#Embassy Procedures

[poa-egyptian-embassy]

Power Of Attorney Egyptian Embassy

In the realm of legal empowerment and international affairs, the Power of Attorney (POA) holds significant sway, particularly when executed at an Egyptian Embassy. A Power of Attorney is a legal document that grants an individual or entity the authority to act on behalf of another person in legal, financial, or administrative matters. When this authority is bestowed within the confines of an Egyptian Embassy, it adds an extra layer of significance and convenience for those involved.

One of the primary advantages of obtaining a Power of Attorney at the Egyptian Embassy is the streamlined and efficient process it offers. Embassy services are designed to cater to the unique needs of individuals involved in cross-border transactions or legal matters. By obtaining a Power of Attorney at the embassy, individuals can seamlessly navigate the intricacies of Egyptian legal processes, whether they involve property transactions, business dealings, or other legal obligations.

Furthermore, the Power of Attorney executed at the Egyptian Embassy ensures compliance with local laws and regulations. Embassy staff are well-versed in both Egyptian legal requirements and international legal standards, offering a level of expertise that is invaluable in navigating the complexities of legal procedures. This not only provides a sense of security for those granting the power but also facilitates a smoother and error-free execution of tasks by the appointed representative.

Additionally, the Power of Attorney at the Egyptian Embassy is a testament to the diplomatic relations between nations. It symbolizes the trust and cooperation between individuals and entities from different countries, fostering a sense of collaboration that transcends borders. This can be particularly crucial in scenarios where individuals are unable to be physically present in Egypt but require legal representation.

In conclusion, the Power of Attorney executed at the Egyptian Embassy is a powerful tool that facilitates legal transactions and activities with efficiency, compliance, and international collaboration. Whether for personal, business, or legal matters, leveraging the services of an Egyptian Embassy in the execution of a Power of Attorney ensures a robust and reliable framework for navigating the intricate landscape of international legal affairs.

[jinmaeda]

US embassy when I go to renew my visa: I’m so sorry we only have an appointment in 10000 years 🥺👉👈

US embassy when I have to pick up my visa: IF YOU DONT SHOW UP IN 0.5 SECONDS WE ARE GOING TO EAT YOUR DOCUMENTS ‼️‼️‼️

[ilhoonftw]

it always irks me when ppl say 'of x happens in my country, i'm going to move to a different country' and it's such a priveledge to be able to even consider that.......

[usadvlottery]

Delve into the intricacies of the USA Visa Application Process and unlock a world of possibilities. From tourist visas to work permits, this guide provides insights into each step, helping you navigate the journey seamlessly. Gain a clear understanding of the requirements and procedures, empowering you to embark on your American adventure.

[bithablu]

I'm having a difficult time with certain people I know IRL who say that both political parties are the same and it's not worth voting. The Palestinian genocide is usually their main talking point about how both parties suck and how they can't vote for anyone who wouldn't demand an immediate cease fire.

Ok. Cool. Name me one president who didn't have to deal with some kind of genocide. Now show me the one that dealt with it perfectly. No flaws. Quickly. Oh? None? Because politicians are deeply flawed people navigating an overly complicated system of checks and balances that are in place to prevent fascism and dictatorships? Huh.

Palestinians need humanitarian aid, support, political allies, and political pressure on Israel. Which candidate do you think would be more likely to provide ANY of that? The guy who moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, tacitly insinuating that Jerusalem was Israel's capital? Or the chick who called for a cease fire and has a history of supporting humanitarian aid programs?

Is she perfect? Fuck no. Is she good enough? Not on this topic. But which one of them is more like to adjust their policies?

Speaking of adjusting policies, have you heard the story of how Walz went from being beloved by the NRA to get constant F ratings from them? His daughter talked to him about how he was the only person she knew who had the power to prevent school shootings. So she talked and he listened. He prioritized life over lobbyists. Action instead of just thoughts and prayers.

Can you see JD Vance doing that? I can't. He's too busy insulting legal immigrants and letting women bleed out from miscarriages because doctors have to wait 'until the mother's life is in danger' to perform D&Cs. You know, that procedure to 'clean out' a woman after a miscarriage. It's technically an abortion and some doctors would rather wait until a woman is in septic shock than risk a jail sentence for obeying their Hippocratic oath. But Vance adjusting his stance on abortion laws to save lives is less important than making a stand against... I dunno, anti-evangelical behavior 🤷🏼‍♀️

Look, I know it's disheartening. It's fucking heart wrenching just to hear about what's happening in Gaza. But throwing your vote away does no one any good. If you want to make a difference, being indifferent with your vote is not the way to go.

Have you tried talking to your local/state politicians? Have you joined any organizations? Donated? What have you done?

For those of you who say that I'm afraid of the bad orange man, you know what- yeah. I'm afraid of what he could do. My daughter is already going to grow up with less rights than I had. Gods help her if she'd move to a different state; in some of the more restrictive states a woman has more bodily autonomy as a corpse than she does if she's pregnant.

Harris/Walz isn't the best choice but they are the better choice. Pro-union, pro-children, pro-education, pro-choice, pro-GBLTQ+, pro-environment.

If you're waiting for the perfect candidate, you're going to be waiting for a while.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

"Bullitt" (1968) was director Peter Yates' first American film. He was hired after Steve McQueen saw his 1967 U.K. feature "Robbery," with its extended car chase. Joseph E. Levine, whose Embassy Pictures had distributed "Robbery," did not like the film much, but Alan Trustman, who saw the picture the week he was writing the "Bullitt" chase scenes, insisted that McQueen, his Solar Productions partner Robert Relyea and producer Philip D'Antoni (none of whom had ever heard of Yates) see "Robbery" and consider Yates as director for "Bullitt."

Bullitt is notable for its extensive use of actual locations rather than studio sets, most notably the city of San Francisco, California, and its attention to procedural detail, from police evidence processing to emergency-room procedures. Yates' use of the new lightweight Arriflex cameras allowed for greater flexibility in location shooting.

At the time of the film's release, the exciting car chase scenes featuring McQueen at the wheel in all driver-visual scenes generated prodigious excitement. Film critic Leonard Maltin has called it a "now-classic car chase, one of the screen's all-time best." Fellow critic Emanuel Levy wrote in 2003, "'Bullitt' contains one of the most exciting car chases in film history, a sequence that revolutionized Hollywood's standards."

Drivers' point-of-view shots were used to give the audience a participants' feel of the chase. Filming took three weeks, resulting in 9 minutes 42 seconds of pursuit. McQueen, a world-class racecar driver at the time, drove in the close-up scenes, while stunt coordinator Carey Loftin, stuntman and motorcycle racer Bud Ekins, and McQueen's usual stunt driver, Loren Janes, drove for the high-speed parts of the chase and performed other dangerous stunts.

Billy Fraker, the cinematographer for the film, attributed the success of the chase sequence primarily to the work of the editor, Frank P. Keller.

The editing of the scene was not without difficulties. Noted editor Ralph Rosenblum wrote in 1979, "Those who care about such things may know that during the filming of the climactic chase scene in 'Bullitt,' an out-of-control car filled with dummies tripped a wire which prematurely sent a costly set up in flames, and that editor Frank Keller salvaged the near-catastrophe with a clever and unusual juxtaposition of images that made the explosion appear to go off on time." (Wikipedia)

[empirearchives]

Paris Fire Brigade — The fire department of the city of Paris

The Paris Fire Brigade was created by Napoleon on 18 September 1811 after a devastating fire in Paris in 1810. The brigade remains the same firefighting service of Paris to this day.

Illustrations created by Aaron Martinet between 1807 and 1814. Top: Imperial Guard, Engineer Sapper. Bottom: Imperial Guard, Officer of Engineer Sappers. These were the military positions which were transitioned into the fire department.

The deadly fire at the Austrian embassy ball in July 1810, during the festivities for his marriage to Marie Louise, reminded the Emperor of the importance of a well-functioning fire service in the capital.

Despite the courage and dedication of the gardes pompes [firefighters of the old organization], who are sometimes falsely accused of numerous shortcomings, the firefighting service revealed its weaknesses: delays, insufficient and unreliable equipment, poorly trained personnel and incompetent managers. The staff present at the embassy on the day of the tragedy were cleared of all suspicion by an investigation led by the Count of Montalivet. On the other hand, the leaders of the old organization were dismissed, and the corps des gardes pompes was abolished.

After this catastrophe, the Emperor reorganized this public service by creating the first military corps of firefighters, made up of the engineers from the Imperial Guard who were dedicated to defending the imperial chateaux against fire.

At the behest of Emperor Napoleon I, the creation of the Paris fire department [bataillon de sapeurs pompiers de Paris] by imperial decree on 18 September 1811 was an original and innovative step, marking the transition from a civil and municipal organization to a military body. The choice of such an atypical status for a public service echoes the creation, eleven years earlier, of the Paris Police Prefecture, an equally singular legal administrative body.

From its creation, this military corps was placed under the authority of the Paris Police Prefecture, who was responsible for the security of the capital. After a long process, this military status and subordination to a prefect became the logical consequence of the spirit of the decree of 12 messidor year 8.

When the battalion was formed in 1811, the Paris fire department took on a new mission: fighting fires, the importance and development of which they were still unaware of.

Four companies were then created to respond to fires. Relying on a typically military functional triptych (extensive training of men, systematic technological research and implementation of efficient operational procedures), the battalion quickly made its new environment its own, and by the end of the second half of the 19th century, had become a model for the organization of public fire-fighting services and a national, even international reference.

Several fire chiefs succeeded one another until 1814. At that date, command was entrusted to battalion commander Plazanet. He provided the battalion with an instruction manual, made it compulsory for sappers to be stationed in barracks, and introduced gymnastics to train efficient and daring rescuers.

Source: Brigade de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris — Le Bataillon

Picture source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr., (Section: Support Troops)

[cherry-holmes]

Glimpse of a life with Javier Peña (series)

Chapter 4

MAIN MASTERLIST

Summary: Past incidents have brought you closer to Javier than you thought. And he’s determined to not ruin it again.

SERIES MASTERLIST

Previous chapter

Pairing: Javier Peña x Female Reader

Word count: 3k

Warnings: Mention of violence typical of the serie.

A/N: Chapter 4 is here! Stay tuned for more updates❤️ Thank you SO MUCH for your support and your interaction with this story🫶🏻

I’m taking requests! Javi Peña, Joel Miller, Din Djarin, BBC Sherlock Holmes, Supernatural…

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Next morning, your hands were sweaty as you sat at Messina's desk after everything that happened last night. She appeared exhausted about, well, everything about drug cartels, set raids, violence and stubborn DEA agents. And now she is dealing with a gender violence case of one of her agents and her only translator.

She sighed and reached for a stack of papers, which you instantly recognized as administrative reports. You had translated hundreds of them in your time working here.

"Agent Ibarra reports himself sick this morning," she said as she filled some of the blank spaces, "I'll call him in as soon as possible, and we'll start an investigation."

"There's nothing to be investigated," exclaimed Javier, who had been standing behind you and supporting all your narrative. "I was there, he pointed a gun at us," he explained, sounding totally mad.

"I believe you both, but there's a procedure that we must follow," she answered, as she passed you the paper, "You have my word that there will be disciplinary actions against agent Ibarra for his behavior," she promised, meeting your gaze. You believed in her.

You completed the rest of the report with your personal information and details about the incident. Javier did the same since he was involved as a witness.

As you and Javier left Messina's office, you couldn't help but feel very nervous. You had never been involved in any kind of problem at work, let alone something related to this kind of issue with a colleague. And, to make matters worse, you had dragged Javier into all of this.

It was Sunday morning, so almost all the agents and secretaries were on their day off. In a job as demanding as the top of the Medellín Cartel empire in the early 90's, any day of rest was treasured. Most weeks, agents and officers worked from Monday to Sunday with no opportunity to rest.

The fact that Javier was willing to come back to the Embassy to support you on his first day off in three weeks made you feel guilty.

"Are you okay?" He asked as you approached his desk.

"Yeah," you answered, but you didn't sound too convinced.

Javier leaned over his desk, watching you attentively. "You know, it's normal to feel a bit shaken after what happened," he said, his voice gentle.

You nodded, appreciating his understanding. "I just never expected to be in a situation like this," you admitted. "Thank you so much for agreeing to come with me, I know it's your day off. I almost regretted and hung up the phone before you answered..." You lost count of how many times you had said "thank you" to Javier in the last few hours.

"I already told you there's no problem, bonita," he said, calling you that for the second time. But now that you were back in your regular work setting, it seemed a little too much. Well, that's what Javier thought as soon as he said it. On your side, the affectionate name made you feel blush on your cheeks and butterflies in your belly. "I'm sorry, I can't help to call you that... I'll stop if it makes you feel uncomfortable," he added, attempting to downplay it.

"No, it's okay," you replied quickly, making him smiled warmly.

"Listen, how about we grab a coffee together outside the base? You know, to unwind a bit from all this mess."

You considered his offer for a moment, your nerves slowly settling. A coffee sounded like a good idea, and you appreciated his company. "Sure, that sounds nice," you replied, feeling a bit more at ease.

He took you to a coffee shop downtown. The aroma of freshly baked goods welcomed you, including sweet pastries mingled with the scent of coffee, creating a delightful combination of aromas. You ordered your usual: chocolate-infused coffee with milk and an empanada de arequipe, while Javier opted for his usual black coffee. He lit up a cigarette.

"So," he began as you both waited for your orders, "You told me that you're Mexican," he recalled, and you nodded. "Which part of Mexico?"

"Monterrey," you replied.

"Ah, norteña," he exclaimed. It was unusual to hear him speak in Spanish since it wasn't his first language, and he sometimes had struggled with it. "Deberías invitarnos a todos en la oficina a una carnita asada," he joked, making you genuinely smile and forgetting the events of the previous night.

The waitress arrived with your orders, placing the plates and cups on the table. Javier couldn't help but steal glances at you when you weren't looking, admiring your delicate features, soft lips, and radiant complexion. You were the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid his eyes on.

You noticed his gaze lingering on you, and when you caught him looking, you couldn't help but blush slightly. The atmosphere was cozy, with the warm aroma of coffee filling the air and the soft chatter of other diners creating a pleasant background noise.

As you both sipped your coffee and enjoyed your empanadas, the conversation flowed easily.

"Tell me, what brought you here to Colombia?" He wanted to know. "There are places closer to your city to be a translator for this type of matters than Colombia."

"I was a translator in El Paso DEA Base before they sent me here," you explained, and he raised his eyebrows.

"No way! I was in there too, also before they assigned me here," he conveyed. "Why is it that I didn't know you back there?" he wondered.

"When I came there, you were gone," you explained, and he furrowed his brow.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"Because I translated your last report in El Paso," you said, "That was my first day, I remember it because my department colleague didn't want to make the translation herself."

"Why?" He was so concentrated on your response. You flushed and, at this point, there's nothing more you can do than laugh shyly.

"You slept with her the night before you left and didn't tell her. She was very pissed."

Javier burst into laughter, shaking his head. "Ah, that makes sense now. I should've been more considerate."

"Yeah, you should have," you agreed.

"What a coincidence," he said, more to himself than to you. "How is it that we ended up working in the same places almost at the same time on the first one?"

On the tip of both your tongues hung the word "destiny," but neither of you dared to say it.

"How old are you?" He inquired instead, "You look pretty young to have such work experience."

"I am," you responded, "I'll turn twenty-six next month," you said.

"Oh, my," he laughed, leaning back in his chair, "You're making me feel old, sweetheart."

"How old are you?" You wanted to know.

"I'm turning thirty-six in June," he said.

"Oh, you look younger," you said because it was true, "I thought you were thirty."

"Well, thank you, bonita," you swear you would blush for the rest of your life as long as he kept calling you that.

As the coffee shop's ambiance embraced you, the hours passed unnoticed. It was only when you noticed the sunlight filtering through the curtains, casting a warm glow over your table, that you realized how much time had passed.

You glanced at your wristwatch and then at Javier. "Wow, I didn't realize it was so late," you said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Javier smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Time flies when you're enjoying good company," he replied.

Although you insisted on paying your own bill, the agent didn't let you. He drove you home, where he accompanied you to the doors of the building.

"Call me again if you need anything, anytime," he assured, and you nodded with appreciation.

"Promise I will, Javi," now it was his turn to feel his chest beating fast. Many people called him "Javi," but you pronounced it in a way he had never heard before.

"See you tomorrow at the office," he waved as he crossed the street and got into his truck.

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Turns out, you weren't the only one who had such an experience with Diego Ibarra. The gossip about your report to Messina spread very quickly all over the office and had encouraged two more women to stand up and tell their stories. So the agent was immediately removed from his duties.

The first time you saw him after your report was Monday morning. He looked so furious when he came out from your boss' office; his face was so reddened that you thought it would explode, his breath was irregular, and he opened and closed his fists like he was about to fight a dragon. And kind of he could, since Javi was guarding your office like a dragon in a tower. He tried not to make it that evident, but he failed. He was concerned that Diego would enter to confront you as he went from side to side of the office, gathering his things to leave the building and kept looking at your door with furious eyes.

It was almost noon, as you were reviewing some documents at your desk, you overheard raised voices coming from the hallway. It was Javier and Diego. You couldn't make out the exact words, but it was clear that their confrontation had taken a heated turn.

"Oh, no," you muttered panicked, as you rushed out of your office, your heart pounding. When you reached the hallway, you found Javier and Diego standing face to face, their voices raised in a furious argument. Their clenched fists and tense postures indicated that a physical altercation was imminent.

Murphy, recognizing the dangerous situation, stepped between them, pushing Diego away from his friend. "That's enough!" he yelled, his usually calm demeanor shattered. "We don't need this kind of behavior here."

The other officers and secretaries in the office had gathered, trying to diffuse the situation. Diego's face was contorted with rage, but the combined efforts of his colleagues ensured that he didn't escalate the confrontation any further.

You also wanted to come closer and tried to do something, feeling guilty for all of this mess. It wasn't your fault, of course, but you just couldn't help it. However, as you attempted to move, Marta held your arm, stopping you. You looked at her and Ana, who was standing next to her, and you read their gazes, "don't make this more dramatic." They were right.

Murphy, his voice stern, addressed Diego, "You're done here, Ibarra. You need to leave."

Diego, though seething with anger, knew he had no choice. He turned and walked toward the exit, but not before leveling a chilling threat at Javier. "You're gonna regret messing with me, Peña."

Javier remained remarkably composed, his only response a tight-lipped, determined look in his eyes. He watched as Diego was escorted out by other officers, his threat lingering in the tense atmosphere.

Diego's  furious eyes had locked onto you for a brief, chilling moment as he was escorted out of the office.

You couldn't help but feel a mixture of worry and relief. The confrontation had been intense, but Javier had managed to maintain control, avoiding a physical fight. You turned to look at him, who had been talking with Murphy and thanking him for intercede.

"Javi, are you okay?" you asked, concern lacing your voice.

He turned to face you, his expression softening. "I'm fine, bonita. Don't worry about me." He promised.

As the day progressed, you couldn't shake the feeling of unease. The tension in the office was palpable, and it was clear that Diego's departure had left a mark. You wondered if there might be more repercussions in the days to come.

As the week went by, Javier's role as your unofficial protector didn't go unnoticed, and, as is natural, people talked. Rumors circulated that Diego had acted that way because you had cheated on him with Javier. Some others suggested that you had used him to make Javier jealous. Many even dared to say that Javier had manipulated you into making a false accusation against Diego because he couldn't stand seeing you together. Neither of their versions were true, of course.

But the last one had some kind of truth: Javier couldn't stand seeing you with Diego. It made his blood boil, and despite the circumstances, he was relieved that Diego was gone and far from you. Also, he knew his threat to him had been empty. He was used to receiving hundreds of threats from real drug lords and their thugs; the ones from a damn abusive drunk ex-officer le hacían lo que el viento a Juárez.

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Every day that passed was torture for Javier. He was constantly eager to see you, talk to you, and make you smile. He began bringing coffee to your office in the morning, inviting you for lunch in the evenings, and offering to take you home at night.

You also started to get used to his presence, and you felt a heavy weight in your chest every time he was outside of the base on a raid, feeling even worse if you found out that he had been involved in a chase or a shooting. Javier never told you the ugly details of the hunts, but you ended up finding out anyway through his reports. The Medellín Cartel was a violent and cruel organization, and you were well aware that Javier risked his life every day.

But in the cutest part, you wore your best dresses for work, paying extra attention to your hair and makeup in the morning. You used the same perfume he told you he loved and kept your nails painted red, knowing he liked them that way. You also noticed that he continued using the same cologne you had mentioned you liked.

You didn't know it, of course, but Javier hadn't had sex with anyone for days. He didn't invite any secretaries to his apartment, and he limited his interactions to receiving information from his informants and letting them go with nothing more than their due payment. Not even Helena slept in his bed or sat on his couch the two times a week she visited him. Javier didn't want to be with anyone because every time he tried, you crept into his thoughts, and he couldn't stand to keep doing that to you. He jerked himself off thinking of you, of course. He wasn’t proud of it, but it was definitely better than use someone else just to pretend she was you.

Javier was deeply conflicted. He cared about you more than he wanted to admit, and it scared him. He didn't want to put you in harm's way or drag you into his dangerous world. As long as he was still working to take down Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel, he would be a target for the enemy.

However, he knew that working as a DEA translator, you understood exactly what, why, and how his world worked. He was a former DEA agent, familiar with the stress, hard work, and the constant need to watch his back. So far, you had chosen to spend your days with him, but it had been as friends. He couldn't deny the growing attraction and connection between you two. Deeply, he knew that he wanted something more than just friends.

There had been years since his last formal relationship, which ended with a bride in tears at the altar. Javier knew that he had been young and a dick back then. It didn't justify his actions, but it had been a painful lesson.

He didn't want to break your heart. He knew he would never forgive himself if he hurt you for being an indecisive son of a bitch. If he was going to ask you to be with him, he needed to be sure.

One week before your birthday, as he parked his truck outside your building, Javier cleared his throat, attempting to say something. You had noticed that he had been acting nervous all day, but you couldn't quite figure out what had him in that state. You didn't say anything as you waited for him to speak first.

Javier said your name softly, "I was wondering if you had any plans for your birthday this weekend," he said. His big, dark-brown puppy eyes shone in the dark with the reflection of the streetlights.

"Umm, no," you said, "I usually get dinner with the girls from work, but I haven't mentioned anything to them yet."

"Oh, that's fine," he said, looking a bit more relaxed. But really, just a bit, because you swore that you could almost hear his heart beating from the passenger seat. "I mean, because I was thinking that maybe you would like to go to the fair with me. I would like to take you for a birthday dinner first, of course. Then spend the night at the fair."

He looked so adorable. You had never seen him that nervous before, and it was actually very cute.

"Javi, be honest with me," you said, and he went pale as a sheet of paper. He nodded, though. "Are you asking me for a date?"

You could see the color creeping up his face, now reddening his cheeks. He started mumbling, too nervous to notice that you were just teasing him.

"Javi, it's okay," you laughed, and his gaze returned to you as a smile formed on his beautiful lips, "That would be nice," you finally accepted.

His smile widened as his shoulders relaxed.

"It's a birthday date, then," he said.

As you headed into your building, Javier called out to you from the truck, "See you tomorrow, bonita," he said with a warm smile.

You couldn't help but smile back, your heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time. "Goodnight, Javi."

As you entered your apartment, you couldn't contain your excitement. It had been a long time since someone had made such an effort to celebrate your birthday. Javier's nervousness and sincerity had touched your heart deeply, and you were looking forward to your birthday date with him.

NEXT PART

[girlactionfigure]

Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania who put his family and career at risk by issuing thousands of hand-written transit visas to Jewish refugees fleeing Eastern Europe.

Chiune was born to a middle class family in Mino, Japan on the first day of the 20th century – 1/1/00. In elementary and high school he was a top student, and his father wanted him to become a doctor. Chiune’s own dream was to enter the foreign service, and he deliberately failed the medical school entrance exam by writing only his name on the test. Instead Chiune attended Waseda University and majored in English. He also joined a Christian fraternity to practice his English.

In 1919, Chiune passed the Foreign Ministry Scholarship exam, and served in the Japanese Imperial Army as a 2nd Lieutenant stationed in Korea. He resigned his commission in 1922 and trained for the Foreign Ministry, learning Russian and German in addition to English. He aced the qualifying exam and was sent to work in the foreign office in Harbin, China.

Chiune’s strong moral compass led him to resign his post as Deputy Foreign Minister in Manchuria because of rising Japanese violence against the Chinese (just two years later was the horrific Rape of Nanking by the Japanese Imperial Army.) Chiune returned to Japan, where he married Yukiko Kikuchi. They later had four sons.

Next Chiune went to Helsinki, Finland, where he worked as a translator for the Japanese delegation. In 1939, Chiune became vice-consul of the Japanese embassy in Kauna, Lithuania. Part of his job was to find out if Germany planned to attack the Soviet Union, and to relay any information about this to his bosses in Berlin and Tokyo.

In 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania. At that time, approximately 1/3 of Lithuanians were Jewish, many of them Torah scholars. The USSR viciously persecuted Jews, especially religious ones, and the Jews of Lithuania were desperate to escape the country – especially because Nazi Germany was occupying more and more of Eastern Europe and would soon be in Lithuania. Hundreds of them, mostly Orthodox, visited the Japanese consulate to beg for exit visas to Japan. The official Japanese policy was that candidates for visas must go through elaborate bureaucratic procedures and pay significant sums of money. Chiune contacted his superiors at the Japanese Foreign minister to ask if the rules could be relaxed to help Jewish refugees. His request was denied, as were his next two requests.

Chiune could have thrown up his hands and told the Jews there was nothing he could do for them, but instead, as he did in China, he was governed by his strong sense of right and wrong, rather than soulless bureaucrats. He ignored his orders and started issuing ten-day visas for Jews to travel through Japan on their way to safe havens like Shanghai, China, where 20,000 Jews rode out the war safely.

As word got out about the Japanese visas, Jews from all over Lithuania as well as Poland began to swarm Chiune’s office. He simply wouldn’t say no to anybody, and spent 18-20 hours a day (!) painstakingly writing visas by hand. He created a month’s supply of visas every single day from August to early September 1940, providing an escape route for thousands of Jews. On September 4, the Japanese consulate in Kauna was closed and Chiune had to leave the country. He was determined to create as many transit visas as possible, and continued doing so up until the last minute. At Kanuas Railway Station, a crowd of Jews gathered to say goodbye. Right before boarding the train, Chiune bowed deeply and cried out, “Please forgive me! I cannot write anymore. I wish you the best!” Someone in the crowd shouted, “Sugihara! We’ll never forget you! I’ll surely see you again!”

Chiune was reassigned to East Prussia, then Prague, and then Bucharest, Romania. When the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania in 1944, Chiune and his family were imprisoned in a POW camp for a year and a half. Finally they were released in 1946 and returned to Japan, but the foreign office had heard about his unauthorized visas, and he was forced to resign. At about this time, the Sugihara’s youngest son died of leukemia at age seven.

Unemployable in Japan, Chiune made use of his excellent Russian language skills and spent the next 16 years working in the Soviet Union while his wife and sons stayed in Japan. Chiune’s exceptional heroism was unknown for many years, until 1968, when he was contacted by Yehoshua Nishri, an attache working at the Israeli consulate in Tokyo. Nishri spent his youth in Poland, and heard stories of the legendary Japanese hero. Nishri made it his mission to publicize Chiune’s heroic acts, and the next year, 1969, Chiune traveled to Israel as an honored guest of the Israeli government. Jews he’d saved lobbied for him to be recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem, and in 1984 he received the honor. At that time he was too sick to travel, so his wife and son Nobuki accepted the award on his behalf.

Chiune was asked why he risked everything to help thousands of strangers. He answered, “You want to know about my motivation, don’t you? Well. It is the kind of sentiments anyone would have when he actually sees refugees face to face, begging with tears in their eyes. He just cannot help but sympathize with them. Among the refugees were the elderly and women. They were so desperate that they went so far as to kiss my shoes. Yes, I actually witnessed such scenes with my own eyes. Also, I felt at that time, that the Japanese government did not have any uniform opinion in Tokyo. Some Japanese military leaders were just scared because of the pressure from the Nazis; while other officials in the Home Ministry were simply ambivalent. People in Tokyo were not united. I felt it silly to deal with them. So, I made up my mind not to wait for their reply. I knew that somebody would surely complain about me in the future. But, I myself thought this would be the right thing to do. There is nothing wrong in saving many people’s lives… The spirit of humanity, philanthropy… neighborly friendship… with this spirit, I ventured to do what I did, confronting this most difficult situation – and because of this reason, I went ahead with redoubled courage.”

Chiune Sugihara died in Japan on July 31, 1986. Despite being a hero in Israel, and among Jews worldwide, he was completely unknown in his own country. Even his own children didn’t know what he had done. A huge delegation from around the world attended Chiune’s funeral, and only then did he become known in Japan.

Chiune received many awards and accolades, most of them posthumous. Among them are Sugihara Streets in Vilna, Lithuania, and Jaffa and Netanya in Israel. There is a Sugihara House Museum in Kaunas, and a park in Vilna where 200 trees were planted on his 100th birthday. There is a life-sized statue of him in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, featuring a plaque with a quotation from the Talmud, “He who saves one life, saves an entire world.” In 1998, Chiune’s widow Yukiko traveled to Israel and was warmly received by survivors who’d been saved by her husband. There is a Sugihara park in Jerusalem, and he was featured on an Israeli postage stamp in 1998. The Lithuanian government declared 2020 “The Year of Chiune Sugihara.” He has been the subject of multiple works of art, including books, films and a play.

It’s estimated that over 100,000 people are alive today because of the brave actions of Chiune Sugihara.

[beardedmrbean]

North Korean authorities have been punishing doctors who carry out abortions and the providers of contraceptives amid a drive by the country to boost its birth rate, according to a recent report.

Radio Free Asia cited a medical field source in the northern province of Ryanggang, which borders China, in its article. The source, who requested anonymity for their own safety, said the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department of Paegam County Hospital was put on trial for having conducted at-home abortions.

The doctor, who conducted one abortion at home that resulted in the death of the woman, was sentenced to five years in prison, according to Radio Free Asia. His trial was held in a conference room of a medical university hospital.

North Korea's fertility rate, or the number of babies expected per woman's lifetime, dropped to 1.8 births per woman last year, per estimates by the United Nations Population Fund. A fertility rate of 2.1 is considered the minimum rate necessary for a population to sustain itself over time.

An OB-GYN working at a hospital in Unhung County, another administrative unit in Ryanggang, was handed a three-year sentence. She had previously been sanctioned for illegally terminating a pregnancy in 2021.

The pair carried out the clandestine abortions at home, as many as three in a day, according to the source. The procedures reportedly cost 30,000 North Korean won ($33), equivalent to an average monthly salary and enough to buy 10 pounds of rice.

"Typically, OB-GYN doctors go to a pregnant woman's home to perform abortions in order to leave no trace, but these two doctors had set up medical equipment in their own homes," the source said.

They added that the department head in Paegam County had reached retirement age this year. The Unhung County doctor has two daughters who are middle school students.

RFA cited sources who said the government had raised doctors' salaries by a factor of 40, now ranging between $5-$11 won per month, to disincentivize earning extra money outside of their regular jobs.

Vendors of contraceptives are also reportedly being targeted, another source told the outlet.

She said she knew of two such merchants in the city of Hyesan who had their stalls seized by authorities in July. Late last month, three others were issued with heavy fines and had their booths confiscated.

These vendors were also banned from conducting business in the market ever again.

The North Korean embassy in China didn't immediately respond to a written request for comment.

North Korea banned abortions during the "Arduous March," a period of extreme economic hardship and famine that gripped the country between 1994 and 1998, with deaths ranging from hundreds of thousands to upwards of 2 million.

North Korea's demographic crunch is also a concern for its neighbors, whose policies to encourage births are so far failing to bear fruit. The fertility rate stands at 1.4 in Russia, 1.2 in Japan, 1.0 in China, 0.85 in Taiwan and 0.72 in South Korea.

However, North Korea is even more susceptible to the negative impact of the trend because of international embargoes on advanced machinery, imposed over Pyongyang's missile and nuclear weapons programs. The country therefore continues to rely more on physical labor and outdated production techniques than other countries in the region.

Late last year, in remarks during the country's fifth National Congress of Mothers, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un named the declining birthrate as one of the country's major social challenges and appealed to North Korean women to do their part to reverse the trend.

[esteemed-excellency]

RE: Hiram's lodgings

Lore drop under the cut for everyone who's curious about the Townhouse, this is your chance to snoop around

Hiram coordinates all his affairs from his sanctum at the Brass Embassy and the Bazaar. He officially works for the Foreign Office, meeting diplomats in Wilmot's End, at the Palace, and overzee. He supervises his shady businesses from the Cabinet Noir in Balmoral, and he uses the Rooms above a Gambling Den as a secondary meeting location.

He keeps all his research notes and scientific papers at the university and at the Embassy sanctum, with backup texts in Parabola. There's backups of backups scattered around different lodgings like the Rooms above a Bookshop and a recently acquired Sanguine Château, in case of emergency. He keeps track of every single document and duplicate copy in his possession, never storing all his belongings in one place.

The Townhouse is the only lodging with an aesthetical purpose, other than functional: he needs a place to keep all the items he collected over the years, but almost everything is expendable in case of emergency. All the most important documents and personal items are in his rooms on the second floor, the only place he truly considers home.

The house staff is employed exclusively to look after the house and the guests, and even if the majority of them comes from a shady background they don't do any criminal work. Since Hiram is often out they can do whatever they want, as long as the house and the guests are looked after. The Second Floor is the only part of the house not accessible to guests, and if someone gets too curious the fingerkings can have everyone who gets too close to the mirrors.

Including foyers, bathrooms, facilities, balconies, corridors, store spaces, and other rooms I forgot to account for, the Townhouse consists of:

Basement: kitchen, pantry, scullery, store room, servants' dining room, cellar, vault. Other than the main stairwell, a servants staircase connects the basement to all the other floors. The vault holds some liqueurs, too expensive to be simply kept in the cellar, spirits (the alcoholic kind), spirits (the non-alcoholic kind), and whatever Hiram is smuggling around town on a daily basis. An old additional stairwell connects the basement to the attic but nobody knows about it, and if anyone discovers it they don't remember it for long. Hiram burned all the floor plans years ago (don't worry about it for now).

Ground Floor: porch, entrance hall, parlour, dining room, main library (literature, gothic novels, classics, poetry, theatre, art)

First Floor: drawing room, guest rooms + dressing rooms, budoir/fumoir (depending on the guests), second library (travelogues, naval tales, maps, globes, scientific treatises, penny dreadfuls).

Second Floor: Hiram's rooms + dressing room, private study, private library (law books, trade almanacs, hyper specific scientific treatises, proscribed material of various kinds). The main corridor is full of mirrors, and it's the only floor with mirrors big enough to allow entrance to Parabola. They're always covered when Hiram is at home. The curtains are almost always drawn in every room and the light is dimmer than in the rest of the house. A secret compartment in a bureau desk holds Hiram's infernal contract and an old stash of letters.

??? Room: (ok you can worry about it now) accessible only via mirror. It should be connected to the secret staircase but the door is always locked from the inside, and the outside is walled up and covered by another wall section, the staircase is just beside it. There's no windows. The room holds the Shrine to St Joshua, a weapon rack, a small vault with the Leasehold on all of London, some fragments of the Tragedy Procedures, a bottle of Brandy, and a few other items. The mirror is always covered. A pickaxe guarantees an emergency exit.

Third floor: servants' quarters and offices. Few of them can stand Hiram playing music at ungodly hours and they take turns sleeping at the townhouse. They all have their own lodgings and accomodations.

Attic: the main stairwell ends at the third floor, and the attic is only accessible via the servants staircase. The butler and some urchins are aware of the additional secret staircase, but the butler can't be bothered with it, and the urchins don't like to forget what they were doing every time they go down the stairs. There's no fun in sending someone to steal biscuits from the basement if they forget to bring them back upstairs.

Other than the house staff, the polycule, some urchins, and Hiram himself, the (semi)permanent residents include:

A Hungover Terrier, often out and about with the bohemians.

The Midnight Matriarch: you can pet her in your dreams if you fall asleep in the guest rooms.

A Lamp-Cat: the best bioluminescent bedlight. You can pet it but it will sit on your lap. If you try to sleep it will sit on the bed. Or on you. Pros: very cute. Cons: very humid.

A Bat with Attitude, permanet resident in the attic.

Two Raven Advisors. One white, one black. One always tells the truth, one always lies. Or so they say.

Sugarplum (Hiram's)

Sugarplum (Captain Dargor's)

Sugarplum (Giorgione's)

[lovifie]

i hope you don't mind, i just wanted to share some of my gaz thoughts.

i think a lot of people's opinion are formed based on mw '19 where you spend a lot of time playing as him. and sometimes you have options as to what action you're doing (whether we're 'in or out', the butcher butcher's fate, the way you still have the 'option 'to save child at the embassy, stacy's fate after the embassy). playing that first p.o.v. makes it easier to empathize with the character. but all of it makes me wonder, is gaz the most level-headed or was he thrust into a world where everything was set to higher stakes so quickly that he excelled at compartmentalizing.

for me that means outside of the military, he struggles with regulating his emotions, is easily frustrated by simple things, maybe struggles to communicate, gets annoyed when you don't immediately see things the way he does.

(i still enjoy gaz who is intuitive and emotionally intelligent, but i think taking another perspective is important when developing and writing characters)

I love you so much for this.

I have personally only watched the mw'19, I'm planning on watching more. But here is my opinion on Gaz:

And it is true that since Gaz is the character that the players is behind the most, he may seems as the most level-headed and maybe it's just the game letting you choose his character. But still, on those little parts where we are not the one choosing his personality truly shines.

And what shines is not a level headed perfect soldier, to my opinion what the game lets you see is a young sergeant that is actually fed up with not being able to do more.

Price chooses him for the task force because he sees in him that need for change, and the task force is basically a way to have it easier to skip legal procedures. So if Gaz was this perfect level headed little innocent boy Prince wouldn't have picked him.

So much of his personality can be seen, when he is rambling about how he hates feeling force not to do anything and after talking just looks at Gaz and says "sir". Which to me is so ironic because he is complaining about always having to respect procedures and how it is a waste of time and lives and then goes an uses the rank.

When they are interrogating the butcher and Price needs to hold him back because he wants to fight the man tied to a chair. When they reunite with Graves, and he just looks at his face and doesn't shake his hands. When Laswell, Price and him are on the mission and he is just gossiping about both of their lives like a little shit.

I'm rambling now, as you can see I love talking about Gaz. I am also just realising that maybe you meant for me to write about how he would be in his daily life. If it was that just let me know as well 🩷

[zvaigzdelasas]

"The U.S. Embassy is following the ongoing demonstrations in Yerevan. We urge protestors to responsibly exercise their right to freedom of assembly by eschewing violence. The democratic process is the way to resolve political disputes. We also encourage law enforcement authorities to maintain order in a manner that upholds citizens' rights to freedom of expression and assembly, and to investigate any incidents in which procedures may have been violated, including with regards to journalists covering demonstrations." — U.S. Embassy

[wildemaven]

Hey lovely🥰 if you’re taking requests, I’d love your take on this: (sorry it’s v jumbled)

Her Steve and Javi get caught in a bad raid. She witnesses Carrillo’s death, and is desperately trying to wake him up.

Javi n Steve try to get through to her and pull her away. She eventually stumbles back and runs away.

Javi finds her hours later standing in the middle of the locker rooms, half naked in front of the sleazy CIA guys, drunk and frantically trying to scrub the blood off.

He tells them to fuck off and helps her when she needs it most. Thank you 🥹

Hi anon!! Thank you for sending this in. I sat on it for a bit, but ended up writing a little something. Hopefully this kind of lines up with what you were thinking. It’s not beta’d and honestly I just quickly threw this together so hopefully it works. 💕

Warning: death, blood, not canon events, I think that’s it.

It wasn’t supposed to happen. It was just a routine questioning of some informants, following up on some leads. But you hadn’t taken in account for possible sicarios surrounding the informants home— their own informants tipping them off.

You called for backup, but it’s too late. He’d already taken his last breath nearly 10 minutes ago. His body cold and lifeless as his head lays cradled in your lap. Your vest and clothes now the color of his blood.

Tears stream down your face as the moment replays over and over, how you could have saved him— prevented this catastrophic loss.

Your grip tighter on his vest, muffled voices nearing your hunched over body.

You don’t register what is happening. You see their mouths moving, but you can’t hear them. Everything playing out in slow motion. You grip his vest tighter.

You body is forced away from his, warmth dragging you further and further from him. You think you’re screaming, you have to be. Sound isn’t registering still.

Your focus coming back as Steve shakes you, fingers snapping for your attention. He’s going on about getting you back to the embassy so you can clean yourself up. Your attention is drawn to Javi standing over Carillo’s body, now draped with a sheet. He looks over making eye contact with you, he sees the guilt wash over you.

You push Steve away, stumbling back a few steps before turning and making your way to your car. The tears have stopped, dried crystals of loss. You look out the window one last time before the engine turns over and you drive off. This is part of the job and yet nothing ever prepares you for the reality of losing a colleague and friend.

The drive back is a blur. Both Javi and Steve rang you multiple times, but you just don’t have the mental capacity to hold a conversation. You have paperwork to do, there will probably be meetings and interviews, standard procedures for something of this magnitude.

You feel like a robot moving through the halls. Stares and whispers as you pass by, you’re to numb to care. You catch a glimpse of your reflection in a window, you now seeing the cause for gawking bystanders. His blood.

You need to scrub and clean yourself before you meet with anyone.

It’s been a few hours, Carillo’s body no longer laying in the street, it’s been sent to be prepared for his funeral.

Javi and Steve at their desks working through their own piles of paperwork as the night drags on. At some point Javi decides they both need a coffee break and makes his way to the break room. A few CIA guys are standing in the corner when he enters, their voices lowering immediately.

Grabbing some clean cups, he fills each with freshly brewed coffee. As he goes to leave he hears what sounds like a mention of your name and still being covered in blood. Another stating a missed meeting with the ambassador.

He doesn’t wait around for more. Dropping the cups off with Steve, Javier makes his way to the locker rooms to check on you.

Steam is billowing from the shower room when he enters. He doesn’t immediately notice you, calling your name but only to be met with sound of water running.

Then he notices you. On the ground, back propped up against the wall. You’re still wearing your vest and stained clothes, soaked from head to toe. Your hands in your lap watching the water slowly wash away what’s left of him, the stream of crimson water flowing towards the drain. You can’t move, can’t bring yourself to scrub it away because then it will feel too finalized— you washing yourself and moving forward, while he is no longer here.

A hand gently grabs one of yours, you look up to see Javier a look of worry in his eyes. Your lip trembles as a sob wrecks through your body, a new wave of tears rolling down your cheeks.

You try to speak but you can’t find the words so you just cry.

There’s a tug at your shoulder as Javier begins to remove your vest, breathing now easier after its removal.

Then Javier is pulling your wet clothed body to his now fully clothed soaking-wet self. He holds you as the water continues to spray over you both.

“I’m not ready yet.” You tell him between your dying sobs.

He pulls you closer, “Okay, I’m here when you’re ready.”

[s7ray-cat]

PSA for any LGBTQ2IA+ people traveling abroad

This is a link to the LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index

(Disclaimer: These are excerpts from an article I found)

These are some tools to find safe places to travel for LGBTQ2IA+ people:

LGBTQ-specific travel news and safety basics

U.S. State Department ✈ A section of this government-run online resource offers basic pointers for LGBTQ travelers such as travel document checklists, general safety tips, and information about travel insurance and various U.S. embassy locations.

Equaldex ✈ Launched in 2014, this interactive map-anchored website keeps a running tab on LGBTQ rights–related laws around the world via a global network of user contributions.

National Center for Transgender Equality ✈ This Washington, D.C.–based advocacy organization addresses information relevant to gender-nonconforming and transgender travelers. It features a particularly comprehensive guide to airport security that addresses concerns related to potentially intrusive TSA screening procedures.

OutRight Action International ✈ Formerly known as the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, this nonprofit publishes news, studies, and reports on LGBTQ issues around the world that can help travelers stay informed about safety in various destinations.

Erasing 76 Crimes ✈ Journalist and LGBTQ advocate Colin Stewart heads up this news-oriented blog that spotlights global developments related to LGBTQ rights spanning countries across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas.

GoAbroad’s LGBTQ Study Abroad Guide✈ For queer students interested in studying abroad, this PDF provides a wealth of information, including tips for coming out to a host family, LGBTQ-specific scholarships, and a list of queer-friendly study abroad programs.

LGBTQ-friendly accommodations and services

The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association ✈ This website acts as a one-stop-shop for all things related to LGBTQ travel planning. It brings together a massive network of queer-approved hotels, transportation providers, tourism boards, travel agencies, tour operators, event promoters, and local media in over 80 countries worldwide; it also maintains recommendation-based travel and business blogs.

Purple Roofs ✈ An LGBTQ mainstay since the late ��90s, this booking website showcases small, family-owned bed-and-breakfasts, hotels, vacation rentals, inns, and tour companies worldwide. It also hosts a variety of related travel resources, including event listings and a dedicated LGBTQ travel blog.

World Rainbow Hotels ✈ This modern travel directory combines a curated list of stylish, queer-friendly hotels in countries where attitudes toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans travelers are for the most part accepting. The website also features an image-driven blog full of travel inspiration, global news, events, and other articles.

Travel Gayand Travel Gay Asia ✈ These twin booking sites serve a predominantly gay male audience, pointing international travelers to city guides with relevant information about bars, clubs, saunas, shops, beaches, and events, as well as queer-friendly hotels across the globe.

GayCities ✈ A similarly gay male–focused online travel guide, this web resource recommends gay-friendly bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels, shops, gyms, and more in 238 different cities from Cape Town to Mexico City.

In addition to explicitly LGBTQ outlets, you can now find pages dedicated to LGBTQ consumers on mainstream online travel booking sites like Expedia and Orbitz. Queer-oriented promotions and packages are also often offered by big-name hotels such as Marriott and Kimpton.

LGBTQ-specialized tour operators and agencies

LGBTQ-friendly tour operators for organized trips

For LGBTQ travelers who’d rather leave trip planning to the experts, award-winning tour operators such as Outstanding Travel, Zoom Vacations, Out Adventures, Toto Tours, Detours Travel, and Concierge Travel all offer a diverse array of international group and private trips. International tour operator R Family Vacations also designs and leads LGBTQ family-friendly trips (plus a few new adults-only options) on land and at sea for public groups and individuals. The queer-run wilderness education organization, The Venture Out Project, operates LGBTQ-specific backpacking trips in the United States for teens, adults, and families.

LGBTQ-friendly cruises

Inclusive travel company Vacaya hosts curated LGBTQ getaways on chartered cruise ships, as well as to all-LGBTQ international resorts. The popular lesbian travel brand Olivia Cruises has been running entertainment-filled cruise, resort, adventure, and riverboat group trips exclusively for queer female–identified travelers since 1990. And cruise company Source Events, which caters predominantly to gay men and their families, organizes both all-gay charters and private LGBTQ groups aboard larger cruise ships (as well as personalized cruise journeys and on-land group itineraries).

Related Free Travel Apps to Download Before Your Next Trip

LGBTQ-friendly travel and networking apps

From joining queer-specific networking groups, to checking for upcoming LGBTQ events in different cities, to starting important conversations about shared experiences through hashtags such as #travelingwhiletrans, LGBTQ travelers have long relied on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter when planning for domestic and international trips. More recently, meetup apps have created new opportunities for connection between LGBTQ travelers.

Apps (available on iOS and Android)

Meetup ✈ This stalwart community-building platform is a great tool for connecting with fellow LGBTQ folks and getting to know local queer scenes on the road. The “LGBTQ Meetups” section points app users toward various happy hours, professional networking events, book clubs, and hiking groups, as well as playgroups for LGBTQ parents.

SCRUFF Venture ✈ Gay dating app SCRUFF recently launched a travel-oriented edition aimed at making it easier to connect with LGBTQ people “before and while you travel.” By clicking into one of the app’s 500-plus destinations, users can view members marked as “visiting now” or “visiting soon” in each given location. The app also provides travel tips from city “Ambassadors” (members who volunteer to give advice and recommendations to visitors), plus updates about LGBTQ issue–related travel advisories.

Refuge Restrooms ✈ This important resource for trans, intersex, and gender-nonconforming individuals maps out safe restrooms in various countries around the world, which users can search for based on proximity to a location.

Related Seeing the World Through Rainbow-Colored Glasses

LGBTQ-focused travel magazines and blogs

Magazines

Out Magazine’s online outpost Out Traveler covers everything from luxury LGBTQ-friendly hotels and nightlife hot spots to the latest must-have gadgets for jet-setters. Passport Magazine, available in both digital and print formats, touches upon a wealth of topics related to LGBTQ travel, with sections devoted to food and drink, hotel reviews, product roundups, and events. Also worth checking out is Connextions Magazine, which compiles long-form hotel reviews, human interest stories, destination guides, and other global lifestyle content relevant to LGBTQ travelers. (The print and digital publication also has a Spanish edition.)

Although not their main focus, many widely circulated LGBTQ lifestyle outlets like the Advocate, Curve, Autostraddle, Diva, and Chill also feature travel-related news, commentary, city guides, hotel reviews, profiles, and more.

Blogs

Touted as “a lifestyle blog for men and other stylish travelers,” the popular blog Travels of Adam hosts op-eds and personal essays, LGBTQ travel tips and hacks, and restaurant, bar, and hotel reviews in destinations from Egypt to England. Married couple Auston and David head up another gay male–focused travel blog called Two Bad Tourists, which features navigating international gay-friendly destinations, festivals, and events.

On the queer female travel blog Dopes on the Road, you can expect to find a wide range of content, from travel diaries and safety tips to pop culture commentary. Beautiful photo galleries, travel journals, LGBTQ profiles and interviews, travel tips, and destination guides dominate Once Upon a Journey, a helpful travel blog from lesbian couple Roxanne Weijer and Maartje Hensen.

[usafphantom2]

USAF F-16 fighters train in Bosnia on alert against "separatist activity"

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 01/11/2024 - 16:00 in Military, War Zones

Two U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons conducted bilateral air-to-ground training with joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs) from the U.S. Special Operations Command in Europe and the Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces JTACs near Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on January 8, 2024.

This bilateral formation is an example of advanced cooperation between the military that contributes to peace and security in the Western Balkans and throughout Europe. It is also a show of force aimed at deterring the "separatist activity" of Bosnian Serbs that is in disagreement with the U.S.-mediated peace agreements, the U.S. government said.

The exercise aimed to support America's commitment to Bosnia's territorial integrity, amid growing tensions inflamed by Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik, whom Russia supports.

January 9 is celebrated as Republika Srpska Day by Bosnian Serbs and marks the anniversary of the declaration of independence that started the conflict in Bosnia in 1992, which killed more than 100,000 people and led to ethnic cleansing and the massacre of civilians.

“Joint military events like this are a demonstration of the U.S.' lasting partnership with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces,” said U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Steven L. Basham, deputy commander of the U.S. European Command.

"American support for the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina is inflexible, forged over years of close cooperation. For twenty years, the Armed Forces of our two countries maintained a remarkable and robust military relationship between the military," added Basham. "The United States continues to provide assistance that will help its armed forces modernize and become a contributor to security, both regionally and globally.”

The training was part of the routine efforts of U.S. forces to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures with the forces of partner countries.

The mission of the F-16 fighters assigned to the 31ª Fighter Wing of Aviano Air Base, Italy, was supported by a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100ª Air Refueling Wing, from the RAF Base in Mildenhall, United Kingdom, which provided air refueling for the F-16s and contributed to fulfilling all training objectives.

The U.S. Department of Defense and the Bosnian and Herzegovina Armed Forces share a common goal of contributing to continued stability in the region and are natural partners in their global commitment to global security.

In the 1990s, NATO intervened with military force, first through the beginning of Operation Deny Flight, which aimed to impose a United Nations no-fly zone during the conflict in the Balkans, and later Operation Deliberate Force, an air campaign against the Bosnian Serbian Army. In 1995, the US mediated the Dayton Agreements, agreed at Wright-Patterson Air Base, Ohio, with Republika Srpska, of a Serbian majority, and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, of Bosnian and Croatian majority, agreeing to peace as a single state.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned in November that the alliance was “concerned about secessionist and divisionist rhetoric, as well as evil foreign interference, including Russia”.

After the celebration of Republika Srpska Day on January 9, the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo condemned the actions.

Soldiers of the U.S. Special Operations Command in Europe and joint terminal attack controllers of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) remain united during a bilateral training event at BiH on January 8, 2024. (Photo: U.S Army / Sgt. Alejandro Lucero)

“The United States has acted to address anti-Dayton actions like this in the past and will not hesitate to do so again in the future,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on January 9.

EUCOM said that the Air Force exercise held on January 8 aimed to strengthen peace in the Balkans.

Tags: Military AviationF-16 Fighting FalconNATO - North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air ForceWar Zones

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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