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Posted by Ltyinkwint, 1 week ago. Permalink

Amsterdam Ghoul Fever Outbreak

A flurry of Cryptoleak videos, news articles, and rogue photos populate the internet, all showing the sickening scene of what could only be described as a human gale of mayhem. A segment of one of these news articles explains as follows:

 

Yesterday night, flight KLM 682, originating from the Vancouver International Airport and headed to the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was hit with a terrible tragedy. Once landed with its 183 passengers, chaos broke loose as the travelers broke out of the plane and spread horror throughout the airport as the craze was inflicted on more and more people.

Several were injured during the stampede and one individual lost their life.

Later analysis confirmed that these passengers were in fact infected with Ghoul Fever, though the patient zero is unconfirmed. Several passengers later commented on witnessing a ghoul on board though this has been contributed to the effect of Ghoul Fever.

Coupled with this event, during the flight, the reports of a spreading infection within the cabin was interrupted with a nearby personal jet's mysterious fall with authorities believe could be related to this incident.

The situation was eventually quarantined by local authorities and stability returned to the airport, although countless flights were delayed along with many more people afflicted costing a heavy toll to the city's resources. 

Emily Miller made a Move (Strazhari GMed) 1 week, 2 days ago. View Move

Senator Hays's Responses in the Second Presidential Debate

CANDY CROWLEY, MODERATOR: Good evening from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. I'm Candy Crowley from CNN's "State of the Union." We are here for the second presidential debate, a town hall, sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

CROWLEY: The Gallup organization chose 82 uncommitted voters from the New York area. Their questions will drive the night. My goal is to give the conversation direction and to ensure questions get answered.

The questions are known to me and my team only. Neither the commission, nor the candidates have seen them. I hope to get to as many questions as possible.

CROWLEY: I want to turn to a first-time voter, Jeremy Epstein, who has a question for you.

QUESTION: As a 20-year-old college student, all I hear from professors, neighbors and others is that when I graduate, I will have little chance to get employment. What can you say to reassure me, but more importantly my parents, that I will be able to sufficiently support myself after I graduate?

Revitalizing the economy will be one of my top priorities once I'm elected, second only to national security. By the summer of 2026 when you graduate, the structural reforms I'll be implementing will have had time to take effect. With genuine competition in every sector, a simplified tax system, streamlined regulations favorable to small businesses, nationwide broadband Internet with 100% coverage, and a renewed investment in basic science, businesses will need all the workers they can get, and hiring will surge.

In fact, I'm so confident in America's future that I'll make this pledge to every American citizen. If you're unemployed a year after my reforms are passed, contact my office and we'll see to it that you get a job. As long as you're willing to work hard and do your best, you're an asset to this country, and we can't afford to have you stuck on the sidelines.

Of course, even once you have a job, you may have to pay back student loans. If you can't afford to pay them in other ways, or if you just don't want to wait that long, you can join the military or sign up for the National Service Program and every penny of your student debt will be wiped away.

On that theme, we'll also be pursuing ways to reduce educational costs, which, like health care costs, are spiraling out of control.

CROWLEY: What can you do more immediately? We’re looking at a situation where 40 percent of the unemployed have been unemployed for six months or more. They don’t have the two years that Jeremy has.

What about those long term unemployed who need a job right now?

An excellent question.

Traditionally, accepting a job that paid less that your last position has been seen as unwise. The thinking was that your earning potential would be permanently reduced, because employers would see you as being worth only what you're making now. That's no longer the case. In today's economy, many people have to accept work on an interim basis while they position themselves to reach their long-term goals. Temporary employment is nothing to be ashamed of. I'll make sure there are job centers in every community to connect those needing work with those needing workers – both temporary and permanent.

But what if you can't find even temporary work – or if you want something more meaningful? Vote for me, and the day I'm sworn in I will ask Congress to authorize the National Service Program, a greatly expanded version of the current Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Senior Corps.

If we're to rebuild this country and ensure a bright future for our children and grandchildren, we're going to need every one of you. It's time to get back to work.

CROWLEY: We want to get a question from Phillip Tricolla.

QUESTION: The Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, has now been on record three times stating it’s not policy of his department to help lower gas prices. Do you agree with Secretary Chu that this is not the job of the Energy Department?

Is it within the purview of the government to bring those prices down, or are we looking at the new normal?

The government should not directly lower gas prices; price controls simply don't work. However, it is the government's responsibility to guarantee a competitive marketplace, and that's something we don't have today. If we did, the supply of energy would increase to meet the demand. That isn't happening.

The answer is for the government to intervene to ensure an ample energy supply and true competition, and then step back to let the market work. New technologies can increase supply, reduce demand through improvements in efficiency, eliminate pollution, and give the United States energy independence. Moreover, local generation of energy will reduce transit costs and help bring about neighborhood self-sufficiency, preventing the type of catastrophic system failure that we saw in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. There is no excuse for a collapse of basic services in time of natural disaster – the time when they're most needed.

Many of these technologies exist today or can be achieved very quickly. Often, the companies with the legal right to exploit them have chosen not to do so because they want to preserve the status quo – a status quo in which they benefit but the nation suffers. This is unacceptable. If they don't take advantage of the technologies of the future, we will.

CROWLEY: We’re going to move along to taxes over here and all these folks that have been waiting.

This question comes from Mary Follano.

QUESTION: Concerning various tax deductions, the mortgage deductions, the charitable deductions, the child tax credit and also the education credits, which are important to me, because I have children in college. What would be your position on those things, which are important to the middle class?

The purpose of these deductions is to encourage home ownership and charitable contributions, and to support families that are trying to raise and educate their children. At the end of the day, people don't care whether this help comes in the form of tax deductions, direct assistance, or low-cost services, as long as the help is there.

I strongly support home ownership, charitable organizations, and affordable, high-quality education. If these tax credits go away, I'll see to it that they're replaced by programs that provide at least as much – and probably more – benefit to the taxpayers who were receiving them. For example, the mortgage deduction is inefficient because you have to wait until tax time to receive it. It makes much more sense to receive assistance when you're buying your home, instead of months later.

CROWLEY: And Katherine Fenton has a question for you.

QUESTION: In what new ways to you intend to rectify the inequalities in the workplace, specifically regarding females making only 72 percent of what their male counterparts earn?

Ensuring a level playing field is one of the fundamental roles of government, and one which past administrations have failed to fulfill. This is partly because they haven't stopped to consider how they can help the workplace become more friendly to women as well as to men.

Time and again, women say they want more flexibility in schedules, working from home, and nontraditional workplace arrangements. Time and again, both government and employers ignore them.

And make no mistake, many of these obstacles have been erected by government, not business. For example, regulatory and tax regimes often favor – or even require – traditional work locations and schedules. If you own your own business, why should it be illegal for you to live there as well? For thousands of years, people lived in one part of their house and worked in another. Shopkeepers might have their shop on the first floor and their home on the second floor; accountants might live in one half of the building and work in the other half. Yet today, government arbitrarily decrees that this arrangement is no longer permitted, even when there are no genuine health or safety concerns.

Government should encourage employees and businesses to experiment with new and innovative workplace arrangements rather than obstructing them at every turn. Under my administration, it will do so – starting by leading the way with flexible work programs for federal employees.

CROWLEY: I want to move us along here to Susan Katz, who has a question.

QUESTION: I am an undecided voter, because I’m disappointed with the lack of progress I’ve seen in the last four years. However, I do attribute much of America’s economic and international problems to the failings and missteps of the Adams administration.

What is the biggest difference between you and Sam Adams, and how do you differentiate yourself from Sam Adams?

In essence, you're asking how I differentiate myself from the Republicans and the Democrats, because when you boil it down, they're all the same. The answer is simple. I believe in honesty and openness. I believe in transparency. I believe in a government of the people, by the people, for the people. They don't.

Time after time, Republican and Democratic candidates have pledged to support open government. Time after time, they've broken those promises once they were in office. This should come as no surprise, since their records gave no hint of any commitment to openness with the American people; quite the opposite. Both of my opponents, like their predecessors, have a long history of operating behind closed doors and revealing the truth grudgingly if at all. My record, on the other hand, is of honesty and openness from the day I was first elected to public office. As President, I will continue to open as much of the government to the American people as is possible without compromising national security.

CROWLEY: Lorraine Osorio has a question for you about a topic we have not yet discussed.

QUESTION: What do you plan on doing with immigrants without their green cards that are currently living here as productive members of society?

I plan on asking them to obey the law, just like the rest of us.

Illegal immigrants who wish to live in the United States should return home and apply to immigrate legally like the millions of other law-abiding immigrants.

In 2019, there were around 2 million legal immigrants to the United States. More than 12 million people applied for those slots.

Illegal immigrants are gaining an unfair advantage by cutting in front of law-abiding immigrants. They got in, but 11 million people who obeyed the law did not. We should not encourage this type of end-run around the system – a system intended by the American people to limit our out-of-control population growth.

Those who oppose enforcing our immigration laws are essentially saying that we should have a policy of unlimited immigration; anyone who wants to move to the United States should be allowed to do so. My question is why they don't make this argument openly. Why don't they push for a bill in Congress to remove all limits on immigration? Do they believe in honesty in government, or not?

CROWLEY: I want you to talk to Kerry Ladka who wants to switch the topic for us.

Hi, Kerry.

QUESTION: This question actually comes from a brain trust of my friends at Global Telecom Supply in Minneola yesterday.

We were sitting around, talking about Libya, and we were reading and became aware of reports that the State Department refused extra security for our embassy in Benghazi, Libya, prior to the attacks that killed four Americans.

Who was it that denied enhanced security and why?

Both the Republicans and the Democrats.

The Republicans slashed funding for embassy security – a move I strongly opposed, and which proves that the Republican Party has been taken over by libertarians. They should be honest and admit that their conservative days are long gone.

The Democrats denied specific requests to improve security in Libya. They squandered money on measures that didn't improve security and insisted on using contractors, who are more expensive but can be kept off the books, instead of soldiers, who are dedicated, efficient, and cost-effective, but have to be included in statistics on the number of American troops in-country. They're more concerned with playing politics than with protecting American lives.

CROWLEY: I want to introduce you to Nina Gonzalez, who brought up a question that we hear a lot, both over the Internet and from this crowd.

QUESTION: President Obama, during the Democratic National Convention in 2008, stated that he wants to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. What would your administration do to limit the availability of assault weapons?

I wouldn't limit the availability of assault weapons; I would limit the availability of criminals.

A weapon in the hands of a law-abiding citizen is an asset, not a threat. If you doubt it, just look at Switzerland – one of the safest countries in the world. If we want to reduce crime, we should focus on the people who commit it, rather than the tools they use to do so. If you lock hardened criminals up for a few years and then let them go – or lock them up long enough to become hardened, and then let them go – they'll find ways to commit crimes. Anything can be a weapon, as the September 11th hijackers proved, and many weapons are more dangerous than guns. We're unlikely to pass a ban on fertilizer, for example.

Those who want to own guns should know how to use them. Prospective gun owners should undergo training in gun safety, or demonstrate that they have already mastered the subject. Crime-reduction programs, such as job training, employment centers, financial aid for education, and after-school programs, should be expanded, especially for those most likely to commit violent crimes – single young men. And policies which support and encourage stable families should be continued.

CROWLEY: I want to ask Carol Goldberg to stand up, because she gets to a question that these men have been passionate about.

QUESTION: The outsourcing of American jobs overseas has taken a toll on our economy. What plans do you have to put back and keep jobs here in the United States?

Outsourcing was one of the great mistakes of the 20th Century. Certainly there are cases when outside workers can do the job more cheaply than your own employees, but there are far more instances in which you would saved money by keeping the work in-house. All too often, outsourcing becomes an accounting gimmick, aimed at keeping an expense off the balance sheets or forcing another division to pay for it without regard to the welfare of the organization as a whole.

Many companies which outsourced jobs to India, China, or elsewhere overseas are beginning to bring them back to the United States, for several reasons. For one thing, foreign wages are rising and undercutting any savings on labor costs. For another, enterprises have discovered that outsourcing often creates rivals who learn to replicate your entire business model. They're doing the actual work; you need them, but they don't need you. Instead of building the product for you to sell, they simply sell it themselves, cutting out the middleman – you.

So American jobs are already beginning to come back to America. Government can greatly accelerate this trend by changing regulations to favor insourcing instead of favoring outsourcing as they so often do today, and by leading the way. As President, I pledge to lead the way with an insourcing initiative that demonstrates the advantages of using your own employees in your own country – American soldiers, police officers, firefighters, and civil servants, dedicated to doing what's best for the country instead of whatever is most profitable for the private contractor who signs their paycheck.

CROWLEY: We have a really short time for a quick discussion here.

iPad, the Macs, the iPhones, they are all manufactured in China. One of the major reasons is labor is so much cheaper there.

How do you convince a great American company to bring that manufacturing back here? We can’t get wages like that.

You're absolutely right; we won't be able to match the cost of labor in China anytime soon. But we don't need to. Labor is only one line item in total costs. One particular line item doesn't matter if our total costs are competitive and our quality is higher. That's where we need to focus: Minimizing total costs while maximizing quality.

How do we do this? By playing to our strengths. We can offer stability, reliability, a highly educated workforce, the best infrastructure in the world, and, with the proper investments, cutting-edge technology unmatched anywhere else. If we bring down crime rates, repair our infrastructure, streamline regulations, fix our educational system once and for all, and redouble our commitment to basic science and to ensuring that new technology is actually available for use, we'll find businesses eager to bring jobs back from overseas.

Companies aren't asking for anything unreasonable. They simply want livable cities and a friendly business environment. As President, I'll give it to them – and to the American people.

CROWLEY: I want to introduce you to Barry Green, because he’s going to have the last question.

QUESTION: I think this is a tough question. What do you believe is the biggest misperception that the American people have about you as a man and a candidate? Using specific examples, can you take this opportunity to debunk that misperception and set us straight?

Thank you for the opportunity to address this point. The biggest misperception is that I'm pushing one particular solution. My focus is not on solving an immediate problem in one particular way; it's on first identifying the root problem, and then solving it however is most effective.

People often focus on symptoms rather than causes, and then lock onto a single solution to that symptom, rather than stepping back to consider whether a different solution to the core problem might be just as good and have broader support. Health care is an excellent example. The left wants everyone to have health insurance, preferably through the government. The right is strongly opposed to people being forced to buy insurance, and even more strongly opposed to government insurance. Why all the focus on insurance? Do any of us really care about health insurance? Don't we really want quality health care, rather than an insurance policy that we don't even understand? We should drive down the cost of medical care to the point that insurance is no longer needed. We are entirely capable of doing so, if we focus on the actual problem and work towards a consensus on solving it.

We need a genuine commitment to solving problems, and to building bridges and involving all elements of our society in the problem-solving process. We need honesty, integrity, and a willingness to sacrifice. That's what I'll bring to the table as President, and that's why I'm asking for your vote.

 

Latest Journals

4 days, 1 hour ago: Edgar Stokes wrote a Downtime Journal for Deathstination

Who the Fuck is Joe Rogan?

Bzzzt

Bzz-Right-squawk!

Here we go...another night in the 'Burgh, another broadcast, & another venture into the God Damn Twilight Zone (Meep!)

Yinz may not know, but this ain't the world I am from. Not sayin' Ghouls are aliens either, grow the fuck up - we've been sinking our jaggers in Long Pig as long as there was such a thing - home grown, grad A organic bumps in the night, us Ghouls.

Well most of us - see, some of us (by which I mean yours truly) have a habit of...eh, ziggin' when they shoulda zagged & fallin' into "Other Worlds than These"

*spooky sound effects*

Thing is, all of the other Snarks & Grumkins remember it was always this way. Who the fuck ruined Star Wars adding all that CGI shit? Who the fuck is this Joe "roids Limbaugh" Rogan character, & how can he make fuckin' millions yapping about bullshit & sellin' horny goat weed?

Here I am the genuine article (or at least, I think I am) & I may as well be an unpaid intern on this show! Meep!

Anyway, for all you Ghouls & Goblins - if you wake up & the world don't seem right, you just MIGHT not be Cray-Cray - the Garbage Man has had this happen more times than he changes his shorts - granted, that's not a big number, but it's still true.

Odds are though, none of yinz knows what I'm talking about - 'cause to know, you have to be more special than just "little bus" special.

You have to be the sort that takes odd jobs, & ends up with some Goth Chick living rent free in your head because things took a weird turn.

So if you know what any of that cryptic bullshit means, & feel like you need a therapist who specializes in "The Outer Limits" - the Garbage Man is taking calls at 555-607-0912 for the next three hours.

5 days, 22 hours ago: Nathan Hong wrote a Downtime Journal for Safe House

xvi - brave new world

Click

The camera shows the messy arrangement of printed photos, documents and dirty mugs of coffee on top of a dimly lit table. A cold slice of pizza dangles from the edge of the table, threatening a fall for every passing moment. On the other corner, piles of yarrow sticks, coins, incense, fortune telling sticks and a few books clump together.

"This is bullshit."

The camera turns to a window, through which the Seattle skyline glitters under the night sky.

"That skyscraper wasn't there. My favorite cafe is gone. Numbers I had are being picked up by complete strangers. Places I knew are gone or different. Who the fuck is John Hays?"

The camera swivels back towards the table. A hand brushes away the scattered papers as its owner recounts.

"'Pparently and presumably, I wasn't sent to the right place. Either that or someone managed to get into my head really deeply. Or we live in a simulation. Be as it may, all I can do is, well, roll with the punches. That starts with keeping a record incase my head is manipulated to... forget all this.

The world is different. It's like I've stepped into a parody or a parallel dimension, possibly related to the strange things that happen after Contracts, where events that happened just... didn't. Current theory is that maybe something big happened while I was gone or I'm in the wrong reality.

If it's the latter though, was there another Nathan? Did I kill them? Did we swap places? Judging from the, eh, condition of the apartment, it seems like that's not to be the case, but I still am concerned and what do I know?

Regardless of that though, what matters is what I do now. The plan is to first scope things out, see if I can contact anyone in the business that I know... And if not? See if another job comes around. Failing that? Well things aren't going to fix themselves. As much as one would wish it so."

Click

1 week, 3 days ago: Edgar Stokes wrote a Downtime Journal for Deathstination

Ladykiller

A lotta these "Contractor" types think I'm just waiting to eat them up when they're dead. Nah, while that is 100% true, it ain't ALL I'm lookin' to do, see?

Just goes in with being the god damned Garbage Man (meep!) I hate seeing a good thing get thrown away. You'd be amazed what people toss in the trash - I was rootin' around in the landfill happy as a pig in shit long before I found my first dead girl in a dumpster & grew my jaggers in.

So, when I ate up ol' Slick I found out that his Waifu was...heh, let's call her a "mail order bride" I guess. He was to uptight to find a real woman, so he done had GenWyld make one.

Anyone who knows anyone knows: I got a scrap with GenWyld. I'll never know how many Ghouls went down the test tube so Aunt Pattie won't need to get her fat ass out of a waffle house, but one would be one to many - when I found out that his Stepford Wife had ALSO picked up a case of Ghoul Fever & was talking to headstones, well - time to go find one for myself.

Turned out she cracked the nuthouse Slick put her in, was some bag lady down South. I was a little worried about that, but I guess she ain't no normal bag lady - chump looking to get a piece of that ass would lik get his ass handed back to him. Some kinda Bodyguard Clone, I guess, like a Stormtrooper. I asked Slick if she called the shots in the sack but he ain't talkin' (meep!)

So, not being an ordinary chump, wasn't a big deal to catch our wee little lamb. Fever wrecked her pretty good tho, even after some good ol' Midian home cookin' from yours truly (course I'll cook for a good lookin' lady - I'm a short guy, remember?). So, got her locked up down below for now, till I can figure out how to gaslight her into feeling right at home. Helps that she's more than mostly crazy, thinks she's a ghost or something, but the screaming fits gotta go.

Looks like I'm gonna put my therapist hat on. Talk to Ms. Stormtrooper about her feelings or some shit (meep!)

What could go wrong, yeah? I'm a charmer, after all.

2 weeks, 1 day ago: David Vance wrote a Downtime Journal for Danse Macabre

Born of Frustration

I’m frustrated. Frankly I’m angry. I’m beginning to know more than some of the books.

 

I picked up something by Hohenheim last week. It wasn’t cheap. Had to acquire it through an antique bookseller. 

 

A manual of alchemies, supposedly. But all it talks about is metal properties.

 

I know alchemy can do more than that, is more than that. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

 

I’ve seen it melt flesh like tomato soup, seen it deep beneath the earth as intricate as clockwork. 

I’m beginning to know more than the books, and it’s frustrating. 

It feels like the only way I can get answers these days is from the dead, and not all of them are forthcoming.

 

Sometimes they’re just as mundane as I am. 

I thought the men who killed Senator Hay’s wife must have had some strange motive—it was unusual the circumstances of the man’s family’s deaths, and quite a few of his radical policies frankly scare me. 

But they were just what they seemed. Horrible, murderous, lecherous, angry zealous men. Hays had made enemies in the Middle East through his work as a soldier and general. Those enemies came knocking.

 

I still feel sick having spoken with them. Those angry, self righteous dead. 

Those sick bastards.

 

Maybe I should leave Hays alone. I might not agree with him, but he’s a normal man. A soldier, a father, an American. 

But for some reason I can’t shake out, it’s almost like I recognize him. He seems…familiar. 

It’s probably nothing but…it bothers me.

 

It really fucking bothers me.

2 weeks, 1 day ago: David Vance wrote a Downtime Journal for Avalon

The World is Different, Now

It’s little things. The newspaper talks of a Senator Hays, and the faces aren’t all the same. Some acquaintances are strangely missing. The Giants are doing well—and they are on a streak, having done well that last 3 seasons.


That doesn’t track well at all—last I remember Eli Manning retired and they were in a slouch.

But here he’s still playing.

 

 

It’s the big things. GenWyld has skyscrapers in Seattle. Prometheus owns Google, and Amazon, and who knows what else. It’d be easier to narrow down what they don’t own. Norton doesn’t exist here—San Francisco feels like a different city. There was no Kraken in the bay.

 

I should have seen this coming. It’s not like there was my world to go back to—I destroyed it. It was my damn fault. 

It still felt like it came from out of left field. At least a few friends and colleagues seem to have ‘made the jump’. Liam’s here. As is Emily. They don’t seem to remember what I did, to our world. So I told them. Liam didn’t believe me. Shrugged off my words. Said his Witness said I’m no heavier than last time.

 

I don’t understand it. 

I know it was real. And I know it happened.

 

It all feels so wrong.

1 month ago: Liam Holloway wrote a Downtime Journal for Danse Macabre

Brave New World

Some of the names have changed, but most things are at least...similar.

Gen-Wyld is bigger now, & Seattle is the hotbed for "transhumanism" - more people with cat ears, tails, & what have you. They took a big hit in the Ghoul Fever fiasco & the US is still plenty divided. Facing a few huge lawsuits & more regulations, & a terrible opponent in this Senator John Hays guy who means to shut them down for good.Might do it to, since he's odds on favorite to be next President.

Kind of have two minds about that. I looked the guy up & he has some hard opinions, iron fist in a velvet glove type. Pro vigilante, which I would think is great, other than the SoS ALSO seem to think it's great. That's a bit of a problem.

Prometheus owns...basically everything? How did that happen? I guess they've won several international cases against breaking up Monopolies. That's...kind of concerning really. I know they dabble in the Games.

Otherwise, the world has 100% less giant Kraken & Sexbot Androids around, which is good because tentacles & sex-bots only go together in Anime & often not even then.

Jokes aside, I can see what the lady in the mirror meant - it's not just an aramageddon or zpmbie apocalypse, it's the unraveling of reality. David said something about we (Contractors) are singular in the multiverse, that the way we get the way we are is by reducing a pattern down, no matter how unlikely.

Not sure how I feel about any of this, but I'll need to decide fast - world(s) won't wait for me to sit on my hands about it.

1 month ago: David Vance wrote a Contract Journal for Avalon

Letters to Bobby, Entry 19

Son,

 

I failed you. That last job I took. I failed in every way that mattered. That man with the golden eyes led me astray. My body turned into some homunculus thing and my mind trapped away. The blood of the world on my hands. I thought, as my last thought, that it was over. That I couldn’t understand how to avoid the transformation. That the answers were just out of reach. By not finding them I failed you, and many people died at the claws of the thing I became.

I was worse than dead.

 

I came to with a shuddering jerk, in water cold and surrounding, being pulled by some crook. Lifted up from the river and tossed sopping wet and sputtering onto the deck of a small boat, crewed by an older boatman. One of my bodyguards…and only one, pulled out with me. The hippie that hides his ravenous nature under a bright eyed facade….River. The other is probably dead. Because of me. Because I failed.


Another man I knew not was pulled out onto the boat as well. He wasn’t much of a talker.

The boatman I at first mistook for Charon, until he rejected my offer of coin. He said that we had all failed terribly, allowed a world to perish. That this happened often. He showed us visions of our failure, and the failures of countless others. Worlds put to the torch, and my world. Overrun by homunculi, millions of them. Lit in the halo of nuclear glows, impervious. The world with nothing left but their howls.

 

He brought us to an unfamiliar shore, and told us that unworthy as we were to seek the grail.

 

Resolved to live, the three of us stepped onto the shoreline. Pillars marked the distance carved with a symbol I recognized not. First I honed in on the whispers of the dead…and they were hungry, nearby. Approaching. At the center of the island was another voice…hard to make out. 

Scarcely a moment had gone by when the dead emerged from the waves, corpulent flesh dripping. Leading the horde was a fresh monster. The Nuckelavee. It charged after us, and in a mad sprint we ran inland. Behind me I heard the growl of some sort of animal from the silent man, but I had no time to look back. I ran, for my life. 

At one point the Nuckelavee, got close, and called to me. “Unworthy”, it spoke. And it was right. My failure had doomed so many. So many innocent sons and daughters. So many families ripped apart and turned into some horror better left to rest beneath the earth.

 

We kept running, until we hit some the edge of a tomb. The entrance covered in rocks. River kept through ahead of me like a rocket, their monstrous form compressing and rocketing a small hole through the top. A mist from behind me snaked through the same opening. 

I was alone, and the Nuckelavee was closing on me. 

On desperation I tore at the stones, until eventually they gave way and I tumbled into darkness.

 

In the dark we came to a chamber. Filled with torches, a harpist sitting tranquilly at the other end. The tune he played was otherworldly. Before him, on a dais, was a body. The body of a crowned king, struck down with a gaping chest wound. 

We discussed with the harpist, and learned that the body on the dais was King Arthur himself. The storied legend. That Morgana dwelt on the isle, and possessed the Grail. That to speak with her one had merely call out for an audience. She could hear you here. 

That seemed enough to satisfy the other two. They called for audience, and a pathway opened for them.

 

I knew better than to speak to evil without a plan. I asked the harpist whether I could be redeemed. Gained a nebulous answer in response. And using my Gorgonblood, brought the king back for a far different audience. I entreated him for advice. Learned some of his story. He was a father, like me. And like me, a father without his wife and son.


I spent a long moment grieving with him.

We had both suffered loss, and pain, and the absence of those most dear to us.

I told Arthur that the grail rested with his sister, Morgana. That to take it out of the clutches of evil we would have to venture into the danger of her court. Steeling our hearts, we braved the path.


On the other side a monster charged us. A many headed beast I recognized from the earlier catacombs in Milan. River. Before I could utter a word, Arthur swung his vaunted blade and it was split in two. 

Morgana, at the other end gazed at us with a primordial hatred, and spilled out fire upon us. But Arthur held up his Excalibur, and the flames were split like the Red Sea. Cursing, Morgana fled.

 

We reached the Grail.

Thinking only one of us could return to life via the grail, and knowing Arthur too had a son missing. I offered him the chance to strike me down. My meagre might against Excalibur. It was a fool’s offer.

 

But Arthur was a kinder, and a better man than I. He said nothing in the world remained to him till his awakening on the last day. And that if I drank the grail, I would lose you son. That if I had stood against his blade I’d have also lost you. My pride and my foolishness.

 

He told me that the Fisher King, who had brought me here was in greater need of the Grail, and was worthy. 

So not knowing my own fate, I brought the grail to the Fisher King. He drank and stepped onto the shore. 

And informed me to return to the land of the living, all I need do row.

 

I wept. For the kindness of the worthy. For the foolishness we had done, and the blood on my hands.

 

And for you son, I rowed. I rowed, and I never ceased pulling back against the tide.

 

-Dear Old Dad

 

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The Metaverse

Illuminated Earth is but one reflection among myriad others - unknown to most, Contractors become fluid in the Multiverse when they sign the Contract, selected by the Powers that Be to ultimately become the immune system of our tenuous reality...if they survive.

Fixed to a personal reality, they find the world ever changing with only the others of their kind a constant - in the brutal world of the Contract, meaningful relationships can only be had among their own kind - as the next day, one's family might not know you - the world may be re-written, with you unaware of the new history.

The only constant is the Contract, & the Powers that tempt you to move ever onward.

House Rules

Contractors from Maelstrom Prime Are portable, and may play in Contracts in other Playgroups.
Maelstrom Prime grants 6 Experience points to GMs who achieve the Golden Ratio.
  • Citizenship: Active Players are expected to GM Contracts from time to time. If you have played as a Contractor in your most recent six Contracts, you are barred from playing in The Illumination again until you GM.
  • Supernatural Powers: All non-mastery, non-concealed Powers must be obviously supernatural when activated or grant a mutation that marks the wielder as supernatural or bizarre if discovered.

Full Setting Description

This group will be adjacent to the Maelstrom

Think of it as the natural evolution of the fluid reality that has caused us to become over run with nekomancers & twink kitsune: The Maelstrom, a storm of potential realities, spins faster on the edges yet slower towards the center - as one approaches the proverbial "eye of the storm" it both coalesces & towards a greater objective truth while lesser truths fade away.

 

That Truth - our reality is dying.

Contractors are an expression of the multiverse, empowered to be a constant in a sea of constantly changing probability. In essence, all their Power, be it arcane lineage, ancestral relic, or black magic & mad science stems from a possibility among countless others that reality could have occurred - when one signs the Contract, that desired reality of ambition begins to crystallize...at the cost of every possible alternate version.

Regardless of paradigm (which all characters have, & MUST be able to explain more that "It's Magic lol") they are literally one of a kind. Rendered so when they signed the Contract, unknowingly sentencing countless billions of alternate selves to death. It is that sacrifice which empowers them.

Will they save the world? Or will they hasten it's end?

Ultimately, it's all a game of chance either way. The Harbingers are callous beings with no answers for such questions. The future is yours to decide.

World Events

Posted by Ltyinkwint, 1 week ago. Permalink

Amsterdam Ghoul Fever Outbreak

A flurry of Cryptoleak videos, news articles, and rogue photos populate the internet, all showing the sickening scene of what could only be described as a human gale of mayhem. A segment of one of these news articles explains as follows:

 

Yesterday night, flight KLM 682, originating from the Vancouver International Airport and headed to the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was hit with a terrible tragedy. Once landed with its 183 passengers, chaos broke loose as the travelers broke out of the plane and spread horror throughout the airport as the craze was inflicted on more and more people.

Several were injured during the stampede and one individual lost their life.

Later analysis confirmed that these passengers were in fact infected with Ghoul Fever, though the patient zero is unconfirmed. Several passengers later commented on witnessing a ghoul on board though this has been contributed to the effect of Ghoul Fever.

Coupled with this event, during the flight, the reports of a spreading infection within the cabin was interrupted with a nearby personal jet's mysterious fall with authorities believe could be related to this incident.

The situation was eventually quarantined by local authorities and stability returned to the airport, although countless flights were delayed along with many more people afflicted costing a heavy toll to the city's resources. 

Emily Miller made a Move (Strazhari GMed) 1 week, 2 days ago. View Move

Senator Hays's Responses in the Second Presidential Debate

CANDY CROWLEY, MODERATOR: Good evening from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. I'm Candy Crowley from CNN's "State of the Union." We are here for the second presidential debate, a town hall, sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

CROWLEY: The Gallup organization chose 82 uncommitted voters from the New York area. Their questions will drive the night. My goal is to give the conversation direction and to ensure questions get answered.

The questions are known to me and my team only. Neither the commission, nor the candidates have seen them. I hope to get to as many questions as possible.

CROWLEY: I want to turn to a first-time voter, Jeremy Epstein, who has a question for you.

QUESTION: As a 20-year-old college student, all I hear from professors, neighbors and others is that when I graduate, I will have little chance to get employment. What can you say to reassure me, but more importantly my parents, that I will be able to sufficiently support myself after I graduate?

Revitalizing the economy will be one of my top priorities once I'm elected, second only to national security. By the summer of 2026 when you graduate, the structural reforms I'll be implementing will have had time to take effect. With genuine competition in every sector, a simplified tax system, streamlined regulations favorable to small businesses, nationwide broadband Internet with 100% coverage, and a renewed investment in basic science, businesses will need all the workers they can get, and hiring will surge.

In fact, I'm so confident in America's future that I'll make this pledge to every American citizen. If you're unemployed a year after my reforms are passed, contact my office and we'll see to it that you get a job. As long as you're willing to work hard and do your best, you're an asset to this country, and we can't afford to have you stuck on the sidelines.

Of course, even once you have a job, you may have to pay back student loans. If you can't afford to pay them in other ways, or if you just don't want to wait that long, you can join the military or sign up for the National Service Program and every penny of your student debt will be wiped away.

On that theme, we'll also be pursuing ways to reduce educational costs, which, like health care costs, are spiraling out of control.

CROWLEY: What can you do more immediately? We’re looking at a situation where 40 percent of the unemployed have been unemployed for six months or more. They don’t have the two years that Jeremy has.

What about those long term unemployed who need a job right now?

An excellent question.

Traditionally, accepting a job that paid less that your last position has been seen as unwise. The thinking was that your earning potential would be permanently reduced, because employers would see you as being worth only what you're making now. That's no longer the case. In today's economy, many people have to accept work on an interim basis while they position themselves to reach their long-term goals. Temporary employment is nothing to be ashamed of. I'll make sure there are job centers in every community to connect those needing work with those needing workers – both temporary and permanent.

But what if you can't find even temporary work – or if you want something more meaningful? Vote for me, and the day I'm sworn in I will ask Congress to authorize the National Service Program, a greatly expanded version of the current Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Senior Corps.

If we're to rebuild this country and ensure a bright future for our children and grandchildren, we're going to need every one of you. It's time to get back to work.

CROWLEY: We want to get a question from Phillip Tricolla.

QUESTION: The Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, has now been on record three times stating it’s not policy of his department to help lower gas prices. Do you agree with Secretary Chu that this is not the job of the Energy Department?

Is it within the purview of the government to bring those prices down, or are we looking at the new normal?

The government should not directly lower gas prices; price controls simply don't work. However, it is the government's responsibility to guarantee a competitive marketplace, and that's something we don't have today. If we did, the supply of energy would increase to meet the demand. That isn't happening.

The answer is for the government to intervene to ensure an ample energy supply and true competition, and then step back to let the market work. New technologies can increase supply, reduce demand through improvements in efficiency, eliminate pollution, and give the United States energy independence. Moreover, local generation of energy will reduce transit costs and help bring about neighborhood self-sufficiency, preventing the type of catastrophic system failure that we saw in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. There is no excuse for a collapse of basic services in time of natural disaster – the time when they're most needed.

Many of these technologies exist today or can be achieved very quickly. Often, the companies with the legal right to exploit them have chosen not to do so because they want to preserve the status quo – a status quo in which they benefit but the nation suffers. This is unacceptable. If they don't take advantage of the technologies of the future, we will.

CROWLEY: We’re going to move along to taxes over here and all these folks that have been waiting.

This question comes from Mary Follano.

QUESTION: Concerning various tax deductions, the mortgage deductions, the charitable deductions, the child tax credit and also the education credits, which are important to me, because I have children in college. What would be your position on those things, which are important to the middle class?

The purpose of these deductions is to encourage home ownership and charitable contributions, and to support families that are trying to raise and educate their children. At the end of the day, people don't care whether this help comes in the form of tax deductions, direct assistance, or low-cost services, as long as the help is there.

I strongly support home ownership, charitable organizations, and affordable, high-quality education. If these tax credits go away, I'll see to it that they're replaced by programs that provide at least as much – and probably more – benefit to the taxpayers who were receiving them. For example, the mortgage deduction is inefficient because you have to wait until tax time to receive it. It makes much more sense to receive assistance when you're buying your home, instead of months later.

CROWLEY: And Katherine Fenton has a question for you.

QUESTION: In what new ways to you intend to rectify the inequalities in the workplace, specifically regarding females making only 72 percent of what their male counterparts earn?

Ensuring a level playing field is one of the fundamental roles of government, and one which past administrations have failed to fulfill. This is partly because they haven't stopped to consider how they can help the workplace become more friendly to women as well as to men.

Time and again, women say they want more flexibility in schedules, working from home, and nontraditional workplace arrangements. Time and again, both government and employers ignore them.

And make no mistake, many of these obstacles have been erected by government, not business. For example, regulatory and tax regimes often favor – or even require – traditional work locations and schedules. If you own your own business, why should it be illegal for you to live there as well? For thousands of years, people lived in one part of their house and worked in another. Shopkeepers might have their shop on the first floor and their home on the second floor; accountants might live in one half of the building and work in the other half. Yet today, government arbitrarily decrees that this arrangement is no longer permitted, even when there are no genuine health or safety concerns.

Government should encourage employees and businesses to experiment with new and innovative workplace arrangements rather than obstructing them at every turn. Under my administration, it will do so – starting by leading the way with flexible work programs for federal employees.

CROWLEY: I want to move us along here to Susan Katz, who has a question.

QUESTION: I am an undecided voter, because I’m disappointed with the lack of progress I’ve seen in the last four years. However, I do attribute much of America’s economic and international problems to the failings and missteps of the Adams administration.

What is the biggest difference between you and Sam Adams, and how do you differentiate yourself from Sam Adams?

In essence, you're asking how I differentiate myself from the Republicans and the Democrats, because when you boil it down, they're all the same. The answer is simple. I believe in honesty and openness. I believe in transparency. I believe in a government of the people, by the people, for the people. They don't.

Time after time, Republican and Democratic candidates have pledged to support open government. Time after time, they've broken those promises once they were in office. This should come as no surprise, since their records gave no hint of any commitment to openness with the American people; quite the opposite. Both of my opponents, like their predecessors, have a long history of operating behind closed doors and revealing the truth grudgingly if at all. My record, on the other hand, is of honesty and openness from the day I was first elected to public office. As President, I will continue to open as much of the government to the American people as is possible without compromising national security.

CROWLEY: Lorraine Osorio has a question for you about a topic we have not yet discussed.

QUESTION: What do you plan on doing with immigrants without their green cards that are currently living here as productive members of society?

I plan on asking them to obey the law, just like the rest of us.

Illegal immigrants who wish to live in the United States should return home and apply to immigrate legally like the millions of other law-abiding immigrants.

In 2019, there were around 2 million legal immigrants to the United States. More than 12 million people applied for those slots.

Illegal immigrants are gaining an unfair advantage by cutting in front of law-abiding immigrants. They got in, but 11 million people who obeyed the law did not. We should not encourage this type of end-run around the system – a system intended by the American people to limit our out-of-control population growth.

Those who oppose enforcing our immigration laws are essentially saying that we should have a policy of unlimited immigration; anyone who wants to move to the United States should be allowed to do so. My question is why they don't make this argument openly. Why don't they push for a bill in Congress to remove all limits on immigration? Do they believe in honesty in government, or not?

CROWLEY: I want you to talk to Kerry Ladka who wants to switch the topic for us.

Hi, Kerry.

QUESTION: This question actually comes from a brain trust of my friends at Global Telecom Supply in Minneola yesterday.

We were sitting around, talking about Libya, and we were reading and became aware of reports that the State Department refused extra security for our embassy in Benghazi, Libya, prior to the attacks that killed four Americans.

Who was it that denied enhanced security and why?

Both the Republicans and the Democrats.

The Republicans slashed funding for embassy security – a move I strongly opposed, and which proves that the Republican Party has been taken over by libertarians. They should be honest and admit that their conservative days are long gone.

The Democrats denied specific requests to improve security in Libya. They squandered money on measures that didn't improve security and insisted on using contractors, who are more expensive but can be kept off the books, instead of soldiers, who are dedicated, efficient, and cost-effective, but have to be included in statistics on the number of American troops in-country. They're more concerned with playing politics than with protecting American lives.

CROWLEY: I want to introduce you to Nina Gonzalez, who brought up a question that we hear a lot, both over the Internet and from this crowd.

QUESTION: President Obama, during the Democratic National Convention in 2008, stated that he wants to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. What would your administration do to limit the availability of assault weapons?

I wouldn't limit the availability of assault weapons; I would limit the availability of criminals.

A weapon in the hands of a law-abiding citizen is an asset, not a threat. If you doubt it, just look at Switzerland – one of the safest countries in the world. If we want to reduce crime, we should focus on the people who commit it, rather than the tools they use to do so. If you lock hardened criminals up for a few years and then let them go – or lock them up long enough to become hardened, and then let them go – they'll find ways to commit crimes. Anything can be a weapon, as the September 11th hijackers proved, and many weapons are more dangerous than guns. We're unlikely to pass a ban on fertilizer, for example.

Those who want to own guns should know how to use them. Prospective gun owners should undergo training in gun safety, or demonstrate that they have already mastered the subject. Crime-reduction programs, such as job training, employment centers, financial aid for education, and after-school programs, should be expanded, especially for those most likely to commit violent crimes – single young men. And policies which support and encourage stable families should be continued.

CROWLEY: I want to ask Carol Goldberg to stand up, because she gets to a question that these men have been passionate about.

QUESTION: The outsourcing of American jobs overseas has taken a toll on our economy. What plans do you have to put back and keep jobs here in the United States?

Outsourcing was one of the great mistakes of the 20th Century. Certainly there are cases when outside workers can do the job more cheaply than your own employees, but there are far more instances in which you would saved money by keeping the work in-house. All too often, outsourcing becomes an accounting gimmick, aimed at keeping an expense off the balance sheets or forcing another division to pay for it without regard to the welfare of the organization as a whole.

Many companies which outsourced jobs to India, China, or elsewhere overseas are beginning to bring them back to the United States, for several reasons. For one thing, foreign wages are rising and undercutting any savings on labor costs. For another, enterprises have discovered that outsourcing often creates rivals who learn to replicate your entire business model. They're doing the actual work; you need them, but they don't need you. Instead of building the product for you to sell, they simply sell it themselves, cutting out the middleman – you.

So American jobs are already beginning to come back to America. Government can greatly accelerate this trend by changing regulations to favor insourcing instead of favoring outsourcing as they so often do today, and by leading the way. As President, I pledge to lead the way with an insourcing initiative that demonstrates the advantages of using your own employees in your own country – American soldiers, police officers, firefighters, and civil servants, dedicated to doing what's best for the country instead of whatever is most profitable for the private contractor who signs their paycheck.

CROWLEY: We have a really short time for a quick discussion here.

iPad, the Macs, the iPhones, they are all manufactured in China. One of the major reasons is labor is so much cheaper there.

How do you convince a great American company to bring that manufacturing back here? We can’t get wages like that.

You're absolutely right; we won't be able to match the cost of labor in China anytime soon. But we don't need to. Labor is only one line item in total costs. One particular line item doesn't matter if our total costs are competitive and our quality is higher. That's where we need to focus: Minimizing total costs while maximizing quality.

How do we do this? By playing to our strengths. We can offer stability, reliability, a highly educated workforce, the best infrastructure in the world, and, with the proper investments, cutting-edge technology unmatched anywhere else. If we bring down crime rates, repair our infrastructure, streamline regulations, fix our educational system once and for all, and redouble our commitment to basic science and to ensuring that new technology is actually available for use, we'll find businesses eager to bring jobs back from overseas.

Companies aren't asking for anything unreasonable. They simply want livable cities and a friendly business environment. As President, I'll give it to them – and to the American people.

CROWLEY: I want to introduce you to Barry Green, because he’s going to have the last question.

QUESTION: I think this is a tough question. What do you believe is the biggest misperception that the American people have about you as a man and a candidate? Using specific examples, can you take this opportunity to debunk that misperception and set us straight?

Thank you for the opportunity to address this point. The biggest misperception is that I'm pushing one particular solution. My focus is not on solving an immediate problem in one particular way; it's on first identifying the root problem, and then solving it however is most effective.

People often focus on symptoms rather than causes, and then lock onto a single solution to that symptom, rather than stepping back to consider whether a different solution to the core problem might be just as good and have broader support. Health care is an excellent example. The left wants everyone to have health insurance, preferably through the government. The right is strongly opposed to people being forced to buy insurance, and even more strongly opposed to government insurance. Why all the focus on insurance? Do any of us really care about health insurance? Don't we really want quality health care, rather than an insurance policy that we don't even understand? We should drive down the cost of medical care to the point that insurance is no longer needed. We are entirely capable of doing so, if we focus on the actual problem and work towards a consensus on solving it.

We need a genuine commitment to solving problems, and to building bridges and involving all elements of our society in the problem-solving process. We need honesty, integrity, and a willingness to sacrifice. That's what I'll bring to the table as President, and that's why I'm asking for your vote.

 

Posted by Strazhari, 2 weeks ago. Permalink

Woodland Park Zoo welcomes infant Sasquatch

Seattle Tribune

 

The beloved pair of Sasquatch, Sholeetsa & Shweabe have welcomed a baby under the close eyes of zookeepers, crypto-zoologists, & the world!

While the event was marred by protestors advocating for the sapience of the Northwestern Primates, head Biologist Anne Kirkpatrick had this to say:

"We are happy to welcome little Kikisoblu into this world, & do honor our Indigenous community by giving her a Salish name - she joins her brother Muckleshoot in the generous Sasquatch Experience sponsored by GenWyld. We continue to advocate for the well being of what few animals remain in the Pacific Northwest, who are even now threatened by logg-"

Isn't that sweet? In Celebration, you may gain a FREE "Kiki" Chibi filter for your InstaFaceSter linked account across your Social Media!

Posted by Strazhari, 1 month ago. Permalink

The Candidates for President of the United States of America

 

 

Republican Party: Vice President Daniel Zamboni

 

A New York Congressman turned Vice President to the outgoing Administration representing conservative Long Island, Zamboni is represented as a fighty, bulldog Politician in the tradition of New York Italians – his straight shooter, say it like it is demeanor is being undermined somewhat by the fact he is backed by Prometheus Ventures & their limitless capital – as such he is fighting hard to avoid being seen as a sellout, & is leaning into moderate economic self-interest.

 

Democratic Party: Senator Marie Herrera-Butler

 

A Washington Senator formerly known as Samuel Herrera-Butler before undergoing Gen-Wyld gender reassignment, Marie is considered the choice for the “Left Coast” & widely seen to be the Gen-Wyld candidate. Considering the Ghoul Fever debacle still dominating the courts & media, her chances of victory are considered nil – even so, she strives to broaden her appeal, promising social liberties & economic growth.

Independent Party: Senator John Hays

 

The man from Texas who needs no further introduction. As unthinkable as it may be considering the oceans of money behind the other candidates, Senator Hays is leading the race. His storied military background combined with the vigilantism that should be a obstacle has won him the populist vote – the Military, Church, Police, & Firefighters back Hays fully & many people are concerned what will happen if he does – or does not – win the election. While his Party is a minority, none can doubt the steely voice of Hays speaks truth where his competitors falter.

Posted by Strazhari, 1 month ago. Permalink

Senator Hays's Responses in the First Presidential Debate

How you would go about creating new jobs?

Government doesn't create jobs; people do. Small businesses in particular create huge numbers of jobs – especially young startups. Moreover, if you can't find a job, you need to be able to go into business for yourself and earn some income, because you have to pay the rent and put food on the table. There are more opportunities than ever before to work for yourself – and quite possibly work from home – but the process of starting a business is far more complicated than it needs to be, and once you have your business up and running, it can be hard to connect with customers. That's where government comes in.

As President, I pledge to ruthlessly simplify the process of starting and running your own business. It should take no more than a few hours to handle the paperwork and figure out the taxes; you should be able to start the process in the morning and be making money by afternoon. And you shouldn't need to hire an accountant to do your taxes or spend endless hours filing forms yourself.

I will also promote and assist existing venues for customers to find the services they need, and for small businesses to find customers; and where such venues don't exist, I'll create them. This isn't particularly hard to do, and in some places it's been done very effectively, but in other places it hasn't. My staff has studied the most successful such programs, from websites to job centers, and drawn up plans to replicate them nationwide.

But what if your skills are out of date? The economy has changed rapidly in recent years, and it isn't always possible to predict what's coming or what skills you'll need to be successful. I pledge to provide education and job training to anyone who needs it. No one should be left behind simply because they can't foresee the future.

I'll anticipate Mr. Lehrer's next question: How will we pay for all this? Quite simply, it will pay for itself – as the very best programs often do. People who receive training will get part of that training on the job, learning practical skills and doing constructive work in return. Depending on the cost of their education, they may also be asked to work a certain number of unpaid hours after graduation. Alternately, they can repay the remaining cost over a period of time – or they can combine these methods.

How would you go about tackling the deficit problem in this country?

The deficit, and the national debt, were caused partly by mismanagement, partly by structural problems in the economy – such as the lack of true competition – and partly by lack of will on the part of politicians – and let's be honest, on the part of the voters, too. Eliminating the deficit will take more than a few cuts to programs the Republicans or the Democrats don't like. It will take fundamental structural reforms, and a President with the will and expertise to bring costs under control.

Politicians always promise to cut waste and eliminate nonessential programs, but how many actually do it? How many are genuinely committed to reform, rather than just to getting elected – or paying back contributers? Too often, “wasteful programs” are those which aren't providing kickbacks to the right politicians – the way the Postal Service provides kickbacks to every single Member of Congress in the form of free mailing privileges. If you want to identify a genuine reformer, ask if they're prepared to buy their own stamps.

What is your position on entitlements and Social Security?

Entitlements are programs to which the recipients are entitled simply because they meet certain criteria. They don't have to do anything in return for their welfare benefits, for example; they're entitled. Such programs shouldn't exist. No one should be at risk of starving or being forced to live in the street, but anyone who needs money should be prepared to work for it.

Social Security is a retirement program, not an entitlement; contributors receive benefits in return for the payments they've made their entire career. In theory, this should work just like an annuity, and retirees should be confident that their money is safe. In fact, the government can raid the Social Security Trust Fund whenever it wants, and often does. This must change. Each contributor's benefits should be paid into an account with a third-party financial institution which the government cannot touch. These accounts will be federally guaranteed, just like savings accounts, so that there is no chance of loss – or theft. We can't do this immediately, because we'll have to fix the economy and eliminate the deficit before we can afford it. But we need to do it as soon as we can, or one day the government will borrow from your retirement and forget to pay it back.

What is your view about the level of federal regulation of the economy right now? Is there too much? Should there be more?

The question is what sort of regulation is needed, not how much. Regulation should be skillfully designed and precisely targeted to accomplish its goals. Instead, it is frequently designed and implemented with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop.

Price controls are a good example. They don't work. Almost everyone realizes this is true, and yet they're still used simply because they're easy. It's very satisfying for politicians to stand up and say they won't allow big businesses to take advantage of their customers, and pass a law dictating how much they can charge. It also makes for a good sound bite. If we want to solve problems instead of thumping our chest, however, we need to use a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer.

Consider recent price controls on electricity. If power companies must sell electricity below their cost, they lose money. The more they sell, the more they lose. Thus, their incentive is to sell as little as possible. Furthermore, if supply is low and prices are also low, customers will use too much electricity, resulting in blackouts. The solution is to increase supply. Doing so is not particularly difficult, but it does require honest and competent leadership, something which has been sadly lacking.

Do you want Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, repealed?

Obamacare is irrelevant. The politicians involved simply tinkered with the health care system a bit. They went to considerable trouble to avoid solving problems or making difficult decisions. If we want to address the real issues, the entire system, not just one law, needs to be thrown out and redesigned from scratch.

The problem with health care is that it's absurdly expensive. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats seem to care. After all, a portion of the money spent on medical care goes to them in the form of campaign contributions from the health care industry. Why should they reduce the amount of money we're spending? If the pot of gold gets smaller, so does their own slush fund.

Of course, both parties talk about reducing costs, but somehow they never seem to do it. And the costs they're proposing to target are only the low-hanging fruit, the obvious measures that can be implemented relatively quickly and easily: Free preventive care and wellness checks, exercise and nutrition programs, malpractice reform, placing doctors on salary rather than paying them on a fee-for-service basis, electronic medical records, and similar reforms that have been proposed many times in the past. Certainly these should be implemented, but they're not enough. Costs will remain high, and will continue to increase far faster than inflation, as long as we ignore the elephant in the room: Patents.

Health care is expensive because there is no real competition in the industry. Against every principle of capitalism, the government grants monopolies to the incumbents and allows them to block new entrants. Potential competitors, including nonprofit research institutes trying to find new cures to save lives, must work under the constant threat of lawsuits if they infringe vague patents that the holders may not intend to ever use.

Patents must be abolished and replaced with a rewards pool. Patent laws are unconstitutional and should never have been passed. They remain in force only because so much patent money is funneled to an eager Congress.

How do you view the mission of the federal government?

The primary role of government is to defend the nation and protect the American people. These missions are ably performed by the United States Armed Forces, intelligence agencies, federal, state, and local law enforcement, and first responders. The very survival of our country is in their hands. This is why it's critical that these agencies be fully funded and that all of their personnel work for the American people. We should not place our lives in the hands of mercenaries.

In addition, the federal government serves as a neutral referee for the free market, guaranteeing a level playing field and vigilantly preserving – or, when necessary, creating – competition. This includes breaking up monopolies, building and then selling infrastructure such as a truly nationwide cell phone network, and encouraging industry trade groups to establish interoperability standards for such things as cell phones, so that any phone works on any network – just as with landlines.

Does the federal government have a responsibility to improve the quality of public education in America?

Yes. A modern economy can't function without a skilled workforce. When people find themselves unemployed, the government can help them get back into the workforce by providing education and job training. This raises the question, however, of why educational institutions – including government-run schools and colleges – failed to perform their basic functions and educate their students. We can hardly ignore the fact that we're spending massive amounts on the educational system without getting a skilled workforce in return.

It's the government's responsibility to ensure that tax money is spent wisely, including federal financial aid. Clearly, financial aid should go only to institutions that provide a high-quality education. Those lagging behind should be given an opportunity to improve. If they fail to do so, they should not receive further government funding. It is never wise to throw good money after bad; and at the end of the day, our focus should be on saving students, not schools.

Given that focus, we should also ensure that everyone who wants to go to college is financially able to do so. We should expand the Federal Work-Study Program as much as needed, awarding work which is actually productive, and thus self-funding.

Many of the legislative functions of the federal government right now are in a state of paralysis as a result of partisan gridlock. What would you do about that?

The first requirement for a functioning government is a willingness to negotiate in good faith. In a democracy, we don't always get what we want. Compromise is not a bad word; it's how we solve problems in a way that everyone can live with.

And yet gridlock has become standard fare in Washington, and in many state capitals as well. This is not a result of division among the American people, or a sign that they're unwilling to compromise. Rather, it's because everyone isn't represented at the table. And that's because of the flawed system we use to choose our elected representatives – a system designed specifically to exclude third parties and guarantee a duopoly to the established parties; a system increasingly vulnerable to being hijacked by extremists on either side.

To end gridlock and return to the pragmatism the Founders showed in writing the Constitution and building this great nation, we must end the two-party system and eliminate the influence of money in politics. As is so often the case, the states are leading the way. Louisiana, California, and Washington now have “top two” primaries – essentially runoffs – which ensure the winner has majority support and give third parties a real chance of winning. Twelve states have taken control of redistricting away from the legislatures and the political parties that control them. These and similar measures, such as reforms to demonstrate the accuracy of election results for all to see, can sharply reduce partisanship and bring Americans' willingness to cooperate to Congress.

That brings us to closing statements. You have a closing two minutes, Senator.

Thank you. First of all, I would like to thank everyone watching today for taking the time to participate in the democratic process. Your participation is the only thing that keeps democracy alive.

(Hays looks directly into the camera.)

And in that vein, I want to ask each of you individually to continue taking part, and to ask your friends and neighbors to take part as well. We all believe in government of the people, by the people, for the people; but for that to work, the people must stand up and choose their government. Only a little more than a hundred years ago, it wasn't unusual to see nearly 80% of voters turning out for elections. Today we're lucky to approach 60%. Our adversaries see this as evidence of the decline of America and the failure of democracy. Let's stand together and show them they're wrong. I call on every citizen to read the news, watch the debates, meet the candidates, and go out and vote on Election Day – regardless of whether you vote for me or for one of my opponents. I pledge to work to increase turnout and help every qualified person to vote, without focusing my efforts on my supporters or even considering which way they'll vote, and I call on my Opponents to do the same. At the end of the day we're all Americans, and if we're going to solve our problems we're going to have to do it together – and the first step is to sit down at the table together. Please, come to the voting booth and join us.

Thank you. Good night and God bless.

Posted by Strazhari, 1 month ago. Permalink

Lecture on Ethics by Senator John C. Hays at the United States Military Academy

"We are defined by our responsibilities.

Our first responsibility, always, is to God. To do the right thing. To choose the common good over our own selfish interests. To stand by our principles no matter what pressure is brought to bear against us.

Our second responsibility is to our country. To give unwavering loyalty to our nation and its people. To serve selflessly, not for our own benefit but for the United States of America. To fight to defend the lives and liberty of those who depend on us.

Our third responsibility is to our superiors, our comrades, and our families. To work hard, to do our share and a bit more, to help those who need help, to guide those who need guidance, to protect those who need protection. In the end, we're fighting for our children, our neighbors' children, our children's children; and we don't doubt that they're worth dying for.

Our fourth responsibility is to ourselves. Because we cannot be entirely selfless and still survive; we cannot give everything of ourselves. We must care for ourselves before we can care for others.

Every American has the responsibility to serve. In today's world, we must all work together if we are to survive; we cannot afford dead weight. We have an obligation to be good citizens: To vote, to perform jury duty, to serve our time in the military or the National Service Program, to educate ourselves about our nation's past and present. To speak up when we see something unethical. To answer to God, not to popular opinion. It has been documented that human behavior changes in crowds; but this is no excuse. Shake off the inertia, ignore the crowd, and do what's right. What others are doing is irrelevant.

We have an obligation to make sure we can help others: To learn basic first aid, to have the means to notify the police in case of an emergency, to know what to do in a crisis, to be able to take point if necessary. To be prepared.

Once we have accepted our responsibilities, once we have committed to being good citizens, good friends, good fathers or mothers or sisters or brothers, we must still deal with ethical dilemmas. What do we do when we aren't sure what's right?

Most of the time, however, in our heart of hearts we do know what's right; we just don't want to admit it to ourselves, because it's not what we want to do. We don't want to admit our mistakes, we don't want to give that apology, we don't want to go back and redo the job that we didn't get right the first time. We don't want to give up a personal benefit – perhaps a well-earned personal benefit – for the common good. Even more, we don't want to sacrifice the interests of our state, our community, or especially our family for the good of the nation. But that's what's right. Not to sacrifice all our interests, of course; the good of the nation does not mean tyranny of the majority. But to accept a solution that, while still looking to our interests, looks first to the interests of the whole.

And so a pretty good rule of thumb is that if you don't want to do it, you probably should. Should you share that last roll with the cousin you don't like? Yes. Should you offer to drive him home after he's had a bit too much to drink? Yes. Should you return that really obnoxious hat he likes to wear after he leaves it in your car? Yes. Should you go the extra mile, even though no one else does and you're not going to be thanked for it? Yes.

We could make a list of things to do, or of things not to do. Do not steal. Do not rape. Do not murder. Do not torture. Do not betray your country, your God, your employer, your spouse, your friends. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor, or fail to step forward to set the record straight. Do not break your word. Do not allow a problem to go unsolved. Do not accept a job you aren't competent to perform. Do not fail to give your best. Do not allow even the appearance of impropriety. Do not allow yourself to be intimidated or blackmailed; do not allow anyone to prevent you from doing the right thing.

But a list is never enough. You can never cover every possible situation. Ethics class can never discuss every dilemma. To face the world with confidence, you must have a clear belief system based on consistent underlying principles. If you have clear guiding principles, if you truly think about what God is asking of us rather than making a list of commandments, then your instincts will be strong, and when you face the crisis, you will know what's right.

So, first establish the core principles, then consider the implications of those principles. Love your God and your neighbors; act from love rather than from greed, envy, or lust. Do what you can to help others, but don't just give them what they want; help them become better people. To help others, we must first look to ourselves; ensure that our basic needs are met, that we are fulfilling our obligations, that we are doing our job. Better to do your own job adequately than someone else's well.

How to do your own job well, then? First, you must know yourself; you must understand your strengths and especially your weaknesses, so you can overcome them, compensate for them, or – since we will never be perfect – plan for them. Then you must understand others, not only your enemies but your friends as well. It's difficult to help someone you don't understand. Often this means putting yourself in someone else's shoes and, to some degree, experiencing what they experience. (“Do unto others what you would have others do unto you.”) Empathy and compassion come from understanding the suffering of others, typically because we have suffered ourselves. Our pain makes us human.

Once you have a basis for understanding your coworkers, subordinates, friends, and family, once you grasp their hopes, fears, and motivations, then you are in a position to help them. For a leader, this means inspiring them to surpass what they thought was possible, overcome their problems, and fulfill their obligations. Like most things that are worthwhile, and like any relationship, it's hard work, but it's something anyone can do with persistence and dedication. Inspiring others requires earning their respect and trust: Leading by example, showing that you practice what you preach and do your job as well as you expect them to do theirs; demonstrating that you trust them, and they can trust you, because you are responsible. And a leader is always responsible, never trying to shift blame, evade work, or avoid dealing with consequences. As a leader, you never ask subordinates to do something you won't do, you never give an order that you know will not be obeyed, you fearlessly advocate for your subordinates, and you make sure they have everything they need to do their jobs without hindrance. Because that's the core function of a leader: To make sure your people know what to do and are able to do it. And that's the core function of ethics as well: To determine what's right, and to do it."

Posted by Strazhari, 1 month, 3 weeks ago. Permalink

Background of Senator John C. Hays, Candidate in the U.S. Presidential Election

John Hays was born on March 18th, 1959, in Austin, Texas. He came from a military family and was descended from John Coffee Hays, who was his namesake as well as his ancestor. His father Robert Hays reached the rank of lieutenant general before being killed in an auto accident in 1980.

Hays graduated from West Point in 1981, marrying his high-school sweetheart immediately upon graduation. He entered the Infantry and quickly established himself as a superb leader and battlefield commander. He had a natural magnetism which made people want to follow him, and a gift for selecting skilled and trustworthy subordinates. He advanced rapidly and soon proved himself in battle, acquiring a reputation as an absolutely fearless officer who led by example.

Hays eagerly sought opportunities for combat commands, serving in El Salvador (1981), Grenada (1983), Honduras (1985), Bolivia (1986), and Panama (1989). He was soon highly decorated and twice received battlefield promotions. By the beginning of the First Gulf War, he was already a brigadier general. He was deputy division commander in one of the lead divisions during Desert Storm. When the division commander was killed by a sniper almost at the beginning of the war, Hays took over and commanded his division throughout the conflict. At the end of the war he was promoted to major general.

After the war, Hays commanded troops stationed in Saudi Arabia. It was then that he came in contact with the terrorist known as Abu Kareem. In 1992, while visiting troops in the field, he was badly wounded and almost killed in an ambush set by Abu Kareem. Both his aide and his driver were killed outright. Even before he could leave the hospital, Hays organized a hunt for the assassin, but it was futile; his men never even came close. In the years that followed, Hays was to repeatedly attempt to catch Abu Kareem, sometimes setting elaborate traps for him. But although he was able to learn a good deal about him and in several cases missed him by only hours, he was never able to trap him.

By 1998, Hays was a full general, and his name was being mentioned as a future Chief of Staff. Many in the Army establishment were therefore shocked when he resigned his commission to run for Governor of Texas. He had decided that he could no longer be satisfied with carrying out policy; he wanted to set it. He wanted to become President of the United States. When the incumbent decided not to run for reelection in order to pursue national ambitions, the resulting open race presented just the opportunity he needed. He was elected easily even though he chose to run as an independent. He again surprised observers when he chose not to run for reelection in 2002, instead seeking – and easily winning – an open seat in the U.S. Senate.

While governor, Hays established the Independent Party, which was originally known primarily in Texas but rapidly gained popularity in other states.

Only a year after his election as senator, tragedy struck. While on vacation visiting relatives, his wife was kidnapped, raped, and murdered. It appeared to be a random act of violence perpetrated by four gang members with a long history of violent crimes.

Without telling anyone what he was doing, Hays left Washington and tracked down the killers. For several days he was reported as missing, and speculation ran rampant. He managed to find the killers, who were holed up in an abandoned house, before the police. Instead of reporting their location to the authorities, he walked in and shot them to death. He then held a press conference and calmly stated what he had done, giving no explanation.

Hays was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The trial was televised live and quickly became an international sensation. The facts of the case were not in dispute; the evidence clearly showed that Hays had fired first, and he admitted that he had not given the killers a chance to surrender. When the jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict, pandemonium erupted.

It was not to be his last brush with controversy. In an eerily similar event, his eight-year-old daughter was kidnapped in early 2008 while visiting relatives. Once again, Hays left Washington without revealing his intentions. This time he found the kidnapper living in a nondescript middle-class home in the Houston suburbs. Hays entered to find his daughter's dismembered corpse arrayed on the kitchen table, cooked and partially eaten. The killer was having his midday meal. Hays shot him down in cold blood.

Once again, Hays held a press conference and flatly stated what he had done. Once again, he was tried for first-degree murder.

Though Hays had given no details, all aspects of the case were soon widely known, and this trial became even more an international sensation than the previous one. Under the prosecutor's questioning on live television, in a line that was to become world-famous, Hays stated that he would be judged by God and the voters of the state of Texas. The prosecutor responded that he would be judged by a jury of his peers. Hays turned out to be right; the jury voted to acquit, 12 to 0. Two months later, he was reelected with over 80% of the vote.

The deaths of his wife and daughter left Hays with nothing but his ambition, which became stronger than ever. Thus, it was at a particularly propitious time that he was approached with an offer that was to change his life …

Hays is obsessed with seeing justice done, whether by the law or by the vigilante. However, he has lost none of his leadership skills and understands the importance of justice being seen as impartial. Accordingly, he has acquired a reputation as a tireless reformer. He has successfully pushed to tighten ethics laws, and for harsher penalties for corruption and violent crimes.

 
Posted by Strazhari, 1 month, 4 weeks ago. Permalink

https//www.cryptoleak.com/home/redirect/whycaldwell8104?

A video link burns blue on Cryptoleak’s front page displaying its title above a view count of 4.78 million: “Why Caldwell?”

 

Clicking open the link, a video opens across your screen. At first the quality seems terrible…maybe 420p…a smeared landscape of reds and blacks and grays. The audio is loud and crackling, bursting with feedback static. As the image resolves into a smoky rubble-strewn town square, the voice of the camera man makes its way through your speakers. “This can’t be happening…Clark was right there and now he’s. He’s…. shit. Clark!” The camera pans over to a gas station sign…and the legs of a crushed man beneath it. The camera continues to move shakily in the camera man’s grip, as he runs past the rubble covered body. As he runs, a quake goes through the ground, and the camera goes skidding from his grip. The screen goes briefly black as it hits the dirt, but after a pause it’s picked up again. “Gotta run…gotta run. That thing just threw his Chevy like a chew toy.” The camera pans back into the face of the camera man, a young ash covered man running with panic in his eyes. As he runs, his Eagle themed baseball cap falls off behind him, swallowed up in the smoke and flames all around. The town past him looks like the backdrop of a monster movie. The street is littered with pieces of the gas station, a Chevco sign stuck in the ground, a pump upended and hurled into the side of the flower shop across the way. The flower shop is burning, brightly ablaze.

 

The young guy speaks into the camera. “I might not make it this time, guys. This isn’t fake…this isn’t another movie vlog. This isn’t…Fuck!” He swerves to the right as a street lamp goes flying by his ear. The dust it kicks up as it slams into the ground off screen sends him hurtling back onto his ass, the camera colliding back into the pole. He’s bleeding, a rock sticking through his Tshirt. It hit him pretty badly, and the flames are closing in behind.  Behind him the camera picks something out through the smoke and flames.

 

A sillouhette…a shape. The shape of a man, almost. A hunched over thing, with 2 legs and 2 arms. It holds what looks to be the flower shop from before over its back like a monolith, if that monolith were being wielded by a pro pitcher. The shop towers above the creature, and yet it holds it with ease. With a howl, it flings the structure towards the man, and right before the camera cuts off he lets off two dying words. “Why…Caldwell?”

 

The camera goes black for about 5 minutes.

5 minutes of static…and ashy nothing, and the edge of a rock. Then another quake hits the ground, and the camera rolls over, tumbling until it lands next to the carcass of a burning jukebox, a song still faintly playing through its failing speakers.

 

”And I looked and behold, a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was Death. And Hell followed with him”

 

The video ends, and the faint blue light of your screen again pours over you. A relief.

Posted by Strazhari, 1 month, 4 weeks ago. Permalink

Ghosting LA - by Reggie Curtis

While traveling down the road, or just tuning into a radio station, no matter what you’ll hear a simple song starting to rise up the charts.



Hey y'all, this is WGCI coming to you live with today’s top 100 songs. Keep this on while you are traveling on a road trip, going out of state, or just looking for something new. Next up we have a song by an artist known as DJ called Ghosting LA. Speaking of ghosts, did you know this guy is literally dead? I mean with all the ghosts around I think this makes sense they will want to have some unfinished business and were happy it was making music.”



This song also accompanies a guitar solo from a rising artist by the name of Lisa Gallagher, better known as the handle ‘Beth’.” Pausing the voice would soon scale out as the music would begin to rise over his voice. “This song is a true work of art that mixes synth, rock, and a graveyard beat to make something you’ve never heard before- check it out!”



Number 68, Ghosting LA!”



Being played over the radio waves many would find it to be rather good, not bad for what was a song made from a mix of many things all at once. Which should feel chaotic but the editing and just how it flowed was more than enough to make up for anyone’s possible critics for small parts of the song overall.



But for one person, they would hear nothing but perfection, and be reminded of those who helped them to make it.

Posted by Strazhari, 1 month, 4 weeks ago. Permalink

Huron-Manistee Fire Quelled!

An image of the razed forest is displayed at the top of the article, thousands of acres of land now barren. Beyond it though, green landscape peeks into the frame.

After countless days of relentless effort, the most of the flames plaguing the once lush Huron-Manistee National Forest have been smothered away. Despite the scope of the inferno, an estimated 185,000 acres ravaged, only 17 have been confirmed dead. A situation that would have no doubt escalated to a much more severe degree if not for the sacrifices endured by fire fighting personnel and volunteers. Without them, their transportation, donations, and efforts, Michigan would have burned.

 

A grainy photo of the injured town can be viewed. For those particularly perceptive, a building seems to be in a strangely good condition compared to its surroundings. With further research, it is the Lake County Historical Museum & Research Library.

Baldwin has also been impacted heavily by these circumstances. A large portion of the infrastructure of the town have been gravely damaged and contracts for rebuilding the area are slowly being taken. Fortunately enough, in spite of the hasty evacuation, no casualties have been reported to have occurred during the process.

 

A video occupies the screen this time, footage of a built Slavic woman with eyes almost emanating a green glow lifts a crumbled wall and carries a family of three out of rubble and into safety. Their large frame providing cover for those under their protection.

This feat was only possible with the herculean aid from the 'Mother of Dragons', Iryna. Reliable sources also report that she was also responsible for creating a back burn that eventually stopped the spread of the fire, restraining it for its ultimate end.

 

A large portion of the personnel on the scene during the evacuation of Baldwin also contribute much of its success to Akira Han, a volunteer who seems to have an unknown relationship as her helicopter was loaned to him and those who saw their interaction claim they they were at least familiar. The following statement is from one of said personnel who aided the evacuation of Baldwin.

"They were kinda like, uh, overwatch, if y'know what I mean. Coordinated us real well when we were all scrambling about like headless chicken. The situation had got that bad, yeah. But Mr. Han came to rescue in any case, pointed out what was going on, and did a real good job at it too. Though, must admit, wouldn't have cared what they said if not for the fact that the dragon lady vouched for 'im."

Mr. Han was last seen aiding Iryna, with the companionship of other park rangers, planting new tree seeds in locations where the soil could take it.

 

Another notable figure making a name for themselves during this cataclysmic event, is Liam Holloway, who arrived to the burning woodland with his well-known partner, Emily Miller. From the reports and statements from his peers that he worked with, Mr. Holloway's efforts were unabated for the entire duration, to perhaps his own harm. Reports state that Mr. Holloway volunteered and asked to be placed in the most dangerous and critical areas to help those in need.

A video filled with chaos, people can be heard screaming and shouting, smoke obscuring what's happening. "Man down! Holloway is down!" In the corner of the screen, a burning building collapses into itself, and as the camera falls back, a blue explosion is caught, a blurry figure rising out of it, spectral-like flames trailing beneath them. 

Another video, this time of a middle aged man in turn out gear is played. The man smiles before saying: "Grass grows, Sun rises, and Holloway saves another person. He's... he's something different, at least from what I've witnessed with all my years behind me. The man doesn't have an iron will, he has something more."

Mr. Holloway has not yet accepted any interviews but has in fact stated that his boots, providing him with his flight, were generously donated to him by Valiant Arms. For the past days, Mr. Holloway was commonly seen blasting through the forest with his flight-granting boots.

 

Ms. Miller volunteered her efforts to directing traffic and later evacuation efforts, working with Mr. Holloway to bring those without transportation into a helicopter though more substantial information regarding this process seems to be scarce. The confrontation between Ms. Miller and a paramedic, Barnaby Lucas has also spread to the internet, video footage captures the scene where the two seem to debate about a Samoyed that is rumored to have some sort healing capabilities though no evidence has been discovered that proves this. Neither party has given any statement regarding this interaction as of yet.

A photo of a young man with a bloodied shirt's futile attempt to physically and desperately halt the famous figure of Emily Miller towering of him is displayed.

 

Stepping into the spotlight, multiple individuals have also been Illuminated to the public while combating these raging flames. Caught on camera demonstrating flight and some sort of aerokinesis is someone identified as Ricter Casenger, a 30 year old construction worker.

Caught in a video, a tall dark-skinned bald man shoots up into mid-air, smoke rising towards him in a swirl.

Mr. Casenger has given no statement regarding his supernatural capabilities but has announced that he will be working to aid efforts in rebuilding homes, roads, and other broken down structures. He is choosing to work with FEMA and other disaster relief organizations for this endeavor.

 

Allister Wildheart, a once debatably Illuminated individual, has been spotted once more demonstrating two large firetruck-like devices, dubbed the Fire Razors, eradicating the fire and more of his capabilities.

A bronze clockwork automaton, painted black, with a faceplate shaped in the facsimile of a hyena's face, dressed in a biker get up snaps their finger in this video and a small crew of clockwork mice, rocket propelled, scramble to the ruined building, reconstructing it with astonishing speed. 

 

There has been no confirmation on the identity of the individual or group that caused this wildfire, though some have been advocating that the cause of this event is a dragon, or several. Theorists claim that Iryna was on the scene so early because of a dragon burnt through the forest and they had to clean up the result. Authorities state they are doing all they can to reveal what happened and bring the perpetrator(s) to justice.

 

As of now, the aftermath of the situation remains uncertain. With hundreds of homes devastated and countless lives disrupted, it seems like it'll still be a long while before things return to normal. The assistance and support from the community does bring a hope though, that perhaps things will be better much sooner.

A final image, this time of a well-groomed man in a preacher's outfit counselling a young girl with bandages across her face is placed at the end of this article.

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