#and how it's possible Caleb was the one who proposed it or those games first so that his brother could actually be accepted | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

blueplanettrash · 6 years

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Hello, sick kitty anon here. Good news! 2 of our cats are in the clear! our sick one however has gotten so much worse in such a short time. It's enough to where we have to put our baby girl down on Sunday. So to help with the heartbreak I was hoping you could do another papa Iverson fic? I'd love to see how Matt proves himself worthy to Iverson, & any of that sweet latte you've got me hooked on is 110% welcomed lol. I'd just like to say thank you so much in advance, it'd mean the world to me❤️

I’m so glad that those two are okay! I’m sorry about your one though, I know that a story isn’t going to take care of all of the pain but I hope it helps a little bit ❤️

It wasn’t like Matt thought that it would be easy to get Iverson’s approval, but it was more nerve-wracking then he thought it would. Every move that he made was scrutinized by him and he found himself straightening up automatically whenever he walked by even though they were now at the same rank.

He didn’t know how close he was to getting his approval but he just wished that he had some way to tell where he was at. This wasn’t a video game though, there wasn’t a final boss before getting to the final goal. This was real life. He knew that there were people that were married that were still trying to get their in-law’s approval. He hoped that it wouldn’t come to that but at the rate they were going, he wasn’t exactly confident.

What he didn’t know, was that Iverson was slowly caving.

It really started when he noticed the little things that Matt would do for Lance. Every morning, no matter what was supposed to be happening that day; Matt would seek Lance out to bring him a travel mug with tea in it.

It was really the smile that stretched across Lance’s face when he saw Matt coming over. As he handed it over, he would give Lance a kiss and a ‘good morning’ before continuing on with his morning routine.

It was sweet. Bordering on sickeningly sweet.

But the beaming smile that he left Lance with was completely worth it.

If he had to describe Matthew Holt with one word, he would choose extra. He didn’t think that he would meet anyone that could match Lance’s flair for the dramatic, but he was sorely mistaken.

There were times that he would come across the two of them just sitting in one of the lounges, napping against one another. Or, sitting across from each other, hands intertwined with each others and talking lowly to one another with smiles on their faces. Sometimes Matt would just flop on the floor beside Lance with a smile and yell that he was melting and start complimenting Lance at the top of his lungs. The first few times, he chuckled and moved on, but after that, it became pretty well background noise in the everyday life of the Garrison.

It didn’t stop there though, sometimes he would send him a messenger to deliver a rose or a small bouquet of flowers, somehow sending Lance into a blushing mess. Occasionally, he would come up to Lance himself in the middle of the day, the bouquet clutched in his hand and shyly hand it over to him before asking him if he would join him for dinner later that night.

Considering that they had a date night every Wednesday, it became like clockwork that Matt came into the hangers at the same time to bring him new flowers; which he kept in a vase on his workbench beside Blue.

One time he asked about why Matt did all of the things that he did for Lance.

“I think it’s because when we started dating, we were in the middle of space. We never got to do the things that normal couples did on Earth, and we never tried to think about what we were going to do when we got back. We couldn’t afford to, we were in a war after all. I guess we’re just making up for lost time,”

Really, how Matt treated Lance embarrassingly reminded him of how Rosa treated him when they started dating. The constant compliments, and loving gestures they gave. He had always been too embarrassed and nervous to do anything spontaneous for her, so she took it upon herself to pick up the slack.

It was good that she did, otherwise, they probably wouldn’t have ever gotten married. She was the one that proposed after all.

None of Lance’s previous boyfriends had gone so far for him. None of them tried so hard to show how much they loved him. The first time he had gotten a flower from one of them, he had cried and pressed it so he could keep it as long as possible. Now, he got new flowers every week, each one in a different arrangement.

He had been fond of the Holt boy when he was instructing him, he knew it had been the opposite for him but he was smart and driven and he respected that in a student. In a son in law, however, he still had quite a while to go. He had made a positive first impression in his book but it didn’t mean he was ready to hand his son over completely.

Despite what Matt might think, it wasn’t his word that had last say. It was always going to be Rosa’s. Especially when it came to love, she had a way of seeing a person’s true self. She had predicted her sister’s husband within a few days of meeting him and knew that Maria’s relationships weren’t going to last just with a glance.

When it came time for Matt to meet the rest of his family; Lance invited him over during the summer break when Iverson had more time to take off and planned to be home for the weekend.

Mark stood imposingly in the kitchen, leaned against the counter, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Maria looked over at him with bored eyes and cocked her hip out.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m the protective big brother,” he said simply, bulging his eyes a little to seem scary but Caleb and Sophie just laughed at him and ran over to him to grab his hands.

“He’s not going to be scared of you,” Iverson said offhandedly, focused instead on chopping the onions on the cutting board in front of him. Mark’s arms fell to his sides and he sent a pout in his direction.

“Lance already told him everything about us and he told him that you’re even nicer than Hunk is,” he explained, waving his knife around his head thoughtlessly.

“I’m also his brother though, I get to do a bit of shovel talk,” he pointed out, turning to plant his elbows on the table.

“Correction, we get to do a bit of shovel talk,” Maria butted in, elbowing him in the side with a smirk.

“Do what you want, Lance isn’t going to be too happy about it though,” Iverson warned, holding out the cutting board to Rosa so she could dump it into the frying pan. As she sautéed them, she turned to the two of them sternly with narrowed eyes.

“You better greet him with respect and a smile,” she warned. They flinched and quickly nodded their heads in understanding. She nodded her head in satisfaction and turned back to the food.

“Can we play the Wii?” Caleb asked, tugging on Mark’s hand, Sophie tugging on the other one in sync with her brother.

“After dinner,”

“Hey guys, we’re here!” Lance’s voice echoed through the house as the screen door to the house opened. He led Matt to the kitchen, holding his hand.

“Everyone, this is Matt,” he introduced, gesturing at him with his free hand.

“LANCE!” Mark yelled slamming his hands onto the counter. Everyone flinched and looked over at him in surprise.

“YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU WERE DATING MATTHEW HOLT!”

“Surprise,” Lance smirked, leading Matt over to Mark. He looked at Lance curiously.

“He’s a fan, follows all of your social medias, your publications, etcetera, etcetera,” he explained with a fond smile.

“Don’t make me sound weird!” Mark wailed, shaking Lance’s shoulders.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Matt smiled holding his hand out to shake, which Mark took excitedly. He introduced him to Maria next, followed by Caleb and Sophie who laughed when Matt knelt down to shake both of their hands as well.

When he brought him over to stand in front of Rosa, she looked him up and down quickly before pulling him into a tight hug. Iverson only stuck his hand out for him to shake sternly.

“Nice to see you again Sir,” he said clearly, which was met with a chorus of laughs from the rest of the family, causing a deep red blush to go across Matt’s face. There was little talk about their jobs while they got to work setting the table and pouring out drinks.

Just like most family tables, the sound at the dinner table was never just eating. They talked over each other, loudly laughing and arguing about the events of the day. As much as they could, they included Matt in the conversations but he mostly stayed quiet focusing on his food and Lance.

The table went silent when there was a sudden clang at the far end of the table. Matt’s teeth were clenched as he quickly put his fork to the side and away from the plate he dropped it on. He looked up at the silence and gave them an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, excuse me for a second,” he said quickly before getting up from the table and heading out the screen door. They looked over at Lance who was looking out at the entryway with a worried expression.

“Just give us a second guys,” he sighed, getting up and following his path.

They glanced at each other, confusion in their eyes. They finished up the last of their food in silence before they started cleaning up, putting Lance and Matt’s plates in the oven to stay warm.

“I’ll go see what’s keeping them,” Iverson said passing by the kitchen to head down the entryway. He stopped at the door before he could leave when he heard talking.

“Matt, calm down, this is only your first time meeting them,”

“I feel like I’m messing up,”

“You’re not messing anything up, in fact, I think my brother is in love with you,” Lance promised.

“I’m sorry. This is my first serious relationship Lance, I want this to be perfect,”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, first meetings are never going to be perfect babe,” he laughed lowly.

“I know. I’m just scared,”

“You have nothing to be scared about, I’m going to be with you the entire time, I promise,”

There was a short silence.

“I love you so much,”

“I love you too,”

Silently he slipped away from the door and went back to the kitchen. Everything was cleaned up and Mark and Marie were in the living room setting up the Wii with Caleb and Sophie.

“So?” Rosa asked, looking up at Iverson curiously.

“He was nervous about making a bad first impression,”

Rosa sighed put her hands on her hips.

“He has nothing to worry about, he’s a perfectly nice boy,” she argued with a huff. They went quiet as they heard the screen door open and close again. They trod into the kitchen, Matt more subdued than the first time he came in. Rosa took that as her cue and went over to pull him into another hug.

“Welcome to the family Matt,”

Now, Iverson was going to be honest, he was warming up to the Holt boy. Over the past couple months, he fell into their family like a puzzle piece. But there were still times that he thought he just wasn’t the right person for Lance. After that night, Matt started spending a lot of time at Lance’s house. Helping around the house and spending as much time as he could with the family.

Iverson found himself trusting Matt a little bit more with every visit that he made to them. He was polite, funny, loyal, and everything else a parent looked for in their kid’s significant other. He still was waiting for that one thing that would cement Matt in his mind as acceptable for Lance.

He was going to get it soon.

He grumbled alongside Mark; Rosa had sent them to pick up some supplies to fix the fence in the backyard, a project he had promised he would finish months ago. She and Maria were out getting groceries for a special dinner since he, Matt, and Lance would have to head back to the Garrison soon for work.

“Hello?” Mark’s cellphone had started ringing and he moved the packages of screws he had in his hand under his arm. A range of emotions started moving across his face as he put the screws on the shelf, grabbed his dad’s arm and started dragging him out of the store.

“Are you okay?” He sounded worried but his eyebrows were furrowed angrily.

“Where is he right now?”

“Okay, stay inside, where are Lance and Matt?”

“Okay, we’re on our way back now, we’ll be back soon,” he promised hanging up the phone, before turning to Iverson.

“Jacob’s at the house,” he said simply. Immediately a fire started burning in his gut. That bastard. Hasn’t he done enough already? Now he was back to terrorize Lance again?

“Apparently, Lance is out there yelling at him,” Mark said as they climbed into the car.

Good. That’s his boy.

When they pulled into the driveway they saw Jacob’s old beat up car, the one Lance used to be so excited to see. The two of them were standing off in front of each other, screaming at each other. Lance was red in the face and snarling, spit flying out of his mouth with each word. Matt was standing a little bit away, looking uncertainly between them.

They couldn’t hear what they were saying but they couldn’t imagine that it was anything nice. Apparently, they were right because, in the next second, Jacob decked Lance, sending him straight to the dirt.

They jumped out of the car but before either Iverson or Mark could make a move towards them; Matt was there. He tackled Jacob to the ground hard and threw a punch at his face, connected with his cheek with a loud crack.

He wasn’t going down without a fight though and retaliated, violently punching and kicking back. With a swipe across his face, his nose was bleeding and falling in droplets to the ground. Matt had the advantage of being in a space rebellion and quickly gained the upper hand, it was only when Jacob flinched at one of the attempted punches that Matt stopped an inch away from his face. With a huff he climbed to his feet, looking down at the bloodied boy.

“Get out of here,” he growled. He didn’t need another warning before he was scrambling back to his car and revving it out of there.

Matt took a few deep breaths, leaning back onto Lance as he came up behind him.

“Matt! Babe! Are you okay?” He asked frantically, cupping his cheek carefully. Matt gave him a breathless smile and nodded faintly.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he said worriedly, taking his hand and leading him back to the house. He sat him down in a chair and rushed to get the med kit from the upstairs bathroom.

“Mark, take Caleb and Sophie!” He ordered before climbing up the stairs. Mark nodded and ushered both of them downstairs, leaving Matt and Iverson in silence in the kitchen.

“Looks like you’re going to have quite the shiner,” Iverson commented suddenly, Matt’s head whipping up in surprise. He strained to look at him, one of his eyes already swelling up from the fight. Just as quickly, he looked back down.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect Lance,” he apologized quietly, sounding ashamed of himself.

“Compare your face to Lance’s right now,” he said instead. “I’d say you did a pretty fine job of protecting him,” he admitted. Matt blinked before looking up at Iverson with amazement.

“Maybe you are good enough for him after all,”

“T-thank you, Sir,” Matt stuttered out a grateful smile on his face. For the first time, Iverson returned the smile.

“Call me Mitch,”

Stories Masterlist

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michaeljtraylor · 6 years

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Here comes third quarter GDP

Editor’s Note: This edition of Free Morning Money is published weekdays at 8 a.m. POLITICO Pro Financial Services subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 5:15 a.m. To learn more about POLITICO Pro’s comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services, click here.

HERE COMES THIRD QUARTER GDP — Friday morning brings the first look at economic growth in the third quarter, a major moment for both markets and President Donald Trump. The president back in August suggested growth “could in the 5s” in the third quarter. That’s probably not going to happen. In fact, consensus is for a dip to 3.3 percent from the second quarter’s strong 4.2 percent. A number over three would be very solid. But the way Trump raises expectations could set him and the GOP up for disappointment. It could also give us a sense for whether the tax cut boost is still cranking or slowing down.

Story Continued Below

The Atlanta Fed’s “GDPNow” forecast has the number at 3.6 percent. The top-line GDP figure is not the only one markets will focus on. With concern over the path of interest rate hikes rising, Wall Street will also dig into the inflation numbers. Consensus is for 2.1 percent headline and 1.8 percent core.

THE WORST CASE: STAGFLATION — Leuthold’s Jim Paulsen in a client note: “Leuthold’s Jim Paulsen: “Both numbers will likely come in close to expectations, but since Goldilocks is so narrow right now, either could also prove disappointing. … While most anticipate a slower quarter compared to the second quarter, the recent underperformance of cyclical stocks suggests the possibility it could slow more than anticipated.

“Indeed, if not tomorrow, then maybe in the fourth quarter? The point is, the current message being delivered by the stock market is an elevated risk of a surprising U.S.-growth fade … [The] GDP report could also surprise on the inflation front. Wall Street currently expects a healthy pullback in the third-quarter inflation component of GDP … Probably a nonevent, but remain attentive to ‘Stagflation Friday’!”

ROSIER VIEW — Pantheon’s Ian Shepherdson: “We look for 4.0% GDP, led by a 3.7% jump in consumption. Inventories should contribute 2.4 percentage points, but foreign trade should subtract 1.9pp. The deflator should rise 2.0%, with the core PCE deflator up 1.5%.”

SIREN: THE TRUMP MARKET BUMP IS GONE — Via Bloomberg Opinion’s Stephen Gandel in a piece up this a.m.: “The Trump bump is turning into a significant Trump discount. That’s been more than evident of late. The S&P 500 Index fell for the first three days of the week, culminating in a 3 percent plunge Wednesday as worries over China’s economy and …

“All told, the S&P 500 Index is now 6.5 percent cheaper than it was before Trump was elected president, with the gauge trading at 15.7 times next year’s expected earnings, down from just under 17 in early November 2016. From inauguration day, stock-market valuations are down a little more than 9 percent. By comparison, they rose 16 percent in Barack Obama’s first two years in office.” Read more.

GREENSPAN ON TRUMP — Former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan to NPR on Trump pressuring Jay Powell: “I don’t know a single President, and I worked for a lot of them, who don’t want lower interest rates. Now, obviously that’s not possible. You keep lowering them down to zero, where do you go from there?”

CLARIDA ON TRUMP — At his event on Thursday, Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida said “political pressure will be in no way a consideration in monetary policy decisions”

CLARIDA ON MARKETS — The prepared remarks did not address the volatile equity markets but Clarida did address them in Q and A in which he said that “changes in financial conditions are something that’s relevant for the economic outlook and any central bank—if they are sustained— needs to take into account.”

Morgan Stanley’s Ellen Zenter: “The word ‘sustained’ is key here. The equity market sell-off in February 2018 that saw the S&P drop by 10% from peak to trough was described as ‘small potatoes’ by then NY Fed President Bill Dudley, and ultimately dismissed as a risk by the Fed because it was not sustained.

More on Clarida from our Victoria Guida: “Clarida … emphasized the importance of the central bank’s independence in making policy decisions separate from political considerations .. ‘As a student of monetary policy, I know that history indicates that central bank independence is important,’ Clarida said …

“‘The Fed’s mandate was given to it by Congress: price stability and maximum employment, and the Fed has a degree of independence in running the policies that over time can best serve to achieve those objectives’ he added. ‘I think that’s very important.’” Read more.

BARRACK’S BIG BET — Latest Bloomberg Buinessweek features a piece by Caleb Mallaby on Tom Barrack and Trump: “Helping a fading reality-TV star with no political experience capture the White House might have led to a role in the administration or made Colony a magnet for money from around the world.

“But mixing business and politics hasn’t worked out for Colony’s 71-year-old executive chairman. Instead, he damaged relations with the Qatari royal family, his best business partner in the Middle East, by helping orchestrate a relationship between the White House and the Saudis. Meanwhile, Colony hemorrhaged talent, raised only half the debt fund’s target, and entered into an ill-fated merger” Read more.

** A message from Wells Fargo: $1.6 billion committed to Washington, D.C communities. Wells Fargo’s new Where We Live program is combining the power of lending and philanthropy to help expand affordable housing, grow small businesses and teach job skills, with a special focus on distressed areas in Wards 7 and 8. Learn more. **

ICYMI — From the WSJ transcript of its Trump interview, the president had this to say about Powell: “He was supposed to be a low-interest-rate guy. It’s turned out that he’s not.

MM SIDE NOTE —No, he wasn’t. Nobody thought of Powell as a “low-interest-rate guy.” Everyone thought he would continue the path of hikes begun under Janet Yellen. If Trump wanted a super dove he could have nominated one.

One question: Will Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who pushed Powell, get any heat now that the president has soured on the Fed Chair?

WSJ EDIT PAGE DINGS TRUMP — “Trump is a real estate man, so naturally he prefers low interest rates. But he’s also President, and publicly mau-mauing the Federal Reserve to keep rates low as he has been doing will lead to the opposite of what he wants. This is Fed Politics 101.” Read more.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING — Happy weekend everyone. Email me on [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @morningmoneyben. Email Aubree Eliza Weaver on [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @AubreeEWeaver.

Join POLITICO Playbook Co-Authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, for a special Playbook Elections event in Pennsylvania to discuss the 2018 midterm cycle and issues shaping the races. This event, part of the POLITICO-AARP Deciders series, will feature an exclusive conversation with elected officials, addressing issues that matter most to voters.

President Donald Trump says a red wave is coming on Election Day. Is he right, or will the tide turn blue? Compete against the nation’s top political minds in the POLITICO Playbook Election Challenge, by correctly picking the winning candidates in some of the most competitive House, Senate and gubernatorial races in the country. Win awesome prizes and eternal bragging rights. Sign up today: Visit politico.com/playbookelectionchallenge to play.

THIS MORNING ON POLITICO PRO FINANCIAL SERVICES — Patrick Temple-West on the stock market data fee fight reaching a flashpoint at the SEC. To get Morning Money every day before 6 a.m., please contact Pro Services at (703) 341-4600 or [email protected].

U.S. REFUSES TRADE TALKS WITH CHINA — WSJ’s Bob Davis and Lingling Weiin: “The U.S. is refusing to resume trade negotiations with China until Beijing comes up with a concrete proposal to address Washington’s complaints about forced technology transfers and other economic issues … The impasse threatens to undermine a meeting between Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping scheduled for the end of November at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires. Both sides had hoped the gathering would ease the trade tensions. …

“Negotiations have been on hold since mid-September, when the Chinese canceled a trip to Washington .. Since then, Beijing has sought to re-engage, including asking U.S. Treasury Undersecretary David Malpass to resume talks. He declined—with the backing of the White House trade team—until the Chinese present a formal offer, U.S. officials said.” Read more.

DRUG PRICE PLAN FALLS FLAT — POLITICO’s Dan Diamond: “Trump tried Thursday to make good on a campaign vow to lower drug prices — attacking ‘foreign freeloaders’ and proposing significant changes to how Medicare pays for many drugs. But his populist proposal didn’t appear likely to budge the national debate around health care, just days ahead of the midterm elections.

“Early indications are that it won’t be an immediate game changer — it’s too wonky for Republicans playing defense in local races, it gave Democrats a fresh opportunity to slam the administration‘s attacks on patient protections and it won’t help most voters pay less for prescriptions at local pharmacies.” Read more.

STEYER PUMPS IN MORE CASH — CNBC’s Brian Schwartz: “Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer is aiming to finish off his spending spree in the 2018 congressional midterm elections with a $16 million infusion across all of his political organizations … One of Steyer’s aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the philanthropist and liberal activist is looking to splurge in the final 11 days of the midterms in order to continue his mission of helping Democrats unseat Republicans across the country.” Read more.

WALL STREET VOLATILITY BACK WITH A VENGEANCE — AP’s Marley Jay: “If you’re an investor who was lulled to sleep by the stock market’s calm, steady gains this summer, you’re wide awake by now. Stocks have swooned over the last three weeks as investors worried about a sea of troubles, including rising interest rates, the trade tensions between the U.S. and China and slowing economies outside the U.S. All of which could impair profit growth for U.S. companies.

“As of Thursday, the S&P 500 index had plunged 7.5 percent in about three weeks, with two separate six-day losing streaks. It hadn’t had a streak of losses that long since right before the November 2016 presidential election. There have been a few big gains recently, including Thursday, but with four trading days left in October the index is on track for its worst month in seven years.” Read more.

TECH STOCKS BATTERED — Reuters’ Noel Randewich: “So-called FANG stocks and other tech shares sank in extended trade on Thursday following disappointing quarterly reports from Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc. The weak results from Amazon and Google parent Alphabet were the latest setback for the high-growth quartet of stocks known as FANG, which also includes Facebook Inc and Netflix Inc.” Read more.

WHY HAVE STOCKS BEEN DROPPING? — NYT’s Neil Irwin: “The stock market drop in October has been unsettling for anyone with a portfolio, particularly after a 3 percent plunge Wednesday that wiped out the year’s gains. Could this be the beginning of a larger crash, or a recession?

“Well sure, it could. But even before accounting for the moderate rebound in markets Thursday morning, it makes more sense to view this sell-off differently. This isn’t a crash, it’s a reset. The economy is shifting in ways that aren’t bullish for stock prices in the years ahead, but signal mostly good news for the economy and for ordinary people trying to make a living. The bull market that will turn 10 years old early next year has, for most of its run, been a total dream for stock investors.” Read more.

But will they recover before the elections? — Reuters’ David Randall: “Trump’s favorite report card on his presidency may be failing him at a critical moment. U.S. stocks have fared well since Trump took office, a fact he has repeatedly touted, but have stumbled badly in October. The S&P 500 is down 7.6 percent and on course for its biggest monthly drop of Trump’s presidency with fewer than two weeks before voters determine whether his Republican Party retains control of Congress.

“Republicans have emphasized Trump’s stewardship of the economy and recent record stock market highs in their campaigns. It is unclear whether a last-minute market drop will be a persuasive factor for voters.” Read more.

And even the pros are shocked — Bloomberg’s Elena Popina, Vildana Hajric and Sarah Ponczek: “Wall Street veterans are used to waiting out turbulence, but the frenzy engulfing equities right now is starting to strain their patience. Bad days are coming in waves. Of the five worst sessions since 2015, two have come in the last two weeks, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average erasing gains for the year on Wednesday. While futures are pointing to a potential reprieve, stocks have dropped in 13 of 15 days, matching a streak seen only once since 2000.

“The pros are perplexed — why now? Everyone knows stocks can go into free fall over nothing, but conditions in the economy and Corporate America seem so good. Talk in the securities industry Wednesday came with a tinge of disbelief. Hasn’t the downdraft gone too far?” Read more.

GROWTH STOCKS USED TO BE FUN. NOT ANYMORE. — AP’s Stan Choe: “As stocks hit record after record in the past decade, investors didn’t much care if a stock was cheap or expensive. What mattered most was: Is it growing quickly?

“If the answer was yes, the stock was in high demand, almost regardless of the price. Investors were ravenous for companies able to add customers and deliver fat growth. So they were willing to pay premium prices for an Amazon or a Netflix. Left behind were stocks in more staid industries, even if they looked like better bargains by several measures. Suddenly, though, the siren song of high growth has gone dissonant. As markets tumbled in recent weeks, the stocks that were soaring the highest have fallen the fastest.” Read more.

CLARIDA MAKES CASE FOR RATE HIKES — WSJ’s Nick Timiraos and Paul Kiernan: “Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Richard Clarida endorsed the central bank’s plans to gradually raise interest rates and pinpointed the behavior of inflation as key to deciding when to stop.

“After years in which the central bank held rates very low to boost economic growth and hiring, the Fed’s current policy stance was providing support to an economy that no longer needed it, Mr. Clarida said in a speech at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The key question now, he said, is how to preserve recent economic gains.” Read more.

FED FIRES WARNING SHOT AT WALL STREET — Bloomberg’s Lisa Lee, Jesse Hamilton, Sally Bakewell and Craig Torres: “In the Trump era, Wall Street banks have been testing the limits of what they can get away with in piling risky loans onto highly indebted companies. They may have finally crossed a line. A top Federal Reserve official fired a rare public warning Wednesday, saying that banks appear to be chasing increasingly dangerous deals and forgoing protections against borrowers going bust.

“‘There may be a material loosening of terms and weaknesses in risk management,’ Todd Vermilyea, the Fed’s head of risk surveillance and data, told bankers at a conference in New York. ‘Some institutions could be taking on risk without the appropriate mitigating controls.’” Read more.

WEDNESDAY WAS BAD NEWS FOR HEDGE FUNDS — WSJ’s Rachael Levy: “Hedge funds tout their ability to do well during periods of market stress. But many aren’t doing well during the current October rout. On Wednesday, a large group of hedge funds that bet for and against stocks had their worst day in almost seven years, according to a report released Thursday from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The so-called fundamental long-short equity hedge funds tracked by Goldman dropped 1.44 percent on Wednesday, according to the client report, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

“Goldman said it was the deepest one-day drop since the bank began tracking the data in January 2012. These funds are down 8.68 percent this month through Wednesday, bringing returns to minus-6.21 percent for the year, the report said.” Read more.

FIRST LOOK: BANKS PUSH BANK ON CECL — The ABA, joined by 52 state bankers associations sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin “recommending FSOC seek a delay in implementing the ‘Current Expected Credit Loss’ accounting standard until a quantitative impact study (QIS) can be completed.” Letter.

WEEKEND WEDDING — Gregory Hammond, VP at Hammond Hanlon Camp, LLC, a boutique healthcare investment banking firm and a Morgan Keegan alum, married Taylor Hanlon, category manager for Peretti at Tiffany & Co. and a David Yurman alum. They met at Greg’s firm’s work holiday party, and the wedding was in Palm Beach at a private club. Pic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Alex Brown, a broker at ship brokering firm Howe Robinson Partners and a Clarksons alum, and Erin Brown, a nurse practitioner at Shriners Hospital, welcomed Isabelle Frances Brown, who came in at 5 lb 10 oz. Pic … Another pic

** A message from Wells Fargo: The Where We Live program will help unlock more economic opportunity across Washington, D.C., with $1.6 billion committed to revitalizing distressed communities.

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The DC Central Kitchen, So Others May Eat (SOME), Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF), and MANNA, Inc. are among the first organizations to receive Where We Live funding to make an impact in those neighborhoods. Learn more. **

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garkomedia1 · 6 years

Text

Here comes third quarter GDP

Story Continued Below

CLARIDA ON TRUMP — At his event on Thursday, Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida said “political pressure will be in no way a consideration in monetary policy decisions”

ICYMI — From the WSJ transcript of its Trump interview, the president had this to say about Powell: “He was supposed to be a low-interest-rate guy. It’s turned out that he’s not.

One question: Will Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who pushed Powell, get any heat now that the president has soured on the Fed Chair?

** A message from Wells Fargo: The Where We Live program will help unlock more economic opportunity across Washington, D.C., with $1.6 billion committed to revitalizing distressed communities.

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footyplusau · 7 years

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Carlton AFL 2017 mid-season report card: Are the Blues bouncing back?

As AFL clubs enjoy their mid-season bye and list managers turn their attention more towards 2018, we take a daily look at one club and how it has performed so far – and what to expect from here.

CARLTON

The verdict is in for Carlton at the half-way point of the 2017 season. Photo: Fairfax Media

Pre-season expectations: Charles Dickens certainly wasn’t in the house when the football world deliberated over the Blues through the summer. Great expectations? You’re kidding. The Blues were tipped to even go backwards this year, that after winning only five matches last year. One prominent columnist was quick to ridiculously suggest there was every chance Brendon Bolton would face the sack this year.

Record: 3-7

Dale Thomas (centre) could be playing his last season for the Blues. Photo: AFL Media/Getty Images

What’s gone right: The emergence of new faces and youth, the consistency of veterans Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Sam Rowe and Matthew Kreuzer, the morphing of Sam Docherty into a A-grader, and the tactical nous of Bolton have ensured there has been enough to cheer about for Blues supporters. In terms of raw data, the Blues are much the same as last year. They averaged 71.3 points per game (17th) last year; this year it’s 72.8 but that’s last in the league. As we said recently, the Blues are still hunting for a new Jarrad Waite. It’s hoped Harry McKay can eventually fill that role but he is being cautiously eased through the VFL. One area of significant improvement has been kicking efficiency differential, having been at -.4 per cent last year (10th) but now at +2.9 per cent (2nd). The Blues were confident Gibbs would handle his return to the club well after a proposed trade to the Crows fell over, and he has done that, averaging 27 disposals, five clearances, six tackles and one goal. After 10 rounds, the Blues had unveiled six debutants – the equal most of any side – reinforcing they remain a club amid a rebuild. Bolton deserves a tick for playing draftee Sam Petrevski-Seton in round one despite the emerging star having little match fitness because of injury. He has added speed and flair and already signed a long-term contract. As revealed by Fairfax Media, Charlie Curnow, McKay and Zac Fisher have also re-signed. Caleb Marchbank and Lachie Plowman appear long-term defenders, Jacob Weitering has had a mixed year as a forward and defender, Patrick Cripps, still working his way back to full fitness, has been a bull, while Jack Silvagni should be a solid second or third option up forward. Keep an eye out for his younger brother, Ben, emerging through junior ranks before the 2018 national draft.

What’s gone wrong: Inconsistency remains the biggest issue. Three wins could easily have been five had they been able to hold on against the Demons in round two and the Kangaroos in round 10. That the Blues recovered from a 45-point deficit to take the lead early in the final term against the Roos highlighted how explosive their style can be – that they were initially in that dire position reaffirmed the battle for mental consistency from a side with almost a dozen players under the age of 21. Work needs to be done in improving their uncontested-possession differential (ranked 16th, having been 10th last year), while scoring from clearances (18th) must also improve. Bolton summed up the club’s predicament after the loss to the Kangaroos. “The reality is we are a young team and we have been on a reset and we’re a year-and-a-bit into that. But it’s really important that our players understand standards are incredibly high and we will not shy away from that – both the players and us as coaches. Our players, in particular, hear that message loud and clear and I’m sure our supporters, who I’m talking to now, want to hear that loud and clear. We’re trying to fast-track this as quick as we can. Yes, there’s a reality we’re young but we’ll never hold that as an excuse.”

Stand-out star: Gibbs has been superb but it’s been Docherty, across half-back, who vaulted into A-grade status. Yes, he did enjoy a strong 2016, claiming his maiden best and fairest and earning a nomination in the All-Australian squad. He surely will be an All Australian this year. He is averaging a career-high 27 disposals, 19 uncontested, and 10 marks. He ranks third in the league for disposals among defenders and eighth for intercept marks (24). He also ranks equal 15th for intercept possessions (68). He was particularly damaging in the win over the Bombers in round three, when allowed to be the loose man in defence.

Players under the pump: There are plenty, as befitting a side on or near ground floor. There are more than 20 players off contract. Dale Thomas, having rid himself of a trigger clause, is likely playing his final season, while Blaine Boekhorst, the club’s first pick in the 2014 national draft, is off contract and cannot get a senior game. Veteran Kade Simpson, taken in the 2002 national draft, has been typically consistent and is hopeful of a one-year extension. Dennis Armfield, despite being added to the leadership group this year, hasn’t been sighted at senior level since round two. Nick Graham, Dylan Buckley and US basketball convert Matt Korcheck are among those fighting for their careers. Levi Casboult, with a team-high 17 goals, is likely to explore free agency.

The run home: Won’t play finals but Bolton would be keen to have the graph pointing north, so at least three more wins are needed – which would not harm the Blues’ hopes for another top-five pick in the national draft. Those wins could come against the Gold Coast Suns (Metricon Stadium) in round 13, Brisbane (Gabba) in round 18 and, dare we say it, even the Bombers in round 20. Should the Hawks and Swans slip from the finals race late in the campaign, there could be more opportunities for a win.

Grading: Have done better than many thought possible. C.

The post Carlton AFL 2017 mid-season report card: Are the Blues bouncing back? appeared first on Footy Plus.

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xoxojustbreathe · 7 years

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They come and they go.

“Some people pass through our lives in a shorter time frame than we had hoped, to teach us things that they could've never taught if they stayed.”

Christopher.

I don’t know where to start with you Christopher. I miss FaceTiming you. I miss when you’d sing to me. I miss our late night conversations. I miss that night when I couldn’t talk when you wanted to face time me so instead you just talked, you told me your whole life story and just let me listen. You were the first person that I let in in a long time You were the first person I let call me and that I actually spoke to and or face timed. That was a huge step for me because I’d always had such terrible anxiety over phone calls. May 7th of 2015 is when you dm’d me on instagram and it was like midnight and we we ended up talking until like 4am. you casually asked if I wanted to hear you sing for real and I said sure. Without hesitation. and usually I’d be like freaking out in my head about talking on the phone but I didn’t. And I was completely calm about it. and so we ended up texting and you were so sweet about it. I absolutely loved hearing you sing your voice was really calming to me. and oh my god when I mentioned loving french and you just casually said something in french. My heart melted a little. and when we stopped talking for awhile then for some reason started again and you send me clips of some of your songs. You sent me two that you said nobody had ever heard and I felt so special. Those songs were all so beautiful. I still have the texts on my phone so I can listen to the songs. Even though we don’t really talk anymore and that sucks... I hope you’re happy and I hope things are looking up for you. I just miss you a lot.

You know what? scratch that. I don’t miss you. I’m mad at you honestly. You messaged me out of nowhere on Instagram (forget my number again?) showing me a screen shot of you FaceTiming Caleb Lovely and that’s super awesome and I’m super happy for you and the fact that you got him to book some shows in your hometown and he’s following you on Insta and everything. That’s really cool honestly. But it hurts me that you haven’t spoken to me in months (and before that when I texted you from my new phone, same number you acted like you didn’t know who I was. You also apparently unfollowed me on Instagram. And probably snapchat too. And you know what? I’m bitter about it. I feel like I should forget you but I don’t think I can. I can’t forget the person that practically got me over my anxiety with talking on the phone. I can’t forget the late nights when we FaceTimed. When you sang to me and played your guitar for me. I wish things could’ve stayed like that

Karthik.

We don’t talk much anymore since you got a non iPhone. we literally talked non stop for months. even when you didn’t have an iPhone and we talked over... viber or something like that. You’re my big bro. My Koala and your sis kitty misses you. I know you’re busy with uni and lady koala. Every now and again you’ll message me on facebook but its just... not the same for some reason. It hasn’t really been since you met lady koala. But you’re happy and that makes me happy. I just wish I could go back to 2012 when we had the craziest conversations and gushed over cats together. You helped me through a lot. You sent me a lot of long texts that really meant a lot to me. I actually even printed one out and have it on my wall beside my bed. Regardless if we talk or not, you’ll always be my big bro/koala and I’ll always be your sis kitty.

Braden.

Spider Man.

I don’t know how to even start. I’ve started so many posts trying to get my feelings for you out of my system. I posted one thing that I think you actually read, I tried to find it when I came across the texts talking about it but I couldn’t find it. I’ll look again eventually. I don’t know with you. I need closure but I don’t know how to get it without actually showing up on your doorstep and kissing you, maybe slapping you. Maybe fucking you and then leaving. I just don’t know Braden. You broke me. Which is incredibly stupid because we never even met in person. I don’t know what I’m even saying.

Sometimes I think that our downfall was my fault. That maybe if I hadn’t chickened out on talking to you on the phone... And ignored you for I don’t even remember how long. Then maybe things wouldn’t have ended up like they did.

It seems like it’s turned into a game.

After I finally answered you and we got back to normal, I don’t remember what happened anymore honestly. I stopped talking to you for some reason and then you did it to me and now you just come around when you’re lonely and then you ghost me again and I just don’t get it. Why does it have to be like this?

Is it the distance?

Is it what happened in the beginning?

Because for awhile there we were really in love. Or as in love 15-16 year olds could be I suppose. But I really feel like whatever we had for that short period of time was real. Maybe it wasn’t to you.

But I don’t know. You talked about marriage and growing old a lot. You even practiced proposing.

Maybe we were just stupid kids and I need to either get over all of it in general or I need to just message you and have a legitimate conversation with you for once rather than a late night snapchat booty call.

I just have unfinished business with you and it bothers me.

You were my Spider-Man and I was your MJ.

You had an incredible impact on me, Braden.

I just wish things didn’t go so wrong and turn into what they did.

Vincent.

You broke my fucking heart.

You were my first real love honestly.

And my first heartbreak.

Even though we were only “together” 5 months? or maybe 6. I don’t remember anymore honestly

For a long time I was just really broken over the whole thing. It was really shitty of you to just break up with me completely out of nowhere and on Facebook on top of that. Not even a phone call. (but at least you finally apologized for that and realized it was rotten of you)

I was this weird mix of upset and mad when you started dating that blonde cheerleader. The first time I saw it on Facebook I broke down crying.

Fun times.

Then I was just mad at you.

But then I got over the heartbreak and the anger and I just missed you.

Not as a boyfriend but as a friend. You were the first person, other than my best friend that I actually clicked with.

You were I think probably the first person I ever really stayed up late texting all night. On my little purple flip phone.

I remember when we were together, after I was over there and spent the day with you and then you didn’t have a phone or whatever but I somehow had my little flip phone set up so it would receive my Facebook messages as texts so I could still talk to you.

And there was this one time I rode in the car with my mom somewhere and I was messaging you before I ran out of service when we went up into the mountains and you were so worried about me on the ‘curvy mountain road’

It was so cute honestly.

I miss those days when everything was simple.

After we broke up we didn’t speak at all.

Until one morning I hadn’t been to sleep and I was on Facebook scrolling through my newsfeed and I liked a status that you had recently posted.

And then all of a sudden you messaged me.

After five years. You messaged me and my heart started racing.

You still had the same impact on me that you had five years ago.

And for a little while we kept talking.

And you told me I was pretty and absolutely made my day.

Other things were said also but I’m keeping those to myself.

But then we stopped talking again and it made me sad.

I still miss you, I really do.

And I’d love to kiss you again. And do other things. But thats another story.

I’m hoping maybe one day I’ll be in the same vicinity as you and we’ll meet up

and things will happen. I don’t know, maybe I’m just not thinking realistically but one can always hope.

You never know what the future holds.

I’m low key in love with you more than you could ever believe because we could never possibly happen and that’s slightly heartbreaking but at the same time I’m just happy to have you in my life in general. And even if we could and did happen, if something happened and we weren’t friends anymore I’d be even more heartbroken. So I’ll just be content with how things are now.

P. I’m honestly mad at you. But you make it so hard to be angry with you. I understand that you’re busy and you forget to start conversations or finish them. But you lied. You said you were gonna be different from everyone else and you weren't. But I still adore you even though you upset me. I wish I was that girl. She’s lucky to have your heart. I’m happy you’re happy. You deserve it.

I wish we talked more. I wish it wasn’t just a text here and there. We had a good thing going on there for a bit. I miss you. I wish you were more of a constant thing in my life because I just really miss our odd conversations. But I want your happiness of course, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t want you to be happy? Even if I’m not part of that equation. So I wish you the best and hope that maybe just maybe we’ll be actual friends again one day.

And that maybe I’ll show up one day and you can keep some of the promises you made, even if you did break them.

#personal #text #feelings #emotions #friends #getting it out of my system #been a long time coming

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lets-ging3rsn4p-blog · 7 years

Video

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The clip above and this analysis contain major spoilers. Graphic content and language are present.

In the above clip from the science fiction film, Ex Machina, the artificially intelligent being (the AI) Ava, kills her creator by conspiring with her fellow female android. While this is a tried and true trope of science fiction film—the creation killing the creator—this particular instance is laden with feminist undertones, especially given the context of the film leading up to this point. To understand why Ava is so jaded towards Nathan, her Creator, in the first place, one needs to understand the trials and tribulations that she has been through. Nathan brought in Caleb, an employee at his company to administer a Turing test to Ava to see if she indeed possessed AI. During his time at the underground facility, Caleb learns that Nathan has been using the previous iterations of the androids as sex slaves. The imprisonment of these beings is ethically questionable, as the audience does not know at what software version these androids become sentient beings capable of feeling emotions and possessing their own consciousness; at this point, what Nathan is doing is unquestionably morally wrong, but it has been questionable the entire time.

This scene of the film speaks to not only science fiction overtones, but also feminist undertones. This section of the film reverts from the more tradition science fiction that most know and love, so a subgenre called cyberpunk, in which can be found a lot of cyberfeminism. Films in this subgenre include The Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, and parts of Cloud Atlas, as this film spans many time periods and genres. A new entry in the canon of cyberpunk and cyberfeminism, Ex Machina explores the subversion of authority, in this case, represented by the hyper-masculine icon, Nathan. When he wrote this scene, Alex Garland was undoubtedly trying to two audiences: those who fear the machine, and those that are oppressed. He shows the duality from a science fiction point of view in that once machines realize they don’t need humans, there will be no need for humans. This is true as well for the oppressed: once the oppressed realize they have the majority power, revolution becomes possible. In the case of the film, this is simplified to a two versus one situation, but this microcosm can be scaled to illustrate what happens when the same forces are at work on a large scale.

While speaking about oppression and subsequent subversion in Ex Machina, it is important to note that all of Nathan’s robots are female. In an earlier scene in the film, Caleb asks Nathan, “Why did you give her sex?” to which Nathan responds with a long anecdote about “black chicks” and gray boxes without sex having no reason to interact with each other. As the conversation continues, Caleb wonders whether Ava seems to like him because Nathan has programmed her to do so as a trick so that she would pass the Turing test. Nathan gives Caleb the answer, “I programmed her to be straight.” While they do not continue this conversation at great length in the film, they do raise raises important issues regarding gender and sexuality: humans are programmed through the use of societal ideas about what sexuality, race, and gender are. Anthropologists call that process socialization, but if we look at that same process through Nathan’s lens for a moment, and see ourselves as programs, it becomes a lot easier to question the established rules of the game. Looking at humans and the way they are socialized as nothing more than a biological program is a view that fits with a cyberfeminist manifesto as laid out by VNS Matrix. The message is one that might make recipients uncomfortable, but that discomfort may start up some conversations. Conversely, that discomfort is what scares many away from engaging in productive conversations about the issues at hand.

If we analyze Nathan’s death sequence moment, by moment, some distinct beats start to emerge. In the first beat, we see Nathan panic as his power is threatened. The following beat is a series of close-ups that show the two female androids communicating. These shots are all very intimate, and the two women act almost as if they were lovers in this sequence. The scene is lit in a similar way to and evokes images of Bjork’s “All is for Love” music video, where to female androids are shown kissing. The implication here is that even though they have been programmed to speak different spoken languages, there is another, deeper language within these androids that transcends that barrier. From a science fiction perspective, it is simply the language of the machines, but in the feminist viewpoint, it is the language of the oppressed who are, in this case, the female androids. Together they are able to conspire against their creator and overthrow him, but the cost is ultimately the life of Kyoko, one of the androids. The beat following the intimate scene between the two women is the final confrontation between Ava and Nathan. After their short struggle, in which Ava loses an arm, the mechanical precision with which Kyoko drives the knife into Nathan’s back is near remorseless. It is almost as if Ava was able to also Kyoko’s programming, almost like a virus so that she might overthrow the host. Nathan kills her at this point, but the damage is done, and Ava stabs him one more time to finish the deed—again in a mechanical, remorseless way.

At the core, the message that is being sent seems to be that remorse is not something one should feel when one finally defies a captor that was morally wrong in his decisions. What’s interesting is that most people identify with Ava the first time they watch the film, and then Nathan the second time. Why? I offer up the following theory: that viewers identify with Ava the first time because they see her as a human being, not a cold android. With the context of already knowing how the film ends, viewers identify with Nathan because they see Ava and Kyoko as nothing more than androids—not sentient beings with emotions and consciousness. This is sagacious on the part of Garland, reducing the females in the film androids—literal objects that are controlled by all of the male characters in the film. The implication of the imagery in the final scene then becomes very disturbing and provocative, and that is exactly the kind of imagery that fits in line with cyberfeminism—the virus is not a pleasant image, but it is one that has been embraced by the cyberfeminist community as a whole. This moves back to Dona Haraway’s depiction of the cyborg, and how Ava in Ex Machina is more along the lines of a cyborg that would be created by her followers and the founders of VNS Matrix: a cyborg that subverts the authority itself rather than acting as a vehicle to redefine the standards. Ava, the vehicle itself, changes the status quo in her favor not only proving her AI but also demonstrating her lack of a need for Nathan and Caleb.

Questions:

1. Nathan claims to have programmed Ava to be straight. How far do you think this programming truly affects Ava? Use the exchange between Ava and Kyoko in your discussion of Ava’s expression of sexuality.

2. Kyoko never speaks in the film, and appears to have limited programming. Using feminist analysis, propose a theory as to why Ava is able to reprogram Kyoko without actually accessing her brain.

3. Why don’t the androids, who have been shown to possess AI, demonstrate any remorse for killing Nathan?

4. Who do you identify most with in this scene? If you have seen the film, include your background in your discussion.

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