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the-little-crime-writer · 4 years

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DiAngelo is the only survivor of the largest mass suicide on American soil. He found the bodies of his 39 friends lying with plastic bags over their heads, wearing neat black tracksuits with an 'Away Team' patch and Nike trainers. Now we discover why he was left behind...

It was midday when Rio DiAngelo arrived at the hilltop mansion overlooking San Diego to find all the windows closed, the curtains drawn, and outdoor lights burning in the sunshine. The front door was locked, but he found a side door ajar and warily pushed it open.

The unmistakable stench of death made him gag and he covered his face with his shirtsleeve, which still smelled of cologne from his morning shower. As he walked through the eerie silence, he knew what he would find. And he dreaded it. Upstairs, 39 of his friends lay dead in their beds after the largest mass suicide on American soil. All members of a bizarre cult, they had each downed a lethal cocktail of vodka, barbiturates and apple sauce to leave their 'earthly containers' and join an alien spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet.Yelling out in case anyone was still alive, DiAngelo raced from room to room. But all he found were bodies with plastic bags over their heads. Each one wore a neat black tracksuit with an 'Away Team' patch and Nike trainers with their comet-trail trademark. The 21 women and 18 men had each packed a small bag for the journey, and have five dollars in their pocket. Thoughtful to the end, each had left a note saying. 'I forced myself to go into each room and check everyone,' said DiAngelo. 'With each body I came across, the loss became too much to bear. They were my closest friends. I loved them dearly.'

DiAngelo, who's real name is Richard Ford, became involved with the Heaven's Gate Cult in 1994 after attending one of their meetings in a California hotel or 'Cultifornia' as sceptics often call the state that spawned Charles Manson and the Reverend Jim Jones. He had listened while nine androgynous-looking members wearing identical loose clothes and cropped hair described their absolute belief in aliens, the paranormal, and reincarnation. One of them was 59 year old Thomas Nichols whose sister, Nichelle, played Star Trek's Lieutenant Uhura. Forbidden to have sex, hug each other, or even shake hands, the Heaven's Gate cultists concentrated on purifying their bodies and spirits ready for the move to 'an advanced level of being' on another planet or dimension. They called each other brother or sister, observed daily rituals, and were allowed to watch only selected TV programmes. Individual needs were minimised so that a member who had run out of deodorant, for example, would have to apply for a new one in writing.Anyone entering the immaculately clean mansion referred to as 'the temple' had to take off their shoes and wear surgical socks. Silence prevailed, and many of their neighbours assumed they were 'a bunch of monks.' In line with their belief that they had been sent to earth as angels, six members were castrated and, according to DiAngelo, 'they couldn't stop smiling and giggling about it.'

On some days, members had to report to their superiors every 12 minutes while on other days they were required to wear a cone on their heads as they would in alien bodies. Many common words were changed so that members would not remember their human past once they had ascended into space. For instance, house became 'craft' and kitchen became 'nutri-lab.' Their 65 year old leader Marshall Applewhite had started the cult in 1972 with Bonnie Nettles whom he had met while undergoing treatment for homosexuality in a psychiatric hospital. They had abandoned their human names and called themselves Guinea and Pig, then Bo and Peep, before finally settling on Do and Ti.Ti died of cancer in 1985, But Do, claiming he was Jesus reincarnated, said he continued to communicate with her. The group survived financially by running a successful web page design firm which they also used to try and win converts and spread their message. Their own website featured pictures of stars and nebulae downloaded from NASA and appeared very businesslike. It also stated that suicide is acceptable for cult members who want to ascent to 'a higher level of life.' Heaven's Gate shared some of the beliefs of 19th century occultists like novelist Mark Twain. In 1907, Twain wrote a short story about a hero leaving Earth for 'an extended excursion among the heavenly bodies' on the trail of a comet. He took his passport and five dollars for the fare. Despite their fantastic beliefs, DiAngelo was converted and lived in this eccentric community for nearly three years. I'd just turned forty and recently divorced and I was trying to find meaning in life,' he said. 'I'd had a fairly troubled past that included a violent, unstable mother and other bad relationships. The group shared my interest in UFOs, music and Eastern Religions.

But in, December 1995, Do's teaching took a more sinister turn and DiAngelo later recalled that he 'sat us all down and told us that we might have to leave our bodies behind. Amazingly, we didn't really have a problem with that. We trusted Do implicitly. 'We found a suicide recipe that used phenobarbital, vodka and apple sauce, and Do and some of his helpers went to Mexico to buy enough of the drug for the entire group.' Eleven months later, an amateur astronomer took a photo of the Hale-Bopp comet, which showed a mysterious oval-shaped object trailing in its wake. Although NASA later described it a 'proto-comet' 2,000 miles behind Hale-Bopp, other astronomers dismissed the sighting as a hoax or error. Hale-Mary, as it was called, has not been seen since. Do, however, convinced his followers that it was a spaceship coming to take them away and that his deceased partner, Ti, was flying it. Seeing significance in everything, he told then that Hale-Bopp even had the same initials as Helena Blavatsky, another 19th century occultist with whom the group shared beliefs. Having decided on this 'Star-gate' plan, the group prepared to enjoy a final spree on Earth by spending some surplus money. They went to Las Vegas and stayed at the Stratosphere Hotel, and rode the rollercoaster and the Big Shot free-fall ride. A week later they went to see Star Wars and visited the San Diego wild animal park and Sea World. For their 'last supper,' they booked a table for 39 at a local restaurant where waiter Eric Morales was struck by their politeness and helpfulness. 'From the moment they arrived, all austerely dressed and looking the same, I knew this would be no ordinary shift,' he said. 'I made a joke to sort of set the mood and when I returned to their table five minutes later they were still laughing at it. You could tell they didn't get out a lot. 'All thirty nine ordered exactly the same: turkey pie, salad, blueberry cheesecake and iced tea. They were very pleasant, but guarded. When asked where they were from they said things like 'from the car' and 'from all over.' Six days later, employees at the restaurant watched news footage in amazement when they realised the oddball diners they had served had gone straight home and killed themselves. 'It was the last time they were going to be together,' said Morales. 'The bill came to three hundred and fifty one dollars which included a twenty six dollar tip. Our manager was so taken with them, he stood in the doorway and shook hands with each one as they left.' A month before the suicides, DiAngelo decided he wanted to leave the commune. He moved to Beverly Hills, and began working for a web design company. 'I left with Do's permission,' he said/. 'I told him I felt I had something to do outside...like a task. I think part of it was to explain to the world the philosophy of Heaven's Gate and the sort of people they were. Be an instrument of clarification. 'I believed Do was from another planet. He taught me to be more aware, honest and sensitive to the world. In short, a better person. What I gained from the group was phenomenal.

On March 27th, 1997, a parcel arrived at DiAngelo's office. It contained an upbeat farewell video and a message saying: 'By the time you read this we will have exited our bodies.' 'There was no mention of sadness or fear, but rather an air of excitement and anticipation. The cult he called 'his closest brothers and sisters' were aged between 26 and 72 and are believed to have died in three groups - 15 the first day, 15 the next, and nine on the third. In the heat of the Californian spring, many of the bodies had already begun to decompose by the time DiAngelo discovered them. Eager to be helpful, they cleaned up after each round of dying and had even taken out the rubbish. Police found handguns, rifles, and ammunition at the mansion which DiAngelo believed Marshall Applewhite had assembled because he feared a Waco-like siege by the FBI. He had also spent, $1,000 on an insurance policy that would pay out a million dollars each for up to 50 people in the event of abduction by aliens. The company said Heaven's Gate were one of 4,000 policyholders worldwide who had bought alien abduction insurance, with Britain and the USA being their biggest markets. The aftermath of the Heaven's Gate deaths was predictably prosaic. San Diego County planned to auction off their belongings - worth an estimated $1 million and give the proceeds to surviving family members. But DiAngelo claimed that his brothers and sisters wanted him to inherit the web design firm and announced his intention of settling the matter in court. Neighbours living on the same street as the group campaigned to change it's name after crowds of 'strange visitors' kept arriving to pray there. And the $1.6 million mansion itself proved unsellable because of it's gruesome associations and the obstinate smell of formaldehyde in its air conditioning. Two months after the suicide pact, two former members of Heaven's Gate also tried to 'exit their earthly vehicles' in a Holiday Inn four miles from the cult's mausoleum. They were dressed and prepared exactly the same as their departed brothers and sisters. One died immediately. The other was found unconscious, and went on to evangelise for the cult, touring the country with a 70-minute video of the bug-eyed Marshall Applewhite. He killed himself the following year in Heaven's Gate style after telling his friends that he would 'rather gamble on missing the bus this time than stay on this planet and risk losing my soul.' DiAngelo went on to apply the computer skills he had learned from Heaven's Gate to his earthly life. He auctioned off the cult's van on eBay and signed a deal to write a TV movie based on his experiences. But the project never got off the ground. A tabloid offered him $1 million for exclusive rights to his story. At the time he refused, preferring to preserve the dignity of his departed friends. Upon reflection, he later said he should have taken the money. 'I've been on a rollercoaster over the last decade,' he said in 2007. 'I still miss my friends so much and I still haven't met anyone who can compare to them. Not a day goes by that I don't think about them. 'I'm the last Heaven's Gate member on Earth, so there must be a reason why I'm still here. But although I still want to live like them, dying like them definitely isn't part of my plan.' DiAngelo re-established contact with his 19 year old son and confessed he was now 'a slave to commerce like everybody else.' Ten years on he was still haunted by the events of that terrible day, but relieved that he didn't join his friends in the mass suicide which shocked the world. The group's website is still maintained by two individuals allegedly surviving members who left after 12 years to get married (forbidden within the group which prized gender-free platonic relationships) prior to the group's exodus to the 'Next Evolutionary Level.' They confirmed in a statement on the 20th anniversary of the mass suicide that Heaven's Gate no longer existed but that the site remained available to those seeking information about their beliefs.

The world's fascination with the extraordinary actions Heaven's Gate undertook is yet to abate...

#Heaven's Gate Cult #Marshall Applewhite #rio diangelo #Richard Fort #Mass Suicide #tcc crime #tcc post #tcc cults #tcc blog #true crime #true crime community #real crime #real deaths #religious cults #dangerous cults #The Serial Killer Chronicles #my blog #follow for more

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islamcketta · 4 years

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What a week it’s been. Seven days ago at this time, my husband was with our dog, Rocky, at the vet for what would be his second to last visit and I was trying to decide how to tell our four-year-old son that the dog wasn’t coming home. The dog did come home, and we spent a tense 48 hours watching for the inevitable before we could get the second, final visit. And somehow, on Monday I did find the words to tell my son that Rocky was not coming home. He covered his ears and did not want to talk about it. As heartbreaking as this conversation was (as well as subsequent ones where I tried to make sure he knew he could talk to me when he was ready), it’s nothing compared to trying to explain racism to a small child, even as I’m still learning about it myself.

But the time for change is now. That’s why I finally took Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race off the shelf in my bedroom where it had been waiting too long to be read.

When my son was born, a friend insisted I read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. An excellent book, and a hard read in that early parenting time when my empathy for all humans was almost shattering, I learned a lot from Coates. But my reading of that book did not fix our society and really, it did not fix me either. And I won’t say that I’m fixed now that I’ve read (most of, I’ll finish the rest this afternoon) Oluo’s book, either, but So You Want to Talk About Race engaged me in a conversation I needed to have with myself and Oluo gave me both the language and the understanding necessary to try harder.

A Lexicon of Racism

Too much of my experience of the world these days comes from Twitter-sized synopses in which I either smile or rankle before moving on and forgetting. And while I’ve had a superficial understanding of the concepts of white privilege, intersectionality, and microagressions, I haven’t really put the work in to know what I could do about any of it besides feel guilty and try to not say ignorant things. Oluo helped me take that next step by unpacking what the words mean and what they look like in everyday life. She opens up ideas of how white people can start to confront and dismantle them in their own lives and in the lives of the people around them. She also speaks directly to people of color.

Two of the most impactful things Oluo helped me understand are the power dynamics of racism and the ways I’ve been failing to properly empathize with the experiences of people of color. They are not unrelated, but while I cannot dismantle the white supremacy inherent in our institutions (today anyway), I can breathe in her “basic rules” of determining if something is about race until they are a part of my body:

It is about race if a person of color thinks it is about race.

It is about race if it disproportionately or differently affects people of color.

It is about race if it fits a broader pattern of events that disproportionately or differently affect people of color.

Do any of those rankle? As a student of sociology, I had no trouble accepting the last two, but I really struggled with the first. Which meant I had to ask why. Where I’m at now (a few days into this process) is that I’ve been so gaslit about my own experiences (as a woman) that victim blaming is part of my body. My mechanism for feeling better about myself is trying to control every aspect of every situation so that I can never get hurt so if someone else gets hurt then clearly they failed to control something. Except that argument is as full of bullshit for people who are subjected to the abuses of a racist system as it is for women who are raped, assaulted, or harassed.

And the passing of a counterfeit $20 bill is never, ever a crime that should be paid for with a life.

The Beauty of Vulnerability

“Acknowledging us, believing us, means challenging everything you believe about race in this country. And I know that this is a very big ask, I know that this is a painful and scary process. I know that it’s hard to believe that the people you look to for safety and security are the same people who are causing us so much harm. But I’m not lying and I’m not delusional. I am scared and I am hurting and we are dying. And I really, really need you to believe me.” – Ijeoma Oluo So You Want to Talk About Race

I haven’t read White Fragility (yet), but I do know that when confronted with my own racism I more want to hide in a corner than confront my bad actions and I’m certain I’m not alone. In So You Want to Talk About Race, Oluo does the reader the kindness of opening up her own vulnerability. She both unpacks moments when she was not representing the values she espouses and experiences when she has been victimized by institutions and individuals. I’m deeply grateful for this approach, because by being so open and vulnerable with her readers, she made it much easier to be open and vulnerable back. Although she often says (correctly) that it is not the victim of racism’s job to educate the perpetrator, this choice is helping me examine both the problems with the system and also the ways in which I have perpetuated those problems.

The Structures of Power

As I mentioned, institutionalized racism was one of the hardest parts of this book to get my head around, I think because I was raised to believe in this American ideal of founding fathers who were looking out for all of us and who set up this great nation around some very laudable ideals. And now I have to interrogate all of that. We all do.

The police in my brain are here to “protect and to serve” and that’s a comfortable place to return to when I want to ignore one more abuse or death at their hands. But I remember the way the teenagers in my home town were hounded by the police—and we were white. When you entrust someone with a job, you have to be very careful how you frame that job. Even if you think about little things like quotas for traffic tickets. That’s not the police looking to stop people who are breaking laws, that’s a worker trying to check off a list of tasks and they’ll enforce traffic laws at whatever level they can until that list is complete. Now add a government and a legal system that was designed to protect the property of white men. I don’t know enough about what makes the police act as a military force against people of color (though I’m thinking about it); I do think they are acting to protect a status quo that should not be protected.

I don’t need to watch the video of George Floyd’s death to know that kneeling on the neck of a human being (ever, not to mention until they die) is not ever okay. But when John T. Williams was shot down in cold blood by a Seattle police officer, I used personal knowledge of his behavior to make excuses for the officer. When the pregnant Charleena Lyles was shot and killed three miles from where I lived with my almost two-year-old, I was sickened yet did nothing. In truth, those cases formed a pattern where the police failed to place the value of a human life above the value of their own inconvenience.

It’s beyond time that we confront what is wrong with policing in this city and this country, that we dismantle the current system, and that we instead build something that serves everyone. Something that treats human lives (of all colors) with value. I believe strongly that this starts early in life when we must give all children the same opportunities. I also believe that we have to stop treating 12-year-olds like Tamir Rice like it’s too late for them because their bodies are big. That no one should die for selling cigarettes, as Eric Garner did, or for being in a house where drugs were suspected of being sold, as was the case with Breonna Taylor. Black lives are human lives and black lives matter.

What I’m Telling My Son

The day my (then two-year-old) son asked for a Playmobil tactical van, my heart sank. But he thought it was a police car and he wanted it and I wanted him to have what he wanted. Now he asks me to turn off NPR when they use the word “dead.” Mostly I do, because there are a lot of details he does not need to know. But this week is different. As will be all the weeks going forward.

This week we talked about why people become police officers, that some people want to help others and that’s good, but that some people want power over others, and that’s bad. We talked about skin color and things that make people look different but that’s only how they look on the outside. We talked about how he needs to stand up for his friends because sometimes they won’t be able to stand up for themselves. Later, I’ll probably have him sit through the Sesame Street town hall on racism. Because while we try to surround him with diverse books and friends of all colors with a wide variety of life experiences, it’s not enough.

So I’m going to keep reading, Oluo’s book and others, and turning that knowledge into action. There are a myriad of good anti-racism reading lists out there and I also recommend this podcast and essay. As always, I’m open to your suggestions. Let’s take our hands off our ears and change the world with the power we have. We’re stronger than we know.

The post So You Want to Talk About Race (I Do) appeared first on A Geography of Reading.

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jennielim · 4 years

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9.1

stance vie instill exceptional avail strident formidable rebuke enhance benign perspective tedious aloof encroach memoir mien desolate inventive prodigy staple stint fallacy grope vilify recur assail tirade antics recourse clad jurisdiction caption pseudonym reception humane ornate sage ungainly overt sedative amiss convey connoisseur rational enigma fortify servile fastidious contagious elite disgruntled eccentric pioneer abet luminous era sleek serene proficient rue articulate awry pungent wage deploy anarchy culminate inventory commemorate muster adept durable foreboding lucrative modify authority transition confiscate pivotal analogy avid flair ferret decree voracious imperative grapple deface augment shackle legendary trepidation discern glut cache endeavor attribute phenomenon balmy bizarre gullible loll rankle decipher sublime rubble renounce porous turbulent heritage hover pithy allot minimize agile renown fend revenue versa gaunt haven dire doctrine intricate conservative exotic facilitate bountiful cite panorama swelter foster indifferent millennium gingerly conscientious intervene mercenary citadel obviously rely supportive sympathy weakling atmosphere decay gradual impact noticeable recede stability variation approximately astronomical calculation criterion diameter evaluate orbit sphere agricultural decline disorder identify probable thrive expected widespread bulletin contribution diversity enlist intercept operation recruit survival abruptly ally collide confident conflict protective taunt adaptation dormant forage frigid hibernate insulate export glisten influence landscape native plantation restore urge blare connection errand exchange

9.2

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10.1

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10.2

warrant circumscribed somewhat explosive optimistic mandate previously detract opinion intuitive feasible intimate persistent humble simplicity tempt deliberate painful unethical fundamentals discrepancy remorse pessimistic possibility conclusion acknowledge impregnate soberly creation paralyze suitability oblige tranquil medal arbitrate pacify illusory susceptible vibrate vengeance infection democratic stressful grave speculative sample identification stifle obligation revenge organization namely mediocre practical scream weaken consensus affectionate deficient treacherous console isolation ingenious memory melodrama despair awestruck composition regret recommendation celebrity decision devoid opaque ornamentation longevity participate dread restore interrogate aid accordingly mislead embarrassment optimism domestic apt funds virtue geography fundamentally thoroughly press despite horrible chilling rental esteemed disappointment innovative contemplation assign popularize haunt deafen serene percent estrangement suffer extravagant throng estimate comment priesthood mass dreadfully promote periphery animated saying relate clarity triple derivative succeed distortion register suicide improvement discreet inquisition probable curative incident praise convenience baffle covet dreadful genuinely weary undisturbed disgruntled humility renown nonchalant monopoly comedy vague decisive inconsequential announcement fabricated nevertheless vigilant scarce neglectful hushed attainment tedious explode snatch pslm agency sentimental tension adhere meanwhile sacred avert conformity likewise challenger accessible responsibility peril contact event roast fallible catastrophic competitor violate resolute deceive exaggeration discredit intolerable approve paste dimly novelist demeanor norm politician satisfaction obvious vehicle reservation defer involve restoration crush audible assistant backpack attain inanimate commemorate confrontation emigration parasite disperse quantitative laughter policy vulgar occasionally repay effective eulogy starvation empty therapeutic overall immortal encompass inappropriate opportune engagement illustrate turmoil observatory classification expression reminiscence comedian invention depress remedy protagonist gesture texture diplomatic election prolong conducive emotional invigorate curiosity expressive %

K-12 Words was originally published on PinkWrite

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hollywoodx4 · 7 years

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Sticking with the Schuylers (Interlude 3)

By the time you’re reading this I’ll be in NYC! (Or on the bus on the way...)

(Also hi @ellzabethschuyler here’s your tag-I hope your new fic is going well and I can’t wait to read it)

Here’s an interlude/flashback/backstory time to hold you over until I come back. Alex’s first brunch will happen soon. For now, I thought we’d give Angelica a little attention this time...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 I 13 14 15 16 17 18A 18B 18C I 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 261 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 I 13 14 15 16 17 18A 18B 18C I 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

The beating heart of a human serves the direct and most obvious purpose; taking blood from one part of the body to the other in order to keep a person alive. Then there are the little-known uses; the ones written about in dainty fairytales and sung in verses of idyllic pop harmony. The feeling within a heart tends to be a strange sort of subject for Angelica. While she often speaks her mind and defends her rights the conversation of feeling is often painful to endure. It isn’t as though she cannot bring herself to think about things-or to write them down in well-versed paragraphs, tucked in the pages of a well-worn notebook. The communication of feelings, the actual burden of carrying a heart at all-the struggles rest neatly and tauntingly behind it.

She finds solace in an upright posture and good grades-in working for what she was given by birth. It is not enough to be wealthy; no, that hardly breaks the foundation of what Angelica craves most within her life, if finding a place within her plan at all. There is no desire to keep her father’s wealth, but the influence carried by social status often remains tucked deep in her pocket. She recognizes her privilege. She accepts it, uses it as a platform. If she can find anybody to discuss her dreams with-to sway toward funding her side of an argument-the galas and incessant talk is well worth it.

But Angelica Schuyler’s heart is most often satisfied by the protection of her sisters; from the love they have shared throughout the years. There is a comfort that comes from the bond of knowing so much about a person. In sharing their strengths and lifting each other’s weaknesses they had come to such a point at this moment that sixteen, eighteen, and twenty-one were not such terrifying ages as they had seemed. The younger sisters have Angelica to look up to-to guide them through their years. Angelica in turn takes solace in them, confiding in whatever struggles she faces and asking for their advice. It’s an equilibrium between old, younger, and youngest that works out to great benefit, one that Angelica hinges herself on. In her heart, this bond and protection is her greatest religion.

She tends to mumble things when she’s charting her thoughts, graphs and diagrams she arranges in careful crispness and attention to detail only she knows. Even John, of quiet soul and worrying heart, had attempted to decipher them to no avail. There were too many thoughts within Angelica’s head for simple writing, although her footnotes and add-ins dotted the miniscule margins she’d leave behind. Once, he had asked her to share one of her older thought mappings with him. She’d laughed.

It’s private, she’d said, tucking her journal away. Even if I thought you’d be able to read it the right way I still couldn’t let you. A lot of it is about my sisters, stuff they’d never want you to know. I tell you everything but this stuff, this is between us.

It was between them.

The things that Angelica had seen-what she now knew…all of that information now rested at the forefront of her mind with no escape. She couldn’t tell her father, or John-not even Peggy. From the moment she had woken up her middle sister had been adamant. What had gone on was to strictly stay to the two of them. Only things weren’t as easy as that. They never were. As Eliza drifted in and out of her medicinal sleep, as the heart monitors tracked her life as if it were just about to end, Angelica watched as a gaggle of doctors and nurses stood outside of the room. And when she looked they’d turn their heads, glancing at charts or leaning over the nurses station as if nothing had happened.

Closing the shade wasn’t enough.

Shutting the doctors out would never have appeased her sister, who’d been through hell and back only to have prying eyes outside of her door. They were eyes that had mouths, phones…they had the power to publish the story. Eliza’s life would be ruined. So, she did the only thing she’d known how to do. Angelica Schuyler raced from the room, pointing fingers and accusing as the doctors looked down in shame. She’d made them feel guilty-ruined. And then, she’d taken out her checkbook.

Angelica Schuyler wrote a check in perfect curvy writing to four doctors with huge mouths and wallets looking for more.

John Church is a good man. In the darkness he accepts Eliza as their roommate without a second thought. All Angelica has to do is utter the name James Reynolds and he’s sold, making up a bed in their second bedroom and buying an extra shelf for her things. It’s a gesture that does not go unnoticed by the middle Schuyler, who ducks her head and lets her thanks seep through trembling lips. And when Angelica does not sleep with him for the first month-when she’s up calming her screaming, he says nothing. It is not his business, their sisterhood. It is the only line between them-the only thing that she has been adamant about without compromise.

My sisters come first. They always come first.

She’s so protective, so passionate about their family bond that it makes his heart swell. She’s mentioned not wanting kids but he can’t help but picture it-the two of them, years down the road with a little combination of their DNA bundled in Angelica’s arms. He doesn’t dare utter the thoughts to her. While he knows the heightened value that family holds within both of them, there is a difference neither can ignore. He left his family in England to pursue his education; his career. Angelica stuck to Columbia to stay closer to hers. He’d had his separation-his self-exploration. She had not.

There is an awkward rift around them the second month Eliza is their roommate. She has just gotten back into the swing of things-a routine close enough to her old self where she can stop pretending to be ill to avoid plans. There’s a glimmer, a hope. It lifts the apartment into a beautiful harmony of time spent between them. There is a privacy that Angelica and John had been deprived of. He uses it to his advantage.

John does not want to believe the words that are in his mind but the assumptions he had been feeling since the beginning of the week had not gone away. It was a curiosity accessorized by an undertone of anger he had never felt toward her before. But there were secrets being kept-secrets that involved not just himself but their relationship. He hated to think that she would be so willing to be at her sisters’ whims that she would up and ignore him.

For the first time in his life, John Church confronts her.

Angelica comes home from her longer day, tossing her keys on the table by the door and slinging her coat over its hook. She calls John’s name but is met with silence in its place. Eliza is volunteering. Angelica is alone. She calls John’s name again; the unlocked apartment door and his usual schedule in place for him to be here. It’s their night. He does not answer.

There are papers on the floor-bright shades of white embossed with stamps that press patterns into them. There are official papers. Real business. And he sits in the middle of it all, head in his hands and dark-framed glasses pushed away from his nose. He pinches the bridge of it, sighing, as he hears her footsteps breaking the silence.

“John, what are you doing?”

“I could ask you the same question.” He gestures to the piles of documents-agreements-in front of him. Angelica feels a shock run through her body, from the tip of her toes through to her head. It freezes her in place, captures her in this moment. She is unable to look away although she desperately wants to-all aspects of time have frozen except for him, for this unavoidable confrontation.

“I just,”

“Just what, Ange? Decided to keep some deep ring of hospital bills from me? And what are these-these checks?”

“John,”

“You know I love you but you need to let me finish.” He looks up then, bringing his eyes into contact with hers. Hurt glazes over everything else, although exhaustion weighs deep in his bones. He’s been sitting here too long; reading through files, trying to decipher everything. And there’s only one solution, the first in his mind. He doesn’t want to think it but the words spill from his lips faster than he can stop them. For once, he lets his values outweigh hers.

“Did you use the money-all of the money we’ve been saving to move to England, to see my parents,” He chokes on his words then, fingers brushing the sides of paper with a texture hardened by their context. “Did you use all of our money to get an abortion?”

The time that has been frozen cracks once more. Angelica’s posture drops, body swaying and hands folded into each other as she stares down at her boyfriend.

“Eight years,” It’s all she can manage to get out before her eyes become inhibited by wild abandon. There is a rapid succession of emotions that hits her, simultaneous and unforgiving. There is not much to decipher between them but her eyes continue to search the air for an answer until her lips thin into a hard line, eyes bringing daggers upon her cross-legged boyfriend.

“Eight years together and you think I’d abort our child without even telling you I was pregnant?”

“Ange,”

“Eight years of my life with you and you think I’d be so selfish to let my own disinterest in having a child come before your opinion-before the life of a child we’re well-off enough to take care of? Where did you even get the notion that an abortion is what those bills were for? Nowhere on them does it say anything like that. It’s a stab in the heart. It’s horrifying. Do you really think I would do that to you?”

She paces the room now, a tornado forming in her wake. She’s looking for something to hold, to calm her quaking body and the nerves that have not yet settled. And then there’s the accusation-the toll that sits heaviest on herself. The full story comes rocketing back to her in rapid succession so quickly that she can’t stop it. Instead she lets herself remember; Eliza crying through the phone, Eliza in the hospital. She’d meant to leave him. She’d meant to come right to Angelica. She’d been too late.

Angelica collects her breathing, letting the silence fill the air as John sits still, watching her wreak havoc on their room until her body has calmed once again. Then she moves to him, sitting on the floor and pulling a yellow sheet of paper from his pile. The receipts only bare names, her curvy writing assuring that the secret is not even written where they can get at it. She traces the outline of her writing with her index finger, shaking her head.

“It was a lot of money.”

“It was-it is.” He answers simply, evenly. There is no lift or fall in his tone, no upset or anger. There is only a stoic turn of voice, a nod of the head.

“It wasn’t for that-for anybody. I would’ve,” She grabs hold of John’s hand. His fingers do not curl around hers. She turns her head away from him, concentrating on the collected writings scattered over the floor. “I would have told you.”

“And why couldn’t you have told me about this; hospital bills? Personal checks to doctors I’ve never even heard of before?”

“The money-it wasn’t for me.”

“Then who was it for?”

Her lips turn back into their line then, eyes avoidant. She does not verbally refuse his question but her body has shut down-away from him once more. He sighs, heavy and deliberate. It’s meant to hurt her-to guilt her. A purposeful pain has never been aimed from John’s tone before.

“You’re not going to tell me?”

“I can’t.”

“You can’t, or you won’t? If this is about your sisters I just…jesus, Angelica. How much longer are you going to hide things from me? How much longer are they going to invade our relationship? I understand that your family is important, but so is mine. We were going to use that money to see mine. Aren’t my values,”

“Eliza was seriously hurt.” Angelica spits the words back at him, a venom that comes much easier from her defense than it had from John’s. She leans over, picking the bills from the floor and shoving them back into her desk drawer with a resounding thud. “These papers? Eliza wasn’t James’s girlfriend as much as she was his punching bag. The bills? We’re saving her from a legal battle she doesn’t want to have-from my father losing his seat in the Senate when he kills James if he finds out what he’s done. And the checks?”

It’s almost too much for her-this beating of her heart, the flooding of emotions that barrel through her, pushing their way to the front until her voice has raised two notches of volume.

“You can’t blame her for these checks-for any of this. She never saw the way those doctors were looking at her. I wrote those checks so we wouldn’t have to see her battered face all over the newsstands, alright?” She hadn’t meant to yell. She’d never yelled at John before. Not in the eight years they had been together, not a single time. Angelica swallows the lump in her throat. She can’t bring herself to look at him. “I know it was a lot of money. And I know I should have told you-it was our trip, it was your family. I just,”

“It’s alright.”

“It’s not.”

“It is.” He pats the space next to him on the floor, pushes his glasses back to their proper position. When she collapses beside him he pulls her in, her head resting on his lap. The warzone has been pacified. The damage has been done. He calls his mother, cancels their flight for the upcoming summer. The room around them is filled with upturned cushions, things out of place. Angelica has calmed, but a fragment of unease still weighs heavy on both of their shoulders.

Angelica Schuyler had always been drawn away from her own feelings. The bottle-rocket explosion of carbon and anxiety was not a cocktail she enjoyed. Rather, her heart debated; bargained. Feeling-and talking about said weakening feelings-had never been her heart’s strong suit. For her sisters-for Eliza-Angelica Schuyler would do anything.

#hamilton au #hamilton #like #i can't tag this as hamliza #but also i'm not tagging it as angelica either #so this one is less tagged #mine: swts

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insession-io · 5 years

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Carl Jung and Alcoholics Anonymous: is a Theistic Psychopathology Feasible?

In a letter to Carl Jung that was recently made public on the Web, Bill Wilson, founder of A.A., reminds Jung of a conversation that Jung had 30 years before with one of his patients who was an alcoholic: “That conversation between you was to become the first link in the chain of events that led to the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous”. Wilson specifies further: “My recollection of his account of that conversation is this: First of all, you frankly told him of his hopelessness, so far as any further medical or psychiatric treatment might be concerned. … When he then asked you if there was any other hope, you told him that there might be, provided he could become the subject of a spiritual or religious experience - in short, a genuine conversion. You pointed out how such an experience, if brought about, might remotivate him when nothing else could.”

Jung confirms in his answer to Wilson that the conversation was “adequately reported” by his patient. We can conclude from this, as well as other autobiographical data, that Jung was a deeply religious man, that he had undergone religious conversion, and that he obtained motivation or strength from his personal relationship with God. At the same time, Jung’s letter reveals his lifelong preoccupation with keeping his relationship with God from appearing openly in his practice, lectures, and writings. He was focused on the ambitious work of constructing new psychological knowledge that can appear as scientific, and this cannot be based on merely personal or subjective experience, either his own or that of a visionary or mystic. He had to be careful not to have his psychiatric practice be based on religion or his own religious conversion.

About that conversation with his alcoholic patient, Jung informs Bill Wilson that “I could not tell him everything…In those days I had to be exceedingly careful of what I said.” Jung was concerned of his reputation and did not want being misunderstood or misreported. In his letter, Jung reveals that at that time he did not feel comfortable saying the following to his patient: “His craving for alcohol was the equivalent of … the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed … as the union with God.”

Jung shares his conviction that “the evil principle prevailing in this world leads the unrecognized spiritual need into perdition, if it is not counteracted by a real religious insight”. Jung saw “real religious insight” as involving a personal and meaningful relationship with God. Jung states that “these are the reasons why I could not give a full and sufficient explanation to Roland H. but I am risking it with you”.

It is noteworthy that Jung ends his letter to Bill Wilson with this statement:

“Alcohol in Latin is “spiritus” and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as for the most depraving poison. The helpful formula therefore is: spiritus contra spiritum.”

This title in Latin encapsulates Jung’s theistic psychiatry and scientific dualism. He is acknowledging thereby the existence of spiritual good and evil that is powerfully active in the mind of individuals. God’s angelic forces of good (“spiritus”) battle the devil’s infernal forces of evil (spirit alcohol). In this view, the human mind is a battleground between societies of good spirits and hoards of evil spirits that exist in the collective unconscious of humanity. This would lead to the conclusion that mental alcoholism is a spiritual disease caused by evil psychic forces in the collective unconscious that have attacked an individual and are holding him or her as a mental prisoner.

The first two steps of the 12-step program are the most critical, which is why they are placed in rank 1 and 2. It is declared that nothing can succeed in the other steps without these first two. There is the warning that the tragic long painful failure of the alcoholic man and woman will continue if the first two steps are not completed. The first step is to declare psychological bankruptcy or failure. This must come after years of seeing one’s life break apart at the seams despite our desperate attempts to control our mental sickness. We must admit defeat to ourselves. We must see that we are completely hopeless trying to solve our problem by ourselves. That is step 1. Nothing goes without it. To admit hopelessness, and to actually mean it, is to give up delusional arrogance and obsessive self-pride. Now there is room for step 2.

Step 2 is to replace the self that is at the helm of our mind, with God being at the helm. This is the confession and admission of the existence of a “Higher Power”, higher than one’s own power. The quote below from the official A.A. guidebook shows up various types of mental conflicts that new AA members have regularly experienced in the form of rebelling against faith, invocation, and reliance on God. It is asserted that nearly everyone has a culture of religion from childhood but many have in their adult life departed from that “childish” idea of God. This constitutes an intellectual rejection of God. Others experience an emotional rejection because God wouldn’t do what they asked Him for, or worse, God did not protect their loved ones from disaster and early death [2].

The guidebook asserts that all this psychological resistance is just that, resistance. It does not present an actual obstacle that prevents the solution. With practice and group support the new members gain courage in dethroning themselves from their delusional status of self-power, and this internal action allows God into their thinking and emoting. Now help is given on a daily basis through affective strength and self-confidence that relies on God. The process of psychopathological recovery has begun and continues endlessly.

The official A.A. Guide points to the ineffectiveness of traditional religious interventions with alcoholics. They insist that these have no power over the sickness. In contrast to this, a personal relationship with God does have the power to heal the mental and spiritual sickness of the alcoholic victim.

To clergymen, doctors, friends, and families, the alcoholic who means well and tries hard is a heartbreaking riddle. To most A.A.’s, he is not. There are too many of us who have been just like him, and have found the riddle’s answer. This answer has to do with the quality of faith rather than its quantity. This has been our blind spot. We supposed we had humility when really we hadn’t. We supposed we had been serious about religious practices when, upon honest appraisal, we found we had been only superficial. Or, going to the other extreme, we had wallowed in emotionalism and had mistaken it for true religious feeling. In both cases, we had been asking something for nothing. The fact was we really hadn’t cleaned house so that the grace of God could enter us and expel the obsession. In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves, made amends to those we had harmed, or freely given to any other human being without any demand for reward. We had not even prayed rightly. We had always said, “Grant me my wishes” instead of “Thy will be done.” The love of God and man we understood not at all. Therefore we remained self-deceived, and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.

Therefore, Step Two is the rallying point for all of us. Whether agnostic, atheist, or former believer, we can stand together on this Step. True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith, and every A.A. meeting is an assurance that God will restore us to sanity if we rightly relate ourselves to Him.

Jung describes “faith” or religious belief as a psychological process that goes through two phases of development. First, in the initial phase, people believe that they are “saved” because of their faith and the strength of their self-confidence in that belief. This initial phase is a superficial state that does not penetrate into the interior levels of personality structure from where we derive our motivations and emotions. This initial phase is immature and selfcentered because people do not yet have the deep capacity for mutual love or respect for others. They are still focused exclusively on gaining dominance over everyone else for the sake of selfgain and self-supremacy. A.A. follows the universal principle that every human being is born with the mental predisposition to do all things for the sake of self, and if not for the sake of self, then for the sake of others who are allied to self, thus ultimately for the sake of self. This selfishness is unhealthy and injurious to the individual’s psychological well-being and functioning. Selfishness is also destructive of society and community, thus of the entire human race.

The A.A. guidebook asserts that those who are motivated to leave this self-injurious and self-limiting phase behind can enter the “inner chamber” in their mind, initiating a sincere relationship with God. The influence of God in the individual’s mind challenges and confronts the self-centered and self-serving focus. The person then experiences a spiritual battle or psychological conflict in the form of the temptation to act contrary to spiritual principles for the sake of satisfying some selfish love or interest. This is the level of the psychological and spiritual battle that the alcoholic faces daily. This is where the A.A. group and community values and rationales need to be acquired and practiced.

In 1937 Jung wrote: “People sometimes call me a religious leader. I am not that. I have no message, no mission; only an attempt to understand. We are philosophers in the old sense of the word, lovers of wisdom. That avoids the sometimes questionable company of some who offer a religion”.

In 1999 Anthony Storr, a well-known Jung interpreter, wrote: “Analytical psychology does not aim at curing neurotic symptoms, but at bringing about a change in the patient's attitude to him or herself, and therefore to life in general. This new attitude can be described as 'religious', but it has nothing to do with creeds or conventional forms of worship. Analytical psychology is not a religion, but can be described as a prolegomenon to religion or religion in statu nascendi.”

A 2005 book published by the American Psychological Association makes this statement about Jung: “Personality development and psychopathology cannot be seen in purely secular terms, and no longer can psychotherapy be considered a purely secular pursuit. … Within the Jungian perspective, the removal of symptoms as a final goal of therapy is an incomplete approach. The symptom is a wakeup call from the Self to greater consciousness.” (L. Corbett & M. Stein, Contemporary Jungian approaches to spiritually oriented psychotherapy).

In 1999, Shamdasani [3] a well-known Jungian commentator wrote this: “Given the significance of religion in people's lives, it followed that a psychology that failed to consider religious phenomena did not deserve to be called a psychology. Thus the psychology of religion was not simply a regional or peripheral domain, but was essential to the possibility of a general psychology. Thus Jung did not approach the topic of religion with a pre-established definition of psychology. Rather, the study of religious phenomena was one of the critical issues that helped define Jung's concept of psychology.”

College of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, USA

*Corresponding Author: Leon James Professor, College of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology University of Hawaii, USA Tel: 808-295-2702 Fax: 808-261-2382 E-mail: [email protected] Received date: January 26, 2015; Accepted date: January 27, 2016; Published date: February 04, 2016

Citation: James L. Carl Jung and Alcoholics Anonymous: is a Theistic Psychopathology Feasible? Acta Psychopathol. 2016, 2:7. doi: 10.4172/2469-6676.100033

Visit for more related articles at Acta Psychopathologica The reputed success in rehabilitating so-called “hopeless” alcoholics through the Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) program depends in large measure to convincing the members of the group or community that they are totally helpless in changing themselves through their own efforts, but that God can do it when they give themselves and their lives over to God. This theistic approach and method may influence future theory and practice in psychopathology and psychiatry, as this aspect of Carl Jung’s psychology [1] becomes the focus of attention.

References James L (2015) A comparison of keywords in the dynamic psychology of Jung, Swedenborg, and Freud. Journal of Psychology and Clinical Psychiatry 3: 1-13. James L (2015) Jung and Swedenborg on God and Life After Death. Print and Kindle Editions. Amazon Digital Services. Shamdasani S (1999) Is analytical psychology a religion? In statu nascendi. Journal of Analytical Psychology 44: 539-545

Dr. Jeffrey Levine - Counseling Hartford - is a Licensed Psychologist with over 40 years of clinical experience. He specializes in treating adults in individual psychotherapy, with expertise in trauma focused hypnosis, energy transformational healing and Internal Family Systems. Therapist serving Hartford - Mansfield - Glastonbury.

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cheechsweet · 7 years

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See previous post 1 and post 2 in this series, or related posts to this month-long trip here and here.

The drive to Ranomafana is about 12 hours. After experiencing the Tana roads, I thought maybe it was close via bad roads, but it’s really 12 hours in a 4WD at relatively high speed but through winding roads. For 12 hours, I was tossed side to side, tires screeching on the road.

I was very passive in this adventure, which is ironic when I think that this project arose because the TMSE PTA asked me to offer an anthropology course several years ago when my kids were in 3rd grade. I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t have the time to take on any more service, but I wanted to do it because I wanted to be able to share what I do with my kids and help their school. I remember discussing it with DoVeanna Fulton, then chair of Gender and Race Studies, whose son had been a classmate of my kids. She said, ‘if you wait till you have more time, will your kids still want you to do it and will there still be an opportunity?’ Thank you, DoVeanna.

So, Duke Beasley and I collaborated on the course that first time, and it went well that first time. But only my sons Lux and Jagger took it. The next year, Bailey wanted to take it, so Duke and I offered it again. Still, I was never going to do it again, but it was popular and I’d got a curriculum developed that I could hand off to students to teach, so I kept it going. Later, I recognized an opportunity to turn it into a service learning course when I saw an application to develop a community service course. At the time, I had another course in mind and didn’t realize I was already doing one. Then later, Jason DeCaro came across a Wenner-Gren Foundation grant call because he was flying to New York and would be meeting with president Leslie Aiello. So I threw together a proposal, got feedback from her, tweaked the proposal, and got funding for this project.

I met Dustin Eirdosh, who has been my liaison on this Madagascar collaboration, just as serendipitously in a way. He was working with David Sloan Wilson and the EvoS Consortium for resources and in touch with Becky Burch. I started contacting Dustin to brainstorm about collaboration potential and saw that his energy is similar to mine. So I say “passive” when I describe my activity in Madagascar, but what I really seem to do is flap my wings hard and fast like a hummingbird until an opening appears, then I hit it hard and without hesitation.

I set this trip up without any real game plan. I deferred to Dustin and Josia to give me a lead that I would then take. So it was Dustin who suggested a trip to Ranomafana and Josia who booked the driver for me. The first one got in an accident the day before, so she arranged the second one at the last minute. She used the same company she books for her own research, but I’m not sure that that was the same in both cases.

The driver was going to cost 140,000 ariary/day (around $50/day, 460,000 ari total). Gas would cost me another 420,000 ari for the trip. Then I would need hotel for 3 nights, which I found for 100,000/night. That’s about $400, not including food or other things. That’s a sizable amount of money, considering I had no specific plans of who I was going to talk to or if I would even be able to get a meeting and had very little money with me.

This was covered by grant funding, but universities never want to give you your grant money up front. They want you to pay it out first and reimburse you. Presumably, there’s liability involved. I also think it’s being used in some slush fund somewhere or earning interest. When I asked for a $1,000 advance, I was treated like I was asking for money to go binge drinking. I was told I was asking for a LOAN and that it is against state policy to LOAN employees travel funds. Load of crap. We researchers have rents or mortgages to pay back home when we travel. Sorry to tell the world, but you don’t get much financial compensation for a PhD in the social sciences and humanities. I’m so deep in debt from student loans, I will never be free (see the notice of being served because of my student loan debt from the first day of this trip).

So $400 is a lot for money for me, as I was traveling exclusively cash and carry, with nothing in a bank account I could access and no place in Madagascar takes credit cards. What an adventure, right? This means I was riding for 12 hours in a car to meet with people I didn’t know would meet with me about what I didn’t exactly know and not sure I’d have enough money to pay the driver when I got back.

Jao gripping the wheel.

But this is not a mystery story, so I’ll let you off the hook. I stressed on the ride, tallying up my expenses, especially when Jao, my driver, stopped at a tourist hotel restaurant for lunch to eat “normal” food. Normal for me, is what I think he meant. Also, “clean,” he said. But it ended up costing me a pretty penny. The next meal was a little better, but I had to keep pushing him: “Let me worry about the food poisoning. Let’s eat Malagasy food at hotelys.”

If there are traditional musicians selling their CDs at the hotel restaurant, it probably costs more than you want to spend for a quick road stop. Or if there are old New Yorkers talking loudly at the table behind them.

And I had to ask Jao to help me change currency so I could pay him. Banks there won’t change $100 bills, which is all I had. And we were returning on a Sunday when everything was closed. So we had to meet a black market money changer by the side of the road on the way back into town. I don’t mean to make this sound in any way like Romancing the Stone or Indiana Jones crap. Other field researchers have a million such stories, as do all the people who live in such countries. And they are unfortunately not rare in the world. I borrowed my money belt and steel-reinforced bag from a friend who regaled me with stories of dealing with a cholera outbreak, regularly carrying vast quantities of cash on her to cover field school expenses, meeting sketchy money changers in strange homes, and drinking with murderous warlords during her field seasons. It’s all a matter of perspective. But this time, I was in Africa, while she was back home attending the premier of Beauty and the Beast!

I took lots of photos as Jao drove in silence. He listened to music all the way back. At the first, I felt bad he had obviously not felt comfortable playing music in the car until I heard him playing Otis Redding and asked him to turn it up. We listened to that and a Beatles album on the way back, which I loved singing along to, but then the next 9 hours were taken up by bad 80s hair metal and Celine Dion. And I was stuck with only Neil Gaiman’s new Norse Mythology as my Audible book. It was interesting for about an hour, but then stories of Thor’s dumb brutishness and Loki’s selfish mischief just lulled me to sleep.

However, the Betsiloa countryside was beautiful. They are the tribe that occupies the highland south of Tana. Their homes are tall and made of red brick that matches the red clay of the ground. Their terracing for rice, corn, and other produce is more distinctive than terracing elsewhere (I got great photos of this but—foreshadowing—those photos are sadly no longer with me). Apparently, they get three annual harvest, where other only get 1-2.

As we passed through Antsirabe, suddenly there were colorful tricycle taxis everywhere. “City of Pouse-pouse,” Jao told me. The region is resplendent with bicycles and pouse-pouses. I couldn’t get enough photos of them and the colorful markets (alas, many of those also lost with someone on the road to perdition—okay, maybe a little harsh, but I’m very annoyed about it).

We rolled into Ranomafana around 4, a bit earlier than expected. I got a place at Hotel Cristo, which came recommended both by Lonely Planet and Josia and Rija. It turned out to be very lovely.

Again, in true colonial style, I sat on the veranda watching the sunset over the rainforest and Namorona River, while people spoke Dutch and English nearby, and brown-skinned hotel employees brought me a double expresso. But at least they owned the place this time. Dear Malinowski…

Anthropology is Elemental is currently funded by a grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

Repost from April 2017 on Bama Anthro Blog Network. See that post for photo galleries missing above: https://wp.me/p2SN82-h8

AiE in Madagascar III: Road to Ranomafana See previous post 1 and post 2 in this series, or related posts to this month-long trip…

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nuka-cola-princess-blog · 7 years

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Found a OC questionnaire and decided to use it to finally write my OC’s backstory. Meet Esmeralda Santiago.

1. What is your character’s full name?

Esmeralda Santiago

2. Where were they born?

San Juan, Puerto Rico. Moved to Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 14.

3. What are their allegiances?

The Minutemen. 4. Do they have any brothers or sisters?

Nate Santiago (brother) and Nora Santiago (sister-in-law) 5. What kind of eyes do they have?

Purple. Rare family eye color.

6. What kind of hair do they have?

Dark brown almost black hair with dark purple highlights. 7. What is their race/ethnicity?

Human, Latina. 8. How’s their temper/demeanor?

Usually sarcastic and flirty. A big show off. Doesn’t really take much seriously. When angry, offend or upset however she can be irrational and ruthless. Sometimes regrets her actions after she calms down. 9. What is listening to their voice like?

Often very flirty tone in her voice. Slight hints of a Puerto Rican accent. 10. Do they have a favorite quote?

“Hey, chin up I know the night just got darker, but it won’t last forever.” -Nick Valentine 11. What sort of music do they enjoy?

Hip hop, Punk, Metal, Reggaeton, 8-Bit, 12. What are their favorite radio stations?

Diamond City Radio, Radio Freedom, Jet Fuel Radio (mod), 8-Bit Radio (mod) 13. Have they ever lost someone close to them?

Her brother Nate and her sister-in-law Nora are both killed. Her nephew has also been abducted by the Institute and his status is currently unknown to Esmeralda. 14. What is their favorite sound?

Dogmeat’s happy yipping and barking when he gets attention. 15. What is their opinion on euthanasia? 16. Are they judgmental of others?

She grew up being judged so she loathes judgmental people and goes out of her way to be pretty open minded. This often puts her at odds with the Brotherhood of Steel. 17. Have they ever been drunk?

More often than she should be. 18. What are they like when they stay up all night?

Usually up taking Jet watching old holotapes or listening to the radio. 19. Have they ever been arrested?

Yes. A bank robbery gone wrong is what lands them in the hands of the law and later Vault-Tec which leads to them being frozen. 20. What color evokes strong memories for them?

Purple. She has an odd obsession with the color. 21. What do they do on rainy days?

Stay inside and mess around with Cait or take Jet, or both. 22. What religion are they?

Not a very religious person. Meditates and believes in ghosts n’ spirits though. 23. What are their likes?

Caps, power, drugs, alcohol, sex, Nuka Cola, protecting her friends and family, The Minutemen, Goodneighbor, Cait, Dogmeat, Preston, Nick Valentine, Hancock, Codsworth, Maccready, Jet, Ghouls, old holotape movies, music, holotape games, Sunset Sarsaparilla, Sugar Bombs. 24. What do they wear to bed?

Either just a bra and panties or nothing. 25. Do they have any tattoos or piercings?

Lots of tattoos along her arms and chest as well as several face and neck tattoos. 26. What type of clothing are they most comfortable in?

Easy-going casual clothing. Shorts, tanktops, jeans, boots, ect. 27. What is their most disliked saying?

Ad Victoriam 28. Do they have any enemies?

The Brotherhood of Steel, Gunners, The Pack, The Disciples, Operators. 29. What does their writing look like?

Surprisingly articulate. She loves reading and writing. 30. What disgusts them?

Judgment, child abusers/killers, The Brotherhood Of Steel, slavers, Operators, The Pack, Deezer’s Lemonade, Raiders, Kellog, people who call baseball bats ‘swattas’.

Esmeralda Santiago was born in San Juan Puerto Rico shortly after her brother Nate Santiago was born. They were born to a single mother who had taken money from loan sharks in order to pay the bills but couldn’t afford to pay them back. So at the age of 14, Esmeralda and her brother Nate moved with their mother to Boston, Massachusetts to run from their loan shark problem. Unfortunately, the loan sharks tracked Esmeralda’s mother down. Esmeralda and Nate came home from high school one afternoon to find their mother had been shot and killed. They were alone now and forced to support themselves, refusing to allow themselves to be taken in by an orphanage as they felt they were too old to have a chance at adoption and decided to take their chances on their own taking care of themselves.

The siblings had very different approaches dealing with their mother’s death and supporting themselves as time went on. Nate engrossed himself in school and work trying to better himself in order to make a living. He eventually ended up joining the army after graduating high school and marrying his high school sweetheart Nora after he came home from war, starting a family with her and giving birth to Esmeralda’s nephew, Shaun.

Esmeralda however, chose to support herself by delving into a life of crime. She used her charismatic personality and charm to gather her other down-on-their-luck friends and organize them into a purple-clad street gang to help her pull off crimes. She and her little crew began selling drugs, mugging people, burglarizing homes, and stealing anything that wasn’t nailed down. It wasn’t long before her little neighborhood crew of misfits ended up getting a hold of guns and weapons and became a legitimate street gang growing rapidly in number and an actual threat to Boston Police.

Nate tried his best to try and redirect his sister and set her on the right path but after the death of their mother, Esmeralda refused to listen to her brother and saw him as just another person trying to control her and her lifestyle. She still loved her brother and had a soft spot for her nephew, visiting whenever she was allowed since Nora didn’t approve of Esmeralda’s criminal ways and would often tell Nate that his sister was no good and beyond saving and that she felt Esmeralda would be a bad influence on Shaun.

Esmeralda had become confident in her gang. A little too confident. She felt they were finally big and powerful enough to attempt a bank robbery. Unfortunately for her, there was a undercover cop in her gang that had caught wind of the plans for a heist. The police were ready for Esmeralda and her crew and took down a majority of her gang as well as Esmeralda herself once they arrived at the bank. Esmeralda was arrested and was due to be sent to prison before Vault-Tec of all people intervened.

Vault-Tec was running an experiment. They were testing out cryogenic stasis pods for a Vault called Vault-111 and were hoping they could make some money using the pods as a new form of imprisonment for criminals. Imagine not having to pay for a prisoners needs or worry about escape when the prisoner is frozen in stasis until their sentence has been served. Guaranteed incarceration for one and all.

Vault-Tec froze Esmeralda in a stasis pod, placing her in a cryo-chamber storage room in the back of Vault-111 for further testing. Ironically, the day they decided to freeze her and imprison her in Vault-111 was the day the bombs dropped. Nate, Nora, and Shaun all escape to Vault-111 just in time thanks to Nate’s family getting a place in the vault due to his military service. However they had no idea that Esmeralda was frozen just a room away from their stasis pods as they’re frozen and anxiously awaiting a new future.

Years later, the Institute sends Kellog to abduct Shaun for his pure unirradiated DNA. Kellog opens Nora’s stasis chamber and takes Shaun away from her, handing Shaun to the Institute Scientist accompanying him. Nora fights as hard as she can to hold onto Shaun but is quickly killed by Kellog. Nate’s stasis pod is then opened as Kellog was instructed to bring a backup, but Nate immediately attacks Kellog, enraged by witnessing his wife’s murder. He almost succeeds in wrenching the gun away from Kellog, taking him by surprise as he didn’t expect Nate to have combat training but unfortunately Nate is outmatched and killed by Kellog. The Institute Scientist naturally freaks out about how Kellog killed their only backup by Kellog informs the scientist that there’s another backup frozen in the back, referencing Esmeralda frozen in the next room.

Esmeralda is unfrozen some time later, confused and angry as she wanders the vault, only to find Nate and Nora’s corpses. She breaks down and mourns, feeling rage as the last of her family is now gone. She notices Shaun’s coprse is not amongst them. She also noticed that Nate and Nora were clearly killed by a gunshot. Meaning someone must have taken Shaun after killing them. Esmeralda wipes away her tears and takes a 10mm and Pip-Pad (mod) from the vault’s security desk and takes a deep breath as she exits the vault, ascending to see the new world she’s been forced into.

(((Will write part 2 later, this is just the intro. Thanks if you actually read that whole thing! More or less, this character will be focused on finding her nephew Shaun and rebuilding the Minutemen as her new gang after finding Preston. While she’ll run The Minutemen more like a street gang than a government, she still believes in Preston’s goal of helping out the little guy and keeping them safe from raiders, slavers, and larger factions like the Brotherhood Of Steel whom she views as bullies hoarding all the tech for themselves. Despite her hate for injustice and bullying, she craves power and caps and drugs more than anything and is not above extorting people to get what she wants although she tends to reserve this treatment to those she feels deserve it such as the Brotherhood. Hope you like my character! Will be writing part 2 soon.)))

#fallout 4 #fallout 4 oc #fallout oc #Esmeralda Santiago #fallout 4 original character #fallout roleplay #fallout 4 roleplay

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movietvtechgeeks · 7 years

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Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/pink-ignores-lady-gaga-slams-plus-young-thugs-no-show-concert-mega-celeb-gossip/

Pink ignores Lady Gaga slams plus Young Thug's no-show concert: Mega Celeb Gossip

Young Thug is getting sued by an upstate New York event organizer who claims the Atlanta rapper was a no-show at a concert he was to headline.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that organizer Nicholas Fitts filed a lawsuit last month in a Cobb County, Georgia court against the rapper and his Smyrna-based company YSL Enterprises.

The lawsuit says Young Thug, whose, name is Jeffrey Williams, had signed a $55,000 contract to play an August concert at Sahlens Stadium in Rochester, New York and “did not have a valid legal reason” for skipping the show.

Fitts says he lost more than $200,000 in lost tickets sales, in addition to about $57,000 in promotional costs. Seems like doing the show would have been a whole lot cheaper!

Superstar songstress Pink is not letting the trolls of social media create unnecessary – and unwanted – drama between her and her musical peer, Lady Gaga.

Last Sunday, Gaga performed an incredible show at Super Bowl LI. During her performance, Gaga utilized a suspended harness to execute various aerial tricks and flips. Inevitably, social media users right away drew comparison to Pink’s past aerial performances. Subsequently, rumors were spread that Gaga had stolen her whole half time show concept from Pink.

Fortunately, Pink was quick to shut down the speculation of an underlying feud between her and Gaga. Early on Monday, the 37-year-old mother of two took to her Instagram account to completely clear the air. On her page, Pink posted a lengthy text image, which read:

“For the record: Let’s squash this before it even has a chance to be a thing… Lady Gaga killed it yesterday [at the Super Bowl LI half time show]. Her voice was powerful and beautiful, her outfits were on point, choreography stellar, her heart was in it and she sang about love and inclusiveness all in front of millions and millions of people. Let’s celebrate a woman who has the guts to jump off a roof and stand up there in the first place.”

Pink, Instagram post:

The “So What” singer went on to point out that she is far from the first person to ever involve aerial tricks in a stage performance. Pink went on to write, “Who cares if I flew first? Cause I didn’t! Cirque and Peter Pan have been in the air for years! Now can we get back to the real controversy? The one where our so called leader is stripping our humanity away minute by minute….”

Just as Gaga did at the very beginning of her Super Bowl performance (by opening with an emotion-driven snippet of “God Bless America”), Pink expertly re-directed the media buzz around her to focus on a much more pertinent issue – the current divisive political climate within the States.

People all across the world were able to let out a huge sigh of relief on Tuesday, as reports confirmed that Jamie Lynn Spears’ young daughter had awoken following her scary ATV accident.

Last Sunday, Jamie’s 8-year-old daughter Maddie was airlifted to a hospital after she completely flipped her ATV while on a hunting expedition. Shortly after the accident, medical staff told the media that the young girl was in “critical condition,” as she incurred some serious injuries during the crash.

Fortunately, People magazine put out a report on Tuesday, which included some positive news from Tangipahoa Paris Sheriff’s Department. In the statement, the presiding Sheriff Department shared:

“With her father, mother and stepfather by her side, Maddie regained consciousness mid-day Tuesday, February 7. The 8-year-old daughter of entertainer Jamie Lynn Spears was involved in an ATV accident at a family home Sunday in Kentwood, La. Paramedics resuscitated her and she was airlifted to a local hospital. She is aware of her surroundings and recognizes those family members who have kept a round-the-clock vigil since the accident. Doctors were able to remove the ventilator today and she is awake and talking. Maddie continues to receive oxygen and is being monitored closely but it appears that she has not suffered any neurological consequences from the accident.”

Without a doubt, this is incredible news considering the extent of the crash. Early reports from TMZ claimed that Maddie had flipped into a body of water, in which she was submerged for several minutes and was rendered unconscious.

Here’s hoping Maddie makes a quick and full recovery!

Could Tamron Hall join Kelly Ripa on “Live With Kelly”?

A spy spotted the former “Today” host discussing her career over lunch with Discovery’s Henry Schleiff at Michael’s.

“He was encouraging her to join Kelly,” a spy told media outlets. “He said, ‘Throw your hat in the ring! Lighten things up.’ ”

CAA co-founder Bill Haber popped by to greet Hall, who sported a bright red power suit. She still hosts “Deadline Crime” on Schleiff’s ID network, but hasn’t announced her next move.

Selena Gomez and The Weeknd were on a date at the starry Sunset Tower Hotel’s Tower Bar on Monday.

“They were holding hands and very affectionate,” a spy said. “They left together and she was hugging him from behind.”

The pair began dating last month, just after he split with her pal Bella Hadid.

Also at Tower Bar, “La La Land” star Emma Stone “was with five friends,” our spy said, and Nicole Richie and Eva Longoria sipped Ruffino wines at the hotel while viewing Rachel Zoe’s collection.

James Corden shot down chatter that he could be in the running for Stephen Colbert‘s “Late Show” gig.

“It just seems sort of silly to me. I really love him,” Corden told Esquire’s March 2017 issue. “So I always find it slightly embarrassing. I really don’t think there’s any substantial evidence at all. I really don’t think it exists.”

In December, Corden, who hosts “The Late Late Show,” was rumored to possibly take over the earlier “Late Show” time slot.

“The only time I get really like, ‘What are you talking about?’ is when anyone will talk about time slots. Which is like telling the time with a sundial. Just the very notion of a television schedule for a show like this is absurd to me,” he continued. “I got really cross when we did that ‘Carpool’ with Adele and someone wrote, ‘How did a 12:30 talk-show host get Adele?’ And I’m like, ‘What world are you living in?’ That clip has been viewed 129 million times. Those are Super Bowl numbers.”

CBS CEO Les Moonves says he’s “very fortunate” in that he has “two very successful guys.” “… They’re very successful in different ways,” Moonves told the magazine. “The Internet has changed all that. By and large, the guy who’s better known gets the 11:30 slot, but for James’ success it doesn’t matter. It’s almost an old way of thinking.”

Meanwhile, Colbert’s “Late Show” won the late-night ratings competition last week over NBC’s Jimmy Fallon for the first time since Colbert replaced David Letterman in September 2015, the Nielsen company said Tuesday.

Now that she’s conquered the Super Bowl, Lady Gaga is moving on to an entirely different competition.

The pop singer will serve as guest-judge on the Season 9 premiere of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Logo announced Tuesday in a statement. The appearance, airing in March, will mark Gaga’s “Drag Race” debut — and it’s actually kind of amazing that she’s never been on the show before, right?

Gaga confirmed the news with a tweet that includes a sneak peek at her guest spot.

https://twitter.com/ladygaga/status/829026286257442817

In the video, RuPaul tells everyone, “Gentlemen, start your engines,” before Lady Gaga appears — looking fabulous in a sequined bodysuit and dramatic eye makeup — to kick off the competition: “May the best woman win.” Her arrival seems to set off a frenzy of emotions among the competing queens, with screams of delight and tears flowing. (One of them may have even fainted?)

In addition to her recent Super Bowl halftime gig, Lady Gaga has graced the small screen with her presence in the last two seasons of FX’s “American Horror Story,” picking up a Golden Globe last year for her work on “AHS: Hotel.”

If you’re wondering why President Donald Trump hasn’t tweeted about “Saturday Night Live’s” terrible ratings, here’s one likely theory: The NBC sketch-comedy series is having its most-viewed season in 22 years.

The most recent “SNL,” in which Melissa McCarthy lampooned White House press secretary Sean Spicer, nabbed a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49, according to TVLine’s sister site, Variety. As such, the late-night laugher ranked behind only CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” as the highest rated program in the demo.

These numbers are in line with “SNL’s” overall Season 42 viewership — its best since Season 20 — which is up 22 percent in total viewers over last year (10.6 million vs. 8.7 million).

Perhaps to capitalize on the ratings streak, NBC reportedly is thinking about spinning off “SNL’s” Weekend Update segment into its own 30-minute Thursday-night series to launch in the fall.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/820764134857969666

In a sense, the Not Ready for Primetime Players should probably give thanks to the ever-critical POTUS for the ratings boost: Though Trump has been very public with his disdain for frequent “SNL” guest star Alec Baldwin, Baldwin’s impression of the tycoon-turned-commander-in-chief is a likely audience draw. (Baldwin will host the show for the 17th time this weekend; Ed Sheeran will be the musical guest.)

SNL’s recent success is likely to irk the ratings-conscious Trump, who used part of his speaking time at February’s National Prayer Breakfast to malign Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stewardship off “Celebrity Apprentice,” which Trump used to host (and on which he is still credited as an executive producer). Earlier this year, Trump also tweeted that the number of Fox News Channel’s inauguration viewers was “many times higher than FAKE NEWS CNN,” an inaccurate statement to which CNN quickly responded.

Nina Dobrev is making it clear that there’s no bad blood between her and ex-boyfriend Ian Somerhalder.

“Can’t believe how time flies,” she captioned a photo with Somerhalder and his wife Nikki Reed on Tuesday, “Farewell dinner with team Somereed! So good catching up with these goofballs. All love”

Dobrev, 28, and Somerhalder, 38, met on the set of TV’s “Vampire Diaries” in 2009 and dated for over three years, calling it quits in 2013.

When Dobrev decided to leave the show in 2015, rumors spread that she was leaving because of her ex and his whirlwind romance with the “Twilight” actress.

Reed also addressed the chatter on Tuesday. “For the last few years we thought addressing any baseless rumors with silence was the best way,” Reed wrote on Instagram, “So here’s to putting an end to all those fake stories of on set jealousy, betrayal, made-up-friendships lost & women hating women. Because at the end of the day, that’s what this is about: teaching girls that you have to hate other girls only breeds a generation of women who believe you have to hate other women. And that’s what these magazines, websites and blogs don’t understand. That is the harmful unintended consequence of their bulls–t stories and we have a moral responsibility to fix that. Let’s turn this page together, as we all walk into the next chapter peacefully.”

Somerhalder and Reed began dating in 2014 and were engaged after just six months. The couple wed in April 2015.

“They look happy and I am happy and so I don’t see why there should be a problem with that,” Dobrev said at the time, “The drama is in the media, it’s not with us.”

Dobrev was back on set in Georgia to film the “Vampire Diaries” series finale.

“This is my true final goodbye, as today I shot my last scene of the ‘Vampire Diaries’ forever,” she wrote on Instagram on Monday, “Coming back for the series finale has been a whirlwind of emotion, nostalgia, love, tears of joy and bittersweet endings. It feels like the beautiful closure we all needed, myself included, and I couldn’t have been happier to come home to be with my ‘TVD’ set family and friends.”

While Super Bowl LI didn’t break any records when it came to the number of viewers who tuned in, Lady Gaga’s ambitious half time performance did. On Sunday, February 5th, Gaga gave the crowd exactly what it wanted – a high-energy, passionate, hit-filled performance. Fortunately, all of the singer’s hard work that went into planning and rehearsing for the big gig paid off. It was just revealed that Gaga’s half time show was the second most watched show in Super Bowl history.

According to the latest reports, over 117.5 million viewers tuned in to watch Gaga do her thing on stage. Evidently, Gaga was able to draw in some additional audience members, as the football game itself (Atlanta Falcons v. New England Patriots) only managed to capture the attention of roughly 111.3 million viewers.

Lady Gaga started her ~13 minute performance by belting out the lyrics of “God Bless America” on the roof of the Houston stadium. Surrounded by lit-up drones flying all around her in the dark sky, the incredible set-up literally looked as though it was all done by green screen.

The songstress proceeded to go through some of the biggest hits of her career, including “Just Dance,” “Poker Face” and “Telephone.” She ended the performance with a bang, as she finished up her chart-topping track “Bad Romance” and did one of the most epic microphone drops in television history.

Throughout the performance, Gaga remained in the zone and played up her theatrical stage persona. However, she did break character at one point, as she lovingly gave a shout-out to both her mom and her dad.

Now that we’ve seen Gaga, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Madonna, Bruno Mars, and countless other world-renowned superstars take the Super Bowl stage, it will be interesting to see whom the NFL enlists next for the demanding gig. In addition, it will also be interesting to see if future half time performers can boost viewership like Gaga did.

Well, you don’t hear too many mainstream celebrities giving props to US President Donald Trump…and you certainly would not expect to hear it from outspoken feminist and pro-choice advocate Lena Dunham. However, while appearing on Howard Stern’s radio show, Lena revealed that Trump has led to some positive changes in her personal life.

On Monday morning, Lena talked candidly with radio host Howard Stern. During the interview, Lena explained that she actually credits the controversial President for her recent weight loss. The Girls actress told Howard, “Donald Trump became president and I stopped being able to eat food.” The star went on to elaborate, “Everyone’s been asking like, ‘What have you been doing?’ and I’m like, ‘Try soul-crushing pain and devastation and hopelessness and you, too, will lose weight.’” Lena added, “[Trump] said I was a B-list actor with no mojo.”

If nothing else, it is nice to hear that Lena Dunham was able to find somewhat of a silver lining amidst all of the political turmoil happening right now in the States.

While many were expecting superstar songstress Taylor Swift to make a triumphant return to the music spotlight in 2017, the 1989 artist just told fans that she has no plans to do so at this time.

On Saturday night, the artist performed at the annual 2017 DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night Concert, which took place at Club Nomadic in Houston. Taylor delighted a relatively small group of fans (~9,000) to a set that featured 17 of her biggest hits, including “Blank Space” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.” In addition, the singer also performed 2 hit songs she wrote for other artists last year, Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s “This is What You Came For” and Little Big Town’s “Better Man.” In the midst of her set, Taylor even surprised fans with the debut live performance of her and former One Direction singer Zayn Malik’s current radio hit, “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.”

During her nearly 2-hour set, Taylor spoke candidly with the audience. She revealed that she has no big plans to return to the spotlight this year. She unexpectedly announced, “As far as I know this is the only show I’ll play in 2017…by coming to this show tonight you are attending 100% of this year’s tour date.“

While fans thoroughly enjoyed Taylor’s high-energy performance, which included an appearance from her good friend/DJ Ruby Rose, they were inevitably disappointed to hear that the pop star is not planning to tour in 2017. However, based on what Taylor said (i.e. “as far as I know…”), it seems like nothing is set in stone.

With the Hollywood community and overall entertainment industry growing bigger everyday, it can sometimes be tough to keep tabs on all of the different celebrities. Unfortunately for one social media user, actress Kate Beckinsale took their moment of celebrity confusion as an opportunity to have some fun on social media.

On Friday night, Kate posted a photo of her and a bunch of friends having dinner together. Included in the photo was outspoken comedian, Sarah Silverman. While Sarah may be 46 years old – which just so happens to be 3 years older than Kate herself – that didn’t stop one social media user from confusing her with Kate’s 18-year-old daughter Lily Sheen. Shortly after Kate posted the group photo, the confused social media user posted a comment saying, “That Sarah is your daughter? Pretty like you [Kate Beckinsale].” Far from being Kate’s daughter, Sarah is actually dating Kate’s ex-husband (and Lily’s father), actor Michael Sheen.

Clearly amused by the confused fan’s comment, Kate playfully replied, “Granddaughter. We are very proud of her.”

Kate Beckinsale, Instagram post:

Fortunately, although Sarah is now dating Kate’s ex, the two female celebrities are good friends. In fact, back in 2016 Kate gave Sarah a shout-out in an interview she did with fashion publication Stylist. When asked about Sarah, Kate gushed, “I’m completely open to any other strong, cool, sensitive, independent-thinking women who are going to be an influence in my daughter’s life. Sarah’s a great person and I’m glad she’s in the village that’s helping. It’s important as a teenager to have good women in your life, building up the fabric of your experience of becoming a woman. Even if Sarah wasn’t Michael’s girlfriend I’d want her to be in that.”

Just a few weeks ago, you couldn’t walk past a grocery store cash register without seeing photos of Drake and Jennifer Lopez splashed across all of the major tabloid magazines. Fast forward to now and the two stars’ unexpected romance has seemed to have completely extinguished.

On Saturday, the songstress took to her Instagram page to post a cryptic quote that seemingly referenced her short-lived fling with the “Hotline Bling” rapper. The “Dance Again” artist’s pink and black text photo read, “Timing is everything. If it’s meant to happen, it will, and for the right reasons.”

Jennifer Lopez, Instagram post:

Unfortunately, while plenty of social media users commented with their own interpretations of the text post, the starlet did not offer any further explanation. In addition, Drake has continued to keep the details of his and Jennifer’s mysterious, rumored (possibly no longer existent) romance private.

As always, we will just have to wait and see how this celebrity love story unfolds – that is, if it ever does.

With all of the craziness going on in the world, it seems like the perfect time to cover some happy news coming out of Hollywood.

Back in November of last year, soulful crooner Michael Buble took to his Facebok page to announce that his son Noah was diagnosed with cancer. At only 3 years of age, Noah began chemotherapy treatment late last year. Both of Noah’s parents, Michael Buble and his wife Luisana Lopilato, decided to put their careers on hold so that they could support their son through his subsequent treatments.

Fortunately, just over 2 months after the tragic news about Noah’s health was made public, Michael gave the press a hopeful and uplifting update. On Friday, the “Home” singer released a statement to the media, which read, “[Luisana and I] are so grateful to report that our son Noah has been progressing well during his treatment and doctors are very optimistic about the future for our little boy. He has been brave throughout and we continue to be inspired by his courage. We thank God for the strength he has given all of us.” Later in the statement, Michael and his wife ensured to thank all of the medical professionals who have been treating Noah. The duo noted, “Our gratitude to his doctors and caretakers cannot be put into words. We’d also like to thank the thousands of people that have sent their prayers and good wishes to us. As we continue this journey, we are greatly comforted by your support and love.”

While Michael cancelled a number of his prior commitments promptly after receiving the devastating news about his son, he is still set to host the upcoming 2017 Juno Awards.

The Juno Awards are set to take place on April 2, 2017, in Ottawa, Ontario.

After a several month long hiatus, former Disney starlet Selena Gomez is gearing up for her triumphant return to music.

Back in 2016, Selena ended up cancelling the last leg of her “Revival World Tour,” as she was reportedly struggling with both her mental and physical health. Shortly after cancelling the tour dates, Selena voluntarily admitted herself into a rehabilitation center in Texas, where she sought support for her anxiety, mental health, and worsened symptoms she was experiencing related to her Lupus. Fortunately, the star’s stint in the centre ended up being just what she needed, as she has since been easing back into her normal routine.

Just over a month ago, Selena was spotted heading into a music studio with songwriter Justin Tranter. Inevitably, this triggered speculation, as fans wondered if they could finally expect some music from the “Hands to Myself” artist.

On Friday, Selena added fuel to the fire, as she posted a series of videos to her Instagram story. In the various videos, Selena is seen singing along to some new tracks, which have yet to be publicly released.

Selena Gomez, Instagram story: Undoubtedly, Selena has plenty of stuff going on in her personal life to draw music inspiration from. The young beauty just recently made her romance with fellow artist, The Weeknd, public.

Stay tuned for more updates on Selena’s new music!

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#Celebrity Gossip #Donald Trump #Drake #Featured #Lady Gaga #Pink #RuPaul #Selena Gomez #Young Thug

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