So in April, I decided to watch every Bond film from "From Russia with Love" to "Spectre". I had already seen Dr. No for a english assignment last year and while I enjoyed the film didn't feel the need to rewatch it. So here are my thoughts:
Dr. No - A great start to the Bond franchise that is introduces a lot of the classic elements, including "Bond, James Bond", Girls and cold kills. The film is quite quaint by modern standards but is still fun to watch. I will say the second half of the opening is just plain odd though, why after the James Bidn theme am I hearing bongos?. I will say that I wish we saw more of Dr. No than we do in the actual film, as, but otherwise Jospeh Wiseman gives a great performance. Overall 7.5/10
From Russia with Love - Okay this one just got better as it went along. While the pre-title sequence isn't bad we don't actually get to bond for a bit of the film and it does drag a bit. I also love that in the second movie we're already trying to play with the fact that Bond loves to sleep with women. I also find it funny that Robert Shaw looks awfully similar to Daniel Craig. Even with that though Red Grant still delievrs a codl performance that leads to one of the best fight scenes in cinema Overall 8.5/10
Goldfinger - I love this one so much. From a great villain to the DB5 to the iconic imagery and the brilliant henchman in Oddjob. This film gets nearly everything right and I have very few problems with the film as a whole. My only qualm is the barn scene where it appears that Bond may have raped Pussy galore, but that really didn't hinder my enjoyment very much as all. Where my love for the films was truly cemented for the film was for this quote "Did you expect to me to Live?" "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die".Also my favourite character is introduced in this film: Q. The way Desmond Lleweyn plays this character is perfect and I really did not want anyone to replace him. Goldfinger is almsot flawless 9/10
Thunderball - This is where the franchise really went downhill for me. What really annoys me about this film is the first half hour is a complete waste of time that we didn't need. We could have easily started just at scene where Bond is meeting with leaders of the world and M and it still wouldn't affect your understanding of the film. Even after that, so much of the film just feels like wasted potential. The only good part of the film are probably about half the girls, Sean Connery and the one Q scene. The Underwater scenes are just boring and I didn't care. Altough this film does have on e the best title sequences. This will seem harsh to some but honestly this film gets a 4/10
Casino Royale(1967) - Yes I made sure to watch "every" James Bond film (although that wasn't really worth it in the end). What the fuck happened in this film. Honeslty this film is just random scenes together stuck together with a plotline. I remeber David Niven playing some game with Ursula Andress( If I remember correctly). I remember Bond's daughter stuck in a mze like berlin in the cold war. I remember peter sellers going up against Le Chiffre. But the films comes together like a Sandwhich made of Jello and Glue. It's awful. But it's also hilarious to think about. Honestly the story behind the film is more interesting than the actual film. Oh and how lazy is that ending, my God. 3.5/10
You Only live Twice - Alright I knew going in to this some of the films would be dated but I thought that was going to eb about the attitudes towards Women. I did not expect Sean Connery to be badly put in makeup to make him "look Asian". Also the final "Blofeld" reveal is somewhat disappointing, not necessarily bad just somewhat disappointing considering how he was bulit up in From Russia with Love and Thunderball. Although I honeslty didn't have a problem with Connery's performance that much. While it's not great, it wasn't enough to have an impact on my feelings towards the films. Overall not bad. 7/10
On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Alright this one is hard for me. I didn't enjoy the film very much but it's clearly great. Why is it great? Well it gave me Captain America: Civil War which is a film I sometimes don't enjoy but know it is a great film regardless. I was probably just in the wrong mood for this film. As for Lazenby, he's not bad but I think he might have just needed a bit more direction on what to do. Although while it's a gutpunch I love the ending. I'll just give it a 7 now, but I might come back to this one.
Diamonds are Forever - This one is quite weird. From Blofeld to drag to having scenes set in Vegas to Connery weirdly looking too old depsite only being in his 40s. But it can also be a sort of fun weird as well. But then it's not great either. Also I blame this film for the stupid moon landing conspiracy theories. 6.5/10
Live and Let Die - This is a decent start to the Roger Moore Era. Moore feels like Bond but not like Connery which I think was a slight problem with Lazneby trying to be a little too much like Connery. Dr. Kananga is a good villian and Jane Seymour as Solitaire is one the best bond girls. Also Sherriff J.W Pepper is silly but helps us understand how the Roger Moore Era will feel. Overall 7.5/10
The Man with the Golden Gun - "THAT FUCKING SLIDE WHISTLE". Seriously though the slidew whistle over the car flip represents the whole film. Good Idea that were unfortunately done wrong due to horrid execution. However, this makes the film one of the best to enjoy ironically. Scaramnage and Nick Nack are probably the only things done well in the film. Just for ironic enjoyment I'm willing to give this film a 6/10
The Spy Who Loved Me - For the longest time this was my favourite Bond Film. It had my favourite Bond girl in Anya, One the best henchmen in Jaws, Moore at the top of his game, and one the best ending scenes battles in all of Bond. My only problem comes from Stromberg, who's just a bit one note. Overall 9.5/10
Moonraker - I had bad experience watching this one. I was expecting all of it to be set in Space but only the 3rd act actually is. This meant that during the first 2 acts I was just waiting for them to go to space and when they did, I wanted them back on Earth. I really didn't like the space scenes because the blasters reminded me too much of Star Wars. The film itself is probably the most over the top it's ever been and hell, looking back I realise while it was incredibly stupid it was fun seeing a double taking pigeon and the other nonsensical happenings in this film. Honeslty I'll give this a 6.5.
For Your Eyes Only - What happened in this one? This isn't like Casino Royale '67 where it's incredibly confusing but it's more just boring. I really don't remember much at all. I don't remember many of the stunts or any of the bond girls really. Hell, I have no idea who the villain actually was. The only thing I remember is the brilliant opening sequence. 4/10
Octopussy - This one's similar to FYEO for me only stupider. unfortunately though unlike Moonraker where it jump the shark fairly soon to get you ready for the sillier scenes later on, the clown scene at the end I was completely unprepared for looked and just came off as incredibly dumb. Also Octopussy could've been a great villain but no, it's someone else who I didn't care about. 3/10
Never Say Never Again - The first act is weird in that it can't decide if it wants to be classic Bond or a spoof like CR '67. The second act is classic Bond(although they play videogames at some point. What?). I don't remember the 3rd act at all and I got completely lost which really ruined the film for me. 4.5/10
A View To a Kill - This is like TMTWGG for me. The only real good parts are Mayday and Christopher Walken as Zorin. We really should've had Dalton by this point. In fact I think Dalton should've started with For Your Eyes Only. Moore I don't think gives a bad performance but he was clealry too old for the role by this point. As a film it's one of the sillier ones, but at least it wasn't too boring 5/10
The Living Daylights - What a breath of fresh air. It was nice to have a bond film I enjoyed again after some many I didn't like. I love the 3rd act with the both Bond hanging on for his life with the plane and the end fight (although it could give you a seizure if you're epileptic). Timothy Dalton is James Bond. All the other actors were playing a version of James Bond. Dalton is that character personified to a T. The Living Daylights gets a 7/10
Licence to Kill - This was very different. What is easily the darkest bond film (maybe except, Casino Royale '06) is also one of the better bond films. While I enjoyed TLD dalton's bond fits better in this sort of film. I love the plot is literally Bond on a revenge mission rather than just filling out M's orders. Also Q in more than just one scene, is bliss. I Love Q, not only for Desmons Lleweyn, but also because his warmth helps to say "Yes it's dark, but it's still Bond and we can still have fun with it". However the film does almost crumble under all of the different plotlines but unlike NSNA I was still able to get back into the film despite that. Also, It annoyed me that Felix survived the film. It would've been better and more believable if both Felix and his wife had died. LTK gets a 7.5/10
Goldeneye - I don't have a lot to say about this one. Just a great Bond film in it's own right with a great villain and some of the best Bond girls. Although I wasn't big on Brosnan at first though. To me he seemed too generic and didn't really have his own spin to Bond. But he grew on my over time. Besides Goldeneye is still a great film otherwise. 9/10
Tomorrow Never Dies - Again, not a lot to say about this one. Decent Bond flick, that while not as good as Goldeneye is still worth your time and worth checking out at least once. The best part of this film is the villain by far, being a version of Rupert Murdoch(hate that slimy bugger). 7/10
The World is Not Enough - Man I don't have a lot to say about the Brosnan films. I really don't know what to think of this film. The opening scene is great but otherwise I find the film to be another average Bond flick that is a little worse than TND. 6/10
Die Another Day - This one's similar to TMWTGG and AVTAK for me where's it's incrediby stupid but you can have a laugh at it. John Cleese is decent as Q but not as good as desmond lleyweyn. Unlike otehr silly bond films some of the stupid shit can be seen as downright offensive and taking the piss such as the parasailing on waves scene and the end villain literally being Robocop. But the film is somewhat saved by incredibly silly dialogue that is easy to laugh at. Overall 5/10
Casino Royale - First Act is good. The second act is one the best scenes in cinema I have ever seen. I was just invested in that Poker Scene as I was in the Portals scene in Avengers: Endgame if nor more so in the Poker scene. The torture scene is brutal but works perfectly. However once Mr White shows up the films kind of falls apart. This because you could easily assume that Mr White was CIA(Like I did) and just though that was that. While Mathis still had to be dealt with, (whihc QoS messes with for some reason) the film could've just ended with Bond and Vesper. But no we had to have this silly third act which feels like it was only there to kill Vesper. But since the first two acts are still really good and the third act doesn't ruin the movie I'm still willing to look a the film positively. Overall 8/10
Quantum of Solace - I saw this one fairly recently and I still don't remember what happened. I think Greene was the villain and Bond was on the run from MI6 but honeslty that's about it. I will say that in the first half however, Daniel Craig somehow managed to not be Bond and instead come off as top Gear host. The ending really ruins this film however. Well more the gunbarrel itslef. YOU MAKE WAIT THE ENTRIE MOVIE FOR THE GUNBARREL ONLY FOR IT TO THE BE THE WORST GUNBARREL EVER DONE" Ugh. 4.5/10
Skyfall - What a stroke of genius this film was after QoS. One the best Villians in Bond history,Daniel Craig on top of his game, some stunts that are a bit silly but still keep the realims in check and making M the central focus was brilliant . Also while Desmond Lleweyn Will always be my favourite, Ben Whishaw is a great Q. I know this film has some silly plot holes the film is so damn good you just learn to not care about them. I could gush on and on about this film, but this has gone long enough as it has. 10/10 Best Bond film
Spectre - So I'm listening to Bon Jovi's "You give Love a bad Name" and it has the lyric "You Promised me Heaven and gave me Hell". That sums up my feeling towards the films perfectly so I'll just leave at that. 3/10
TLDR Ranking
1.Skyfall

1. The Spy Who Loved Me
   
2. Goldfinger
   
3. Goldeneye
   
4. From Russia With Love
   
5. Casino Royale
   
6. Live and let die
   
7. Dr. No
   
8. Licence to Kill
   
9. The Living Daylights
   
10. You Only Live twice
    
11. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    
12. Tomorrow Never Dies
    
13. Moonraker
    
14. Diamonds are Forever
    
15. The World is Not Enough
    
16. The man with the Golden Gun
    
17. Die Another Day
    
18. A View to A Kill
    
19. Quantum of Solace
    
20. Never say Never Again
    
21. For Your Eyes Only
    
22. Thunderball
    
23. Casino Royale(1967)
    
24. Octopussy
    
25. Spectre
    

I've read people online mention that many Bond films falter in their latter halves. What do people think about this?
For me:
DN: The film is good as a whole, but the second half has the more iconic scenes like Bond meeting Honey Ryder and Dr. No.
FRWL: The opening hour is very strong and the film continues to impress until after the train fight. While the Rosa Klebb fight is memorable, I think it can be agreed that the helicopter and boat scenes are a bit too obviously tacked-on.
GF: The Kentucky scenes, moving on.
TB: The clinic scenes take a bit of time setting up the plot and then there is the derided underwater sequence. For me personally, the hiding of the Vulcan was a mesmerizing scene, but I can agree that many of the great moments come once Bond goes to the Bahamas.
YOLT: The first hour is really good, but the film unravels once the Russian rocket is taken. The scenes in Tanaka's fortress with Bond becoming "Japanese" are really silly and the wedding was a bit of an unnecessary plot point, though Barry's score saves it.
OHMSS: The film is strong throughout, but people might not like the more dialogue-heavy first hour where Bond gets to know Tracy. The Piz Gloria scenes, like them or not, are the slowest scenes and then the film ramps up on the action with the ski chase.
DAF: The first half is amusing, the second half gets ridiculous and embarrassing.
LALD: The story pretty much stops after the first hour, but people would probably prefer the second half for having some memorable action.
TMWTGG: It is generally agreed that the early scenes were interesting but then the Kung-Fu school scene happened. The car stunt and Scaramanga scenes save the last hour for me.
TSWLM: The film is great but the Tanker scenes are a bit too long.
MR: Many prefer the first hour for being relatively grounded, but I find the Rio and Space scenes to be the most entertaining.
FYEO: The ski scenes are probably the most blatant example of stunt doubles standing in for Moore and Bibi is annoying. The second half with the St. George's wreckage and St. Cyril's monastery is far more memorable.
OP: The second half is probably more derided because of the sillier moments like the gorilla and clown suit scenes. I find the Berlin scenes to be the highlight though.
AVTAK: The Eiffel Tower scene is a bit irrelevant considering Bond could have found out about the horse sale from MI6 and the scenes at Zorin's estate kill the pace.
TLD: The Afghanistan scenes along with the villains are TLD's weakest points.
LTK: The film is great overall, but the Florida scenes are what the film's critics would call generic eighties fare. The second half has the plot really get interesting and Bond's manipulation of Sanchez as well as Q's introduction feel more Bondian.
GE: The Monte Carlo scenes try a bit hard to check the Bond tropes with the first nostalgia milking of the Aston Martin DB5 and the casino scene similar to that of Dr. No. The Severnaya scenes also take some time and things really pick up once Bond is reintroduced to Trevelyan.
TND: The second half goes all-out action at the expense of the plot, though it is still entertaining.
TWINE: Whatever potential the film had in its slow, but interesting first half was lost once Denise Richards came onscreen.
DAD: The first half sets up some interesting story beats, but the Ice Palace is when the film gets really over-the-top.
CR: The first hour is a bit too heavy on the action while the rest is perfectly paced.
QoS: The first quarter showcases some good action marred by poor editing. The Vienna scenes are when the film dials down the action and shows more of the potential the film had. The Bolivia scenes are rather forgettable, but there are some nice character moments for Bond, whose story is lost in the chaos.
SF: The first hour is really slow, but sets up the plot fantastically. The film picks up the pace once Bond meets Silva, but then comes the worst-written part of the film before the great finale. Pick your poison.
SP: I think this film is underrated, but I can agree that the story starts falling apart during the Morocco and London scenes.

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Thursday 07/23/2020 News and Markets Recap:

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Friday July 24th 2020 Economic Calendar (All times are Eastern)
(Home Sales and Oil Rig Count Today)

• 09:45 AM Markit Manufacturing PMI Flash JUL
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• 10:00 AM New Home Sales MoM JUN
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News Heading into Friday July 24th 2020
NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT YOLO THE VARIOUS TICKERS WITHOUT DOING RESEARCH. THE TIME STAMPS ON THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES MAY BE LATER THAN OTHERS ON THE WEB. THE CREATOR OF THIS THREAD COMPILED THE FOLLOWING IN A QUICK MANNER AND DOES NOT ATTEST TO THE VERACITY OF THE INFORMATION BELOW. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR VETTING YOUR OWN SOURCES AND DOING YOUR OWN DD.

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Picks Of The Week (by u/lefuniname)

1. Audio - Genesis Device Remixes [Virus Recordings]

Recommended if you like: Pythius, State Of Mind, Rido
You know what we haven’t had in a long time? Remixes!
Ten years after the initial release on his Virus album debut, it is time for a remix package of Audio’s Genesis Device album. Originally the plan was to premiere these four remixes of some of his most well-known classics during the 10 years of Genesis Device Virus takeover in the legendary venue that is Fabric in London.
As you might have guessed, they instead pivoted to a livestream with most of the acts booked for that event, including Black Sun Empire, a classic Matrix set and the neurofunk godfathers themselves, Ed Rush & Optical. The remixes were premiered during Audio’s own set and just 2 very long months later, here they are!
For this milestone, the ungoogleable producer got together with four of the best neurofunk producers the scene has to offer. First off, we have Black Sun Empire who took the titular Genesis Device and turned up the hype factor to 11. I’m going to be honest with you, a 4x4 type beat during the buildup gets me hyped like nothing else. It worked for Enei’s Sinking or the mega collab that is Sidewinder by Camo & Krooked & Mefjus, it worked for this. What follows isn’t any less ridiculous though, that drop just screams energy. Next, Redpill. On his Emissions Remix, Redpill took the “newschool”-techy route that he is known for from tracks like Flesh & Blood or his Rido collab Time.
Compared to the first remix a bit of a vibe switch for sure, but I think we needed that. He even sneaked in a cheeky voice sample from the executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program in there at the end. The third remix is Agressor Bunx’s take on the frog-croaking classic Jibba Jabba. Even though they didn’t stray too far off the original, the changes they did certainly succeeded in updating it to the current “modern” neurofunk sound.
Finally, we have Prolix on remix duties for Scanners. The TrendKill label boss managed to transform the original fast-paced neuro roller into one of the biggest bangers of this year. Absolute monster of a remix. Hide your shoes somewhere safe.

2. Current Value - Time Gap [Blackout]

Recommended if you like: Machine Code, Underhill, Curry Value
Why don’t we stay in the neuro spectrum for a little while longer?
Let’s talk about one of DnB’s most productive producers of our time: Current Value. Seriously, just scroll through his releases on Spotify. It takes a while. After releasing two albums last year (just let that sink in), PUER on Souped Up and Senex on Methlab, the Berlin-based personification of prolificness returns once again to Black Sun Empire’s Blackout with a four-track EP with some of his work to date.
He opens the EP with the titular Time Gap, a track that sums up his appeal in just 4 minutes. Strange vocals, cyberfunk-esque atmosphere and a drop that is just straight up weird. But good weird. Chaotic weird. The follow-up Operator reminds me of the more stepper-y tunes on his Methlab album Senex. How he keeps finding this strange sounds is a mystery to me.
Planar is an endless barrage of noises coming straight for your ears, but arranged in such a way that you still end up enjoying it. The EP closer Deadspot sounds a bit like my neighbours banging on my door to keep the noise down. What I’m saying is, this EP might not be for everyone. But it certainly is for me. If you like strange and unique drum and bass, you’ll be in heaven.

3. Various Artists - Modern Soul LP 5 [Vandal Ltd]

Recommended if you like: GLXY, Redeyes, Halogenix
I think we all deserve a break after the madness we just witnessed. Good thing Vandal Ltd just released their fifth installment in their Modern Soul compilation series!
Founded in 2014 by SKS and Redeyes, the sister label of Toulouse-based Vandal Records has since then become one of the finest places to find soulful and deep liquid. The Modern Soul series perfectly encapsulates what the label is all about. Regularly featuring genre legends like Lenzman, Monty or GLXY, mixed in with contributions by some of the best up-and-coming liquid producers, it is always worth checking out.
And this installment is no exception. While the big name tracks on this release by Monty, Invadhertz, Amoss and Mark Dinimal (also known as MD or one part of Data 3) are all just excellent, the relatively lesser known producers also put in their work.
Arp XP’s provides such a chill vibe that it made me want to check out more of their back catalogue, Rizzle is once again on fire, Vandal regular Forum’s contribution is also very much something to look out for and Arcatype delivers not just one, but two great vibes. Last but definitely not least we got some delightful tracks by Phase and LaMeduza, legendary french producer Peyo, polish hidden gem In-Deed and Metalheadz regular Adred.
Perfect lovely vibes for a chill sunday.

4. DKN - Auf Den Start / The Peak [Subtitles Music]

Recommended if you like: Survey, GROUND, Grey Code
It’s time. For what? Do you really have to ask? For the Underrated Track Of The Week™ of course! This week’s pick might not fit in completely, because I’m sure the creator will become way more famous in no time. I mean, the A side was even played by Dimension in his DJ Mag livestream on saturday. Oh well, still worth talking about.
I’m of course talking about DKN’s debut release Auf Den Start / The Peak on Teebee & K’s label Subtitles Music. If you listen to the double single you will understand why I believe that this man will blow up very very soon. The Brightonian DKN rose through the ranks with his mixing abilities, winning the Data Transmission DJ Competition in 2015 and eventually catching the attention of TeeBee. Soon enough he was featured on Subtitle Music’s Podcast The Sub Club, culminating in this debut release on that same label.
Both Auf Den Start and The Peak bring a lot of raw and deep energy to the table. Both use great vocal samples that are stuck in my head for hours after listening to them. In conclusion: Both are bangers. My favorite has to be The Peak though, just because of that fast-paced high-pitched instrument (wish there was a shazam for instruments) that comes in half-way through the rolling drop. If this is just the debut release, imagine what else he has in store.
Other Hidden Gems this week:

• Speksi - Beg / Veil (hooooly Magnetude vibes)
• Drumsik - Noise In My Mind (was already released on Beatport previous, but it’s really really good and I missed it before)
• Freqax - Upfack the Cosmofunk Sloth
• Vypes - Brand New  

New Releases

• Atom Uk - Tearout / How We Do It [Beatport]
• Aufect Recordings, The Trips Various Artists [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Bad Influence - Dance Now Remix [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Banzai - Down Low / Space [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Bcee, Philippa Hanna, Emba - Galaxy [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Bensley - Fade Out [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Bert H, Becca Jane Grey - Destruct [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Black Sun Empire - Genesis Device Remixes [Beatport], [Spotify]
• C Recordings, Throwback Selections, Vol. 6 Various Artists [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Cartoon, Ewert And The Two Dragons - Fade Away [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Charlie P, Bru-C - Cardio [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Chris.Su - Mudhorn / The Light [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Chromatic - Race Against Time / Repro [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Coasttill - Casino EP [Junodownload]
• Colossus, Enok - Mythologies Part 1 [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Confusious - Pieces EP [Bandcamp], [Spotify]
• Conrad Subs - 9 In My Speaker EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Conrad Subs - Horny Habanero EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Conrad Subs, Pablo G - Robust Funk EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Creatures, Sense MC, Crom - Problem Kid EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Current Value - Time Gap EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Damageman, MC J.O.K - The Switch / Slob [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Dilemma - To Your Heart [Beatport], [Spotify]
• DJ Young, Jenil, Krista - Kaleidoscope World (L Ø S T Remix) [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Dkn (Uk) - Auf Den Start / The Peak [Beatport], [Spotify]
• DLR - You Leave / Intermix [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Dose - Surrender [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Duoscience - Journey [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Effected Life - Lunar Dreams [Free Download], [Spotify]
• Ekko & Sidetrack, Ruth Royall - Paper Birds [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Ellm - Take Me / Danger [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Eternal Music, Forever Eternal Various Artists [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Fanatics - Shaman Part 1 EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Filthy Habits - 25 Calibre / Waiting For A Sine [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Freqax - Upfack The Cosmofunk Sloth [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Furney - Jamaican Soul LP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Hexa, Kastro, Scudd, Kl, Yemi - Toon Army EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Hidden Agenda - Channel (2020 Remasters) [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Hiraeth - Hold On To Me EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Hyroglifics - Best Of EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Jay Walker - Push Things Fwd / Techno Rodeo [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Kaiza, Xeomi - Philosophy / Appeal [Beatport]
• Kc, Suv, Paul Charles, L-Side - Deny [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Kings Of The Rollers - Saturn's Strings [Beatport], [Spotify]
• KL - Desolator EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Kumarion - Closer / Wanna [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Kumo - Born Soldier [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Lee Mvtthews - Turning Back [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Lockers - The Funk EP [Junodownload]
• Loma - Right From Wrong EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Low:R, Hiraeth - The Journey EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Luna Fire - Morning Light [Beatport]
• Maniatics - Reborn Part I EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Mark Dinimal - The Night / Bide [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Matt View - Scenes EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Mentah - Fire Pit EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Metrik, Shockone - Dying Light (Flite Remix) [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Mewone!, Despersion - Opera [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Mindhead - Wasteland EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Mistrust, Leo Wood - Forbidden EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Msdos - Blue Black EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Muzz, Danyka Nadeau - Somewhere Else [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Mystical Sound - Scraper / Shadows [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Myth - Junkyard EP [Beatport]
• Naked Swan. - Ouros [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Neonlight - Re-Masters Pt3 EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Peshay - Forever [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Pltx - Find A Way EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Prolix - Beyond The Satellite [Beatport]
• Ragga Twins - Dutty Gal - More Remixes [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Save The Rave, Dub Elements - Acid, Acid, Acid / Y.O.U [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Selecta J-Man - My Style [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Sensi, Plasmator - Whiteout [Beatport], [Spotify]
• shi offline - God is a Witch (Brazed Remix) [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Sili - Need You / In My Soul [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Spekski - Beg / Veil [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Styke - Oversight EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Sublimit - Diligence EP [Beatport]
• Sugar Minott - Tribute EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Super Rush - Lost: Signals 002 [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Suspekt, Thread - The Soul / Love So Sweet [Beatport], [Spotify]
• T & Sugah, Dualistic - Control [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Teej, Nick The Lot - Simulation / Broken Record [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Telomic - Late Depth [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Toyfon - Awakening LP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Trakker - Conan / Off Key [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Trex, Tweakz, En:Vy, Sedo - Tribes Vol.6 EP [Beatport]
• Tyke, MC Nutcracka - Venus [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Vandal, Modern Soul 5 LP Various Artists [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Veta, Ellie Sparagno - Don't Go (Richter Remix) [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Vici, Temam - Wild West [Beatport]
• Vrum - Ncurzion Optics 003 EP [Beatport], [Spotify]
• Vypes - Brand New [Beatport], [Spotify]

I latch onto specific problems and when I do everything else around me diminishes into nothingness until I complete the task at hand. I line these problems up and solve them, one-by-one, and I find updating the task list awfully difficult. If I am on my way to do a job, breaking off to attend to something else is almost impossible. I once finished buttering my toast before putting out a fire by the stove. I once lost a girlfriend after she trapped her fingers in a food processor, and I quietly went over to the fridge and put the milk away before turning to help her. She couldn’t believe that I hadn’t rushed over straight away, but of course it wasn’t really like that. I was unable to review or address my priorities until my mind had freed itself from the current task.
I have to manage these tendencies. And I learned at an early age that it helps to focus on discrete tasks that, if things get really bad, I can remind myself don’t matter. That, at least, limits the anxiety of abandoning them. I have my work and that gets me through the day, but outside of those hours I need other things to pull me through. I can paint and read and they’re involving, for sure, but they don’t tend to have the sense of completion that I get from a simple puzzle. Jigsaws, sudoku, word searches, videogames; these all make up part of it but oddly enough it’s crosswords that have taken over my mind. It started because they weren’t too taxing and if I was pushed to cheat then it didn’t really matter. They let me say things like,
“Right, I’ll do 9 across while on the toilet and that’s it.”
Like most things I put my mind to, I quickly turned the hobby into an obsessive pursuit of completion. The harder they were, the better. If I had to watch a film, read a book, or even visit a real-life location to get an answer, I would. And I credited it all with pushing me out of my comfort zone in order to experience new things. I would have never watched Breakfast at Tiffanies, read Little Women, or visited the London Museum of Natural History without needing to get answers from them. And they were all new experiences for me, some better than others, but I enjoyed the feeling of expanding my little bubble with each new puzzle.
Crosswords, like everything, have communities surrounding them and I even found a few friends online. For some, the compulsion to get obscure answers was a vital lifeline to the outside world, and you’d be surprised at some of the cultures lurking at the fringe. A good crossword is more than just a puzzle, it’s a curated string of experiences picked to evoke a deliberate journey. A common example might be the kind of thing some tourists could use to guide them around a city:
Below the Phoenix of a Blinded Saint, 8 down.
Resurgam – the answer can be found carved on a stone beneath a statue of a phoenix at St Paul’s Cathedral. But what about something like the following:
The final song of a thunderous singer, 5 across.
The answer was Toxic, the final song lip-synced by a Drag Queen (Daytona Thunder) at a popular club in Manchester. I went a long way for that one and had a surprisingly good night, albeit one a little outside my wheelhouse. But still, I got the answer and it wasn’t like I’d find it just by reading the forums (posting answers is a big no-no if you want to get into the best clubs). The creator was a well-known Queer academic working out of London who has a popular following in the community. I appreciated their work but perhaps not as much as those by one anonymous Berliner.
A companion’s lips tasted through the looking glass, 6 across.
Her name was Alice and she was an escort for an agency called Intimate Companions. She was wearing Cherry lip gloss, something I found through a process of elimination.
Over the last few years I’ve discovered more about myself than I ever would have at home. I have learned that I can lie very well, that when I know who I am meant to be, who others want me to be, I can be confident and even charming. I have learned that I am not a jealous person, that I am not a vain person, and that there are times when I can be as reckless and adventurous as anyone else. I just need a reason to, a job to complete with routes to success I understand.
The name of a one-eyed watchmen’s gun, 12 across.
There was a policeman—with two eyes, I might add, but the unfortunate Christian name of Dick—and the answer was the serial number of his gun, converted to letters. That was an odd one, but absolutely invigorating. The crossword had been made with clearly defined geographical boundaries which helped (many of us attended it as a communal event although I largely acted alone), and for a moment I almost thought the policeman was in on the game. Right up until he tried to shoot me.
Like I said, the experiences can be invigorating.
But the good ones, the really good ones, they can be a struggle to find. You have to be accepted into the right groups, often you’ll be vetted, even tested, but the reward can be worth it. I’ll never forget the day I had a hand-delivered envelope deposited at my doorstep and the anticipation I felt opening it, unknotting the brown twine so delicately tied around the heft. God, some of them even had wax seals. I liked those the most. I found the violet and crimson seals delicious to look at.
But they were so, so much more than simple puzzles.
A principled affair, 5 down.
The headmaster of the local school was having an affair with her sister-in-law, Sarah. It was hard to find that out. It wasn’t exactly public knowledge. Frankly, I had to resort to stalking and it wasn’t a good look, but it was a new experience nonetheless and the few times I nearly got caught were quite exhilarating. But what was truly amazing was that this was at the school just a few blocks from my house! You have to understand, it wasn’t just a template handed out to everyone. I still don’t know how big any of these communities really are but I imagine they’re quite small and involve people from all over the world. It was truly remarkable to think someone had laboured over a tailor-made puzzle just for me.
There are quite a few groups I belong to now. Some aren’t even organised online, instead requiring that you ferret them out, sometimes as clues in other puzzles, sometimes as their own elaborate games. But there are always more to be found and in the best circumstances, they find you, choosing you out of all the people in the world to rise to the challenge at hand. The right ones will push you to do things you never thought possible.
A baker’s jewels, 7 down.
Harriet Baker who died in 2012 at the age of 86 and was buried with an emerald necklace in the local graveyard. I still have it, kept away somewhere in a special drawer along with news clippings of the crime. It even has some of the soil from the grave still muddying its shimmering gems, and admittedly they do still smell a bit. But I bet that I know something most people don’t, and that’s what happens to little old Grandma five years after being sealed up in a box beneath the Earth. Not just the abstract, either. I know the specifics, I know exactly what she looks like, smells like, and even what her cold lumpen flesh feels like. I spent years as a child wondering what happened to the many relatives of mine who passed away, but it was an adult I finally found the answer.
People have lived their whole lives looking down on me. Teachers assumed I was slow at learning, my parents mourned that I cared more about organising my wargaming miniatures than I ever did about girls or friends, everyone around me treated me like I was a timid mouse in a world of thundering giants. But I’ve lived a more exciting life than they could ever imagine, and it hasn’t been in spite of who I am. Only someone like me could pursue these clues to such dogged ends and I gladly take the bad with the good.
The colour of the tea plates served by the Biellier Historical Society, 9 up.
Don’t let the name fool you. The Society is a private organisation for some rather unusual gentlemen who serve tea after their annual conference is finished. Crazy bastards, I can see why they need a drink once they’re finished and I’m not surprised half of them didn’t take a seat during refreshments. I’m just not sure I’ll ever look be able to look a farm animal in the eye again.
Oh, and turquoise, by the way. That was the answer.
I know things very few people know. That’s a rare privilege and, like I said, it comes with a price. It would be ridiculous to think one might look upon the fraying edges of our world without having to face some uncomfortable sights. And you might think the worst of it is a leather-bound orgy in a dungeon or perversions you can safely find on Wikipedia, but there are other lingering truths buried in the Earth and I am one of the few who have seen them. There is always more to learn, always another word to find, another puzzle to complete. And I have come a long way in my education since I first received that letter on my doorstep years ago.
The inheritor of Maeson’s oldest home, 6 down.
Albert. Albert was the named inheritor of the first house built and designed by obscure architect Harold Maeson. It was not, as almost everyone first expected, the current owner’s first born son named Alexander, but instead the old man’s male sexual interest Albert who was a rather unwilling 17 year old. Perhaps the old man thought it made up for his actions towards the boy he had kept around as a family friend for years, disguising his abuse as mentorship. Either way it caused a tremendous uproar and poor Albert wasn’t exactly thrilled to have his face all over the papers. No one could have possibly known he would be the inheritor. The will was written up in total secrecy, something I spent considerable resources finding out.
Credit where it’s due, the old man put up a fight but his death was the only way I would get my answer. I can’t speak for others, but I found the experience quite a revelation. I felt as if I’d learned profound hidden knowledge, a truth about reality found in the glassy bloodshot eyes of a man violently dying. There’s something in there, you know, something that lies just beneath our own reality. I saw a glimmer of it that night, just like I had so many others before it. It’s quite beautiful, a confusing glittering mess of contradictions and unknowable madness. It is, by definition beyond our ability to every truly know but you can still see facets of it, one bit at a time.
It’s beautiful. But… well, it’s not always so painless.
The missing piglet counted right to left, 5 up.
Eight. That was the answer. I spent all night researching fairy tales and children’s rhymes only to fall asleep at my desk sometime around 2 in the morning. When I awoke I had been moved to the sofa and my left foot was raised on the armrest and bandaged heavily. The whole tingled from anaesthesia and it wouldn’t be until noon before I could walk on it again. Anxiously, I undid the white swaddle of blood-tinged gauze and winced at the sight of my mutilated foot. The middle toe on my left foot had been amputated cleanly, the wound sewn up neatly like a cross-stitched grin. Counting right to left, I noticed it was the eighth toe missing and I have to admit I pumped my fist in the air and rejoiced at having the answer.
But the experience caught me off guard, and it might not surprise you to know that I have since looked into slowing down and maybe even taking a short break from this hobby. I’ve had to manage these tendencies in the past and I suppose this one should be no different. But there have been some difficulties. For one thing, they won’t stop sending new puzzles to me and it’s all but impossible for me to ignore them. And for another, the clues are becoming increasingly pointed.
A sea of white and flakes of gold to flood a castle of ivory, 6 down.
Cereal, right? That’s what I thought, at least until I had the unpleasant surprise of discovering a needle hidden in my cornflakes. That, it turned out, was the correct answer and I was lucky to catch it before it wound up anywhere near my mouth. The thought of that thing sliding down my throat or catching in the roof of my mouth, spearing the gum and cartilage, left me riddled with an ever-growing anxiety. Clubs have pushed things in the past, boundaries take a backseat when it comes to pursuing the absolute limit of knowledge. But it felt like such an odd inclusion for the latest puzzle, one that didn’t necessarily teach me anything. If I had the ability to trace it to a single group I might have a better sense of what it was meant to mean, but then again anonymity was always kind of the point.
The currency of a strategic withdrawal, 3 up.
I initially thought of the military, but in fact the answer was Yen and it turned out that around £50,000 worth of them had been withdrawn from my account (by myself, somehow) at the bank. God knows how that was possible, but it happened and there’s not a lot I could really do about it. I’ve written to some of the groups but as far as I can tell they’re playing coy.
I am sorry, one replied. But our puzzles are sent out as part of a weekly newsletter via e-mail. We’re not sure we’ve ever offered bespoke crosswords but we’d be fascinated to hear more if there’s anyone out there who does. It’d interest quite a few of our members, myself included.
I received similar variations to this message from just about every organisation I had listed in my ledger and frankly I found the suggestion ridiculous. I’d always assumed those newsletters were part of a front, making it appear as though the focus was on banal little puzzles about obscure military defeats while secretly directing us to brothels and illegal casinos. It made sense, perhaps, that they would maintain the ruse but an acquaintance I called wasn’t exactly reassuring.
“Well of course they’re a front,” he said. “Don’t you get the packages? I’ve had a few seedy adventures with those!”
“Oh that’s good!” I laughed while breathing a deep sigh of relief. “I was beginning to think… well, I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
“Oh yes the packages are very real,” he replied. “The Spring edition was quite a naughty affair, don’t you think?”
“Invigorating,” I smiled. “I didn’t even know where to buy a burlap sa—”
“Strawberry!? Can you imagine? The Mrs and I had a delight trying out the different flavours.”
“What?”
“Oh come now man, no need to be shy. It’s quite normal to use… lubricant,” he whispered it like a dirty secret. “Agnes suggested we try it on toast!” I hung up with his laughter still bellowing down the other line. My Spring edition of our shared club was not anything like his. I told myself that it made sense it wouldn’t, they were meant to be custom made for each participant, but it alarmed me to hear that his activities were so dreadfully banal. Most of the clues in that edition had directed me to the consumption of a range of meats including something I scraped off the side of a suspension bridge.
Nothing my friend had said to me rang true. Rightly, I should have stopped there. But… but the thing is… it was never really an option, not then and not now. I’m sure you think it’s a silly compulsion or anxiety but it’s not. I can’t do it. It’s simply not in my nature especially not now I know that God-knows-what could be lurking around the corner. I’ve explained this to myself and others before – I am task focused. I needed to finish the job at hand.
PO Box 19777, open it from within, 9 down.
I found the box with ease but there was no key nor any means to open it from within. Whatever the rationale was behind the puzzle, I thought at the time that the whole affair was beginning to frustrate me. I didn’t see any significant challenge to tracing the address, aside from finding the key which, it would turn out, was very much part of the clue. In fact, I’m still not entirely sure how they did it. I awoke to a sort of gagging sensation one night, dreaming that I had swallowed a tangle of wet hair. Only the terrible retching sensation wasn’t entirely dreamed up. Tied to my canine was a line of floss that I painfully had to pull up from my stomach. It was unnecessarily long, spooling out of my throat in a bloody tangle for a good few metres while I vomited and cried from the struggle. It took nearly half an hour to inch it out while I choked and retched but eventually I regurgitated the key, collapsing afterwards to the floor to heave and sob as I recovered.
There was a teddy bear in the locker and I didn’t find it particularly amusing. And, yes, okay, there was a mild satisfaction to getting the answer, but the rest of me was filled with a deep begrudging. I felt like the punchline to a joke that wasn’t funny.
A starry orchid’s window of choice, 7 down.
The answer was eyeball, and it turns out the consumption of the flower in question causes bloody secretions from the tear ducts, not to mention renal failure. It wasn’t easy to explain that one away, and I didn’t much appreciate the stay at a hospital. The price for that answer may one day be dialysis, but for now I hope that I may still see myself clear of such things. The doctors couldn’t say for sure what the chances were. At the very least I hoped that I might find some respite while interred in a hospital bed, but if anything it made things worse. I was not prepared to be incapacitated for so long with the knowledge that the puzzle was but one clue from completion.
I was itching furiously for the last few days, and my doctors were confounded by the state of my heart and were blind to the other tell-tale signs of anxiety. There would be no rest for me until I had finished the puzzle and I swore to myself, swore blind on my mother’s grave, that it would be the last. If things got much worse, I reminded myself, it might not be me who decides what will be my last puzzle.
When I arrived home it was with the kind of relief I never thought possible. I am forever learning more about myself and those first few steps through the front door made it clear to me I was in the thrall of some kind of addiction. No matter what the price was, I told myself over and over again that I would pay it and move on. I would change addresses if I had to or pay someone to physically slap the damn pencil out of my hand if I went to complete another crossword! God knows I have the money.
I will climb this final hurdle, I told myself, and see it through.
And yet… I don’t know. I half-expect there to be some ghoulish double-entendre hiding in the words but for the life of me I cannot see one. It seems more like a hideous joke - one I don’t really understand. I have a possible word choice and it certainly fits but… It’s been weeks and I can’t bring myself to write it in. This is the final clue! The final step at the end of this increasingly desperate adventure and I can’t figure it out. I’m half-tempted to say that I won’t see another answer because I don’t want to finish it. That might be it, surely? I’m an addict. I’ll admit that all too readily and this wouldn’t be the first time I took things too far. It’s just…
The handwriting these clues have been written in, 4 down.
I keep expecting some terrible interpretation to come true, to find a severed hand by my door, or to awake missing most of my fingers. It’s a strange thing but I have come to find myself ruminating often on the look in the old man’s eyes. For while I am sure that I saw something terrible and beautiful deep within the popping veins of those suffocating retinas, it had not occurred to me until now that something was looking back.
And it’s waiting for me to write in the final answer, though God knows it must be wrong for it simply cannot be possible that the answer is ‘mine’.

Thursday, February 20th, 2020:

• "Pride and Prejudice", February 19 - March 8 This isn’t your grandmother’s Austen! Bold, surprising, boisterous, and timely, this Pride and Prejudice for a new era explores the absurdities and thrills of finding your perfect (or imperfect) match in life. The outspoken Lizzy Bennet is determined to never marry, despite mounting pressure from society. But can she resist love, especially when that vaguely handsome, mildly amusing, and impossibly aggravating Mr. Darcy keeps popping up at every turn? Literature’s greatest tale of latent love has never felt so theatrical, or so full of life than it does in this effervescent adaptation. Thu. 7:30 p.m., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m. & 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. $17.50-$40. Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Rd. West Hartford, CT
• 39th Annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show, February 20 - 23 The colorful, fragrant show covers almost three acres with the 2020 theme, "Connecticut Springs into Earth Day, " with creative and practical ideas for house, apartment and condo dwellers alike. Highlights include: Over an acre of gardens in full bloom, created by professional landscape designers and nonprofit organizations, and include naturalistic, low maintenance, native, organic, herb and pollinator gardens. The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut's 2020 Advance Standard Flower Show: more than 12,000 square feet of a design, horticulture and photography competition with more than 500 judged entries, all with the "Spring into Connecticut" theme. Over 300 booths of displays, activities, and shopping. More than 80 hours of seminars. Thu. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Adults $18, seniors (Thu. and Fri. only) $16, children (5-12) $5, under 5 free. Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd. Hartford, CT

Friday, February 21st, 2020:

• 39th Annual Southeastern Connecticut Home Show February 21 - 23 Offers a diverse array of home products and services by local, state, and national vendors, presenting innovative and imaginative displays. Local crafts on display as well in a Home Show that combines high tech with hometown flair. Fri. 5 p.m.-9 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.. Adults $10, seniors $8, children (12 and under) free. Earth Expo & Convention Center, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd. Uncasville, CT
• "Looped" February 21 - March 21 Looped by Matthew Lombardo depicts an actual 1965 recording session in which an intoxicated Tallulah Bankhead, played by Kelly Boucher, required eight hours to dub a single line from her final movie Die! Die! My Darling! While antagonizing the film editor, Danny Miller, assigned to the job. Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m. $37, Connecticut Cabaret Theatre, 31 Webster Square Rd. Berlin, CT
• "Daisies on Harlem's Doorstep", February 21 - 23 The lights and glitter of the Harlem Renaissance attract an innocent young woman searching for her sister. Daisy finds herself with the help of four very different women. An award-winning play by Sharece M. Sellem. Fri.-Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. Adults $20; seniors, military, students $18; member $17. Donald L. Oat Theater at Norwich Arts Center, 62 Broadway, Norwich, CT
• Atlantic Broadband Garde Cinema Series: "Us" Director: Jordan Peele Writer: Jordan Peele Stars: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss Studio: Universal Nominations: Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by Female Actor; Four Critics Choice Award nominations Awards: Critics Choice Award: Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie; New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Best Actress A mother and father take their kids for an idyllic summer getaway. Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide feels her paranoia elevate to high-alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family. After spending a tense beach day with their friends, Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway. Us pits an endearing American family against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves. Rated R. Presented in association with the Black Engineering Council of Electric Boat. The 2020 Atlantic Broadband Garde Winter Cinema Series Pass brings you – for one package price – twenty or more critically acclaimed and Oscar and Golden Globe nominated films with state-of-the-art 4K digital projection and full surround sound. Passes can be used by other than the purchaser. Limited availability so buy today! 7:30 p.m $12; series pass $62. Garde Arts Center, 325 State St. New London, CT
• Ice Cube, February 21 Widely regarded as one of the most important figures in Rap history, Ice Cube began his career two decades ago with N.W.A — aka the World’s Most Dangerous Group. After penning some of the most memorable lyrics on N.W.A’s groundbreaking tracks “Straight Outta Compton” and “Fuck Tha Police,” Ice Cube broke away at the height of the group’s success. As he moved on to launch his solo career, his debut studio album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (Priority, 1990) sold more than a million copies. A concept album about the fall and rise of the black man, Ice Cube’s solo sophomore effort Death Certificate (Priority, 1991) debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, eventually selling over two million copies. His impressive musical career also includes the multi-platinum success of his two-part album War & Peace, as well as the hit albums Lethal Injection, Bootlegs & B-Sides, The Predator, the gold-certified and independently released Laugh Now, Cry Later, Raw Footage, and I Am The West (a 2010 release that debuted at #22 on the Billboard 200 and proved to be one of the most successful independent releases in Hip Hop that year). 7:30 p.m. $29-$39, Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd. Uncasville, CT
• "Sex N' the City - A Musical Parody" This “Super” Unauthorized Musical Parody follows your favorite single gals looking for love in the big city. The show tackles serious questions like "will I ever find the one," "can you ever really be over your ex," and "for the third time, it’s a neck massager!" Come join Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha on a hilarious trip through New York in the 1990s. 8pm, $35-$40, Shubert Theatre, 247 College St. New Haven, CT
• Fitz & the Tantrums, February 21 There came a point, in the time following the release of HandClap, the biggest song of Fitz and the Tantrums’ career, when its ascent crossed the threshold of successful, zoomed past game-changer, to just plain, WTF?! The double-platinum, Top 5 smash, which racked up 1.5 billion streams in China alone, was synched on countless shows from American Idol to The Oscars. Fitz and the Tantrums were invited to perform for the masses on primetime television and such cultural institutions as Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and FOX’s Super Bowl preshow after “HandClap” become something of an unofficial theme song for the NFL. 8 p.m. $35-$55, Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd. Mashantucket, CT
• "Constellations", February 21 - March 7 How might the smallest change in our life dramatically alter its course? Playwright Nick Payne's brilliant love story explores Marianne and Roland relationship and all of its infinite possibilities. This exploration of love, science, heartbreak and hope raises the question, what is the difference between destiny and choice? Due to subject matter and language, this is not recommended for children. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. (March 1) 2 p.m, $20-$25, TheatreWorks New Milford, 5 Brookside Ave. New Milford, CT
• Champions of Magic, February 21 The five world-class illusionists that make up this mind-bending theatrical production are back on tour in 2020, following sell out shows across the globe, rave reviews and a run in London’s West End. Don’t miss this incredible show to entertain the entire family. With more than 30 million online views between them, this cast of top magicians includes international award-winners presenting incredible mind reading, stunning close-up magic and daring large-scale illusions. Their skills have been seen on screen around the world with appearances on The CW’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us, NBC’s Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon, The Today Show and Access Hollywood Live. Champions Of Magic has been seen by tens of thousands around the world, now’s your chance to see why fans return to see one of the world’s biggest touring illusion shows time and time again. 8 p.m., $41-$76, Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd. Mashantucket, CT

Saturday, February 22nd, 2020:

• Special Olympics Winter Games, February 22 - 23 Powder Ridge is proud to host Special Olympics Connecticut 2020 Winter Games. Over 900 athletes of all abilities from across the state are expected to participate. Events are free and open to the public. Spectators are encouraged to attend. Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Figure Skating and Speed Skating, Unified Floor Hockey and Skills, & Gymnastics. Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., FREE, Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort, 99 Powder Hill Rd. Middlefield, CT
• From the Heart Racing, February 22 Join us for a Prize-Drawing Giveaway, 50/50, and fundraiser. All proceeds will help support causes such as school sports programs and diabetes relief. 1 p.m.-6 p.m., FREE, Witchdoctor Brewing, 168 Center St. Southington, CT
• A Tribute to Cher and Lady Gaga, February 22 Lisa Carter and Nicole Fuller bring the voices of Cher and Lady Gaga for a fantastic cabaret style tribute performance. 6 p.m., $55 (plus tax and service charge). Waters Edge Resort and Spa, 1525 Boston Post Rd. Westbrook, CT
• Disney's "Frozen Jr.", February 22 - 23 The students of the Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education will present the enchanting musical on the Warner's Main Stage! Based on the 2018 Broadway musical, Disney's Frozen Jr. brings Elsa, Anna, and the magical land of Arendelle to life, onstage. The show features all the memorable songs from the animated film. A story of true love and acceptance between sisters, Frozen Jr. expands upon the emotional relationship and journey between Princesses Anna and Elsa. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and load with magic, adventure, and plenty of humor, Frozen Jr. is sure to thaw event the coldest heart. Sat. 2 p.m. & 7 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., $15, Warner Theatre, 68 Main Street, Torrington, CT

Sunday, February 23rd, 2020:

• The Bolshoi Ballet in HD: "Swan Lake" February 23 Prince Siegfried is summoned by his parents to choose a bride. However, he encounters a mysterious and magnetic swan-woman, Odette, by the lake and is captivated. His vow of eternal love to her will have irreversible consequences. Tchaikovsky’s essential masterpiece returns for a live broadcast of the most-beloved ballet in the classical canon. Technically challenging and filled with vibrant emotion, with a stunning and world-famous corps de ballet in perfect unison, the legendary love story between Prince Siegfried and the dual personalities Odette/Odile, born at the Bolshoi Theatre, is a must-see. 12:55 p.m., $15-$25., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Rd. Ridgefield, CT
• "Pete the Cat", February 23 Everyone’s favorite rockin’ blue cat takes the stage in this musical performance. When the unsuspecting Biddle family takes in the fantastic feline, Pete the Cat rocks the family’s world with his strumming and strutting. Everybody loves Pete the Cat, well, everyone except Jimmy, the planet’s most organized second-grader. That all changes, of course, when Pete the Cat takes Jimmy on a once-in-a-lifetime road trip. Based on the New York Times #1 best-selling children’s books by authors Kimberly and James Dean, Pete the Cat is also a popular animated series on Amazon Prime Video. A Theaterworks USA production. Recommended for ages 5 and up. 2 p.m. $18-$22, Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, 2132 Hillside Rd. Storrs, CT
• Atlantic Broadband Garde Cinema Series: "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood", February 23 Director: Marielle Heller, Writers: Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Stars: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper, Studio: Sony, Nominations: Oscar for Best Performance (Tom Hanks); One Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards; Two Critics Choice Awards, Lloyd Vogel is an investigative journalist who receives an assignment to profile Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers. He approaches the interview with skepticism, as he finds it hard to believe that anyone can have such a good nature. But Roger’s empathy, kindness and decency soon chips away at Vogel’s jaded outlook on life, forcing the reporter to reconcile with his own painful past. Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor. Rated PG. 3pm, $12, Garde Arts Center, 325 State St. New London, CT

Find more things to do in CT here!
Check out a newly released movie such as:

• Brahms: The Boy II
• The Call of the Wild
• Emma (Limited)
• Goldie (Limited)
• The Night Clerk (Limited)
• Premature (Limited)

accusations of BHK chief Gagik Tsarukyan extorting a business
A business owner Tadevosyan (hereby Founder) is complaining that BHK chief Gagik Tsarukyan stole a company from him under threats. The full shares went under the control of Tsarukyan's Multi Group company's director Sedrak Arustamyan (hereby MultiSedrak), who is currently under investigation in a money laundering case around North-South highway.
 
Founder says: "I was threatened to sign a document to give my shares of a fish breeding business to Tsarukyan, or else they said they would retaliate."
 
A few weeks ago MultiSedrak claimed someone broke into a fish business which is 100% owned by him. They countered the intruder thieves, a scuffle happened, they called the cops on intruders, said MultiSedrak. The intruders were trying to move some fish from that factory to another factory, owned by the intruders. The intruder is the Founder, the man who claims he owned part of the business.
Then a similar incident happened. This time the Founder called the police on MultiSedrak.
 
The Founder tells the story:
I wrote a letter to Pashinyan and prosecutors to report a crime and business extortion. I created this business from scratch in 2010 with the help of my friend Shaqaryan (hereby Friend). My Friend then sold his shared to me and I became the 100% owner. Then came the former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan and BHK Gagik Starukyan and said they would help me financially and make my firm powerful in exchange for running the business together. I hesitantly agreed.
 
34% went to Tsarukyan, 33% to Founder, 33% to Prime Minister Abrahamyan's son Jonik. Tsarukyan promised to make investments in exchange for those shares. However, Tsarukyan only invested a third of what he promised, claiming that there is a financial crisis in the world and he can't invest more.
 
2 years later, together with the other 2 shareholders, we founded 2 other fish firms, in which we were equal shareholders.
Besides this, PM's son and I were doing another side business together. Tsarukyan got jealous. They invited me to Tsarukyan's dacha to speak with Tsarukyan. He told me that it's against the law for PM's son and me together to do a fish business without him. He then spoke with PM's son about the same thing at my presence. He told us that we can't do a side business, that he invested a lot of money to help us. He then told us that we should quit this business and do our own thing. I think he planned this tactic with PM's son ahead of time because the latter easily agreed to quit after Tsarukyan told him to.
 
PM's son's shares went under the ownership of a joint business we owned. It was then distributed to us. We became 50/50 owners of this fish factory. The business was worth ~$1. Tsarukyan then decided to get rid of me too. He sent Multi Group auditors to check the business, which was a pretense for giving full ownership to MultiSedrak.
 
I resisted the takeover. Tsarukyan threatened to destroy me and said «Ես խնամուս ձեռքից խլել եմ բաժնեմասը, հիմա որ դու իմ անունով չձեւակերպես, ես իմ խնամիների հետ խնդիրներ կունենամ: Այսինքն, որ իբր քո ձեռքից էլ եմ խլում» (Tsarukyan apparently pretended the takeover from Founder was only temporary just to show PM's son that Tsarukyan also took the business from the Founder, so PM's son wouldn't feel cheated, in reality, Tsarukyan had no intentions to return the shares to Founder)
This was 2016, Tsarukyan's years of unruliness. He had connections with govt. They brought the papers for me to sign. Tsarukyan was saying "don't worry fam, we got you, it's only temporary, I'm not a son of a bitch (ես շան տղա չեմ, Ծառուկյանն իր խոսքի տերն ա)".
 
They never returned my shares. In late-2019 I went to MultiSedrak and told him to return my shares or else I'd declare war against them.
In Dec-10-2019 they told me Tsarukyan wants to meet me at the Shangrila casino. They invited me to the table. Everyone was there. Tsarukyan and I separated from the group. I told him I want to end my ties with Tsarukyan. He tried to convince otherwise. I reminded him that it's been 4 years they won't give me my shares back. He said I'll either work at the factory with them, or nothing, and that I don't own any of the factory shares. I said goodbye then. He told me to "siktir".
 
Next day Multi Group workers and I clashed at the factory. They wouldn't allow my son's fish to be extracted from the waters. Let the law enforcement decide. I'm not afraid of TSarukyan.
The above is the story told by the businessman.
 
Armtimes outlet contacted MultiSedrak but the latter didn't respond. Armtimes then contacted the Founders Friend who works with Tsarukyan.
Friend says: I was invited to a police station to testify. I'm the director of the fish factory. The Founder came and hindered our work. Police were called. The real owner is MultiSedrak, who appointed me as director. Tsarukyan has nothing to do with this. The Founder is a liar. I don't know when MultiSedrak got the ownership, I was appointed as a director recently. (then how do you know the Founder is lying?)
This story is from yesterday.
https://www.facebook.com/armtimes/videos/605825623572988/
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178094
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178066
CorrupTV
Pashinyan:
There are at least 2 TV channels that could change their logo to add a "corruption" tag. There needs to be transparency in the media field and no monopolies.
There are 2 institutes in the media field: one handles media advertising finances, another measures TV ratings and distributes money based on that. This is the structure that has been monopolized.
 
Media outlets and NGOs need transparency including their ownership info being public.
The media field is open and democratic, and some corruption peddlers operate networks. At least 2 of them could essentially change their name to add a corruption tag. For example "Corruption Group". (He's referring to BHK chief Gagik Tsarukyan's Multi Group company)
 
The ongoing media war against the public helps us better fight against corruption. Eventually, they need to have the "corruption" tag, tho. In some instances, I make bets with friends about which corrupt politicians, that are currently going through trials, will be invited and glorified next by such outlets.
 
Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan: ongoing transparency reforms will envision making media ownership information more transparent. (This was earlier supported and encouraged by a union of journalists and free speech advocates who want to improve trust towards media by increasing transparency.)
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178161
TV & Radio laws discussion
The chief of the TV & Radio Committee went to Parliament and asked them to remove the existing law that prohibits local radio-stations in Lori and Shirak provinces."It's an absurd restriction. Even bordering regions, in which radio is a matter of national security, aren't allowed to have it. All free radio waves in provinces should be given to those who want to broadcast", said Tigran Hakobyan.
 
He then explained the proposed reforms:
The proposed radio-airways reforms should have been done 5 years ago. The current sate of media laws is archaic.
We need to remove restrictions on some equipment requirements so more people can create their own media outlets. The public-sector outlets are currently regulated more strictly than the non-traditional TV medium providers, which creates unfair competition conditions for them.
If you podcast our outlet online or with "new" methods, you'll be free to do what you want, but if you call yourself a TV network and use satellite or TV airways, you should follow a set of standards. This is done everywhere including the EU. The standards require information diversity and non-misleading coverage of news, which we don't have in Armenia today. The new law should regulate this.
 
About public "multiplex". There is one big airway pipe. They stuffed all channels in that pipe. This distorts the point of Public Multiplex.
What is the point of Public Multiplex? Each country has to have public channels that provide free entertainment and info to population. These public TVs have a strict set of standards in all countries, except Armenia, where it's anarchy. If such rules are implemented, not all TVs will meet the standards. Only the ones that qualify will be in the Public Multiplex. All TVs in this Public Multiplex are free and broadcasted across Armenia.
 
What are the minimal standards TVs must meet to be in the Public Multiplex? Respect public peace, adopt a humane approach, protect national interests, provide fair news coverage, balance the share of entertainment/info/culture programming, 70% of programming language must be in Armenian, at least 40% of content made in Armenia. etc.
 
There is an argument around this between free speech advocates and those who want public to receive politically independent and non-misleading information. We are yet to achieve an agreement on this.
European countries have done this. Public Multiplex (minimum social package) still exists to serve the population that doesn't have cable.
 
Those TVs that don't qualify for the aforementioned standards can continue to operate on the Private Multiplex. This is what we need to create in Armenia. The existing law was created in the past deliberately in a way to prevent the creation of the Private Multiplex. We need to reduce some regulations to encourage Private Multiplex investments.
 
But some TV networks say it's not financially beneficial to be in Private Multiplex. They want to do their business, they want to decide which share of programming is entertainment (money-maker), what share is in Armenia language, etc. Their ideal vision may not meet the aforementioned standards.
At the same time, they want to continue to use Public Multiplex because it has the best coverage across Armenia.
 
Only 40% of Armenians have cable TV coverage. TV networks find this coverage too small, so they want to spread their content across Public Multiplex to maximize revenues.
We need to work on making it profitable.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001554.html
full https://youtu.be/dx1j0toe-hY
Tag: #TVLaw #PublicTelevision #TVreform #TV&Radio #television
"Armenia's anti-trust agency to reveal monopolists in the local media market"
TV & Radio Committee will hire an international auditing firm to audit the media field. It'll verify the reliability of telemonitoring tech to see if it complies with international criteria.
"Taking into account the experience of past years and complaints about the media field in 2019, this year one of the 5 priority monitoring areas will be examining the media advertising market, the mechanisms used to distribute advertising and the relationship between TV companies," chief said.
http://arka.am/en/news/society/armenia_s_anti_trust_agency_to_reveal_monopolists_in_local_media_market/
slaughterhouse laws
Pashinyan about poverty aid reforms: the kids in poor families need help to get education and skills. Those who are disabled should receive full support, but the able-bodied non-workers need to be encouraged to find work. We need a dialogue with the public about this.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178157
A group of farmers was protesting outside the govt building. "Pashinyan says people should stand up and work, but when we do, they take away our ability", complained one butcher, who says his revenues took an impact after recent changes to the law.
The reason is stricter food safety laws regulating the meat slaughtering industry.
 
Last year a law was passed requiring slaughtering be done in areas that have certain safety standards. A meeting was held between butchers and Food Safety Committee. At the time the plan was that those farmers who didn't meet the standards would sell the animals to slaughtering facilities, who would come and pick up the animals.
 
The Food Safety administration met the protesters to discuss.
Pashinyan wasn't happy with the protesters' conduct: there is a big garbage bin in the area. When they left the area, there were lots of cigarette butts on the ground. And then they demand us not to increase the sanitary conditions for meat purchased from them.
(ballzy lmao)
 
The Food Safety Committee conducted audits in supermarkets and a few other chains and found that the meat met the safety standards.
 
One requirement is the butcher has to have a veterinary document that has a QR code that points to electronic info about the meat's origins, where it was butchered, medical info about the animals. Agency will continue to enforce the new rules.
 
Food Safety committee met representatives of dozens of slaughterhouse reps and farmers. The certified butcheries signed a contract with the Committee, which requires them to pick up and transport live animals to the butchery area at their own expense, and to transport the meat to its destination at their own expense within a 30KM radius. Prices were set for butchering each type of animal.
People are still allowed to slaughter their animals for personal consumption and festivities, but for business, they need to follow the safety and health standards.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178176
newarmenia.am/պարտադիր-սպանդանոցային-մորթի-անցման/
newarmenia.am/սպանդանոցային-մորթն-այլընտրանք-չուն/
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178178
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178182
https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/178231
https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/178230
no daily savings time
Govt rejected QP MP Alen Simonyan's bill to adjust the summer and winter clock in March and October. It was meant to add 50 minutes of light time throughout the day.
Based on observations in other countries, in Armenia, it could reduce artificial light usage hours by 9% or up to 1.1bln AMD. But it could also reduce human productivity by 650mln because of some accidents due to people needing time to adjust physically.
 
Govt found that the bill's math was flawed in some areas and was financially risky. Only 70 out of 200 countries still change clocks. None in EAEU do. 84% of European citizens are against it, and beginning next year the EU states will have the right not to change clocks. Jet flight issues could arise.
Govt will not amend the current law.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178159
polis
Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan met US ambassador Lynne to discuss police and anti-corruption reforms.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178166
Police arrested several members of the criminal subculture.
Getting dragged out of Brabus: https://youtu.be/eEsXLoEyxFM
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178162
Healthcare Ministry
Update: Several birth clinics in provinces are set to lose license because not enough pregnant women go there, which damages the doctor's experience and raises the risk of harm to the newborn child. Some clinics had no specialty doctors.
Healthcare Ministry decided to give a few clinics up to 1 year to meet the requirements by finding doctors, etc.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178167
Healthcare Ministry issued a warning to the 5th Channel and a birth clinic for violating safety rules. The outlet went to film a birth LIVE (is this even a thing?). They didn't wear protection. The doctor didn't have a mask. This is concerning especially since it's a flu season, says the memo.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001565.html
Razmik Abrahamyan is a clinic official accused of child trafficking in the infamous case busted by NSS a few months ago. For years, dozens of kids were fraudulently stolen from parents and taken abroad.
The suspect has bad health and earlier went to the hospital. A court trial happened today.
Mother of a child tells suspect: I hope you have good health until I find my child.
Suspect: our clinic has nothing to do with those adoptions.
Mother: you told me my child was dead, but she wasn't.
Suspect: eh, go search and find her.
Mother: How can I find the child now? You were present at birth.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178189
tax waiver
Govt gave a tax waiver to Nikola International firm to make 1.6bin investments to import and process olives in Kotayk.
Pashinyan: It's too hot in Armenia. If it continues like this we will grow olives next winter. There are already some attempts, but it's not significant on a grand scale.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178164
bolola
Last year Yerevan municipality opposition Luys alliance got in hot water for crossing the line and creating bolola. In addition, accusations were made by them that some donors donated garbage trucks to Yerevan in exchange for favors. The municipality provided docs to counter the "favor" rumors. Looks like mayor Hayk Marutyan has had it enough.
Mayor's spokesman says:
A few months ago certain officials began to spread fake news. Then, LHK chief Edmon Marukyan went on TV and said the donors didn't give a truck but rather cash so the city could buy the garbage trucks. A similar thing was said by Luys MP Khajakyan on Azatutyun media.
None of them provided any evidence, and they couldn't because that's misinformation.
Today mayor Marutyan sent letters to both of them asking for either evidence or retraction.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178170
NSS vs army theft
NSS busted 85 tons of fuel theft in the Army.
Memo: a group of soldiers colluded in late-2019 to steal and sell 40mln worth fuel meant for exercises. They got caught while smuggling the next batch. A felony case is launched.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178187
An Armenian soldier was wounded in the northeastern region. That's the area that's active due to Azeri attempts to strengthen their positions. Earlier one Azeri soldier was killed during attempted engineering work.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178204
Pashinyan administration earlier created a group consisted of NGOs and law enforcement to work together to improve transparency whenever a soldier dies and an investigation opens.
The group has sent a petition to re-open one such criminal investigation that was earlier shut down. The request was accepted and the case re-opened.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001600.html
charity
Civil Aviation chief Tatevik Revazyan worked as a waiter at the ROOMZ restaurant for 4 hours. All tips went towards medical care for a kid named Tigran Amirkhanyan.
https://youtu.be/zjm0LGdI3j0?t=9
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001598.html
engineering labs ArmAt
The Education Ministry's budget for ArMat engineering program, in millions of Drams:
2014: 14 but for salaries only
2015: 23 but for salaries only
2016: 23 but for salaries only
2017: 127 but for salaries only
2018: 187 but for salaries only
2019: 352 but for salaries only, plus 834mln for 284 new lab installations (until this point ArmAt itself was finding cash for labs, now Ministry chips-in too)
2020: 671
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1001634.html
5 soccer playgrounds were opened in Gegharquniq... under the snow.
Pics https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178165
Gucci's Armenian model Armine Harutyunyan is back in Italy for a new photoshoot, just so you know.
It all started last year when she went to Berlin to attend her favorite K-Pop concert. A Gucci recruiter saw and asked if she's interested in auditioning. She was asked to fly the next day but she couldn't due to the Visa regime. She eventually did. No makeup or special attire was allowed for the "natural" contest. Alessandro Michele was the judge.
https://www.1tvlive.am/2020/01/blog-post_43.html?m=1
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178213
President Sarkissian has been թրև գալ in the Middle East lately. He met Rotana Hotel chief and an investor in Abu Dhabi. They spoke about cooperation.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178174
A 2,000 - 3,000-year-old dungeon, and several 200yo cellar and storages were discovered by archeologists on Dalma gardens located in Yerevan's Malatia-Sebastia district.
They wrote a letter to PM and law enforcement to halt any construction work in the area. Education Ministry confirmed the archeological findings after a 4-day examination. An archeological agency was instructed to preserve the findings.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/178200
Disclaimer: All the accused are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law, even if they may sound as being guilty. Currency in Armenian Drams unless specified otherwise. Older posts can be found at: PART 1 ; PART 2 ; PART 3 ; PART 4 , credits to Idontknowmuch.