𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫. 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥. 𝐏𝐫𝐨. 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫. 🐐. Couldn't think of... anyone better to take the first swing in our 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙬 indoor practice facility than the legend herself, Sydney McKinney. Welcome home, Syd 🖤💛show more

BIG NEWS: Turkish Airlines is coming to SYD✈️ We're... (Turkish) delighted to announce that Turkish Airlines will be joining our network of 50 airlines! From 5 December, the four direct services a week from Sydney to #Istanbul via Kuala Lumpur will be operated on an A350-900. With four flights per week, SYD will be the airline’s largest port in Australia. In even BIGGER news, #TurkishAirlines have also confirmed that Sydney will be the first to get non-stop flights to Istanbul! When it arrives, this groundbreaking service will revolutionise travel between Australia and Europe, where travellers can then access a network of more than 340 destinations across 130 countries on a one-stop itinerary, courtesy of Turkish Airlines' expansive global hub. Turkish Airlines also serves 110 European destinations, more than any other airline in the world. More:show more

Every Monday night, my wife (Taylin Lewan ) and... I are like two ships passing in the night. She takes our oldest to piano and songwriting, while I take our youngest to BJJ. A couple of weeks ago, she decided that instead of just sitting and waiting on our daughter, she’d jump into a class herself. Knowing my love for early 2000s punk music, she came home and absolutely nailed it on her first try.show more

I’ve been traveling through China with my family the... past 3.5 weeks and the more time I spend here the more I realize one important fact 👇 Chinese people want the same things in life as every other culture in the world. Good job, safe country, children, opportunities for those children, quality of life that continues to improve. I’ve been coming to China for the past 18 years and can see why Chinese people have an overwhelming positive view of their government but more importantly their country. My family and I came to play tennis this afternoon and found the world class sport facility on a rooftop of a downtown office building. 8 outdoor tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, 4 indoor tennis courts and over 15 coaches. This is just one example of a plethora of changes across China the past two decades. Better infrastructure, clean streets, less crime, better education, the list goes on and on Sport is growing fast in China, people are prioritizing their health and this society is moving forward. It’s incredible to spend our summer holiday here and experience it first handshow more

Hills I will die on as an elementary school... teacher, who just wrapped up my 32nd year teaching! 1. If you are not PASSIONATE about blessing, serving, and empowering those you are blessed to teach, this profession is not for you. 2. Our students are not “ours”. They are their families, and we need to understand the magnitude of the calling, and responsibility we have to meet them where they are, and to help them to get to a place that they never thought possible. 3. As important as the curriculum is (and it IS important), the children in our classroom are what matter most. It’s our JOB to teach the curriculum to SERVE our students, NOT to use our students to push any sort of agenda. 4. Just as we teach our students to “leave things better than they found them”, we need to leave our students better than they were when they first entered into our classroom. Never let a day pass without pouring into each and every child. 5. We should not teach our children WHAT to think, but HOW to think, and how to use that knowledge to bless and serve not only themselves, but the world around them. 6. Our words carry little (or NO value), if we do not practice what we preach. 7. If we don’t make learning fun, children will view learning as a chore, and we we will be creating a generation of children who grow up to be young adults who don’t see the joy in learning new things. 8. The child that may be “difficult to reach/teach” (the one who may get on your last nerve more than you could ever imagine), is someone’s EVERYTHING. Get to know them as human beings, find out what motivates them, and do everything you can to help them to thrive. 9. Never tell a child they “can’t” do something. God has blessed each of them with far more strengths and talents than we may know, and it’s not our job to tell them what they can’t do, but to help them to realize all the things they CAN do. 10. The legacy you leave as a teacher will never be determined by your student’s test scores, but by the human beings you helped them become throughout their lives.show more

Fallout Chrysalis Animation Showoff 👀 My biggest project to... date, and I am super happy with how it turned out 🥰. Let me know what you think of it! I am eager to hear what you all think! Story: Chrysalis' stone imprisonment crumbled after more than a millennium at the hands of the Equestrian Royalty. When it finally broke apart, the Queen found herself in what seemed to be the ruins of the Canterlot Castle gardens, or what was left of them. After more than a millennium without love, Chrysalis was practically starving. For her survival, she began draining any of the scavengers and creatures she could get her hands on. One of these happened to be a vault dweller from a nearby underground vault. She would have loved to ask him more questions about this land, but her hunger was too great, and the dweller was left as an empty husk after he was drained of everything he had to give. Given her rather nude appearance, she decided to take what he no longer needed: his vault suit and a Pip-Boy, a device that would soon come in handy as she made her way to the vault dweller's home, Vault 69. #mlpart #blenderart #Yiff #Fallout #animationshow more

Landing in Geneva, one is reminded how quick we... are to romanticise “the West” and run down our own systems in India. Geneva is beautiful, efficient in many ways, no doubt. But at the airport? No lifts or elevators where you’d expect them, confusing baggage belts, barely any signage or help. A lady with crutches had to hobble down the stairs because there was no elevator! It made me think of our own airports — from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to Indira Gandhi International Airport, Rajabhoj International Airport, Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport and Jolly Grant Airport — where navigation, accessibility, and passenger support are so great . Such amazing service and aliveness ! We in India often complain endlessly about how bad things are at home and how “great” “abroad” is. Travel teaches the opposite too: every system has its flaws. And sometimes, back home, we are doing far better than we give ourselves credit for. 👏 Narendra Modi Ministry of Civil Aviation Ministry of Civil Aviation BJPshow more

The Australian government does not deserve our trust, or... our respect. Today, Minister Penny Wong sat back in her chair grappling for words, desperately looking for the right lie to tell. It is worse than dishonest - it is an absolute lack of care. Penny Wong came to this country when she was 8 years old. She came to a country that afforded her the ability to become who she is, and she is now doing her part to destroy it. Back in the 70’s, when she came, Australia was a fair-minded place and a great place to be. Yet here she is... Here in Australia. Undermining our country and lying to our faces. Because she can’t tell the truth. Because if she did, it would destroy any semblance of care for Australia tied to her old party’s Labor brand. It would say the quiet part out loud. The truth. The truth that the Albanese government is more interested in the fortunes of the ISIS brides, women who chose to leave this country to go and fight against our people, than those of us that can’t find or afford a place to live here at home. I am tired of being told how to think by people that completely lack morals and couldn’t care less. People that are elected and paid to operate in the national interest but always put their twisted ethics and back pockets ahead of our nation and our people. I don’t know when Labor stopped caring about Australian workers or worse, when they started hating Australia, but they have and they do. The absolute lack of opposition, the lack of authentic choice has pushed us into a place where these absolute traitors to the interests of the people who pay them - goes entirely unchecked. We are careening out of control, unchecked migration, an energy grid that is just about to collapse, no industry to speak of, and no good reason to start or maintain a business in this place. It happened fast, but those of us who pay our taxes and take risks to make Australia a better place, are being undermined and white-anted by our politicians. The people we are forced to trust, and must pretend to respect, because they have the force of law on their side. Not because they are any good at their jobs. Not because they have earned our affection. No. Simply because they are in charge and there is little to nothing that can be done about it. It is becoming apparent that the two party system has outlived its useful life. Too much corruption, too many words too carefully chosen in a pantomime between to political forces that don’t really want to change anything. They just want to have their go, to have their turn to jam their grubby hands into the till. Surely with this major and catastrophic failure by the so-called Honourable Minister Senator Wong, the people will be able to see through the veil and into the absolute and irresponsible lack of care at the heart of this deceitful Labor government. They lie about everything, and they can, because they don’t have an opposition worthy of the title. I am growing more confident by the day that the only solution to our woes is a new political force, a fresh, Australia first force, that will act in the national interest and put all these corrupt and useless used-car salesmen red and blue in the dustbin of history. It can’t come soon enough. Time is short. I just want Australia back.show more

Hills I will die on as someone who has... coached high school football for over 29 years: 1. If you are not PASSIONATE about blessing, serving, and empowering those you are blessed to coach, this profession is not for you. 2. As much as we need to know our trade, getting to know (and to love), our players is far more important. 3. This is an INTENSE game, and it’ll never be “just a game”, but it IS a game. Remember that when you’re with your team, and more importantly, remember that when you’re with your family. 4. Just as we teach our athletes to “leave things better than they found them”, we need to leave our athletes better than they were when they first entered into our program. Never let a day pass without pouring into each and every individual. 5. Life is complicated enough, let’s not complicate the game in such a way that we take the joy of it away from others. In other words… Keep it simple. 6. Our words carry little (or NO), value, if we don’t practice what we preach. WE as coaches should be learning and growing each and every day, just as we expect our athletes to. 7. As much as we all want to win those championship rings for our athletes, make sure you don’t lose your wedding ring in the process. 8. The athlete that may be “difficult to reach/teach” (the one who may get on your last nerve more than you could ever imagine), is someone’s EVERYTHING. Get to know them as human beings, find out what motivates them, and do everything you can to help them to thrive. 9. Be where your feet are. Don’t fall into the trap of chasing logos and thinking that a higher division, a bigger school, or going from HS to college, or even college to the pros, is going to be more rewarding or fulfilling. 10. The legacy you leave as a coach will never be determined by your wins and losses, but by the lives you were able to change for the better!show more

You Can Heal Yourself With Nature Movement - By... moving our body we give strength to our muscles, promote blood flow and lymphatic flow enhancing the delivery of nutrients and the removal of waste products. We also create a piezoelectric effect that energises the system. Breathing - The delivery of air into the body through intentional conscious breathing is one of the most powerful modalities for nervous system renewal, mental peace and the delivery of oxygen to the body and the removal of carbonic acid buildup from the system Sunshine - It’s my belief that the more sunlight we absorb without sunscreen, the healthier we will become. A tan looks good because it is healthy and every part of your body thrives when sunlight touches it delivering blood flow as well as a high frequency and energy Grounding - Existing in connection with the earth’s electrical fields resets everything about our energy, reduces inflammation and promotes the movement of proper channels such as detox - it’s a fantastic practice to be connected to nature. Green light - When sunlight moves through trees and leaves we receive Green light by which is very healing and high in near infrared light, in fact it is one of the most healing modalities to absorb in your skin particularly if you have any abrasions or wounds - even more powerful than red light . Fresh air - The first nutrient, having fresh air that is rich in oxygen is absolutely imperative to health and you should always have all of your windows open in the house if possible when not outside. Positive thinking - Whatever you think, shall become and having and cultivating a positive mindset that intentionally brings you positive energy is one of the cornerstones to great health. You can think yourself into sickness and you can think yourself into health so choose to view the world in a positive light and so it’ll be for you.show more

BREAKING: President Donald J. Trump just signed an executive... order implementing Most Favored Nation prescription drug pricing — which will deliver dramatically lower drug prices for the American people. Here's what it does: REDUCING DRUG PRICES FOR AMERICANS AND TAXPAYERS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to bring the prices Americans and taxpayers pay for prescription drugs in line with those paid by similar nations. — The Order directs the U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce to take action to ensure foreign countries are not engaged in practices that purposefully and unfairly undercut market prices and drive price hikes in the United States. — The Order instructs the Administration to communicate price targets to pharmaceutical manufacturers to establish that America, the largest purchaser and funder of prescription drugs in the world, gets the best deal. — The Secretary of Health and Human Services will establish a mechanism through which American patients can buy their drugs directly from manufacturers who sell to Americans at a “Most-Favored-Nation” price, bypassing middlemen. — If drug manufacturers fail to offer most-favored-nation pricing, the Order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) propose rules that impose most-favored-nation pricing; and (2) take other aggressive measures to significantly reduce the cost of prescription drugs to the American consumer and end anticompetitive practices. GETTING A BETTER DEAL FOR AMERICANS: President Trump is once again taking action to keep pharmaceutical manufacturers from charging Americans high drug prices while giving steep discounts to other wealthy nations. — According to recent data, the prices Americans pay for brand-name drugs are more than three times the price other OECD nations pay, even after accounting for discounts manufacturers provide in the U.S. — The United States has less than five percent of the world’s population, yet funds roughly 75% of global pharmaceutical profits. — Drug manufacturers discount their products to gain access to foreign markets and then subsidize those discounts through high prices charged in America—in essence, Americans are subsidizing drug-manufacturer profits and foreign health systems, despite drug manufacturers benefiting from generous research subsidies and enormous healthcare spending by the U.S. Government. — In his first term, President Trump took historic action to keep Medicare and seniors from paying more for drugs than economically comparable countries, which the Biden Administration rescinded before it could take effect. — Instead of fixing this problem, the Biden Administration’s greatest achievement was to negotiate prices that were, on average, 78 percent higher than in 11 comparable countries as part of Biden’s effort to “beat Medicare.” DELIVERING ON PROMISES TO PUT AMERICAN PATIENTS FIRST: President Trump is delivering on his promise to once again put America first by furthering efforts to get American patients and taxpayers a fair deal for prescription drugs. — This Order builds on actions from President Trump’s first term to make progress on reducing price disparities at home and expands those efforts by including Medicaid in addition to Medicare. — President Trump recently signed an Executive Order to take additional action to lower drug prices, including by providing massive discounts to low-income patients for lifesaving medicines, facilitating importation programs, and increasing the availability of generic and biosimilar medicines. — President Trump is also working to make drug prices radically transparent, as he recently signed an Executive Order to build on his historic price transparency efforts undertaken during his first term. — President Trump has been relentless in his effort to address the unfair and outrageous prices Americans pay for prescription drugs: — President Trump: “In case after case, our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory, effectively subsidizing socialism aboard [abroad] with skyrocketing prices at home. So we would spend tremendous amounts of money in order to provide inexpensive drugs to another country. And when I say the price is different, you can see some examples where the price is beyond anything — four times, five times different.”show more

🚨BREAKING🚨 UFC and PRIDE legend Rampage Jackson built his... name as one of the toughest fighters in the world — but now his own son is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. During a livestream on YouTube, Rampage Jackson’s son Raja viciously attacked an older American soldier, slamming him to the ground and unleashing punches that nearly killed him. Viewers were left in shock as the brutal assault played out live. This wasn’t a fight between two athletes in the octagon. This was a young man using his strength and aggression against a veteran who served our country. It was disgusting, disrespectful, and shameful to watch. The soldier was left unconscious, and many feared for his life right there on the stream. How could someone think this is entertainment? How could anyone excuse this kind of violence? This wasn’t a “show” — it was a crime, plain and simple. No matter who his father is, nobody should get a free pass for nearly killing another person on camera. If anything, being the son of a world-famous fighter makes it worse, because he should know better. Someone needs to step in, take responsibility, and make sure justice is served. This young man deserves to face real consequences — and that means jail time.show more

For nearly three weeks, a dog was seen sitting... on the front porch of an empty home in rural Kentucky. Neighbors left food and water nearby, but the dog refused to go anywhere else. Animal control was called twice, yet each time the dog returned to the porch before the officers had even finished driving down the street. Eventually, one neighbor decided to check for a microchip. The chip led them to the dog's owner, a 67-year-old retired teacher named Howard Briggs. Six weeks earlier, Howard had suffered a stroke and had been moved to a memory care facility about forty minutes away. He had no close family nearby, and since his hospitalization, the house had remained empty. No one had come back for the dog. The neighbor contacted the care facility to explain the situation. When the staff heard the story, the room fell quiet. Since arriving there, Howard's condition had been worsening. He had stopped speaking, stopped responding to people, and spent most of his time staring silently at the wall. Within an hour, the tacility director approved bringing the dog to visit. The next morning, they drove the dog across the county to the facility. When the door to Howard's room opened, the dog walked straight toward him and gently rested his head on Howard's knee. Howard looked down. Then, slowly-after six weeks without responding to anyone-he lifted his hand and placed it on the dog's head. A nurse watching from the doorway had to step outside. "We had tried everything," she later said. "Music, photographs, calls from family. Nothing seemed to reach him. That dog came in and connected with him in less than a minute." The dog now lives at the facility permanently. Every night he sleeps at the foot of Howard's bed. And every morning, before even opening his eyes, Howard reaches down and rests his hand on the dog's head. It's the very first thing he does each day. The staff eventually decided to give the dog the same name as his owner. Because sometimes the strongest bonds simply belong together.show more

A much belated life update - I’ve sold my... company, The League, to The Match Group! WE’VE BEEN CALLED UP TO THE BIG LEAGUES! We’re now competing in the same arena as the most successful dating brands in the world, so I’m hiring a world-class Head of Marketing & Head of Product to help me take The League ALL THE WAY. If you know great talent, I’d love for you to share this🙏 I am so grateful to everyone who got us here, especially those who helped me in the very early days when I was juggling - and struggling. When she saw my first logo attempt, Laura, my college bestie, told me it was the ugliest thing she had ever seen & begged me to let her redo it (hers is still in use!). She then took over all things design, giving The League a consistent & premium brand identity from day 1, fixing my design travesties in record speed & preventing our brand from devolving into one that stood for clip-art. My (undiagnosed) ADHD meant I was terrible at opening mail, reviewing invoices & contracts, filing out tax forms, or being precise about payroll & its peculiar payment windows. In true helicopter-mom form, Mama Bradford stepped in to handle this blocking & tackling, & the workers rejoiced! My brother pointed out mistakes I made when coding our first matching algorithm (like not normalizing like-rate by gender), & stepped in to write ETL scripts so he could analyze our data and improve our match rate. As signups skyrocketed, I wasn’t reviewing applicants in a timely fashion (yes those long waitlist times were in part due to my ineptitude), so Mollie, my bff since 14, moved to San Francisco to take over our vetting process, ensuring we drafted a diverse founding class of All-Stars. When I was drowning in support tickets, Jeff (my best friend’s husband) & Meredith (my first employee who became a best friend), replaced me as League Concierge so I could fix bugs & hire an engineering leader to rewrite the app for scale. I feel blessed I had my mom, brother, & best friends to lean on at the beginning of what I can only describe as a roller-coaster-marathon journey. Their heavy lifting allowed me to get The League off the ground, & turn it into a profitable business attractive to Match, all on $2.3M raised. Fast forward nearly 9 years & now, with Match behind us, we can finally swing for the fences to fulfill The League’s potential to be much more than a dating app for ambitious singles. We’re leveraging their best-in-class trust & safety AI tools & sophisticated ML systems refined over decades that we could not have built ourselves. We’re investing in marketing (new campaign coming soon) & hiring Execs - I can finally hand over the product & marketing reins to better operators than myself. As for me? I’ll get to focus on our long-term roadmap & envision the future of dating. Who knows, maybe I’ll even start writing that book recounting the hilarious & shocking things I’ve seen while working in the business of love - and while using my own app to date 😉 Would you read it? ------------------------------------------ Help me take The League to the Big Leagues! Apply to Head of Marketing Here: Apply to Head of Product Here: See all open roles here:show more

❔ A Question for Our Community 👇 What would... you automate first when managing a Vault? Managing a Vault becomes very different once there is more than a single trade to think about. Entries, exits, position management, and risk controls all start adding up, especially when the strategy is expected to keep running consistently. Some parts of the process are repetitive. Others can directly affect the outcome if they are missed at the wrong moment. 💡 With Hyperliquid Vault automation in GT App, strategies can run with DCA, trailing take profit, stop loss, Telegram updates, and more 👉 💬 Drop your thoughts below!show more

🔥 Congratulations on the Launch of the Die Last... Playtest & Upcoming Airdrop! 🔥 We are thrilled to announce the official start of the Playtest! Moreover—we've prepared a bunch of surprises just for you. Alongside the Playtest, we're hosting the first-ever in-game token AirDrop 💎. Your mission: dig and craft Lost Objects, remnants of a forgotten civilization. To participate in the upcoming token AirDrop, you need to find a Spy Radio to craft an NFT, your key to this exciting journey. Anyone can find in-game NFTs, which are the key to owning wallets with different amounts of tokens needed to participate in the AirdDrop: the more tokens you have, the more you'll get 💸. The luckiest players can obtain an NFT with a full-filled wallet, which means you can participate in the AirDrop at no cost! Didn't find an NFT with a 100% discount? No worries, keep digging! Every NFT you find boosts the number of tokens you receive during the AirDrop. For instance, if you have 100 tokens in your wallet and craft 6 NFTs, you’ll receive 80 tokens in the AirDrop. The more NFTs you have, the more tokens you’ll get. ✅ To participate, add #DieLast to your Steam wishlist and apply for the Playtest (approval of your application may take up to 24 hours or be approved instantly): ✅ To grab your NFT once it's dug up, visit our website: ❗️ Important note: We will approve applications for the Playtest on a limited basis to balance the load on the network. Once we are confident that the network is functioning as intended, we will accept all applications at once. We expect this to occur within one day and will keep you updated. 💥 Our dedicated followers know about our quest campaign with Bitget Wallet 🩵 and DeGame. Join us and complete quests to earn rewards totaling $3000+ USDT 👉 Dive into the adventure and unearth hidden treasures. Welcome to the Die Last Planet! 🌎 #crypto #taptap #clicker #gameshow more

“They didn’t teach me anything!” Want to evaluate the... quality of your child’s preschool? You could hardly ask for a better endorsement than this one, captured at the end of a three-year-old’s first day of school. In fact, if you visit a classroom and find a preschool teacher lecturing - or children hunched over desks, all engaged in the same teacher-directed activity - run for the hills. That’s because young children don’t learn in the same way older children do. They learn through play. They learn through interaction. They learn through discovery and exploration; through trial and error. The best early childhood teachers are rarely the center of attention in their classrooms. They aren’t there to lecture and drill, but to observe, plan, guide, question, and support the needs of each individual child. Never confuse a lack of stereotypical “teaching” in these classrooms for a lack of LEARNING. Or rigor. Indeed, these child guided classrooms are learning laboratories second only to the home in terms of their life-changing potential. If your child doesn’t come home covered in paint once in a while, or with grass stains on their pants, you’ve probably chosen the wrong program. Instead look for an endorsement like our hero’s: They didn’t teach me anything, but I had fun. And maybe tomorrow there will be more time to talk about possums. This happy little learner was shared to TT by carliewinkels.show more

NASA's 'quiet' supersonic jet completes first flight in potential... breakthrough for commercial air travel | Morgan Phillips, Fox News X-59 aircraft designed to reduce sonic boom to a 'thump' could revolutionize commercial aviation A new "quiet" supersonic X-59 jet designed to revolutionize air travel successfully completed its first test flight, Lockheed Martin announced this week. The sleek, needle-point aircraft built for NASA is designed to break the sound barrier while reducing the sonic boom to a "thump," according to the aerospace contractor. The aircraft aims to overcome one of the major hurdles to supersonic travel, which is noise restrictions over land. The plane took off from Palmdale, Calif., at Skunk Works' facility at U.S. Air Force Plant 42, accompanied by a NASA chase plane. It landed safely about an hour later at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center. The plane’s unique shape is designed to greatly lower the volume of the sonic boom typically produced when a plane breaks the sound barrier. The long, pointed nose prevents adequate forward-facing visibility, so the pilot flies relying on a monitor in the cockpit. NASA has paid Lockheed over $500 million since 2018 to develop the plane. The plane, which measures just under 100 feet nose to tail, flew at subsonic speeds on its first flight, around 230 mph and reached 12,000 feet. The plane is built to eventually reach a cruising speed of 925 mph, or Mach 1.4, and fly at an altitude of 55,000 feet. "This aircraft is a testament to the innovation and expertise of our joint team, and we are proud to be at the forefront of quiet supersonic technology development," OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, said in a statement. "X-59 is a symbol of American ingenuity. The American spirit knows no bounds. It's part of our DNA – the desire to go farther, faster, and even quieter than anyone has ever gone before. This work sustains America's place as the leader in aviation and has the potential to change the way the public flies," said Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator. The supersonic Concorde aircraft, developed by France and the U.K., began transatlantic flights in 1976, reached max speeds of over 1,300 mph and flew passengers from New York to London in just 3.5 hours. But high operating costs meant ticket costs were about four times higher than a standard first-class ticket, and the supersonic boom meant the plane could only fly at such high speeds over water. A crash in 2000 deeply affected public confidence in the plane, and it was retired in 2003. NASA plans to fly the X-59 over several U.S. cities in the coming years, gathering public feedback that could help regulators update decades-old bans on supersonic flight over land. If successful, the data could open the door for a new generation of commercial jets capable of cutting cross-country flight times in half — bringing back supersonic travel for the first time in more than two decades, but this time with far less noise.show more

A very good morning. Welcome to The Council Benji... This marks the third Skull in a little run. The first went to a fund I've never met. The second: through Eli Scheinman to a new collector/foundation who has been quietly entering the space in a very significant way across a number of collections whom I’ve never spoken to. Their new entrance enabled a wedding and start of a new married life for Conviction. In my very first conversation with him, we spoke about curses and commitments to the people we love. Since meeting got to talk through each step on that path, from letting go, what is imbued in the ring and ceremony of it all, a proposal, and on the way to the most important of the steps in pursuit of a blessed life. It is easy to get a little cynical on the over-leveraged exit stories that spring up from time to time, so it is a treat to watch one go towards a celebration that’s been building up in his life since the Skull was first acquired. And now: this. The third Skull and the first I can really write about as a shared story across both source and destination. An exit and an entrance. The exit: The Skulls of Luci were awarded as gifts 4 years ago. But before I'd minted Birth of Luci or painted the other 49, the first person in this space I showed the sketch of The Blueprint Skull to was actually Casey💎, when he was working at SuperRare . Casey was the very first person who onboarded me to NFTs, helping me navigate the early days of whatever it meant to even mint something. I explained the idea of gifting one to each person who bid in my first auctions. Though most of the Skulls went to the bidders, Casey's didn't. He didn't ask for one. I didn't tell him I'd give him one. But he helped me take my first steps here, and it's hard to imagine any of this making sense, or unfolding the way it has, without him. Since then, we've broken bread across continents, seen quite a lot of chortling margarita consumption, watched the rise and fall of a lot around us, weathered inter-Council dramas. He brought Laura El into The Monument Game, played as a Player, wore a Mask. Most of the vibe that started all of this, the wild west of it, feels faded in the broader space at times. But every Skull has a story and a person who helped us get here. Casey will always be the one who was there before any metric muddled the reason to care. The entrance: Last fall, Benji came over for a studio visit. We walked through Luci, the works, structure, and dream, as anyone who visits does. But we mostly talked about being a father and having a father. We discussed the very idea of "collection" stripped of accumulation, value, or signal, located more in the act or ceremony of it. What it was to grow up with a curious father who studied the edges of each thing he saw to know the next layer beneath why anyone might look or ignore it. That to pass this on is to pass on questioning, more than it is to pass on any kind of answer. The process of collecting can be perceived as an individual act of hoarding. For some it is maybe. But at its best, it's a way to bind through shared questioning, to bond in cooperation and competition with friends and family, it is the swapped story and meme of it all, and each object gathered along the way carries some shared memory that can, often does, and with intent: should; drift out of the object entirely. All in the psalm, always has been. The studio visit came and went. Soon after, a package arrived in the mail with two of the softest stuffed animals added to my daughter's own collection, now among her favorites. The Skull is a bonus to that, in the scheme of shared memory. For Rachel and I, while we are heads down making a body of work that unsettles us and excites us but demands unknown time to accomplish, it means a great deal to have this kind of support from long term people in the quiet process of making work we want to leave behind ourselves. Enormously grateful to Casey for the many years of support and friendship, to Benny for being a true patron, and to Benji for entering the arena for what I'm working on next. Welcome.show more