You've probably been hearing a lot about Bitcoin recently and are wondering what's the big deal? Most of your questions should be answered by the resources below but if you have additional questions feel free to ask them in the comments. It all started with the release of Satoshi Nakamoto's whitepaper however that will probably go over the head of most readers so we recommend the following articles/books/videos as a good starting point for understanding how bitcoin works and a little about its long term potential:
Limited Supply - There will only ever be 21,000,000 bitcoin created and they are issued in a predictable fashion per the inflation schedule. Once they are all issued Bitcoin will be truly deflationary. The halving countdown tells you how much time until the next drop in block rewards.
Open source - Bitcoin code is fully auditable. You can read and contribute to the source code yourself.
Accountable - The public ledger is transparent, all transactions are seen by everyone.
Decentralized - Bitcoin is globally distributed across thousands of nodes with no single point of failure and as such can't be shut down similar to how Bittorrent works. You can even run a node on a Raspberry Pi.
Censorship resistant - No one can prevent you from interacting with the bitcoin network and no one can censor, alter or block transactions that they disagree with, see Operation Chokepoint.
Push system - There are no chargebacks in bitcoin because only the person who owns the address where the bitcoin resides has the authority to move them.
Low fee scaling - Most wallets calculate on chain fees automatically but you can view fee estimates and mempool activity if you want to set your fee manually. On chain fees may rise occasionally due to network demand, however instant micropayments that do not require confirmations are happening via the Lightning Network, a second layer scaling solution currently rolling out on the Bitcoin mainnet.
Borderless - No country can stop it from going in/out, even in areas currently unserved by traditional banking as the ledger is globally distributed.
Trustless - Bitcoin solved the Byzantine's Generals Problem which means nobody needs to trust anybody for it to work.
Secure - Blocks and transactions are cryptographically secured (using hashes and signatures) and can’t be brute forced or confiscated with proper key management such as hardware wallets.
Programmable - Individual units of bitcoin can be programmed to transfer based on certain criteria being met
Nearly instant - From a few seconds on the lightning network to a few minutes on-chain depending on need for confirmations. Transactions are irreversible by normal users after one confirmation and irreversible by anyone (including miners) after 6 confirmations.
Portable - Bitcoin are digital so they are easier to move than cash or gold. They can be transported by simply carrying a seed (a string of 12 to 24 words) on a device or by memorizing it for wallet recovery (while cool, memorizing is generally not recommended due to potential for forgetting the seed and the potential for insecure key generation by inexperienced users. Hardware wallets are the preferred method for most users for their ease of use and additional security).
Scalable - While the protocol is still being optimized for increased transaction capacity, blockchains do not scale very well, so most transaction volume is expected to occur on Layer 2 networks built on top of Bitcoin.
Divisible - Each bitcoin can be divided down to 8 decimals, which means you don't have to worry about buying an entire bitcoin.
Bitcoin.org and BuyBitcoinWorldwide.com are helpful sites for beginners. You can buy or sell any amount of bitcoin (even just a few dollars worth) and there are several easy methods to purchase bitcoin with cash, credit card or bank transfer. Some of the more popular resources are below, also check out the bitcoinity exchange resources for a larger list of options for purchases.
You can also purchase in cash with local ATMs. If you would like your paycheck automatically converted to bitcoin use Bitwage. Note: Bitcoin are valued at whatever market price people are willing to pay for them in balancing act of supply vs demand. Unlike traditional markets, bitcoin markets operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
Securing your bitcoin
With bitcoin you can "Be your own bank" and personally secure your bitcoin OR you can use third party companies aka "Bitcoin banks" which will hold the bitcoin for you.
If you prefer to "Be your own bank" and have direct control over your coins without having to use a trusted third party, then you will need to create your own wallet and keep it secure. If you want easy and secure storage without having to learn computer security best practices, then a hardware wallet such as the Trezor, Ledger or ColdCard is recommended.
If you cannot afford a hardware wallet there are many software wallet options to choose from depending on your use case. Mobile wallets like BlueWallet are generally more secure than desktop wallets. Beware of fake mobile wallets and check reviews from reputable Bitcoin websites. Avoid paper wallets or brain wallets.
If you prefer to let third party "Bitcoin banks" manage your coins, try Gemini or Unchained Capital but be aware you may not be in control of your private keys in which case you would have to ask permission to access your funds and be exposed to third party risk. There is a saying in the community, "Not your keys, not your coins" meaning if you don't store your coins in a wallet that you control the keys to then you do not really own your bitcoin as you have to ask permission from the third party in order to move them.
Note: For increased security, use Two Factor Authentication (2FA) everywhere it is offered, including email! 2FA requires a second confirmation code or a physical security key to access your account making it much harder for thieves to gain access. Google Authenticator and Authy are the two most popular 2FA services, download links are below. Make sure you create backups of your 2FA codes. Avoid using your cell number for 2FA. Hackers have been using a technique called "SIM swapping" to impersonate users and steal bitcoin off exchanges.
Physical security keys (FIDO U2F) offer stronger security than Google Auth / Authy and other TOTP-based apps, because the secret code never leaves the device and it uses bi-directional authentication so it prevents phishing. If you lose the device though, you could lose access to your account, so always use 2 or more security keys with a given account so you have backups. See Yubikey or Titan to purchase security keys. Both Coinbase and Gemini support physical security keys.
Watch out for scams
As mentioned above, Bitcoin is decentralized, which by definition means there is no official website or Twitter handle or spokesperson or CEO. However, all money attracts thieves. This combination unfortunately results in scammers running official sounding names or pretending to be an authority on YouTube or social media. Many scammers throughout the years have claimed to be the inventor of Bitcoin. Websites like bitcoin(dot)com and the r / btc subreddit are active scams. Almost all altcoins (shitcoins) are marketed heavily with big promises but are really just designed to separate you from your bitcoin. So be careful: any resource, including all linked in this document, may in the future turn evil. As they say in our community, "Don't trust, verify".
Avoid using ad-based search engines like Google or Yahoo: ads are shown based on how much the advertiser bids, and scammers can easily outbid legitimate providers for ad space, since immoral ways of earning money are far more lucrative than moral ways. Use DuckDuckGo instead, which has no ads, and never tracks you as well.
Ignore private messages offering services.
Never enter your seed words in a website of any kind. Hardware wallets will recover by displaying possible seed words on their own interface, never on a website.
Always check addresses on your hardware wallet before sending or receiving. Some malware has been known to replace addresses in your web browser or that you copy-and-paste.
Avoid clicking on links like that look like links, such as https://www.google.com/, without first hovering over it and actually checking where they go to. Just because a link is labelled with an HTTPS address does not mean it actually sends you to that address. It is trivial for someone to comment a link on Reddit that looks like it will send you to one website when it actually sends you to another, and you might not notice the difference until a scammer has gotten all your money, or you have downloaded and installed software that steals your money.
Common Bitcoin Myths
Often the same concerns arise about Bitcoin from newcomers. Questions such as:
Is Bitcoin a Ponzi scheme?
Will governments ban Bitcoin?
Will quantum computers break Bitcoin?
All of these questions have been answered many times by a variety of people. Here are some resources where you can see if your concern has been answered:
Check out spendabit or bitcoin directory for millions of merchant options. Also you can spend bitcoin anywhere visa is accepted with bitcoin debit cards such as the CashApp card or Fold card. Some other useful site are listed below.
Gift cards for thousands of retailers worldwide including Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, Whole Foods, CVS, Lowes, Home Depot, iTunes, Best Buy, Sears, Kohls, eBay, GameStop, etc.
There are several benefits to accepting bitcoin as a payment option if you are a merchant;
1-3% savings over credit cards or PayPal.
No chargebacks (final settlement in 10 minutes as opposed to 3+ months).
Accept business from a global customer base.
Increased privacy.
Convert 100% of the sale to the currency of your choice for deposit to your account, or choose to keep a percentage of the sale in bitcoin if you wish to begin accumulating it.
If you are interested in accepting bitcoin as a payment method, there are several options available;
Mining bitcoin can be a fun learning experience, but be aware that you will most likely operate at a loss. Newcomers are often advised to stay away from mining unless they are only interested in it as a hobby similar to folding at home. If you want to learn more about mining you can read the mining FAQ. Still have mining questions? The crew at /BitcoinMining would be happy to help you out. If you want to contribute to the bitcoin network by hosting the blockchain and propagating transactions you can run a full node. You can view the global node distribution for a visual representation of the node network.
Earning bitcoin
Just like any other form of money, you can also earn bitcoin by being paid to do a job.
You can also earn bitcoin by participating as a market maker on JoinMarket by allowing users to perform CoinJoin transactions with your bitcoin for a small fee (requires you to already have some bitcoin).
Bitcoin-Related Projects
The following is a short list of ongoing projects that might be worth taking a look at if you are interested in current development in the bitcoin space.
One Bitcoin is quite large (hundreds of £/$/€) so people often deal in smaller units. The most common subunits are listed below:
Unit
Symbol
Value
Info
bitcoin
BTC
1 bitcoin
one bitcoin is equal to 100 million satoshis
millibitcoin
mBTC
1,000 per bitcoin
used as default unit in recent Electrum wallet releases
bit
bit
1,000,000 per bitcoin
colloquial "slang" term for microbitcoin (μBTC)
satoshi
sat
100,000,000 per bitcoin
smallest unit in bitcoin, named after the inventor
For example, assuming an arbitrary exchange rate of $10000 for one Bitcoin, a $10 meal would equal:
0.001 BTC
1 mBTC
1,000 bits
100k sats
For more information check out the Bitcoin units wiki. Still have questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below or stick around for our weekly Mentor Monday thread. If you decide to post a question in /Bitcoin, please use the search bar to see if it has been answered before, and remember to follow the community rules outlined on the sidebar to receive a better response. The mods are busy helping manage our community so please do not message them unless you notice problems with the functionality of the subreddit. Note: This is a community created FAQ. If you notice anything missing from the FAQ or that requires clarification you can edit it here and it will be included in the next revision pending approval. Welcome to the Bitcoin community and the new decentralized economy!
When a body is found 600 miles away... Extensive two part write up on the bizarre case of Judy Smith (1997). Part 1 of 2.
Hello everyone, for the last few months I have been creating long form write-ups on a variety of unsolved cases. If you are interested in other lengthy write ups you can find them on my profile- https://www.reddit.com/useQuirky-Moto. Months ago, I was asked to cover the inexplicable case of Judy Smith, a woman who went missing from Philadelphia or perhaps Massachusetts, only for her body to be found in North Carolina months later. The case was famously covered on the show Unsolved Mysteries, and it is strange enough to warrant a long, hard look at the case and a comprehensive timeline. I hope you are able to learn something new about this semi well-known case. Background Judy Smith was born Judith Eldridge in Massachusetts in 1946. Right out of high school Judy married for the first time. Her husband and she had been married very shortly when in an attemot to avoid the draft, he fled to Sweden. Judy went in search of her young husband but soon returned to the states empty handed and filed for divorce. Years later, Judy married Charles Bradford a man who worked in the racehorse industry. They had two children together, Craig and Amy, but unfortunately the marriage did not last and soon Judy found herself jobless and raising two children by herself. Rather than fret, Judy got a job and enrolled in nursing school. Judy was known to study in all of her free time and soon became a successful home health care nurse. In 1986 at age 40, Judy was caring for a man who was recovering from throat surgery when she met her patient’s son, a well to do lawyer named Jeffrey Smith. Jeffrey said he was impressed by how Judy cared for his father and asked her on a date. Judy and Jeff had several things in common, both had been divorced single parents who raised children alone, and Jeffrey worked in healthcare as well, except he was a lawyer. The couple both enjoyed going to plays and Celtics basketball games. After seven years together, Jeff and Judy moved in together and three years later the couple married in Nov., 1996. According to friends and family, Judy was a rather assertive and independent person. She was no stranger to travelling alone. Judy had been to Europe on her own a few times, and when her children were pre-teens, she took them to Europe for a backpacking adventure. Judy also independently traveled to Thailand where she went hiking and visited friends. While Judy wasn’t the epitome of fitness, she was an active person who enjoyed walking, hiking, and sightseeing. She was also known to be a go-getter who once helped an AIDS patient who was having a medical crisis on a plane. So, while Judy was kindhearted and considerate, she wasn’t thought to be naive and was able to take care of herself in a variety of different situations. The disappearance Five months into her new marriage on April 9th 1997, Jeffrey prepared to attend a conference in Philadelphia that was taking place from Wednesday April 9th-Friday April 11th at the Double Tree hotel in downtown Philadelphia. Judy decided to accompany her husband to Philadelphia and planned to do some sightseeing in the area. Afterwards, the Smiths were going to New Jersey to spend the weekend with some friends before flying back home. On April 9th in the morning, Judy accompanied her husband to Logan International Airport to fly to Philadelphia, but discovered at the gate that she could not board as she did not have her photo ID. Judy encouraged Jeffrey to take the 1:30 pm flight and assured him that she would take a flight later that day and meet him in Philadelphia. According to relatives, the Smiths took public transport to the airport and Judy apparently took the bus back home and retrieved her ID. Jeffrey flew to the conference while Judy returned home and booked a flight for later that day. Judy boarded a 7:30 pm flight and arrived at the hotel in Philadelphia at approximately 9:30 pm. Once at the hotel, the couple purchased some snacks and went to bed. The next morning Jeffrey awoke and ate breakfast at the complimentary buffet downstairs while his wife was still asleep. When he returned to the room Judy was in the shower. The two talked about several things, and Judy explained that she planned on taking the PHLASH bus in order to see the famous sights such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The Smiths planned on meeting up at the hotel in the evening to attend the conference’s 6 pm cocktail party together. With that squared away, Jeffrey attended the conference. Sometime in between 9 and 10 am a hotel concierge recalled seeing a woman matching Judy’s description ask how to get to the PHLASH bus stop. The woman was in her 50s, with shortish hair, wearing a dark colored coat, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes, carrying a bright red backpack. (Picture of the Judy wearing the backpack here). At approximately 5:30 pm Jeffrey who was done with the day’s sessions returned to the hotel room expecting to find Judy waiting for him. Judy wasn’t there, so Jeffrey attended the cocktail hour in the hopes his wife was already visiting at the party, but she wasn’t there either. For the next 45 minutes, Jeffrey floated between the room and the party hoping to find Judy. At approximately 6:15 pm Jeffrey told the concierges that his wife had not returned from sightseeing and the hotel staff began calling local hospitals. At 6:30 pm, Jeffrey hopped in a taxi and instructed the driver to take the PHLASH bus route slowly so he could look for his wife. In one interview Jeffrey recalled that he made the driver go so slow it angered those stuck behind him. After a few hours without any sign of Judy, Smith called the police to report his wife missing. Shockingly, the PPD told Jeffrey that he couldn’t file a report until it had been twenty-four hours since the last final sighting of Judy. After lodging some complaints with some high-ranking officials within the city, a missing person’s report was taken for Judy Smith on the morning of April 11th, 1997 (Lewis, 1997). Jeffrey called his step children and asked them to check the house in case Judy had gone home, and he also asked that they would check the answering machine, but there were no messages of note and the house was empty. A check of the hotel room showed that Judy had left with her signature red backpack, her wallet, the jewelry she normally wore including a diamond engagement band and a simple silver wedding ring, and the clothes on her back. Jeffrey estimated that she had approximately $200 dollars with her at the time. According to later interviews with Philadelphia investigators, Judy, or someone with her name did in fact buy a USair ticket on the 7:30 pm flight into Philadelphia. Her ticket was used to make the flight and her seat was occupied on the flight into Philadelphia (Justiceforjudy.org). At the time of the Smiths’ trip, regulations that required photo identification to board a plane had only been in effect for 18 months and Judy had flown only one other time during that time frame. Additionally, police have a luggage tag from Judy’s suitcase that showed that she took the 7:30 pm flight, and that her bag did not travel to Philadelphia with Jeffrey earlier in the day (AP, Oct 4th, 1997). Sightings As news of Judy’s disappearance spread, many people called the police station to report various sightings of Judy. One PHLASH driver remembered picking up Judy in the early afternoon at Front and South streets, a stop near the Double Tree. There was also a reported sighting of Judy entering the Greyhound bus station at 11th and Filbert sometime in the early afternoon. This station is a common place for tourists to use the bathroom and is only a 10-minute walk to the DoubleTree hotel. One report claims Judy was seen entering and then exiting the station but most reports mention only entering the station. This area was close to Philadelphia’s Chinatown and Jeffrey speculated that Judy may have gone to Chinatown for lunch as she loved both Chinese and Thai food, but no restaurant owners remembered seeing Judy that day. There was yet another sighting of a woman who looked like Judy at around 3 pm near the hotel; witnesses claimed this woman seemed disoriented. A number of sightings were reported over the next few days in the waterfront area of the city called Penn’s Landing. A variety of people claimed to have seen Judy. Some witnesses said she seemed confused or dazed. Judy’s two children, her son in law Jay, and Jeffrey looked into these sightings and discovered that there was a homeless woman in the area who looked strikingly similar to Judy and it is believed that many witnesses saw this woman rather than Judy Smith. This local resident looked so similar to Judy that at one point Judy’s son Craig crossed the street thinking he had discovered his mother, only for it to be the other woman. Police officers and volunteers stopped this woman a number of times as well. One transient in the area, a man named David, was insistent that he saw Judy, not the other woman, on the night of April 10th in the Penn’s landing area, either resting or sleeping on the bench. He was insistent it was Judy, and not the other woman as he knew the other woman from the neighborhood. Judy’s son believes this story is credible as David was coherent and very willing to be interviewed, even though there was nothing to be gained from his testimony and he was simply happy to help the family. He also identifed Judy from a collection of photos, something many other witnesses were unable to do. On April 11th an employee at a Macy’s department store in Deptford, New Jersey believed that she interacted with Judy Smith in the morning on that day. She described the clothes Judy wore, right down to the old red backpack. This shopper told the employee, that she was buying some dresses for her daughter but laughed because her daughter often disliked the pieces that she purchased for her. Judy’s family confirmed that this was acurate and affirmed that Judy sometimes shopped at Macy’s. The customer appeared to be slightly disoriented as she asked a young woman in the store to leave with her, thinking that the other customer was her daughter or a someone else she knew. One report says that Judy asked another customer in the store about menopause, a very odd subject to talk about, especially with someone you don’t know in a department store. This mall complex was in Deptford, New Jersey, a bus ride away from Philadelphia, across the Delaware River. According to newspaper reports, NJ Transit Buses had routes which traveled from downtown Philly to Deptford hourly, and the stop was very close to the mall the sighting took place at, meaning it was possible for Judy to have boarded the bus and ended up in Deptford quite easily. Unfortunately, the Macy’s didn’t have security footage which showed this customer and the woman paid for her purchases in cash. After a second story ran in the newspaper on April 14th, a variety of other witnesses came forward with stories. The most famous report came from a Society Hill hotel employee who explained that a woman who matched Judy’s description stayed in the hotel from April 13th-15th. The woman appeared to have psychiatric problems and did a variety of strange things during her stay such as touch herself very noticeably in front of the window (it’s unknown if this was in her room or in the lobby), speak in tongues, and finally claimed that “the emperor” would help her pay for her stay at the hotel. This wacky guest was remembered by several employees including the hotel manager, a woman named Abby Gainer, who alerted the police. The strange guest told the employees that she wanted to stay at the hotel for another night but didn’t have the funds to do so. She later said she would get the money via a Western Union wire transfer from “the emperor” (Altman, 1997). The nearby Best Western Hotel had a similar situation with a similar woman. Concierge Tyrone Taylor remembered that on the 15th, a woman matching this description entered the hotel to use the telephone in the late afternoon. The woman was speaking loudly and said that “the emperor of China” was going to pay for her stay as she did not have the cash to pay for a night at the hotel. Taylor reported that the woman was well dressed and did not appear to be a transient. Both hotel employees reported that the woman was a heavyset blonde in her 50s, wearing heavy dark makeup, eye glasses with tape on the side, and nicer clothes. Gainer reported the woman was sporting an expensive looking scarf with camels and roses on it. The woman, who signed in as "H. K. Rich/Collins," did not have any luggage with her and was wearing very different clothes than Judy was last seen in. When Taylor called the police to report his sighting, he gave the strange guest a call (she must have left a telephone number) and told her she could have a free night at the hotel. She arrived at the Best Western but police decided that the woman was not Judy Smith (Altman, 1997). The hotel sightings were nothing more than a red herring. Over the next few months various sightings were reported but none seemed to pan out. Many of the sightings were believed to be other people who looked like Judy. After all history has shown that false eyewitness sightings are incredibly common in cases of missing persons. Philadelphia PD’s investigation Philadelphia PD launched an inquiry into the disappearance of Judy Smith on April 11th, 1997. Jeffrey tried to report Judy as missing in the late evening hours of April 10th, but the police told him to wait 24 hours. Smith, however, was a well-connected man and after a few complaints to both a Pennsylvania state representative and the mayor (both men were attorneys and knew Jeffrey from previous work functions), Jeffrey was able to file a report in the early morning hours of the 11th. The Smith family made and hung flyers in the area. Judy’s children joined the search and followed up on sightings around the tourist areas of Philly. Police interviewed Jeffrey, Judy’s children, and others in order to retrace Judy’s last steps. Judy left behind her passport at her home in Massachusetts meaning she could not have easily left the county. The Smith’s two landline records were checked but nothing out of the ordinary was found. After interviews and searches of the area, Philadelphia PD announced that they believed Judy had never made it to Pennsylvania at all and speculated that Judy went missing from the Boston area. This speculation was based on a couple of things. First, investigators did not believe Jeffrey’s story that Judy couldn’t catch the flight due to a lack of photo ID. Police thought that this story was odd and did not believe a seasoned traveler like Judy would forget her license at home before heading to the airport. Later investigation showed that someone named Judith Smith took a 7:30pm flight into Philadelphia and flight manifest showed that the ticket was used to make the flight that evening, however, the entire incident is still odd to many amateur sleuths and professional investigators. Another detective thought it was odd that while Judy had clothes and belongings in the hotel room, she didn’t have any cosmetics with her. Further, detectives noticed that there were few soiled items of clothing in the room meaning that if Judy was in Philadelphia on the 10th, she wore the same jeans and coat that she was wearing the night before. Judy’s children reported that this wasn’t uncommon for their mother as she wasn’t a frilly person. They also said that their mother only wore makeup on occasion and not while traveling so these things didn’t seem out of the ordinary to them. (Personally, I have also wondered if Judy did have some makeup, but it was in her backpack at time. I know plenty of women who don’t wear much makeup, but if you looked in their purse or bag you might find some lip stick or powder.) Investigators went on to say that no one but Jeffrey could place Judy in Philadelphia during this time frame. This announcement resulted in several eyewitnesses who claimed that they had seen Judy at the hotel. One receptionist from the hotel claimed that on April 9th in between 9-10 pm, she saw Judy arrive at the hotel and greet her husband in the lobby. She said that Jeffrey gave Judy flowers and the two appeared to be apologizing to each other. (Jeffrey said this was the case except Judy gave him the flowers). One concierge remembered a woman in her 50s with a coat and old red backpack ask him how to get to the PHLASH bus stop at around 10 am on April 10th. He knew it was after 9 am because that is when his shift started. Finally, a conference goer named Carmen Catazone, who was sitting in the lobby also recalled the flower incident from the night before. The woman did not know Jeffrey personally, but recognized him from the conference. Jeffrey was a moderator for a variety of sessions and was very overweight so he was easily recognizable. These witness’ accounts seem to line up with Jeffrey’s story. As far as I can tell the flower story had not been released to the press at this point. Finally, Philadelphia PD divulged that Jeffrey wasn’t fully cooperative, as he wouldn’t submit to a polygraph. Jeffrey denies this and said that as a lawyer he knew that polygraphs are fallible. Further, he claims that he was willing to take a lie detector if it was given by an outside agency such as the FBI, but Philadelphia police declined this scenario. These are the four reasons investigators used in order to prop up their theory that Judy wasn’t in Philadelphia at all. Despite witness sightings, this theory is a popular on online to this day. Aftermath and Discovery After several weeks Jeffrey returned to the Boston area and tried to resume his normal life. He drastically cut back his hours at the office reporting that he could not focus on his work. Smith attempted to keep his wife’s case in the spotlight doing interviews whenever he could and eventually landing a spot on the show Unsolved Mysteries. On the show, one friend of the couple called the marriage “tenuous” but modern articles on the case mention that the police could find no one who reported concerns like these about the couples’ relationship. In independent interviews Judy’s adult children denied witnessing any warning signs in their mother’s new marriage. Eventually, Jeffrey hired three private investigators to look for Judy. The PIs faxed over 9,000 missing posters to police departments and hospitals all over the country hoping that someone would recognize Judy. Five months after her disappearance in September 1997, a man and his son were hunting in the Pisgah National Forest near Candler, North Carolina, a short drive from the city of Asheville. On a steep incline one-quarter mile from a picnic area, which itself was a mile from hike from the nearest parking area, the duo found what appeared to be a human bone. They alerted the police who responded to the scene. Over an area approximately 300 feet in diameter, investigators found most of a human skeleton which had been wrapped in a blue blanket and buried in a very shallow grave. Scavenging animals had dug up the skeleton and a few bones had been carried away. The skeleton was determined to be female. The woman was dressed in thermal underwear under her jeans, hiking boots, socks, a t-shirt, a bra and a jacket. Nearby in two different holes, a blue vinyl backpack and a men’s shirt had been buried. The backpack contained some winter clothing and 80 dollars. The shirt contained a pair of $110 Bolle brand sunglasses, as well an additional $87. A paperback mystery novel was also found nearby. She carried no ID. The slope where the body was discovered was near some hiking trails, but the hill itself was steep and at an elevation of 4,000 feet, the search was difficult. The incline was so severe that one investigator crushed his sciatic nerve attempting to search the area, an injury which required major surgery. Early coverage of the body’s discovery in the Asheville Citizen Times, initially reported that the police found a body belonging to a woman who they believed to be in her 20s dressed in hiking clothes (Ball, 1997). Several days later, the medical examiner assessed the bones and concluded that the skeleton was that of white woman in her 40s or 50s, who was about 5’3” tall with shortish light brown hair. There were cut marks in the woman’s bra and t-shirt which indicated that she had been stabbed in the chest area, however, no cause of death could be determined. Some reports mention that there was trauma to the woman’s ribs. The decedent also had a severely arthritic right knee (some reports say it was her left knee), extensive fillings and dental work in her molars, and some animal hair on her shirt, which may have been horse hair. The woman did not seem to be a transient due to her nice clothes and dental work. The death was ruled a homicide as the woman had been wrapped in a blanket post mortem and buried. The ME determined that the body had been there for 1-2 years prior. For several weeks the skeleton remained nameless in the ME’s office. On September 9th, a small blurb about the unidentified body ran in an Asheville, North Carolina paper. 65 miles away in Franklin, NC, an ER physician named Parker Davis was looking at missing poster which had been faxed to the hospital he worked at when he noticed that the woman on the poster had a severely arthritic knee. He remembered the story of the skeleton from the paper who had a similar knee problem. On a whim he called the police who were able to get a copy of Judy’s missing poster. After a preliminary check, the ME contacted Jeffrey in order to obtain a copy of Judy’s dental records. The records were a match, and by the end of September 1997, Judy had her name back. Friends and family were also able to identify Judy’s diamond engagement band with a pear-shaped stone and wedding ring which had been found on or near the body. Some early reports say that the woman had no jewelry and that Judy’s wedding ring was missing, but later reports say that it was found near the body. The area of the burial was searched on at least three occasions so it is possible the rings were not found until later. Missing was Judy’s wallet, red backpack, and some jewelry that she typically wore (it’s unclear what jewelry this is referring to). The coat she was last seen wearing was nowhere to be found and the clothes she was dressed in, as well as those in the backpack were unable to be identified by family or friends. The shirt buried nearby was a men’s shirt and was believed to belong to the killer, not Judy. Furthermore, the sunglasses did not appear to be Judy’s as Judy’s kids said she wasn’t the type to spend over $100 on sunglasses. The sunglasses are an athletic style and to me look like men’s or unisex sport sunglasses. Buncombe County Investigation Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department took over the case from the PPD after Judy’s identification. Once it was determined that Judy was the woman in the woods, several residents in and around Asheville reported that they had seen Judy or had interacted with her in the April shortly after she was last seen in Philadelphia. For example, one woman thought Judy had stayed at her hotel from April 10th-12th, one woman who worked at a souvenir shop near the Biltmore house (a tourist attraction near Asheville) thought that she spoke to Judy who said she was from Boston and that her husband was a lawyer. Another woman who worked in a store recalled that Judy with her red backpack. She claims that Judy bought a toy truck and approximately $30 worth of sandwiches. There were two other sightings of a person resembling Judy in the area in a gray sedan. One person claimed to have seen Judy near the Pisgah National Forest in a gray sedan chock full of stuff. This witness said that the woman was looking for a place to camp. Another person saw a woman in a gray sedan in the same area. All sightings occurred in the week or so after Judy was last seen in Philadelphia. Of course, it goes without saying that, eyewitness testimony can be unreliable and the human mind is susceptible to suggestion. North Carolina investigators traveled to Philadelphia to retrace Judy’s steps. They have said that they don’t believe that PPD did a poor job but simply wanted to cover their bases. Two detectives flew to Philadelphia and determined that Judy probably been there at least briefly before traveling to the Pisgah National Forest. They reported that there was no indication that Judy had been abducted or otherwise forced to travel south. It appeared she at least started the journey of her own volition. In all the sightings of Judy in North Carolina, she was alone. Buncombe county deputies were able to rule out Jeffrey as a suspect rather quickly, although they concede that anything is possible and Jeffrey could be involved however unlikely it seems. Jeffrey was ruled out based on his size and health. Jeffrey was a morbidly obese man who investigators noted began huffing and puffing when walking quickly or climbing stairs. Because of this they did not believe Jeffrey could have disposed of his wife’s body especially in such an inaccessible area of the forest. Furthermore, they could find no evidence that Jeffrey rented a car in Philadelphia adding to the logistical problems with Jeffrey being a suspect. On top of his lack of car, Jeffrey had less than 12 hours to dispose of Judy’s body as he was seen in the lobby of the hotel at 9:30 pm, and then was moderating a session of the conference at 9:30 am. Driving to the Pisgah National Forest from Philadelphia takes approximately nine hours one way meaning he did not have time to kill and dispose of his wife. One podcast on the case mentions that police could find no large withdrawals of money from the Smith’s accounts which could have indicated the hiring of a hit man or a paid accomplice. (I could find no other corroboration of this claim so take this with a grain of salt.) Jeffrey also kept his wife’s case in the spotlight and suffered many hardships in the wake of his wife’s disappearance. Besides the one woman who was interviewed on Unsolved Mysteries, no other friends or family reported that there were issues in marriage that they were aware of. Philadelphia police also struggled with Jeffrey’s size as carrying and disposing of a dead body is quite taxing and it is doubtful that Jeffrey could have done this on his own. However, they say that Jeffrey is still as suspect as he could have killed his wife in Boston or had an accomplice. With the most obvious suspect cleared, investigators moved on to other lines of inquiry. They searched the surrounding areas hoping to find people who had seen Judy which is how the discovery of the woman in the gray car was made. Police also searched a nearby horse farm as Judy was known to like horses and had what could have been horse hair on her body, but nothing definitive was found. Other information
Philadelphia investigators looked at the Smith’s phone records and determined that there was no unusual activity on either of their phone lines that would indicate that either of the Smiths were having affairs. Neither Jeffrey or Judy had cell phones. If Judy was having an affair at the time, none of her friends could provide any insight or speculate as to who it was. There was a computer in the house which was searched, but it is unknown if the computer was connected to the internet.
When Judy went missing Jeffrey believed that she had approximately $200 on her person. About $500 dollars in cash was found among Judy’s things in the hotel room. Judy also disappeared with her ID, her credit card, and her phone card. To this day, there has been no activity on either card.
Judy’s description varies from source to source. Some sources report that she was “heavy set” or “top heavy”. Others say she was 130 or 140 lbs., which is more average size for a 5’2” woman. In some pictures Judy looks to be of a larger build, but in some photos, she appears smaller. Whether these weights were a misprint or Judy was someone whose weight fluctuated regularly is unclear. It is not a very important detail but it is a discrepancy I wanted to point out.
Judy had been to North Carolina only once and had no connection to the area. She had once been to Raleigh to visit Jeffrey who was at a weight loss clinic. Jeffrey said that he loved the area and thought about moving, but the couple never returned to the state. Family also said that Judy had once traveled to Tennessee or another nearby state with a former patient but that had been years earlier.
Judy Smith is also the name of a famous "Crisis Manager." This Judy Smith was the inspiration for the hit show "Scandal" with actress Kerry Washington. This woman is not the same Judy Smith who went missing in 1997.
Suspects Gary Michael Hilton, sometimes called the national park killer, is a suspect in Judy's disappearance. In 2008 Hilton was arrested for a murder in a national forest and was later linked to three other murders, all of which took place between 2005 and 2008. Hilton, who was in his 50s and 60s at the time, killed hikers in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina and he is considered a suspect in many other murders in surrounding states such as Arkansas, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Hilton, who loved the outdoors, would often stalk hiking trails, camp sites, and other areas known for outdoor recreation to find victims to terrorize. His crimes were tended to be opportunistic and his motive most often was monetary. Hilton held down a series of jobs from 1997 to 2007 but did not work full time. He was also a drifter who moved from place to place. Hilton usually assaulted and robbed his victims of their wallets, atm cards, cash, and valuables. His victims were male and female, young and old. He seemed to prefer victims who were isolated and alone did not try to find a specific type of person otherwise. One thing that is interesting about Hilton as an offender is that it appears that he did not commit any violent crimes before he was 58 or 59 years old. Hilton has a very long rap sheet but most of his crimes were relatively minor such as possession of marijuana, carrying a pistol without a license, soliciting false donations for charity, carrying a police baton, and DUI. Once arrested several violent incidents that Hilton had been a part of came to light but he had never been convicted of them in the past. Most people agree someone with does not start a life of violent crime in their 60s. Many believe the Gary Michael Hilton has more victims then are currently known. John and Irene Bryant, an eclectic couple in their 80s, were hiking in the Pisgah National Forest in 2007 when they were attacked by Hilton. Hilton killed Irene, and then kidnapped her husband in order to use their ATM cards and withdraw money before killing John as well. Irene's body was left only miles from where Judy's body was found 10 years earlier. This is one of the most convincing pieces of evidence that Hilton may have been involved in Judy's murder as well. However, it is important to note that Judy was not robbed and Hilton did not bury any of his known victims. Judy's murder also took place 10 years before any Hilton's other murders. Some blogs or more unofficial sources on the case mentioned that Hilton was believed to be in Georgia at the time of Judy's disappearance, but this isn't known for sure. If you are interested in learning more about the crimes of Gary Michael Hilton this reddit post is a really good place to start. This post did a good job of putting it all in one place so thank you u/lisagreenhouse. Another offender who was in the Asheville area at the time of Judy's disappearance was a young man named Lewis Kyle Wilson. In the early 2000s Wilson was arrested after assaulting and robbing a sex worker he had brought home to his property. There's not a lot of information on Wilson online, but he was living in Asheville and would have been 19 at the time of Judy's disappearance. I cannot find any evidence that Wilson actually killed anyone but he does have a history of violence towards women and was in the area at the time so he is sometimes mentioned online as a possible suspect. One sex worker Wilson was known to frequent was the victim of an unsolved homicide that happened in 2006; Wilson is the prime suspect in that crime. In 2016, only a couple of miles from Judy's burial site in the Pisgah National Forest, a lone hiker in her 60s was attacked, raped, and left tied to a tree. Thankfully, the woman was found alive and taken to the hospital. Some have wondered if this crime was connected to the Judy Smith homicide but there is no hard evidence of this and the rapist remains unknown. Theories Amnesia is one possible explanation for Judy’s disappearance. The family believes that Judy was injured or otherwise suffered a bout of dissociative amnesia which caused her to become confused or forget her identity. This is supported by the sightings of a confused or disoriented Judy in Philadelphia. The family believes this explains why Judy traveled to the Pisgah National Forest apparently of her own free will. One theory is that Judy and Jeffrey had an argument that spurred an angry Judy to leave the area, whether she left from Boston or Philadelphia. After she left the area and traveled south to North Carolina, she met with foul play. In a similar vein, some believed Judy willingly traveled to North Carolina to meet up with someone, perhaps a friend or a secret boyfriend. The ID incident at the airport was simply a cover so Judy could converse with this person who she wanted to meet. Once in North Carolina she met with foul play perhaps at the hand of the person she went to meet. One theory Jeffrey explored was that Judy was suffering from mental illness and had a psychotic break. Being a lawyer, Jeffrey was able with some legal maneuvering to obtain all of Judy’s medical records from her adult life, including a physical she had had only months before hand. There was no indication that Judy had ever had any mental health concerns. Neither she or her doctors ever mentioned anything that would have pointed to any mental health problems, even minor ones such as anxiety. According to Jeffrey, Judy’s newest physical reported that Judy was in good mental and physical health (Lewis, 1997 and Trace Evidence Podcast). Other sleuths have speculated that Judy traveled to North Carolina because she was questioning her sexuality. Asheville at the time was known for having an LGBT community. This theory is pushed forward by one interview on the Unsolved Mysteries segment as Judy’s friend says, “If you are looking for a mystery man, there wasn’t one.” Some have said that this implied that Judy had met a mystery woman, not a man. However, this theory is full of holes. No friends or family ever had any indication that Judy was questioning her sexuality. Judy had been married to men on three occasions and had other boyfriends as well. This explanation fails to explain why this realization would cause Judy to unexpectedly travel hundreds of miles and cease contact with her children. It also fails to explain who killed Judy. Others have speculated that Judy was tricked into going to North Carolina. Perhaps she met someone while sightseeing who offered her a ride and that person abducted her or drove her to North Carolina for some reason. Personally, I have always wondered if Judy was suffering from early onset dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. This would be a similar theory to the psychotic break theory; however, I believe this explains why Judy was described as both disoriented and acting normal in different sightings. I am by no means an expert, but if I understand correctly, patients with these conditions can get very confused and agitated but can also have times of acting completely lucid. I think this theory can explain why Judy forgot her license at home before flying, and can also explain her disappearance. I think it is possible Judy got on the wrong bus and ended up first at the Deptford mall and then eventually North Carolina, simply getting more and more lost each day. Of course, this hypothesis does not solve Judy’s murder, it simply gives an explanation for her travels. A final theory that is prevalent online is the idea that the doe found in Pisgah National Forest was not Judy at all and was instead misidentified. While this is always possible and something I have entertained from time to time, Judy was matched via dental records, her arthritic knee, and her distinct engagement ring with a pear-shaped stone. If the doe was not Judy, then the mystery becomes even stranger, and now includes the identity and murder of yet another woman. While the odds of a similarly aged woman, with a bad knee, similar dental work, and a plain silver wedding band accompanied with a fancy diamond engagement ring, who was not Judy being murdered in the forest is possible, I believe that it is not very likely. Proponents of this theory point to the ME’s report that the doe had been in the forest for over a year, while Judy had been missing only five months at the time of her discovery. TO BE CONTINUED... Full list of sources are in part two- https://unsolved.com/gallery/judy-smith/ link to part 2 https://www.reddit.com/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/kky2l2/when_a_body_is_found_600_miles_away_extensive_two/
Corporate Investors Viii H&F 32% ownership as of Q3 $8.34 $7.54 Glenn R August Director Buy $7.00 $7.00 Paul Galant Insider Buy $7.01 Michael Stuart Klein Director Buy $7.11 $6.60
CCXX.U https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1793229/000110465920093979/tm2020547d1_10q.htm https://www.marketbeat.com/stocks/NASDAQ/CCXX/ - Shell Companies in Financial Services https://whalewisdom.com/stock/ccxxu - 92% sells, Majority entire position. ********************************************************** Copy/Paste from CCXX 8-K K-8 TL;DR In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement, (a) Churchill entered into a common stock subscription agreement (the “PIF Common Subscription Agreement”) with the PIF and (b) Churchill, Holdings and the Company entered into certain common stock subscription agreements (the “Other Common Subscription Agreements” and, together with the PIF Common Subscription Agreement, the “Common Subscription Agreements”) with certain investment funds (together with the PIF, (the “Common PIPE Investors”) pursuant to which, Churchill has agreed to issue and sell to the Common PIPE Investors (x) $1,300,000,000 of Class A Common Stock (the “Common PIPE Shares”) at a purchase price of $10.00 per share and (y) 1/20th of a warrant (the “Common PIPE Warrants”) to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock, with each whole warrant having a strike price of $12.50 per share and a 5-year maturity from the closing of the Transactions (the “Common PIPE Investment”). There is an original issue discount (“OID”) of 1% for subscriptions of equal to or less than $250,000,000 and an OID of 2.5% for subscriptions of more than $250,000,000. THIS INVESTOR RIGHTS AGREEMENT (as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time in accordance with its terms, the “Investor Rights Agreement”), dated as of July 12, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), is made by and among (i) Churchill Capital Corp III, a Delaware corporation (“PubCo”); (ii) Polaris Investment Holdings, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“PIH”); (iii) each of the Persons identified on the signature pages hereto under the heading “Sellers” (collectively, the “Sellers”); (iv) Hellman & Friedman Capital Partners VIII, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, in its capacity as the initial Seller Representative; (v) Churchill Sponsor III LLC, a Delaware limited liability company; (vi) the Person identified on the signature page hereto under the heading “Founder Holder” (the “Founder Holder”); (vii) Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia (“PIF”); and (viii) solely for purposes of Section 2.4, MultiPlan, Inc., a New York corporation (“MultiPlan”). Each of PubCo, PIH, the Sellers, the Seller Representative, the Sponsor, the Founder Holder and PIF may be referred to herein as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties”. ********************************************************** Previous history with finance: “One of our alpha [prototype cars], you may recall, hit 235 miles an hour in testing, and that was with our old power train,” he said. “Our new powertrain has taken quite a leap forward actually and I’m really excited.” -- ***this is the only car they talk about for years.*** 2014, Beijing Automotive Industry Holding, one of China’s leading state-owned carmakers, and LeEco, a Chinese internet company, invested $100 million so that Atieva could develop its own vehicle. In April 2016, BAIC sold its shares, which ended up in the hands of LeEco’s owner, billionaire Jia Yueting, two sources confirmed to Recode. 2017 May, Jia resigned from LeEco’s parent company amid concerns over its liquidity and his personal finances. Earlier this month, it was reported that Jia said he had sold his stake in Lucid Motors for several hundred million dollars. Lucid would be delighted to see the back of Jia and any lingering association with the troubled Faraday Future. However, a source close to Lucid says that reports of Jia selling his shares are probably untrue. 2019 --NO GRANT Meanwhile, development of the $60,000 Lucid Air has been proceeding well, and it was recently shown reaching 235 mph on a test track. However, Lucid has had its own setbacks, including abandoning attempts to design its own self-driving technology in favor of using a semi-autonomous system from Mobileye, now part of Intel. Lucid plans to build an assembly plant in China, which would be financed entirely by local and regional government incentives. The site of its proposed U.S. factory, Casa Grande, Ariz., is being somewhat less generous. Lucid has a $1.5 million job-training grant from Arizona and is negotiating a further $5 million grant, according to a spokesperson for the state’s commerce authority. It could also apply for a tax credit program worth up to another $40 million. However, the make-or-break loan for the $700 million facility would be a U.S. Department of Energy program to help build advanced-technology car plants. Tesla benefited from a $465 million DOE loan in 2010, while Ford secured one for $5.9 billion. But because the loan reimburses expenses rather than paying them up front, Lucid cannot move forward until it has financing in place. Lucid began its fourth round of institutional fundraising earlier this year, with the help of investment bank Morgan Stanley. Ford’s acquisition offer came as a surprise, said a source close to Lucid: “The bank approached Ford to see if they wanted to participate in the Series D. They came back and said they wanted to acquire.” ********************************************************** -- possible relation? https://whalewisdom.com/filehellman-friedman-capital-partners-viii-lp#tabform4_tab_link https://whalewisdom.com/stock/ppd-2 https://whalewisdom.com/stock/ppd-2?selected_quarter=79 1291.59% change in CALLS CCX & MPLN Is relation to PPD in anyway? *just idea rabbit hole https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/20/07/16598826/multiplan-to-go-public-in-a-merger-deal-with-spac-churchill-capital-at-11b-valuation If relation between PPD and MPLN: https://whalewisdom.com/stock/ppd-2 H&F CORPORATE INVESTORS VII, LTD. | Was largest investor, sold Assuming for Lucid/CCIV/CSS/MPLN 32% ownership. ************************************************************************** Zip of PDFs cited https://file.io/W0qyUHa9lLIw ************************************************************************** ********************************************************** Draw your own conclusions but this is a quick rundown of what I see. Lucid started out ok as Atieva USA. They tried to move into building EVs. Finance was always the problem, no one would back them, or at least for long. Pulling up the compnays webpage, goes back to 2017. Mostly unchanged over the years. Same vague statements, promises, etc. Lucid only stays afloat by, for lack of a better word, tricking someone into financing them, or, money is government. Looks like they they got AZ caught in the trap. The only play they have is to try and get grant money. "Lucid has a $1.5 million job-training grant from Arizona and is negotiating a further $5 million grant, according to a spokesperson for the state’s commerce authority. It could also apply for a tax credit program worth up to another $40 million." This is after burning through BAIC and LeEco. Ford didn't bite. I cannot find the link for the life of me, but they do not qualify for the same type of grants Tesla got, they have already tried fed money. They ended up on Equityzen for bottom barrel, wile CCIV pushes them which brings us to today. 2019, they just aren't around. Didn't file any paperwork that I can find. !flag This stinks of a rotten kickstarter, make claims, more claims, then excuses, and more excuses. The same lines have been said for years. They were going to have cars rolling in 2018, nope. Lies, to provide jobs and all these wonderful things. Solar. Freakin. Roadways. But this gets them the grants to stay around a bit more. If you had a SPAC going, it would be super nice if you could get the stock to somehow ramp up to an absurd level, so you can cash out. I mean, that would just be total luck if you knew you were going bust. I don't think they have any vehicles other than their alpha prototypes that were made way back with BAIC. Every pic / story / article from the last 3 years are all identical. Most of the pics etc I can find are all renderings. I would wager that the "alpha" prototype, is from 2017, and it's the only damn thing they have. Call it good or bad, but they don't hold anything great for tech. They have failed at auto pilot pretty hard (if they are even bothering to try), and supposedly went with some MS product. I see they have some patents, but this is so.. so.. basic... There is literally nothing new about any of this one http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=10901019&OS=10901019&RS=10901019 it's just padded out with random crap just to secure a patent. Again, feels like a stall tactic to me, to show investors *something* "Casa Grande factory"... Broke ground end of 2019, completed end of 2020. I challenge anyone, to find real pics of something ACTUALLY going on. Not just the same alpha car, not the same pics that it's just a few shells they seem to consonantly being painting. Every article or video, seems like they are surrounded by car shells and just painting them. I can't prove any of this. But I would wager that is one giant empty ass building. I feel I'm just reading the same info pamphlet over and over. Their time lines, projections, numbers, are never consistent. EDIT: as RobCornOnCob has shown, ok the plant is not empty. I was just having trouble finding anything other than PR material which was mostly just the exact same statements and photos that they had been putting out for years. Everything leads back to shell companies. Market opens in a few hours. And I have yet to sleep. So I quit at this point.
63 Overlooked/Underrated Pop Songs From 2020 (with write-ups)
Over the month of December I posted two songs per day in the Daily Discussion threads (one single and one album track (mostly)) that I felt went unnoticed by most people but would potentially be enjoyed, and this is a compilation of those write-ups. There’s a definite pop focus but I picked these tracks with an ear for diversity of sound/artistry so there’s quite a few different things going on here and some picks that might make you roll your eyes, but I think there’s something for everyone! Here is a Spotify playlist that compiles all the songs but a walkthrough of the playlist is below. FFO = "For Fans Of"
This an excellent example of using music to further storytelling: it begins with this almost old-western sounding piano line that slowly climbs as Chappell describes her small-town dreams, which are abruptly cut off by sparse, pulsing synths as she describes her apprehensions, only for the thrilling full arrangement to kick in once she overcomes her fears during the chorus. And all of this slaps, of course, the production on this track is fantastic and there’s even two triumphant electric guitar solos!
Ruth B.’s first foray into r&b the song is strikingly minimalist, it’s mostly just a drum beat with some sparse piano chords and Ruth’s ghostly voice lilting gently. It’s a total vibe that fits the melancholy air she’s going for and helps put the focus on the melody, which is packed with unassuming hooks and a lot of simple but memorable lines.
On the off-chance that any of you are into dudes you might relate to this track, which is a sun kissed synthpop ode to boy craziness. It’s a short song (only about two and a half minutes long) but it does exactly what it sets out to do, which is provide a nice little jolt of gayness to your day. The synth pads and sleepy melody are easy on the ears, Bronze brings a bit of steaminess to the track with his coy delivery, and if you can hold back from shouting out “BOYS!” with the chorus then you’re a stronger person than I am.
There’s a fairly straightforward pop song here but tv room choses to drown the song in reverb and synths that sound like they were taken from a video game loading screen to create this wall of music that you can just bash your head against, but like, in a fun way. It’s almost hypnotic, there’s something so soothing about putting this on and just hearing him repeat that sticky chorus over and over as the bass pounds in your ears.
“Trap based r&b with some jazzy inflection” has become iyla’s signature style and it’s never sounded so good, the plunking synths and surprisingly complex vocal arrangement really give this track a unique feeling. iyla does double duty rapping the verses and singing the chorus and she nails both parts, she’s got this way of having both poise and swag that’s really fun to listen to; she gets an assist from legendary rapper Method Man who provides a great counterpoint to iyla’s portions. As usual iyla is serving visuals as well and the opulent video is super #aesthetic and really elevates the song.
Driven by a piano and backed by trumpets, drums, and strings, there’s an old school feel to this song (appropriate seeing as the lyrics reference artists like Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye) that really captures the vibe that they’re going for. The frontman is hollering at the top of his lungs–it turns out the top of his lungs is a very high place because the notes he hits are very impressive–and you can hear the other two pouring their hearts out through their instruments as well. As someone who’s maybe had an experience with a breakup or two, this song gets it.
It feels like we’re having a big revival of ‘90s/‘00s culture right now and if you were waiting for the nostalgia machine to churn out some cheesy boy band songs, here you go. Mimicking Max Martin produced bubblegum pop sound that was driving the kids wild at the turn of the millenium, “cover girl” sounds like it was ripped straight from the soundtrack of a guilty pleasure teen romance movie. The “it’s all about you girl” lyrics are vapid in the most charming way and the boys nail the vocal delivery and instrumentation as well.
All of the collaborations Ally has released this year were varying degrees of good but “All Night” was one of the first and still probably the best. Ally sounds great and the production here really slaps, the heavy prechorus that builds into that drop that just makes you want to jump all over the room… they aren’t lying when they say they’ll keep you dancing all night.
And the award for best use of a sound effect in a pop song in 2020 goes to: the bubble popping sound effect in this song. Like a fizzy soda pop this song is sugary and incredibly addictive, one of those pop songs that decides that it doesn’t need anything other than hooks, killer melodies, and a bomb chorus. It’s repetitive enough that it’s easy to listen to but it’s paced very well so it never feels boring, plus there are all sorts of little quirks to the production that give it character.
I associate VINCINT with his huge vocal range and flamboyant pop stylings, and both are on full display here. “Save Myself” is a high energy electropop that’s got a thumping house beat and some nice verses but really, it’s all about that chorus. The song just explodes as he lifts his voice (hitting some very impressive notes) to boldly declare the title of the song, with a nice little falsetto hook thrown in there for good measure. It’s a big, no holds barred, unapologetic anthem of a track with a positive message too: it’s okay to want other people, but at the end of the day you can always count on yourself.
A super cute little track based around shimmering synths, it’s a bright and girlish song with a hook of this song that’s incessantly catchy regardless of language. The title/hook of the song (roughly translated) means “You Don’t Want To Love Me” and the track is easy to get a grasp on even if you don’t understand the lyrics thanks to Alba’s clear voice and emotive performance. A chief example of “if this song were by a bigger artist it would be a hit.”
The key to understanding bounce music is fairly simple: it’s just fun! There’s a brief moment of “huh?” but if you surrender to it you’ll be bopping your head, stomping your feet, and shaking your ass. Freedia obviously knows how to turn the party and she’s in top form here, oozing charisma as she barks out those classic Freedia bars; Kesha’s more melodic chorus is a nice counterpoint (especially once they start singing together). This is just such a happy, uplifting track about how queer people will always come out on top and everyone else can just deal with it!
nelward is known for his rather unusual off-the-wall production but on his latest EP he toned it down for a more subdued synthpop sound that highlights the bones of his songwriting and lyrical finesse. His lyrics twist together metaphors, strange turns of phrase, and personal anecdotes that both dance around and cut straight to the hard truths that his songs are about. There’s a nice contrast between his rougher voice on the heavier verses (which are candid explorations of something that sounds like depression) and Adron’s clear voice on the chorus (which encourages us to “smash thru” the things holding us back), and and when paired with the cool synth pads it results in a very “cleansing” track that’s uplifting despite the darker subject matter.
So technically this came out four years ago but the album it’s on only came out this year and really it’s a timeless song so I’m mentioning it because it slaps. It’s over-the-top cloying yet also weirdly dark and aggressively horny; in other words, a perfect homage to long dead bubblegum dance genre. Eurodance beats and sugary, heavily autotuned vocals give it that classic ‘90s sound but she still makes it feel relevant with a strong melody and deceptively clever lyrics. This is tooth rotting.
A combination r&b/dance pop song, this song has an amazing chorus that’ll get you bopping your head… but the bopping becomes a little bit unsettling when you really start to listen to the story she tells in the lyrics about the dangers and toxicity of Japan’s idol system. Over a hypnotic dance groove she strips back the glamor of the music industry and paints a picture of a city where everyone is lonely and everything is fake; it feels very poignant.
You might recognize pop/r&b girl WOLFTYLA from being one of the vocalists featured on the K/DA mini album dropped earlier this year, but her solo music is really good as well. A cut from her debut EP, “Candy” is that flirty, girly kind of pop-r&b that I eat up like… well like candy. Timbaland did the production on this track so you know it’s good, a veritable candy store of synths, beats, and quirky little hooks with an old school flair that satisfies the nostalgia sweet tooth, and they cooked up an ear worm of a chorus too!
“Lucifer Waiting” is something of a reggaeton/rock combo that layers grimy guitars and drums over a reggaeton beat, but mere description can’t capture the wild energy of this track. It’s got a freaky sound that pairs well with the lyrics that are full of fun, witchy imagery as she describes the evil that manifests around us in our lives; evil that we ultimately overcome through our inner strength. Angelica wails her way through the track like she’s having an exorcism herself, and the way she just attacks the song vocally is really cool.
DEQN SUE’s trademark is quirky pop with unusual lyrics and while usually this manifests itself in her going crazy and over the top, she goes in the exact opposite direction here to interesting results. With the sparse, repetitive strings here’s a focused intensity to this song that feels almost trance-like, and it helps sell the “stalker with a crush” vibe she’s going for. If someone staring at you for an uncomfortably long period of time had a sound, it might sound something like this.
“Almost Home” is yet another song that romanticizes being young and free but it treats the subject with a more tender touch that I appreciate, quiet car rides home at night like the one she describes were a truly sacred experience and she completely does them justice. Hearing her croon the chorus of this song as that toy piano tinkles in the background is so incredibly calming, it always makes me feel like somehow everything is gonna be okay.
Jessie is known for her raw, powerful vocals but she makes her voice like the edge of a knife here, a taut razor wire that’s hanging in the air ready to slice you to ribbons if you dare to cross her or try to take what’s hers. The gentle, contemplative vibe of the music and her performance contrasts with the overtly violent lyrics in a really interesting way, she feels so singular and self assured in her mission. The animated music video, which features conquistador lookalikes slaughtering the man Jessie loves, adds another layer of meaning to the song by transforming it into a critique of colonialism.
Just like the single cover art “Honeymoon Fades” is a silky and a tad smoky, a jazzy little number that ’s very laid back and perfect to vibe along with. R&B is a sound that suits Sabrina very well (I don’t think she’s a powerhouse but her tone is lovely) and she’s really feeling herself and the lyrics here, this is another great step in her musical growth.
This song feels like it should be in a promo for some edgy Pretty Little Liars-esque young adult show, and that’s a compliment! It’s got a sense of personal drama to it, a catchy chorus that’s poetically “deep,” and we all love that ’10s rock-tinged-but-radio-friendly-indie sound. The syncopated rap verse in the middle is a fresh addition to the old formula though, and I really like the lyrics. The theme of clinging to “pretty lies” out of fear of what would come after change is very relatable, and the music video they shot in the empty streets of LA under lockdown gives the song an extra ominous vibe.
Tayla Parx toys around with traditional notions of genre and structure to create songs that sometimes feel a bit like a collection of parts, but these parts are so good and they’re strung together so well that it just works. “Fixerupper” is a particularly noticeable example of this: there’s a stark contrast between the verses (which rely almost entirely on percussion and staccato lines), the prechorus (which is centered around strings and a smooth vocal line), and the actual chorus (which falls somewhere in the middle) but they work together beautifully. The lyrics, which see her warning a lover that she’s going to need some help reaching her potential, are very nice too.
“I Believe In Santa” kicks off with a traditional sounding choral section that feels a little bit scary and then with a maniacal laugh the trap drums kick in and suddenly she’s (vaguely threateningly) rapping about the magic of Christmas. Part of what makes the song so good is the way that it avoids typical Christmas music cliches: despite the incredibly festive lyrics the production is fairly straightforward trap-pop, and it’s good production too. And then there’s the music video, which features Jojo Siwa decked out in Party City couture and breakdancing with Santa!
I’m always a sucker for a mid-tempo r&b ballad with strings but “Pretend,” a confessional song about Queen Naija’s troubled relationship with love, is a particularly nice one. There’s actually a pretty hefty backstory to this song and its music video considering the somewhat troubled past Queen has had, but even without knowing all the details you can really hear that this song is coming from something real. The lyrics and the pain in her voice are genuine, and on top of that she sounds so beautiful and the song flows smooth as water.
“Don’t Kill The Wave” captures a great combo of rap and disco because it’s about one thing that both genres can agree on: grooving out. Bouncy synths position Ric as a dance floor mc who won’t tolerate anyone disrupting the flow of the vibe, and it sounds so fresh and fun I doubt there’ll be much argument. He’s got a lot of insistently catchy one-liners in there and the chorus is a lot of fun to sing along to, if we could still have parties like the one depicted in the video this would probably go off at one of them.
Teamarr really goes in with the lyrics of this song, they’re rambling but she paints such a painful picture of being insecure that I find myself relating despite how intensely personal the song feels. The chaotic behavior she describes is reflected in the unpredictable production, which full of speaker pounding bass that throws some extra power behind her keening voice. It’s harsh but it suits the confessional style that she’s going for, and it feels very current.
Alex Newell’s voice was just made to wail over pounding dance production and no matter how many times he releases some variation of this song I’ll keep listening to it. I think this is one of his finest tracks yet, it’s a sassy kiss-off track that’s in-your-face enough to be a bop yet also short enough to have a ton of replay value. The beat is catchy, there’s that dolphin whistle flute that I enjoy, and Alex’s voice is as thrilling as ever.
Although most people probably associate the banjo with American bluegrass/folk/country, the instrument actually has its roots in West Africa, which is what Bebe is referencing here as she offers advice on how to “play” her. It’s a tangy Afrobeat dance track that gets especially cool towards the end when the vocals drop out and it just starts to vibe.
There’s some clear Kpop influence in the video but the song itself is distinct from that style, despite the maximalist production it feels fairly subdued (without sacrificing on having an incredibly catchy chorus). The song sounds so chirpy and her voice is very sweet, but there’s understated drama to the story described in the lyric that grant a slight air of bittersweetness which prevents it from being too cloying. It also comes with one of my favorite music videos of the year!
“And the inevitable heat death of the universe / plays out in the background / of our lives” goes the instantly memorable chorus, the centerpiece of this brassy rock track from indie band Sister Species. The horns and percussion that are insistent and honestly a bit claustrophobic at times, as if they’re the looming heat death that’s slowly closing in, and it’s both evocative and a treat for the ears. The lyrics are strong and I like the theme of not letting the inevitability of demise prevent us from being there for each other; it’s fatalistic and life-affirming at the same time.
A flip on Sidney Gish’s “Imposter Syndrome, the original is already a pretty great song but russelbuck tears it apart and reassembles it into a piece of ear candy by shortening the length and leaning into utter chaos. The angst of the original song is twisted into pure mania, a cartoon battleground of crashing electronic beats and cartoon sound effects that Gish’s voice dances through gleefully. It’s the kind of song that makes my teeth vibrate and sets my hair on edge, if that makes sense, but I think that's just what I needed this year.
The smooth r&b groove with jazz stylings over the top makes for some really wonderful sounds and there’s something just so natural about the flow of the melody and the lyrics; everything is just as if it were meant to be. At the center of it all we have IV Jay’s warm, smoky voice, which is the perfect vessel for the song. It’s a subtly sad song as she muses over whether or not to leave some scrub, and by extension whether she’ll ever find love, but it’s that Sunday afternoon chill-out kind of sad that’s more just idle self-reflection than anything else.
I love Remi Wolf’s music because she’s just a lightning bolt of energy, she’s not scared to be loud and a little bit weird because she’s got the charm and the catchiness to make it all work. Everything about this track is so colorful, from the production to Remi’s delivery to the silly little story the lyrics spell out. She sounds so sassy when she delivers that deliriously fun “hello hello hello” hook, scooping the word upwards as if she’s mocking this man for thinking he’s pulling one over on her. It’s just a blast to listen to and the EP it comes from is nonstop fun as well, definitely keep your eye on her.
Blending psych-pop with rock and even a hint of disco, this cut from Ambar Lucid’s fantastic debut album conjures up hypnotic swirls of music built out of thrumming guitar strings and skittering drum beats that explode into one of the best choruses of the year. There’s a grimy, almost “witchy” air around this track as Ambar croons about how she’s so overflowing with power that no one can ever hope to contain her, and her defiant refrain on the chorus is instantly memorable and has kept me coming back to this track time and time again.
When Paradise Killer was released earlier this year to rave reviews many critics specifically praised its soundtrack, and rightfully so because it’s an incredible collection of synthwave music that really elevate the otherworldly aesthetic of the game. This is the only song on the soundtrack with lyrics, but it’s a real doozy. Sounding “futuristic” in that delightfully ‘80s way, this almost city-pop tune a highly stylized banger from start to finish. The lyrics vaguely relate to the story of the game but mostly they’re just cool-sounding nonsense that heighten the mood as you drink in the slick grooves, sassy vocals, and (naturally) that saxophone solo.
A quirky little tune that blends medieval sounding folk with, of all things, doo-wop, “I Don’t Want To Know” really stood out on this album for its catchy melody and quirky lyrics. It’s equal parts petty and self-pitying and the blend is actually kind of hilarious, Jessica clearly and fun writing in Bradamante’s brash voice because she went all out with the melodramatic wordplay. I promise you, this will be the only song I talk about this month where the lead instrument is a mandolin.
Powderpaint were one of my favorite discoveries of the year and I’m not going to stop screaming into the internet void to tell people to check out their self-titled EP because it’s nonstop fun and a great collection of queer anthems. “’80s synthpop” is kinda becoming played out in the pop scene but they manage to make it sound exciting again with a hefty dose of energy and fresh lyrical themes. “Constellation” is a great example of this, the melodies in this song are wonderful and play off of the intricate synth work beautifully, plus the song climaxes in a spoken word/rapped bridge which is a rallying call to arms to defy toxic relationships/societal norms and instead Powderpaint in their constellation of fabulously liberated folks.
A soft, string driven track with a gorgeous melody, the lyrics are so romantic and Alina’s voice is so velvety and it just melts me. Though it isn’t quite explicit there’s clearly painful background to the lyrics and the longing in her voice feels rather pointed, and so it’s as if this love is helping her to rise above it all. A great opener for a great album.
This is a chill little track that sounds slightly funky and really pretty (the dude’s tender, slightly rough vocals are very pleasant to listen to) but it gets bonus points from me for the lyrical content. A love song AND a song about sea monsters? It’s like a Venn diagram of my interests. I’ve seen people compare it to The Gorillaz and I’m not a fan so I can’t comment on that but I’ll trust the YouTube comments.
This song is a plea from Sondre to a lover to, of all things, abandon him because they’re too good for him. There’s no real poetic language in this song but the straightforwardness of the lyrics is effective in a different way because it makes him sound so… resigned. He sighs his way through the lyrics, his voice even giving out in the middle of some lines as if he can’t bear to go on. But then partway through the song there’s a shift and we start getting some major chords and heartier vocals and it feels like the song ends on a strangely warm and hopeful note? Perhaps we’re meant to believe that his plea has been rejected and this person has decided to stay with him.
With 404 Not Found FEMM found the perfect balance between their forward thinking electro pop and a new hip-hop sound, and this track was my favorite. It’s a dark ode to hedonism and grabbing everything you can; it sounds like something a super villain would release. With scary piano chords that tinkle ominously over the track and feel slightly out of synch with the hard trap beats and their low/heavy rapping, it feels like the song is falling apart as you listen to it.
“Please Be Nice” is an impassioned plea for people to be nicer to each other on the internet, and it’s as truthful as it is hilarious. The clanking, stuttering, almost industrial production (was this recorded using a broken computer?) is a wall of noise that feels surprisingly great to listen to, and the chorus is unexpectedly great to sing along with. Sometimes after a long day I listen to this and just scream “I’M A PERSON PLEASE BE NICE” and it makes me feel so much better.
“Farewell Wanderlust” is a song about falling into… not even mediocrity but just apathetic complacency, a song about losing the fire that once motivated you but not really having enough comfort in your life to fill the void that it left behind. Both of the vocalists do an incredible job here, flitting effortlessly between thunderous wails and searing whispers (cleverly matched to the instrumentation, which switches between a cappella/solo piano/full orchestra), and they fill every syllable with meaning. The pacing of the track is great and there are plenty of memorable one liners on the way to a harrowing conclusion.
Been in a very nostalgic mood lately and it made me think about this song, which is about friendships that remain close to the heart even when you aren’t that close anymore. It’s a heartfelt ode to friendship with a thrumming bassline for a pulse; it starts slow and low but by the end it achieves liftoff. Haiku Hands’s sing-songy spoken word style lends itself to ballads just as well as it does dance tracks and it really brings out the simple honesty and vulnerability in the lyrics, especially in the second verse.
You can always count on a Bollywood film to deliver a great song or two and this one definitely stuck out for me because it’s a lovely guitar driven ballad with a gorgeous (insidiously catchy) melody. The lyrics are in Hindi but the gist of them is “love is love” and while the song works beautifully in the context of the film, I think the message is clear enough to be appreciated by anyone. More gay Bollywood ballads please!
While Adam Lambert’s new album Velvet (blended the electropop sounds of his earlier works with a more mature funk/soul sound) has plenty of ballads and high energy, high belting tracks. the track that most sticks out for me is one of the most subdued. With those stuttering trap drums and the more low-key melodic vibe of the song, “On The Moon” almost feels like an r&b track and it’s a surprisingly good fit for Adam. He sings with a breathy tone that makes his voice sound particularly silky, and he really brings the heat to this steamy sex jam that uses space imagery to convey his desire.
Half of the songs on Colour Vision had featured artists on them and all of them were dropped as singles so I was worried that the solo tracks might be lackluster or something but NOPE they’re some of the best on a very strong album. “SOS” is a low-key song but when you pay attention to what’s happening in the production it’s surprisingly maximalist; it feels super fresh and polished. The star of the track is MAX’s voice though, he plays it coy at the start of the song (his performance is very tender, he almost sounds breathless with wonder) but by the end he’s slamming those falsetto notes like he’s Mariah.
It doesn’t surprise me at all to know that Sam Smith co-wrote this track because it has their fingerprints all over it, and when their brand of melancholy blue-eyed soul meets Cam’s story driven country stylings the result is a gut wrenchingly sad song. Cam places herself into the shoes of a woman who’s watching someone she’s in love with get married to someone else and she doesn’t pull a single punch, perfectly capturing the complex emotions of the situation. During the chorus she promises “one day I’ll be happier for you” but you can just hear it in her voice that there’s no comfort in the thought.
The fact that the only videos I can find of this song on YouTube are uploaded by EDM channels that use pictures of anime waifus in their videos should tell you everything you need to know, but like, in a good way! Producer AIKA and singer TOFIE have worked together several times before and their sounds always mesh well, but “Superstar” is probably their best collaboration yet. The track is around five minutes long but they make great use of all of that time, TOFIE’s sugary voice keening over AIKA’s all encompassing ear candy beats just feels so good to listen to, and that house drop is to die for.
A synthpop song with funky, thumping production that tells the story of a broken relationship, and the lyrics do a great job of creating a fully fleshed out situation that feels grounded in truth. He airs out his grievances to his distant partner but as the song wears on it becomes clear that perhaps his own interest isn’t the healthiest either, which brings us to a satisfying climax on the bridge. I like his vocals on this track, he’s got an interesting singing voice that’s not afraid to get weird or ugly and you can tell he’s really feeling the things he’s singing about.
This song tells a very silly story but Linus commits to the bit and finds all of the different shades of the situation, managing to highlight the adventure and comedy inherent to being stuck on the moon while also touching upon some genuine pathos. It’s an impressive bit of storytelling (even if the lyrics are a bit clunky at times) but it’s also a really fun pop song as well, his melodies are very “in your face” and the chirpy (almost calypso?) beats feel great to the ear.
This song is LITERALLY just Tank and the Bangas getting together with PJ Morton to complain about airport security confiscating liquids. The silliness works though, Tank is a gifted vocalist/lyricist who can make anything interesting (she definitely proved that with this one) and PJ Morton sounds great, so it’s nice to hear them just having fun together in this spacey funk/soul track.
Angela Muñoz’s songwriting is at its core very old-school but Adrian Younge’s production is very futuristic and when the two sounds come together the results feel very forwards thinking. It’s like she’s a lounge singer on a UFO, crooning an old standard about love as they whizz through the cosmos. Angela gives a great performance that ensures that the spacey synths and cavernous drums never distract from her soulful voice.
Musical supergroup LVCRFT tapped a lot of names for this album but probably the most surprising inclusion was drag queen Morgan McMichaels, who pops up on this electro pop track to drop some fun rap verses. Their somewhat unusual delivery and memorable lyrics (which reference a lot of horror movie cliches) give this track a nice flavor to pair with that catchy chorus and spoooooky dance production.
CHIKA’s rapid fire flow is impressive and she’s a very intelligent lyricist, but more than that she’s got a ton of heart and soul that really comes through in her music. Take “On My Way” for instance, which is a tender ode to a girl back home she misses while she’s on tour. The strings and “adult contemporary” production give the track a very sappy, romantic feel, but her feelings seem so genuine that it never becomes cloying; it’s refreshing to hear a song that offers up this kind of vulnerability.
This kind of melodramatic vaudevillian emo pop-rock has such a specific vibe that’s hard to describe (“edgy” falls short of its full appeal) but if you know, you know. And IDKHOWBUTTHEYFOUNDME know. They capture the smooth talking musicality of old school crooners in the song but then apply it to maniacal lyrics in which they describe an abject desire to hurt themselves in order to impress a distant paramour. It’s both troubling and a little bit sexy, which is a great combo.
It's not exceptionally common for a song on a commercial album to try to be funny, but hearing Ingrid's self-deprecating descriptions of the increasingly bad decisions she makes in an attempt to get over her ex manages to get at least a quirk of the mouth from me. She hired a string quartet to play on this song to make it sound more “classy” as an ironic contrast to the decidedly unclassy lyrics, but despite how plainspoken they are there’s still some great storytelling and wit in them (especially when delivered with Ingrid's brassy country twang).
Have you ever been listening to a song from the ‘00s/’10s where a girl tries to say something about a guy by putting down another woman and thought to yourself “wow this is a bop, but I wish there wasn’t so much internalized misogyny?” Well Marisa Maino has got you covered with “Hot,” in which she spends three and a half minutes singing about how cool her loser ex’s new girlfriend is. It’s a pretty funny song and a nice spin on an old formula, which does wonders to make the throwback ’00s pop-rock sound feel fresh again. She’s got a pretty nice voice too, very lively.
RILEY is a fantastic storyteller, honest about the darker side of life in “the hood” while still illuminating the brighter parts. Adding to the nostalgic tint is the throwback hip-hop/r&b sound she uses, which always sounds good but suits her voice particularly well. BJ the Chicago Kid is another nice addition, and their chemistry brings the track up another level. It's not the type of music I expected Amber Riley to release (I assumed she'd do ballads) but it's pretty great.
Olivia O’Brien released a lot of great songs this year, I don’t know what they put in her water but she provided a steady stream of bold, melody focused ‘00s flavored synthpop that all hit right; “Was It All In My Head?” in particular stood out thanks to the addition of some electric guitar, which was a nice touch that gave the song some extra meat on its bones. Vaguely self-pitying songs and songs about trifling boys are basically Olivia’s “thing” at this point so she feels right on this track; it’s catchy, fun, and relatable… textbook Olivia at this point.
This feels like the most firmly r&b thing CHANMINA has released (most of her music leans towards either pop or rap) and it fits her gritty voice well, as well as her brand of being moody/sexy. One thing that I like about her music is that the tone and intention is very clear even if you can’t understand the lyrics, and she drops enough f-bombs during the chorus that you can kinda get the gist of what’s happening here. The honeyed beats are nice to listen too regardless.
GWSN have a very futuristic dance-pop sound, but they fuse it here with jazzy piano/guitar and it’s such a sleek, stylish blend. It creates such a dreamy atmosphere, and the melody soars and dances as if it’s the titular aerialist flying through the universe. Adding to this is the way that the vocalists dance around each other and throw in sneaky little harmonies and ad libs means that the song is constantly full of delights! Really hope this group gets some more attention soon. Hope you all enjoyed and found something you liked. Also if you want more here’s the post I did for this series last year! Once again, I encourage all of you to embark on similar projects of your own, it's really fun to share!
[First][Previous] “I wonder what she’s like,” Annabelle mused out loud “old, young, blonde, brunette?” The Reckless was one final jump off from the system Red had pointed out, bleeding off the accumulated radiation. “I don’t know,” August sounded regretful. “and I don’t care. But I know what her mind feels like, I’ll be able to find her.” “I don’t understand how you can do that.” She looked at him. They were alone in the cockpit. Languin spent all the time between jumps fussing over the engines and Red rarely left the girls bunk room. A knock on the door ended their conversation. Steve entered, carrying three nutri smoothies. “Dinner time.” He said, his voice wavering with uncertainty. “What’s up, Mr. Languin?” Annabelle turned to retrieve two of the smoothies, but froze as the mechanic came into view. “I’ve been trying to figure this out since we fled the alien attack,” he sounded apologetic enough to make August turn his chair as well. The mechanic was using one hand to close the door behind him and the other was held out, palm up, with three smoothie cups hovering above his palm. “which one of you is the kinetic?” Annabelle smiled at him. “By the looks of it, that would be you.” Steve’s panicked eyes flew from one to the other. “That is not how this works!” His voice was on the point of breaking. “I’m hearing tastes in my head, I get glimpses of engine errors and faults minutes before they appear and now I can open doors without using my hands.” He tossed the three containers out into the cockpit where thy just sort of hung in the air. “I mean, the precog is Red, obviously, but I can’t wrap my head around the two of you.” “What do you mean ‘obviously’?” Annabelle tilted her head as she calmly reached out for the smoothie that gently floated towards her. “I didn’t get the flashes before she joined the ship.” Annabelle looked over at August, who maintained the appearance of having no idea what the mechanic was talking about. Steve saw his captain’s facial expression. “Well, look. I’m a Doppler, I don’t register as an active anything, because I’m not. Not unless I’m in the near vicinity of other active Psionics.” He shrugged apologetically. “I...duplicate the abilities. I didn’t get precog flashes before Red joined, but I’ve been juggling small objects in the engine bay since we did that first blind jump and I’m ‘hearing’ Red’s mood all the time.” August and Annabelle exchanged brief glances. “I-I’m kinetic.” August smiled at Languin. “That explains how you dealt with the miners on Redemption without a weapon.” Steve projected relief as the puzzle pieces fell into place. He focused on Annabelle for a brief moment, before she broke into an apologetic smile. “No, that’s also him.” She pointed at August. “You’re also the ‘path?” The connection was weak, but Steve's question was clear in his mind. “I am, yes.” August projected honesty/safety/assurance at the mechanic as he looped the link through Annabelle. “I am a passive relay.” She added her mind to the link. “A mental conference call, if you will.” “Then why are we not linking all the time?” Steve sounded confused. “The strain of maintaining the link on my part is… taxing.” Annabelle added with a shrug. “I can imagine.” Languin switched to verbal and immediately his face released the crunched up wrinkles on his forehead. “So you copy the abilities of other Psions?” August turned back to the displays and sipped his smoothie. “Yeah, I don’t know how it works, it’s always just happened. At first it was really scary, but then I kinda got used to it.” “Have you ever met the PDA?” Annabelle looked at him, the hint of distrust crept around the edge of her public mind. “I have, they usually show up a couple of days after I spot a psionic. Never dealt with them though,” Steve shuddered at the thought of actually interacting with the Agency “to be honest: I don’t care to deal with them either, their methods seem… Extreme.” “You could say that.” August accompanied the thought with a light amusement/irony. “How strong are you?” Annabelle asked, his answer and the lack of a lie response from August had dispersed her distrust. “Not strong at all, like I said: I copy the abilities. My strength seems to be directly connected to the strength of whoever I’m copying.” Languin shrugged. “I guess Captain Void here is pretty strong, usually I am able to move a pen or stir a nutrisynth, but here, I’m juggling minor parts and tools with very little effort.” “So the copy is weaker than the original?” “Much weaker and for the more complicated abilities I have to rely on the passives.” “Like precog?” “Yes. I don’t know how precog works, so I have to rely on the passive flashes, but I have a pretty good grasp on ‘kinetics and I can do basic ‘pathing.” His face broke into a wide smile. “And don’t get me started on ghosting, that stuff is beyond logic.” “What’s this?” August’s surprised outburst caused Annabelle to shift her attention to the sensor readout. “Incoming ships, three signatures.” Her answer became redundant as three Federal Enforcement ships entered the system from hyperreality. “Attention, citizen:” The forced comm signal rang through the entire ship. “Identify yourself, transmit cargo manifest and state your business in the core.” August activated the communication relay. “A-august V-void, cargo of solid nutrients, with intention to trade in an outer-core system.” Annabelle transmitted the cargo manifest to the FE ships. “Thank you for your cooperation, please hold while we verify.” “What now?” Languin asked quietly. “If we’re lucky, they’ll bid us a good day and direct us to the nearest trading port.” Annabelle answered him without turning away from the screens. “And if we aren’t?” Steve dreaded the possible answer. “Get back to the engines and prepare for the worst, make sure Red is strapped in.” August tossed the thought in the mechanic’s direction. Steve nodded and left. The PA system of the Salvage crackled to life again. “Attention, Reckless Salvage, You are suspected of having a hostage on board. Prepare for boarding action, we have a Search and Detain warrant active.” Annabelle received a copy of the warrant on her interface and she nodded softly to August as one of the FE ships moved in to align their docking airlock with the matching one on the Reckless. “What now?” Annabelle looked at him. “The warrant says that Red is a hostage and that her biological family have filed a missing persons report.” “Biological family? She didn’t have an identity. What is their name?” “Selvin.” “Merrimirth…” “Why do you think this has anything to do with—” “I was once a Selvin, the last Selvin.” Annabelle only took half a second to digest the information. “Floor it, get us out of here.” “We still have two ships aiming their weapons at us and we can’t outrun them, they’re faster than we are.” “You promised.” Her eyes locked with his, the steely determination her face depicted left no doubt that she was expecting him to keep his end of the deal. August closed his eyes, riding the edge between realspace and mindspace he found the incoming ship as it was aligning the airlocks. He found the connectors and added just enough kinetic pressure to prevent the attachment points from connecting properly. “Come on, August, let’s go.” Annabelle insisted sharply. The FE ship pulled away a bit, realigned and initiated the airlock connection maneuver for the second time, once again, his pressure prevented the airlocks from making a secure connection. The comms relay indicated an incoming call. “Reckless Salvage, receiving.” Annabelle answered the incoming communication. “We seem to have issues making a secure airlock connection, stand by for manual boarding.” “Standing by, we may have damages on the external connector that have not been attended to.” Annabelle shot a glance in August’s direction. His wry smile told her all she needed to know. “The cargo bay is not vacuum sensitive, should we vent the bay and open the cargo access?” She offered the officers. The communicator was silent for a minute before the answer came through. “That would be preferable, thank you for your cooperation.” “Steve, vent the cargo bay and lower the ramp, they’re entering from the rear.” August shut out the mechanics creative tsunami of expressions as to what he was going to do to their rears if they as much as touched Red. His eyes ran across the instrument readouts in front of him and then to Annabelle. “We’re trapped, we can’t outrun them, can’t shoot at them and their airlocks are biometrically locked.” “You checked?” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “First thing.” “Old dogs.” She offered a nervous smile. “New tricks!” The enthusiasm of the thought caused Annabelle to winch a little. “What are you going to do?” August requested a channel opened to the FE ships. As the connection was accepted he took a deep breath. “T-this is C-captain A-August V-oid sp-sp-speaking. I a-a-am t-the l-legal guardian o-of R-red V-Void. S-s-she is o-on t-the ship a-and r-recovering f-from b-being held c-captive o-on t-t-the R-redemption.” “Captain Void. The manager of the Redemption is the legal guardian of Miss Selvyn, equip her with an EVA suit and hand her over to the boarding party. Then you will only face the accusations previously added to your record.” Came the reply. “How far are the EVA officers?” He needed to time this perfectly. “They just left the FE cruiser, why?” Languin let a deep, crimson/blood projection of frustration/anger follow the answer. He smiled at Annabelle before he returned to the edge. Annabelle flipped the comms switch to the engine room and put the cockpit on speaker when Steve requested the call. “Attention Cruiser 0-6-5-9” The mechanics voice was bordering panicked. “This is the Reckless Salvage Engineer, Chief Languin. You have two untethered EVA operatives, repeat: Two untethered units. Do you require assistance?” Annabelle stared at August in disbelief. “You unhooked their EVA’s?” From his mental position of in between August heard her clearly and manifested a knowing smile on his face. “Thank you, Chief Languin, we have confirmation, two untethered, assistance will not be necessary.” August saw the two FE officers use their hydrogen thrusters to close the gap between themselves and the Reckless. He gently nudged them both off course by clogging a thruster on one of the maneuver packs and directing the spinning operative towards his colleague. He opened his eyes just in time to see the remaining two ships break off the holding pattern, blocking the Reckless from escaping in order to assist the two drift/spinning officers. Annabelle was charging the jump engine. “Three minutes.” She reported in. August looked out the viewport at the three ships, trying to catch their colleagues. They almost missed the cyan flare as another ship exited into the system. Almost. As he reached across the void to find out who had arrived, his heart skipped a beat. Artificial mindwalls. *“*M-m-merri— “ was all he managed to convey as the first volley of shrapnel hit the Reckless. Annabelle gave a short squeal as she was torn from her seat and pulled to the viewport by the vacuum from the multiple penetrations by the shrapnel. Her exclamation turned into a pained grunt as she impacted the transparent pane and August saw the flashfrozen, crystallised blood spewing into the void beyond the viewport. He Plugged the holes in the hull, and stemmed the flow of blood from her wound. He had to follow the projectiles into her body and clog every major artery and three organs.. For the second time he shot a thought of gratitude towards Doctor Palroy for his extensive medical library. “L-l-languin.” He called out into the cockpit, hoping that the mechanic could hear him. “What!?” Came the muffled return shout from the engine compartment. “Kinda busy down here!” August could hear the urgency in Steve’s voice. He was stretching his focus. The human body was a rather complex machine to keep focused on and Annabelle was squirming in her shock. He had to reduce the flow of blood to her brain to prevent the swelling from the concussion from knocking her unconscious. Her eyes shot open, her pupils were three times the size that they normally were, her face, contorted in a mixture of agony, shock and awareness. She looked out the viewport, directly at the void. August wasn’t prepared. Neither for the volume, nor the source. Annabelles mental voice exploded in a definitively active omnidirectional scream. “Help us!” August’s reality consisted of white omnipresent pain. The scream had torn him from the edge between mindspace and physical space, he had throttled the engines to max and thrown himself on the floor to cradle Annabelles limp, unconscious body. “Languin!” He absently felt his body reverb with the sound his throat made, the mechanic popped his head into the cockpit. “Red is having a fit.” He said before disappearing out of sight. Another volley shook the hull of the Reckless followed by breach alarms along the starboard aft, August struggled to keep on top of everything. Plugging the holes in the cockpit, keeping Annabelle’s wounds under control and operating the ship left him with very little excess mental capacity to deal with anything else. He gunned the jump engine, the charge wasn’t enough to get them out of the system, but it would put them elsewhere. A stray electron inside a tennis ball. The Reckless lurched violently as the almost instantaneous acceleration and deceleration was more than the inertial dampeners could handle and threw August against the back wall of the cockpit, snapping ribs with the impact. He coughed against the pain, heaving for breath and noticed the blood spatter his cough had sprayed onto Annabelle. As he heaved for another, stolen, breath, he waited for the next volley to destroy the ship. It didn’t come. Minutes passed, still nothing. The white pain still prevented him from attempting to locate the other ships in the system. reaching for the controls he managed to turn the ship’s systems down to just a bare minimum. Reducing their profile to that of an almost derelict wreck. Is this how it ends? The thought penetrated his mind, imposing itself, refusing to give way to logic. Limping, wounded and waiting for the merciful put down, a single jump away? August was torn away from the path of despair by a gentle rap on the viewport. He looked up to see a figure outside the ship. It wasn’t an official EVA suit, it looked, rugged and well worn. The figure made the gesture that signified a wish to enter through the airlock. He closed his eyes and nodded. He was in no position to fight anymore, not if Annabelle was to live. He heard the airlock cycle and noticed that the person didn’t take the suit off, the steps slowly making their way towards the cockpit. When the footsteps entered the room, he opened an eye and shot a glance at the boot. The telltale hiss of the neck seal being broken told him that the person had removed their helmet. “You’re in a ripe mess here, Captain.” A female voice echoed through the cockpit, no sign of amusement or pity, it held the character of focused business. “Mind if we lend you a hand?” He looked up, the figure was moving for the pilot’s chair. “W-we?” “We, the crews of Polter and Geist.” The woman took the helm and began charging the jump engine. “You have some serious range on this thing, where’d you get it?” August could hear how impressed she was with the Reckless and the capabilities the ship had. “I c-commandeered it f-from t-the PDA.” He coughed again, the mix of blood and saliva dripped from his mouth onto Annabelles chest. The woman turned her head and looked at him. “You need help, we have a medic on Geist, I’ll have them dock with us.” “T-the o-other—“ “Ships?, they’re on the other side of the system, trying to figure out who is shooting at them.” She cut him off. “N-no, m-my c-crew.” Another cough, another bloody drip. “That mechanic of yours locked the hatch to the quarters when I entered, I believe they’re fine.” “G-good.” August leaned his head against the wall and let go of the controls. “Kinetic, huh? Thank you for the controls.” The woman didn’t sound grateful. “I’m docking us with the Geist, the Captain wants to talk to you.” The unspoken threat behind her words didn’t pass August by, he just had enough on his plate to deal with at the moment. A few moments later a man of considerate bulk waddled into the cockpit. “Good job Sam,” he said to the woman “now, where’s the captain of this wreck?” August opened his eyes and looked at the man as Sam pointed in his direction. “You—” The Captain of the Geist cut himself off. “What’s your name?” The insistence in his voice crept up August’s spine. “A-a-august V-void.” He wheezed through the bloody muck in his throat. “Who was your father?” August looked up into the eyes of the Captain, the question was a poorly concealed demand for information, August knew he had no choice but to comply, his crew depended on help. “His name was Selvin, I can’t remember his first name.” “By the Void,” The Captain whispered to himself before he turned to Sam, “Change of plans. Can she jump?” “Yes, but we can’t spare the crew for a two seater—” The captain cut her off. “Call the medic over.” Sam muttered something into her communicator. The captain squatted down on his haunches next to august, studying his face. “You look just like him.” “Wh-h-ho?” August turned his head to face the massive bulk. “Constantine Selvin.” Behind the Captains back, Sam froze for half a second before she returned her focus on the controls. An older man entered the cockpit and tapped the captain on the shoulder. “You’re in my spot, John.” He said. The captain got up and edged his way out of the crowded cockpit. “He survives.” He said before he left the Reckless. The medic crouched down and tried, unsuccessfully, to remove Annabelle’s limp form from August’s grip. “H-her f-first.” He cough-wheezed. “The captain said you have priority.” The medic explained as he tried again to remove the woman's body from August. “Forget it Doc,” Sam muttered, “he’s a kinetic, held the ship controls from over there, you’re not going to get to him before the eyecandy is stable.” The medic let go of Annabelle and sighed. “Ok, let’s have a look at her then.” August grabbed the man’s hand, the tactile connection allowed a direct communication through the white pain. “Three projectile wounds, perforated liver, lung, kidney and seven lower intestine punctures, two arterial punctures and her appendix is infected.” He let go of the medic who looked like someone had just punched him in the face. “I thought you said he was a kinetic?” He shot a glance at Sam. “I did.” The medic shrugged. “If you’re right, there’s nothing I can do. That many injuries require a full operation suite and the only places that have those are Federation stations.” “Who is right?” Sam asked, without taking her eyes off the displays. “Nevermind.” The medic mumbled as August extended a finger towards him. He touched it with his palm. “Do you have stims? Enough to keep me awake for a crossover to Orion?”The medic shook his head. “She has to make it.” “I’ll see what I can do.” He said as he got up. “I’ll be back, Captain.” The medic was replaced by Captain John. “You are a lucky man, Void,” He growled with a low, aged rasp to his voice. “We’ve been following you since the Redemption raid. That Precog is the only reason you’re still alive.” August caught the captain’s stare and held it. “S-she’s b-burned o-out.” “Now why would you say something like that? Especially since I’ve told you that the only thing of value you have is her abilities.” John’s voice carried a mix of surprise and annoyance. He didn’t wait for an answer. “Then I come over here to grab my prize and low-and-behold: Specter’s kid is keeping the ship together with his mind.” John sighed and took the co-pilot’s seat. “Specter was your father’s call sign. He captained Polter before I joined. He did a lot more than that, if I’m completely honest, but my debt to him has earned you a rescue.” He swiveled the chair and began tapping the display. “This is the best I can do, for now” The medic kneeled down next to August and held out an injector. “It is grade three regeneratives, it won’t fix her completely, but it should help stabilize her.” August nodded and let the medic inject Annabelle. “You’re staying, Doc, Sam and I will pilot the Reckless, Polter and Geist will follow, using the split-delta maneuver.” “Yes, Captain.” The Doc’s eyes became unfocused for a second. “Relayed and acknowledged.” August sighed and rested his cheek against Annabelles forehead. He didn’t notice the jump to hyperreality. “Now, Mr. Void,” John’s voice crept into August’s focus from behind the white noise/pain. “there’s the price to negotiate.” “I t-t-though—” August began. “The rescue isn’t free, I’m billing you two million FedCreds for this. You can either pay up on arrival or join the crews.” August stared at John’s back. “I-i-i’m C-captain o-of the Reckless.” “That is not how this works, Mr. Void. If you join the crew, you’ll be assigned to a ship and take the position offered by the Captain. There are others who have earned the stripes and the Reckless will be a fine downpayment on your debt. Your father made the code of the Ghosts, I’m just following it.” “C-code?” John swiveled the seat around and faced him. “It is a simple three step code. Step one: Loyalty to strength. The shots are called by the strongest among us. Step Two: Earn your stripes. Reward skill with responsibility. Step Three: Debt free. You always clear your debt to the crews.” August acknowledged the code with a single, tired, nod. “Cash or service?” John insisted. “S-s-service, f-for n-now.” “Fill me in on your old crew positions, I’ll need to know what this bucket needs to fly.” August felt his eyelids force themselves shut. “S-save h-her.” He muttered before the bloodloss caught up to him. [Next] A/N: I got nothing today... Enjoy. Also: poor marketing choice
The Sauce: False claims of electoral fraud and next steps
Normally, I’d post Lost in the Sauce today (technically, yesterday). However, I think it’s important to focus on the election issues first - I’d call this THE sauce. Later this week, perhaps Thursday, I’ll post the real Lost in the Sauce. Housekeeping:
HOW TO SUPPORT: I know we are all facing unprecedented financial hardships right now. If you are in the position to support my work, I have a patreon, venmo, and a paypal set up. No pressure though, I will keep posting these pieces publicly no matter what - paywalls suck.
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What’s next
Each state will “certify” its results — between now and December 8. The Electoral College meets to “vote” on December 14. Congress meets in joint session to “count” the Electoral College’s votes on January 6. Emily Murphy, administrator of the General Services Administration, is refusing to sign a letter allowing President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team to formally begin its work this week. Her approval is required to provide the transition with funding, as well as access to government officials, office space in agencies, and equipment.
A GSA spokesperson told The Hill, however, that Administrator Emily Murphy, a political appointee named to the post by Trump, is waiting to determine that “a winner is clear.” "An ascertainment has not yet been made. GSA and its Administrator will continue to abide by, and fulfill, all requirements under the law," the spokesperson added in a statement when asked if changes were forthcoming in the days ahead.
Attorney General William Barr issued a memo on Monday authorizing U.S. attorneys to open investigations into claims of voter fraud. Barr’s directive states that probes can be launched “if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State.”
...previous guidance from the Justice Department’s Election Crimes Branch that said prosecutors should not — in most instances — take overt steps in voter fraud or related investigations until after election results are in and certified. The guidance was designed to ensure that voters and state and local election officials, rather than the federal government, decide the results, and that, if prosecutors wanted to deviate from the norm, they would at least first have to consult with Public Integrity prosecutors and the Election Crimes Branch.
In protest of Barr’s directive, Richard Pilger - the longtime director of the Election Crimes Branch - stepped down from his position. In an email to colleagues, Pilger wrote that the new DOJ policy is "abrogating the forty-year-old Non-Interference Policy for ballot fraud investigation in the period prior to elections becoming certified and uncontested." Some worry that fraud found under Barr’s new policy, however insignificant, will give Republican state legislaures cover to directly appoint Trump-supporting electors to the Electoral College, overturning the state’s popular votes.
The legal theory that would allow state legislatures to go rogue and appoint electors without regard for the popular vote rests on an argument made by Chief Justice William Rehnquist in Bush v. Gore, for himself and two other justices. On this view, a legislature is unconstrained in its power to set the manner by which electors are selected—meaning that even after an election, the legislature could ignore the results and select a different slate altogether. (Lawfare)
The idea has been pushed by conservative radio host Mark Levin and Senator Lindsey Graham (clip), particularly regarding Pennsylvania. However, Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman shut down the proposal, saying that state law makes it clear Pennsylvania must follow the popular vote. Realistically, it is very unlikely an attempt to override the popular vote will succeed. The point, as with many of the electoral lawsuits brought by Trump, is to undermine faith in the results and in Biden’s presidency. However, in order to prepare for all possibilities, we can explore what would happen if a state sent illegitimate Trump-supporting electors to the final count conducted by Congress:
On Jan. 6, when the roll call arrives at a state with dueling slates of electors, House Democrats would insist on certifying those pledged to Biden...Senate Republicans could seek to validate the Trump electors. One possibility is that Vice President Pence would assert his prerogative, as president of the Senate, to control the counting of electoral votes and determine which slate is valid…If that were to occur, Democrats presumably would attempt to shut down the entire process until Republicans acquiesced. The Electoral Count Act explicitly states there is no moving on to the next state in line until any dispute is resolved, so Democrats can derail the process. Pence might try to continue with the vote, but the House could then refuse to participate in the joint session any further, which would shut down the counting. While the stalemate persisted, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) could claim the right to serve as acting president starting on Jan. 20 for as long as Senate Republicans fail to recognize Biden’s status as president-elect based on the popular vote in the relevant states.
Misinformation and threats
Rightwing social media spread a list of over 14,000 alleged registered voters in Michigan who are dead, yet managed to cast a vote. CNN examined a subset of the list consisting of 50 entries, finding that 37 are actually dead and did not cast a vote; 5 are alive and voted; 8 are alive and didn’t vote. In other words, no fraud was discovered. Furthermore, some state registration systems indicate a missing date of birth by adopting filler dates, such as 01/01/1900, 01/01/1850, or 01/01/1800.
President Trump plans to brandish obituaries of people who supposedly voted but are dead — plus hold campaign-style rallies — in an effort to prolong his fight against apparent insurmountable election results
Facebook took down a widespread network of pages tied to President Trump’s former chief strategist Stephen Bannon for pushing misinformation about voter fraud and delegitimizing election results. The pages include “a Group that was originally named ‘Stop the Steal’ which later became ‘Gay Communists for Socialism’ and misled people about its purpose using deceptive tactics.”
Twitter permanently suspended Bannon’s Twitter account after he suggested last week that Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded.
Prominent Trump supporters including Bannon and George Papadopoulos, have been pushing a baseless conspiracy that votes were changed in Biden’s favor using a deep-state supercomputernamed “Hammer” and a computer program named “Scorecard.”
“I think there are any number of things they need to investigate, including the likelihood that three percent of the vote total was changed in the pre-election voting ballots that were collected digitally by using the Hammer program and the software program called Scorecard,” Sidney Powell, the attorney for former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, said Friday in an appearance on Fox Business. “That would have amounted to a massive change in the vote.”
A texting company run by Gary Coby, the Trump campaign’s digital director, sent out thousands of targeted, anonymous text messages urging supporters to rally where votes were being counted in Philadelphia on Thursday, falsely claiming Democrats were trying to steal the presidential election. The company, Opn Sesame, has earned millions as a hub of text-messaging efforts for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee this election cycle
“ALERT: Radical Liberals & Dems are trying to steal this election from Trump! We need YOU!” the text said, directing recipients to “show your support” on a street corner near the Philadelphia Convention Center where votes were being counted and tensions were running high.
Note: See section below, “Trump’s game,” for more on Trump-connected emails and text messages.
Later Thursday night, two men were arrested near the convention center for carrying loaded handguns without a permit. There are indications they believed fake ballots were being counted there, suggesting that they were motivated by rightwing disinformation about election fraud. Antonio LaMotta, 61, and Joshua Macias, 42, both of Chesapeake, Virginia, had over 160 rounds of ammunition in a car adorned with Qanon stickers. There has been a TON of misinformation over the past week. NYT has kept a fact-checking list of the most prevalent false claims.
Trump lawsuit updates
The following cases were brought since Election Day: In Pennsylvania, a federal judge dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit to compel Philadelphia election officials to stop counting ballots. In another case, a state judge ruled in the campaign’s favor, allowing campaign officials to observe the Philadelphia process from a six-foot distance. Ongoing litigation in PA:
On Monday, the Trump campaign filed a new lawsuit against Pennsylvania’s secretary of state and seven counties, seeking an injunction prohibiting them from certifying the state’s results of the 2020 election. The campaign brings a multitude of complaints - from mismanaged mail voting to a blockade of observers. Rick Hasen, an election law expert from the University of California in Irvine, said the lawsuit is “extremely unlikely” to change the outcome in Pennsylvania or the national outcome favoring Biden.
A case to compel Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar and all 67 counties to impose an earlier date for voters to show proof of identification if it was not on their initial ballots. A state judge ordered officials to segregate provisional ballots from voters with deficiencies on their mail-in ballots.
A case to compel the Montgomery County Board of Elections to stop counting mail-in-ballots. The Trump campaign and RNC allege that the board of elections was counting 600 ballots that had not been placed in secrecy envelopes and was therefore not complying with requirements.
A case to intervene in an already existing dispute before the U.S. Supreme Court about whether ballots the state received after 8 p.m. on Election Day should count. Ballots arriving after Election Day have already been segregated and have not been counted.
In Nevada, the Trump campaign has brought two lawsuits, both rejected by the courts. The first case: a federal judge refused an injunction on the automated signature-verification machines used in Clark County. The second case: a state judge denied the campaign and RNC’s request to halt the counting process in Clark County until they could observe the process. In Michigan, conservatives have lost both claims it tried to bring in court since Election day. The first: a Court of Claims judge denied a Trump campaign request to halt the counting of absentee ballots, on the grounds that campaign officials had not been given access to observe the process as required by state law. The second: A Wayne County Circuit Court judge denied a conservative group’s request to halt the certification of election results in Detroit.
Trump’s lawyers tried to appeal the ruling in the first case, but it botched its initial attempt at a filing.
In Georgia, the Trump campaign has filed one lawsuit, seeking to disqualify just 50-some ballots. The campaign claimed the ballots arrived late but a judge ruled against them, saying Trump lawyers provided no evidence. In Arizona, the Trump campaign and RNC are involved in an ongoing case alleging “up to thousands” of votes weren’t counted in Maricopa County due to irregularities (e.g. selecting more than one person in a single race). However, Deputy Maricopa County Attorney told a judge that only 180 of the 165,860 cast in person on Election Day had such potential errors.
Trump’s game
What is the point of these lawsuits and claims of election fraud? (1) It undermines Biden’s presidency; (2) It soothes Trump’s ego; (3) Trump is using it as an opportunity to fundraise; (4) Republicans hope it will keep their base fired up for the two Georgia Senate races in January. At least half of donations to the Trump campaign’s “election defense” fund will go toward paying down debt for the president's campaign. A separate fundraising effort by the "Trump Make America Great Again Committee" states that 60% of contributions will go toward campaign debt while 40% goes to the RNC.
Archive: This Election isn’t over yet. We still have a long way to go and I need to know that I can count on you. I’m putting together an Election Defense Task Force that will be made up of my STRONGEST defenders. I’m calling on YOU to step up and join. Please contribute $5 IMMEDIATELY to join the Election Defense Task Force and to increase your impact by 1000%.
Furthermore, there is no evidence that donations are ever matched at any percentage, let alone 1000%. As WaPo reports, this is likely another instance of Trump swindling his supporters:
In terms of legality, experts generally agree that false statements intended to flatter donors would be deemed harmless rhetoric in court. While lying about a donation match could legally be considered consumer fraud, there isn’t a specific campaign law against it.
Trump also recently formed a leadership PAC, “a federal fund-raising vehicle that will potentially let him retain his hold on the Republican Party even after he leaves office.” A leadership PAC could accept donations from an unlimited number of people and from other PACs.
A leadership PAC could spend an unlimited amount in so-called independent expenditures to benefit other candidates, as well as fund travel, polling and consultants. Mostly, it would almost certainly be a vehicle by which Mr. Trump could retain influence in a party that has been remade largely in his image over the past four years.
To a similar end, Trump has begun telling people that he may run for president again in 2024. This will keep him relevant and help him retain control over the GOP in the years to come. Combined with the creation of a new PAC and claims of being cheated, it appears that Trump wants to maintain a flow of cash and support during Biden’s presidency.
can i cash a two party check with one signature video
If you want to cash a two-party check, the same rules apply. Who can cash it depends on how it's made out. Whether everyone has to be present to cash it depends on the rules of the place where you're cashing it. If you don't have an account at a bank or credit union, you'll need to use a check cashing service. If a two-party check is written to “[Person 1] and [Person 2],” both parties must be present to cash the check. However, “[Person 1] or [Person 2]” means that either person can cash the check on their own. Can You Cash a Two-Party Check With Only One Signature? Answer: Yes, but only if the payee names are connected by “or” A two party check is a standard check. I write a check to you. We are the two parties involved. You take the check to your bank. You cash or deposit it. It then gets processed through the bank system to take the money from my account. You may have... Although you will have to pay fees when you cash a check using this option, it does not require a joint account. Walmart, for example, will cash payroll checks, tax refunds and 401 (k) disbursement checks, as well as cashier's checks made out to two parties. Learn the check-cashing fees at the largest U.S. banks and find out how you can cash a check without a bank account. First, check with the IRS. It's possible you're OK. If not, are you on good terms with him? If so, take the check to the jail and have him sign it. After you get the check, if you're still unsure, call your bank, tell them how the check is written, and they can tell you if it requires his signature. According to Section-110 (d) of the Uniform Commercial Code, if a check payable to two or more people is ambiguous in terms of the payee (s), any of the stated payees can deposit the check into... You can cash a two-party check at banks and credit unions, many check cashing stores, and some grocery stores. Checks that are made out to two parties can be a bit trickier to cash than those made out to just one person. The rules for cashing a check made out to 2 individuals varies depending on the bank as well as how the check was written. Checks made out to either individual using the word “or” can be cashed by either person. If the check was made out to both people using the word “and,” then it has to be cashed by both parties. A two party check has to be endorsed by both parties before it can be cashed. So the only way for you to cash the whole thing would be to have your attorney endorse the check and send it back to...
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