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Parallel to the recent escalation in Ukraine, the army in Belarus has entered the mobilization of its armed forces and begun to erect fortifications. Additionally, a border zone has been set up with Russia at critical sections. It also has been reported that coordination for the deployment of Russian paratroopers is going on.
As has been stated earlier, Russia is planning to transfer its 1st Guards Tank Army for "field" tests to western Belarus, the official date had been given with September 2017. In regard to recent Russian war tactics it has to be kept in mind that Russian regular units always have been used as back-up forces – after the adversary already had been weakened by "hybrid" forces.
Previous "Zapad"-exercises were directed to Scandinavia, the Baltic states and Poland (see for example here for a discussion of Zapad-2013). Edward Lucas wrote in June 2015: "A snap drill in Kaliningrad in December caught NATO completely by surprise. Much larger exercises inMarch, involving probably 33,000 troops, took place in response to a notional Western attempt to create a 'Maidan' uprising in Moscow. The scenario included the speedy seizure of northern Norway,the Åland islands (demilitarized Finnish territory, populated by Swedish-speakers), the Swedish island of Gotland and the Danish island of Bornholm. If carried out successfully, control of those territorieswould make it all but impossible for NATO allies to reinforce the Baltic states."
Additionally, there has been information on possible "Maidan"-like protests in Minsk.
As of mid-February 2017 the situation can be described as a larger military mobilization – both in Russia and Belarus. The mobilization in Belarus has been officially sold as having the purpose of territorial defense. But it has to be reminded here that Belarus can be considered an "extension" of the Russian western military district given the Russian influences (some have claimed the majority of officers was feeling they would belong to Russia; also the higher command of the army has a Russian background).
As of 8 February Russian railway units (officially Smolensk and Rjazan) have been alerted; also the Russian long-range military transport aircraft (i.e. paratrooper transport) has been checked.
As of 14 February the mobilization in the Russian western military district includes fuel supply transports, reserve call-ups, naval bases, artillery units (according to official reports 10.000 men with 2000 units of equipment, including "Iskander"-units), paratrooper checks etc – the total number of mobilized in this region can be around 100.000 men – see here for updates.
As of 1 March there are again combined paratrooper exercises near the border of Estonia (Pskov Oblast, officially around a thousand men from Russia and Belarus). Also, coodination meetings have been taking place in Sochi (under the cover of military winter games last week; Lukashenka also participating). Near St. Petersburg, ground helicopter crew tests have started, plus Minsk saw a "rehearsal" for the police day (while Russian speznaz/paratroopers had been reported to have been present in the city in order to organize upcoming "exercises").
The drills in Belarus were to continue in the first week of March, including reservists. Plus, Russia not only tested paratroopers from Belarus and Russia (according to official reports some 600 men and three military vehicles "jumped" in a coordinated move). Additionally, some dozen ships went out to the Baltic Sea for an artillery test (and later returned to Kaliningrad); while other artillery units trained at Luga (some 50km east of the border with Estonia).
As of mid-March it can be stated that the last weeks have seen massive airborne training (Orenburg, Rjazan and other locations). As of now, some paratroopers are already on the move (e.g. Pskov units officially to Dzankoj at the administrative border with Crimea). Also it had been officially stated that paratroopers from Tula are expected western Belarus in the next few weeks (or days). It can be suggested that other units are moving as well.
Moreover, there have been reports in the last days that suggested the presence of Russian speznaz at the recent protest locations in Belarus.
Finland in the last weeks has speeded up training against hybrid scenarios of Russian warfare – Russia for its part this week will be massively present with its airforce, officially more than 50 teams of its tactical aviation, some hundred km from the Finnish border (Lagoda area; among other shipments into the region).
Update 21 March: As suspected Lukashenka echos the Moscow-line and claims that armed "militants" have been arrested, supported by Lithuania and Poland; also blaming Ukraine of training them militarily. In the meantime, Ukraine has stepped up security at its border with Belarus. Activities in and around Kaliningrad continue to be high; an unusual high number of US reconaissance flights has been taking place in the last two weeks. On 20 March, the Swedish parliament had an evacuation (war) exercise, the first since 1997. Also, nuclear bunkers on Gotland will be prepared for use. On 23 March, there was information on another iodine-leak – the first having been communicated in January – measured near the Kola Peninsula. This could suggest Russian testing of "modified" nuclear weapons to be used in possible future war operations in order to spread maximum public (media) panic; but actual damage not being sufficient to provoke a full-scale nuclear war.
Update 24 March: There has been information of additional units of Russian paratroopers (Ivanovo) being transported to Belarus. Lukashenka has continued to push the western detabilization narrative amid further arrests (some 300 persons from the opposition already arrested). Both the country's armed forces and police have entered an enhanced stage of readiness.
Update 12 April: Protests in Belarus have calmed down, while authorities accused some 30 persons of creating an "illegal armed group". Belsat reported that Tula-paratroopers had arrived to Brest on 11 April: "Representatives of the 38th Independent Guards Airborne Brigade of the Belarusian army and a company from Russia's 106th Guards Airborne Division are taking part in the exercise at Brestski training ground near the Belarusian city of Brest." The Russian defense ministry on 10 April mentioned the presence (of the infamous as for their participation in the summer 2014 invasion in Ukraine) 76th Pskov division at Brest; officially to coordinate "Slavjanskoe bratstvo-2017". Brest sits at the border with Poland, at a crucial strategic location.
On 8/9 April, the Russian defense ministry had boasted to have trained some additional 5000 paratroopers in the "winter training period" – and that until 17 May some 50.000 men would be parachuted. In this regard we have seen busy preparations of the Russian airforce in the last weeks. On 11 April it was communicated that the western military disctrict's units will be mobilized, including all regions (and possibly also Belarus); amongst additional activities of the Baltic Fleet.
As of 30 April 2017 there have been more regular western reconaissance missions in regard to the Baltic region (also with focus on Poland / Germany), with little available official Russian information on undergoing trainings (e.g. there has been no official information on a large number of men having been parachuted since the beginning of April).
Shortly ahead of 9th May, there has been significant military movement in Kaliningrad (see for example here for equipment of the Baltic Fleet); it also has been held that ships scheduled to take place in the St. Petersburg parade left in order to take over positions at Kronstadt and Baltiysk (opposite of the Polish port of Gdynia). Ukrainian observers claim Russia has been masking mobilization efforts as preparations for 9th May parades.
Update 5 June 2017: Russia has since several week not held a larger snap drill exercise (at least not openly) – some obervers have interpreted this as a concentration on larger upcoming events, on of which will be "Zapad-2017". Official Russian sources have reported on another airborne exercise near the Polish(Ukrainian) border, Pskov paratroopers reportedly arriving by train, and the delivery of T-72B3 tanks to Belarus. In a recent interview Ukrainian parliamentarian deputy and military analyst Dmytro Tymchuk has held that "little green men" can be expected any time in Belarus.
7 June 2017: The Russian defense minister announced that Russian Aerospace Forces have arrived at Baranovichi (some 150km from Polish and Lithuanian borders), possibly air defense and anti-missile forces with their material (some six Il-76 planes).
At the end of June 2017 it can be stated there has been usual little (official) activity in the western military district since the beginning of the summer training season. Seemingly, efforts have been taken to maintain vehicles etc. The official announcement for the next bigger event is a lager VDV 'exercise' with several 10.000 men near the border with Estonia and Finland starting in the next few days. The latter (coincidently?) have been shown again as part of the Russian Empire this week on Russian military TV Zvezda. The last two, three weeks indeed have seen another round of the "west is going to attack us" rhetoric (including the comparison of NATO to Nazi Germany).
16 July 2017: In the first half of July, there has been some western reporting on the upcoming exercise, offering little information in order to assess the upcoming events. Information Resistance has just noted that the number of Russian troops at the border with Belarus/Ukraine is assessed to be some 23.000 men; 5000 men have already underwent training in Belarus. According to information (Ukrainian military intelligence) authorities in Belarus have begun to clear sensitive areas around the announced training areas etc. Also, Natalya Radina from Charter 97 in Belarus had pointed to the fact that the interior minister (a native from Ukraine's Luhansk region) has called for the creation of militia in order to fight "crime" which might be a cover operation for the creation of pro-Russian armed forces as seen in the beginning of 2014 in Ukraine.
As for Russian military exercises it can be noted that (the above announced) large paratrooper exercises have not taken place or in a reduced scope. Instead, there has been another round of landing exercises and a high activity of the Russian Baltic Sea Fleet (officially training for a St. Petersburg parade), including ships of the Russian Northern Fleet. Currently, a few dozen Russian warships and submarines concentrate in the area – also, three Chinese ships have joined them in order to underline the Chinese-Russian alliance against the US (western combined military forces).
It now is more and more discussed that the "Zapad-2017" might be a fake set-up (which would be just to the liking of the Russian leadership) – either in terms of the official timetable given or in regard to its purpose, for example leaving Russian troops and material in Belarus after the drill (see here for example; this is not entirely new as such a possibility has been already mentioned some months earlier by representatives from Ukraine or the Baltic states). Some also have brought up the version that it might be a cover for a "real" Russian military offensive against Ukraine. In regard to real Russian military activities and drills, an aggressive move against northern Europe also cannot be ruled out before, during or after "Zapad-2017". Also, Ukrainian Defense Minister Polorak pointed at this option finding on 21 July: "They could be used to launch an aggression against not only Ukraine but also against any other country of Europe that shares a border with Russia." From the military training pattern of the Russian army since 2015 it indeed cannot be ruled out that Russia – and in the worst case also its allies in the Near and Far East – are going to strike simultaneously. This presumably also would have the advantage of surprising and paralyzing the western world that has relied on the US for political and military guidance so far. Most of the decision-makers in the US, the Republican Party responsible in particular at this point of time are a school book example for the degradation of the global elite and seem to prefer cash and personal interests over the security of their own countries, in the case of the US however of the entire world.
The new US envoy to Ukraine, Volker, just admitted (what analysts have pointed to since early 2015) that Russia has more tanks in Ukraine than all western European armies combined. In combination with the recent information that the new Russian railway line Rostov-Voronezh bypassing Ukrainian territory is more or less operationable, this gives way to some more reflections: As Russia faces numerous mine fields and trenches in the western direction (Luhansk/Donetsk region) – how are they going to use those tanks efficiently? A reasonable decision would be to send them both south (Mariupol-direction, land-brigde Crimea operation) and north (either going for Kyiv or in a more complicated operation via Belarus further west). This could also explain the more than 4.000 railway carriages, Russia has allegedly prepared for "Zapad".
For the time being, Russia spreads information on mobilizing troops into the Ukrainian direction (so far some 36.000 Russian troops have been brought into combat-readiness within transport distance from Ukraine, excluding VDV troops so far), and rather plays down its ongoing military preparations taking place in the western military district (notably the Kaliningrad and Leningrad region).
27 July: This had to be expected. The Russian president during his visit of the small Finnish city of Savonlinna (near the Russian border) denied both the Petersburg Naval Parade (and according military activities) and the recent Russian-Chinese coordinated military activities should be interpreted as threats or a military bloc (Hitler-Stalin greeting?). Anyway, the last weeks have also seen significant preparations of the Chinese army that would allow for significant aggressive operations in East Asia. As for NATO deterrence there are no official major actions planned for August. So be prepared for possible surprises.
We also have increasing reports for the last two days on Russian troops moving near Ukrainian borders and on Crimea (as the southern military district has been alerted, officially with command and staff exercises). The western military district has been announced to have been alerted already (artillery, missile troops etc.). There are also reports from Belarus on troop movements (see here).
As of 1 August, the Baltic Fleet (and possibly other ships having been at the military parades in Kronstadt and Petersburg) are moving in the Baltic Sea, together with the Russian airforce. In fact, this day has seen intensive activities of the Russian military in the region. Besides, signal troops of the whole western military district have been officially alerted (including regions bordering with Ukraine). The Ukrainian Information Resistance also has pointed to Russian units being moved closer to Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
Russia just has announced an "exercise" (undated) to take over (Russian) Baltic islands which can be interpreted as simulation to take over Bornholm, Gotland and Åland. The international situation is such at the moment that a Russian simulation could quickly turn into real.
As of 5 August, motorized rifle units of the Baltic Fleet, and engineering and medical troops of the western military district are out for exercises, competitions etc. The Russian defense ministry also has communicated a meeting of the military council of the western military district in St. Petersburg on 4 August.
Additionally, there has been an official announcement on S-400 and "Pantsir" "exercises" near the Finnish border, starting from 8 August. Ria also reports that heavy artillery units from Tambov have arrived in the Leningrad Oblast, some 50km east of Estonia's border.
As of 8 August, there is more information on Russia moving troops to the frontier with Poland (e.g. "Uragans" in Brest); apparently three major Russian attack ships also continue to "loiter" in the Baltic Sea. Moreover, military units in the Leningrad Oblast have been alerted and are moving west; all this amongst a major paratrooper exercise (Pskov). More worringly, there also are credible pics and videos on the second echelon moving west (also in the Voronezh, Krasnodar – i.e. Ukrainian – direction).
As of mid-August it can be stated that the Russian training activity in the western military district remains intensive (see also for the high number of NATO interceptions in the first half of August). VDV-units are ready for any kind of operation. Moreover, on 15 August, the First Guards Tank Army has been alerted. Additionally, Russia has been testing its new digital battlespace.
On the propaganda front there are concerning developments: Ukraine has been falsely blamed for having supplied North Korea with rocket engines (this is for the foreign audience), and is presented (for the domestic audience) by Russian state TV as being responsible for a future nuclear armageddon (while Russia has been arming and partnering up with North Korea itself). This line of argument not only spares Russia from critique, but also presents Ukraine as evil and provides the necessary framework for future aggressive Russian steps against Ukraine.
As of 24 August it is clear that:
- Russia has again been lying on the purpose of "Zapad-17". More than 5.500 (and possibly much more) logistic troops are currently preparing the Russian military (i.e. loading ships with weapons, getting ready railways etc. throughout the western military district). This means that the number of troops in a westward European move involved will be well over 100.000. Ukraine's Turchynov has estimated that between 230.000 and 240.000 troops might be activated.
- As of today we also know that the above mentioned call-up of reservists has been activated. This might concern up to two million people (especially if Russia would seek a casus belli).
NATO reconaissance suggests that planes monitor movements of Kaliningrad-troops in regard to a possible Suwalki-gap move. Currently, VDV-units are concentrated at Pskov. There also have been aerosol fog tests in order to mask movements of the military (and possible loading). Also, the Russian Northern Fleet ships have been loaded with weapons.
Additionally, Russia has been refueling fighter jets in Belarus on highways during larger airforce exercises. There also have been reports, private enterprises received lists of products they would have to supply in times of war (to be handed over to the respective agencies until end of July already). While bloggers now discuss that "Zapad" in reality is a rehearsal for WWIII – and has already begun some time ago – western politics, media and "experts" still pretend nothing is going on. As they are well aware of the limited defense capabilities of the west (and unfortunately NATO, too – if not using nuclear weapons), they perhaps are convinced that ignoring Russian preparations for war and later also actual warfare (see Ukraine or Syria) will allow them to continue with business as usual and to cut a deal with Russia and its allies. So far, this approach has largely worked out for them.
At the end of August both the Russian Northern and Baltic Fleet are into readiness exercises (some 40 and 70 ships/vessels respectively). There also have been reports of additional An-124 transport plane and railway transports to the Murmansk and Brjansk/Smolensk regions (border with Finland and Belarus respectively). Concerning the south-western direction, the Russian southern military district has also announced an airforce and air defense battle alert.
Russia has as well presented a map for the official Zapad-narrative, targeting an imaginary enemy in northern Belarus. Note that in shifting this map slightly to the north, this area more or less creates a corridor between Kaliningrad, Belarus and the Russian Leningrad region (no wonder that Russian troops assemble now massively near Pskov). This Zapad-scenario would mean to occupy significant parts of Lithuania and Latvia and a few kilometers of Poland (the Suwalki gap).
This however is only one part of the story. As there also has been forward deployment into the northern direction, at the time of writing the Russian Northern Fleet is moving in direction to Svalbard. Troops and material also continue to concentrate in the Olenegorsk, Petersburg, Seshcha, Voronezh and Rostov areas. The Ukrainian General Staff estimates that at least 230.000 combat-ready troops have been prepared, yet (130.000 in the northwestern Baltic-Poland and some 100.000 in the southwestern Ukrainian direction respectively).
In the first September days, VDV-units have been moved further west: the 98th division to Pechenga (border with Finland-Norway) and the 76th VDV division to Kaliningrad. Parts of both divisions took part in Russia's summer offensive against Ukraine in 2014.
As of 9/10 September, Russian armed forces basically have moved their most important forces to their points of destination (also apparently the units&material concentrated at Seshcha have been moved further west through Belarus; Belarus is de facto occupied by Russian troops now). Other transports are still departing and moving, namely to the Murmansk and Kaliningrad regions. As for Ukraine, obsevers have noted a significant concentration of units in the Voronezh and Krasnodar/Rostov region respectively.
Additionally, there have been various distractions, notably Russia bringing up "peacekeepers" for Ukraine (see the "humanitarian convoys" of summer 2014). Meanwhile, Russian state TV has claimed south-west Ukraine as being Russian territory, and Russian media seem to push the "NATO is preparing for an offensive on Russia" narrative again while Russian officials deny "Zapad" will involve 100.000 troops. Moreover, there have been several incidents this weekend, such as a Russian soldier swimming into Lithuania, cars exploding at the Terespol/Brest broder crossing, Saakashvili (with all the media attention he likes) trying to enter Ukraine via Przemysl.
Interestingly, the official west still accepts the Russian lie (another lie) that "Zapad" concentrates on Belarus, while there has been larger interconnected military planning, training and deployment since at least 2015. The current picture fits well into those developments. Thus, Russia had deployed forward forces to the boder with Norway (Barents Sea), Finland, the Baltic states (VDV units being ready for jumps onto the well-known strategic Baltic island if necessary), Poland, Ukraine, but also into the southern Georgian and Azerbaijan direction. If the Russian leadership should decide for offensive operations, the greater goal of this plan could be to create strategic corridors (Suwalki gap, Crimea land brigde etc) and the naval domination of international and western waterways.
Shoigu during his conference call with the most important Russian army commanders implicitly confirmed that "Zapad" had considered all Russian military units intendend for future offensive operations (probably not only into the western and south-western, but also in the eastern and southern direction). Another round of drills in the last September days and first October weeks has been reserved in order to fix the most urgent problems revealed during the most recent drills.
For offensive operations to start, all that is missing is a Gliwice-like provocation.
In such a case it also seems that Russia and its allies intend to strike only once, big and quick.
What is even more worrying is that it has been more or less confirmed by the first Ocotber 2017 week that Russia (and probably China) are able to read and follow the electronic conversation of western decision-makers and thus are always a step ahead in their actions.


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Somerton Court Country House, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 7AH
Tel: 01458 274694
Email: [email protected]
Somerton Court is well located for communications. There is a main railway station at Castle Cary (12 miles) which provides a fast rail service to London Paddington taking about 1.5 hours.
The A303 is 2 miles to the south, linking up with the M3 to give fast access to London (120 miles).
The M5 is 15 miles to the west, which gives good access to the West Country and national motorway network to the north.
To find us from the A303, turn off at the Podimore roundabout on to the A372. Continue for about 3 miles then turn right on to the B3151 towards Somerton and follow the Somerton Court B&B signs.

subset: commoncrawl


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The first time an aspiring tattoo artist graduates from sketching in a notebook to actually tattooing a real person, there's always going to be a certain amount of risk involved for the person acting as their human canvas.
But what if tattoo artists could get acquainted with the texture and nuances of tattooing skin without having to risk leaving their friend with a botched tattoo?
That's the idea behind a new notebook called "The Skin Book" created by Tattoo Art Magazine with the help of Brazilian ad agency Lew'Lara TBWA, according to Gizmodo. The Skin Book ditches paper pages in favor of pages made of synthetic skin, giving tattoo artists a sketchbook where each page looks and feels like human skin.
With The Skin Book, Tattoo Art Magazine is hoping to remove some of the stress for first-timers while also giving seasoned tattoo artists a place to practice that lets them use their real needles instead of a pencil or pen.
There's no word yet on whether Tattoo Art Magazine plans to sell The Skin Book or whether it will simply remain a marketing stunt, but it certainly looks like a good idea that tattoo artists could actually find useful if it's not super expensive. If Moleskine isn't looking into the idea of a synthetic skin notebook already, it definitely should be.


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Caption of the photo:
Merry Christmas[圣诞树]
Source: sy_jessica on weibo
24 Tuesday Dec 2013
Posted Pictures, Weibo Updatein
Caption of the photo:
Merry Christmas[圣诞树]
Source: sy_jessica on weibo
15 Thursday Aug 2013
14 Wednesday Aug 2013
13 Tuesday Aug 2013
09 Friday Aug 2013
06 Tuesday Aug 2013
Posted Instagram Updates, News, Weibo Updatein
Alongside Tiffany's (attempted) midnight anniversary message, other members have also thought to drop us sweet and simple messages to celebrate 6 years of both SoShi and SONE.
Jessica left a pre-mature message on August 4th, instead of August 5th, on her Weibo account
And just as August 5th drew to an end, Taeyeon also used her instagram to show off some cute scribbles (that weirdo) to express her gratitude to the fans.
Tha caption for the photo above was; "6th anniversary, thank you, SONE, and my members #gg #6"
While the caption for her second upload was "Kkil kkil kkil (a very weird laugh)".
05 Monday Aug 2013
Message of the post:
looks yummy?[馋嘴] milk ice flakes[心]
Source: sy_jessica on weibo
03 Saturday Aug 2013
Posted News, Weibo Updatein
03 Saturday Aug 2013
02 Friday Aug 2013


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I'm a big fan of online courses, especially the ones that feature good professors with valuable professional and teaching experience. It feels like you are at the university again, but from the comfort (or discomfort) of your chair at home.
I have recently completed "Image and video processing: From Mars to Hollywood with a stop at the hospital" by Guillermo Sapiro.
His modules are mostly self-contained, reach deep enough in the field but doesn't get stuck on hard-to-explain topics and while others criticised his accent, I don't see any problem with it. Relating image processing topics directly to their application is the best way to go in my opinion, which he does great!
The next two courses that I am aiming to complete are the following ones from Peter Corke:
An introduction to robotics, which so far seems pretty nice, though some parts I have read a lot about before or know by practice, but it is good to revisit the theory sometimes.
And last but not least, yet another computer vision class that yields a lot of interesting factors. I'm eager to start it!


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I just finalized the new website. It was time for a new look that would better reflect what I love to do...photography AND design. I'll be adding more content soon but in the meantime, take a look and let me know what you think. :)
« I Believe That... | Main | Go on and cry... »
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The first time I ever spent my very own hard-earned money for something special, I was eight. Having pretty much never paid for anything in my life, I'd saved up quite a few dimes from my weekly 20-cent allowance (earned through such thoroughly backbreaking activities as feeding the dog and setting the dinner table). I spent an evening counting the disgorged contents of my yellow ceramic ducky bank, stacking until I had 17 neat little towers of ten dimes apiece. I was feeling fairly full of myself for having saved such a fortune, quite adult and responsible, and then I begged, badgered, and bugged my mom until she agreed to take me to Toys 'R Us.
When we finally arrived at that Nirvana of Plastic Kids' Stuff, I rushed to the Barbie section where I found her: a "Loving You" Barbie Doll. She was the most magnificent Barbie I'd ever seen. Lavishly shod in the equivalent of 6-inch white Stripper Heels, Barbie wore a puff-sleeved, heart-dotted, ankle-length white chiffon gown with a breath-defyingly tight red velvet bodice. She was bedecked in gigantic fake ruby earrings and a matching ring that was, in reality, a plastic red dot on a stick that went through a hole in her hand and got lost in my brown shag carpet within the week. She was a living Valentine with Barbie's trademark blonde hair in an I-Dream-of-Jeannie ponytail. She was gorgeous and perfect and completely inappropriate for playtime. I absolutely had to have that doll. (more…)


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On August 4, 2011, gold closed at about $1650 per ounce. That's about 22% in six months. This likely reflects the level of confidence so many folks have in our House of Representatives. Unfortunately for us little investors, the really big investors and Governments don't have to pay that 15% charge every time they buy or sell something (nor the tax on transactions), so they're in a position to push the price up and down to their advantage.
The financial pundits are always making fun of the "cash under the mattress" people. Burying stuff in your back yard ala Erskin Caldwell may seem dumb; right up until you pick up the paper and see that your NYSE stocks have lost thirty percent of their "value" in a week, and then they lose another 20 % over the next month or so... Don't we wish we had had our money in gold in September 2008? (When it was about $700.)
We need to remember that those same pundits called "no money down, no principal paid the first year loans" for super over priced houses SECURITIES! (House prices propped up by Greenspan's super low interest rates). "Hey! I can afford to pay for more house than I can use for more money than I have because the Government has interest rates WAY below the inflation rate! And I get to deduct the payments from my taxes! And the house will double in value in three years.*" And the real estate people obliged by hawking the "no risk" investment potential of houses and there were TWO TV shows about "flipping houses" for big bucks.) Now let's bundle the loans and sell them to other banks! Oh Boy!
SECURITIES! Secured by what? A promise to pay made by someone who is spending 130% (average American family debt) of their income on restaurant meals, cars, and vacations? (Also "secured" by a home "equity" loan. Equity that only exists and only on paper because the real estate sales people SAID the house would sell for big bucks because *see above*). SO, does anyone ever ask just exactly where the big bucks sales commissions for Realtors come from? Or where the two billion dollars came from that the Sandler couple walked off with just prior to the implosion of their World Savings Bank? Their bank was so Ponzied with fake "securities" that it brought down Wachovia, the purchaser.
The worst thing in the world that can happen to you is for a realtor to tell you that your house is worth twice what you thought it was IF YOU AREN'T PLANNING ON MOVING! And maybe even if you are, because you have to live somewhere and you'll have to buy another house that's probably over priced by the realtors. "Everything is worth what someone will pay for it." said Publilius Syrus about 2100 years ago. But that is only true if there is money out there. How much money disappeared in the fall of 2008? Everything is worthless in dollar terms right up untill it's sold. A house is two things; an investment and a place to live, don't confuse the two.
We give lip service to the fact that everything comes from somewhere and you don't get something for nothing, but if you're just buying and selling things, houses, and companies, you're not creating anything, you're just moving money around so fast you get to keep some of it (Ayn Rand). Now, just where did all those "profits" come from? It's too complicated, say the pundits, you wouldn't understand.
Back in the 17th century there was a bubble for tulip bulbs in Holland. You could buy two or three houses with the right kind of tulip bulb because the bulb was GOING TO BE WORTH SO MUCH MORE TOMORROW! Forever and ever.
I'm still reading that the housing industry isn't back to "normal". Normal like what was going on in Las Vegas in 2006? I wouldn't live there if you gave me a mansion.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
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The man who attacked and killed a D.C. actress on Christmas Day 2016 was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.
Duane Adrian Johnson, 30, sexually assaulted and murdered Tricia McCauley after she left her home in Northwest D.C. and headed to a Christmas dinner. She was 46.
McCauley, who did not know the man who killed her, lived in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of D.C. and was an accomplished actress who also worked as a yoga instructor and as a licensed nutritionist.
U.S. & World
Johnson entered a guilty plea in September and agreed to a 30-year sentence, avoiding life in prison. A judge accepted that deal during the sentencing Friday.
More than a dozen of McCauley's friends were in the courtroom as her killer learned his fate.
Johnson, 30, did not speak or acknowledge McCauley's friends, many of whom are now in grief counseling.
"When your best friend is murdered and abused by a stranger on Christmas Day, it's a little hard to take," her friend Dean Hively said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler called the murder "horrific."
"Miss McCauley was a special person who had a profound impact on everybody that she came in contact with," he said.
Defense attorneys for Johnson told the judge that he suffers from mental illness and had been sleeping on the streets for days before the murder. He had been discharged from a psychiatric facility because he had no insurance, they said.
The search for McCauley began the day after Christmas 2016, after she failed to show up to Christmas dinner at a friend's house.
She left her home on the 2000 block of North Capitol Street NW and got into her two-door Toyota Scion to drive to a friend's home in D.C. On the way, she encountered Johnson.
"He entered her vehicle and, shortly thereafter, sexually assaulted her," prosecutors said in a statement released Friday.
She tried to fight him off by kicking and punching him. During the struggle, her clothing ripped and Johnson broke her nose.
He strangled her. Then, he put her body in the backseat of her car.
Police launched a widespread search to find McCauley. In the hours following her disappearance, police released a photo of a man they said may have been driving McCauley's car.
A man who saw the photos police released online called police when he spotted McCauley's car. Jonathan Padget came face to face with Johnson near 21st and P streets NW, near Dupont Circle, he said.
"I definitely was aware that this could be a dangerous situation," he previously told News4.
Padget, who said he had friends who knew McCauley, said he spoke to the man and then called for help. The suspect's behavior seemed off, he said.
"He was moving around a lot, and he was smoking something," Padget said.
Police confronted Johnson several blocks to the southwest, inside the CVS store at 22nd and M streets NW. He gave officers the keys to McCauley's car, police said. He was found with several of McCauley's credit cards in his coat pocket.
When the officers searched the car, they found McCauley's body.
Police believe the suspect drove McCauley's car for as long as 24 hours before he was caught, stopping at several CVS stores.
Speaking with detectives at the D.C. police department's Homicide Branch, Johnson initially claimed he met McCauley on or about Christmas Day. He claimed she offered to give him a ride in his car and then offered to have sex with him. She then killed herself, he claimed, according to the court documents.
He then drove her car throughout D.C. for hours and made purchases using her credit cards. He said he picked up a prostitute.
When police asked Johnson why he drove with McCauley's body in the car, he claimed he thought she was sleeping and might awaken.
He claimed that prior to McCauley's death, she told him he could have all her belongings, including her credit cards, money and car, the documents say.
Johnson was arrested six previous times in 2016. He was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and wear a GPS ankle bracelet after he was charged with theft from two businesses on Dec. 17, 2016. But police said he was not wearing the monitor when he was arrested.
Johnson's stepfather, Russell Dixon, previously told The Washington Post that Johnson had been living on the streets and suffered from mental problems. Dixon suggested the courts had been too lenient on his stepson.
"The court system let him go. That's not the help he needs," he told the Post. "He should have been held."
Dixon told the paper he never saw signs of violence in Johnson.
Friends of McCauley's previously told News4 about who she was.
"Tricia was a very strong leader and at the same time a very gentle, compassionate, nurturing person," Jasmine Chehrazi, the founder of the D.C. yoga studio chain Yoga District, said.
McCauley's professional website includes a long list of acting credits, including with the Washington Stage Guild. She played Anna Karenina and acted in a Kennedy Center national tour, the website says. She also appeared in commercials and did voiceover work.
She graduated from American University in 1992 with a degree in theater, her LinkedIn page says.
Three days before McCauley vanished, she emailed Chehrazi, who trained her as a yoga instructor, to thank her.
"She just put in big capital letters, 'thank you for the Yoga District community,'" Chehrazi said. "She didn't have to do that, but she did that because that's the type of person Tricia is."
Chehrazi said she believes McCauley would want her work as a yoga practitioner to live on.
"I know she would want us to keep breathing and keep working to find inner peace to help foster outer peace throughout the world," she said.
Johnson is set to serve 30 years in prison and will not be eligible for early release. He'll be 60 years old when he gets out. Then, he will be required to remain under court supervision until he's 90.
McCauley's loved ones are honoring her by creating a garden in her name, as well as a fund to help actors and other theater professionals afford health insurance.
Her friend, Hively, said he hopes that in McCauley's memory D.C. will improve its social services.
"We hope that the D.C. court system and social services system will improve its mental health services to folks on the street, to folks who are suffering from mental health [problems] and drug addiction, in order to keep people safe," he said.


text:
We're delighted to announce that the Connect10 competition is back for Museums at Night 2013: your museum or gallery could win one of ten top contemporary artists and a financial subsidy for your Museums at Night event!
In 2013 there will be a share of £35,000 available to pay for venues to work with artists to devise outstanding events.
Any cultural or heritage venue in the country can submit an event idea, forty will be shortlisted to go through to the public vote, and all shortlisted venues that don't win an artist will be supported, through small grants, to go ahead with a Museums at Night event.
The ten artists taking part are:
- Jake and Dinos Chapman, irreverent Turner Prize nominees whose provocative sculptures were part of the infamous Young British Artist exhibitions Brilliant! and Sensation. They recently caused controversy by drawing on watercolours believed to have been painted by Hitler.
- Martin Creed, artist and musician who won the 2001 Turner Prize for Work No. 227: the lights going on and off.
- Mat Collishaw, photographer and video innovator known for his hard-hitting images of beauty and cruelty, who has created adult zoetropes, photographed himself trying to catch fairies, and used phosphorescent paint to convey the brief lives of Victorian street children.
- Cullinan Richards, the sculpture and filmmaking partnership of Charlotte Cullinan and Jeanine Richards, who work with fiction, personal histories and live performance.
- Susan Forsyth, London-based sculptor who creates large geometric works such as Wiff-Waff, an enormous gilded ping-pong table inviting visitors to play and make up their own rules.
- Random International, digital artists and sculptors whose current astounding installation Rain Room at the Barbican invites visitors to walk through a 'wet room' yet not get wet!
- Gavin Turk, who created the travelling art circus House of Fairy Tales which has delighted families in unusual places ranging from literary festivals to Camp Bestival.
- Julia Vogl, creator of social sculpture, architectural interventions and colourful public engagement projects.
- Richard Wentworth, British sculpture and installation artist, curator and (back in the day) Damien Hirst's teacher.
- Julian Wild, sculptor and creator of the Making the Connection communal sculpture construction project.
The money:
Winning venues receive a bursary of £2000 to support their event, enabling ambitious and creative event programming. The venues who come in second place will receive a £200 bursary towards their alternative Museums at Night events, while those who come third and fourth will receive £100 each, helping everyone to be part of the festival.
How to take part:
If you're interested in entering the Connect10 competition, which always leads to a lot of publicity and which can be a terrific audience development vehicle, your next steps are:
1) Download our simple at-a-glance Connect10 essentials guide and the detailed Connect10 information pack for venues to read through and discuss with your team. You can also download the terms and conditions for participating venues to make sure you understand what's expected if you take part.
2) The 10 participating artists have shared statements explaining their approach to Connect10, their inspiration and how they work. Take a look and decide which artist you're interested in bringing to your venue, and what sort of event you'd like to stage with them.
3) Once you have buy-in from everyone in your organisation, it's time to enter your event idea. There's a simple form for you to submit your event ideas online here: this will close at 5pm on Thursday 31 January 2013.
When filling in the form, as well as your contact details and artist selection, we'll be asking you to outline more about your event idea.
We recommend you write out your responses to this before you go to the submission form, as you can't save your progress and return to it: if you don't complete the form within one browser session you will need to start a new one.
Questions will include:
- Your reason for choosing this particular artist, and the connections you see between their work and your venue, collections or location (maximum 100 words)
- Details of the event: what will happen, the format it will take, how it will involve audience participation, whereabouts in your venue it will take place, and any other information you want to tell us (maximum 200 words)
- The type of audience you're aiming to attract with this event (maximum 100 words)
- A very basic budget outline explaining what you will spend the £2000 prize money on (maximum 100 words) – don't forget that the artist's fee, travel and accommodation costs will already be covered, but you'll need to budget for the artists' materials.
The event submission form is here: https://culture24.wufoo.eu/forms/connect10-event-submission-form-2013/
If you'd like to discuss your plans with Nick or Rosie first, we're only a phonecall away on 01273 623279 and 01273 623336.
Thanks – and the very best of luck!
The Connect10 competition is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.


text:
Robert "Bobby" Briggs was a student at the Twin Peaks High School and the boyfriend of Laura Palmer, thus one of the initial suspects in her murder. His father was Major Garland Briggs, a member of the United States Air Force, with whom he had an uneasy relationship. Bobby became jealous of James Hurley when he discovered that James was secretly seeing Laura. Laura, on the other hand, did not really love Bobby, and only used him as a source of cocaine. Even before Laura's death, Bobby was seeing Shelly Johnson.
During the years following Laura's death, Bobby became a deputy in the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department.
Early lifeEdit
Bobby moved with his family to Twin Peaks, Washington in 1982 when his father was transferred on orders from Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Milford.[3]
By the next year, he was noted to often pull the hair and burp in the faces of all of the girls at school, especially Laura Palmer.[4]
By 1985, Bobby had begun dating Shelly McCauley, whom he had known since elementary school, but unbeknownst to Shelly, Bobby was also secretly seeing Laura on the side[5], and he had agreed to supply her with marijuana. The first time they slept together, Bobby told Laura that he loved her, but she laughed at him and he cried.[6] Nevertheless, he called her later that night to apologize.[4]
Shelly, however, eventually realized that Bobby was cheating on her with Laura, and confronted him over this in a big public scene during a prom night, where she broke up with him. As a result, Shelly decided to drown her sorrows at the Roadhouse, where she ran into Leo Johnson, whom she married only three weeks later.[5]
A couple of months later, Bobby took Laura to a party being had by Leo Johnson. He soon also started to supply her with cocaine, which she had become addicted to. After he started selling the drug for Leo, Bobby and Laura began a more stable relationship.[4]
By April 1987, Bobby had secretly begun to rekindle his relationship with Shelly, who was stuck in an unhappy and abusive marriage with Leo. Bobby kept this a secret from Laura, but he began to see her less.[4]
Murder of Laura PalmerEdit
On a morning in mid-February 1989, Bobby and his best friend Mike Nelson sat in the former's car, discussing their cocaine supply going low, worried since they owe $5,000 to Leo.[7] Laura and Mike's girlfriend Donna Hayward then passed by on their way to school. Bobby and Mike declared that Mike was "the man."[7][8]
After school, he approached a display case containing Laura's picture and he kissed the glass. He left and saw Laura, who had been unaccounted for during the past hour. He was angered by this, believing she was with someone else. However, she managed to brighten his mood and she went home.[8]
Later, Bobby called Leo Johnson, looking for more cocaine for distribution, but Leo refused, as Bobby owed him $5,000. He then called Jacques Renault, who told him of a supplier he could meet in two days "by the sound of sawing wood."[8]
At school two days later, Bobby met Laura and said there is a big score of cocaine to get that night. At night, they drank in woods, also taking what little cocaine they had left until the drug supplier showed up. He said he was sent by Jacques and showed a bag of what he claimed was cocaine before drawing a gun. Bobby, panicking, pulled out his own gun and killed him. As he frantically tried to bury the man, Laura, being drunk, jokingly insisted that he killed Mike, much to his anger.[8]
The following day, Bobby, still upset about the shooting, told Laura to hide $10,000 in her safety deposit box. Later, Bobby inspected the supplier's cocaine in the woods only to discover that it was merely baby laxative.[7]
On the night of February 23, Laura came to his home to see him and he informed her about the product's true nature.[7] Laura then asked him for more cocaine for the night and told him that she was "going home." Bobby gave her some drugs from his private stash.[8] When she left, he walked her to the door and lit a cigarette, his father telling him to put it out.[7]
Bobby drank a coffee at the Double R Diner the next morning when waitress Heidi showed up to work late, claiming she could not get her car started. After Shelly Johnson commented "too busy jump-starting the old man, huh?" Heidi giggled. Bobby said that he thought Germans were always on time, but Heidi just giggled in response all the way back to the kitchen. Norma Jennings poured his coffee and he offered to drop off Shelly at her home on his way to football practice, which she accepted. On the way out, he played a song on the jukebox and commented to Norma that he would be seeing her in his dreams. They went out to his car and he suspected that Norma knew about their secret relationship, but Shelly disagreed.[9]
They drove to Shelly's house, drinking along the way, but stopped when Bobby saw Leo's truck in the driveway. He backed up and dropped her off away from her house.[9]
Bobby arrived at school, where Mike was waiting. He was told that he is wanted in the office, where he was questioned about his whereabouts by Deputies Hawk and Andy Brennan until Sheriff Harry S. Truman arrived and informs him that Laura had been found dead. Due to his unconfirmed whereabouts for the previous night, he was immediately wanted for questioning. Truman told him he could make a phone call to his parents to get their lawyer. Bobby interpreted this as being considered a suspect and insisted that the two of them loved each other. Truman told Deputy Andy to assist him as he made his phone call, but he resisted until he was restrained by the deputy and sheriff.[9]
He was later brought in for questioning before Sheriff Truman and FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, who had been sent in to investigate the case. Cooper's very first question was if he killed Laura, which he angrily denied. He confirmed that Laura was at his house "studying" until around 9:30 the night before and that she drove herself home. He was angered further when Cooper brought up the fight the couple had the week before. The FBI agent then showed him a video of Donna and Laura, but it was not filmed by him. Cooper announced to him that Laura was seeing someone else, as he had suspected during the couple's fight. He was also asked if he had ever used cocaine with Laura, but he denied it, saying that he did not use drugs. Cooper then asked if he knew anyone with the initial 'J' that could have filmed the video. Bobby said, "no."[9]
After being released, Bobby went to Mike, who was waiting for him and Donna, who was then being questioned. He mentioned to him that they were going to rough up a biker with the initial 'J.' He started to leave when he saw his parents talking to their lawyer. His father offered a sympathetic ear, but he rudely declined.[9]
In the evening, he went with Mike to speak with Donna, who was not home despite a curfew instated for residents under 18 years of age. They left for the Roadhouse, where a singer performed and they waited for Donna. When she arrived, Mike angrily grabbed her, with Ed Hurley coming to her aid, though Bobby beat him down and the two boys were attacked by other bar patrons.[9]
They were arrested and later saw James Hurley being taken to a cell. They began barking at him.[9]
Bobby sat in his cell the next morning with Mike, discussing the money they owed Leo, half of which was in Laura's safety deposit box, for she was supposed to give it to him that day. They argued over how they would get Leo the $10,000 they owed him. They watched as James is escorted back to his cell by Deputy Hawk.[10]
Later, they sat with Sheriff Truman in the interrogation room when Agent Cooper came in and released them after Mike insisted the fight at the Roadhouse was self-defense. He also told them that if anything happened to James, that they would be immediately suspected.[10]
At dinner, he sat at the table as his mother and father prayed. His father began talking to him, wishing to discuss his feelings over the past few days and the limits that should be in place on his rebelliousness. Bobby ignored him and placed a cigarette in his mouth, which caused his father to smack him, sending the cigarette into his mother's food. She picked it up and told him they were there for him.[10]
Bobby and Mike later drove past the Hayward home and saw James' bike outside.[10]
Bobby went with Mike to the woods to pick up the drugs left by Leo inside a football. However, it was not all there and Leo revealed himself. He also noticed another man in the area. They discussed the situation with the money and Leo told him that he knew Shelly had been seeing someone else but did not say if he knew who. He told them to "go out for a pass" and threw the football, which landed on the hood of the car Bobby and Mike were driving.[11]
He later went to Shelly, who was reluctant to let him in. When he gained entry, he noticed her bruised face, finding that Leo had beaten her. He then declared that if Leo harmed her again, he would kill him.[11]
The following day, Bobby stood in front of a sculpture of Jesus on the cross and went to touch it when his father interrupted. The major had him put out his cigarette and the two sat down, Bobby's father talking about his experience with funerals and his wishes to speak more to his son. Bobby was angered when his father insinuated that he was scared of Laura's funeral.[12]
After the preacher finished speaking at the funeral, the angered Bobby accused the attendees of killing her, for they all knew she was in trouble. James then charged at him, though they were restrained by the lawmen and Ed.[12]
Bobby was at the Johnson home the next day, kissing Shelly. She told him that Leo was currently with Jacques Renault. He then told her about Leo and Jacques's drug operation and that Laura purchased cocaine from them. She then showed him a bloody shirt belonging to Leo. He happily took the shirt, declaring that it would put Leo away.[13]
Bobby planted Leo's shirt in Jacques's apartment that night and escaped the sheriff's department who were there to question Jacques.[13]
The next day, he sat in Shelly's kitchen and kissed her, then played out a scenario in which Leo showed up and Bobby threatened his life. Then Deputy Andy came and Bobby hid, listening in on the conversation. Andy asked about Leo's current whereabouts, and Shelly told him she overheard Leo having an argument with Jacques about Laura. When Andy left, Bobby came out of hiding and kissed Shelly. The phone then rings, Leo on the other end, who would be coming home soon. Bobby placed a pistol in Shelly's hand.[6]
Bobby and his family later attended a family counselling session with Doctor Lawrence Jacoby. Jacoby asked to talk to Bobby alone and his parents left. Dr. Jacoby then started questioning Bobby about Laura, and what he knew of the circumstances surrounding her death. Bobby was at first quite provoked by these questions and irately refused to answer them, but Jacoby revealed that he knew quite a few of his secrets through Laura, specifically his actions during his first sexual encounter with her, where he cried and Laura laughed at him for it. Stunned by this, Bobby grew distraught and opened up about his relationship with Laura. He explained that she held a very dark world-view and believed that she had wanted to die and that she held some secret that made her wish for death. Jacoby insisted that Laura wanted to corrupt Bobby, who tearfully confirmed this, stating she made him sell drugs for her addiction's benefit.[6]
Bobby went to the Johnson home the following day to see Shelly, who was upset after shooting Leo. She went over what happened and Bobby promised to deal with Leo and James, then kissed her.[14]
At night, he went to the park, where he saw James and Donna ride away. He followed them to Doctor Jacoby's office and he slipped a bag of cocaine into James' motorcycle's gas tank.[14]
He watched as James and Donna left Jacoby's office and pointed his fingers like a gun as they drove away on James' bike.[15]
Bobby called the sheriff's department, posing as Leo, and told them to check out James, for he was an "easy rider."[15]
He went to the Johnson home, looking for Shelly. Leo revealed himself, saying Shelly was not there and he attempted to kill him with an axe, while Bobby frantically tried to talk him down. Leo, however, was shot through the living room window and fell backwards into his sofa. Bobby took a quick look out the window and caught a brief glimpse of the gunman, Hank Jennings. When he realized that Leo was not getting back up again, he calmly left.[15]
Bobby visited Shelly—suffering from smoke inhalation after being present at the burning Packard Sawmill— the next morning in the hospital, bringing her flowers. They discussed Leo's actions involving her the previous night. Bobby then left, declaring his love for her.[16]
He went to the Double R and he joined his father, who told him about a vision he had of an extravagant home where his happy son came to visit and the two embraced. His father said that the dream had made him sure that Bobby had a very bright future ahead of him, something Bobby was greatly moved by. Teary-eyed, he shook hands with his father, who, before he got up and left for work, told him he was grateful he could share this experience with him. Hearing Hank try to talk to Norma, he remembered that it was Hank who shot Leo the night before.[16]
In his car the next day, he sat with Shelly and they discussed living off of disability checks for the paralyzed Leo. Shelly was very resistant to the idea at first, as it required that she would have to abstain from testifying against Leo, but Bobby managed to convince her, saying that the money would be worth it and he would help her look after Leo if need be.[17]
Days later, Bobby sat in a Port-O-Patient machine sold by Tim Pinkle, testing it out for Leo, but the machine proved itself to be unsafe. Shelly took Bobby aside to ask about their current situation before she went to meet Leo's lawyer. They then went outside, leaving Mr. Pinkle in the Port-O-Patient.[18]
Bobby then followed Hank to the Great Northern Hotel.[18]
He struggled to push Leo through the house in his wheelchair the next day, bumping him into several objects. Insurance representative Tom Brockman highly approved of their decision to take care of Leo. However, Bobby and Shelly were dismayed to find out they were to only get $700 a month in insurance rather than the $5000 they expected.[19]
They later had a party for Leo, and for the first time, expressing their love in front of him. Bobby brought over a cake and Leo fell into it.[19]
The next day, he and Shelly determine the Johnsons' financial situation, determining they only had $42 for the month following expenses. Leo began to scream, then spat and said, "New shoes." Bobby asked what this could mean and Shelly mentioned a pair of boots he had gotten repaired the week before.[20]
He retrieved Leo's boots and took them back to the house with Mike. They broke the heel off of one of the boots and found a micro-cassette.[20]
He later had a drink at the Roadhouse and was moved by the singer's performance of "The World Spins."[20]
The following day, Bobby listened to the tape found in Leo's boot, which contained the voices of Benjamin Horne and Leo planning the arson of the mill. With this blackmail, he wrote a note for Horne, saying they needed to talk, and then Shelly went to him, covered in the food she was trying to feed to Leo.[21]
Bobby took Leo to the roadhouse the next day, as requested by Agent Cooper, who determined Laura's killer to be Leland Palmer, who later died in custody.[22]
Working for HorneEdit
Bobby put on one of Leo's suits the following day to meet with Benjamin Horne. He reassured Shelly that this business would make them financially secure.[23]
He waited outside Ben's office when his secretary came to tell him that he was not expected and could meet with Horne perhaps the next month. Horne's daughter, Audrey then came asking him what he was doing there. She left for a moment and got him into her father's office. However, Horne kicked him out and he left the tape behind.[23]
Bobby enters Horne's office days later, where he found the furniture stacked, with Ben crouched next to the stack. Ben told Bobby he needed to have balance, distance, and symmetry then asked him to admire the stack of furniture. When Bobby asked about the tape, Ben confirmed that he listened to it. However, he then told him to follow Hank Jennings. As he left, Lana Milford runs past him, screaming.[24]
He later saw Audrey and announced that he was on assignment from her father. She proposed doing business together and he went to Ben's office, where he had set up a miniature re-enactment of the battle of Gettysburg. He handed over pictures of Hank and was offered a full-time position.[24]
Bobby went home and found his mother sitting in the dark. When he asked her about this, she cried for Bobby's father, who disappeared days before while on a fishing trip with Agent Cooper. He told his mother about the dream his father explained to him. The power then went out and Bobby and his mother saw his father standing in the living room. The power came back on as his mother went to hug him.[24]
Bobby went to the Johnson home the next day, where Shelly was feeding Leo. She was upset as it was his turn to feed him and he left.[25]
He went to Horne's office, where the Civil War re-enactment had grown, Ben then believing himself to be General Robert E. Lee. He went out to Audrey, who said her uncle and Jacoby were coming to help her father's condition.[25]
Audrey planned with Bobby to break Ben out of his mental state, insisting that she was the one he answered to for the time being.[26]
He returned to the Johnson home, where Shelly was being attacked by Leo. Bobby got inside, where Leo had raised an ax to kill his wife. Bobby attempted to disarm him but was pinned against the wall by him until Shelly managed to stab Leo in the leg, and the latter escaped.[26]
Bobby and Shelly went to the sheriff's station, where they talked to Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman about Leo's attack. The sheriff asked why he was at Shelly's house, to which he openly admitted their relationship and the duration of it. Cooper then asked where he was the night the mill was burned down, suspecting him to be the one who shot Leo, but he said that Hank was the one responsible. Truman told Shelly he would assign deputies to keep an eye on her home, though Bobby was resistant to this. They were then dismissed.[27]
He went to the Great Northern in a Confederate uniform, where he was commanded to play the bugle for the Great Northern employees also acting as Ben's troops.[27]
Bobby once again played the bugle in Ben's re-enactment, then at the surrender at Appomattox, announcing the arrival of Jacoby as General Grant. Jacoby surrendered, despite the historical inaccuracy. Ben collapsed, then came to, believing his Civil War to have been a dream.[27]
The next day, he attended Horne's business meeting with John Justice Wheeler, a potential business partner. Ben presented his plan to work against Catherine Martell's Ghostwood development plan in the name of the near-extinct Pine Weasel.[1]
At the diner the next day, Bobby told Shelly that he had noticed that beautiful people get what they want, so she should enter the Miss Twin Peaks Contest.[28]
He went to the Roadhouse with Shelly for the contest tryouts, but she worried that she would be unable to give a speech. He reassured her, saying that he would write her speech for her.[28]
Bobby saw Mike with Nadine Hurley and pulled him aside to voice his concern for their relationship. Mike dismissed his concerns, using Nadine's sexual maturity and extreme strength as his reasoning for the relationship.[28]
He later went to the diner, where he saw Shelly kiss FBI Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole. The man taunted Bobby, then kissed her again, Bobby standing confused.[28]
Bobby and Shelly went over the speech the next day, but then he expressed that he felt like he had been neglecting her, but seeing Cole kiss her made him realize this and that he loved her.[29]
He sat backstage at the Miss Twin Peaks contest the following day and noticed that he saw the Log Lady both at the bar and also backstage. He approached her backstage, thinking it may have been a relative, but she bashed his head with the log, knocking him out. In reality, this Log Lady was actually former FBI Agent Windom Earle.[30]
Bobby and Shelly watched his parents having a happy breakfast the next morning and he told Shelly that they should get married.[31] A few days later, Leo was found dead in a cabin in the nearby woods, shot five times by an unknown assailant. After an "appropriate" mourning period, Shelly and Bobby resumed their relationship, now a publicly known couple.[5]
Later lifeEdit
Almost one year to the day after Leo's body was found, Shelly married Bobby during a weekend trip to Reno, Nevada. Seven months later, Shelly gave birth to their daughter, Rebecca McCauley Briggs. Bobby's mother and Norma Jennings co-signed a loan to allow the couple to buy their first home, and continued to provide moral and financial support.[5]
Over the next twenty-five years, however, Bobby and Shelly's marriage crumbled and ended in divorce some years later. Their daughter "Becky" eventually married Steven Burnett.
In a Q&A, Mark Frost indicated that Bobby and Mike Nelson remained friends and were in a bowling league together. He also stated that Shelly and Bobby "raised Rebecca together but slowly grew apart, as young couples often do. Amicable divorce, shared custody. Shelly's weakness for "bad boys" never went away, but infidelity was not the root cause for their breakup."[32]
At some point over the course of these twenty-five years, Bobby became a deputy with the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department and kept his eye on possible drug trails. He was advised by Sheriff Frank Truman to be aware of Chinese designer drugs. After a much-needed bathroom break, he met with Deputy Chief Hawk and Sheriff Truman in the conference room and saw a photo of Laura Palmer, causing him to become emotional. While Hawk and Truman discussed files pertaining to Agent Cooper - who had been missing for twenty-five years - Bobby informed them that Cooper had been the last person to see Bobby's father alive, but he did not know what the two discussed during their last meeting.[33]
Along with Truman and Hawk, Bobby visited his mother to discuss his father's activities with Cooper prior to his death. She told them that she had been foretold by the Major about this visit and reflected on Bobby's growth over the previous twenty-five years. She then took a metal container out of a chair and gave it to the men, as it had been left by Garland for this visit.[34]
They took the container back to the sheriff's station, kicking Deputy Chad Broxford out of the conference room in the process. However, Bobby became amused at Frank and Hawk trying to open it and said it had to be opened outdoors. They took it outside and Bobby threw it on the ground, causing it to make a noise before he threw it down again to open it. Truman pulled out slips of paper: one with directions referring to the "Jack Rabbit's Palace," an imaginary place he and his father came up with in his childhood, and a slip of paper transcribing transmissions that include Cooper's name twice.[34]
After an incident where Becky took Shelly's car to confront Steven – who was having an affair with Gersten Hayward – Bobby met her and Shelly at the Double R to discuss her situation with Steven. Bobby and Shelly both advised she leave him and Bobby stated that he would no longer allow Steven to get away with his crimes. Shelly then ran off to have a moment with Red, which Bobby and Becky watched from the diner with visible misgivings.
A shot then rang out and Bobby went outside to investigate, finding that a young boy in a van fired a gun. While waiting for the boy's mother to get her ID out, he noticed the boy standing with a stance that mimicked that of his father's, apparently not affected by what he had just done, disturbing Bobby. Deputy Jesse Holcomb took over the situation and Bobby went to the car of a woman who continuously honked her horn, finding the woman frustrated and with a sick girl in her passenger's seat.[35]
Another evening, Bobby went to the diner and joined Ed Hurley and Norma Jennings for dinner, telling them that he had found belongings of his father. However, he and Ed moved to a different booth when Norma's boyfriend, Walter Lawford, arrived.[36]
After arresting Deputy Broxford, Bobby led his fellow lawmen to Jack Rabbit's Palace, following his father's instructions. They continued through the woods and found a nude, eyeless woman, who Andy noted to be important.[37]
Due to a fight at the Roadhouse, Bobby and Hawk locked up James Hurley and Freddie Sykes. Later, Hawk summoned Bobby, along with Andy, Lucy, and Frank to the conference room to announce the death of Margaret Lanterman.[38]
After a commotion at the station, Bobby wandered to Sheriff Truman's office, where everyone else had gathered, including Dale Cooper. Cooper told Bobby that his father was aware of the events that had unfolded that day, which Bobby himself was unaware of. Cooper said these events had brought them together and that some things would change.[39]
Personality Edit
Bobby is initially introduced with a typical "jocky" personality, an archetype exemplifying the high-school setting as well as his work as a drug dealer and user. He is presented as an opportunist, constantly scheming for ways to earn money, though to some extent this comes from a desire to build a better life for him and Shelly. Nonetheless, he was willing to let Shelly tend to a vegetative Leo in the name of finding work, ignorant of her obvious frustration.
Underneath this tough exterior, however, hides a vulnerable personality. After killing a drug dealer in self-defense, Bobby is left shocked, frantically burying the body and constantly worrying about the incident the next day. His stress is not helped by Laura literally mocking him about the incident, which results in him breaking up with her after realizing she was mainly after him for the cocaine. Following her death, Bobby tried to maintain his old personality, but easily broke down during Dr. Jacoby's session with him.
In the series' continuation, Bobby has evidently renounced his old ways, now working as a deputy for the Sheriff's Department and, rather than dealing drugs, keeping an eye out for drug dealers at his old high school. The deaths of Laura Palmer and his father still deeply affect him, as evidenced by his emotional reaction to seeing Laura's old prom photo and learning that his father never gave up hope for him. Though he and Shelly have separated, he still carries a torch for her, sadly watching her flirt with Red.
Behind the scenesEdit
Bobby was played by American actor Dana Ashbrook, who reprised the role in the 2017 series.
Twin Peaks (1990-1991)Edit
Twin Peaks (2017)Edit
- Twin Peaks Collectible CardArt
- The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer
- Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
- Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
- Twin Peaks – season 1
- "Diane..." - The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper (Mentioned only)
- Twin Peaks – season 2
- Twin Peaks – 2017
- The Secret History of Twin Peaks (Mentioned only)
- Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier (Mentioned only)
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 23"
- ↑ Twin Peaks Collectible CardArt
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Secret History of Twin Peaks
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Twin Peaks – "Episode 5"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Twin Peaks – "Pilot"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Twin Peaks – "Episode 1"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 2"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 3"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 4"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 6"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Twin Peaks – "Episode 7"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 8"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Episode 9"
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 12"
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 13"
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Twin Peaks – "Episode 14"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Episode 15"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Episode 16"
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 17"
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Twin Peaks – "Episode 19"
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 20"
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Twin Peaks – "Episode 21"
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Twin Peaks – "Episode 22"
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Twin Peaks – "Episode 26"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Episode 27"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Episode 28"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Episode 29"
- ↑ Mark Frost (November 8, 2017). "I'm Mark Frost, co-creator of Twin Peaks and author". Reddit. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Part 4"
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Twin Peaks – "Part 9"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Part 11"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Part 13"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Part 14"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Part 15"
- ↑ Twin Peaks – "Part 17"


text:
Way back in 2016 the Tap East Sorrel IPA was a hit! Debuting the combination of big hops and big hibiscus in IPA form, Asa James always wanted to rebrew the beer with the intent of not only replicating but improving on its original recipe.
Finally that time has come and the beer that's been nearly three years in the making will make its reappearance on Thursday 20th September!
The well balanced combinations of Sorrel and Ginger, Oat and Wheat malts really brings the summer sun to your heart! Why settle for gloom and rain!? So plant your butt here at Tap East here in Stratford City or shake a leg west to The Rake in Borough Market to try it fresh off the keg!
Plus, good news for those early few! For a short time only you can pick up a very limited run of bottles too (label designs by Manesh Ravji) at Tap East, The Cage or The Rake in Borough Market! So don't sit back or you will miss out!
The crafting never stops!
Tap East will also see Experimental Brew No.2 making its debut at Tap East only, also on Thursday 20th as part of the Pin Projects 2018. Look out for the beautiful new pumpclip designed especially by Cathy Kwan also making it's first appearance.
So come see what's been a'brewing before the pumps run dry!


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text:
Nov 302011
Anna Weltner of the New Times in San Luis Obispo writes about the Armstrongs' latest gallery showing:
[The Armstrongs] recently donated a collection of 59 of their oil paintings, valued at nearly $2 million, to Cal Poly's Graphic Communications program. … The paintings are intended to be sold with profits benefiting the university. Paso Robles fine art purveyor Pierce Modern Gallery was chosen to display and market the collection.
Read more at New Times


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PHOTO: The Star/Asia News Network
KUALA LUMPUR - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is now a free man.
He walked out of Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital at 11.30am Tuesday (May 16) a free man and is now en route to Istana Negara to meet the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V.
Anwar was initially scheduled to be released on June 10, 2018, after his five-year sentence that started on Feb 10, 2015 was reduced for good behaviour.
Anwar a free man after royal pardon
Anwar was supposed to speak to the press outside the centre upon his release, but the sheer hubbub from supporters and media seems to have delayed this.
READ ALSO: Anwar walks free after royal pardon, meets Mahathir
PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil said earlier that Anwar is scheduled to hold a press conference at his home in Segambut at around 4pm.
"Anwar will perform terawih prayers at his home before attending the rally at Padang Timur tonight," he told reporters.


text:
The Coathangers are back with their sixth studio album, The Devil You Know. The album will be out on March 8th via Suicide Squeeze and to accompany the news have released the first track from the album, "Bimbo," and its video.
Continue reading "The Coathangers Announce New Album, "The Devil You Know""