between 25 and 30 million people to safe Europe and the world from fascism. But western history books have it, that it was the United States and her European allies, who foremost defeated Hitler. This false news is continuingly being propagated, last by the recent WWII Victory Celebration on 9 May 2020 – without any consideration of the key role of the Soviet Union – today’s Russia – in defeating the Hitler Nazis. After this enormous sacrifice, the Soviet Union had no intention nor the resources to build up an army to defeat the west – as was being propagated by the US and then being aped by Europe, hence justifying 40 years of a Cold War, based on FEAR. The Cold War destroyed the natural relationship (trade, diplomatic, cultural) between Europe and today’s Russia. Today, however, anybody who dares to remind the western media, politicians and friends of the real conqueror of Hitler, namely the Soviet Union – is a “conspiracy theorist” – or someone who spreads “false news”. The Corona Crisis The latest example of conspiracy galore, is the corona crisis. What is playing out in front of our eyes, a worldwide lockdown of everything, followed almost by every government of this globe with similar severity, quarantine, confinement at home for almost everyone under the “pretext” of protecting you – the people – from an invisible enemy – a corona virus. And every government KNOWS it is a disaster for the national and world economy – it is social suicide. Yet they go along – with the orders of whom? As most of us who look for our own sources of information, outside the mainstream dominated, government dictated or supported lies, data collection and statistics on COVID-19 infections, as well as death rates, are vastly inflated and willingly falsified, to increase the fear factor and prolong the all destructive lockdown. This horrendous cheat is not just actively practiced in the US, but also in Europe. A point in case is Italy Unless solid proof is presented, like by the Italian Member of Parliament and a number of medical doctors, virologists and microbiologists from Italy and other European countries, as well as the US, anybody who refers to the fakeness and unreliability of the statistic is called a conspiracy theorist — a liar. And in some countries people who tell the truth are even liable to fines and legal pursuit. These threats and conspiracy accusations should shut us up. But they don’t and won’t. We want the truth to come out and be known to the entire world. The World Economic Crisis We already now realize the damage of unheard proportions. In the first four months of this so-called, WHO-denominated pandemic, we see a global disaster of proportions far exceeding those of 1929-33 and 2008-09. Never in recorded human history has so much misery been created. Bankruptcies abound, the stock market plunged so far by more than 30% (with some ups and down – called “quick profit taking” by the rich and powerful on the back of the small investors), a meltdown of productive assets, easy prey to be bought by large corporations – unemployment soaring to heights never experienced before by modern humanity, currently at least 37 million Americans out of a job.This does not account for those having given up looking for a job or claiming unemployment. According to Fox Business News, up to 40% may never get back to work. The FED predicts unemployment may reach 50% by the end of the year (in the worst 1929 recession period unemployment attained 25%). These are only US statistics. The situation in more chaotic Europe may be even worse. The International Labor Office (ILO) announced that within months worldwide unemployment may hit 1.6 billion people, half the globes work force. Many of these people, especially in the Global South have already been at the verge of poverty or under the poverty line, living from day to day, with no savings. Now they are condemned to begging – and many, maybe hundreds of millions, to die from famine, according to the World Food Program (WFP). Many if not most of them have no access to health services, no shelter, or any other form of social safety nets, because the COVID-caused economic collapse has wiped out even flimsy social safety structures poor countries may have set up. Misery no end. And this is only the tiny tip of the iceberg. The worst is still to come – when in a few weeks or months a clearer picture of what industries will live or die will emerge – and more people will be relegated to economic paupers. The Real Conspiracy Taking a few steps back – it is clear, it is no coincidence that the entire world is stricken by the same virus. That does not happen naturally – but can happen, as it did, when the virus is artificially implanted in every country – and that at the same time. So, there is a diabolical plan behind this so-called corona-crisis which does not even have to be a crisis, if we look at real disease and death rates – not the inflated, fear-inspiring ones. So, who is behind this all? – Well, without naming names and leaving that guessing up to you, there are several reports and events that have “predicted” such a pandemic. One of the most prominent ones, is the 2010 Rockefeller report – that described in surprising detail what is happening now, and calls it the “Lock Step” scenario. According to the report it should get worse and the current pandemic might be followed by a stronger wave later this year or in 2021. Strangely, the IMF’s economic projections for a “post-Covid economy, foresees 3 scenarios, two of which consider another outbreak in the second half of 2020, or in 2021. Event 201 on 18 October 2019 in NYC, simulating among other atrocities a corona pandemic that would leave 65 million dead within 18 months. This was the final stroke before the planned outbreak. Let’s just say that the evil masterminds behind this monstrous crisis are a few very rich, power-thirsty psychopaths and their families and cronies. They are planning a One World Government, also called the New World Order, or the One World Order – that has been under preparation since the latter part of the last century. It requires total control over the population and- a sizable population reduction. That’s where the eugenics come in. Many of the Rockefeller club, the “Bilderberg Society” members have been advocating population reduction for decades, including Bill Gates. He even bragged about it when in a 2010 TED talk in Southern California, “Innovating to Zero”, he said, “when we do a real god job vaccinating, we may reduce world population by 10% to 15%.” . He wants to eliminate poverty, literally. However, talking about it, and connecting the dots of what we are living today – is Conspiracy Theory. Why are Bill Gates’ new corona vaccines possibly killer vaccines? – Here is how it works. The Gates Foundation first created the pharmaceutical company “Moderna” in Seattle, Washington State, not far from his Microsoft empire, basically to produce tailor-made vaccines for the Gates Foundation. Then the foundation gave US$ 20 million to Moderna for the development of a COVID vaccine. A few days ago, Moncef Slaoas resigned from Moderna’s Board to become White House Director of Operation Warp Speed, a plan to fast-track a COVID vaccine. Nobody seems to bother about the flagrant conflict of interest – let alone the health risk that poses. But it gets even better. The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), a little-known agency that is hardly in the news, had, according to Whitney Webb (Last American Vagabond) knowledge of the pandemic outbreak at least since last November, possibly earlier. This means that President Trump knew about it, but didn’t do anything about it, rather let it happen. His blaming China today for mishandling the corona crisis is a sheer lie and a propaganda bluff to denigrate China’s reputation and her rising economy and solid currency, the yuan – which may soon take over from the dollar as a key world reserve currency. DARPA is also financially supported by the Bill Gates Foundation. They have been working on new vaccine technologies for several years. The COVID-19 outbreak brought this research work to prominence. DARPA is closely collaborating with Bill Gates in applying this new technology to the vaccine, Bill Gates wants to develop and impose on the world population. According to Whitney Webb, DARPA and its partners agencies are planning to “produce DNA and RNA vaccines, classes of vaccine that has never been approved for human use in the US and involve injecting foreign genetic material into the human body. Notably, it is this very class of vaccine, now being produced by DARPA-partnered companies, that billionaire and global health “philanthropist” Bill Gates recently asserted has him “most excited”, relative to other Covid-19 vaccine candidates.”. This is not conspiracy theory; this is real conspiracy. This sounds like the kind of medical trials Hitler’s medical team has carried out. The perpetrators were condemned at Nuremberg. In our dystopian world, nobody will be punished, even if thousands or maybe hundreds of thousands will die from the Gates WHO-supported rush with an untested vaccine. Though, it would match the eugenics agenda. *** The so called (by WHO) COVID-19 “is the biggest scam ever perpetrated on the human race.” It is a multi-generational lie that has become a ‘false normal’, says Dr. Sherry Tenpenny, founder of the Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center. And as a piece of reference enhancing her reputation, she has 20 years of vaccine research experience and her articles are translated in 12 languages and she appears frequently on radio and TV to educate parents. “By putting vaccines into our bodies, we are inserting foreign matter, toxins, into our cells, like mercury and aluminum.” In legal terms vaccines are “unavoidably unsafe”. Through pharma lobbying, in 1986 Congress has passed the National Childhood Vaccine Children Act, a law whereby pharmaceutical companies cannot be sued for any damage their vaccines cause, including death. Vaccines have enormous side effects, especially in small children, causing various lasting diseases, like peanut allergies, asthma, eczema and – yes – autism. Particularly harmful vaccines are western-made MMR (measles), polio and DTP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough). Russian made vaccines have different compositions and have helped prevent millions from polio and other debilitating, crippling or killing diseases. Since 2002, when revenues from vaccines for US pharma companies amounted to about US$ 8 billion, revenues and profits have skyrocketed to more than 60 billion per year by 2020. Every new vaccine is worth about a billion dollars. Anybody who speaks out against vaccination, irrespective of the evidence given, is labeled a conspiracy theorist by the media, and often by the pharma-coopted medical society. People start understanding that Bill Gates and his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) call the shots on public health around the world, especially on vaccination – vaccination against the corona virus. The sinister new vaccine that Bill Gates in tandem with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), one of 27 agencies of the National Institute of Health (NIH), and supported by CDC and WHO – and in cooperation with DARPA – are described above. All Gates promoted vaccines are made by wester pharma-corporations. You should know, that the Bill Gates Foundation also generously funds NIAID, NIH and CDC. Both CDC and NIH own several hundred if not thousands of vaccine patents. So, they have a vested interest in promoting vaccination, no matter how much harm they cause to the population. But this cannot be questioned, let alone criticized – else you will be denigrated as a conspiracy theorist. In fact, western Governments hire psychologists, sociologist and medical doctors to give interviews and talk to the media, on conspiracy theories – in a last-ditch effort to dissuade people from thinking. And many still fall for the lie, but evermore stick to their own investigated information – and demonstrate and protest, often with civil disobedience, against harsh government measure of police -and often military crackdowns. They call out against Bill Gates and WHO, a corrupted organization that receives half to three quarters of its annual budget from private donors, mostly the pharma industry, Bill Gates, but also telecom-industries (that’s why WHO has been silent on the potentially nefarious effects of 5G). Bill Gates is the biggest single donor of WHO. Conflict of interest is never discussed in the media. Those who know the truth and don’t hesitate calling it out, are silenced by being called conspirators, liars by the media and – of course, by much of the medical community. In fact, Bill Gates literally calls the shots on matters of public health that affects the entire world. People – be aware! Also speaking out against vaccines and the lab produced viruses from which eventually vaccines are derived, is Dr. Judy Mikovits, a long-time NIAID micro-biologist, who has been severely punished by Dr. Fauci for defending her research results which Fauci wanted to hide. Her book, “Plague of Corruption” is currently Amazon’s number one Bestseller. That in itself tells a story of a public awakening. Referring to her and her numerous interviews, peer-reviewed scientific articles and her book, is called a conspiracy, because even her own outspokenness is called conspiracy – all in an effort to shut up critics of the current system, of the current new-normal that will soon require universal vaccination (Bill Gates with a sly smile wants to vaccinate 7 billion people in the next ten years). Will it be compulsory? Against most countries Constitutional and Democratic Rights? We don’t know. Seveb billion is a slight exaggeration, because Russia and China will certainly not vaccinate their people with vaccines produced under Bill Gates funding and supervision. But even if it is not compulsory, there may be so many “legal” hindrances put in place by western governments that most people eventually will roll over and accept the possibly killer vaccine that Bill Gates and his association of pharmaceuticals (GAVI) supported by WHO, will impose on humanity. For example, you may not be able to receive or renew your driver’s license, going to concerts, to the movies, to sports events, to fly – and so on. That’s all been talked about and is part of the 2010 Rockefeller Report’s ”Lock Step” scenario , in which we are currently hopelessly navigating – under lockdown and with social distancing’ – so nobody can get together and possibly organize a plot against these draconian inhuman measures. *** Robert F. Kennedy Jr., JFK’s, nephew, founder of “Children’s Health Defense” an NGO advocacy organization has this to say: “Bill Gates is the world’s largest vaccine producer and the single largest donor to WHO and the CDC Foundation. Those agencies are now marketing-arms for his vaccine empire. In January 2019, Gates had WHO declare “vaccine hesitancy” the top “global health threat” (with Ebola, cancer, war, and drug-resistant pathogens), signaling a worldwide Pharma Gold Rush to mandate vaccines to all people. Gates maxed-out in donations to Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff’s Political Action Committee (PAC). In February 2019, Schiff wrote to Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Pinterest, demanding they censor “vaccine misinformation, “a term meaning all skepticism toward government and industry pronouncements about vaccine safety or efficacy––whether true or not. – “Vaccines are both effective and safe,” Schiff wrote. “There is no evidence to suggest that vaccines cause life-threatening or disabling disease.” This was misinformation. A year earlier, Schiff pushed a bill to hike the Vaccine Court admin budget to $11,200,000 to reduce vaccine injury backlogs. The court had already paid out $4 billion for vaccine deaths and disabilities. Facebook and Pinterest said that they will rely on Gates’s WHO and CDC to say which on-line statements are “misinformation or hoaxes.” Facebook and Google hired “FactChecker” (Politifact) to censor vaccine misinformation. The Gates Foundation is “FactChecker’s” largest funder. In his article, “Fact Checker, a Propaganda Device,” investigative journalist Jeremy Hammond concludes, “Facebook is guilty of misinforming its users about vaccine safety… They have no problem with lies about vaccine safety and effectiveness, as long as it’s intended to persuade parents to vaccinate their children.” On May 4, 2017, FactChecker declared as false, Del Bigtree’s statement, “Vaccines include aluminum and mercury, which are neurotoxins, and vaccines cause encephalopathy.” FactChecker explained, “Current data show vaccines are safe and do not cause toxicity or encephalopathy.” [However], manufacturer’s inserts reveal that many vaccines contain aluminum and mercury, and cause encephalopathy. – Finally, massive gifts to NPR & PBS buy Gates biased vaccine coverage. This statement is from public media Highwire. “I’m (Robert Kennedy) not anti-vaccine. I’m against dangerous, shoddily tested, zero liability vaccines with toxic ingredients. If someone came up with a thoroughly tested vaccine that was completely safe and efficient, one that performed as promised, one that made people healthier rather than sicker, I’d be for it. – Indeed, only an idiot would oppose it. But under no condition, would I support mandatory vaccination. Government has no right to force citizens to take unwanted medicines or to submit to involuntary medical interventions.” And he adds: “Google is a vaccine company. It has a $760 million partnership with Glaxo-the world’s largest vaccine maker and similar deals with Sanofi and Merck to mine your medical information. Googles mother company, Alphabet, has 4 vaccines developers working on flu, and other, vaccines.” Google and Youtube are removing videos from highly experienced doctors, epidemiologists, biologists and virologists – censuring is also the new normal – but they are promoting a billionaire software developer and a 16 year old climate change “expert” about viruses and vaccines — what does that say for the media, for the governments that support and finance the media. The Strategy behind shouting Conspiracy – Conspiracy Theorist There is a lot of psychology behind the strategy – leading people to a state of cognitive dissonance, of believing a narrative they know is a fiction, meaning, you know there is something not quite right, but you don’t’ dare questioning it. Why? Because of being called a conspiracy theorist. And why does that matter? Because it is a demeaning term, robbing the accused of his credibility (well thought-out by the CIA in the 1950s). Somebody stamped as a conspiracy theorist, believing in conspiracy theories – in fake news, makes you a lesser person in your friends’ eyes. So, they may avoid you – and if you stick to your opinion, you may gradually move into isolation. Being isolated, no friends, is fear-provoking. So, better believe the official narrative. The silver lining around this dark cloud is ever more visible and ever brighter. Be self-assured. Don’t cave in. Stick to your own research, to your opinion, regardless of being insulted as a conspiracy theorist. Stand up for what you believe – and do it with passion. Other people also have doubts, and when they see people defending their believes with passion, they may join you. And so, a critical mass grows. And the conspiracy theory strategy loses rapidly power – and fades away. Fading is already visible throughout European and US cities, where tens of thousands take to the streets, defending their civil and human and Constitutional Rights. These are encouraging signs. Hope never fades – until “we shall overcome.”

[captainelliecomb]

AO3 Tag Game

I was tagged by the delightful @tall-wolf-of-tarth.

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

19 that are currently visible, a few that are waiting for fic exchange reveals.

2. What’s your current AO3 wordcount?

59,322 words, I assume in visible works only, not counting unrevealed fic, but I'm not going to double check the maths.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

12 revealed fandoms. I do love writing treats for fic exchanges and the broad spread of fandoms that brings about.

5 Original Work 3 Trials in Tainted Space (Video Game) 2 Avengers Grimm (2015) 1 Jupiter Ascending (2015) 1 Cinderella (1950) 1 A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms 1 Little Red Riding Hood (Fairy Tale) 1 Riverdale (TV 2017) 1 Game of Thrones (TV) 1 The Chronicles of Riddick Series 1 Tangled (2010) 1 Lynette Series - SouthernASMRSounds

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Breath and Blood, Original Work, Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply, Male Minotaur/Curious Female Historian Who's Surprisingly Into That Summary: Let the other historians have their gods, smooth, cold marble. Nora loves her work and this stone minotaur, rough and warm from her touch.

Run, Red, Run Away, Little Red Riding Hood, Explicit, Rape/Non-Con, Big Bad Wolf/Red Riding Hood, Red Riding Hood/Wolf Pack Summary: The great monstrous wolf allowed them to hunt in his forest and did not send creatures to devour them so long as every five years they provided him with a woman to be his prey.

There were rules around her: she had to be able to run and jump and climb; she had to be fully grown; she could not have a child; and she could not be a virgin. Over the years, the elders had built up the legend until the ritual was complicated, covered the sacrifice in glory so they would not fight, so their families would not, their lovers.

And always, always, her name was Red.

Punished, Original Work, Explicit, Rape/Non-Con, Male Dungeon Monsters/Servant Girl Thrown Into Dungeon as Punishment Summary: The minotaur found her first.

Let Me In, Let Me See You Win, ASOIAF, Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply, Jaime/Brienne Summary: Jaime was always careful when he touched her with desire. Not gentle, but careful.

Brienne thought she might not always want careful.

And if -- if -- she could trust anyone to show her, it would be him.

Plant Specimen: Unknown, Original Work, Explicit, Rape/Non-con, Tentacle Monster Looking for a Host for Their Eggs/Xenobotanist Summary: She knew better than to go poking around an unknown planet, she really did.

I am unsurprised by this. Breath and Blood went over very well, and it is one of my favourite things I've written. The Jaime/Brienne is my most recent fic, and I expect it to rise as time goes on. As for the others, my readers are often a bunch of perverts, and I love them.

The thing I love best about fic exchanges is writing a fic customised to the recipient whether or not it is something I would otherwise think to write, and I've had a rather wide range of prompts over the past few years. I quite enjoy it.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not.

I first answered yes, because I like conversations around fic, but I double checked and I actually have not! Nor have I really responded to authors who respond to my comments. Adding this to my list of things to do. I suppose I tend to focus the time I have to comment on commenting on fic as opposed to answering comments on my fic or responding to author responses, but I savour and appreciate each one I receive.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't know about angst, but the rape/non-con fics almost always have a bad ending for the main character by dint of their subject.

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

I would! I love crossovers and alternate universes. I haven't written a crossover yet, though.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No. I did once receive a comment that consisted only of telling me I should use "cum" instead of "come" in the fic. Much like "teats", there is no power in the universe that could convince me to use it.

9. Do you write smut?

Of those 19 fics, 3 are not rated mature or explicit for sex. Three. I love writing sex.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of. It would annoy me, but I'm not sure how I'd react otherwise.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I'm willing to try.

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Currently it is Jaime/Brienne, though I ship Brienne with a wide assortment of characters because I love her best, and she is my Little Black Dress character.

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Of my work on AO3, the Riverdale tv show.

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I love to reread my fic and don't generally have a favourite, but my current top three are probably Kisses Stolen or Given Freely (I loved writing Oberyn courting Brienne and Brienne finding acceptance in Dorne), Breath and Blood (sex and a statue brought to life through sex, blood, and breath magic was quite an adventure, and I love the result), and Lynette's Worst Christmas Pageant Ever (I never would have thought about writing fic for an ASMR series, but when it came up in conversation, I loved the idea, and writing it was a lot of fun. I wrote a primer for it, too, and that was also a good time).

This was rather fun! My takeaway is that as much as I enjoy writing fic for exchanges because I love writing fics customised for recipients (and I do enjoy it!), I really want to post more ASOIAF/Game of Thrones fic because it is my main fandom at the moment, and I'd like to contribute to it more.

I have several WIPs I want to finish and post. I have thousands of fics (which will break into hundreds of thousands of chapters, I imagine) to comment on in depth and the associated fic recs to write. I love reading the books for the first time and discussing with the Evenfall book club.

Short version: I love the Jaime/Brienne fandom in particular and many people in the broader ASOIAF/Game of Thrones fandom, and I want to give more to it, always.

I've been travelling even more than usual for work and am behind on my Tumblr reading (and everything else), so it's possible I'm tagging someone who has already done this, but I'll tag: @janiedean, @wackygoofball, and @catherineflowers29.

#about me #tagged and answered

[2cometom]

10 Reasons Why Cats Are Way Better Than Dogs

when things crop up sort of a 2017 study within the journal Society & Animals that shows human parents feel more empathy for puppies than they are doing for babies, it's hard to mention dogs haven't won the cat vs. dog debate… But, have they?

Cats, as anyone who has one, will tell you, are better than dogs in every conceivable way. They're softer, sweeter, and smarter. They're quieter and cleaner. They're masters of both the art of lazy lounging and therefore the one among skillful hunting (of rodents). Plus, once upon a time, we wont to revere them as gods. And this all is not just one cat lover's opinion—there's science and data to back it up. Yes, you'll have heard that dogs are man's best friends, but here are all of the explanations why cats actually bring much better pals.

1-Owning a cat might cause you to more intelligent.

Next time someone asks you to defend why cats are better than dogs, lob this fun little fact at them: Cat people are smarter than dog people. consistent with 2017 research published within the Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, self-identified cat lovers attended have higher intelligence than dog lovers do. (We are less outgoing, though.)

2-They splash less.

As a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University revealed in 2010, cats drink water much more efficiently than dogs do. When a cat takes a drink, its tongue doesn't actually pierce the water's surface; it forms a funnel that lifts water up for a splash-free drink, getting into four laps per second. A dog, on the opposite hand, will sloppily crash its tongue into the water bowl sort of a cannonball. It's scientific proof that cats rule and dogs drool—literally.

3-They're cheaper.

According to the Animal Humane Society, average adoption fees for kittens and cats start at $32 and may run as high as $270. For dogs and puppies, however, fees start at $115, but go all the high to $660! Adopting a cat is simply more cost-efficient.

4-They love humans quite food.

Over the years, cats have earned a nasty rap for being cold and distant. "They only love you because you feed them," dog owners often tell cat owners. There's also the persistent rumor that—were you to die—a cat wouldn't care in the least, and would, in fact, eat your deceased remains to survive. But research indicates all of this thinking is simply plain hooey. consistent with a 2017 study in Behavioural Processes, cats prefer human interaction to all or any other stimuli, including food, toys, and catnip. are you able to say an equivalent for dogs? we expect not.

5-Their love is more meaningful than a dog's.

Dogs, it often appears, love everyone. Cats, on the opposite hand, are more standoffish when meeting someone new. (Centuries of domesticity still can't eliminate the innate caution of a stealthy predator, it seems.) When a dog showers you in affection, it's going to be nice, but you recognize that everybody else is getting an equivalent treatment. When a cat warms up to you, though, you are feeling special and unique—like you've earned it. And, as we just learned from that Behavioural Processes study, no, it isn't simply because of the food.

6-They take up less space.

On average, Pets WebMD says a house cat will usually weigh around 10 pounds. Dogs, of course, have more variables—there are many different breeds—but, the American Kennel Club clocks a medium-sized dogs, on the average, at about 50 pounds. As far as who takes up more of your well-earned space, it isn't rocket science.

7-They live longer.

Need another big reason why cats are better than dogs? They live tons longer. In fact, Pet WebMD says a domesticated cat, on the average, will live anywhere from 10 to fifteen years. Dogs, on the opposite hand? counting on size, eight to 11.

8-They're not as smelly as dogs.

If you would like to conjure some instant revulsion, just consider the words "wet" and "dog." you recognize exactly what odious scent I'm talking about, and you recognize even as well that few things offend the olfactory nerves the maximum amount as the aroma of a humid dog. Cats don't ever reek like that.

9-They sleep tons.

Fact: Animals are at their cutest when asleep. And cats sleep anywhere from 12 to 16 hours per day, which suggests you've got quite half your waking hours to snap some serious aww-inducing Instagram pics. And, frankly, we should always take a note from this behavior because we could all stand to sleep a couple of hours more every day.

10-They're expert hunters.

Before you judge a cat's sleeping habits, know that these long hours are borne less out of laziness and more out of evolutionary coding. Cats are natural predators; unlike other mammals, who may have foraged for food, felines had to hunt, which meant spending large chunks of the day asleep, conserving energy to chase down their next meal. this is often also why much of that 12-to-16-hour period is spent during a light doze. Before domesticity came into play, felines had to sleep lightly, just in case prey—or a more dangerous predator—stepped on their turf. (That's also why we call a "catnap" a catnap.)

Their centuries-long history of hunting has carried into the fashionable day. consistent with a 2013 study published in Biological Conservation, domesticated house cats are liable for the deaths of two .9 billion rodents and birds per annum. this is often all to say: Your cat is essentially a terminator with fur, and we'd be overrun with rodents if not for his or her valiant effort to regulate the vermin population.

#cat #cats #animals #funny #fun #better #catlovers