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“12 Strong”: The Inside Story of the Making of a (Refreshingly Accurate) Hollywood War Epic

Culture Watch
tags: 12 Strong

Brian Glyn Williams (with Julie Romei). Professor Williams is author of Counter Jihad. The American Military Experience in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria (2016) described by former CIA Director General David Petraeus as “a superb chronicle of the campaigns to counter Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and their affiliates—by a student of, and participant in, those campaigns." Williams has worked in Afghanistan for the CIA’s Counter Terrorism Center and the US Army’s Information Operations in Kabul. Click here for his website.

When I received a phone call from a representative for famed producer Jerry Bruckheimer to visit the remote mountains of New Mexico to see the filming set for the forthcoming Afghan war movie, 12 Strong: The True Declassified Story of the Horse Soldiers, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. The movie, which retells the remarkable story of a brotherhood forged between Afghan Uzbek horse warriors and an elite Special Forces A-Team in the mountains of Afghanistan, is a story I have professionally immersed myself in exploring and bringing to life for a decade and a half. My journey to uncover the hidden story of this special operations campaign—that united Green Berets with fierce Uzbek Mongols as a proxy fighting force to overthrow the entrenched Taliban regime—had consumed me and, on a couple of occasions, almost led to my death. I still shudder at the memory of being told not to jump down from the clay wall of a small mountain firing post used by the anti-Taliban rebels when one of my Uzbek friends warned me there were landmines planted directly where I was about to land.

To put it mildly, after all I had been through to shed light on this covert campaign from the Uzbek perspective in articles, books, talks to the NSA, Army’s Information Operations and CIA’s Counter Terrorism Center etc, I was skeptical that Hollywood could capture the essence of this story of men from different worlds uniting to capture an ancient shrine. How could a movie studio based in California capture the immense, majestic beauty of Afghanistan’s soaring Hindu Kush Mountains, the almost primordial beauty of her warring ancient Aryan, Persian, Mongol, and even Greco-Macedonian tribes, the glory of the ancient blue domed shrine of Mazar i Sharif (the crucible of Afghanistan) and the authentic facts behind the covert 2001 helicopter “infil” of 12 Green Berets and 8 CIA operatives into the Afghan “Graveyard of Empires?”

As an author of seven books on warfare and ethnicity in an around Afghanistan and professor of Islamic History, I should also state that my greatest fear was that the director and producer would relegate the country’s fascinating ethnic groups, who had so welcomed me on my five journeys across the region, to mere local backdrop in their efforts to lionize the American special forces. The incredibly brave Green Berets were of course worthy of all the attention focused on them (as much as their commander, a self effacing Kansan named Mark Nutsch who I am proud to call friend, disliked the focus on him and his team of “shadow warriors”). But I had grown tired of the ultra-patriotic “black” and “white” War on Terror genre of films that simplistically divided the world between good Americans and bad Muslims. With the notable exception of Lone Survivor, Hollywood movies dealing with warfare in the Islamic world completely dismissed the rich ethnic fabric or “human terrain” of societies that America has been fighting in since 2001. For movie producers, as for most Americans, the world was, and is simplistic and, binary. It is us versus them … the Muslim “Others.” The nuanced fact that across the globe brave Muslim Kurdish Peshmerga warriors whom I have embedded with, Iraqi Special Forces, Pakistani/Afghan troops etc. whom I have had the pleasure of seeing in action are our greatest allies in the war on the jihadi terrorists was lost in such movies as Act of Valor, American Sniper or Zero Dark Thirty.

I am happy to report that 12 Strong avoids the trap of simplistically dividing the Afghan theater of operations into a one dimensional, bipolar reality, with native Afghans constructed as mere “bullet sponges” for brave Americans to kill. This feat was accomplished under the skilled direction of both its producer, Jerry Bruckheimer (who gave us Black Hawk Down) and a complete unknown, Danish director Nicolai Fuglsig. In the process of avoiding the pitfalls of Hollywoodisitic Manichaeism, the movie faithfully captures the complexity of the campaign in the mountain battlefields I know so well. 12 Strong completely avoids the black and white clichés of the war on terror genre and takes viewers on a multifaceted journey into an unusually complex realm that is nuanced in every sense. It is worthy of today’s sophisticated, discerning audiences that have made movies like I am Malala popular due to their exploration of Muslim lives in the region.

In weaving a nuanced story that captures the spirit of both Khalid Hosseini’s poetic writings of Afghanistan in The Kite Runner and the intensity of Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar-winning Iraqi pulse pounder Hurt Locker, 12 Strong brings to life a world dominated by one of the two main characters in the film, the legendary Uzbek Mongol warlord, General Abdul Rashid Dostum. It is Dostum (magnificently played by Iranian actor Navid Negahban) who puts his unexpected imprint on the Afghan war epic and brings it to life in real world “gray.” Negahban plays Omar Sharif to Chris Hemsworth’s powerful rendition of a modern day Peter O’ Toole’s Lawrence of Arabia. Hemsworth (famous for his rendition of Thor in the Avengers movies) intimately portrays Captain “Mitch Nelson” (based on the real Captain Mark Nutsch) head of the 12 man A-Team tasked with leveraging Dostum’s Uzbek warriors against the common Taliban foe. Just as the Arab chieftain Omar Sharif and British agent Peter O’ Toole played men from different worlds who had to overcome distrust in order to defeat the common Ottoman Turkish enemy, Negahban and Hemsworth spar, test one another, clash, and ultimately bond to become brothers.

General Dostum with Mark Nutsch and members of Tiger 02 ODA 595

There is more tension in the movie version of their relationship than the story conveyed to me by Dostum and Mark Nutsch, but Hollywood is allowed some script freedom to build a compelling plot. The movie also compresses the story I know and diverges from reality on occasion for narrative purposes. For example, Michael Shannon masterfully plays Hemsworth’s Bob Pennington (Assistant Detachment Commander) who is wounded by a Taliban fake surrender. In reality, it was an incredibly brave CIA operative named Micheal Spann who was actually killed in this event after the Taliban had been defeated. I visited the marker Dostum had erected on the forlorn spot where the first American died in combat in the War on Terror and had the privilege of meeting his father Johnny Spann. Having stood on that hallowed ground, I felt the movie honored his sacrifice. (For the one CIA death, the first very first American to die in combat in the war on terror, see my article here.)

The plot diverges from the reality I know from months spent traveling with Dostum and his commanders retracing the battlefields in other ways as well. In the movie, Dostum withdraws his troops from the campaign when he hears his ethnic Persian Tajik rival, Atta, has been given a Green Beret A Team of his own. This never happened. On the contrary, Dostum was so driven by the surprisingly successful campaign that he was personally leading that he agreed to Green Beret leader Colonel Mulholland’s decision to deploy an A Team to his Tajik rival.

At the end of the movie, Dostum also executes his Taliban nemesis with a shot to the head, a fact not lost on the Uzbeks. At the premiere of the movie in Manhattan on January 16, I had the honor of having my friend, Dostum’s son Batur and a group of American Uzbeks led by Ambassador Ayoob Erfani, by my side. When the fictional Dostum, who has lost his family to a notorious Taliban commander (in reality his wife was killed by accident) shot his nemesis, the audience filling the hall broke into their only applause during the movie. Batur Dostum was thrilled to say the least. In reality, Dostum captured Mullah Faisal, who was then transported to Guantanamo Bay by his American allies. Having been to Gitmo’s notorious prison to serve in the Military Tribunals, I suspect the fanatical Pashtun Mullah would have preferred death to life in the “Pearl of the Antilles.

12 Strong, the US Green Berets also heroically charge into battle leading the Uzbeks to break out of the strategic Tangi Gap, when in reality it was Dostum’s bold right hand commander, Lal (“Red”) Mohammad (played by the very talented Laith Nakli), who led the epic horse charges into Taliban lines. The US Green Berets and Air Force combat controllers like Bart Decker (who I interviewed extensively for their untold story) called in the airstrikes for the Uzbek charges from the safety of dugout positions and “overwatches.” When I discussed the heroic Green Beret-led scenes with Mark Nutsch, he wryly chuckled and said “the movie was overall a worthy depiction of the spirit of the Green Berets.”

Other than these understandable divergences, 12 Strong is a story that I know well and hews to much of the reality of the journey the two real warriors took to become friends and surprise the world by exceeding all expectations (and the Green Berets’ rather basic orders to go behind enemy lines in the mountains and essentially leverage local allies to wreak havoc). They did so in a series of Uzbek cavalry charges, bolstered by close air support that broke the spine of the Aryan Pashtun Taliban occupation army of the north by November 9th 2001.

General Dostum leads American Air Force Combat Controlles to the front lines to call in air strikes

General Abdul Rashid Dostum and Captain Mark Nutsch achieved this unexpected success in November 2001 by breaking out of a rebel pocket of the Hindu Kush Mountains and seizing Mazar i Sharif, the very shrine that gave the Pashtun Taliban fanatics the “mandate of Allah” to rule the land. It was an epic example of what Lieutenant General John Mulholland, former Associate Director of the Central Intelligence Agency for Military Affairs, described to me as a “mission of by, with and through native forces, to maximize their fighting potential and put a local face on the campaign.” The Green Beret Unconventional Warriors and Air Force combat controller-ground spotters (missing from the movie) worked with the local militias to channel the remarkably precision might of the US air forces onto their enemies in order to seize a thousand year old Sufi shrine that was the crucible of Afghanistan.

When I lived with General Dostum in his compound in the northern plains after the war, he showed me a horse that “Kommadan Mark” had ridden in the mountains and told me he was waiting for his “blood brother” to return to ride it. Similarly, Mark Nutsch always spoke to me with the deepest respect for Dostum and has been a tireless advocate for making sure his Uzbek comrades-in-arms get their share of the glory that he felt has been unfairly directed towards him (he is currently working to have a statute built in their honor). What is unique about 12 Strong is that Bruckheimer and Fuglsig in many ways broke with the simplistic “us” versus “them” Hollywood convention and brought to life this American soldier’s remarkable friendship with Dostum, who just happens to be a Muslim. In this sense, it shatters the usual binary paradigm, much as Lone Survivor did previously, and demonstrates that our greatest asset in the war on the jihadi fanatics, is Muslim fighting men like Dostum, the “Taliban Killer.”

A Journey to the Hindu Kush Mountains of New Mexico

Having said that, I should, however, state that my own journey of appreciation for 12 Strong was long in coming and fraught with the same sort of distrust and tension that Dostum/Negahban and Nustch/Hemsworth had to overcome. It was Bruckheimer’s representative who began the journey of breaking down the barriers of my own misgivings in February 2017 as we drove south from Albuquerque to the remote mountainside that had been chosen as the film set for much of the movie. My journey of growing trust began as we crossed a windswept plain with barren brown mountains surrounding us on both sides. As we traversed the desolate landscape, I felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. The brown, stark vista was eerily reminiscent of the Shomali Plain north of Kabul and I felt as if I had been transported to that heavily mined war zone. When I mentioned this to Bruckheimer’s rep, he told me that the director, the untried Dane, Nicolai Fuglsig, had obsessed with finding his “Afghanistan.” After months of frustration, he had settled on this American iteration of the Hindu Kush. Producer Molly Smith later told me that he had travelled far and wide, reportedly as far as the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, studying terrain that matched footage and pictures from the Afghan mountaintop battlefields to find the perfect spot for his movie.

As we arrived at the Afghanesque movie set and hiked up the steep mountainside, I grudgingly gave Nicolai a thumbs up. The fine, windblown talcum powder-like dirt that got in your mouth, hair and clothes, the barren landscape devoid of vegetation (I was later told there were shrubs that he had removed), and the rocky mountains soaring around us, felt exactly like the Afghanistan I knew. As black-clad Taliban actors walked towards me, I was taken back to my interviews with dozens of Taliban prisoners of war that I had been granted access to in Dostum’s grim fortress prison in his northern base in Sheberghan. Only these smiling Taliban extras posed for photos with me and welcomed me to the movie set with New Mexico drawls, instead of ranting about how America was “the Great Satan” and Dostum a “traitor to true Islam.” As the black turbaned American Talibs walked away, I nodded approvingly when I noticed they were armed with real Russian manufactured AK 47 assault rifles and RPG-7s (Rocket Propelled Grenades).

But that was not the only bona fide Soviet weaponry I encountered on the movie set. As we hiked further up the windswept mountainside, I was shocked to see Soviet T-72 main battle tanks and BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers. When I asked where on earth this Soviet hardware had come from, Bruckheimer’s rep explained that they were captured equipment lent to Warner Brothers from nearby White Sands Army Base. Nothing irks me more than seeing fake military equipment in movies. I still wince every time I show the students in my Afghan history class the scene of Sylvester Stallone in the 1980s Afghanistan-based Rambo III (the ultimate white-man-saves-benighted-natives movie) shooting at a French Puma helicopter mocked up as a Soviet MiL-24 Hind attack helicopter. Another thumbs up for Fuglsig who also flew real MH 60 Black Hawks in his movie, instead of the outdated Vietnam Hueys that appear in so many other war movies. I had the pleasure of meeting Chief Warrant officer Alan Mack, who flew the helicopter “infil” mission to insert Captain Nutsch and Operational Detachment Alpha 595 into the Hindu Kush at night, and he informed me that the scenes in the movie depicting the SOAR (Special Operations Air Regiment) “Night-Stalkers” infiltration into the cloud covered heights of the Hindu Kush were harrowingly accurate.

But not all the warfare in the movie involved hi-tech machinery like Alan Mack’s MH 47 Chinook helicopter. I soon saw a more ancient representation of an almost medieval form of warfare, an armed horseman galloping majestically toward us with his turban flying in the wind. I felt the hair stand up on my arms as I saw the spiting image of the legendary Uzbek warlord, General Dostum, the “Taliban Killer,” arrive in a swirl of dust. I could be forgiven for thinking that the approaching rider was Dostum himself, so closely did he resemble that great warrior. It was of course not Dostum, but Navid Negahban, the Iranian actor who had stolen the show in the popular TV series Homeland as the notorious terrorist, Abu Nazir. So frighteningly compelling had his rendition of an Arab fanatic been on the movie set in Israel, that the Israeli Prime Minister had made a personal visit to congratulate him. Now, here he was in the role of a lifetime, playing a larger-than-life Uzbek Mongol tribal leader known to the millions of Uzbeks who dominated the plains of northern Afghanistan as the, “Pasha,” the Commander. (There are many myths, legends, distortions and half-truths swirling about the semi-mythical warlord who has been depicted by his enemies as a neo-Genghis Khan. For my critique of them see here, scroll down four pages.)

Negahban dismounted and approached me with open arms and wide smile. “Welcome to Afghanistan my friend!” he said as he guided me towards the mass of hundreds of movie extras and film crews operating camera cranes. Navid and I had become friends months earlier as part of his journey of immersion into his latest character. I had sent him copies of my book The Last Warlord. The Life and Legend of Dostum, the Afghan Warrior who led US Special Forces to Topple the Taliban Regime (see CIA’s review of the book here). These books were to be distributed to the script writer, Ted Talley (creator of Silence of the Lambs), Jerry Bruckheimer, Nicolai Fugslig, Molly Smith, Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Trevante Rhodes, Michael Pena and other cast members playing Green Berets from the legendary A-team known as Operational Detachment Alpha 595, code name “Tiger 02.” I had also dispatched him hours of combat footage given to me by General Dostum and my own extensive collection of videotapes filmed during my two summers living with the Uzbek warlord in the shrine town of Mazar i Sharif.

To further assist Navid in his quest of total character immersion of the sort he achieved in Homeland, I also called up General Dostum and asked that he send the actual quilted chapan riding jacket, boots, belt, turban and horse whip from the Afghan capital to the movie set via Istanbul and New York. My dear Uzbek friend, former Afghan Ambassador to several European countries, Ayoob Erfani, Dostum’s world-roaming envoy, personally transported the treasured historic items from Kabul across the world to the remote New Mexico movie set. Ayoob then worked with Navid to make sure the costume designers duplicated these authentic Uzbek riding jackets of the sort this nomadic people had worn ever since their tribe had migrated down from the Mongol Golden Horde in Russia onto the dry plains of northern Afghanistan. Ambassador Ayoob felt that the clothing on the set initially looked like something from (ex-Soviet) Georgia or Morocco before he intervened to insure accuracy.

Navid had also dyed his hair gray like Dostum’s, grown a mustache of the sort favored by the tough Uzbeks, and donned a green camouflage US army jacket like the ones US Central Command airlifted into the anti-Taliban rebels’ isolated mountain base when they deputized Dostum’s band of 2,000 warriors in 2001. According to Neda Mandavi, whose son Arshia plays a local Uzbek lad tasked with guarding one of the Green Berets, Navid got so into character on set that he acted like the rough, domineering Uzbek warlord (once described to me by his CIA liaison “JR” as an “Afghan Patton”), even when shooting the scene was over. Navid would tell me: “My legs were bleeding from being unaccustomed to riding every day. But I channeled Dostum who has experienced horrible battle wounds, the death of loved ones in a lonely battle against his Taliban blood enemies, hunger, cold in the desolate mountains, and far worse than me, in order to find my own strength. His strength drove me to find my own courage in the freezing mountains and endless days of riding. He is tough and his fortitude inspired me.” (For a brief intro to Dostum’s remarkable life story see my piece in Huffington Post here.)

Brian Williams and General Dostum

As we made our way through, Navid introduced me to the gregarious Fahim Fazli (a brave former Afghan interpreter for the Marines in the Taliban-infested south who has written a book on his experiences titled Fahim Speaks) and British actor Laith Nakli (who recently excelled in the war films, The Wall and The Long Road Home). These fine actors played Dostum’s right and left commanders, Fakir and Lal. I had gotten to know both of Dostum’s trusted lieutenants well during my summers spent with the Uzbek tribal leader and I showed the actors photos of the men they were playing to perfect their costumes.

Navid, who speaks the Afghan trans-ethnic language of Farsi-Persian-Dari, also introduced me to dozens of Afghans he had discovered and recruited in Albuquerque. As it transpired, the production crew had had the good fortune of being in close proximity to an Afghan refugee community in the New Mexico capital whose paramount leader endorsed the movie. The Afghans, led by the Sharifi family, were honored to assist the actor playing the Uzbek warlord who had for years terrorized their Taliban enemies. Etched on many of their faces was the memory of having lived through the collapse of the monarchy, a genocidal Soviet invasion, bloody civil war, Taliban slaughter and brutality, and now savage insurgency. Here in America they had found panagah, sanctuary, and they were profoundly grateful.

Navid, (whose grandmother was an Afghan) had grown up near Iran’s Afghan border getting to know Afghan refugees from the 1980s Soviet invasion and was the perfect bridge to these noble Afghans whose story and rich culture he knew so well. Every day when they arrived with a great sense of dignity on the movie set, the Afghan extras would kiss the back of their khan’s (leader) hand in a sign of respect and then go on to give the movie an authentic Afghan aspect. No American stand-in could duplicate the uniquely primordial Afghan physiognomy of the sort captured in the famous National Geographic cover photo of the Afghan girl with haunted green eyes. I was thrilled to see the descendants of Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, the Persian Emperor Darius, Ahmed Shan Durrani, and Attila the Hun authenticating the movie.

Navid also conspired with me to bring the CIA on board. When I heard that the Agency had not been included in the movie plot, I showed Jerry Bruckheimer a photo in my book of the CIA legend “JR” (with eyes blacked out for security purposes) who happened to be my boss at the CIA’s Counter Terrorism Center. He had been one of the agency’s eight forward scouts to be inserted by Black Hawk helicopters into the mountains of Afghanistan to pave the way for the Green Berets in October 2001. I let Jerry know that JR, who had recently retired after a remarkable career in Afghanistan going back to the Soviet invasion, lived in a remote canyon south of the set. JR, like the ever-gracious Mark Nutsch and another Green Beret horse soldier, Colonel Justin Sapp, had done me the honor of speaking to my enthralled students in my Afghan history class and was also a friend. I offered to connect him to the set and Jerry was thrilled. Thus was born the mission that led Navid and Nicolai on a journey deep into the New Mexico badlands to meet a reclusive field operative who shared his accounts with the cast and director to help bring to life the CIA case officer in the movie. In my opinion, the CIA’s leading role in the campaign could have been further developed and there is still room for a journey into that remarkable war being fought at great cost in the shadows with deadly Reaper drones, night raids, and spy networks to this very day.

The Green Berets

Overall, I was satisfied with the Afghan facet of the movie that was in Navid’s energetic and capable hands. But what of the other half of this epic tale, the Green Berets? The Navy SEALs have gotten all the glory in the war-on-terror movies thus far, and this was the Green Berets’ first cinematic debut since John Wayne’s 1968 movie The Green Berets. I was close to the Green Beret community due to the good offices of one Colonel Andy Anderson, a southern gentleman soldier who was the heart and soul of this elite community, and had recently attended a ceremony in the shadow of the new World Trade Center with him. This solemn ceremony had been to dedicate a massive horse-mounted bronze solider statue honoring the Special Forces of Afghanistan. There, I met with three-star General John Mulholland (played by a much smaller William Fitchner), who commanded the Green Berets Afghan helicopter insertions of 2001, and other members of the legendary Green Berets who fought in that theater of operations (I also arranged to have Dostum’s son Batur attend the event, along with Mark Nutsch). While at the ceremony, I heard that the Green Berets had not been tapped as advisors on the movie set and this troubled both me and this elite fighting community.

Nutsch had taken his lack of involvement in the retelling of his mission personally. Fortunately, he and his teammate, Chief Warrant Officer Four Bob Pennington, had belatedly been able to visit and advise on the set just before I arrived at Navid’s request. I was told that their last minute visit had a tremendous impact and may have prevented a Captain America-like scene where Hemsworth jumped from a horse onto a Taliban tank and threw a grenade into its open turret! Their visit mollified me, somewhat, and I was also honored to meet a Navy SEAL who was providing advice on the set. While Navy SEALS have a completely different mission set to Army Green Beret “masters of chaos,” at least I was happy to see there were some special ops advisors on the set.

And speaking of special operators, it was at this time that the top billed star of the movie, Chris Hemsworth, made his debut. As the camera crews called for silence, Hemsworth a.k.a. “Captain Mitch Nelson” rode down the hill leading a horse charge into the face of incoming Taliban fire. The Australian rode with the agility of an Uzbek cherik (horse raider) as he led a joint Uzbek-American cavalry charge against the Taliban positions that had just been softened with laser guided bombs. He later reenacted what looked to be a “danger close” scene wherein trapped Green Berets called in an air strike almost on their own position to save themselves from being overwhelmed by the Taliban of the sort I intimately described in my book. (For a brief online extract from my book The Last Warlord that provides an overview of the harrowing mission see here.)

Afterwards, I had the chance to talk to Hemsworth and found him to be hungry for any and all information on Afghan tribes and their culture in order to infuse his character with as much authenticity as possible. I was as impressed by his genuine desire to learn local terms and cultural customs as I was by the profound sense of humility he displayed in portraying my friend, the very real Captain Mark Nutsch. In an eerie way, his hunger for Afghan intel and total humbleness seemed to be channeling the same qualities as I had seen in Mark. Hemsworth explained on this occasion, and later in Hollywood, just what a profound responsibility it was playing a US military legend who was still alive (as apposed to say George C. Scott playing the dead General Patton). I sensed that the pressure on him was immense, as he knew Mark Nutsch would later be watching his performance in the movie.

Meanwhile, standing silently by himself watching the whole production was the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer, the driving force behind the movie who had spent a decade and a half tenaciously fighting to bring this homage to American Special Forces to the big screen. He has been as inspired by the story as I was, only his medium was not the printed word, but the silver screen. It was Bruckheimer who had bought the rights to the magical book by writer Doug Stanton titled The Horse Soldiers, which provided a retrospective overview of the exploits of all fourteen Green Berets teams operating in the Afghan theatre. I was a huge admirer of Stanton for daring to master so many diverse A-teams (whereas I had barely been able to tell the story of ODA 595 “Tiger 02” and its mission with Dostum) and was thrilled to hear that Bruckheimer had optioned the rights to his magnificent bird’s eye overview of the 2001 war.

But I was intrigued by Jerry’s choice of the unknown director Nicolai Fuglsig, whose awards had come not from movie making, but from his groundbreaking commercials. I discussed his choice of Nicolai with Jerry on the set and later in Hollywood and was surprised by his loyalty to his unproven movie director. Jerry explained to me that it was Nicolai’s shared passion and vision for the project that had driven him to hire his director and defend him from subsequent detractors. After our discussion, I was eager to meet the young director who had so inspired the great Bruckheimer.

I found Nicolai in a small mobile production vehicle furiously directing a combat scene that involved massive bombs exploding in the valley below us. I can assure you there were no fake special effect bombs on the set. These were the real things, and the explosions were impressive. As the rumble of an explosion reverberated up the valley towards us, Nicolai called a cut to the scene and welcomed me to his vehicle. I was beyond gratified when he explained to me that my humble book on the covert Uzbek-Green Beret-CIA campaign had provided him with “half of the story” he was telling through the lenses of his camera.

Nicolai then excitedly showed me the movie trailer ad he had just received minutes before. The trailer was simply epic in its capture of hundreds of turbaned chapan-clad, turbaned horsemen charging through bomb smoke to attack the Taliban enemy filmed through the lense of a drone flying above. It closely resembled the footage Dostum had given me that was shot by a cameraman in the months before America intervened in his lonely war on the fanatics. The most impactful scene on the trailer, however, was of a gruff and grizzled Negahban-Dostum sitting in a clay-walled mountain house bluntly asking the untried Hemsworth-Nutsch if he had killed before. Hemsworth responded simply by saying “take me to the frontlines…and I will kill Taliban.”

I was beyond impressed and, on this occasion, and subsequently in Hollywood, I probed Nicolai on his own journey into breathing life into this mountain campaign fought at 7,000 feet in the unforgiving Hindu Kush Mountains. Nicolai sounded almost like an anthropological-military historian as he talked of his deep passion for Afghanistan, its people and the Green Berets. While he had never been to that epic Central Asian nation, I sensed it had enraptured him, just as it had me. Nicolai explained to me that he had spent considerable time filming in Kosovo during that war and, as someone who had also been in Kosovo, I began to gain respect for the Dane and his understanding of the horrors of warfare. But it was not until I got to Hollywood and Molly Smith explained to me that Nicolai had spent years painstakingly making a massive Afghan pictorial “Bible” that I realized just how dead on my assessment was that Nicolai was a military-anthropological historian at heart. It was Molly who suggested that I see Nicolai’s famed “Bible” and, when I asked to see it, he proudly showed it to me.

As a graduate student who had dedicated himself to earning a PhD in Central Asian Islamic History (before 9/11 mainstreamed my arcane field) and as a professor who had spent 16 years transporting my students from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan, I instantly felt a sense of a kindred soul in Nicolai. There, in his 500 plus page “Bible” was the photographic heart and soul of a majestic country that I had long defined as “the land time had forgot.” Nicolai had captured a realm defined by migrating Kuchi nomads, splendid hand-woven carpets (of the sort that appeared as a rolled sleeping mats on the back of his steeds), unimaginable Taliban brutality, Games of Thronesesque struggles for power between Uzbeks, Tajiks, Pashtuns, and Hazaras, caravans, ancient shrines, castles, and terraced houses that climb up the impossibly steep slopes of the misty Hindu Kush Mountains. It was all a tribute to Nicolai’s dream of achieving the one thing everybody involved in the movie set aspired to, verisimilitude. This wonderfully apt term for Nicolai’s mission is defined as “realism, believability, plausibility, authenticity, credibility, likeliness.” (To see Nicolai’s “Bible” click here and click on the white arrow.

Assessing a Vision: From Hollywood to the Hindu Kush

Nicolai’s vision was certainly admirable, but would 12 Strong achieve the noble object that he, Navid, Jerry, Chris, Molly and all those involved in the production were so passionately striving for? For eleven months I waited with a muted, cautious sense of hope for the pre-screening of the movie in Manhattan on January 6th. Having being so invested in the real story, it was with an almost visceral sense of trepidation that I entered the small screening studio at Warner Brothers to watch the cinema version of the very story of a warlord’s unlikely friendship with a Kansan Green Beret rodeo rider.

When it was over, I walked in silence outside and called up my Uzbek friend Ambassador Ayoob Erfani and spoke to Dostum’s personal envoy in a somber voice, realizing he would convey the news to the man who was now Vice President of Afghanistan and to millions of Uzbeks who were nervously waiting to see how they and their “baba” (father) had been treated by the American movie. I will always remember my first words to Ayoob: “My friend, all is well. Dostum, the Uzbeks, and all Afghans were treated with sharaf (honor).” There was a slight pause on the phone, then Ayoob asked a question that was of paramount concern to Vice President Dostum “And how were the vice president’s American brothers portrayed in the movie?”

My response was unequivocal “Nicolai outdid himself and more than fulfilled the trust placed in him by Jerry Bruckheimer to accurately bring their story to life. Vice President Dostum will be satisfied with the way the 12 Jasurs (the “braves” or “strong ones” as he always referred to them to me) were portrayed. All of Dostum’s brothers were portrayed with sharaf, my friend. Just as Dostum was.” I could hear a palpable sigh of relief on the other end of the phone as Ayoob responded. “Thank you Brian, I will convey the wonderful news to General Dostum. He will share it with all Afghans.”

It took me a while to collect my swirling thoughts and emotions after the phone call with Ayoob. It was only after several days that I could weigh in on a movie that had taken a few over-the-top Hollywood turns and plot twists that I had not anticipated. But I can now say that, having watched this historical epicthrough the critical lenses of a professor of Central Asian Islamic History with extensive Afghan “boots on the ground experience,” I would rate 12 Strong highly for its faithful depiction of the essence of the 2001 mountain campaign as I have chronicled it. In its quest for authenticity, 12 Strong is the most accurate portrayal of America’s warfare in the Islamic world since the dark day of 9/11 propelled its fighting men and women across the world to fight in distant lands. From the historical perspective, it is a magnificent re-telling of a pivotal mountain campaign that changed the course of history.

At the end, the movie does sensationalize the final horse charges and puts Americans at the forefront of what was actually a charge led by Dostum’s number two, Commander Lal, but this inverse of the Green Beret’s policy of “putting a local face on campaigns” makes for good entertainment, and is forgivable. Thanks to Jerry Bruckheimer’s persistence in fighting for years to share this story and Nicolai Fuglsig’s masterful retelling of it, millions of viewers can finally relive and experience a covert mountain battle fought by American shadow warriors and the horse-mounted Uzbek descendants of Genghis Khan to destroy the terrorists’ sanctuary in Afghanistan.

The red carpet world premier for 12 Strong was held in Manhattan on January 16th. It was in many ways a tribute to the Green Beret “Jasur” Strong Ones of ODA 595, six of whom were honored in the audience when General Mulholland stood on stage with Jerry Bruckheimer and got a standing ovation. Their wives were also honored as the “real heroes” to even greater applause. Having gotten to know the stalwart Amy Nutsch, who laughed good naturedly at Australian actress Elsa Pataky’s effort to capture what it means to be left alone to raise children (Amy was pregnant with her daughter Kaya when Mark went to war in September 2001) and run a household when your husband is across the world fighting terrorists in a distant terra incognita, I could not agree more.

As I talked with one ODA 595 team member, Vince Makaela, over sips of Horse Soldier whiskey that the team had produced for the after-premiere gala event attended by stars like Matt Damon, he also laughed good naturedly at the movie and recalled “the Dostum I knew moved around striking from afar and jumping from hidden position to position, instead of charging straight into the enemy every time.” Makaela’s assessment rang true and took me back to Afghanistan from the red carpet event attended by champagne-drinking glitterati who could not imagine what it was like to be in the magnificent Hindu Kush mountains that had long called to me. I recalled Dostum pointing up to them and retelling a story similar to Makaela’s of the remarkable campaign with his loyal right and left commanders Lal and Fakir by his side: “I and the jasurs moved around the mountains calling in strikes on the Taliban below in the Darya Suf and Balkh Valleys who had never seen such precision bombing before. When the American bombs fell on our enemies, we cheered from the tops of the valley and I mocked the Taliban on my radio. I told them I had Azrael (the Death Angel) and laser rays. They were superstitious and believed me so they began to surrender in the hundreds.”

The dozens of Taliban prisoners of war I interviewed after the campaign, many suffering from PTSD, spoke of the deep horror they felt when the Americans suddenly appeared in their enemy’s ranks and began calling down laser and satellite-guided bombs on their positions (that were blocking Dostum from escaping the valleys) with devices known as SOFLAMs, Special Operations Forces Laser Acquisition Markers. And this is the essence of the campaign as Mark Nutsch explained it to me in interviews for my book. He broke his team up into two cells, Alpha and Bravo, to maximize his team’s potential as “force multipliers.” These two teams then traveled vast distances on horse back across unimaginably dangerous mountain terrain to flank the Taliban and call in “air artillery” from aircraft “stacked” above them.

Michael Pena and Michael Shannon faithfully play the Alpha and Bravo team leaders who called down withering devastation as they “grasshoppered” around the mountains (in Dostum’s terms) and broke the spine of the numerically superior Taliban. When I told Michael Shannon that Dostum’s son Batur was in the crowd at the after-premiere party, he was thrilled to meet him and thank his father for his role in the campaign he brilliantly depicted.

As Batur, a humble version of his Taliban-slaughtering warlord father, posed for pictures with Michael Shannon, I felt this was the heart of the story. In an age where the political rhetoric from the Taliban, ISIS, Al Qaeda etc. and our own irresponsible, xenophobic politicians seeks to divide us between “us” and “them,” the friendship forged between Muslims like Batur and Michael Shannon, and between General Dostum and Captain Mark Nutsch, is an underpinning message that the movie captures wonderfully. And perhaps this is the most important meaning of the movie from a historical and cultural perspective. For many Americans, this will be the first time they have seen “good Muslims” fighting the terrorists.

In the aftermath of the excitement of the movie, Ambassador Ayoob Erfani and his ethereal wife Jamila hosted Batur Dostum, Captain Mark Nutsch, the glowing Navid Negahban and me for a traditional Afghan feast in their home in Queens. Mounds of rice pilaf and kabobs were served by his beautiful daughters, who expressed their gratitude to Mark and his teammates (including Vince Makaela and William Summers who were there with their families) for freeing their former homeland from the Taliban fanatics. As Americans and Uzbeks shared the moment and renewed friendships that had origins going back to the extraordinary 2001 joint Dostum-Nutsch campaign, I asked Batur what he thought about the movie. After all it was his father, General Dostum, who was undoubtedly the most complex character in 12 Strong. Alternately angry, hard to understand, brave and heroic, Negahban played a warrior from an ancient world Americans could not understand, trying to work with men who came from modern places he could not envision. Negahban-Dostum’s quotes to Hemsworth, such as “You have many commanders above you. But I have only Allah above me” or “tomorrow America will become just another tribe in Afghanistan, and we may become enemies. But you will always be my friend” were pure Dostum. Batur smiled and responded without hesitation:

I truly enjoyed seeing my father as a hero. I hope it helps improve relations between the Afghan people and Americans and shows them who is fighting in their interests against the enemy we have in common. My dad left Kabul last year to personally led his troops for months in the north against the encroaching Taliban from the frontlines. He spent months in the cold trenches leading his men against your enemy and ours. My father and I love the Americans and appreciate all their sacrifices and bravery for fighting this very enemy. For this I am grateful to the movie. It captures the Americans’ bravery and ours. We are on your side and Americans need to know this. We are your friends.

Never were truer words spoken when summing up the campaign depicted in 12 Strong. As the impossibly large mounds of rice pilaf, lovingly prepared by Ayoob’s wife Jamila and daughters, Nilad, Nilufar and Susan were consumed by friends from places as diverse as Nutsch’s hometown of Alma, Kansas and Batur’s hometown of Sheberghan in the windswept plains of northern Afghanistan, I enjoyed the moment of friendship. It was this sort of bridging of languages, religions, and continents that gave me hope, not just for Afghanistan, but for Islam’s relations with the West. For sharing that message of friendship of the sort Batur spoke of with the world, I think Nicolai Fuglsig, Jerry Bruckheimer, Navid Negahban, Chris Hemsworth and all those involved in 12 Strong can be commended. Perhaps next time Ayoob throws one of his legendary parties in Queens the director, producers, and whole cast can attend in this celebration of Muslim-American friendships forged in battle and enjoy a feast fit for a king…or at least a warlord.

I would like to dedicate this article to Julie Romei, who has been a fereshta (guardian angel) to me and became my “hands” for writing this piece up after my own were injured in Iraq. Tashakor, thank you Julie for your guidance, inspiration and support. I would also like to dedicate it to, and say tashakor to, my choban (shepherd) Carol Hansen, who is indispensible in my writing and all my “missions.” And third, I would like to dedicate it to Amy Nutsch, Khadija Dostum, and all the wives who sent their men to fight the terrorists in the mountains of Afghanistan. Many thanks also to legendary “Afghan hand” Robert Young Pelton.

For my field research-based history of the covert 2001 American-Uzbek campaign see The Last Warlord. The Life and Legend of Dostum, the Afghan Warrior who Led US Special Forces to Topple the Taliban Regime here.

For my website with articles, photos from my fieldwork Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kosovo go here.

For a documentary of the 12 Strong campaign featuring actual combat footage and photos of Green Berets, CIA and Uzbeks shot by Dostum’s horsemen, see here (use arrow at right of screen for parts one and two).

Sadly, only 11 of the 12 Green Beret Jasurs or “Strong Ones” are alive today. One of them, Sergeant First Class Bill Bennet, was subsequently killed in combat. (For a link to messages from his friends, family and teammates that captures the real tragedy of his death see here.) The cost of this campaign (and dozens of others across the world) for the Green Berets from Tiger 02 ODA 595 who are still alive has been immense. Several of them suffer from war wounds and PTSD. The burden of their fight to defend America has weighed heavily on their families as well as I have learned from talking with the wonderfully strong Amy Nutsch. It would be a shame if Hollywood benefits from their sacrifices, and they do not. The optics on this movie, that is made about the lives of real fighting men and their families, would be fantastic if Jerry Bruckheimer and Warner Brothers were to establish a 12 Strong trust fund to assist the real heroes who made this movie possible. The debut of the movie would be a wonderful chance for Warner Brothers to work with the military to raise awareness of the burden that wars like the one depicted in the movie have taken on the over 2.5 million Americans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The costly war to deny sanctuary to the terrorists who are plotting new 9/11s that began with ODA 595’s 2001 night insertion into the peaks of the Hindu Kush goes on in the “Graveyard of Empires.” On November 5, 2017 Green Beret Sergeant 1st. Class Stephen B. Cribben, 33, died after being wounded fighting in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar Province. Colonel Lawrence Ferguson, commander of 10th Special Forces Group, said in a statement: “We will honor and preserve his legacy. We will cherish, protect and support his family.” Should you like to help support Cribben’s grieving family, and the families of other Green Berets like ODA 595’s Jasur Bill Bennet who did not come home from the wars, I would strongly urge you to donate at least as much money as you would pay to see the movie, to help this worthy cause. Please click here to easily donate a small sum and many thanks on behalf of the real heroes who made this movie happen, the US Army’s legendary Green Berets.

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Thanksgiving Fixin’s 24

“That’ll be number two,” Dr Ludwig declared as another tiny wail announced the next arrival of new life. The doctor placed the newborn beside its elder sibling, rubbing its back brusquely to encourage its little lungs. “Just a bit of clean-up and proud papa over there can cut the cords.”

A moment was spent watching their second child open their eyes to the world, showcasing the same shade of soulful chocolate brown like its mother. Despite Sookie’s desperation for a lungful of breath, Eric couldn’t help but to steal her lips as they gazed upon the two little miracles that they had created between them.

“Ready?” Dr Ludwig inquired to which Sookie answered with a nod.

With a final push, the last of the afterbirth was expelled from Sookie’s body that hummed and glowed with the aftermath of a thoroughly satisfying Fairy birth. “Need a cigarette, Hon?”

“That’s quite alright,” Sookie spoke in embarrassment, masking Eric’s growl.

“You’re up, Papa!” Ludwig informed to Eric who instantly lowered his incisors.

“Put those fangs away, Viking!” the tiny doctor scowled as she thrust the sterilised shears into his hands. “We’ll do this bit the human way.”

“Like this?” Eric asked nervously as he fumbled with the small surgical scissors.

“Were you a weakling as a human?” Ludwig scowled as she clamped down on his hand hard, and snipped the clamped cord neatly. “Do you have names yet?” the doctor requested while she started placing the first cord in a container preparing it to be sent to Pathology per the Prince of the Realm’s strict instructions.

“This is Eva Hillevi Lis Northman,” Eric spoke proudly of his firstborn daughter kissing the slightly damp soft hairs on her head that he recognised as the same shade as her mother’s. A contented sigh escaped the infant’s mouth in between her snores with the cool touch of her father. Sookie beamed equally proud as together they regarded the small bundle of joy that becoming ‘one’ had created. They were equally pleased that the name they had finally decided on seemed to suit the small baby girl who had come into this world, head first with a loud scream.

“Next!” the doctor demanded impatiently.

Eric quickly swatted away the doctor’s interfering hands while he cut the second cord that connected his son to its mother. Eric’s hand lingered tenderly over the unruly hair in the nape of his youngest’s neck with a similar light shade of blonde to his. With the sudden sensation, the small arm instantly reached over to cover the swaddled back of his sister in protection. “Truly his father’s son,” Sookie observed with a watery smile.

“As long as they have their mother’s fighting spirit and heart,” he whispered against her lips as thumbs caressed away the happy tears that fell. Though he understood their meaning now, he still did not like the sight of them.

“Does the young man have a name?” Ludwig demanded while tapping her pen to her clipboard incessantly.

“Viggo Hemming Northman,” Sookie spoke softly while she watched her children contentedly snooze on her deflating stomach, a perfect little entity of two.

“Very well,” the doctor returned while scribbling away. “I will return shortly, unless you want for me to stitch the small tears when I return, you can have your vampire heal you up; though if he’s unwilling I have some vampire blood in stock.”

Eric’s resounding growl gave answer enough before the doctor popped away to Niall’s lab. He didn’t hesitate to run bloodied fingers through her folds until he declared her fully healed once more.  “How do you feel my Sookie?” he asked gently after resuming his former position beside her with both hands running over the two small forms of newfound life.

“Happy, elated, content and a little tired. I could eat,” she returned with a shrug. “You?” Sookie requested as she ran her hands over the dried blood that had trickled out of his nose and ears all day.

“Not quite sure if I dare dream this is real,” he answered truthfully and she indulgently pinched his arm to confirm he was fully awake causing him to chuckle. “Didn’t think I could love you more until now. Thank you, Sookie Stackhouse.”

“I believe it takes two, Eric,” Sookie replied as she rested her head against his shoulder. “I should be thanking you. We should probably thank Niall for keeping these two safe all this time too.”

“I suppose,” Eric spoke begrudgingly.

They sat in silence for a good long while bonding to their children. A knock on the door announced the doctor’s return now followed by a friendlier looking nurse. Ludwig instantly came to scrutinise the vampire’s handiwork and sterilised the area for good measure. “Take it easy on your fairy, Viking. No matter how much blood you pour down that throat, she needs her rest. Isolde here will help you through the first few days and nights.”

“Let’s give these two their first bath,” the nurse said brightly while she reached for the children who instinctively clung onto the fabrics of their mother and father’s clothes. “Not quite ready to leave mom and dad yet,” Isolde tittered at the tiny twosome, “Perhaps you will join us?” she proposed to Sookie and Eric.

“Please,” Sookie answered even though she wondered how she would stand upright.

“I’ll come set up the baths beside the bed,” Isolde informed. “Are you okay for visitors? There’s quite a crowd waiting.”

“Just immediate family for now,” Eric answered before Sookie invited in the whole town to disturb their little enclave of bliss. Her petulant protest was quickly kissed away as Isolde departed from the room with a chuckle.

“What is she?” Sookie asked Ludwig thinking it too rude to ask the nurse directly.

“Elfling,” Ludwig informed without much care. “Natural nurturers,” she supplemented before lowering her voice, “Completely inedible to vampires.”

Sookie giggled at the thought, there wasn’t a suspicious bone in her of any possible infidelity as she observed the adoring gaze of the vampire beside her. “You think this is for your benefit?” Ludwig feigned while cocking her head. “Do you know how difficult it is to keep your staff from being eaten all the time with injured Supes?”

“She seems very sweet,” Sookie offered politely before they were interrupted by Jason and Brigette carrying in two small plastic bath tubs and their respective stands. Sookie’s eyes lit up instantly at the sight of her brother who beamed proudly at his little sister and the two newborn additions to their family that for so long only seemed to be dwindling in numbers.

“They’re so small,” Jason said remembering just how little babies were. “Were ours ever this small?” he asked addressing his wife who simply smiled indulgently, a well-practiced response when it came to her husband.  “Congrats, sis,” he smiled warmly before kissing her forehead.

“Thanks, Jase,” she whispered back. “Meet Viggo and Eva.”

“They’re beautiful,” Brigette supplied while Jason looked on dumbfounded as Isolde entered the room with two buckets full of warm soapy water.

“Where are Pam and Niall?” Sookie asked suddenly, having expected them to come bolting through the door with her brother and his wife. For all the importance with which Pam had been anticipating the upcoming birth, Sookie figured Pam would be the first one in with racks of clothing options for her babies.

“They’re duking it out on the lawn,” Jason spoke with a stifled chuckle. “Them two have been going at it for hours.”

“I take it Pam has not responded well to her newfound condition?” Eric asked rhetorically with a cocked brow that still proceeded to make Jason nervous years after taking the ancient vampire’s blood.

“Niall seems to think they’re having a fun game of dodge and chase,” Brigette answered. “She’s been anxious to be seen by Dr Ludwig so I’m sure she’ll be in soon.”

“Speak of the devil,” Eric noted dryly as his eldest progeny arrived looking terribly flustered. If he hadn’t been able to tell by her unusually dishevelled appearance, Eric could have easily discerned from her scent alone that she was freshly fucked by the Prince of the Fae, who followed in looking suitably smug. “I hear congratulations are in order.”

Pam’s nostrils flared as her wild eyes sought out the doctor, completely ignoring the sight of her new siblings. “You,” she fumed pointing angrily at Ludwig. “Will remove this abomination from me right now!”

“Good luck with that, Toots,” the doctor returned, completely unimpressed by the vampiress’ aggressive demands. “You’re vampire, anything I remove will just regenerate.”

“Told you,” Niall whispered huskily into her ear from behind as his hand gently caressed over her stomach. A frustrated scream was expelled from her lungs before mumbling a demand of a second opinion. She swiftly departed the room in search of her chosen outfits for the babies, thinking fashion was the best choice of distraction in a crisis.

“Ready?” Isolde requested as the tiny baths stood ready for the two infants. Sookie gave a nod as she and Eric both carefully tended to a child each and moved over to the side of the bed. The two cried a little at being separated but quickly quieted with their parents’ presence and the warmth of the water.

“I can see the family resemblance,” Brigette giggled when she watched Eric wash Viggo’s impressive manhood causing the vampire to beam proudly at the compliment.

“Definitely a Stackhouse,” Jason piped in before Eric could claim the honour to his own name, while Jason happily remembered that particularly proud moment when their own son was born.

“Brigant is more accurate,” Niall informed with a scrutinised glance. “Definitely a Brigant that one.”

“Oh indeed,” Isolde agreed with an implied expertise while Ludwig let out a small grunt that seemed to suggest her concurrence.

Eric suppressed the growl he desperately wanted to expel as Sookie’s hand came to soothe him, however, it did little to take away the insecurity he felt for the first time in his existence. The self-satisfied looks on Sookie’s male relatives grated to no end causing him to nearly rub a little too aggressively with the soft towel against the delicate skin of his newborn son. He quickly helped Sookie get comfortable back into the bed and placed the twins in their previous positions as they continued the close skin to skin contact. Her hand tenderly caressed his cheek sensing his distress, “Perhaps you should see to Pam,” she whispered, Eric gave a brief nod in agreement before kissing the crowns of the three most important beings in his existence.

“Jason, can you help me?” he requested, motioning towards the door carrying one of the used baths toward the bathroom across the hall.

“Sure, man,” Jason responded, following suit with the other bath.

As soon as the tubs were emptied out Eric instantly shoved Jason against the door before he lowly commanded, “Drop your pants and show me your dick.”

“You’re usually a little more tender about this,” Jason grumbled as he fumbled with the buckle. “You know with the romancing.”

“Excuse me?” Eric demanded with a cocked brow that had Jason trembling with anticipation and involuntarily had his tongue jutting out in anticipation.

“You’re usually so considerate, Lover,” Jason whispered before moving in for a kiss but before reaching Eric’s lips his body was slammed harshly into the wood of the door. He whimpered out a contented moan, “A little roughhousing, you know I love it when you do that.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Eric growled yanking down Jason’s pants in one swift move jutting his erection out roughly out of his underwear. Eric gulped silently at the sight as he was forced to admit that for the first time in his life he didn’t measure up in that particular department.

“Fucking Fairies!” he spat out as he angrily departed the room leaving a befuddled Jason behind whose softening member was quickly tucked away with the mortification that this was not one of those dreams. “Fucking Fairies and their giant fairy dicks,” Eric grumbled on until he distractedly collided into Pam in the hall.

“Exactly!” Pam exclaimed hotly as tears sprung from her bleeding eyes. Eric didn’t hesitate to pull her into an embrace as she continued to sob into the crook of his neck. “You so owe me for all this bullshit, Eric!”

“There, there,” he cooed completely forgetting about his own irritations. “Tell you what, Pam. You get to decide on Jessica’s punishment.”

“Willa too?” she pouted unconvincingly as glee had quickly taken over for her momentary misery.

“You’ll have to run it by me first,” he sighed after a moment of contemplation. “You have free reign on Jessica though.”

“Excellent,” she purred with utter contentment. “Now show me to my mini Pam.”

A/N: I know it was all very sweet till I started making fun of Eric’s manhood. Don’t worry it’s still gracious and plentiful, fatherhood is just making our favourite Viking a little unsteady on his feet so I like playing up his insecurities while Pam is trying to grasp impending motherhood…

Special thanks to msbuffy again who managed to Beta this in record time 🙂

Bonfire of the Vanities chapter 17 is here.

29 thoughts on “Thanksgiving Fixin’s 24

    1. Yes special punishment for Jessica, it will be special… Since I’m on the cruel train I’m going with human birth for Pam, but she’s a vampire so her pain threshold should be higher….

  1. So hilarious…Pam doesn’t want the baby and the teasing of Eric’s manhood was so comical…and Jason! Gosh he thought it was a dream!….Loving ” Passions” more and more… Another soon please!? Take care

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well seeing that Eric’s manhood grows to mythical proportions on a lot of fanfics I figure he can take the hit for once. I blame it all on Sookie and Eric having to witness Niall getting out of the tub in the last fixin’ where they both couldn’t look away from the third leg dangling between Niall’s legs… I’ll try and get another one out this weekend but I am officially away this extended weekend… so no promises 😉

    1. They were supposed to be little snippets of around 500 words… that lasted one day now they average between 1500-2000 *sigh*, I’m so thankful for msbuffy fixing all my mistakes… but glad to hear you like my little soap opera that bounces off the entire emotional spectrum. My seriousness doesn’t always listen when I tell it to stay out of the way, so you end up getting a bit of everything in this fic…. what should I contemplate for after this, a spaghetti themed PWP with Pam and Niall? 😉

  2. Jason thinking it was a dream is hilarious. He’s so freaking dumb! Eric’s command of drop your pants and show me your dick- lol! I didn’t understand at first that that’s why he was upset– because he thought he didn’t measure up. So funny. There is such a thing as too big so maybe Eric’s dick is just fine. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m going to be Goldicocks and say Eric’s dick is ‘just right’, in the last installment Sookie made mention that when they saw Niall in his full naked glory that he had a third leg for a penis, so that’s where Eric’s insecurity started and since young fathers tend to be a little overwhelmed I figure it’s fun to exaggerate any anxiety of Eric’s at the moment… and yes there is such a thing as too big but it’s all relative, I don’t know if you ever saw Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, but their ‘Huge Vagina’ bit still continues to crack me up 😀

    1. I was rather tepid about the Eric/Jason scene, mostly its awkward placement and complete lack of necessity as well as the show’s preference of showing that over an actual loving M/M relationship… but it’s great fodder for my fixin’s like a lot of other things that annoyed me… and since Eric grows to mythical proportions in a lot of fanfics he can take the hit of not measuring up this one time… trust me when I tell you he’s just fine in that department 😀

  3. That was most excellent. Poor Eric. Sookie will get him over feeling small. Jason is funny as always. Pam has a lot of adjustments to make. Love the update.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Had to scratch my head a bit till I realised you were on an earlier chapter, yes those Jason/Eric blood dreams provide for oodles of fun. Yeah yeah babies, they’re sooo cute 😉

      Liked by 1 person

        1. It’s fine I’m the laziest reviewer in the world when it comes to other people’s stuff. I’ve decided it’s a quality and not a quantity thing. Well that’s what I delude myself with to excuse the inherent laziness… the like button is my new best friend 😀

          Liked by 1 person

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Fq-102 Stainless Steel Romantic Pair His & Hers Wrist Watches For Men Women Set Of 2 (Black)

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In the name of love. this his-&-hers watch set is designed for couples, soulmate theme,love will make no sense unless connect two hearts,no matter where you are,you can feel with each other. Love will be everlasting! genuine brand, special & elegant appearance,they are best choice as a present for anniversary,valentine's day & birthday! They are also creative casual wristwatch as wonderful gifts for friends. this watch is made of top quality japan movement,genuine leather & stainless steel, wear comfortable. standard daily waterproof,could be wear when washing hands,pls do not take it to swim & shower. package with original brand box man diameter:4cm ; woman diameter:3cm man band width:1.8cm ; woman band width:1.3cm man band lenth:24cm ; woman band length:22cm important: as we all know,stainless steel watch band is unable to be suitable for everyone's wrist size when it's new, but there're 4 - 6 band links(arrows marked) removable! So length is adjustable. Plese adopt the right approach to adjust stainless band.

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Fq - 102ステンレス鋼ロマンチックなペア彼と彼女の手首の腕時計男性女性のための
Fq-102 de acero inoxidable, un par romántico, relojes de pulsera His & Hers para hombres, mujeres, juego de 2 (negro)
Pasangan Fq-102 Stainless Steel Romantis Pasangan Jam tangan & Hers Nya untuk Lelaki Wanita Set Of 2 (Black)
Fq-102 Stainless Steel Romantic Pair His & Hers Wrist Watches For Men Women Set Of 2 (Black)

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March Meeting

Our March 2 meeting included a general discussion of chapter activities and plans.  President Andy Walker conducted an introduction to American Sign Language, as preparation for the visit from the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit later this year.  This was enhanced by a video on basic fingerspelling.

Captioning was a topic of discussion in a variety of ways.  The Google Live Transcribe system was used again, and proved to be at least moderately successful.  The resulting transcript does not separate speakers or topics, and is not easy to read.  A modest amount of editing would improve this, and help would be welcome   The transcript is available on request to hlaamcc(at-sign)

Other topics discussed:

Hearing aid marketing modes and prices.  Some members have used CostCo, with generally satisfactory results.

Noise level in restaurants and other public spaces

HLAA picnic on July 12 at Fort Washington State Park.

April meeting topic TBD, probably focused on assistive technology.

May:  Kay Tyberg will discuss strategy for communication in noisy surroundings.

June:  MontCo Intermediate Unit visit.

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Special COVID-19 Edition: Overcome Back and Neck Pain With Dr. Yoav Suprun

We hope you and your loved ones are well and staying safe during these unsettling times. Right now it is especially important for us to take care of our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Like so many others, we at Holistic Holiday at Sea are exploring different ways of making connections. Over the coming months, we will be offering online support, education and encouragement. Check out our most recent features on healthy immunity during COVID-19, immune-boosting plant-based recipes, and mindfulness at home.

Watch Now: Free Video with Dr. Yoav Suprun

Dr. Yoav Suprun, DPT, OCS, Dip. MDT, whose lectures were enormously popular on our 2020 cruise, has offered this free recorded video, Strategies for Overcoming Back and Neck Pain During the Pandemic. Dr. Suprun is an authority on the McKenzie Method of self-treatment for common discomforts and pain in the neck, back and extremities.

Especially now during the current pandemic, people are stuck at home, moving less and sitting more. Many are using their phones, laptops or simply watching TV in bad postures and as a result, are experiencing spine related problems.

Whether you have lower back or neck pain, stiffness or sciatica, hip, knee or shoulder pain, in this informative webinar, Dr. Suprun will show you how to make changes in your physical alignment and discuss proper ergonomics at home to help you alleviate and prevent pain.

Happening Soon: Free Live Q & A with Dr. Suprun

Dr. Suprun will be hosting a live Q & A session on Saturday, May 9th from 4-5 pm EST.

Register here for the live Q & A: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JdMmadlZRb2ZGbxsSMTuRQ

Book a One-on-One Session with Dr. Suprun

Many of our guests were unable to book private consultations with Dr. Suprun while onboard the cruise due to the huge demand for appointments with him. You now have another opportunity for a one-on-one session with Dr. Suprun. You can schedule a private appointment with him via our new HHAS Telehealth offering. For details or to book an appointment please email: m.mitchell@holisticholidayatsea.com or call 305-928-1098 option 4.

About Dr. Suprun

Fortune 500 companies, organizations, YPO/WPO and Vistage worldwide groups have invited Dr. Suprun to provide informative workshops and learn the secrets of self-healing and prevention strategies. As an international speaker on the field of prevention of musculoskeletal orthopedic problems, Dr. Suprun enjoys helping clients with strategies on self-care and provides entertaining and common sense reasoning to avoid medications, injection and surgeries.


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Multiple Choice Flooring

Carpet & Rug Retailers
Brampton ON
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2 reviews Vaughan, ON

Basement carpeting

My husband and I could not be happier with the work that was done by Multiple Choice Flooring. From the consultation to the end result, the professionalism was second to none. Multiple Choice Flooring was knowledgeable, friendly and very accommodating. They kept us involved every step of the way to ensure we got what we wanted.
During the consultation, they met my baby and went so far as to knock on my door when they arrived to install my carpet so as to not wake up my baby by ringing the doorbell - that consideration is very hard to find and was very appreciated. I highly recommend Multiple Choice Flooring and would absolutely use them again in the future.

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Dear Natasha,
Thank you for taking the time to post such a wonderful review, We're so glad to hear of your positive experience and We pride ourselves on making sure our customers are satisfied with our service. We will be pleased to work with you again in the future or with any personal referrals you may have.
Please feel free to contact us at anytime if you have any questions.
Multiple Choice Flooring


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House Democrats release text of “phase 3” bill, response to coronavirus (COVID-19)

House Democrats release text of “phase 3” bill

U.S. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) tonight introduced the House Democrats’ "phase 3" coronavirus response bill—the "Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act” (H.R. 6379).

Related content

The bill includes a tax title (Division T), which begins on page 1073 [PDF 2.95 MB] of the 1404-page bill.

The Appropriations Committee also provided a 63-page summary [PDF 664 KB] of the bill (the tax provisions begin on page 56) and a “one pager” [PDF 150 KB] of key details of the bill.

Read TaxNewsFlash for information about the House Democrats’ bill, including a summary of tax provisions included in Division T of the bill.

Read TaxNewsFlash for information on tax provisions in a previously released Senate proposed bill.

The KPMG logo and name are trademarks of KPMG International. KPMG International is a Swiss cooperative that serves as a coordinating entity for a network of independent member firms. KPMG International provides no audit or other client services. Such services are provided solely by member firms in their respective geographic areas. KPMG International and its member firms are legally distinct and separate entities. They are not and nothing contained herein shall be construed to place these entities in the relationship of parents, subsidiaries, agents, partners, or joint venturers. No member firm has any authority (actual, apparent, implied or otherwise) to obligate or bind KPMG International or any member firm in any manner whatsoever. The information contained in herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation. For more information, contact KPMG's Federal Tax Legislative and Regulatory Services Group at: + 1 202 533 4366, 1801 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.

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State and local tax guidance, tax relief in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) (updated 26 March)

State and local tax guidance, tax relief

U.S. state and local jurisdictions continue to issue guidance for taxpayers or to provide tax relief in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Some states and local governments have offered tax relief on extensions of time to file and/or extensions of time to pay state and local taxes.

Related content

KPMG’s State and Local Tax practice has prepared a report that, in table format, provides a summary of guidance from jurisdictions on extensions of time for filing and payment of income, sales and/or other state taxes, or penalty relief in light of COVID-19.

In this updated KPMG report (26 March) [PDF 214 KB], there is new information from:

  • Oregon
  • West Virginia

Hyperlinks are provided to the state or municipal website where additional guidance can be found.  If the link above is not updated (26 March), use the following: State and local tax extensions in response to COVID-19 [PDF 216 KB]

For more information about a particular state development, contact a KPMG State and Local Tax professional with KPMG’s Washington National Tax:

Harley Duncan | +1 (202) 360 6165 |

Sarah McGahan | +1 (713) 449 9748 |

The KPMG logo and name are trademarks of KPMG International. KPMG International is a Swiss cooperative that serves as a coordinating entity for a network of independent member firms. KPMG International provides no audit or other client services. Such services are provided solely by member firms in their respective geographic areas. KPMG International and its member firms are legally distinct and separate entities. They are not and nothing contained herein shall be construed to place these entities in the relationship of parents, subsidiaries, agents, partners, or joint venturers. No member firm has any authority (actual, apparent, implied or otherwise) to obligate or bind KPMG International or any member firm in any manner whatsoever. The information contained in herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation. For more information, contact KPMG's Federal Tax Legislative and Regulatory Services Group at: + 1 202 533 4366, 1801 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.

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cbd marijuana seeds

CBD Weed Seeds

The best non-psychoactive cbd seeds for medicinal growers.

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  1. CBD Seeds · Marijuana Seeds ·

    These are new generations of medical cannabis that contain substantial CBD levels, many of which have negligible or non-existent psychedelic effects. Moreover, these are available as regular, feminized, auto-flowering, and fast version weed seeds to suit the needs of all medical home growers.

In the last decades, the cannabis scene is mostly dominated by strains that contain insane levels of THC. Although studies have shown its efficacy as an alternative treatment to many conditions, it is also responsible for the psychoactive traits. Disregarding issues on its legality, the fact that it causes the “high” is reason enough to inhibit many patients from taking advantage of its therapeutic benefits.

Recognizing the need for viable alternatives, the breeders of Homegrown Cannabis Co. have worked on developing mirror-opposites of modern CBD strains.

Medical Benefits of High CBD Strains

Using high CBD medical strains is not without merits - as shown by numerous studies. The same holds true for THC (although it is psychoactive).

Medical Benefits of THC:

  • Anxiety
  • Glaucoma
  • Insomnia
  • Low Appetite
  • Muscle Spasticity
  • Nausea
  • Pain

Medical Benefits of CBD:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Inflammation
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Migraine
  • Nausea
  • Pain
  • Psychosis or mental disorders
  • Seizures

The efficacy of cannabis resides in its chemotype, of which CBD and THC are only two of many compounds working in synergy with each other. On note, too, is that the two primary compounds provide mostly different benefits. Patients should not mistake generalizing high CBD strains as “cannabis without the high” and expect benefits it could never provide.

CBD, like THC, binds with both CB1 and CB2. These are endocannabinoid system receptors affecting neurotransmitters sending messages throughout the body to maintain homeostasis. It appears that THC binds with CB1, found mostly in the part of the brain that controls critical functions including cognition, memory, motor, and pain. On the other hand, CBD interacts with CB2 found predominantly in the immune, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems as well as the brain. The mechanisms involved in these interactions remain vague. Even so, the positive benefits of CBD are evident in many studies conducted throughout the years.

For decades, activists advocated the legalization of cannabis, arguing that it has numerous medicinal uses. The campaign received a boost when the US FDA approved Epidiolex - an oil-based liquid formulation of CBD derived from Cannabis sativa. In particular, this drug is a treatment for seizures associated with Dravet syndrome (DS) and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). Evidence of the efficacy of CBD can be found here and here.

One of the latest studies published in 2019 reveals:

  • CBD can cut down major motor seizures by 50%, and total seizures by 44%.
  • Of over 600 patients who participated in the study, most had a 50% reduction in seizures through 96 weeks.

The researchers concluded that add-on CBD could be a viable long-term treatment option for patients suffering from DS and LGS.

Pain Relief

On its potential for pain relief, that is a fact that humans have known since ancient times. Science, however, is merely providing documented pieces of evidence relatively recently. For example, it is in this 2017 study that showed the efficacy of CBD in inhibiting pains and blocking acute inflammatory flares driving osteoarthritis. The following are merely two of many conditions that this beneficial compound could help alleviate.

In 2016, a study published in the European Journal of Pain investigated the efficacy of CBD in mitigating the symptoms of arthritis using rats. The dosages administered were 0.6, 3.1, 6.2, and 62.3 mg per day using CBD gels applied on affected joints. Highlights of this study showed:

  • 6.2 mg per day was enough to reduce swelling and pain.
  • 62.3 mg per day showed a similar result with 6.2 mg per day.

Although it requires human studies, the results give credence to anecdotal evidence suggesting CBD is effective in treating or mitigating pain.

The use of CBD with regards to cancer is on two fronts - one in treating the disease, the other in mitigating the symptoms. In either case, the research is in its infancy stage. A recent review published in the Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences aimed to raise the understanding of the anticancer effects of cannabis. Based on prevailing literature, it appears that cannabinoids could affect essential cellular processes and signaling pathways crucial to the development of tumor by targeting the endocannabinoid system. Thus, it could induce cell cycle arrest, promote apoptosis, and inhibit proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in tumor cells. One study, in particular, has given much hope to the seemingly impossible task of stopping cancer once and for all. It involved combining the use of CBD and chemotherapy on mice with pancreatic cancer in which the survival rate is three times longer than without the use of CBD. It can be further affirmed by another study in which the data gathered showed CBD itself may better prevent the growth and induce death of cervical cancer cells. A more plausible use of CBD is as a means to mitigate the symptoms of the disease and side effects of chemotherapy which includes pain, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

Most Popular High CBD Seeds

Homegrown Cannabis Co. understands the needs of people growing medical cannabis at home. Hence, in developing these high CBD strains, the importance of other traits that make the overall experience positive was considered. These include the efficacy of the therapeutic effects, the reliability of the genetics, and superb growth patterns to make growing at home a fun experience.

One of the commonalities of these high CBD strains is that the level of cannabidiol might help reduce seizures. Another is that it is unlikely that any could cause severe adverse reactions such as anxiety or paranoia

  • CBD Black Diesel Regular Seeds (THC: 8% CBD: 8%) Black Diesel is one of the most spectacular high-THC strain that has won numerous Cannabis Cup awards. In this remake, the introduction of a high CBD strain has resulted in this medical variety that boasts of 1:1 THC to CBD ratio. At these levels, the psychoactive traits are barely noticeable. However, that is not its purpose. Instead, it is to uplift the mood while putting the nerves and muscles at ease. On appearance, this plant features deep purple coloration. Indoors, the flowering time takes around 9 to 10 weeks in which it could develop up to 550 grams of flowers per square meter. Outdoors, up to an astonishing 1200 grams could be harvested in the first week of October.

  • Auto CBD White Widow (THC: 5% CBD: 10%) White Widow is arguably the most popular strain for home growers. For one, it is well capable of delivering an energizing buzz followed by supreme relaxation. On ease of cultivation, not many could match its superior growing traits. In this remake, Homegrown Cannabis Co. infused auto-flowering genes and designed it to contain minimal THC while raising the CBD level, making it suitable for medicinal use without the high. On stature, it grows 60-150 cm tall, depending on the environment. Auto CBD White Widow does not rely on light cycles, starting to flower three weeks into the vegetative stage. After another 7 to 8 weeks, up to 450 grams of buds could be harvested, making it one of the most prolific autos in the world - and highly medicinal at that too. Outdoors, it produces up to 175 grams per plant.

  • CBD ACDC Feminized Seeds (THC: 1% CBD: 18-20%) ACDC shot to fame by being one of the first following Cannatonic to feature high levels of Cannabidiol. Its most remarkable offering is a 1:20 THC to CBD ratio. Not only is it highly effective in alleviating stress, anxiety, inflammation, and chronic pain, but it is also potent enough to reduce episodes of seizures. Provided by Homegrown Cannabis Co. as feminized seeds, the turnout of females is well above 99%. As such, it minimizes or eliminates the risk of males showing up, causing accidental pollination. Once the flowering period starts, it takes up to 10 weeks to develop the flowers fully. After, the estimated yield is up to 650 grams per square meter. As an option, it can be cultivated outdoors in a sunny environment where it could produce up to 500 grams per plant.

  • CBD Kush Fast Version Seeds (THC: 5% CBD: 10%) This strain is a collision between the incomparable legend OG Kush and the insanely potent Trainwreck. Not only does it exude a delightful lemony scent, but it can deliver devastating body high. Moreover, these potent effects are also highly effective in wiping out pains. CBD Kush, on the other hand, is a tapered down variety in which the psychoactive traits are virtually non-existent. At 1:2 ratio, it boasts of a generous 10% CBD. Even better, it is a photoperiod plant that completes the flowering phase in only 7 weeks after which the yield could be as high as 600 grams per square meter. Outdoors, it also performs well, able to provide up to 800 grams per plant.


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Who We Are

Home Interio is all about Art and crafts of Rajasthan and the ethnic heritage of Rashathani culture that shall take you back to a different era of living. your house becomes a home with feel of our classical ancestral heritage that transcends generations. Influenced by ethnic art and literature, this style of “ART & CRAFT” is designed to balance design with the practicality that your home demands. All the products are manufactured with Globally Sourced Material, thereon they are handcrafted, tested on various quality parameters and technology is all of it to reach highest level of customer satisfaction and all the products are environment friendly, with Water Resistance bonding, and Dimensional stability parameters to deliver a superior product to enhance the beauty of all interiors

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pretty, but lonely

My kids (husband) bought me a beautiful silk shirt from Anthropologie for Mother’s Day.

Really, it was beautiful.

I tried it on and really, really liked it, but I couldn’t think of a time when I would wear it.

Yeah, for the rare times that my husband and I get to go out, but for the most part it would just sit in my closet and look pretty.

Pretty, but lonely.

I don’t want my clothes to be lonely.

I want them to be loved.

So, I got this dress from Boden instead.

Remember the flower wallpaper I mentioned in this post last Friday?

This dress reminds me of it.

I can still wear it out for a date night, but can also wear it with the kids or for a night out with my girl friends!

It will be loved.

home is…finding a happy medium.

*btw, the formatting is all messed up on this post and i am not going to try to fix it. sorry!

2 thoughts on “pretty, but lonely

  1. Autumn says:

    Steph – this is a topic I’ve been thinking of blogging about for the past week! My husband LOVES sun dresses. He loves to take me shopping for sun dresses. I like sundresses – I have several and, like your silk top, they hang in my closet and look pretty, year after year. I have no where to wear them as #1 – it only gets warm enough to wear a sundress about one week per year here and #2, I’m not likely to go anywhere that one week that is appropriate for dresses. Ugh. So, I just find the cutest jeans, hooded sweatshirts and boots I can. So glad to hear there are other gals out there like me!

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CPM Homework Banner

Find an equation of the line with slope passing through the point . .

There are two ways to solve this. You can substitute the slope for in the equation below, substitute the and coordinates of the given point for and , and then solve for .

You can also graph the point , use the slope to graph a second point, draw the line, and find the -intercept.

Use the eTool below to solve the problem.
Click the link at right for the full version of the eTool: CCA 3-109 HW eTool


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CPM Homework Banner

The yearbook staff at Jefferson Middle School has been busy taking pictures. Of the pictures the staff members have taken, only of the pictures will make it into the yearbook. Approximately what portion of the pictures that were taken will make it into the yearbook? Use a complete portions web to show your answer. Show your work.

You need to complete each portion of the portions web shown at right.
Start by representing this as a fraction.

Next, convert this to a percent.

Now try writing this as a decimal and in words on your own! Put them all together for a completed portions web.