Transcript -

Out of character : What do you think would happen if you gave Gabriel a coin if his armor had a coin slot?

In character : Mmh!

Out of character : And I don't have any further commentary on that.

Audio Source

gabe o'connor for @lotuso3o 's celebrity call! level 2 celebrity clumsy, party animal, glutton bisexual king a travel influencer (and occasional streamer) who blew up on the internet solely because of his decision to start beef with the judith ward for clicks.

gabe is a really sweet guy once you get past the whole "selfish and desperate for attention" part. wanting nothing more than to be in the spotlight, gabe will stop at nothing to grow his fanbase even if that means moving to an entirely different part of the world with absolutely nothing in his piggy bank just for content. on the bright side, he's the life of any party and he's bound to make any event memorable.

Another shimada coffee because my girlfriend made me take my 4th covid test today (it’s negative, still a cold) and I can’t stop sneezing ~Bambi

———

*Jack taking care of the kids while Gabe works and Sojiro catches up on much needed rest*

Jack: *putting a chore chart up on the fridge* there! Okay Hannypie you’re on toy duty. Pick up every toy and put it back where they belong okay?

Hanzo: *dressed in a tiny apron and a bandana to protect his hair* mm! *waddles off and starts putting toys back in the toy chest*

Jack: Cole you’re on laundry duty! Sort out the colours from the whites! We don’t want to tie dye our shirts again!

Cole: Mhm!! *nods and runs off to the laundry to sort*

Genji: *is baby* AEEEH!! (Translation: GIVE ME A TASK COMMANDER DAD I CAN HELP!)

Jack: and as for you, *picks him up* you can have a bounce while I clean the kitchen. *pops him into his bouncy swing*

Genji: AAEEEEHHH!! (Translation: COMMANDER WHY HAVE YOU CONDEMNED ME TO THE SIDELINES?!)

*A few hours later*

Jack: *putting gold stars on the chart* well done you guys! You did great.

Hanzo: *tilts his head pointing at the stars* Hoshi?? (Star?星)

Jack: hm? Oh these are to show your good work! If you get one every day at the end of the week you get an allowance.

Hanzo: huh??

Cole: Mhm! A whole 5 bucks! *holds out his piggy bank* I keep mine in here! When I have enough I can buy a toy!

Hanzo: *staring sparkly eyed at the piggy bank caring more about the cute object than the money inside* buta (pig,豚)

Jack: oh that’s right! I knew I forgot something. *walks out of the kitchen and returns a moment later with a brand new piggy bank just for Hanzo* since you guys both did such a good job today I think it’s only fair you get a raise- *sneakily puts $10 in each of their banks before whispering to them* just don’t tell Gabe he’ll say I’m spoiling you~

Cole: mmmHm!~ secret!

Hanzo: mm! *sparkly eyed taking the piggy bank before excitedly running to the master bedroom and climbing on the bed to show Sojiro his gift* tou-san! Tou-San! Buta!! P-piggy!

Sojiro: *blinks awake and smiles seeing his sons happy face before looking at the piggybank* mm kawaii desu, it’s very cute Hanzo!

Hanzo: heeee~

*Meanwhile*

Genji: *still in his bouncer* AEEEHH!! (Translation: WHY DIDNT I RECEIVE COMPENSATION FOR THIS INJUSTICE?!)

Jack: hey now don’t think I forgot about you. *holds out a gold coin before suddenly unwrapping it to reveal chocolate*

Genji: *grabby hands snatching it up* Abeh! (Translation: My treasure!)

Sister: I want a piggy bank

Mom: I'll get you one maybe

Sister: I want it to be angel shaped

Mom: you don't stick anything into an angel

Me: you tell that to Dean!

How to Start a Cannabis Business On a Budget

How to Start a Cannabis Business On a Budget http://bit.ly/303gpri

So you've got a big idea (genius, of course) but little money to play with. What's the first step? These scrappy entrepreneurs have some advice.

August 13, 2019 10 min read

This story appears in the August 2019 issue of Green Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

From the outside, it looks like the race to get into the cannabis space is available only to people with enough capital to pay cash for a five-bedroom home. But in reality, there are a ton of thriving businesses in all segments of the cannabis market that started with a great idea and just a piggy bank of savings. Here are three companies that bootstrapped their way to success from an initial investment of $5,000 or less -- in fact, way less -- plus advice from the founders on how you can do it, too.

 Fruit Slabs

The founders: The creation of Roxanne Dennant and Brian Cona, Fruit Slabs are basically like middle-­school-style fruit leathers: chewy, ultrahealthy kosher snacks infused with 100 milligrams of THC and made from 100 percent USDA-certified organic ingredients. The company sells four flavors, including Grape Ape and Mango Maui Wowie; a new collab with drag queen Laganja Estranja, called Pride Passion Fruit, is hitting shelves soon.

How much they started with: Less than $1,000.

What they did with it: Bought equipment and materials.

Their origin story: Dennant was working in the denim world, and her longtime friend Cona was in cultivation; the duo were dabbling with consuming edibles but disappointed that they couldn’t find products that fit their healthy lifestyle. So, after buying cooking equipment, they started experimenting in their kitchens, making concoctions from the organic ingredients they liked to eat. Once they nailed their first batch of Fruit Slabs, they sold them to friends and family, and reinvested the money into their second batch. Since founding the company in 2015, Dennant and Cona have continued the same bootstrapping strategy, without taking any outside investment money. And it has worked. The product is in 65 stores in Cali and will expand to Washington soon.

RELATED: 9 Business Ideas for People Looking to Cash in on the Marijuana Boom

The biggest hurdle: Trying to upsell a new product when they launched. Fruit Slabs’ organic ingredients make it more expensive than most edibles -- and therefore more expensive to sell, even wholesale. “In 2015, it was a very raw industry,” Dennant says. “You could walk in [to a dispensary] with a Rice Krispies treat you made in your own home that was wrapped in cellophane…and get five dollars out the door.” But the price of Fruit Slabs? “People would look at me like I had 10 heads.” Today expectations have really changed, she says. “A lot of shops won’t even take an edible if it doesn’t have some type of vegan, gluten-free, or kosher dietary specification -- because people are shopping in that manner.”

And the best lesson learned: When a business is starting out, says Dennant, “you can’t make that $2,000 packaging and screw up, and be like, ‘Oh, it’s [only] $2,000.’ It’s like: ‘Two thousand dollars -- how are we going to recover from that?’” After facing a few such setbacks due to bad partners, she and Cona realized that vetting whom you work with is critical. That’s true even as the industry becomes more regulated. “Whether you’re working with a license partner, a distribution partner, a packaging partner, or a co-manufacturing partner,” she says, “really learning what that partnership is going to bring you in the beginning, and getting term sheets written, setting deadlines for the people and not just the vendor you’re working with -- that’s been a big [lesson] along the way.”

Image Credit: Brad Wenner | Getty Images

Plant People

The founders: Plant People sells CBD tinctures, capsules, and salves made with cannabinoids and other beneficial herbs. “Our mission is to heal and connect people and the planet through the power of plants,” says Gabe Kennedy, who started the company with Hudson Gaines-Ross.

How much they started with: $5,000.

What they did with it: Developed their product and got it out the door.

Their origin story: Longtime friends Kennedy, a chef, and Gaines-Ross, a CPG entrepreneur, were on a hike when they started talking about something they had in common: back surgeries. They’d both been unhappy with the care they’d gotten from traditional Western medicine. Kennedy knew there were other options. He grew up with parents who are acupuncturists; his mother is also a Chinese herbalist, and his dad, a chiropractor. And he leveraged that knowledge to get Plant People’s initial inventory off the ground. “We began packing herbal capsules in our kitchens, used stickers as packaging labels, and gave product away to our friends and families to get feedback, learn, and iterate,” says Kennedy. “These grassroots efforts really worked out for us, as people responded well and started asking for more Plant People. We were overwhelmed by the demand.”

RELATED: Women Are Disappearing From the Cannabis Industry. Why?

The company launched in 2018. “I had a lot of experience building products from seed to sale, so we hit the ground running,” Kennedy says. “Hudson fortunately had a ton of experience building brands and has the networks that provide a voice for those brands. We tapped our friends at Juice Press, Bumble, Vice, Vogue, etc. [for help getting the word out].” 

In addition, they decided that with every sale, they’d plant a tree to support their mission of saving the world through plants. “We hope to someday be responsible for planting more than 10 million trees,” says Kennedy. “We’re not too far off!”

The biggest hurdle: Product sourcing. “We don’t white-label anything,” Kennedy says, so being able to set up a really robust supply chain with partners operating with integrity was a challenge. He dealt with it by continuing to be curious and asking questions about everything from “how people are treating their employees to what their extracting methods look like and how they are capturing solvents,” he says. “We continually did research and didn’t say yes to the first people we came across.” 

The other hurdle was payment processing. Like many startups in the industry, they had to get around the banks’ and financial firms’ reluctance to work with cannabis products. “We’ve had five credit card processors to date,” says Kennedy. “We’ve seen the worst -- 6 percent credit card fees, 10 percent rolling reserves, international declines -- and we’ve seen the best. We’re now with a standard processor that treats us as if we’re any other non-­cannabis brand. We couldn’t be more grateful. And we’re in talks with one of the largest banks in the world about taking over our credit card processing. We never thought we’d be in such conversations.”

And the best lesson learned: “To make decisions and move forward has been such great learning,” says Kennedy. “You make a decision, and you do your best -- it may not be the most perfect decision, but it’s better than not making one at all. What I really learned about bootstrapping is that it’s just putting one foot in front of the other, and oftentimes it’s two steps forward and one and a half steps back--but I have to keep stepping forward.”

Image Credit: Bloomberg | Getty Images

Gofire

The founders: Peter Calfee and John Woodbine started Gofire with the goal of creating the perfect vaporizer -- one that delivers the exact dosage promised. But eventually, they grew the company to also include the Gofire Suite, a database of medical uses for cannabis broken down by the chemicals ingested, the time of day they should be consumed, and the dosage that’s most beneficial; the data can then be accessed by physicians to give patients.

How much they started with: $200.

What they did with it: Bribed a local college student to gain access to a 3-D printer at Calfee’s school, which they needed to create their prototype -- and then they used that to get a first round of funding. 

RELATED: Yes, Medical Cannabis Works. So Why Deny the Anecdotal Evidence?

Their origin story: In 2014, Woodbine, who’d dabbled in the music and food businesses before working at a dispensary, approached Calfee, who was doing IT and alternative medicine consulting work, and tried to talk him into building the perfect vaporizer. Initially, Calfee wasn’t interested. But he eventually changed his mind when he realized that there was a market for a more perfectly attuned vaporizer and that his background in the health field could be a perfect fit.  

The biggest hurdle: Right after the company raised its first $25,000 in a friends-and-family round, Calfee nearly died in a car crash when the person driving had a seizure. “That was when John and I came together and said, ‘Listen: Whatever this takes, whatever we have to go through to build this, we will achieve this,’” Calfee says. After that, there was a fire under them to get it done. 

The accident effectively put the project on hold. But it also led to Gofire’s second product. While recovering from a broken back, Calfee discovered that the opioids he was being prescribed didn’t help as much as the cannabis he was consuming, which is when the idea for the database took root. As soon as he could, Calfee worked on their next round; it took a year, but they got $750,000 to help them grow the business. This year, they’re finally bringing it to market with a beta launch that has garnered tens of thousands of reviews. “There’s no better reward than a patient telling us how we’ve helped to improve their life,” he says.

And the best lesson learned: “There are always going to be obstacles, but they’re just that,” says Calfee. “You’ve got to find a way around [them] -- if it’s a physical ailment, if you break your back, or the bottom’s falling out in the economy, or whatever the situation you’re up against. I believe being a true entrepreneur is not taking no for an answer, and not being able to give up.” 

Also this: Treat your team like your peers. “We have 25 employees,” Calfee says, “and we all own stock in the company.” Unsurprisingly, that gives each of them a drive Calfee couldn’t have necessarily found in salary-only employees. When Calfee calls for a possible meet-up in the office on a Sunday afternoon, often the reply is “‘Oh, I’m already here,’” he says. “You can’t buy that.”

via Entrepreneur.com - Startup Business News and Articles - Starting a Business http://bit.ly/2Z3xKmO August 13, 2019 at 10:48AM

Coventry Sky Blues vs Silver Knights: 16/09/2017

Sit back relax as this could turn into an epic: thank God for Rob’s summary on WhatsApp! Last week’s performance was confined to the history books and it was onwards and upwards as we travelled to Warwick to play the Coventry Sky Blues who beat us 3-2 in the final match of last season in a hard fought match. We knew this was going to be a tough assignment and with 44 players to call from, they certainly could have their pick.

With Neil’s, Damien’s and Rob’s words ringing in their ears the lads took to the pitch with no Jasper this week as he was away on international duty (well, at a Christening in Brighton). The expectant crowd wondered what type of performance would be on offer and how the lads would react but they had no need to worry. We started on the front foot with Theo, Archie and Mason controlling the midfield area and spraying balls out to the menacing wingers Fez and Harley who worked their magic as we controlled the early stages of the game. How the ball stayed out of the Coventry net I do not know but it did and then from their very first attack Coventry broke away to score! Not the start we wanted or deserved but, far from feeling sorry for themselves, the lads rolled up their sleeves and kept on applying the pressure. Sure enough, after great work by Theo and outstanding tenacity from Jack, the ball fell to Will inside the six yard box and we all knew what was going to happen and he duly obliged to level things up at 1-1.

We carried on where we left off and then shortly afterwards the ball found its way to Gabe on the left wing. Neil immediately barked instructions from the side-lines to play it down the line and Gabe did what any good player does in this situation… yes, you’ve got it, totally ignore him and smack one in from 25yards! It was an absolute beauty that beat the goalie all ends up.

The second half began in similar fashion with the Silvers completely controlling the game, with Sam shouting out his orders in his ever so deep voice; Reagan, Harry and Ollie tackling everything that moved and Jonty, when needed, forming his famous wall of invincibility. We were looking very dangerous but in this league you can never count your chickens and in a flash Coventry broke away to level the match at 2-2. We genuinely did not see that coming!

Once again, we had to regroup and we began to play some lovely football and after what seemed like our twentieth corner, Theo swung over the perfect delivery and Archie, clearly needing to top up the piggy bank with his payment for headed goals, arrived bang on cue to head a beauty into the net to make it 3-2. But why allow the parents and coaches to have an easy life? The Silvers decided to make it interesting instead and two Coventry break aways suddenly meant that we were losing a game we had dominated 4-3!

The parents looked to each other for comfort but there didn’t seem to be much on offer. However, the boys could clearly see our angry faces on the side lines and realised that it’s a long way back from Warwick in the car to listen to us dissecting the match. The penny seemed to drop that they needed to pull their fingers out! New signing Harley received the ball on the left wing before cutting inside to beat the goalie with a ripsnorter of a shot: 4-4!

With an attacking 3-4-3 formation, we applied pressure straight from the kick off and Harley smashed into the bottom corner of the net but as Greg, Andy and Mark jumped for joy, they were somewhat embarrassed to discover that Harley had hit the side netting! Cue a couple of red faces and a few sniggers… we have all been there. Then the impossible happened again… with time almost up, Coventry hacked a desperate clearance to Gabe. Time stood still and we could all see what he was thinking. Surely lightning couldn’t strike twice? Oh, yes it can, you little beauty! The ball seemed to take an age to drop into the back of the net for a quite incredible 5-4 victory! A mass celebration of players, parents and coaches and anybody else around ensued (although the Coventry parents didn’t join in!) A lovely performance from the boys and a great way to bounce back from last week. Neil said we would win a lot of matches late on with the lads doing their fitness work in the pre-season but I’m not sure he meant quite as late as this. However, we all know that the hallmark of great teams is to play right to the very end.

With thanks to Jamie Westley for this week’s match report.

The best monitor 2018: the top 10 monitors and displays we’ve reviewed

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=17039 The best monitor 2018: the top 10 monitors and displays we’ve reviewed - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=17039 Just a few years ago, we were hearing from all kinds of pundits that computers were on their way out of relevance. Just ask Apple, with its ‘what’s a computer?’ ad campaign. However, if you take a look at the best monitors we’ve gathered here, you’ll see why the naysayers couldn’t be more wrong. In 2018, the best PCs are more powerful than their laptop and tablet brethren with far fewer drawbacks than you might think.The best monitors won’t increase your computer’s performance, but anything you’re looking at with your PC will definitely look a lot better. You don’t even need to worry about breaking open your piggy bank either – many of the best monitors available today are affordable enough for anyone to get in on the action. They can also feature higher resolutions and refresh rates than you may be accustomed to – a win for everyone.And, now that 2018 has rolled around and manufacturers are showing off their new screens, it might be the best time to pick up one of the best monitors. So, whether you’re looking for gaming monitor or the best USB-C monitor for your MacBook or Dell laptop, TechRadar has you covered. We’ve created a list of the best monitors you can buy in 2018 – each tested and reviewed personally by us. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.  Now that computers are equipped with the encoding technologies that can natively display at the intended resolution, 4K monitors are in increasingly high demand. That explains why BenQ has added the PD3200U, a massive 32-inch Ultra HD display, to its Designer Monitor range. Intended for worker bees, the company has, seemingly by mistake, crafted a screen that gamers can enjoy wholeheartedly as well, so long as they can fit it on their desks. Then again, given the comparatively sluggish 4ms response time, the PD3200U is best suited for creators. 3D designers, for instance, will be grateful for the inclusion of a CAD/CAM mode, while everyone else will revel in the factory-calibrated color accuracy and Rec. 709 adherence. Read the full review: BenQ PD3200U It might be marketed as a gaming monitor, but if you need an ultra-wide monitor, you really can’t do much better. With its fantastic color support, strong contrast ratio and lightning-fast 120Hz refresh rate – everything you do on your PC is going to feel quick, snappy and it’ll look good while doing it. It comes in on the expensive side, but when you consider all of the tech that’s built into the AOC Agon AG352UCG6 Black Edition, it’s really not that hard to see why it’s one of the best monitors you can buy in 2018 – just make sure you have the hardware to power it.Read the full review: AOC Agon AG352UCG6 Black Edition  When it comes to the best monitors, sometimes we’ll come across something that manages to combine so many high-end features that it seems almost alien – the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ is one such display. Not only does this gorgeous display feature an Ultra-HD 4K display, but it tops that off with HDR and Nvidia G-Sync tech – a trifecta of high-end features that makes this the best monitor you can buy today, if you have the cash. If you’re doing any kind of photo or video editing work, you really can’t go wrong with this display.Read the full review: Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ  When you start to get tired of that classic 16:9 aspect ratio, nothing does the trick like a cinematic, 21:9 screen. It may not be ideal for watching Netflix, or playing one of the few games that still don’t support it but the Acer Predator X34 is a great example of what an ultra-wide monitor can do. Boasting an attractive aluminum bezel and a polygonal stand that resembles a crow’s foot, this massive 34-inch panel is a marvel to behold. What’s more, armed with Nvidia’s G-Sync tech, you don’t have to worry about enabling VSync and stressing out your graphics card. The Acer Predator X34 does all the heavy lifting for you. This is about as immersive as a gaming monitor gets. Read the full review: Acer Predator X34 Rarely we run into the kind of technology that’s so far ahead of what everyone else is doing that we’re left dumbfounded. The Dell UltraSharp UP3218K is the most recent example. Finding a monitor that can reach the raw beauty that the UltraSharp UP3218K does would simply be nearly impossible. It’s not just the resolution, either – Dell went a long way to make sure that the build quality and color reproduction were the best in the business, and it pulled it off. It’s a very expensive monitor, but it is aimed at professionals – it’s unlikely many consumers would have the horsepower to drive this thing anyway. So, if you’re a professional looking for the best monitor for your work, look no further. Read the full review: Dell UltraSharp UP3218K  This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the BenQ PD3200U  If your PC can't swing 1440p or 4K gaming, the Asus MG248Q is the next best thing. Despite exhibiting a mere 1080p twisted-nematic, or TN, panel rather than IPS, the Asus MG248Q makes up for any shortcomings with lightning fast response times and Adaptive Sync. The latter reduces screen tearing if you have an AMD graphics card, a clear demonstration that the MG248Q tailors to the budget gamer. On the other hand, even Nvidia fans can rejoice at the 144Hz refresh rate. But, without the right GPU equipped, you might be better off saving for the G-Sync equivalent Asus ROG Swift PG248Q. Read the full review: Asus MG248Q This product is only available in the US at the time of writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Acer S277HK   Depending on your budget, it might break the bank in classic Alienware style, but Dell’s 25-inch gaming monitor won’t let your screen tear. Whether you’re siding with Team Red or Team Green for your graphics needs, there’s a configuration designed with specifically you in mind. Taking away some of the heavy lifting away from the GPU that would otherwise be spent on VSync, the Alienware 25’s 120Hz refresh rate might actually be viable. So, as long as your graphics card can handle it, you can expect to reach 120 frames per second. The 1ms response time is just gravy.  Read the full review: Alienware 25  You might not believe it at first glance, but the BenQ Zowie XL2540 is every bit the gaming monitor that the Asus Predator X34 is. And though it may not seem it from the outside looking in, it does its job remarkably well too, sacrificing dazzling lighting effects for a zippy 240Hz refresh rate and nigh-instantaneous 1ms response time. There’s no G-Sync or FreeSync, as this monitor assumes you already have a rig that’s plenty capable of eliminating screen tears on its own. Instead, this monitor keeps it simple by supplying you with lots of visual presets, an “S Switch” control pod for managing those presets and even a pair of adjustable light screens.Read the full review: If you’re running games using AMD- or Intel-based graphics and want to get into ultra wide displays without spending a fortune, this is the monitor to look out for. At 34 inches diagonally, the LG 34UC79G-B is equipped with AMD FreeSync for screen tear elimination and a 21:9 aspect ratio best suited for games and cinema. Despite the resolution being lower than a lot of other widescreen displays on the market, there’s no denying that the LG 34UC79G-B pulls off a crisp image nonetheless – and with stunning color accuracy at that. Plus, you can change the height, which is more than can be said for even some of the pricier 4K monitors available today.Read the full review: LG 34UC79G-B If you care more about frame rate more than graphics or resolution, this one's for you. Because of its mind-blowing 180Hz refresh rate capabilities, the Asus ROG Swift PG248Q takes the 60fps gold standard for gaming and triples it – provided you're equipped with a rig that can handle the extra stress. While you're unlikely to enjoy Forza Horizon 3 at 180fps on Ultra settings given its high demand, a higher refresh rate is more than welcome in fast-paced, competitive games that don't necessarily depend on a wealth of resources. Plus, as one of the most affordable G-Sync displays on the market, it helps that you can rely on the monitor to prevent screen tearing, too.Read the full review: Asus ROG Swift PG248Q Gabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article Get one of the best monitors on sale this Black Friday Source link

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... The Fosters (S04E19) Who Knows Airdate: April 4, 2017 @freeform Ratings: 0.617 Million :: 0.26 18-49 Demo Share Score: 7.5/10 **********SPOILERS BELOW********** Bizarre how polarizing a simple episode of 'The Fosters' can be, but after going through and reading the reaction of the TVShowTime Community to 'Who Knows' it's hard to deny that good or bad, wrong or right, the show is evoking strong emotions from its viewers. They say as long as people are talking, then they're doing something right... And while there might be some serious flaws in that logic, I'm still enjoying final path into the end of S4 for 'The Fosters'. I spent an entire review for the last episode talking about how well the Aaron/Callie arc and subsequent Aaron/Family subplots played out. In 'Dirty Laundry' Aaron & Callie took center stage, but 'Until Tomorrow' quickly establishes that we are moving the heavy hitting drama front and center. Callie is once again faced with the fact that her meddling in other people's business (honorable intentions or not) has serious consequences, particularly with this whole Kyle fiasco. Her lawyers want Callie to say that she now knows the system 'worked' and that Kyle was guilty. Of course Callie refuses and is always standing up for 'what's right', but the show paints doubt for Callie... Even going as far as making Kyle look radically different and adding a teardrop tattoo, which normally signifies a murder. I'm thinking that more than likely Kyle is doing this to blend into the system, it's a known fact that once your in there you have to do what you have to do... No matter what race, creed, or religion... But I'm sure that will be addressed later. We see Kyle pushing Callie away because he most likely doesn't want to set himself up for any further disappointment. As cheesy as it sounds, as long as it plays out right, this little arc could still have some steam. We will see. The main arc on everyone's mind, or at least on mine, is Jesus and his slow struggle on the road to recovery. He's lashed out at Gabe and I really hope that Gabe sticks it out and doesn't run... Like Ana did when Mariana confronted her about her past. They are drawing nice parallels between the two twins and their birth parents and all we can do is sit back and hope that they do the right thing. Jesus and Mariana were in the foster system in the first place because Ana and Gabe were not ready to have children, but they've both been given a rare second chance to make things right as parents with these kids and I know that as a man in his 30's who's father abandoned him, these opportunities don't just come knocking. Not only is a Jesus an extra handful because of the accident, that was indirectly caused by Gabe's negligence, he also hasn't been taking his meds. Gabe did the right thing by telling Lena, but will he be able to take the backlash? Hey, part of parenting is sometimes being the bad guy. Gabe has to learn how to live with that. Expect Jesus to act out even further now that Mariana's 'anonymous twitter account' just outed the secret that everyone has been keeping from Jesus because they thought it would impede his recovery... Emma had an abortion. Let's talk polarizing issues. This is a subject people feel strongly about one way or another, and everyone has their reasons. The pro argument is that this is Emma's body, she has to carry a baby to term, and if Jesus doesn't get better she could be stuck taking care of a child all by herself, making her life that much harder. The flip side, and this is something I can relate to, as I was conceived at 15 years old. Of course adoption is an option, but my mother had me, my birth father abandoned me and later started another family, my mom fought through high school, got into a prestigious university, went from broke to ready to set up our lives... Then her husband, my step-father spiraled into addiction stole all of our money, pawned my mother's wedding and engagement ring, returned home with bullet holes in our car, and even stole money out of my childhood piggy bank for his drug of choice. She stuck by him, fell into a massive depression, he got clean, redeemed himself and rose from fucking ashes and now they both are business owners and do well for themselves. Now that's a helluva story and we are survivors and yes we are hella fucked up from all that happened, but my mother could have easily terminated that pregnancy and I wouldn't be here to tell you what a heroic, strong woman she is and what an incredibly resilient man my step-father is. It's not an easy choice. For me there is no easy answer because I understand both sides of the coin. Beyond everything, what Jesus is really going to have to wrestle with is the feelings of betrayal he's bound to have from everyone keeping this a secret from him. For me, that's the story, and the very reason this latter part of S4 has been so damn compelling. There are a few more subplots teeming through these arcs with such strong foundations... Jude is learning two wrongs don't make a right, Lena is learning that she needs Stef more than ever, and Stef is learning that she's taken on a job that is all-consuming, sometimes toxic, one that doesn't often have happy endings. And on top of all of that, Nick's father has a score to settle with Anchor Beach and he's using Drew Turner as a pawn to attempt to change the school from charter to privatized. Like I said... There's a LOT at play, and I'm pretty sure I'm barely scratching the surface here. Consistency has been an issue with 'The Fosters' in the past... Hopefully, it will be a non-issue as we roll right into the S4 finale... Bottoms up!