Get to know you - Sims Style

Thank your for tagging me, @daniel-fortesque & @bast-sims

What’s your favorite Sims death?

None (hate it when it happens); the most frequent one in my gameplays is the old age one.

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?   A mix between the two, it depends how well the CC matches the game's art style.

Do you cheat your sims weight? Not really; what I cheat is how muscular my female sims are as I play a lot the Acrobat career in TS3 Showtime and my girls bulk up too fast and too much.

Do you move objects? Ever since I learned about this particular (and very useful) cheat, yes.

Favorite Mod? Most of the Nraas mods, all of @thesweetsimmer111 fabulous baby/toddler mods and also small ones to correct some stuff in the game (like No Mascot Camera Zoom, No Autonomous Gaming, Autonomous Wash Hands After Toilet Use, Zoom-In CaS Camera, etc)

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack? World Adventures.

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing?   aLIVE  

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? A lot of them, for different reasons.

Selena Noble - a ballerina (now an acrobat) with no moral compass. But I think she's cute so she's my muse for the balletcore collection.

Lin Young - my fearless adventurer.

Riley Preston - my talented artist.

Hope London - my dedicated gardener.

These three: Mel Hada, Ren Akiba & Jace White (aka Yasu Sato). They are the MCs from "Uncertainty".

I don't have pics of them right now, but I also have to mention: Sasha Azarov, Daichi & Rei Sato, Ayanna Sato, Sebastian DeLuca.

Have you made a simself? The first sim I ever made was a simself. It did not go well.

Which is your favorite EA hair color? None; since it's TS3 I mix them according to my characters.

Favorite EA hair? Not really using the EA hairs usually, but I'd choose the Playful Updo from Late Night.

Favorite life stage? I play a lot the YA & A life stages, but also enjoy all the other ones.

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?  I'm in for everything the game has to offer: gameplay, building, CAW, CC creation.

Are you a CC creator? Yup.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad? I wouldn't say a squad, but I do have people here that I admire and like to interact with.

Do you have any sims merch? Nope.

Do you have a  YouTube for sims? Yes (as I'm an ex-machinima creator), but these days I'm only using it when I have animations to share.

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing? In every possible way. I put a lot more thought into my builds (and worlds), my sims no longer look like aliens (I used to make them have these big anime eyes) and my gameplays are more wish-based than ever.

Who’s your favorite CC creator? So many of them since I'm a big CC hoarder. As Daniel said, everyone who brings something to this game is a champion and deserves accolades.

But to mention only a few, I'd say @simtanico for their high quality items, @enable--llamas for the awesome furniture, ArtVitalex & Onyxium over at TSR who both still create furniture for TS3, Bill-Sims also at TSR, @sim-songs here on Tumblr for their conversions, @technicallyswagpizza for their amazing plants (and tutorials that taught me a lot), @yorithesims and @bmit04 for poses; @maryjanesims3 & @agnelid for hair default replacements, and so many more. Sorry, I can't remember everyone right now.

How long have you had Simblr? Since January 2019.

How do you edit your pictures? For more aesthetic pics I use Reshade and PS (although I don't remember ever posting these types of pics), but I usually just slightly adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation and exposure in PS as I love the TS3's default art style (I'm just spicing it up a little).

What expansion/ gamepack is your favorite? Kinda all of the expansion packs?! Mainly Seasons, World Adventures, Late Night, Island Paradise, Generations. Also love all the functional store content and worlds.

Tagging:  @technicallyswagpizza @chojrak-making-things @agnelid @murfeelee @simtanico @puffkins2000 @yorithesims @enable–llamas @solori @pudding-parade @faerielandsims @jazzysimlife @tiaamorosa @lordressdragoonbear @thesweetsimmer111 @bmit04 @maryjanesims3 @nornities

Feel free to ignore if not interested or have done this before! 😁😘

Redoing my pinned post yayyyy

Hello! My name’s Bry and I post exclusively self shipping/oc x canon stuff here because I’m tired of feeling like cringe

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Expect mostly reblogs and random posts about my f/os and self inserts. It’s a mess here lolll

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A few other notes:

If you’re a minor or just uncomfortable with suggestive stuff, please filter out ‘suggestive cw’ because I have posted some suggestive stuff. Nothing serious though

As of writing this, I will no longer be posting anything suggestive on this blog, I'm still leaving my original note above just for any minors who happen to be scrolling through my blog

I’m also ok with sharing f/os, and you’re allowed to rb f/o specific posts. They’re characters we all love, so I wanna share the love with other people! So don’t feel like you’re making me uncomfortable, cuz I’m not :]

Thank youuuuu

F/O and S/I list under cut (not in order of how fixated i am)

Some F/Os will not be mentioned, mainly because I’m a little too embarrassed to mention them these days

Romantic F/O’s

☀️ - Otto Octavius - Spider-Man 2

🔥 - Eddie Munson - Stranger Things

📈 - Spamton G. Spamton - Deltarune ch.2

🐹 - Gundham Tanaka - Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

⏳ - Bruno Madrigal - Encanto

🩸 - Zagerus - Hades

🍇 - Dionysus - Hades

👓 - Wheatley - Portal 2

🐭 - Werner Werman - Cuphead

📝 - The Narrator - The Stanley Parable

🚬 - Lt. Columbo - Columbo

🌙 - The Moon Knight System (Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley) - Moon Knight

🕷️ - Miguel O’Hara - Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse

Crushes

Bob Newby - Stranger Things

Steve Harrington - Stranger Things

The Narrator - The Stanley Parable

Anthony Hope - Sweeney Todd (2007)

Thanatos - Hades

Achilles - Hades

Hermes - Hades

Wendell - Wendell & Wild

Aziraphale - Good Omens

Poe Dameron - Star Wars (I don’t know what he’s actually like, I just like him bc he’s Oscar Isaac and a super cute spaceship pilot :] )

Platonic and Familial F/O’s

🎉 - The Fun Gang (Susie, Ralsei, Lancer) - Deltarune (friendship)

👾 - Chiaki Nanami - Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (friendship)

🎸 - Bill Preston - Bill and Ted - (friendship)

☀️ - class 77b - Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair - (friendship)

♥️ - Kris Dreemurr - Deltarune (younger sibling)

Self Inserts (note: all my s/is share my irl names, so I won't be mentioning them by name unless its their alternate title or alter ego or whatever. I also have not made self inserts for every f/o source, and not all self inserts will be mentioned.)

The Moth - Spider-Man 2/The Spiderverse Movies - A hero bitten by a genetically modified spider-moth hybrid, and now helps keep NYC safe alongside her bestie Spider-Man (I have a version of her for both spiderman stories just to keep things less confusing.)

Deltarune - The biological older sister of Kris, and the middle child of the Dreemurr family. Has joined Kris and Susie for their dark world adventures, and acts as the protective older sister/mom of the group.

Coogan's Run trailer (Steve Coogan, 1995)

This is the kind of stuff they end up doing is put several things in here that he had to send that makes him into a huge a****** and it's getting worse and worse and he's getting more and more hateful and spiteful of everyone and we want the hell out of here and we can't stand him anymore and he is a huge loser and we need him to go away for crying out loud it is awful awful stuff he does not know when to shut up and went to leave it alone and he keeps on bothering us and harassing our child here and our other child's to no end he's going to die and this is the scene from tropic thunder and really he is an idiot okay you can see that he's talking about it

Olympus

Haha what a moron is since you're laughing about it and really the max are doing quite a number on him and they're saying it's foreshadowing of something for a son they say about everything but it does fit into what they're saying they're going to do so we have a time frame where we have to get rid of them and they can't get an invention it'll stretch it out and they'll just keep making a story but they're going to get hit now and all over the world they are along with these people who have information and the minority morlock are now seeking it out and Nick nolte goes into a very bad place and we hear he doesn't come out you see it another movie

Thor Freya

I know what film that is I get left behind it's not full metal jacket there are several pow movies and I'm in one and it's a nightmare but yeah this is going to be hell these people know what they're talking about they fight for real it's been a tough life and we don't make any easier we don't mean to but holy s*** this is going to be awful

Nick nolte

I don't want to go through this s*** this is going to be so damn nasty I'm sorry that happened to you Trump I really were not we hate you

Hulk Hogan

Is what these people are like I guess everybody who's a Satanist is but really who cares for feeling bad for someone because it's a horrific death or whatever you want to call it mainly it's very bizarre and strange and people hate him for what he is doing you want him to be embarrassed for all eternity and he will cuz that is really really shameless the act

Bill

Gross

Preston

Olympus

30+ she / her. Looking to write either my male oc or bill s. Preston Esquire from Bill and ted series against a billy hargrove , Steve harrington , or eddie munson from stranger things! A bit of am odd pairing , I know but bill totally works in the stranger things universe. I'm down for very dark plots and toxic relationships ( mainly for Billy's side ). It would be on discord and I write 3 to 5 paragraphs! If you are interested, please give this post a like and I'll dm you!

like if interested!

Artist Showcase: 'LittlePolka’

For the first of a series of artist showcase pieces (showcasing my favourite artists online) I'm gonna be posting occassionally, here's a certain amazing artist whose artwork not only helps inspire me to strive at becoming a pro at what I enjoy as a hobby, but also reminds me how women who become mothers by both chance and choice aren't as represented nor as celebrated in today's society.

I'm talking of course about 'LittlePolka' (aka, Dinara Ovchinnikov).

There's a lot of variety in her artwork, with many different themes and subject matter, depending on the kind of commission she's given. But the one thing you will notice instantly (even by the examples I'm showing here) is that she has a huge fascination for drawing pregnant female animals from many areas such as fanart (e.g. The Lion King, Zootopia, Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, etc.) and OCs like fursonas (like my own), characters from new original stories, etc., since that's the topic she tends to delve into with her artwork the most. And once you get to know about her more (as I'll explain in this post), it's practically the easiest thing in the world to see why.

She is also the author of the heartwarming and beautifully-illustrated Zootopia fancomic "Road to Happiness", a tribute to both interracial love (like the entire WildeHopps ship itself) and the values of marriage and parenthood, in which Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps prepare for the latter's birth of quadruplets/four children (two of which are in Nick's side of the family, if you know what I mean). The comic can be viewed here on this link! P.S: You'll notice that Judy looks a little bit different here, as Polka tends to draw her with face fur similar to that of Mrs. Brisby from The Secret of NIMH (which, coincidentally enough, is featured in one of the pieces above ^^).

Her art style is an absolutely gorgeous blend of the recognizable and already-distinct art styles of classic-Disney/Bambi-style (i.e. Tyrus Wong, Eric Larson, Frank Thomas & Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Marc Davis, Bill Justice, Don Lusk, Art Babbitt, Bill Tytla, Thelma Witmer, Eyvind Earle, etc.), Chuck Jones, Osamu Tezuka, Don Bluth, Charles Thorson, Preston Blair and Hayao Miyazaki. Her style definitely leaves some big nostalgia vibes in its path for one's eyes to gaze upon. Also, for examples of her splendid attention to detail and atmosphere, here's two pieces of fanart she has made for two of her favourite recent games (Ori and the Blind Forest & Hollow Knight). Yes, she's a casual gamer as well.

Polka herself lives in Russia, happily married to a good man named Evgeny and just had herself a charming little girl last year. I know because not only does she bring this up on DeviantArt and FurAffinity, but also I'm personally in contact with her, mainly through commissioning her oftenly (usually for simple sketches of certain characters I like to see drawn in her style, some of which I'll be uploading here on Tumblr soon).

Also, if you remember back in November, I commissioned her to do a piece featuring Surly and Andie from The Nut Job, with Surly tearfully but happily resting his forehead on the pregnant belly of his girlfriend Andie, and looking forward to meeting his newborn baby daughter (my TNJ OC Nutmeg) for the first time. This particular commissioned piece can be viewed in this link!

All in all, Polka is clearly an avid preggy artist, but not in the way that some would think. She highly cherishes the whole meaning behind pregnancy, as well as the everlasting feelings of joy and fulfilment that having children can bring to a woman (and her husband)'s life, especially since (again) Polka is a devoted wife and mother herself.

So if you're loving this artwork I'm presenting to you right now (I bet you are, if anything!), do yourself a favour and show this lady some love and support, because in my humble eyes, she deserves every bit of it! In fact, today (or the day I'm posting this) is her birthday! She can be found on DeviantArt, FurAffinity and Patreon! Also, if you have an idea for a piece you'd like to commission her to do, feel free to send her a note on DeviantArt or FurAffinity. :)

Happy 31st birthday, Dinara/Polka! Your art never ceases to amaze me, as well as warm my heart, and I know for sure that there are many folks out there who'd practically say the same thing. ^^

(All art presented here has been created by the artist discussed, and is featured on this post through fair use)

some B&T headcanons ok

- Bill's mom died when he was young, Ted's divorced his dad

- Bill grew up in a relatively rich household, mainly because of his father's mother, Granny S Preston Esquire

- The reason Bill finds her so intimidating was because she was a significantly strict female figure in his life after his mom passed away

- Bill can totally play the piano, and enjoys it, but isn't confident at all, so he rarely does it and NEVER in front of others

- He stopped going to his various lessons as a kid after his grandmother died, and had no one to make him (his dad was too busy trying to find himself a new young girlfriend each week to pay attention)

- Ted's mom lives in New York as a rich business woman, but doesn't ever bother seeing him and Deacon because she can't stand their dad

- Bill loves to draw and literally does it whenever he gets the chance

- Ted is on the autism spectrum, and Bill suffers from ADD and chronic anxiety

- Ted stims through air guitar, and was actually the one to introduce it to Bill as kids. Bill thought it was a totally excellent way to express joy, so he started doing it too

- Ted also loves textures, and one of his favorites is Bill's hair

- Bill is afraid of loud noises, primarily yelling do to his relationship with his grandmother

- Whenever Bill has an anxiety attack, he immediately looks to Ted for comfort, and vice versa

- Bill prefers more effeminate clothing because it's what he's most comfortable in

- Ted is low-key goth punk headbanging grunge but still a sweetheart energy and Bill is highkey neon pastel holographic glitter galaxy energy

- Bill loves to play with makeup when he gets the chance

- Ted supports and agrees with Bill that makeup is totally radical

- Ted sends letters to his mom whenever he can because he really does miss her

- Ted did actually have the choice to go with his mom to New York, but decided to stay in San Dimas with his dad because of Deacon and his new school friend, Bill

- Bill and Ted used to babysit little Deacon when Bill would spend the night in middle school, and it was one of their favorite pastimes

- Ted adores his little brother and has always had a heavy weight of guilt for any ill will he's shown toward him, like the easter basket incident

- Bill and Ted actually love the pop era of the 80's just as much as they do the rock

- If they were teenagers NOW, they'd totally be apart of the RIP vine compilations 100x over ok no questions asked

- Bill is surprisingly a coffee drinker, but likes "girly" coffee, same with alcohol, definitely having more of a preference for sugary bright drinks and foods

- Bill has a major sweet tooth, and eats a lot when bored or stressed, but his high metabolism keeps him skinny

- Ted can't handle sugar as well when he hit puberty, but Bill can because he wasn't allowed a lot of sweets as a kid

- Bill's favorite arcade game is DDR, and Ted's is Street Fighter

Syreeta Wright

Syreeta Wright (August 3, 1946 – July 6, 2004), who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with her ex-husband Stevie Wonder and musical artist Billy Preston.

Biography

Early life and career

Wright was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1946, and started singing at age four. Her father served in the Korean War and Wright and her two sisters, Yvonne and Kim, were raised by their mother Essie and their grandmother. The Wrights moved back and forth from Detroit to South Carolina before finally settling in Detroit just as Wright entered high school. Money problems kept Wright from pursuing a career in ballet so she focused her attention on a music career joining several singing groups before landing a job as a receptionist for Motown in 1965. Within a year, she became a secretary for Mickey Stevenson, just as Martha Reeves had done before her.

A year later, Edward Holland of the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team noticed Wright's singing and decided to try her out for demos of Supremes songs. Motown CEO Berry Gordy shortened her birth name to "Rita," and Wright released her first solo single, "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You", in January 1968. The song was initially written for the Supremes (by then billed as "Diana Ross & the Supremes"). They later recorded the song in 1968 and Diana Ross re-recorded the song for her solo album, Surrender.

Wright also performed demo vocals for the Supremes hit "Love Child" and Ross's "Something's On My Mind", which Ross later recorded for her self-titled debut album. When Diana Ross left the Supremes in early 1970, Motown boss Berry Gordy considered replacing her with Wright, but offered the place in the group to Jean Terrell. According to several sources, Gordy then changed his mind and tried to replace Terrell with Wright, but this was vetoed by Supreme Mary Wilson.

Wright also sang background on records by the Supremes and by Martha and the Vandellas, notably singing the chorus to the group's modest hit single, "I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playing". Wright met labelmate Stevie Wonder in 1968, and the two began dating the following year. On the advice of Wonder, Wright became a songwriter. Their first collaboration, "It's a Shame", was recorded by The Spinners, in 1969. Motown withheld its release until July 1970. The song reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wright also began singing background for Wonder, most notably on the hit "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)", which Wright co-wrote with Wonder. In September 1970, after a year-long courtship, Wright, 24, and Wonder, 20, married in Detroit. The couple then wrote and arranged songs for Wonder's Where I'm Coming From, which was released much to Berry Gordy's chagrin in the spring of 1971. The Wonder–Wright composition "If You Really Love Me" (which also featured Wright prominently singing background vocals) reached number 8 in the US that year. In 1971, following Wonder's exit from Motown, the couple relocated to New York City where Wonder worked on two independent albums.

Solo career

Wonder returned to Motown in 1972 after being promised creative control for his recordings, allowing Wonder to set up a company called Black Bull Productions. Wonder and Wright came with songs for Wonder's next album, Music of My Mind. Following a tour opening for The Rolling Stones in the summer of 1972, Wonder issued his follow-up, Talking Book, which turned out to be Wonder's breakthrough album. In between the albums, Wright decided to return to her own singing career. Motown reassigned the singer from Motown's Gordy imprint, where "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You" was released, to Motown's L.A.-based MoWest subsidiary. Wonder and Wright had marriage troubles and divorced in the summer of 1972, ending their 18-month marriage. Following their divorce, Wonder oversaw the production of Wright's first solo album, Syreeta, which included Wright's take of Wonder's "I Love Every Little Thing About You" from Music of My Mind, the Smokey Robinson classic "What Love Has Joined Together", and The Beatles' "She's Leaving Home", which featured both Wonder and Wright applying background vocals via the talk box. MoWest issued "I Love Every Little Thing About You" in the late winter of 1972, but it failed to chart. Remaining best friends, Wright would continue to provide background vocals and compositions with Wonder for the next two decades.

In 1974, Wright was again reassigned, this time to the Motown label proper (in the U.S.), and issued her second release, the aptly-titled Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta that June. Following the success of Minnie Riperton's Perfect Angel, which Wonder also produced, Wonder wanted to present Wright in the same light as Riperton as a sensual vocalist. The covers also were very similar to each other. Riperton added background vocals to the album, promptly at the end of the album track "Heavy Day". The album yielded the UK singles "I'm Goin' Left" (covered by Eric Clapton and Jerry Butler), "Spinnin' and Spinnin'" and the reggae-flavored "Your Kiss is Sweet", which became a UK Top 40, reaching number 12 in 1975. The album also featured one duet with G. C. Cameron, formerly of the Spinners. The duo released the duet album Rich Love, Poor Love in 1977. Production on Wright's third album, One to One, went on for two years. The album featured the sole Wonder production, "Harmour Love", which found some success after being featured on the movie Junebug, and was mainly produced by Leon Ware, who also produced Marvin Gaye and Riperton.

Wright's next effort came courtesy of a chance meeting with Billy Preston, who had signed with Motown in early 1979. Motown assigned the two to collaborate on a pop ballad for the movie Fast Break. Wright and Preston provided the soundtrack of the film and their first collaboration, "With You I'm Born Again", resulted in an international hit reaching number-four US and number-two UK in late 1979. The success of the song led Motown to renew Wright's contract, which was due to expire that year, with neither side looking to renegotiate. Wright and Preston continued their collaborations until 1982. Wright still worked with Wonder during this period singing the lead vocals for their composition "Come Back as a Flower" for Wonder's Journey through the Secret Life of Plants and also sung alongside Wonder on his 1980 song "As If You Read My Mind" for his Hotter than July album. Wright continued to provide background vocals until Wonder's 1995 album Conversation Peace.

Wright continued to record for Motown into the 1980s, releasing her second self-titled album in 1980, and releasing the funk/boogie-oriented Set My Love in Motion in late 1981. During that same time period, she added vocals to the theme song for the Canadian slasher-horror flick Happy Birthday to Me, known for starring Little House on the Prairie′s Melissa Sue Anderson. The album featured the minor R&B hit "Quick Slick", which peaked at number 41 R&B in early 1982. Wright then issued The Spell in 1983 and left Motown two years later after collaborating with Smokey Robinson for the soundtrack to Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon in 1985. Wright briefly recorded for Motorcity Records before retiring from show business for good in the mid-1990s and settling in Los Angeles with her four children.

In 1993, she joined the national touring cast of Jesus Christ Superstar in the role of Mary Magdalene, alongside original film stars Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson (singer). She stayed in the cast until 1995.

Personal life

Wright was married three times. Her first marriage, to longtime collaborator Stevie Wonder, lasted 18 months, from 1970 to 1972, while a marriage to bassist Curtis Robertson Jr. was also short-lived. Wright briefly lived in Ethiopia in the mid-1970s, where she worked as a Transcendental Meditation teacher. She eventually settled in Los Angeles, where she lived for the rest of her life. Born and raised a Baptist, she converted to Islam following her third marriage.

Wright died in 2004 of congestive heart failure, a side effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatments she was receiving for breast and bone cancer. She was buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery.

Discography

Studio albums

Syreeta (1972)

Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta (1974)

One to One (1977)

Rich Love, Poor Love with G.C. Cameron (1977)

Fast Break with Billy Preston (1979)

Syreeta (1980)

Set My Love in Motion (1981)

Billy Preston & Syreeta (1981)

The Spell (1983)

With You I'm Born Again Japan only (1990)

Wikipedia

About Me Tag!

Ahhh @theglorydefender thank you for tagging me in this stuff! I love doing it!!!

Name: Leni (my real name is a secret ;D)

Age: 19 1/2 lol

Where Am I: in the living room

Job: Bleh right now I am a cashier but I would LOVE to do something in animation!

5 Favorite Fictional Characters:

Bill S. Preston Esquire

Ted Theodore Logan (Leaving these two the same because OBVIOUSLY)

Gene Belcher

Ron Weasley

Andrew Glouberman

4 Movies I’d Rewatch Over and Over:

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

The Lorax

3 Favorite TV Shows:

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures (Mainly season 1 because come on, season 2 had TERRIBLE voice acting lol)

Bob’s Burgers

South Park

2 Favorite Ships:

Bill x Ted

PolyGrumps (Mainly Arin and Danny)

1 thing I Love About Myself:

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm hmmmmmm….. my imagination lol

I TAG WHOEVER WANTS TO DO IT, PLEASE TAG ME SO I CAN SEE YOUR RESPONSES, FRIENDS. <3

War On Drugs

The War on Drugs has been evolving since the late 19th century when the opium trade began to be taxed and criminalised. It’s famous name came about in the 1970′s with Nixon’s presidency where he declared drugs as ‘public enemy number one’.

‘During a 1994 interview, President Nixon’s domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichman, provided inside information suggesting that the War on Drugs campaign had ulterior motives, which mainly involved helping Nixon keep his job.

In the interview, conducted by journalist Dan Baum and published in Harpermagazine, Ehrlichman explained that the Nixon campaign had two enemies: “the antiwar left and black people.”

Ehrlichman was quoted as saying: “We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course, we did.”’

The War on Drugs was escalated further by Ronald Reagan’s and Bill Cinton’s presindencies. Reagan reinforced and expanded Nixon’s policies in a way which saw non-violent offenders facing long jail time while also bringing forward massively unfair policies which targeted poor communities. Clinton brought forward policies that helped keep people in prison for longer and further widen the distance for the chance of rehabilitation for prisoners.

The War on Drugs has turned out to be a failure that has only escalated the drug epidemic in the US and it is also largely respnsible for the militarisation of the police force in the US, which has been a huge factor in the injustice and instances of police brutality. Some of the films that I have chosen from the archive are clearly from this point in time where drug use was starting to be portrayed as highly criminal and dangerous, with the narratives of the films portraying drug use in a way which seems to want to instil fear into its viewers rather than actually educating them on the realities. I understand the danger of certain drugs but feel that this demonising approach only undermines the true cause.

One element of these films that frustrates me is the labelling of marijuana as a drug that is as dangerous as heroin. Marijuana use in medicine, materials and for recreation has been dated back to ancient times and its demonisation in the US appears to have been driven by a racist and capital agenda. After prohibition ended marijuana became the target of government control, with it being used as a way to demonise African Americans and Mexican immagrants. Reports that the drug made people violent were construed by people with a great deal of power who had links with the paper and lumber industries. Hemp was seen as a potential competitor to wood pulp as a means of making paper and it is said that this was a big driving force in the demonisation of the drug. The fact that these racial and economical factors led to this false propoganda about the drug is the sort of instance that helped to fuel the aggressive war on drugs years later. It is a troubling reality which says a lot about how capitalism functions.

I want to use aspects of the anti-drug films in a way which mocks the War on Drugs approach to drug use by aggressively demonising it. I want to make use of the instances of marijuana in the films to try to comment on the absurd way the plant has been treated over the years. I want to make a kind of parody of the unrealistic way that mairjuana has been represented in these films and I aim to do so by over exaggerating its effects and portraying it a dramatic but comical way.

Sources:

French, Laurence; Magdaleno Manzanárez (2004). NAFTA & neocolonialism: comparative criminal, human & social justice. University Press of America. p. 129. 

Mitchell Earlywine (2005). Understanding marijuana: a new look at the scientific evidence. Oxford University Press. p. 24.

Peet, Preston (2004). Under the influence: the disinformation guide to drugs. The Disinformation Company. p. 55.

https://www.history.com/topics/crime/the-war-on-drugs

Is It Better To Pay Off A Mortgage Or Invest?

Is It Better To Pay Off Mortgage Or Invest?

One of the biggest debates in the financial world has to do with the question….Is it better to pay off mortgage or invest?

As someone who has followed Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps, let’s take a look at what he’s recently had to say about this to callers on his show.

Is It Better To Pay Off Mortgage Or Invest?

Caller #1

The first caller (35-yr-old) was debt-free except for his mortgage and had managed to save up quite a bit of cash in his savings.

He owed $180,000 on his mortgage with a 3.25% 30-year fix rate and was having a difficult time convincing himself to pay it off with such a low rate.

His home was worth about $520,000 and household income was $140,000.

His savings included:

$90,000 in non-retirement accounts

$150,000 in a 401k retirement savings

$75,000 in 529 plans

Step 4 in Dave’s Baby Steps is to invest 15% into a retirement account which he was doing (roughly $25,000 per year).

He also was funding 529 plans for his 5 and 8 year old kids so now he was up to Step 6, paying off the home early.

Dave’s recommendation:

Take the $90,000 in savings and throw it at the remaining mortgage. Why? Because of lowering risk giving him a better peace of mind.

Dave quoted several studies and books he’s read about millionaires. He claimed they got to their 7-figure net worth status because of their habits and what they did with their money.

And the two primary financial decisions that those habits caused them to be successful was this:

The first million or two in their 401k

A paid for house.

The millionaires that were studied never said anything about borrowing money at 3.25% so that they can invest it and make a better rate of return. In essence, he was saying they paid off their homes aggressively even though their interest rate was low.

Some people will state that because their interest rate is low (i.e. 3.25%) they’ll forgo paying off the house aggressively to invest. Most millionaires, according to Dave, don’t operate in that fashion.

Once they get the house paid off, they then use the increased cash flow of not having a house payment to start heavily investing mainly in index funds that track the stock market.

Dave states, “100% of the foreclosures occur on a house with a mortgage.”

He’s all about setting financial goals of lowering risk and getting out of debt. He’s built his empire on this strategy.

Caller #2

The second caller had a different scenario as he wasn’t yet putting Dave’s recommendation of 15% into retirement yet.

Here’s his personal finance stats:

$105,000 left on the mortgage

$10,000 in savings

$50,000 household income

After paying his monthly bills, he had $1,800 left over.

He asked Dave, “Would it be a good idea to start investing $1,000 a month now or just use that extra money to pay on my mortgage?”

Because he wasn’t yet investing 15% of his income or $7,500/yr, Dave recommended that he started doing that first before paying any extra on the house.

We all know that Dave recommends, no matter what the question a caller has, that the Baby Steps are followed in the EXACT order presented.

Now, I realize that mostly Dave Ramsey is for the average income earner. But for me, I felt like early on when I had student loans and a mortgage, I could do both:

Pay aggressively on all debt (including the house) AND invest.

I didn’t want to miss out on the compounding interest.

Let’s take a look at what another money expert has to say about: Is it better to pay off mortgage or invest….

The Money Guy

Brian Preston over at The Money Guy Show also answers this question frequently from people that either:

are debt-free but not much saved up for retirement

want to know is it better to pay off mortgage or invest with interest rates so low

Here’s how he recently answered it from a caller:

Dear Brian,

Help please. We have a house and plan on paying it off in five years. There’s no other debt, but we have no retirement fund.

My husband isn’t worried about it.

I am.

He has wealthy parents but I want money I can hold, not hope for. We are in our 40’s and the house is worth between $800,000 and $950,000.

My question is, “Can I simply count on the house to act as our retirement fund?”

Brian loves questions like this as he doesn’t see a lot of people talking about in the financial press that the two things you got to unpack is that, “Can you have too much of a good thing with paying off your debt too fast?”

Meaning there’s an opportunity cost that you had, had the debt been paid off instead of letting that money work for you.

And then the second thing is you can go on the other side of the coin where people are worried about, “Why would I ever pay off the debt because interest rates are so low?”

Opportunity Costs

Brian has covered, in detail, financial mistakes people make by age. I’m not going to go into all of the calculations but here’s some of his results….

He discovered the power of a dollar bill, if you start saving when:

you’re 20 years of age, by the time you’re retiring at 65, can be worth $88.

a person starts at 30 years of age, that $1 can be worth $23.

a person who’s 40, it’s $7.

somebody who’s 50, it drops down right below $3.

So you can see that those people who are saving early and often when they’re in their 20’s, it’s a dynamic growth multiplier on your assets, that’s the power of compounding interest.

Brian recommends that we aggressively pay down high-interest debt such as credit card debt and car loans.

But his fear is someone that doesn’t take advantage of the process of compounding interest.

He says that if you’re in your 20’s and 30’s, while you have a multiplier that’s double digits, you need to be investing that money.

He doesn’t recommend that you do too much of a good thing by trying to get completely out of debt because he worries when you’re older (40’s or 50’s), you’ll have a paid for house with no retirement.

He calls this….Too much of a good thing on paying off debt.

When you pay that mortgage off, all you’re essentially doing is just locking down that interest rate savings.

Army of dollar bills

When this interest rate savings is locked down, he states that we furlough our army of dollar bills.

When someone pays their debt off too early, Brian starts to get nervous.

Why?

Think about it.

Essentially every dollar that you prepay on the mortgage, that army is going into your house and they’re all looking at each other going:

“What are we doing here? I could be out there working. I could be bringing more money back to the army, but we’re stuck here. We’re all furloughed, hanging out, wondering why we’re not growing.”

The person that originally asked Brian, “Can I simply count on the house to act as our retirement fund?” wanted liquidity.

Last time I checked, you can’t retire off your house assets until you sell it. If she has a paid for house with no savings, things could go south in a hurry (i.e. another Coronavirus pandemic).

Also, you can’t go to the grocery store and buy food based on the value of a house, right?

Here’s another thing to thing about. If you love where you live and love your house, you’re not going to want to move.

Follow up question

Brian also answered this follow up question:

Is there a time when it does make sense or should you ever prepay your mortgage especially when interest rates are low?

Brian disagrees with those that say we should NEVER pay off the mortgage. His thoughts are that as we near retirement in our 50’s and 60’s, he wants us to reach financial independence.

This means that we have no obligations to anyone and that obligations extends out to debt.

For many people, the emotional benefit of being debt-free can outweigh the analytics of the calculation.

Plus don’t forget on that calculation discussed earlier, by the time you’re in your 50’s, it’s less than a three times multiplier.

So the opportunity cost of what you’re missing out for decreases as you age. If you think about, if you pay off your house completely when you’re in your mid fifties or in your sixties, your opportunity cost is not that bad.

Let the emotional benefit as well as the true financial independence weigh the scale of decision making at that point versus trying to always have money working and having that risk of what’s going on out there in the world of finance. (It seems to be that it’s going to come down to personal preference, especially risk tolerance.)

Further Analysis To Consider

My good friend over at ESI Money also addressed this issue with an article titled, “Pay Down Mortgage Or Invest.”

Many different scenarios were looked at plus other things to consider such as:

1. Inflation. Those who advocate for the pay off mortgage early, rarely consider the effect of inflation. Why pay off the mortgage quickly using today’s dollars when you can pay off the mortgage using your dollars 20 years from now?

If inflation were to rise at a rate of 2.5% for the next 30 years, your $1 today, will only be worth 50 cents or less in 30 years. By delaying extra payments, our future money will go much further than our current money on our current mortgage debt.

Our income will generally rise, with our mortgage repayments staying the same.

Bottom-line: Mortgage payments get EASIER with time.

2. Maybe you don’t like risk. If you’re risk tolerance is low, it’s best to pay down the mortgage, which is a guaranteed return on investment.

If you prefer moderate risk, consider BOTH investing and paying down the mortgage. (This is the route we chose to do with our current home.)

Many people will argue that paying down your mortgage is risk free. I disagree with this. Yes, it is less risky than investing, but definitely not risk free. By putting all your spare cash into paying down the mortgage, you are limiting your exposure to other assets, thus increasing your exposure to risk.

3. You must also consider your personality. Like me, maybe you hate having debt. Student loan debt, mortgage debt, you want it gone. You like the feeling of being free from debt, even if it means missing out on better financial returns.

It would be silly to recommend investing to someone like this. On the flip side, how bad would you feel missing out on high investment returns should the market explode?

4. What is the mortgage interest rate? If the rate is 10% or higher then it may be better to pay down the mortgage with ALL of your spare cash. What about an 8% mortgage rate? Then maybe 80% of your spare cash on the mortgage and 20% on other investments. A 5% interest rate may see you put 50% of your cash on the mortgage and 50% in investments.

You can come up with your own rule of thumb, depending on the current mortgage interest rate. The higher it is, the better off you will be paying down the mortgage.

Investment returns are unknown, but mortgage rates (when fixed), can be guaranteed. This makes it much easier to use this as the benchmark return, instead of using a hypothetical investment return rate.

5. Do you need the cash? It may not be a good idea to use all your spare cash on paying down the mortgage if you don’t carry any in the form of emergency savings.

6. Are you a good saver? Mortgages are great for poor savers because they act as a forced savings plan.

As a poor saver, if you don’t pay down extra on the mortgage you may not end up investing the difference. Which strategy will you be able to implement with the greatest ease?

7. What are your goals? Do you want to retire in a nice house with not a lot of cash invested? Or an average house with more cash invested? There is no right or wrong answer, as you may be able to do both. But if you had to make a choice, which one most closely aligns with your retirement goals.

My Thoughts

When people ask me questions, I usually answer them if I were in there shoes….what would I do.

When we started our financial journey, I was a die-hard Dave Ramsey follower. I was 100% focused on becoming debt-free, including the mortgage.

That was then, and this is now.

Back then, I knew nothing about what keeping hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in equity of a home could potentially do to wealth building.

Also, I didn’t know anything about investing in passive real estate which could have paid my mortgage off all while building wealth simultaneously.

Again, I believe it all boils down to personal preference. For me, I’d continue to max out our practice’s retirement account, save any extra money and then invest in passive real estate syndications.

That way, as I continue building new streams of passive income, that could be used to pay extra on the mortgage.

What do you think?

Should you pay off the mortgage or invest?

The post Is It Better To Pay Off A Mortgage Or Invest? appeared first on Debt Free Dr..

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Today's Weed News For September 14th 2019 #CROPINSURANCE

<p><img src="https://ift.tt/302p4OG" alt="20190913_150455.png"></p> <p><strong>For today’s weed news we go back to all of the great States that grow hemp in America.</strong></p> <p>If you read my last post, you know that hemp production in the US has taken off like crazy this year, mainly thanks to the Farm Bill signed in December 2018, which gave states the power to regulate hemp production on their own, as long as the THC percentage of the plants remains below 0.3%.</p> <p>Well now, according to 420Intel.com, the United States Department of Agriculture or USDA has decided that farmers growing American hemp for seeds, fiber or flower will be eligible for crop insurance starting in 2020!</p> <p>To the average cannabis consumer, that may not seem that important, but it’s actually kind of a big deal.</p> <p>“Regular” farmers who plant normal, fully legal things like corn, wheat or whatever, enjoy the security of being able to insure their crop against things like adverse or abnormal weather conditions, pests and numerous other risks that could potentially ruin their harvests. So just like a person who gets in a car wreck or accidentally burns down their home, a normal farmer will get insurance money in case something interferes with, or ruins their crop. </p> <p>But those brave farmers who have chosen to plant hemp on their land, have not been allowed to insure their plants at all. If anything goes wrong with their plants, they will be left high and dry with no money, nothing to offer buyers and actually probably a bunch of debt from the work they put in in their fields just planting seeds and shit.</p> <p>But luckily, starting in just a few months, January 2020, the USDA’s Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Department’s Risk Management Agency is going to finally allow hemp farmers the same safety net that regular farmers have always enjoyed.</p> <p>The USDA has set a limit of 8.5 million dollars coverage per hemp farm at this time.</p> <p>“Producers are anxious for a way to protect their hemp crops from natural disasters… The WFRP policy will provide a safety net for them. We expect to be able to offer additional hemp coverage options as the USDA continues implementing the 2018 Farm Bill,” said Martin Barbre, the USDA’s Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Department’s Risk Management Agency administrator.</p> <p>I personally believe that this is not only a blessing for hemp farmers, and a change that will surely only strengthen America’s current hemp production boom, but it is also a major step forward in the way that the USDA is treating people who grow something that is very, very close to real cannabis.</p> <p>It would only seem logical that eventually, similar protections will be extended to those legally growing real, THC containing plants. And although that might not be tomorrow tomorrow, there will be a tomorrow when that shit will finally happen.</p> <p>But for now, that’s what’s up with the USDA and hemp crop insurance in America!</p> <p>source: bit.ly/2lUuRT8</p> <p><strong>*”Take Action Today to Help Legalize Weed Tomorrow”*</strong> -Kief Preston</p> <p>START HERE: <a href="https://ift.tt/2Xpk3Pa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://ift.tt/2UHdnXS> <p>Wanna GROW? Free GROW BIBLE – <a href="https://bit.ly/2podIAg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://bit.ly/2podIAg</a></p> <p>SPINACHSTATUS Hoodies & TAKE ACTION TODAY shirts - <a href="https://bit.ly/2EXIwAZ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://bit.ly/2EXIwAZ</a></p> <p>If you enjoy my content please leave a comment, ask a question, like it, share it, and subscribe for more! It will help me grow my blog and motivate more people to stand up for cannabis and start enjoying its’many benefits.</p> <p>Stay UP! -Kief</p> <p>▶ SMOKE.io <a href="https://ift.tt/2JgrTAt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://smoke.io/@kiefpreston</a><br>▶ Pinterest – <a href="https://ift.tt/2Xl3FPD" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://pinterest.com/kiefpreston</a><br>▶ Youtube Channel – <a href="https://bit.ly/2GPQg64" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://bit.ly/2GPQg64</a></p> <p>▶ Kief Preston’s Time-Tested Edibles Cookbook Series <a href="http://bit.ly/2EXIwAZ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://bit.ly/2EXIwAZ</a></p> <p>▶ My website <a href="http://KiefPreston.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://ift.tt/2HXtuva> <p>▶ You can also support the cause by shopping on Amazon for ANYTHING you need using this link <a href="https://amzn.to/2GrxPog" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://amzn.to/2GrxPog</a></p> <p>More FIRE TRACKS from LMR & Mr Go Hard <a href="https://bit.ly/2plIWbe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://bit.ly/2plIWbe</a></p> <p>▶ Hear my story on Smoke Radio here: <a href="https://bit.ly/2JTCgJw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://bit.ly/2JTCgJw</a></p> <p><em>》》》FOLLOW and LIKE the Weekly Weed News 2.0 Podcast on Spreaker: <a href="https://bit.ly/2HjLf99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://bit.ly/2HjLf99</a> or on Itunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio AND nOw on Spotify!</em></p> <p>#legalize #life #hemp #growing</p> source https://smoke-indica.com/today-s-weed-news-for-september-14th-2019-cropinsurance/

and i help my sons build New Vegas and he is shilo and is surrounded now we moved several inlast night...and have foundations being built if we have to we move. one casino by s only we surround him.  and moved several in, about ten.   and it is huge each casino dwarfs Vegas Casinos which are vast, ours are ten times the size several million square feet each, about 50 thousand rooms each...tons of space no we have it now..the raili s almost done and lots paved tons of equipment...tons. and we see it is about the future... huge Casinos  and we speak to Hooters they are wiating.....he sits adn thinks...this always goes pop in my face.   we use thier girls in ours. they can go on the outskirts.  no Hardrock they took him for a ride too, we use it now...no to Hooters nope....stole it from our boy and used it on him lots and he hurts still..nah....we f you up too. we have a few in they want to knoow which Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and it is fully operational and you wear protective gear and enter and sign an agreement noswimming touching even w your gloves and so on y ou may veiw it remotely in the store, and movecameras and all. it is amazing most see it in the store and run to the line.  huge pieces of candy that are edible for aprice you may buy a piece or the whole thing andedible decorative pieces are for sale in thelobbytons of them all different shapes....a favorite the white swan...all candy and fluffy marshmellow mainly, but the kind at easter,and he says it...tons love it...huge ones too that are about the sizeof a giantpolar bear in the shape of men women and more even ofy ou.  tons do it and bring it to tier parties they hvae off campus or in rented rooms or halls tons of halls huge ones. and he will be offered candy bars by bg. tons.  each scanned so they wont let him no want him to and be dissapointed. he doesnt want to go to iether so ou watch ok. Kid Hotel  we named it that.  and it is for you s and your kids your kids now ok.  a baby lamb or soemthing yes.  goat.  and it has the track.  they check first and entered thier cars to be in the ride only a few were selected as were collectors items.  wie hadone.  and th two with him.  we knew....and they loaded up all collectors cars.  old new and the first off the line. tons willride moslty adults at firs to the kid hotel. Auto Mile it is a big attractor he says anchor.  and it is massive.  it has tons of his dispensors and it is usually Pennywise Inc most  think it is these here.  and we hear himno wedont care it is not.  huge too and plenty of showrooms andhis ideas, a track to try them and all feed to it....it is massive, tons like it and hit has a main street you go to and from the  track on. and beep and play loud music.  nad more.....huge with ppl huge. they all go and buy tons of things. his cars too are intermingled and are like Tesla, no, same name only branded differently.  he calls them Thor but are not called that  go and see.  he is a genius with marketing with yours s.  genius.   we have our brands too that are intermingled lots buy them we know what to do with the money Apollo showed us. and it is good.  bg runs Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, and he is happy doing it.  has funny costume as he does in the movie and it is geat tey all love it...says try wait thought a few days too.  then vrooooommmmmm  you will wash away iwth customers....wash away..he laughs and booze there too, tons of candy flavored....and mine yes....for those who need health..he laughs....tons of cars all big four.  all fast car makers.  all specialty, alltrucks up to six tons.  and all other means basically, Harley all japanese and all usa ktm and the trke one and the smallco he liked.  asked they sent some....are a huge hit on the strip...he likes it asked to be in the Man Cave....so he did they like seeing him...and he is like this what am i to do it is buietifiul a bueitiful ride lol. ohno fun. and he runs the Hammer the popular Carnival strength test but right in the middle of th man cave you hear the ding and he chose, the prize, a free room.    the Hammer and bell means your the man...and its yourhammer and night etc.  so not many can. bill hit it right away....and preston...have the swing and arc.  tons laughed it is them.  they won.  saw went at it..... thror tried missed came back jacked an hour or two later andwon. got a roomloved the room too had a great time...beer galore the room is setup like a mancave allof them and you can pick Patriots and so on..not just pillows,chairs and tbles lamps andash trays and much much more you can buy thingsin the room too almostany of them.  amarkenting guru but wethougt of that.  he had itfor a while we did too lots of hft so no Movie Casino and of course bob wanted more and gt it, ceo of the movie casino...a real one and ours.  a drive in or three, huge. roller skated servers.....tons of movie theatres like man caves rentable,headlinemovies in the middle, and more...and we see allare in and weheari t cfo is Enzo fromhere.  and John C Rielly is the Ceo  Death Race Casino and Bar and Raw Bar lori runs the latter saki served there too. ahuge track. she is the CEo and it is massive.  tons of space and huge tracks.  massive and weloadedit allin.  tons of it is fromcali.  huge amounts. and down the street all the refinery stuff  and we see t is like howw ilwe and we know how. massive lines to this one folks it is an alltimefav....and weheard this like Arlen Ness they can buy sign certify and race.  tons like it andneeded the break lol..... we outfit them too.  racin gear customized....and a special request for veep, crazy chicken el polloloco heagreed has sharesnow....and knwe who andwas upset allnight...youi can bo buy a car like the transporter had and outfit it using our stuff, and go and race, get up on the board your name too, tons of stars signedonright away most go for hp first and other stuff later, smart if you canarmor as wieght ruins speed and we know it s true tons of drop plates and more...huge with fans.tons see stars buy one and drive it in traffic it is only outfited the day of the race. not before entreing the pit area...you watch it fromabove andtattoed guys there...and Kat von d has a shop there in New Vegas only two shops now are yours s.  one is  a casion it is Shilo’s  but named Saul’s..and is huge.  he is rich already.  tons go there are comfortable... Bar Cafe is huge too it has so many bars you could choke a thousand small ones pubs from allover Earth are replicated he says a bunch are real lots of real memorabilia from Three Cheers and Bullfinch...and more tons of boston bar memorabelia. a realone here and theretoo.  lost fromnh the strip. huge ones there arefrom all over all clean. decon notnecessary...wekeep it allnice. and ahuge beer factory,allcan see andor tour. it is huge samples at each batch.  and are safely handed out.  no trouble pls or arrested...it is easy no thsor that simple rules.  huge vats of beer. huge. tons arrive. and wine halls thatare massive and cigars and bill is ceo. a huge jobhe says i have to count it andmore tonsof things could g wrongor right.  it is hard. like a factory ihadin lewof this beer thing.  so i am disgruntled.  weill lastonly  afewmonths nah he says it willmove...if need be. wesee it hesays. dontlike it. but im the bar restoring guy who never gavehim  abreak got a job ok.  see how itis  Superhero Bar and Casino  tons of cosplay and all workers are in costume some are s some are not real ones and cosplay all have fun and like it.  occasionally Superman shows, looks real form the last movie series Zod too and co all look real helmets and all. ons love it..huge huge conventions now...huge.  allover Earth they show tons of star wars and Darth Maul allover he is athome now it isterrible again. lol.  huge crowds ovewhealm him andhe hisses at them like the real thing would.  they are shocked he moves so fast and they call thiers security always intercepts, he is agymnist and they move on bt mark him up somehow some stick things to him athey did caa.  huge lines there too to get  in get a room or play the outragesou games wonder women is there....and he got it off the Seminoles, who want him to open a branch there a whole branch....Superhero Branch, says ask Uriel on  a seperate occasion they shall...and will. and they laugh ti will sell Vegas but it is a taste of it and they see he gets it. massive cranes get it done and we plan need land andhe sees.  we work now. tons see it more friendly or appearst o be Jurrasic Park and Casino with real dinasours setup like he said vip pay and get a real view.  others the zoo and it has relics there meaning old lions and tigers and bears no Kaiju. it is very tame but holy crap real dinasours..real. and eat large animals that areskinned anddead.  full cows trex swallows one a day. huge ones too.  fullblownsteer. and he eats allday too. snacks. on chickens andmore.  tons seehim andboast i can kill that and more. and wesee....he likes tosee it live.  it is the dinasour....andhe is the LIzard King andhe has justin as Ceo well justin says he is andi s.  and he is Jim Morrison........and he thankshim but no ok lol. movies yes and a few theatres and tons of film like museums and tons of toys and artifacts for sale and viewing real fossils galore tons...and we see. more there now ok he is tired. Thor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=094MOX6ALMc

2019 mock draft special

After spending countless years fully invested into the draft, I’ve decided it’s time to create my own mock ahead of tonight’s highly anticipated draft.

These picks are entirely based on what I predict will happen tonight, not what I would do. My personal grades, team needs, and team’s tendencies have all been put into consideration with this mock.

Mainly why I'm posting is because the draft is always a fun time of the year, and while I know this draft might go about 7/32, maybe we can laugh about it tomorrow.

Hope you guys enjoy!

1: Arizona Cardinals - Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

While there has been smoke here about the possibility of the Cards taking Quinnen Williams, I think first year head coach Kliff Kingsbury's prior connection to Kyler is simply too irresistable for them to pass up. Kingsbury nabs his franchise QB before coaching his first game, and Josh Rosen gets shipped off to LA before the pick is announced.

2: San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, EDGE, Ohio State

A defensive line featuring DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, and Arik Amrstead with an opportunity to add the best pass rusher in this class with newly acquired Dee Ford? Yep, that'll fix your defense. Dream sceanrio for GM John Lynch, as the no.1 player on their board falls right into their lap.

3: New York Jets: Quinnen Williams, iDL, Alabama

The best player in the draft is simply too much for GM Mike Maccagnon to resist. While I considered a trade down here with Cinncinatti, I opted to keep NY in this spot because of the Jets' trajectory. After signing Le'Veon Bell to pair with year 2 QB Sam Darnold, I can't envision the Jets having any feature picks this high in the coming years, and the opportunity to acquire a rare talent such as Williams is one they have to make.

4: Oakland Raiders: Ed Oliver, iDL, Houston

Whew, what a pre draft process this guy has had. From being in consideration for the first pick, to being considered a late first rounder due to "character concerns", Oliver has come full circle back to where he belongs, in the top 5. His combination of burst, versatility, and pure athleticism is too much to overlook for a team who desperately needs a pass rush. First yeay GM Mike Mayock has played this pick close to the chest, and while I genuinely feel as though Kyler Murray would be the pick if he was available, Oliver is the no brainer here.

5: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devin White, LB, LSU

The Bucs LB core as it stands today is Jack Cichy, Riley Bullough, Lavonte David, Kevin Minter. I just threw up typing that. This pick has long felt like the worst kept secret in the draft, and while I am not the biggest fan of White's game, it's not every draft you get the chance to plug in a 240 pound linebacker that runs a 4.4 speed and already knows the entire defense before stepping foot into the building. This pick is as much culture based as it is talent, and with the impending departure of Gerald McCoy, the Bucs can look to White to lead the new regime.

6: New York Giants: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

I'm just simply not convinced that they pass on him. Eli's game has plummeted over the years, and Kyle Lauletta isn't the long term answer. Haskins offers a wide range of skills and fresh life to a team that desperately needs it. Haskins can sit for a season and learn under the tutelage of Pat Shurmur before replacing Eli in 2020. The Giants can't afford to pass on a top QB two years in a row, and while I am not the biggest an of Haskins' game, he makes the most sense here.

7: Washington Redskins (Trade via JAX): Drew Lock, QB, Missouri

Alas, a trade! The Redskins roster is in win now mode, and with the loss of Alex Smith, the Redskins simply cannot rely on Case Keenum or Colt McCoy to get the job done. The Skins nab their future franchise QB by trading up 8 spots to land him. A high price to pay for a prospect whom most consider to be "boom or bust", but in today's era of the NFL quarterbacks are regarded higher than ever.

8: Detroit Lions: Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky

Dream scenario here for Matt Patricia as the highly versatile Allen falls right into their lap. Allen is the perfect fit for this defense and if I fully expect him to be the pick if he's available.

9: Buffalo Bills: TJ Hockenson, TE, Iowa

The Bills tight end room is.....not good to say the least. When you get an opportunity to draft the cleanest TE prospect in a decade to fix a deflated TE room, you run to the podium. The Bills nab my #4 overal player and add an NFL ready weapon to Josh Allen's arsenal.

10: Denver Broncos: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan

You want to talk ugly personnel groups? Take a look at the Broncos middle linebackers. New coach Vic Fangio is a defensive minded guy who has coached guys such as Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis, and budding star Roquan Smith. Fangio lands his future leader and my top LB in the class, as it feels like this pick has been a long time coming since the combine ended.

11: Cincinnati Bengals: Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State

This pick is completely foggy to me. With all the top QB options off the board and being unable to find a successful trade partner, the Bengals opt for the best pass blocking tackle in the draft.

12: Green Bay Packers: Rashan Gary, EDGE, Michigan

Packers added pass rushers Zadarius and Preston Smith this offseason to help bolster their pass rush but I'm not convinced they're done adding to that unit. Packers nab the highly athletic and versatile Gary to add to new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine's arsenal. Pettine is known for his multi look defense, one that allows Gary to fully embrace his versatility whether it be on the edge or the interior.

13: Miami Dolphins: Christian Wilkins, iDL, Clemson

This pick makes too much sense. New HC Brian Flores has openly discussed the new high character culture he's trying to instill, and Wilkins embodies that to a tee. New defensive line coach Marion Hobby was also Clemson's co-dc from 2011-2016. All signs lead me to believe this is the pick.

14: Atlanta Falcons: Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State

The best pure edge rusher in the class falls to a team whose best pass rusher is Vic Beasley. Burns is a plug and play guy from day 1 who would be my bet to lead that team in sacks as a rookie.

15: Jacksonville Jaguars (Trade via Wash): Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama

The Jags find themselves in a dream scenario here as they take the guy they wanted at 7. Williams is the best OL in the class and while this may not be the sexiest pick, the Jags found themsevles having to settle for Ereck Flowers at one point last season. To me, this is as easy of a pick as it gets this draft.

16: Carolina Panthers: Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma

A chance to add the best run blocking OL in the draft to a run first team with an abysmal line? Yup, that'll work.

17: New York Giants: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida

The Giants add an anchor to the offensive line to help bolster the run game and protect Eli/Haskins' blindside. Taylor is a pro ready mauler in the run game who showed plus flashes of pass pro all season. His development year by year at Florida was notably impressive, and I expect him to step right in and have no problems.

18: Minnesota Vikings: Garrett Bradbury, iOL, Nc State

It's no secret the Vikings need help on the interior, and they land a versatile interior lineman with experience at all 3 positions. Bradbury excelled in a zone blocking scheme at Nc State and should transition fluidly to Minnesota. Vikings can plug Bradbury into the center spot and kick Pat Elflein back to his natural postion at guard.

19: Tennessee Titans: Chris Lindstrom, iOL, Boston College

With Brian Burns off the board and uncertainty surrounding Montez Sweat, the Titans opt for Lindstrom, an experienced starter whose versatility should allow him to start day 1 over Kevin Pamphile.

20: Pittsburgh Steelers: Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple

It has come to my attention that Ya-Sin has gradually been trending upwards this whole process, and rumors have it that the Steelers have pegged him as their #1 CB. With them being in the market for a CB, I'm buying into the rumors. Ya-Sin isn't very high on my board, but schematically it makes sense and given that the Steelers reached on a secondary player last season to fit their scheme, it wouldn't shock me to see history repeat itself.

21: New England Patriots (Trade with Sea): Noah Fant, TE, Iowa

The Pats have 12 draft picks this year. Knowing the histoy of their front office, a trade up here wouldn't shock me one bit. Going from Gronk to Fant is about as smooth of a transition as Favre to Rodgers. The evil empire makes a power move and adds an elite talent and the #9 player on my board.

22: Baltimore Ravens: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss

FINALLY! The first receiver is off the board as Ozzie Newsome can't overlook the talented Metcalf. The 6'4 freak blew up the combine with an historic workout, and his on field skillset smoothly correlates with the Ravens offensive identity. Lamar gets his big man WR and some much needed help.

23: Houston Texans: Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State

Best available offensive lineman. That's it.

24: Oakland Raiders: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU

Everything about this pick is perfect. Raiders need help on the outside and Greedy's height and swagger perfectly matches what Gruden is building his defense towards.

25: Philadelphia Eagles: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma

This has long felt like this the direction the Eagles are heading towards. Brown has world class speed and is one of the better vertical threats in the draft. Perosnally, I feel this is a huge reach for Philly but this seems to be the expectation tonight. Side note: there is no precedent for a player of Brown's size going RD1. It could happen, but it never has before. Something interesting to watch for tonight.

26: Indianapolis Colts: Jeffery Simmons, iDL, Mississippi State

The Colts fill a monster need and add my #3 overall player in the process. Simmons is coming off a torn ACL he suffered a few days before the combine, and there is a chance he does not see the field his entire rookie season. However, GM Chris Ballard had proven to be a believer in a process over immediate results. Simmons' talent is too glaring and while he won't make the immediate impact they'd hoped for, his ceiling is worth the wait.

27: Oakland Raiders: Joshua Jacobs, RB, Alabama

Did the Raiders really just take a RB who never eclipsed 1k yards in a season? Of course they did. Jacobs saw his star rise quickly last Fall with a breakout season for the Crimson Tide. His bruising running style and receiving abilities are ideal for what Gruden wants in his offense, and coming from an offense where he wasn't the feature back means less miles on his legs. With the recent retirement of Marshawn Lynch, all arrows point to this being the pick.

28: Los Angeles Chargers: Jerry Tillery, iDL, Notre Dame

The Chargers stay hot with their recent run of first round picks and snag another gem in Jerry Tillery. Tillery was borderline unblokckable up until his shoulder injury that clearly affected his play. After successful offseason surgery, the Chargers benefit yet again from other team's incompetence and land another premier player at a position of need cough cough Derwin James

29: Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington

Seahawks score a ball hawking corner that fits their scheme. Montez Sweat is in consideration but the Seahawks ulitmately opt for the hometown playmaker that fills a big position of need.

30: Green Bay Packers: N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State

After solidfying the defensive line, the Packers look to add some extra support for Aaron Rodgers. Packers prefered Noah Fant, but with the Pats trading up they will settle for a YAC machine and physical receiver in Harry. He is the perfect complement to Da'vante Adams, and a neccessary choice to help shore up that unit.

31: New York Jets (Trade with LAR): Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State

The slide finally comes to a halt for the talented edge rusher. The Jets make a ballsy move and trade back into the first to solidy what would be an elite unit. Gregg Williams' new 4-3 scheme calls for a hand in the dirt pass rusher of Sweat's caliber, and the only way to land him is by being aggressive. Statement pick her for Maccagnon

32: Houston Texas (Trade with Sea): Erik McCoy, iOL, Texas A&M

More. Offensive. Line. Notice a trend? Texans need offensive line help in the worst way possible and have the picks to make this move up. They snag a very underrated interior lineman to pair with their newly acquired franchise tackle.

Well guys, that was fun. If you are a draft fan I highly recommend giving this a whirl sometime. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

Billy Preston

William Everett (Billy) Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American musician whose work included R&B, rock, soul, funk and gospel. A virtuoso keyboardist, particularly on Hammond organ, Preston was recognized as a top session musician in the 1960s, during which he backed artists such as Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and the Beatles. He then went on to achieve fame as a solo artist, with hit pop singles including "That's the Way God Planned It", "Outa-Space", "Will It Go Round in Circles", "Space Race", and "Nothing from Nothing". In addition, Preston co-wrote "You Are So Beautiful", which became a number 5 hit for Joe Cocker, and Stephen Stills asked Preston if he could use his phrase "if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with" and created the hit song.

Preston was the only musician to be credited on a Beatles recording other than the group's four members: the group's number-one hit "Get Back" billed as "The Beatles with Billy Preston". Preston continued to record and perform with other artists, notably George Harrison after the Beatles' break-up, and Eric Clapton, and he played keyboards for the Rolling Stones on many of the group's albums and tours during the 1970s.

Early life and career

Preston was born on September 2, 1946 in Houston. When he was three, the family moved to Los Angeles, where Preston began playing piano while sitting on his mother Robbie's lap. Noted as a child prodigy, Preston was entirely self-taught and never had a music lesson. By the age of ten, Preston was playing organ onstage backing several gospel singers such as Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland and Andraé Crouch. At age eleven, Preston appeared on Nat King Cole's national TV show singing the Fats Domino hit, "Blueberry Hill" with Cole. Also at eleven, he appeared in the W.C. Handy biopic starring Nat King Cole:St. Louis Blues (1958), playing W.C. Handy at a younger age.

In 1962, Preston joined Little Richard's band as an organist, and it was while performing in Hamburg that Preston met the Beatles. In 1963, he played the organ on Sam Cooke's Night Beat album and released his own debut album, 16 Yr Old Soul, for Cooke's SAR Records label. In 1965, he released the album The Most Exciting Organ Ever and performed on the rock and roll show Shindig! In 1967, he joined Ray Charles' band. Following this exposure, several musicians began asking Preston to contribute to their sessions.

Relationship with the Beatles

Preston first met the Beatles as a 16-year-old in 1962, while part of Little Richard's touring band, when their manager Brian Epstein organized a Liverpool show, at which the Beatles opened. The Washington Post explained their subsequent meeting:

Preston is one of several people referred to as the "Fifth Beatle". At one point during the Get Back sessions, John Lennon proposed the idea of having him join the band (to which Paul McCartney countered that it was difficult enough reaching agreements with four). Preston played with the Beatles for several of the Get Back sessions, some of the material from which would later be culled to make the film Let it Be and its companion album. Preston also accompanied the band for its rooftop concert; the group's final public appearance. In April 1969, their single "Get Back" was credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston", the only time such a joint credit had been given on an official Beatles-sanctioned release (as distinct from an unsanctioned reissue of some Hamburg-era recordings on which they were the backing group for Tony Sheridan). The credit was bestowed by the Beatles to reflect the extent of Preston's presence on the track; his electric piano is prominent throughout and he plays an extended solo. Preston also worked, in a more limited role, on the Abbey Road album, contributing to the tracks "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Something".

In 1978, he appeared as Sgt. Pepper in Robert Stigwood's film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was based on the Beatles' album of the same name, and sang "Get Back" as the penultimate song.

Post-Beatles solo career

Signed to the Beatles' Apple Records label, in 1969, Preston released the album That's the Way God Planned It, produced by Harrison, the title song from which was a hit single in Britain. His relationship with Harrison continued after the Beatles' break-up in 1970; Preston was the first artist to record Harrison's subsequent international hit "My Sweet Lord", on his 1970 album Encouraging Words, which Harrison co-produced with Preston. He appeared on several of Harrison's 1970s solo albums, starting with All Things Must Pass; made a notable contribution to the Concert for Bangladesh, the Harrison-organized 1971 charity benefit; performed with the ex-Beatle on his 1974 tour of North America; and played at the 2002 Concert for George tribute, held at London's Royal Albert Hall. Preston also worked on solo releases by Lennon and Ringo Starr.

In 1971, Preston left Apple and signed with Herb Alpert's A&M Records. The previous year, he contributed to another hit single when Stephen Stills asked to use Preston's phrase "if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with", a song on Stills' self-titled debut solo album.

Following the release of I Wrote a Simple Song on A&M, Preston's solo career peaked at this time, beginning with 1972's "Outa-Space", an instrumental track that further popularized the sound of the clavinet in funk music. The song reached number 2 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and topped Billboard's R&B chart, before going on to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. "Outa-Space" sold over 1 million copies in America, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in June 1972.

Over the next two years, Preston followed up with the US chart-topping singles "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing", and the number 4 hit "Space Race". Each of the three singles sold in excess of 1 million copies. American Bandstand host and executive producer Dick Clark enjoyed "Space Race" so much that he used the instrumental for the mid-show break for virtually the remainder of its run.

From 1970, Preston played keyboards (including piano, organ, clavinet and various synthesizers) for the Rolling Stones, sometimes alongside pianists Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart, on their albums Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St, Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock 'n Roll and Black and Blue. As the band's primary touring keyboardist from 1973 to 1977, he also performed as a support act with his own band (including Mick Taylor on guitar) on their 1973 European Tour. A Munich performance was documented in the live albumLive European Tour 1973. In 1974, along with Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, he composed one of Joe Cocker's biggest hits, "You Are So Beautiful". On October 11, 1975, he was the first musical guest on Saturday Night Live's series premiere episode (along with Janis Ian). Preston's 1973 song "Do You Love Me" was the basis for the Rolling Stones' track "Melody", released on Black and Blue in 1976. Although two of his songs ("Nothing from Nothing" and "Outa-Space") were included in the band's 1976 live sets, the Stones and Preston parted company in 1977, mainly due to a disagreement over money. He continued to play on solo records by Stones members and made appearances on the band's 1981 Tattoo You and 1997 Bridges to Babylon albums.

Preston's solo career began to decline after 1976. After five years with A&M, he signed with Motown Records. In 1980, he duetted with Syreeta Wright on the ballad "With You I'm Born Again", which reached number 4 on the charts in the US. Failing thereafter to match its success, Preston left Motown in 1984 and focused on session work. He served as musical director for Nightlife, a late-night talk show hosted by David Brenner that lasted one season from 1986 – 1987.

Legal troubles

In 1991, Preston was arrested and convicted for insurance fraud after setting fire to his own house in Los Angeles, and he was treated for alcohol and cocaine addictions. In the same year, he was also arrested for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old Mexican boy, after picking him up at a gathering point for day laborers. After submitting to a drug test, he tested positive for cocaine. That year, he entered no-contest pleas to the cocaine and sexual assault charges. He was sentenced to nine months at a drug rehabilitation center and three months of house arrest.

Preston overcame his problems in the early 1990s, toured with Eric Clapton, recorded with Gary Walker, one of the vocalists in his Los Angeles-based band, and worked with a wide range of other artists. He also toured with Ringo Starr and appeared on the 1990 live album Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. He was invited to become a member of The Band in 1991, after the death of piano player Stan Szelest. He performed on tour with the group, but the sentencing from his cocaine and sexual assault charges ended the collaboration.

Later work

In 1997, Billy Preston recorded the album You and I, in Italy, with Italian band Novecento. The album was produced by Vaughn De Spenza and Novecento members Lino and Pino Nicolosi.

In 1998, Preston played organ during the choir numbers on the UPN comedy show Good News. The same year he sang and played synthesizer in the film Blues Brothers 2000, as part of the super group, The Louisiana Gator Boys.

While touring and fighting his own health problems, Preston received the news that on November 29, 2001, George Harrison had died (having long suffered from throat cancer). Preston, among many of Harrison's longtime friends, performed in the 2002 Concert for George at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Preston's performance of "My Sweet Lord" received critical acclaim. Additionally, Preston sang "Isn't It a Pity", provided backing vocals on most of the other songs, and played the Hammond organ for the show. Ringo Starr called him one of the greatest Hammond players of all time (in the theatrical version of the concert).

In 2002, Preston appeared on the Johnny Cash album American IV: The Man Comes Around, playing piano on "Personal Jesus" and "Tear-Stained Letter".

In 2004, Preston toured with the Funk Brothers and Steve Winwood in Europe, and then with his friend Eric Clapton in Europe and North America. After he finished touring with Clapton, Preston went to France, where he was featured in one episode of the Legends Rock TV Show. His performance included a duet with Sam Moore singing "You Are So Beautiful"; this was Preston's last filmed concert.

In 2004, Preston performed as a jazz organist on Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company, an album of duets, on the song "Here We Go Again" with Charles and Norah Jones.

In March 2005, Preston appeared on the American Idol fourth season finale. Playing piano, he performed "With You I'm Born Again" with Vonzell Solomon (who finished the contest in third place). The same year, he recorded "Go Where No One's Gone Before", the main title song for the anime series L/R: Licensed by Royalty.

Preston played clavinet on the song "Warlocks" for the Red Hot Chili Peppers album Stadium Arcadium (2006). Although very ill by this point, he jumped out of his bed after hearing a tape of the song given to him by the band, recorded his part, and went back to bed.

Preston's final recorded contributions were the gospel-tinged organ on the Neil Diamond album 12 Songs (2005), and his keyboard work on The Road to Escondido (2006) by Eric Clapton and JJ Cale.

In late 2005, Preston made his last public performance, in Los Angeles, to support the re-release of the 1972 movie The Concert for Bangladesh. Preston played a three song set of "Give Me Love", "My Sweet Lord", and "Isn't It a Pity", with Dhani Harrison and Ringo Starr joining on guitar and drums respectively for the last song.

Personal life

Billy Preston was brought up in the African-American gospel tradition; he was a committed Christian throughout his life and he openly expressed his faith in works such as his 1970s hit "That's the Way God Planned It". However, his personal beliefs were sometimes at odds with the attitudes and musical expressions of the secular world of rock & roll in which he often worked - while he was apparently willing to put his religious views aside when working on tracks like John Lennon's openly atheistic song "God", he was reported to have been particularly uncomfortable with having to perform "Sympathy for the Devil" while touring with the Rolling Stones in the early 1970s. Preston was also deeply attached to his mother, for whom he wrote the song that became his best-known composition, "You Are So Beautiful".

Although the details did not become fully known to the general public until after his death, Preston struggled throughout his life to cope with his sexual orientation, and the lasting effects of the traumatic sexual abuse he suffered as a boy. Although his homosexuality became known to friends and associates in the music world (such as Keith Richards) Preston did not publicly come out as gay until just before he died. This was reportedly partly due to the fact that Preston felt that his sexual orientation conflicted with his deeply held religious beliefs and his lifelong association with the church, so he remained "in the closet" until shortly before his death. Keith Richards' autobiography, Life, mentions Billy Preston's struggles with his sexuality.

In an interview for a 2010 BBC4 radio documentary on his life and career, Preston's manager Joyce Moore revealed that after she began handling his affairs, Preston opened up to her about the lifelong trauma he had suffered as the result of being sexually abused as a boy. Preston told Moore that at about the age of nine, after he and his mother moved to Los Angeles from Houston to perform in a touring production of Amos 'n' Andy, he was repeatedly abused by the touring company's pianist. Preston told his mother about the abuse, she did not believe him, and failed to protect him. The abuse subsequently went on for the entire summer, and Preston stated that he was also later abused by a local pastor.

Another traumatic incident, which reportedly affected Preston deeply, occurred in the early 1970s, while he was engaged to actress/model Kathy Silva. At this time Preston had become close friends with musician Sly Stone, and made many contributions to Stone's recordings of the period (including the landmark album There's a Riot Goin' On). According to Moore, Preston was devastated when he came home one day to find Stone in bed with Silva (who later famously married Stone on stage at Madison Square Garden). According to Moore, Silva's affair with Stone was the trigger that led Preston to stop having relationships with women - it was after this incident that he began abusing cocaine and having sex with men, and Moore has stated that she saw his drug abuse as his a way of coping with the internal conflicts he felt about his sexual urges.

Preston lived in London for a time, possibly around 1969-1971, but he moved back to the USA in the early 1970s.

Miles Davis's album Get Up with It (1974) features a track called "Billy Preston" in his honor.

Death

Preston had battled kidney disease in his later years, brought on by his hypertension. He received a kidney transplant in 2002, but his health continued to deteriorate. He had voluntarily entered a drug rehabilitation clinic in Malibu, California, at the suggestion of guitarist Is'real Benton, and suffered pericarditis there, leading to respiratory failure that left him in a coma from November 21, 2005. Preston died on June 6, 2006, in Scottsdale, Arizona, of complications of malignant hypertension that resulted in kidney failure and other complications. His funeral was held on June 20 at the Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, California, where his remains were interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery.

Discography

Studio albumsStudio EPLive album

1974: Live European Tour 1973 (A&M Records)

Gospel albums

1965: Hymns Speak from the Organ (Exodus Records, EX-53)

1973: Gospel in My Soul (reissue of Hymns Speak from the Organ)

1978: Behold! (Myrrh Records, MYR-1070)

1980: Universal Love

1994: Ministry of Music (D&K Records, D&K 86003)

1996: Words and Music

2001: Music from My Heart

Charted albums

Footnotes: 1 Charted in 1972

SinglesAs a guest/session performer

1963: Night Beat (Sam Cooke)

1969: "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down" (The Beatles)

1969: Abbey Road (The Beatles)

1970: Let It Be (The Beatles)

1970: All Things Must Pass (George Harrison)

1970: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (John Lennon) – piano on "God"

1971: Sticky Fingers (The Rolling Stones)

1971: The Concert for Bangladesh (George Harrison and Friends)

1971: There's a Riot Goin' On (Sly and the Family Stone)

1971: Live at Fillmore West (King Curtis and Aretha Franklin)

1971: Barbra Joan Streisand – keyboards and drums

1972: Exile on Main Street (The Rolling Stones)

1972: Wind of Change (Peter Frampton) – piano, keyboards, harpsichord, accordion

1973: Ringo (Ringo Starr) – Organ on "I'm the Greatest" and "Oh My My"

1973: Goats Head Soup (The Rolling Stones)

1974: Dark Horse (George Harrison) – electric piano

1974: Goodnight Vienna (Ringo Starr) – clavinet on the title track, electric piano on "Only You (And You Alone)"

1974: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (The Rolling Stones)

1975: "You Are So Beautiful" (Joe Cocker)

1975: Extra Texture (Read All About It) (George Harrison) – electric piano on "His Name Is Legs (Ladies And Gentlemen)"

1976: Thirty Three & 1/3 (George Harrison)

1976: No Reason to Cry (Eric Clapton)

1976: Black and Blue (Rolling Stones)

1976: Love You Live (Rolling Stones)

1978: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – also acted the part "Sgt. Pepper" in the film

1981: Tattoo You (Rolling Stones)

1982: Gone Troppo (George Harrison)

1985: "Till My Baby Comes Home" (Luther Vandross) – Plays organ

1986: "Great Gosh A'Mighty (Been a Long Time Comin')" – co-written with Little Richard – from the film Down and Out in Beverly Hills (sung by Little Richard)

1990: Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band – keyboards and vocals

1990: Giovani Jovanotti (Jovanotti) – keyboards and Fender Rhodes

1990: "Show Me Your Soul" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

1991: ...E La Vita Continua (Nino D'Angelo)

1993: Wandering Spirit (Mick Jagger) – "Sweet Thing", "Out of Focus", "[[Use Me (Bill Withers song)|Use Me]]", "Wandering Spirit" and "I've Been Lonely for So Long".

1996: Voyage of Dreams – Jephté Guillaume and the Tet Kale Orkestra – organ, strings on "Al Di Yo", "Go Tell Them", "Kanpe", "Get Up"

1996: Donnie McClurkin (Donnie McClurkin) – organ

1996: Love Brought Me Back (Helen Baylor) – organ

1996: El Equilibiro de los Jaguares (Jaguares) – organ /Hammond B3 on "Detrás de los Cerros"

1996: Peace Beyond Passion (Me'shell Ndegeocello) – keyboards on "Deuteronomy: Niggerman"

1997: Bridges to Babylon (The Rolling Stones) – organ on "Saint of Me"

1998: Undiscovered Soul (Richie Sambora)

2000: The Harsh Light of Day (Fastball) – keyboards on "You're An Ocean"

2001: Songs from the West Coast (Elton John) – Hammond organ on "I Want Love", "The Wasteland", "Love Her Like Me"

2001: Everybody Got Their Something (Nikka Costa) – Clavinet

2001: Reptile (Eric Clapton)

2001: One More Car, One More Rider (Eric Clapton, live) – DVD includes live performance of Will It Go Round in Circles

2002: Travelogue (Joni Mitchell) – Hammond B3 on the track "You Dream Flat Tires"

2002: American IV: The Man Comes Around (Johnny Cash) – piano on "Tear Stained Letter" and "Personal Jesus"

2003: The Colored Section (Donnie) – Hammond B3 on the last track: "The Colored Section"

2003: Concert for George – including "Isn't It a Pity" and "My Sweet Lord"

2003: Get Born (Jet)

2004: Me and Mr. Johnson (Eric Clapton) – also appears in the DVD companion Sessions for Robert J

2004: Crossroads Guitar Festival (Eric Clapton)

2004: Genius Loves Company (Ray Charles)

2005: 12 Songs (Neil Diamond)

2005: Back Home (Eric Clapton)

2005: Choose Love (Ringo Starr)

2005: The Concert for Bangladesh (George Harrison and Friends) (re-mastered version and video)

2005: Tough on Crime (Rebecca Pidgeon) – keyboards

2006: Stadium Arcadium (Red Hot Chili Peppers) – "Warlocks"

2006: The Road to Escondido (Eric Clapton]], J. J. Cale)

2006: Overnight Sensational (Sam Moore) - Hammond B3 on "I Can't Stand the Rain" and sings and plays on "You Are So Beautiful"

2007: Reach (Is'real Benton) – organ on "Have a Good Time"

2007: Imagine (Howard Hewett) – organ

Wikipedia

I was planning on writing about the end of the Brewers season today. Then, I woke up this morning to news of the horrific shooting in Las Vegas. After following that all day I figured writing about sports was unnecessary. In the grand scheme of things sports aren't that important. Then I thought about what I wrote last time, that writing can be therapeutic. Why not, on a dark day, take a few minutes and write about something that makes me happy, something that adds light, however little, to the darkness. Something that, maybe if someone is feeling sad, they can read and leave with a little smile on their face. So this week, as planned, it's a recap of the Brewers season and a look ahead. If this is not something you want to read about at this time, I understand. If it helps take your mind off of things for a few minutes, I get that too. Before that though, some thoughts on today's events. Each time a shooting like this happens, and it seems like a lot, I tend to lose faith in humanity. Then after some reflection, I always come back to the fact that I truly believe in the inherent goodness of people. I choose to hope that things will get better, that this country that I love will get better. No matter how far fetched that seems at times, I go back to the quote from The Shawshank Redemption, "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

As I write I'm listening to my favorite Tom Petty record, Wildflowers. Appropriate given the other news of today. Petty is one of my favorite artists. If you're on a Petty kick today I recommend listening to the very underrated She's The One soundtrack. All songs are by Petty and the Heartbreakers and it's sneaky good. I'd also recommend some non Heartbreakers stuff, mainly The Traveling Wilburys, one of my favorite groups of all time, which included Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison and Roy Orbison. There's also Mudcrutch, the band Petty was in before the Heartbreakers. They've reunited for a couple albums over the last several years and it's good stuff.

Ok, now onto the Brewers. They finished 86-76 and missed the playoffs by one game in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Before the season I thought, at best, they'd win 70 games. They exceeded my and everybody else's expectations. They'll say different publicly, but it's likely that even GM David Stearns and Manager Craig Counsell had low expectations. This team was a fun team to watch and while watching you could tell they were having fun. The Brewers theft of Travis Shaw from the Red Sox would've made the Ocean's Eleven crew proud. Domingo Santana proved he could be a solid every day player. Orlando Arcia, who everyone knew was as money as Mike from Swingers in the field, was surprisingly good at the plate. Eric Thames came over from Korea and hit over 30 home runs. His nickname in Korea was literally "God". I don't think God would've tailed off as much as Thames in the second half of the season, but luckily the Crew had Jesus to pick up the slack in Jesus Aguilar who proved to be a solid addition. Maybe in the offseason they can sign Moses. Zach Davies and Jimmy Nelson came into their own and proved to be quality starting pitchers, as did Chase Anderson. Corey Knebel was lights out as the closer. The Brewers late season additions, Neil Walker, Stephen Vogt and Anthony Swarzak made solid contributions.

There are also a couple of rookies that stood out. Josh Hader, their top pitching prospect, was amazing out of the bullpen, especially considering he pitched in a lot of pressure situations. Hader is projected as a starting pitcher in the future but he was so good in relief there's talk of keeping him in that role next year, which I wouldn't be opposed to. Brett Phillips also stood out during the last month of the season. After being called up on September 1, he found himself in the lineup a lot in the midst of a playoff race. The moment was definitely not too big for him. He had clutch hits and showed off the best throwing arm in the majors playing center field. His arm is so good, I don't even think I could walk from my couch to my refrigerator without him throwing me out. I wondered about Phillips coming into this year. One of their top prospects before 2016, he struggled in the minors that year. He was more known for his goofy laugh (YouTube it). He showed me something this year and should be a contender to start in center next year. Over my lifetime, the Brewers have been real competitive only a handful of times. I liked what I saw from this year's team. It was hard to be disappointed when they were eliminated on the second to last day of the season given they weren't supposed to be in that position.

Which brings me to next year. Did they overachieve this season, will they take a step back next season? Good questions. They do have money to spend so I'd be happy with acquiring a solid starting pitcher, especially since Jimmy Nelson will miss part of next season after shoulder surgery and Josh Hader may still come out of the bullpen. Whomever that pitcher is would join a rotation of Davies, Anderson and possibly Brandon Woodruff and Brent Suter. I'd like to them make a run at re-signing Neil Walker and Anthony Swarzak. I also wouldn't mind if they traded Ryan Braun. He's breaking down injury wise and struggled with runners on base at the end of the year when the team needed him most. An outfield of Santana, Phillips and top prospect Lewis Brinson intrigues me. If Phillips or Brinson struggles you have the solid Hernan Perez as fallback. I have optimistic expectations for next season. It'll be a fun off season following any moves the Brewers make.

And now, the ever popular Former Brewer of the Week: This week it's Zack Greinke, the ace of the Brewers staff when they came close to the World Series in 2011. He also happens to be the owner of my favorite quote from an athlete. When he signed a big free agent contract a few years back with the Dodgers, he admitted what no athlete ever does. He was all about the money. "I could play for the worst team if they paid the most." Bravo Zack, for the most honest quote in sports history.

Also a quick World Series prediction...everybody seems to be picking Dodgers/Indians. I'm going Nationals/Astros with the Astros winning. It's ok to be different, also, anyone but the Cubs.

Thanks for sticking with me. Hopefully this took your mind off of a terrible day. Til next time....be good to each other..actually I'll take it a step further...to quote Bill S Preston Esquire and Ted "Theodore" Logan-"Be excellent to each other."