#the vip area is the moot area

[magisland]

BTW HAPPY 64 FOLLOWERS ‼️‼️‼️ WOOHOOOOO YOU DESERVE ITTT 😜🫶🏼

THANK YOUUUU 🥹🥹 im throwing a party with all my followers hope see u there 🤪

#! ask lua #🍒 ✧ ˚. hani! #! talking with lua #the vip area is the moot area

[lalainajanes]

This completes column #2 on my bingo card, the square was “Eager Backstage Groupie”

Another Shot of Courage

 Saturday, May 1st, 8:16 AM

Caroline wakes up in an unfamiliar bed, in the little black dress she'd worn to Kat's birthday party, with a headache and a foul-tasting mouth. She's sprawled in the middle of a very large mattress, so the first thing Caroline does is explore. She stretches her arms out tentatively, expecting to poke someone (hopefully an unobjectionable someone) awake.

She appears to be alone, and Caroline relaxes into the fluffy pillows. She wiggles experimentally, satisfied when her bra and underwear dig into uncomfortable areas and gives in to the temptation to burrow under the duvet.

She just needs a minute to regret her life choices before she confronts them. Caroline sighs, stretches, and her fuzzy head begins to clear, memories sharpening.

And yikes.

Can she stay in her self-made blanket fort forever? A lot of her conduct last night had been highly irrational, some of it downright hypocritical. She is a public relations professional, highly sought after. Her clients pay many pretty pennies for her services.

Had she seriously mauled Klaus Mikaelson in one of the trendiest clubs in LA?

Caroline tugs down the blanket, intent on confirming her suspicions, allowing her to look around and study the room with new eyes.

There's a brick fireplace at the end of the bed, a wide armchair in front of it – not particularly revealing. Her eyes flick to the left. There's nothing, but dark curtains pulled tight over a wall of windows.

When she looks to the right, there's a smoking gun. Well, kind of. It's a drafting table, an easel, and shelves featuring paintbrushes, haphazardly stacked sketchbooks, and a bunch of other things that Caroline doesn't currently have the brainpower to identify.

She considers slipping out of bed and checking to see if those curtains cover any kind of door. She thinks it's logical to assume so. She's only been to Klaus' home a few times, tries to insist they meet at her office. She's never ventured far beyond the kitchen and living rooms, but it's a Spanish-style bungalow on a sprawling lot. Why wouldn't he have a walk out into the yard from his bedroom?

She discards the idea with some regret. Running away without a word is a coward's move and would probably backfire. Klaus is still her client, whatever psychosis had gripped Caroline last night, and it's not like she could dump him via email at this point. He's got a huge movie coming in three weeks, and they're flying to London tomorrow to begin the premiere tour. She could probably pass it on to another publicist, but she'd still be on the hook, would have to coordinate her plans long-distance.

Selfishly, Caroline hopes that's not necessary. She'd hate for someone else to reap the benefits of her hard work.

She heaves herself into a sitting position, wincing when her head throbs. Her stomach seems solid, with no hint of queasiness, so that's a plus. Caroline tosses the covers aside, shifts until her legs slide over the side of the bed. She catches a glimpse of herself in a mirror through the open closet door and cringes.

She'd done an excellent smoky eye last night, and it's migrated all over her face. She doesn't even want to consider how long it's going to take to detangle her hair. She decides she can wait a bit to hunt down Klaus, stepping forward and twisting the knob on the closed door. "Jackpot," Caroline mutters, walking into Klaus' bathroom. There's a stack of towels on the counter, and she figures it won't hurt to take a shower.

She'd had her tongue in his mouth and had apparently kicked him out of his bed, so what's one more presumption?

Friday, April 30th, 10:47 PM

In the VIP lounge Kat had rented, elevated above the main dance floor, Caroline waves away a shot of tequila. She'd had one during the birthday toast, wine at dinner. Had just ordered an overpriced cocktail. She's pleasantly tipsy but needs to pace herself because she can't get too drunk tonight.

Besides, Caroline and tequila have a complicated relationship.

Kat boos her, a few of the other girls joining in. Caroline laughs, "I know, I'm boring. I have a million things to do tomorrow to make sure I'm ready to live out of a suitcase for weeks."

Katherine scoffs, "Just make Klaus buy you anything you forget. What good is a guy who's hot for you and makes big fat superhero movie paychecks if he won't buy you pretty things?"

They've discussed this a bajillion times. Caroline has actually run away from this exact conversation, shouting nonsense syllables, with her fingers jammed in her ear, as if she and Katherine still fight over Barbies and who gets to wear dress-up trunk's best princess dress.

Caroline still can't resist arguing – it's a character flaw. "He's my client. That's it."

"Oh, please. Men in this town bone their clients all the time."

"That doesn't make it okay!"

Usually, this is the part where Katherine tries to convince her that Klaus is dying to be boned – her words, not Caroline's – but she gets distracted, squinting across the bar. Kat's lips curl, expression growing sly, "It appears my argument is moot."

Um, what? Katherine's literally never backed down from an argument in the twenty-plus years they've been friends. Puzzled, Caroline turns, trying to see what caught Kat's attention.

The club features several VIP lounges, each located at the top of a short staircase and decorated with wide velvet sofas and crystal chandeliers. There's an attendant who keeps booze and food flowing. It's clever – the sofas are inviting and squishy, tend to force people close together. The chandeliers ensure that anyone who happens to take a picture can get a decent shot, and the free flow of liquor has lowered the inhibitions of at least half a dozen celebrities, resulting in photos that send the gossip blogs into a tizzy as soon as they hit the internet.

When Caroline spots Klaus across the way, a redheaded model sprawled in his lap, she's immediately fuming.

"Looks like he got tired of waiting," Kat drawls. "Wanna reconsider the tequila?"

"Katherine. I love you. But zip it."

Katherine makes a face but leaves Caroline alone, turning to another one of their friends and asking a question. Caroline takes a deep breath, counts to ten.

She'd busted her ass to make him appear family-friendly enough to land the movie with the very PR-conscious studio that had netted him the big fat checks Katherine had just been crowing over. He's jeopardizing that on the eve of the most significant press tour of his career.

She looks over again, leaning forward. The redhead's moved away, she's sitting at Klaus' side, and they now appear to be merely engaged in conversation. Caroline does her best to think like a photographer – is there an angle that could make the scene look tawdry?

Probably not. So really, Klaus isn't jeopardizing anything.

Caroline's anger doesn't cool at the revelation.

She's so screwed.

She's on her feet before she decides to be, stalking down the stairs. She hears Katherine yelling borderline lewd encouragement at her back, but Caroline knows better than to take her advice.

She's marching over to diffuse, not inflame.

Hopefully.

Saturday, May 1st, 9:01 AM

She finds Klaus in his living room, asleep, his legs hanging awkwardly over the arm of a too-short couch, his torso twisted so awkwardly that Caroline's back twinges sympathetically. With the confirmation that she had stolen his bed, more of Caroline's irritation fades. The shower had helped, as had the bottle of water she'd guzzled and the three Tylenol she'd popped.

She takes a seat on his coffee table, setting down her second bottle of water. Caroline reaches out, shaking his shoulder gently. "Klaus," she murmurs when he begins to stir. "Wake up."

She could probably leave him to sleep. Klaus' stylist will handle most of his packing; he's borrowed a dizzying volume of outfits and accessories for Klaus to wear on this trip. The announcement won't come for another two weeks, but Klaus is shooting a Dior cologne ad once his press obligations wrap. The brand had requested he start wearing the newest line. Caroline had attended the last fitting, and she'd had a hard time keeping her blatant ogling under wraps.

Klaus looks good in ratty jeans, in a suit tailored to his measurements? Just about anyone attracted to men would have struggled not to appreciate the sight.

That's how Caroline had justified letting her emails pile up that afternoon.

She'd been a little worried about her control slipping on this trip, once they were alone in the hotel, and Klaus dropped the shiny, press-perfect façade he's learned to maintain. Caroline had designed that mask to appeal to the broadest possible audience. Doing interview prep has unfortunately only emphasized how much more she likes Klaus without it.

Klaus stretches, eyes fluttering open. "Good morning," he murmurs, voice husky with sleep. "I hope you slept better than I did."

Caroline winces, "Don’t you have a guest room or two you could have shoved me in?”

He smiles lazily, “You were quite insistent on touring my bedroom.”

Her eyes slam shut, face heating, “And that is why I don’t drink tequila unsupervised,” she grumbles.

He laughs, sitting up, his legs bracketing hers. He reaches for her water bottle and helps himself to a sip. Caroline leans back, fishing the Tylenol out of the pocket of the hoodie she’d stolen from his closet. She’d needed something bulkier to hide the fact she hadn’t been able to convince herself to strap her bra back on. “Do you want these?” she asks, rattling the bottle.

Klaus shakes his head, “I’m not hungover. I didn’t drink at all, and you stole that shot of tequila that was meant for me, remember?”

Ohhh no. She’d forgotten about that. She’d stolen his and the model’s.

Which, in hindsight, goes a long way to explaining what had happened after. Caroline’s problem with tequila is that once she starts, she has a hard time stopping. It heightens her usually non-existent impulsive streak, leads to sub-par decisions.

Occasionally, tequila does make her clothes fall off.

Caroline buries her hands in her face, wishing she hadn’t tied her hair back. She’s mortified, probably growing splotchy. “I am so sorry,” she mutters.

Klaus sighs, tries to tug her hands away. Caroline resists, tensing her muscles, wishes she’d gone with her first instinct and fled out the backdoor. He rests his hands on her knees, squeezing, voice dipping into coaxing tones. “No apology necessary. I’m not the least bit upset.”

Unfortunately, Caroline’s totally up to the task of being upset enough for the both of them.

Friday, April 30th, 10:53 PM

Once the attendant in Klaus VIP area confirms that he does know Caroline and lets her up the stairs, Klaus has managed to increase the distance between his body and the model’s. He seems pleased to see her, grabbing her hand and tugging her to sit next to him on the couch.

Close enough that they’re connected thigh to shoulder.

The model, whose name Caroline doesn’t particularly care about, is less welcoming. She glares daggers at Caroline’s hand, still enclosed in Klaus’. He makes polite introductions. “Genevieve, this is my publicist and very good friend, Caroline Forbes. Caroline, Genevieve. She’s a friend of Kol’s.”

Klaus’ younger brother is also an actor, still firmly in the throes of his wild child phase. Caroline finds him entertaining, despite her best intentions, but he’s known to delight in making her job more complicated. She glances around suspiciously, “Is Kol here?”

Klaus gestures vaguely to the dance floor. “Somewhere. He dragged me out to celebrate a pilot he booked, then disappeared.”

Hmm, that could lead to disaster. Caroline wonders if she should shoot his publicist a text as a professional courtesy.

Caroline smiles at Genevieve sharply, “So sweet of you to keep Klaus company.” It’s mean, but Caroline wonders if Genevieve has somehow heard about Klaus’ Dior deal through the grapevine. Maybe she’s aiming for a co-starring role – Caroline’s read the treatment for the commercial; it’s supposed to be streamy.

Oh, good lord, High School Caroline has somehow time traveled and taken over her body.

Genevieve pastes on an equally fake smile (at least Caroline’s not the only one regressing). Before she can snipe back, a silver tray is set in front of them, two shots resting on it. The attendant catches Caroline’s eye, “Can I get you anything, Miss?”

Klaus interrupts, squeezes her hand in an absent apology, “Sorry, there must be some mistake. I ordered a water.”

He’s contractually obligated to maintain a ridiculously chiseled body. Caroline’s got a reminder in her phone to order him a pile of celebratory spaghetti after his press obligations are officially over and he can relax for a few months.

The attendant’s eyes flit to Genevieve in confusion, “I…”

“I cancelled that,” she chirps, sliding her hand up Klaus’ arm. Genevieve leans in, tone lowering to what Caroline thinks is supposed to be a seductive level. “Figured we would toast.”

Caroline catches it because she’s practically plastered to Klaus’ other side. “Who toasts with tequila?” she asks. “Other than creeps at bars, I mean.”

Had Caroline not been well acquainted with Katherine Pierce, she might have been intimidated by Genevieve's attempt at a lethal glare.

Caroline stares back, reaching blindly for the first shot. She tosses it back, then the second, fighting the shudder that wants to wrack her frame through sheer willpower alone.

“Bitch,” Genevieve mutters, standing and flouncing away.

It’s petty, but Caroline savors her win.

Klaus is staring at her oddly, a touch concerned. “Maybe we should get you some water, love.”

Saturday, May 1st, 9:04 AM

“There were more shots when I got back to Kat’s party,” Caroline moans. “I’m going to kill her. She knows my weaknesses.”

“While I am reluctant to defend your irritating friend, she did seem rather intent on her fun. It was her birthday, wasn’t it?”

Caroline nods, “Yeah. And Kat’s always been firmly convinced that she should get to do whatever her little black heart desires on her birthday.”

“She did insist I ensure you get home safely. I’m afraid you were rather reluctant to supply your address.”

She sighs, finally dropping her hands. “Honestly, I just moved into a condo. I might not have remembered it.” That’s the less embarrassing option. It’s probably more likely that tequila drunk Caroline had crafted a plan to seduce Klaus, and step one entailed getting invited to his house. “I know you said not to apologize, but I obviously put you out. I’m supposed to babysit you, not the other way around.”

Klaus laughs, his knee nudging hers. “I haven’t needed that for ages, as you well know.”

He has a point – Caroline likely wouldn’t have agreed to take him on if he was still indulging in public drunkenness and paparazzi punching. When she’d first met with Klaus, it had been out of curiosity. She’d made a comfortable living from her client roster, did not need to take on the project of a difficult actor.

Klaus’ bad behavior had been a few years in the past, and he’d just come off a run of festival darlings and had produced a surprise hit sci-fi drama. He’d been frustrated by the doors that remained firmly shut to him, had laid his ambitions on the table.

Caroline had been intrigued. While she’s excellent at her job, but it’s always easier to work her magic with clients who are willing to dive into the work. Klaus’ talent was undeniable; she’d thought he could be a household name with the right opportunity. She’d agreed to take him on, and three years later, it’s paid off.

Caroline tugs the sleeves of his sweatshirt down over her hands, eyes on the frayed trim. “I was mad when I saw you last night, and that wasn’t fair. You’d set you were resting up for the press tour, but it’s not my business if you changed your mind.”

“Did you think I was resuming some bad habits?” Klaus asks. “I know that particular venue has a… reputation. Probably why Kol picked it.”

Caroline sneaks a glance at him, trying to gauge how he feels, but he’s not giving much away. “No, not really. I trust you. I wasn’t thinking super logically.”

She has to admit, at least to herself, that she’d been jealous. Caroline’s going to have to think about how deep that goes, if the feelings that had slapped her in the face last night will prevent their working relationship from being effective. What if Klaus meets someone? Will she be able to plant sneaky tidbits about how happy they are, scour the gossip blogs for rumors that could become issues?

“You? Not thinking logically? However could that be?”

She glares at him, though she knows his teasing is good-natured. “Some of it was the booze. I totally wouldn’t have hauled you onto the dance floor without it. And I wouldn’t have… well, you were there.”

She’s not up to list her transgressions. If Klaus hadn’t been drinking, then his memory of her wandering hands, her flirtatious comments, and heated invitations should be crystal clear. Caroline had been drunk, and she’s having a hard time not dwelling on the kiss – which, to be fair, Klaus had enthusiastically participated in – that she’d initiated.

“I was there. I have no objections to anything that occurred last night, save perhaps wishing you’d been sober.” Her head snaps up, eyes widening in shock, and Klaus laughs incredulously. “Surely you must know of my interest in you, Caroline.”

She’s suspected, but she’s also well aware that Klaus has no shortage of offers. Last night is proof of that. Caroline has always assumed that take one of them, at some point, and his flirtatiousness with her would fade away. She’d dated an actor or two when she’d moved to LA after wrapping up college. Caroline had been working insane hours then, trying to claw her way past the other assistants at the agency where she’d worked. Her exes from that time period had been quick to move on once they realized she wasn’t willing to center her universe around them.

“Interest can be fleeting.”

“It’s been three years.”

“You never made a real move.”

Again, Klaus counters quickly. “You’d not have accepted, and then you’d likely have pawned me off on someone else.”

Yeah, he’s got a point there. “I’m your publicist.”

“I have no objection to mixing business with pleasure. If you do, I suppose I’m willing to suffer a less competent publicist.”

“I’m beginning to suspect you’ve been plotting.”

Klaus shrugs, entirely unrepentant. “Perhaps a bit. I’ve always been entirely honest with you, I merely prevented a situation that would lessen the time we spent together until such a time as you were ready to consider me in a romantic light.”

“That’s a lot of words to confess you’ve been trying to flirt me into submission while flashing your hot body at every opportunity,” Caroline grumbles.

Klaus’ smile widens, dimples now visible. “It seems to have worked. Assuming that you meant the things you said to me last night?”

“I…” she hadn’t been expecting him to ask her that directly. She should have been – Klaus is skilled at choosing the best way to catch someone off guard. Caroline glances away from him, eyes catching on the clock across the room. Crap. She has so much to do. “I have to go,” Caroline tells him, standing up.

His eyes narrow,  and his head tips to the side, like he’s searching for a sign of weakness. Both telltale indicators that Klaus is gearing up to argue. Caroline holds up a hand, “I know, okay? This looks like I’m running away, and technically I am, but this is not the time to begin that mixing you mentioned. We’ve both worked too hard to risk screwing up the next few weeks. Did you read your contract? The fines for non-compliance are no joke.”

“Now is not the time,” Klaus says slowly. “Meaning?”

“We table it now. I’m open to a discussion later.” Three weeks is plenty of time for her to sort out where she stands, right? Caroline never sleeps on flights anyway.

He runs a hand through his hair. “I want a timeline. I understand that you feel obligated to ensure this press tour goes smoothly, but you can only use it as an excuse until it’s over, love. I’m prepared to be persuasive.”

“What, do you want me to schedule something on your calendar? Maybe set an agenda?”

“No need to be so formal. Just agree to have dinner with me once we return. Here, if you’d like, so we don’t risk inflaming the tabloids before you’re ready.”

“You seem awfully sure that this is going to go a certain way. So eager to fire me?”

Klaus gets to his feet, and Caroline sucks in a nervous breath. Sitting across from each other, he’d been a reasonable distance away. Now, with both of them standing in the narrow gap between his couch and coffee table, if one of them breathes too deeply or shifts deliberately, they’ll be plastered together.

She’s tempted despite knowing she’s right about the timing.

Klaus rests his hand on her waist and turns them so Caroline could step back if she wanted to.

She stays where she is.

A tiny smile curls Klaus’ lips and his hand moves, pressing her closer. “As much as I enjoyed your more… explicit ramblings last night, I must confess my favorite revelation was when you confessed to just how long you’ve had them.”

Caroline, not for the first time, curses tequila’s wretched existence.

Wednesday, May 5th 2:20 PM

The meet and greets are going to kill her.

Caroline had thought they were a good idea when she’d poured through the itinerary the studio had sent over. Inviting popular bloggers, auctioning off tickets for charity, allowing fans to enter random draws – it’s great PR and provides the opportunity for viral moments, while also controlling the environment.

Caroline’s leaning against one of the walls, unnoticed, eyes on her client.

A lot of eyes are on her client, some of which irritate Caroline more than others. The two teenage girls, trailed by an exasperated dad, who’d both burst into tears when Klaus had smiled at them? Totally adorable. The nerdy college student who’d grilled Klaus about his character’s comic backstory? Kind of a pain, but Klaus had done his homework, and Caroline had been impressed.

And annoyed. Excessive preparation is very attractive and unhelpful at this juncture of the press tour. Caroline’s already begun to reconsider what they’d agreed to, wonders if knocking on his hotel room door on the last night would be such a bad thing.

That line of thinking might be overly influenced by the scene in front of her.

Klaus is speaking with a woman in an afternoon inappropriate silver dress. Caroline’s sorely tempted to have her escorted out by security. She’d slipped a key card into the back pocket of Klaus’ jeans within 90 seconds of meeting him.

He’s handed it back, said something that made her laugh. They’re still talking.

Klaus glances up, eyes landing on her immediately. Caroline hastily tries to soften her irritated expression lest he guesses its reason. Klaus smiles, subtly tips his water bottle in her direction. Silver Dress invades his personal space a little more.

Ugh. It’s gonna be a long three weeks.

#klaroline #klarosummerbingo #klaroline fanfiction

[vagrantblvrd]

I’m sure it’s been done a bajillion times by now?

But that hitmens AU in which Gavin and Ryan work for different agencies, and of course their paths cross all the time.

That time in Paris where Ryan had to walk the catwalk as a model to get close to his target. (Unorthodox, but it worked, okay.)

Gavin was there too, either posing as a bartender or photographer and you just know there was a moment in which their eyes met, because of course they did.

Gavin serving drinks and being flashy about it, and Ryan needing to blend in at the bar while his target mingles with the crowd. Gavin zeroing in on Ryan because something strange about him, you know? (Not soft like the social elite and whatnot around them, pings Gavin’s potential threat radar hard and just. Best to keep an eye on him? And if flirting is needed to keep up the charade, so be it.)

Or Ryan on the catwalk and there’s that one photographer that wasn’t there when he first walked onto the catwalk, but when he does his turn to head backstage there he is tucked a little deeper into the shadows then the other photographers.

Odd, but he doesn’t think much of it until he’s backstage and the screaming starts? And now he has to hustle if he wants to get his target. Which he does, but it’s a close thing, because Drama. And when he brings it up with the agency all security footage the photographer should have been in is either corrupted or simply missing. HMMM.

Other cities and other targets - awfully convenient how they’re never after the same targets, so no unnecessary conflict of interest there, thank goodness.

Eventually they get to the point where it’s a game for them, all friendly rivalry stuff, you know? Who an get to their target first and go unnoticed.

Or who can manage to find the most unlikely of disguises and such.

(Those times they deliberately pick a disguise to help the other one out, and little *wink* as they let them into select VIPs only areas or pass them a key card or vital bit of whatever to reach their target and their handlers/agencies are just like *facepalm* in the background once they run into each other on a mission because cue the awkward flirting/Pining? Like seriously idiots, just bone already, no one wants to see you drag this out any longer it’s too painful to watch.)

And then!

The mission where they do have the same target, because some baddie out there has some Evil Scheme(TM) to expose/ruin their agencies and then Take Over The World(TM) and they’re the only ones who can stop said baddie?

And then two ridiculously skilled hitmens team up to stop the baddie and it’s just. Utter ridiculousness and terrible flirting and probably jumping into a large body of water to escape dying horribly and someone offering the other their jacket to keep warm while they trudge their way towards civilization and a car they can steal.

(Bonus points if they both went into the water and the whole keeping warm thing is a moot point, but it’s totally the gesture that counts and just. Yes.)

Also high speed chases and shooty-shoots with the baddie’s flunkies.

Some cheap motel somewhere with one bed - there’s a convention or something in town and it was the last available room. Instead of one of them taking the bed and the other sleeping on the floor they settle for sharing the bed - after a bit of back and forth, of course, because gentlemen or whatever. Then the bit where they’re hyper aware of the person in the bed next to them and all that.

Ryan puts off heat like a mofo and Gavin runs cold and it’s after the dunk in the water so body warmth! Which is how they wake up the next day with Gavin snuggled into Ryan and Ryan’s arms - naturally - around him and oh, no, because it’s actually really fucking nice. This whole bit about how lonely their lives are what with the constant traveling and murderizing other people thing?

And, like. Sure they’ve got friends at the agency and such, but they both go home to empty apartments. (Well. Gavin’s got his cats and Ryan’s got his strays and just. Yes.)

Akwardness all over the place, but first maybe there’s that moment where fuzzy from sleep and safe and warm and a kiss happens. Clumsy kind of thing because mostly asleep but the most natural thing in the world and it’s super nice until it registers in the kiss-er’s mind that the kiss-ee is stiff and awkward and oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit, they don fucked up.

Super awkward apologies and all then back to business and no more said about the sleepy morning kiss because they have a baddie to stop!!1!

Some big, stupidly dramatic final battle/whatever with the baddie in which close calls and flesh wounds happen.

Gavin helping Ryan to his feet and this weirdly wistful touch to his smile as he does because this is pretty much it for their team-up, isn’t it? Going to go back to their agencies after this and hope they don’t run up against one another going for the same target again because it might not go so well (relatively?) the next time.

And their handlers/agency are like jfc, because these two idiots?

But also, you know, the two of them worked extremely well together and realize if the agencies actually worked together, pooled their resources and the whatnot they’d be even more effective?

Something about working towards the same goals and it’d be smarter, more efficient if the agencies merged, wouldn’t it? Less chance of botching one another’s missions/agendas and other nonsense.

AND THEN.

Gavin and Ryan showing up to a briefing and being :O at seeing one another because as far as they knew their agencies had relocated their HQ to a new building - were on leave or vacation or whatever when the move happened - and that’s when their handlers/bosses let them in on the whole merged agencies thing and that they’ll be working together from now on.

And also, please to take a look at the fraternization rules because they’d hate for Gavin and Ryan using them as an excuse not to to do something about all the Pining they’ve been doing for years at that point.

Seriously, it’s just fucking sad.

And then, you know, smooches are had, because of course they are.

Also, also, the hitmens AU where Ryan is actually a model using that as cover for his hitmens shenanigans. Gavin poses as a photographer and Ryan knows it’s BS because he knows all the photographers from whatever publication Gavin claims to be from. And then the whole paths crossing and eventual smooching happens, because yes.)

#ragehappy #freewood #hitmens au #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[miasanfamilie]

DFB-President Keller Seeks Out Conflict -- Peace in the boxes, war against fan curves

Fritz Keller should have been the embodiment of change at the DFB. However, his strange appearance in “Sportstudio” damages his image as beacon of hope, who acts ignorantly in cases of racism and affronts active fans in a way out-of-touch with reality.

Magic lives inside every new beginning.  Especially when the past hurts.  Fritz Keller should have been the face of this new beginning at the DFB.  His predecessor Reinhard Grindel met his fall over a luxury watch and failed on all accounts: The case of Özil, the unquestioning loyalty to Joachim Löw, the missing explanation of the sold Sommermärchen, the growing chasm between amateurs and pros, the poisoned atmosphere between clubs, federations, and fans -- this heavy burden has rested on Keller’s shoulders since September 2019.

Hymns of praise accompanied his election to DFB-President. It was believable that this Keller was reasonably competent, upstanding, in short: “The right choice,” like Uli Hoeneß said.  However, for anyone who heard the beacon-of-hope Fritz Keller on Saturday in the “Current Sportstudio,” a few other attributes could spring to mind: out-of-touch with reality, inflated, ignorant, bigot. No trace of the magic. Only traces of the past.

Of course, moderator Katrin Müller-Hohenstein began the conversation with the excitement of the day: The match pauses in Sinsheim, which has been written about in this paper many times already, for example here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.  However, just for background, one more time the facts: In FC Bayern’s fan block, banners were hung with insults against Hoffenheim’s financier Dietmar Hopp.  Nothing less, but also nothing more.

Protection for one who does not need it

However, Keller stood strongly on the sides of the football-elite from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to Michael Zorc: “I believe we have really arrived at the bottom.”  He spoke about continuing “only in solidarity” for the “cleanliness of the sport.” Once again: This was about an insult against Hopp.  Now about the slush fund for the Sommermärchen, not about the crooks at Fifa, not about the dead workers at the construction sites for the winter-world cup in Qatar.  For the DFB-President Keller, who leads more than seven million members, the line is crossed when a billionaire is insulted.  A man who can afford the best lawyers, and also does so.  For years, Hopp has buried fans with cases.

In order to discover who called their boss the son of a sex worker, TSG installed  directional microphones in the stadium.  Hopp doesn’t need any special protection.  Jordan Torunarigha could have used some, however he received a red card instead.  The Hertha-BSC pro player was the victim of racist insults.  But what would have happened, if he had left the pitch and his colleagues had followed?  When asked, Keller suddenly turned from being an engaged anti-racist (”The dummest form of hate”) to a petty bureaucrat: “There are rules, regulations, and processes that are made by Fifa.”  In other words: we’ve already lost in the bureaucracy, there’s unfortunately nothing that can be done, too bad.

Altogether, though, it was hard to shake the feeling that the DFB-President could have used a little bit of help dealing with the topic of racism: Keller claimed England is farther along in fighting racism, because I has simply been a problem there longer.  A slip of the tongue?  Probably not, he piled it on: It did not want to enter his thoughts how now, so many pears after the war, racism is becoming a problem in Germany again.  Again?

Keller is 62 years old.  Even when he was very busy being a vintner and gastronomer, wouldn’t Lichtenhagen mean something to him?  Solingen?  The NSU-murders?  He has worked in football since 1994.  He must have heard the U-Bahn song at least once in stadium.  Seen the flags for the Third Reich at away matches of the national team.  Right-wing hooligans at the World Cup in France.  Or does the president of the world’s biggest sporting federation want to pretend that racism in German stadiums is a relatively new phenomenon in the year 2020?  That would explain why the DFB is so often disgracing themselves on this topic.  That cannot be serious for Keller.

Racism?  Just not at this buffet...

The explanation for Keller’s strange views probably lies with the point-of-view: Whoever only saw the match from the TV or watches Bundesliga stadiums out of VIP-areas, probably only sees football simply as the superficial, simple, shiny product that advertisers from Coca Cola to SAP want to see so badly.  The deeply-rooted racism, which has continued to live on especially in the lower leagues and is now simply getting louder again, is so wonderfully easy to look past from the boxes.

Not only that: The things that happen in the fan curve, that bother the fans -- no one in this five-star buffet is interested.  If they protest, if they become loud or uncomfortable, then the functionaries put them in their place.  For Keller it sounded like this in “Sportstudio”: The clubs should “reconsider, who they give tickets to.”  At the end of the day, it’s about “anarchists who want to destroy the game.”  This says the man who smilingly shook Fifa-boss Gianni Infantino’s hand at the end of last week.  A meeting before the hearing about the purchased Sommermärchen.  What was spoken about there?  The DFB didn’t release any information about it, the new transparency doesn’t go that far.  When would it be released, Katrin Müller-Hohenstein wanted to know in “Sportstudio.”  Keller responded with a question: “How am I, a simple football functionary, supposed to get the truth?”  Well, if only the president of the DFB could do something... Maybe the DFB could, just as a suggestion, not act as “underhandedly” during the investigation into the Sommermärchen as the best-informed SZ-journalist Thomas Kistner claimed during the Fifa-corruption scandals.

What the fans think? Who cares

If you were to take the photo of the happy pair Keller and Infantino with you through the fan curves in the Bundesliga and ask who here is destroying the game, most people would rightfully point their finger towards the bald man.  And if Fritz Keller isn’t careful, then they’ll also point towards the DFB-president after that.

Keller’s hard stance in “Sportstudio” against the supposed “anarchists” in the fan curves in the league begs another question: Does he really not know what Hopp symbolizes?  Does he not know the proxy war that is being waged against the Hoffenheim boss?  That’s impossible: The discussion about exuberant commerce, the growing alienation of the critical groups of fans -- these cannot escape the notice of a DFB-leader.  So he must be intentionally ignoring this perspective.  The viewpoint of active fans is apparently completely moot to Keller.  And this despite that it happens to be exactly them who have led meaningful educational work with the initiatives against racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia.  And they have to lead the work, because the DFB left them alone long enough and looked away.  Until the curves sought out the wrong enemy.  One from the VIP-boxes.

You could do everything the way the DFB-president has.  But then you have to live with the accusation, that you are a boss for bosses.  Yesterday in “Sportstudio,” Keller was exactly that person as he explained to active fans what solution the DFB wants to pursue in the future: peace in the boxes, war against fan curves.

#dfb #fritz keller #tsgfcb #fckdfb #idk what else to tag this as if someone has something lmk and I'll change it #my translation #this is like two days out of date but also translating takes a long time and I'm busy #please enjoy more context #eventually I may (may) post pretty pictures instead of just scheiß dfb things but like #at this point the bullshit has gone so far I'm kinda over anything that's not this #especially since the dfb theoretically agreed to an open conversation with us #but after FORCING us not to publicize it of course they go and talk about how great their idea was to talk to fan circles #y'all it was QFF who demanded the conversation not the dfb and fuck that whole package of stuff #anyway everyone feel free to dm me for more ~cool anti-dfb rants~ #dietmar hopp #nazisrausausdenstadien

[vmohar98]

iPhone 7 vs Pixel - battle of the equals?

I have had an iPhone since the day the original iPhone went on sale. During all these years, I have also owned 3 Android phones remaining faithful to the Google brands Nexus and Moto X (when Google owned Moto). Several times I used the Android phone but finally went back to the iPhone for various reasons.

Recently my iPhone 6 fell in the Gulf of Mexico and even the rice bowl could not salvage it. So I pulled out my Moto X running 5.1 and this time since I did not have an iPhone at all, going back to iPhone temptation was not there. Given that Moto X is an old and now slow phone, I had to make a decision between iPhone 7 and Pixel. I will not buy any Android phone other than the Google brands since I don't want to be held hostage by the manufacturers.

I am not a rooter or jailbreaker

I have no music on my phone. I have no need for it.

I don't care about side loading the apps.

I am surrounded by iPhone 7 folks. I used my Moto X experience and the Pixel phone videos to make the decision. I finally did go back to iPhone 7 and here are the reasons

Email: I use phone for outlook exchange. The stock Email android app is pretty bad and has no support for threaded conversations. I. could use outlook app but quite a few exchange admins hate it. In addition, neither the stock app or the outlook app support VIP mailbox which is a must for me.

WhatsApp: WhatsApp on Android forces you to download and store the media before you can view it. Not that storage is an issue but it clutters my photo feed, and sometimes can be "dangerous" as I do have friends who send me media spicier than PG-13. And in case if my son looks at my phone, could be embarrassing. WhatsApp on iPhone just works beautifully and so much better.

Gboard: now that Google launched Gboard for Android this is a moot point.

Fingerprint Support I did not see fingerprint support for various apps that I use. Some of them do but not all.

Tap to scroll to top - scrolling in android is painful especially if you want to go to top. Not sure why android can't copy this from iOS.

Fonts: fonts and usable text area: try typing messages in WhatsApp or email or slack and you will see that on Android the visible area and content is much smaller than on iOS. I think one of the reasons android needs bigger phones is because of the fonts.

SMS - android sms situation is bad. Lots of options but nothing other than hangout has desktop companion - there are third party apps buy I don't want to use those. I would rather all my sms be between me and the receiver and apple/Google

Wallet - apple pay is easier to use but android pay is very close. Non issue.

Reader view mode - this is just amazing on iOS. Chrome reader mode leaves a lot to be desired even after turning the hidden flag on.

Swipe left/right: As the phones get bigger and bigger, swiping to go to the previous/next screen becomes even more important. There is a left arrow on Android but it does not always do the same as what the "app back arrow" does. This swipe gesture is very useful and commonplace on iOS apps.

So as you can see, it's not about iOS vs android but more of the apps that I use and depend on so heavily and how well they work

The biggest thing I will miss is voice detection and google assistant. Siri is a joke when compared with Google voice detection. Also Google assistant/ now has already become so good and is getting better by the day. There is a Google app on iOS but the integration is not there. On iOS, Now will always be a step child and on Android it's awesome.

I hope that when it comes time for the next iteration, Android will address some of these and maybe the choice will be different. Only time will tell.

#iphone 7 #Android #pixel

[vsplusonline]

Motor racing | Bahrain F1 race to be held without fans due to coronavirus

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/motor-racing-bahrain-f1-race-to-be-held-without-fans-due-to-coronavirus/

Motor racing | Bahrain F1 race to be held without fans due to coronavirus

The Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix will go ahead on March 22 without fans due to the coronavirus crisis, a blow to the Gulf Arab state’s important tourism sector.

Bahrain, which is hosting the second round of the Formula One season at the Sakhir circuit outside Manama, has reported 83 cases of the virus, mostly linked to people who had travelled to Iran.

“Bahrain has made the decision to hold this year’s (race) as a participants-only event,” organisers said on Sunday.

“Convening a major sporting event, which is open to the public and allows thousands of international travellers and local fans to interact in close proximity would not be the right thing to do at the present time,” they added.

“To ensure that neither the sport, nor its global supporter base, is unduly impacted, the race weekend itself will still go ahead as a televised event.”

Bahrain is the second F1 race casualty of the virus. The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai scheduled for April 19 has already been postponed.

Racing without fans will be a first for the sport, although former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone once mooted the idea of a ‘VIP grand prix’ at France’s Le Castellet circuit with only invited guests.

A Bahrain International Circuit spokesman said accredited media would attend as usual.

Concerts featuring DJ’s Afrojack and Don Diablo over the race weekend have been cancelled.

“We know how disappointed many will be by this news…but safety has to remain our utmost priority,” the circuit said.

Bahrain has suspended flights to some destinations over concerns of the rapidly spreading virus.

It has also asked people entering the country who have recently visited Italy, South Korea, Egypt and Lebanon to isolate themselves for two weeks.

Italy has ordered a virtual lockdown across a swathe of its wealthy north, including financial capital Milan, in a drastic attempt to try to contain a rapidly growing outbreak of coronavirus.

The Maranello base of Formula One’s oldest and most successful team Ferrari is within the affected area.

Ferrari and Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri, who are based in Faenza, will still race in Bahrain because they will be coming from Australia which hosts the opening race in Melbourne next weekend.

“Depending on where they flew through on the way from Melbourne, there is a process that you go through,” the circuit spokesman said of the Italian teams.

Formula One has discussed arranging a special charter for Italians working in Formula One to avoid transit through airports in countries affected by the virus.

Organisers will refund fans who had bought tickets, whose sales were suspended last week.

Bahrain’s biggest global sporting event reported a three-day crowd of 97,000 in 2019, a record for the event, with 34,000 on the Sunday.

That attendance is small compared to other races, with 202,146 the average Formula One three-day crowd in 2019.

Tourism is an important contributor to Bahrain’s economy, which in recent years has been in deficit and sought bailouts from its wealthier Gulf Arab neighbours, and the race brings global exposure with millions of viewers.

Concerns over rapid spread of the coronavirus, which has killed 145 people and infected 5,823 others in Iran, has led to a raft of major events including concerts being cancelled in the Gulf region.

Formula One has two races in the Middle East, with Abu Dhabi hosting the closing race in November.

MotoGP’s season-opening race in Qatar this weekend was called off, with only the Moto2 and Moto3 support categories racing because riders were already there for a previous test.

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[maxwellyjordan]

A “view” from the courtroom: From the T-shirt shop to the high seas

With 12 opinions remaining, no one expects today to be the last day of the court’s term. Still, there is an air of anticipation and some special guests are in the courtroom this morning.

In the public gallery, the second group of high-school teachers from the Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers is here. (The first group was here last Monday.) Both groups held moot courts on American Legion v. American Humanist Association, about whether a World War I memorial cross in Bladensburg, Maryland, violates the establishment clause. The institute’s first group of teachers serving as high-court justices ruled overwhelmingly to allow the cross to remain. This past weekend, the second group, even with the benefit of the real Supreme Court’s decision last Thursday in favor of the cross, ruled narrowly against the American Legion and the state of Maryland. Those civics teachers are independent spirits.

Opinions announced by Justices Gorsuch, Kagan and Alito (Art Lien)

Elsewhere in the public gallery, there is a group of about a dozen or more high school students, ready for a firsthand civics lesson. They will soon be joined in the courtroom by two more pupils. Margaret and Liza Kavanaugh, the daughters of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, arrive with their mother, Ashley, and take their seats in the VIP section. There are many tender ears here this morning.

Also in the VIP section are Martha-Ann Alito, the wife of Justice Samuel Alito, and Joanna Breyer, the wife of Justice Stephen Breyer.

Justice Kavanaugh’s wife and daughters seated in the courtroom (Art Lien)

In the press section, this is the time of the year when most regular reporters feel duty-bound to stay in the press room on the ground floor, adjacent to the Public Information Office, where opinions are distributed as soon as a justice begins reading from his or her summary from the bench. That way, reporters may immediately take to Twitter or the web to give their first take on the news.

Some news outlets arrange for another reporter to assist their Supreme Court correspondent by going up to the courtroom to observe. The Washington Post’s regular court reporter, Robert Barnes, has been aided in recent days by ace legal reporter Ann Marimow. Adam Liptak, the Supreme Court correspondent of The New York Times, is being assisted today by Peter Baker, the Times’ senior White House correspondent as well as an accomplished author and a familiar face on cable television.

As Solicitor General Noel Francisco and his team arrive, there is another familiar face that has been in the news in recent days. Michael Dreeben, a longtime deputy solicitor general who specializes in criminal matters, is here today for the first time in quite a while. Dreeben was dispatched to special counsel Robert Mueller’s office for the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Dreeben, a 30-year Department of Justice veteran who has argued more than 100 cases before the Supreme Court, is leaving the department in coming weeks, the department’s public affairs office has confirmed. He has not indicated publicly where he is going. (Chief Justice John Roberts recognized Dreeben’s 100th argument in April 2016.)

The court takes the bench, and the chief justice announces that Justice Neil Gorsuch “has the opinion this morning in two cases.”

The first is United States v. Davis, about whether a provision of federal law defining a “crime of violence” for purposes of federal criminal prosecution for using a gun during such a crime is unconstitutionally vague.

Right at the outset of his bench announcement, Gorsuch stresses that the two defendants in the case, who robbed several gas stations in Texas and were convicted of multiple federal crimes, “are going to spend a very long time in prison.”

This nonetheless suggests that he is coming down on the side that the provision is unconstitutionally vague, and that is the holding of the court. Gorsuch explains that Kavanaugh has filed a dissenting opinion, joined in full by Justices Clarence Thomas and Alito, and in part by Roberts.

So, it’s another split between the court’s two newest justices, and another 5-4 decision.

Gorsuch’s second opinion is Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media, about whether certain commercial or financial information provided to the government qualifies as confidential and thus subject to an exemption from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

The case arises from efforts by a South Dakota newspaper, the Argus Leader, to report on fraud in the federal food-stamp program, which is formally called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, “or SNAP,” Gorsuch says snappily.

The newspaper sought store-level SNAP data as part of its investigation of retailer fraud in the program, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture withheld the data based on FOIA’s Exemption 4, which shields trade secrets and other privileged or confidential commercial or financial information.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled for the newspaper, applying the “substantial competitive harm” test developed decade ago by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in National Parks & Conservation Association v. Morton.

“Today, we reject National Parks’ ‘substantial competitive harm’ test as a relic from a bygone era of statutory construction,” Gorsuch says.

Breyer has filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor.

The chief justice announces that Justice Elena Kagan has the opinion in Iancu v. Brunetti, about whether the Lanham Act’s prohibition on the registration of “immoral” or “scandalous” trademarks violates the First Amendment.

Justice Kagan with opinion in Iancu v. Brunetti (Art Lien)

This is when we get anxious about the tender ears of the teenagers and preteens in the courtroom today. The proposed trademark at issue in this highly publicized case is from a line of streetwear founded by Erik Brunetti of California under the name FUCT.

But that name will not be mentioned in the courtroom today. Just as the justices and the arguing counsel did contortions to avoid mentioning Brunetti’s mark or the many variations of vulgarities discussed in the briefs, Kagan keeps her bench announcement at most PG-rated. (She mentions it a mere three times in her written opinion.)

“The most fundamental principle of free speech law is that the government can’t penalize or disfavor or discriminate against expressions based on the ideas or viewpoints it conveys,” she says. “The ban on ‘immoral’ and ‘scandalous’ marks does just that.”

The prohibition “allows trademark registration when a mark’s message conforms with society’s sense of decency or morality,” Kagan continues. “But it prohibits any mark expressing a contrary view—when it goes against that societal sense. That’s exactly the kind of discrimination against ideas that the First Amendment prohibits.”

She adds that if that all sounds a little abstract, “some examples should make the point.”

The anxiety meter goes back up a few degrees, but her examples, drawn from the record and the briefs, stay on the tame side. She cites proposed marks such as “Marijuana Cola” and “You Can’t Spell Healthcare Without THC,” which were rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because they glamorize drug use. Yet the PTO approved marks such as “Say No to Drugs” that express an anti-drug message. There are similar viewpoint-based distinctions on trademarks in the areas of religion and terrorism, she says. Those in the courtroom unfamiliar with the case would never guess that it stems from a line of clothing that skateboarders have been wearing for more than 20 years.

Kagan says the court cannot accept the limiting construction proposed at oral argument by Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart to read the statute to cover only marks that are lewd, sexually explicit or profane.

“But although we try to interpret statutes to avoid constitutional problems, we simply can’t rewrite Congress’s words,” she says.

Alito has filed a concurring opinion. Roberts has an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part. Breyer has an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part. And so does Sotomayor, joined by Breyer. None of these are read in the courtroom, even though the dissenting portions all suggest that those justices would adopt the government’s limiting principle and bar marks such as Brunetti’s.

The final opinion today is from Alito, and we’re moving from the T-shirt shop at the mall to the high seas.

In The Dutra Group v. Batterton, Alito writes for the court that a plaintiff may not recover punitive damages on a claim of unseaworthiness.

The case arises from an accident in which a hatch on a vessel exploded and seriously injured the hand of Christopher Bratton, a deckhand covered by the Jones Act of 1920.

Alito gives a brief history of legal claims protecting seamen, including “maintenance and cure” (which as his written opinion points out goes back to laws promulgated by Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1160) and “unseaworthiness,” which was meant to give sailors under contract to sail on a ship the right to collect their pay even when they refused to board what they discovered to be an unsafe vessel.

As with his discussion of the Yeti last week in his decision in Gamble v. United States, Alito again sprinkles a lively element into his bench announcement.

Think of the “old salt who put his mark to go out to sea on the S.S. Rusty Bucket,” Alito says. “When the sailor sobered up” he saw that this ship was “not very likely to make it to its destination.” Under a seaworthiness claim, that sailor could still collect his wages.

Alito skips ahead a bit and refers to two cases upon which Batterton relies to establish that punitive damages were traditionally available for breach of the duty of seaworthiness.

But upon close inspection, those cases—The Rolph, from 1923, and The Noddleburn, from 1886—do not support the respondent’s argument, Alito says.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit is reversed and the case is remanded. Ginsburg has a dissent, joined by Breyer and Sotomayor.

With that, there is an abrupt bang of the gavel by Marshal Pamela Talkin, who announces Wednesday is the next day of departure for the S.S. SCOTUS.

The post A “view” from the courtroom: From the T-shirt shop to the high seas appeared first on SCOTUSblog.

from Law https://www.scotusblog.com/2019/06/a-view-from-the-courtroom-from-the-t-shirt-shop-to-the-high-seas/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

#law #justice

[mychristopherstokes66world]

>Nxivm Keith Raniere found guilty of all charges >https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/nxivm-sex-cult-leader-keith-raniere-found-guilty-on-all-charges-62266437767 >sex trafficking, conspiracy, racketeering, possession of child pornography. >Stormy, Alefantis, Schneiderman, and Weiner involved  >Opens door for more pizzagate related criminal activity to be exposed, leading us closer to Epstein Island and Clinton involvement

https://thedevilman666.blogspot.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/qanonreports https://twitter.com/CIACLOWN1 https://www.bitchute.com/channel/ciaclown16661/

look into projects ULTRA and OFTEN, also note that declassified documents dealing with topics like remote viewing frequently discuss ayys and say they are extradimensional, describing their plane as similar to the "astral" realm but different, using te term "loa" in describing their plane which is a distinctly an occult term. note that the greatest ufologists speak of these beings as transdimensional and NOT interstellar. note that the best ufologists are almost always connected to the so-called "new age" movement, which is gnostic to it's very core. these beings fear the name of Jesus, and this has been documented by Christian and non-Christian ufologists and pastors,priests, and exorcists. the motives of these beings is at best neutral and usually MALEVOLENT. they are demonic intelligences. of note, many abductees are connected to satanic ritual abuse or ritual abuse, whatever term you want to use. many scoff at this. the problem for the scoffers is this the franklin scandal the Dutroux affair the finders cult westminster pedo dossier casa pia etc... whether ufo shit is all an illusion or not is moot. what we do know is that vip pedo rings are real, and supranational in scope. we know the house of windsor, orange, rothschild, and many other elite families are involved (see the Dutroux affair, Epstein affair, Westminster pedo dossier, etc...) we also know the top judges, magistrates, representatives, presidents, prime ministers, and power brokers of all kinds are involved. we know these pedo rings are tied to the occult, and that this goes back generations. we know ufo phenomenon is tied to the occult, and we know intelligence agencies are connected deeply to all of this. what we do know is very little, but the little we do know and all of the implications which come from all of it is astounding. we are starting to actually uncover real proof of a cosmic battle waged all around us.

https://frankreport.com/2018/04/22/sir-richard-branson-endorsed-raniere-now-denies-knowing-him/ If you ask me this goes well beyond pizzagate, epstein island, clinton's hawaii and spirit cooking, the connections are all here, what is missing is just some Soros adrenochrome connection

he image attached is part of some department of the treasury investigation paperwork on the finders cult. a page or two in the image you will see that the men, part of the finders cult, were taking children supposedly to a "school for smart kids" in mexico. it has been revealed by whitley strieber and others that the city in particular was monterrey. a few days ago msm said busts were made on NXIVM schools/daycares in MONTERREY MEXICO Is that Alex Jones Lawyer? He has the same lawyer as the Bronfmans >Roger Stone lobbied for NXIVM. Alex Jones shares same lawyer as Bronfman sisters caught sex trafficking children

>Imagine my surprise

And torturing them and eating them

It's always them, every fucking time.

no evidence at all. just appeared suddenly the same day as the verdict was read. too convenient. don't focus on the child porn that the jury saw. don't focus on the actual evidence in the case. ignore the connections to two former presidents of mexico, the bronfman family, senator schumer, senator gillibrand, hillary clinton, richard branson, etc... look over here instead. digs are made in secret on iirc already found a lot of shit not going to post it until ready this time they will not damage control the situation to the bad goys, the blackmailing is no more your concern, you are going to wish to have spoke up before the intel leak, we are going to ass blast you guys into another galaxy.

The npx is in Arizona right down the street from where kappy died in Route 66. It’s a weird fucking Santa thing in the middle of a desert in the largest child trafficking state in America. Whitley Streiber also wrote a book called The Hunger about vampire-like creatures and being able to prolong life by blood transfusions. The main vampire is named (((Miriam))). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_(Strieber_novel) It posed as sort of a New Age-y self-help group for rich people, where they could go to learn about themselves and improve their lives with affirmations and crap like that. That was a cover for human trafficking and sex slavery.

>puffy eye bags and dark circles or puffy eyes It comes from very early stress the child suffers, you'll also see it a lot in babies born premature. Friend of mine has a kid who was a preemie who has those puffy bags to this day. Not to say you're wrong, just saying the only 2 instances I've seen that baggy eye shit is preemies and abuse victims. The problem is breaking the floodgates, we know we can’t use our usual tricks to get the msm reporting in on this shit. So how the fuck do we do this?

Frank Giustra founded lionsgate films in Vancouver and was implicated in the Uranium One scandal. He was chairman of merchant (lol) banking firm and has many ties to the mining industry. He is quite the influencial man and probably a key figure to all this.

We all know the MSM doesn’t give a shit about trafficking, probably because majority of the owners are implicated. So the question that remains is how do we spread the word about the most recent breaking news involving NXEIVM etc. 

Social media only has so far of a reach, so I’d propose the “IOKTBW” method and maybe just put flyers up so that local need reports it, then eventually the MSM reports it. 

What short sentence would get the most attention? Without being illegal? I’m thinking “HIGH CHILD TRAFFICKING AREA” 

“Use caution”

How do we do this?

It will be difficult because a majority of the normies cannot stomach anything that has to do with sexually abusing children. Even when they know it is true, they do not want to hear any of the details afraid that it will scar them mentally.

#CIA CLOWN #RED PILL #REDPILL #ANON #HONKHONK

[mondaymorgue]

One of the more recent cases where a female Banteng was shot by poachers in the vicinity of Maliau Basin last October 2017. Photo: Danau Girang Field Centre

Malaysia: VIPs, managers among poachers By Kan Yaw Chong, 1st December 2017;

The future of Sabah's Banteng (Bos javanicus) or wild cattle has reached a "critical" situation, says Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) Deputy Director Peter Malin.

"Given an average of four gunned down per month in the State by poachers and Sabah has only an estimated 316 Banteng left, the only fitting words to describe it is we have a critical situation," he said.

He was speaking at the two-day Bornean Banteng International Workshop and Conference here Thursday, representing SWD Director Augustine Tuuga, where all speakers from across Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Sabah reported a decline of the Banteng populations.

"Sabah is left with no other choice but do something to control and reduce the killings or else the fate of our Banteng will be heading towards the same as our Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatraensis)," said Indra Sunjoto, Deputy Director of the Sabah Forest Department, who spoke on "Challenges of managing Banteng in commercial forests in Sabah."

All speakers, from Dr Benoit Goossens, Director of Danau Girang Field Centre, to Iman Sapari of Kalimantan, Naris Bhumpakphan of Thailand, Prum Sovana of Cambodia and veteran researcher Ramesh Boonratana, cited poaching as the main culprit behind the decline.

In the course of his research dating back to the past, Boonratana said he found VIPs were among the pack of hunters who were contributing to its possible extinction.

"This fact is hard to take because they are supposed to set an example," Boonratana noted.

At a press conference, Guest of Honour and Chief Conservator of Forests Datuk Sam Mannan, who launched the workshop earlier, said among the poachers were "people of high ranking in the oil palm industry and managers of plantations."

"It couldn't have been anybody else because they have their typical planters' uniforms – shorts and high socks," he told reporters.

"You see how difficult and how hard it is, and how embarrassing it is like RSPO," he added.

"We wrote to RSPO and advised them: You warn your people who are certified and people who are with you that this is happening," said Mannan, who noted the deteriorating poaching menace even within protected forests has forced the Forestry Department to take a direct role in prosecuting poachers caught in the act in a twin approach with the Wildlife Department to catch and put illegal hunters behind bars.

"We will start first where it will make a difference," Mannan said

Asked what that meant, he said: "We will go where it all started first – Lahad Datu, Tabin, some parts of Kalabakan, south of Maliau, then the highway in Sapulut down to Tawau, especially the point where you enter Maliau Basin and then smaller cases in the northern area usually done by kampung people and Sipitang, etc."

On what will make the difference this time around, Mannan said the authorities have mooted the idea of a specialised team of rangers to look solely into wildlife protection aspects, including data and intelligence collection and surveillance analysing and prosecution.

"They will be armed and work on shifts. They don't do anything but 24-hour surveillance. We will give them guns.

It's not necessarily to shoot people, more for warnings, but if things get heated, they have to be able to protect themselves," he said.

"In the past, the same people looked after illegal felling, do forest restoration, do anti-poaching and so on, they were not focused. It doesn't work but now they are focused, say five people in one vehicle and they do nothing else except go after poachers," he added.

Mannan said the idea is still at the proposed stage, but added that the elite rangers would be under the Wildlife Enforcement Unit if accepted.

"A better effect sought would be deterrence," said Boonratana.

Dr Goossens said plans are afoot to vastly improve surveillance, detective, software and hardware to analyse camera trap pictures and information gathered which will be able to pinpoint the whereabouts accurately and send enforcement teams to go to places that are very likely to catch the poachers.

"There is now that willingness to do what it takes such as increase the protection with 50 more forestry rangers who are mobile and focused only on wildlife," noted Dr Goossens.

"It is very critical that we have a surveillance intelligence gathering, we will provide the training because information gathered need to be analysed so that enforcement teams will be able to go to places that are very likely will catch the poachers. Otherwise, we are sending rangers running around wasting time for nothing," Goossens said.

Goossens said he agreed urgent work must begin now to avert another disaster like what befell Sabah's Sumatran Rhino.

"Basically we have increased some of the populations like those in Sipitang, Sugut, etc, which don't have enough numbers to survive the long term and even if there is no poaching, they go down.

So we need to supplement those populations and a captive breeding programme would be a solution to provide those animals," Goossens told the media.

"We don't want to end up with a situation like that of the Rhino where in 20 years we realise we have only 10 individuals left and only then suddenly do a captive program too late," he explained.

"So with the Banteng, we want to start now and that's going to be something we want to discuss in the workshop Friday (Nov 31) exactly what is the best way to do it and then together with the support of the Forestry Department, start a programme as soon as possible."

Source: Daily Express

#banteng #Bos javanicus #Bovidae #cattle #wild cattle #Artiodactyla #Cetartiodactyla #Sabah #East Malaysia #Malaysia #Borneo #poaching #threats #human activities #shooting #wildlife trade #Daily Express

[maxwellyjordan]

A “view” from the courtroom: Wait, wait … there’s more

Today is the last day scheduled on the court’s calendar for the justices to take the bench. But most observers are not expecting to court to issue all six remaining merits opinions.

For one thing, although it was once routine for the justices to release as many as six opinions on a single day, the court generally sticks to fewer than that these days. For another, Chief Justice John Roberts this past Friday did not give the customary indication that today would be the last one and “at that time we will announce all remaining opinions ready during this term of the court.” (I mistakenly suggested in Friday’s “view” that it was Marshal Pamela Talkin who makes that statement, but as some astute readers reminded me, it is the chief justice.)

Chief Justice Roberts stops Marshal Pamela Talkin from gaveling out the Court “prematurely” (Art Lien)

Inside the courtroom, there is a growing number of interested observers — those awaiting the result in a particular pending case. In the center section of the public gallery, Illinois state worker Mark Janus is here, awaiting a decision in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31, about whether public-employee unions may continue to collect agency fees from those members of a bargaining unit, such as Janus, who decline to join the union.

On Janus’ left is Gov. Bruce Rauner of Illinois, who launched the lawsuit that asks the court to overrule its 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. Rauner was found to lack standing in the matter, but Janus and two other state employees intervened, which allowed the case to make its way here, where Janus is the sole petitioner.

Also in the courtroom today are participants in the Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers, a joint effort of Streetlaw Inc. and the Supreme Court Historical Society. Two groups of teachers from around the country come to Washington for several days of instruction, a moot court at Georgetown University Law Center and various events at the court itself.

The case for moot court this year was Carpenter v. United States, about whether the government’s review of cell-site location information was a search under the Fourth Amendment. The court held that it was in most instances. The moot court justices of the teachers institute, however, ruled for the government, both in a session that occurred a week ago before the real Supreme Court had ruled, and in the second session this past weekend, after they had the additional resource of 118 pages of opinions from the real justices.

The VIP box looks pretty full this morning, but we see only one justice’s spouse—Joanna Breyer, the wife of Justice Stephen Breyer. In the press section, meanwhile, we have a guest whose face should be familiar to anyone who watched “The Fourth Estate,” the Showtime documentary series about The New York Times and its coverage of President Donald Trump’s first year in office. Michael Shear, a White House correspondent for The Times who appears prominently in the series, is helping the newspaper’s Supreme Court correspondent, Adam Liptak, who is down in the press room to receive opinions.

When the real justices take the bench at 10 o’clock, the chief justice settles in and appears ready to give his routine announcement that today’s orders have been duly certified and filed with the clerk. But his long, thin, adjustable microphone is tilted practically skyward, and Roberts looks askance at it momentarily before moving it down. At least two other such microphones on the bench are in the same position, as if someone had moved them to dust the desks and not returned them to the proper positions.

Roberts announces that Justice Samuel Alito has the opinion of the court in … and here Rauner and Janus perk up expectantly, because an Alito assignment in the Janus case would be good news for them. But it’s not the Janus case, it’s Abbott v. Perez, a racial-gerrymandering case from Texas (and a companion case with the same caption).

“The background of these case is somewhat complicated, but I will try to keep this summary relatively short,” Alito says.

He provides some of the background of this case that began with a 2011 remap of Texas congressional and state legislative districts, which led to a later plan that continues to be challenged for some racially gerrymandered districts.

Alito does fairly quickly summarize that the court’s holdings today, that the justices have jurisdiction to review the orders of the three-judge federal district court effectively barring the use of the plan in this year’s election, and that the district court erred in requiring Texas to show that the state legislature in 2013 had purged the taint that the court had attributed to the 2011 plan.

The court has never held that past discrimination “flipped the burden of proof on its head,” Alito says. Except with respect to one Texas House district, Alito says the district court erred in enjoining the use of the districting maps adopted by the state legislature in 2013.

Justice Clarence Thomas has written a concurring opinion, joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch. Justice Sonia Sotomayor has written a dissent, joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Breyer and Elena Kagan.

Justice Clarence Thomas is up next with the opinion in Ohio v. American Express Co., a big-ticket antitrust case over the credit-card company’s contractual provisions with merchants.

Like everyone else in the world, Thomas says he will refer to the company as “Amex for short.” The contractual provisions at issue prohibit merchants from discouraging customers from using their Amex cards at the point of purchase, a practice known as steering. Amex earns most of its revenue from merchant fees, which tend to be higher than those of its competitors, such as Visa, Mastercard and Discover, who collect fees from merchants but also interest from cardholders.

Amex was sued by the United States and several states, who argued that the anti-steering provisions in its contracts with merchants violate federal antitrust law.

Thomas concludes for the court that they do not. The two-sided platform in this area, involving merchants and cardholders, is still just a single market because only a company with both will to be able to participate in the market. And the challengers have not met their burden of showing anti-competitive effects because their argument that Amex’s anti-steering provisions increase merchant fees wrongly focuses on just one side of the market.

Among other things, Thomas says, “Amex’s competitors have exploited its higher merchant fees to their advantage,” such as by being more widely accepted.

Thomas wraps up quickly, noting that Breyer has filed a dissent, joined by Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan.

With that, before the chief justice says anything else, Marshal Pamela Talkin bangs her gavel, and court police officers begin to motion everyone to stand.

But wait. We’re apparently not yet done. Roberts interrupts Talkin and motions with his hands for all to remain seated. “Whoa, whoa,” he seems to say, then raising his hands to shoulder-height.

Breyer has a summary of his dissent to offer, and he starts delivering it even as there is still a small commotion of everyone settling back into their seats.

“The antitrust laws play a central role in our economic free-enterprise system,” he says. “This is a traditional Sherman Act, Section 1, antitrust case.”

He appears to ad lib the next line: “I don’t know if that excites you, but it is.”

Breyer provides his perspective on the anti-steering provision. Without such an agreement, a merchant might encourage a customer to use a lower-fee card, such as Discover, and might reward retail patrons with “a free shopping bag” or restaurant customers with “free butter.” (I’m not sure where Breyer dines where the butter costs extra.)

“But the merchant cannot do any of those things because of the nondiscrimination [or anti-steering] provision,” he says. “And the agreement thereby stops price competition in its tracks.”

He goes on at some length about the particulars of his dissent before seeking to put it in perspective. “I particularly fear the interpretive impact of the majority’s discussion of what it calls ‘two-side platforms,’ in an era when that term might be thought to apply to many internet-related goods and services that are becoming ever more important.”

“Just in case we’re wrong about everything I’ve said so far, and of course we’re not wrong,” Amex should still lose, Breyer says, before offering several reasons for that. (From the bench, he does not mention the term “laissez-faire capitalism”, which readers of the published slip opinion by this justice who sometimes delivers speeches in French are quickly pointing out is misspelled there as “lassez-faire.”)

More generally, he says, he wants to emphasize the importance of “traditional antitrust law,” which “insists on a freely competitive marketplace.”

“It has long helped this nation prosper by charting a middle path between monopoly capitalism and state economic control,” Breyer says. “Long gone, we must hope, are the days when great trusts unfettered by competition presided over the American economy.”

After a few more closing words, Breyer is finished, and so is the court for today.

With a slight smile on her face, Talkin bangs her gavel again, and says, the “honorable court is now adjourned until tomorrow at 10 o’clock,” with some emphasis on “now.”

And Roberts has not delivered the second-to-last day comment, so it appears there are two more opinion days for the four remaining opinions.

[Disclosure: Goldstein & Russell, P.C., whose attorneys contribute to this blog in various capacities, is among the counsel on an amicus brief in support of the petitioners in this case. However, the author of this post is not affiliated with the firm.]

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