She had a "paranoid idea" that someone was after her and attempting to murder the women in her family.

...speakers were advised that diverging from the approved speeches could have consequences.

The following article, Dems Tout ‘Democracy’ … Except When Voters Want To Decide Something, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. Democrats across the country have been claiming “democracy” is on the ballot in 2024, as they charge that President Donald Trump would end it. That’s despite their own agenda to deprive voters of the right to make their own choices in their multiple attempts to prevent Trump, and other GOP members, from being on the … Continue reading Dems Tout ‘Democracy’ … Except When Voters Want To Decide Something ...

The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously decided that the National Rifle Association (NRA) "plausibly alleged" that the New York State Department of Financial Services violated the group's First Amendment rights by blacklisting the group. In a unanimous decision written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the high court "holds that the NRA plausibly alleged that Vullo violated the First Amendment by coercing DFS-regulated entities to terminate their business relationships with the NRA in order to...

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday revived the National Rifle Association's lawsuit accusing a New York state official of coercing banks and insurers to avoid doing business with the gun rights group in a ruling that warned public officials against wielding their power to punish speech they dislike. The justices, in a 9-0 decision authored by liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, threw out a lower court's ruling that had dismissed the NRA's 2018 lawsuit against Maria Vullo, a former...

The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously backed the National Rifle Association in a First Amendment ruling that could make it harder for state regulators to pressure advocacy groups. The decision means the NRA may continue to pursue its lawsuit against a New York official who urged banks and insurance companies to cut ties with the gun rights group following the 2018 mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school that left 17 people dead. “Government officials cannot attempt to coerce...

It seems everyone needs subtitles nowadays in order to "hear" the television. This is something that has become more common over the past decade and it's caused people to question if their hearing is going bad or if perhaps actors have gotten lazy with enunciation. So if you've been wondering if it's just you who needs subtitles in order to watch the latest marathon-worthy show, worry no more. Vox video producer Edward Vega interviewed dialogue editor Austin Olivia Kendrick to get to the bottom of why we can't seem to make out what the actors are saying anymore. It turns out it's technology's fault, and to get to how we got here, Vega and Kendrick took us back in time.They first explained that way back when movies were first moving from silent film to spoken dialogue, actors had to enunciate and project loudly while speaking directly into a large microphone. If they spoke and moved like actors do today, it would sound almost as if someone were giving a drive-by soliloquy while circling the block. You'd only hear every other sentence or two.But with today's technology, microphones are so small they can be strapped just about anywhere on an actor. This allows the actor to move about the set freely and speak at a normal volume without worrying that their words won't be picked up. So then why can't we hear them? Turns out it's super complicated…and also not."A lot of people will ask, 'Why don't you just turn the dialogue up?' Like, 'Just turn it up.' And...if only it were that simple," Kendrick said before explaining, "If you have your dialogue that's going to be at the same volume as an explosion that immediately follows it, the explosion is not going to feel as big. You need that contrast in volume in order to give your ear a sense of scale."Sure, you may be thinking, well that kinda explains it, but why do the music and other cinematic noises sound like they're beating on your eardrum while the dialogue sounds like the actors are whispering every line? That doesn't seem very balanced. There's more to it, and again, it falls back onto technology.In the video, they explain how our televisions are too thin to hold large speakers facing in the correct direction, and until this video, it didn't dawn on me that the speakers to my television are indeed in the back. No wonder we can't hear. The actors are quite literally talking to our walls. And there's more. Check out the full explanation in the video:This article originally appeared on 2.1.23

A video making the rounds online is reminding us all that love transcends all time and distance. 94-year-old Barbara Carolan of Seabrook, Massachusetts, hadn’t been able to see her 90-year-old sister Shirley, who lives in Nevada, since 2020.When it became clear to Barbara that she might not have much time left to spend with her beloved sister, she prepared to make the 2,700-mile cross country trip to say goodbye.“They waited so long to see each other, and if you don’t know if you’re going to see someone again, you know, especially siblings, it must be really hard,” Barbara’s granddaughter, Stephanie Atkinson Shively, told told her local news outlet WMUR.Shively volunteered to ride alongside her grandmother and document the trip. In a TikTok video, which has been seen over 13 million times, we see Barbara and Shirley getting emotional while reminiscing.“We had a wonderful, wonderful time,” Barbara tells Shirley through tears.“If we don’t see each other [again] on this earth, we’ll see each other in heaven,” her little sister assured.“You betcha!” Barbara sobs. “You betcha.”Watch the video below, aptly captioned: “Hug your sister.” @stephanieatkinson #goodbye #sistersforever #notgoodbye ♬ original sound - Stephanie Atkinson Shively Needless to say, viewers were struck by the sweet moment.“There needs to be a category on this app for videos that are guaranteed to make you cry cuz dammit I’m tired of randomly balling my eyes out!” one person wrote. Another added, “It’s not good bye, it’s see you later. I imagine when we pass, it’ll be like going home. And never again will we have to be separated from the ones we love.”Shively shared several other moments from the journeys, including some pictures of the sisters when they were younger. But the ‘last tearjerker’ showed grandma Barbara waving goodbye as she made her way back home.There’s a bit of comic relief in this one, as Barbara yells “until we meet again!” and gets “WHAT?!” from Shirley, having to repeat herself a few times.Watch: @stephanieatkinson #sistersforever #notgoodbye #sisterlylove ♬ original sound - Stephanie Atkinson Shively All in all, just a beautiful, heartwarming reminder to savor our lives, and all the loved ones in it.Now go hug someone. This article originally appeared on 9.16.23