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priyanshisingh · 1 year ago

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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Size, Industry Share, Growth Demand, Supply Chain, Trends Future Outlook, Forecast 2030

The latest market report published by Credence Research, Inc. “Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market: Growth, Future Prospects, and Competitive Analysis, 2016 – 2028. The global Personal protective equipment market has witnessed steady growth in recent years and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.20% between 2023 and 2030. The market was valued at USD 75.6 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 100.8314072 billion in 2030.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) market, delving into the various segments, key players, growth drivers, challenges, and future prospects. Our goal is to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the PPE industry, enabling informed decision-making and offering valuable insights to businesses and investors.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) market has witnessed significant growth in recent years, thanks to the rising awareness about workplace safety and the increasing number of stringent regulations implemented by various industries. With a focus on safeguarding employees from potential hazards, PPE has become an essential component across sectors such as manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and oil & gas. The key growth trends shaping this market include technological advancements that have led to the development of more durable and comfortable protective gear. Additionally, the growing emphasis on worker comfort and ergonomics has spurred innovation in lightweight materials that do not compromise on protection levels.

Key Factors Driving the PPE Market

Stringent Safety Regulations

Government regulations mandating the use of PPE in hazardous work environments have been a primary driver for market growth. Employers are legally obligated to provide appropriate protective gear to employees to prevent workplace injuries.

Growing Awareness of Occupational Hazards

Increased awareness about workplace safety, coupled with rising incidences of accidents, has prompted companies to invest significantly in PPE. The proactive approach towards safety is driving the demand for personal protective equipment.

Technological Advancements

Advancements in materials and manufacturing technologies have led to the development of more advanced and effective PPE. Innovations such as lightweight and breathable protective clothing enhance user comfort without compromising safety.

Market Segmentation

The PPE market can be segmented based on product type, end-user industry, and geographical regions.

Product Type:

Protective Clothing

Head Protection

Eye and Face Protection

Hearing Protection

Respiratory Protection

Protective Footwear

Hand Protection

Fall Protection

End-user Industry

The end-user industries for PPE are diverse and include:

Construction

Manufacturing

Healthcare

Oil and Gas

Mining

Firefighting

Pharmaceuticals

Transportation

The PPE market is geographically divided into:

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Middle East and Africa

Latin America

Browse 220 pages report Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market By Product (Hand Protection, Eye & Face Protection, Safety Spectacles, Safety Goggles, Welding Shields, Face Shields, Head Gear, Hearing Protection, Ear Plugs, Cap Mounted Earmuffs, Hearing Bands, Protective Clothing, Chemical Defending Garment, Flame Retardant Apparel, High Visibility Clothing, Other, Respiratory Protection, Air Purifying Respirators (APR), Supplied Air Respirators, Protective Footwear, Fall Protection, Soft Goods, Hard Goods, Full Body Harness, Rescue Kits, Body Belts, Head Protection, Others)- Growth, Future Prospects & Competitive Analysis, 2016 – 2030)- https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/personal-protective-equipment-ppe-market

Competitive Landscape

The PPE market is highly competitive, with several key players vying for market share. Major companies operating in the industry include:

3M Company

Honeywell International Inc.

DuPont de Nemours, Inc.

Ansell Limited

MSA Safety Incorporated

Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) market is witnessing significant growth, driven by stringent safety regulations, growing awareness of occupational hazards, and technological advancements. The market is segmented by product type, end-user industry, and geographical regions. Despite challenges, the future of the PPE market appears promising, with numerous opportunities for growth and innovation.

Why to Buy This Report-

The report provides a qualitative as well as quantitative analysis of the global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market by segments, current trends, drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, and market dynamics with the historical period from 2016-2020, the base year- 2021, and the projection period 2022-2028.

The report includes information on the competitive landscape, such as how the market's top competitors operate at the global, regional, and country levels.

Major nations in each region with their import/export statistics

The global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market report also includes the analysis of the market at a global, regional, and country-level along with key market trends, major players analysis, market growth strategies, and key application areas.

Browse Full Report: https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/personal-protective-equipment-ppe-market

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larryshapiro · 4 years ago

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a light coating of ice on PPE

#Shapirophotography.net #Larry Shapiro #Larryshapiro.tumblr.com #larryshapiroblog.com #larryshapiro #Firefighter #Firefighter coated with ice #winter fire scene #Firefighter encrusted with ice #Firefighter in full PPE #MSA airpack

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maybe-theres-hope · 3 years ago

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Tarlos ficlet - “You Like My Costume?”

For all y'all firefighter!Carlos babes :)

@howtosingit @pragmaticoptimist34 and anyone else who likes this kind of thing <3

1.6k | ao3

TK is actually kind of bummed to be working on Halloween.

Sure, it’s not like he has to work Thanksgiving this year--he somehow finagled the day off and he has yet to tell Carlos that he will be making a surprise visit to the ranch for dinner and he absolutely can’t wait to see his fiancé’s face when he walks in--but he was kind of looking forward to doing the cutesy couple’s costume thing. He’s a sucker for that kind of thing, and he’s bummed, okay?

They’re out on a call that’s frankly more of a time waster than anything else since the fourteen year old in question wasn’t actually suffering from alcohol poisoning but rather he’d yarfed because his friends had dared him to drink a teaspoon of dish soap--honestly, kids these days--so things are looking pretty mellow so far for the evening. He half expected full-moon level type calls tonight but in all honesty he’s been kind of bored. Which really makes it doubly crappy to be working. There’s not even any excitement.

“At least we’re off at 11, you’ll get to see the last of the trick-or-treaters,” Nancy says with a smirk.

“Who trick-or-treats at 11 p.m.?” he asks. “By then it’ll just be the dumb teenagers TP-ing old people’s houses and that’s if anyone actually does that anymore.”

“What, you’re too old and married for those kinds of shenanigans?”

“Screw you, I’m not old, and I’m not married yet,” he quips back at her.

“Mmmhmm. Coulda fooled me.” She’s smiling her mischievous smile, the one she gets when she’s contemplating how to jump-scare him in the bunk room in the middle of the night because one time he yelped in such a high-pitch that she nearly peed herself laughing, and she’s been trying to recreate it ever since.

“Hey, the thrill is not gone, I can promise you that.” Now it’s his turn to smirk back at her.

“Ugh ugh, okay, don’t wanna hear about it.” She waves her hands in front of her face like she’s shooing away fog. “And TK? I mean that. Whatever it is you’re going to be doing tonight, I never wanna hear about it, okay? Just...please. Keep it in the bedroom. Everyone’s going to be making enough assumptions as it is.”

He turns to look at her from the driver’s seat, puzzled. “What do you mean, tonight? What’s so special about tonight and why are people making assumptions? Carlos had to work until half an hour ago anyway, so we’re probably both going to just pass out when I get home. Also, what do you mean ‘assumptions’?”

She just smiles at him again. “Just drive, Strand.”

When he pulls the rig into the bay at ten minutes past eleven, TK just wants to shower and collapse. Boredom held out for only so long before giving into three separate calls where the patient coded on the backboard. He’s tired, he’s hungry, and he feels like he will never be clean of all the sweat. His fingers are aching and his shoulders are sore. He’s never been more ready to just slip into their sheets at home and pass into blissful oblivion. He can’t even make himself look up from the floor as he walks toward the locker room.

“Hey TK! Why don’t you say hi to the new probie?” Mateo’s voice is nearly a giggle, and it actually causes TK to lift his head. With great effort.

“Huh? We have a new probie? Whose first shift is on Halloween? Who did he piss off to manage that?” TK asks, following Mateo through the kitchen.

It’s Paul who answers from where he’s leaning against the archway leading back into the bay where the ladder truck is parked. “No one. You might be a little peeved that he took your old turnout gear, but I really, really doubt that.”

“What?” Now TK is just thoroughly confused.

“Yeah,” Marjan says when he rounds the corner, “and it doesn’t fit him all that well, but I also highly doubt you’ll be upset about that either.” She’s practically glowing with mirth.

“Okaaaay...what’s with everyone? Is this some kind of Halloween prank? Is someone going to jump out and scare me?”

“Trust me, it won’t scare you. Just...don’t scar the rest of us once you see it. Behave yourself until you get home,” is Nancy’s last line before she turns and practically runs up the stairs.

TK darts his gaze around to the rest of them, brow furrowing.

“Just go, man. We’ve been keeping this from you for like a week and we want to see the fruits of our labor,” Mateo says, shoving at TK’s shoulder so that he walks toward the ladder truck.

Still confused and slightly nervous, TK rounds the back of the truck and looks around to see what it is they’ve conjured up to prank him with. He scans the floor, wondering if someone in a scary mask will slide out from under the truck. He moves around to the other side while still in the team’s line of sight, looking back at them for some kind of indication that he’s on the right track. Marjan points subtly up and he follows with his gaze.

His mouth goes instantly dry and his breath stops. He might gasp, but he can’t be sure.

“Hi babe. Happy Halloween,” Carlos croons in a low voice, though he’s blushing slightly which removes some of the effect.

TK can only stare. His old turnout gear, indeed.

His fiancé his perched on top of the truck, casually leaned against the ladder and looking down on him. His hips, clad in baggy pants only held up by bright suspenders are slipped forward just so, inviting TK’s eyes to travel up the long line of his glorious body. The AFD t-shirt is straining at the seams, defining every muscle in his abs and pecs, the suspenders caressing against the hard planes of his chest, peeking out from the turnout coat hanging open.

When Carlos notices where TK’s eyes have gone, he lifts himself out of his ridiculously sexy lean to stand and shrug out of the coat. How on earth anyone can make the removing of standard-issue PPE look so goddamned alluring, TK will never know. The movement causes Carlos’ shoulders to flex, and the cotton of the t-shirt nearly gives out. TK catches a peek of his own name in bright orange lettering across the back of the coat before it’s casually flipped over one massive shoulder, clinging to one finger.

“I...holy shit,” is all he can say. He has been robbed of his entire vocabulary. He can hear his team snickering at him from the kitchen, but he pays them no mind. The view from here is much better.

Carlos blushes a bit more, and tosses the coat down to TK, who catches it dazedly. Then, he watches as his absolutely gorgeous fiancé nimbly climbs down the footholds on the side of the truck like he’s done it a thousand times before, and between drooling and sucking in subtle breaths of air TK’s eyes are drawn directly to his ass. It’s a marvelous sight.

Dropping down lightly onto the floor with a tiny bounce in his step, Carlos turns to face TK in all his glory. TK’s gaze once again runs the gambit from his shoulders down his torso, right down to his own spare pair of boots.

Carlos saunters closer, knowing full well what he’s doing and loving every minute of it, the bastard. “So, babe,” he says in that same low voice, closer this time. “You like my costume?”

TK still can’t really form words. He might stutter a bit, but he’ll deny it later.

Carlos leans in close--presumably to deter their audience from hearing his next words, which are whispered directly into TK’s ear.

“I chose to dress up as your secret fantasy,” he says, his lips caressing the shell of TK’s ear. He shivers, though from the words or the touch or the outfit or all of the above, TK can’t say. The next words he hears don’t help matters much.

“What do you say I rescue you from work? Take you home and give you some mouth-to-mouth?”

TK can hear the desire behind the words, but he can also hear the tiniest giggle at the blatant dirty talk that Carlos actually doesn’t do that much of, and it makes his heart melt. This man is everything.

When he regains some coherency, TK decides to give back as much as he’s gotten. He runs his hands down Carlos’ torso, nearly dropping one suspender completely off his shoulder with his vigor in grabbing a handful of pectoral muscle.

He leans back in and says into Carlos’ ear, “Well, have you still got your uniform in your car? It might be a bit big on me, but I think I’d look good in nothing but your utility belt. Should I handcuff you to the bed, firefighter Reyes?”

He leans back just enough to catch Carlos scrunching his eyes shut and biting his lip--desire written into every line of his face--and suddenly remembers their audience. This is not a free show, no matter how much help they provided Carlos in surprising TK with this. “Take me home, now.”

“You got it, babe.” With that, Carlos bends down, grabs TK by the waist, and lifts him like he weighs nothing. TK is thrown over his shoulder in a full fireman’s carry to the tune of his team, his friends, whistling and catcalling as he’s carried off to Carlos’ car.

Yeah, this is a good Halloween. Maybe the best one yet.

#tarlos #tarlos fic #911 lone star #tk strand #carlos reyes #halloween fic #brooke writes #I was gonna include the actual smut but I am Tired

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florenceandthemachine · 4 years ago

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talk to me about king christopher, intentionally or not, helping his two dads figure out they’re in love with each other 🤗 xoxo

cailee, you beautiful wonderful tropical fish, did you know you had a direct line to my soul with asks like this?

There was a very, very good reason that whenever anyone asked Edmundo Diaz about his son, the first word that he used to describe Chris was ‘smart’.

Chris was a caring boy, a kind boy, a kid who had known loss and grief in his life, more than any child should. He had survived earthquakes, tsunamis, surgeries, death, and that had shaped him into a kid that was incredibly sweet, empathetic, but most of all, smart.

Eddie knew it, of course; he was incredibly proud of his son, of the work he did in school, of the friends he made, of the person that he was growing into. Chris was bright, and he was bubbly, and he was whip quick in a way that Eddie sincerely wished he could be an adult, let alone as a kid—but that wit usually came as a double edged sword.

Because as proud as Eddie was of his son, Chris had a knack of thinking circles around everyone, himself included.

Eddie knew when he was being played for extra video game time, and knew damn well when Chris batted his eyes for a sick day from school, but Eddie figured that was about as far as things went. As far as Eddie was concerned, as long as his grades stayed up and he stayed happy with his friends, a little special treatment wouldn’t hurt.

So it only made sense that when Chris decided to wield his powers for good where his father was concerned, Eddie had no idea what was coming.

“Dad, can we go over to Buck’s house to play some video games tonight?”

Eddie smiled, watching Chris tilt his cell phone to get through whatever game he was playing in the rear view mirror as they made the trek home from Abuela’s. He had to admit, while the best possible thing that had come out of him joining the 118 was the easy friendship that he found with Buck, the easy friendship that Chris and Buck seemed to have made was a close second.

“I dunno buddy, Buck might already have dinner plans. Besides, you know it’s rude for us to invite ourselves over.” Eddie said, catching Chris’ eye in at a stoplight. He was thankful for their friendship, of course, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel a little guilty about monopolizing all of Buck’s time when they were both off the clock.

The look Chris gave him was thoroughly unimpressed as he held up Eddie’s phone, speaking like it was actually paining him to have to explain himself. “Dad, Buck was the one who asked. He says we should bring over pizza!”

...okay, Eddie might have felt bad about being attached to Buck at the hip, but that didn’t mean he was about to deny himself the pleasure when Buck was the one to initiate some time together. And Eddie definitely wasn’t going to say no when he knew that Chris was looking forward to spending time with Buck just as much as Eddie was.

Even if Eddie knew he enjoyed Buck’s company for entirely different reasons.

“Hey, thanks for having us over.” Eddie said softly, once pizza had been devoured, and Buck had his ass thoroughly kicked (With Chris, Buck definitely threw his matches—but with Eddie, well, there was no denying the cry of defeat whenever Eddie skimmed past him into first). “Chris loves spending time with you, you make his night whenever he gets to see you.”

Buck grinned back at him, that easy smile that made Eddie’s heart do things he didn’t care to identify as he shrugged his shoulders. “You know I love spending some time with my Diaz boys. This was definitely one of your better ideas.” he said easily, clearing the table, sliding the pizza box into the fridge.

Eddie opened his mouth to respond, pausing before any words could come out, a curious look crossing his face. He reached around Buck and grabbed two beers, handing one to Buck after he cracked them open. “You mean, thanks for the pizza. This was your idea, after all.”

It was Buck’s turn to look confused, swallowing a mouthful of beer as he pulled his phone out. “No, Eddie, pretty sure you sending me a message that said ‘game night, we’ll bring pizza’ was pretty clear.”

Eddie blinked as he looked at Buck’s phone—sure enough, the message was there plain as day, and he shot a curious look over to Chris, who was conked out on the couch. Buck followed his gaze, chuckling when he put two and two together, shaking his head. “Hey, go easy on him... after all, it’s not like I had any other plans.”

“Buck...”

“No, I’m serious.” Buck said, his face holding that soft, sweet grin. “After all, it’s... well, I like spending time with you. With, um, both of you I mean.” he murmured over the mouth of his beer bottle, pink raising in his cheeks as Eddie took a swig of his own. He didn’t trust himself to respond and instead linked his ankle with Buck’s beneath the table, trusting the gesture would say enough—and judging by the grin Buck shot him, the message was received loud and clear.

Unseen to either of them, Chris had a small smile on his face, peeking through his lashes as he watched the two from his space on the couch.

In retrospect, Buck probably should have asked what all was entailed in Career Day when Chris asked he and Eddie to show up to his school at 9am.

All he had expected was that he and Eddie would get to show the kids some of their tools, some of their gear, and then answer some questions. What he got was a room full of single moms (and dads) that were looking at Eddie like he was good enough to eat.

Which, let’s be real, Eddie was. Especially when he was partially suited up, PPE from the waist down, a 118 tee shirt, and the thick red suspenders to hold everything together. Saying he looked delicious was selling it short, but that didn’t mean Buck liked a room full of strangers being so blatant about it.

It was all he could do to stand back and not cause a scene as yet another mom walked up to Eddie and put her hand on his bicep, laughing at a joke far too loudly, for far too long. The only saving grace was the look that Eddie shot him while she had her head tossed back, rolling his eyes so hard that Buck thought he was going to hurt himself.

As Chris took his turn and made it up to the front of the class, Buck couldn’t deny feeling a little bit self conscious as he stood beside Eddie.

A room full of parents, with their kids, and then Buck.

He wasn’t jealous, okay?

And even if he was—

“This is my Dad, and this is my Buck! They’re firefighters!”

—Chris knocked that feeling out of him, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head as Chris started his presentation. A quick look at Eddie confirmed that he wasn’t the only one who caught the title, and he dipped his head with a little smile, not bothering to hide how pleased he was.

Pleased because he got to be Chris’ Buck. Not pleased because of the disappointed looks that he could see flicker across half of the single parents faces. Nope, that had nothing to do with it, and if it did, it was no secret that Chris was the real source of his joy.

“...they use their trucks and ladders to help keep us safe...”

Chris being an awesome kid was no surprise—Eddie was a great dad, okay?—but Buck still felt lucky that he got to see such a bright kid in his element like this, and even luckier that he got to help out whenever he could. He let his mind wander as Chris continued to speak, treading into dangerous territory. Chris had called him his Buck, so easily, like it was obvious, and for a moment Buck let himself wonder what it would sound like for Eddie to say the same.

“...and they’re super strong, too!”

Chris turned around, looking directly at Eddie, and Buck had to swallow a snort of a laugh as every eye in the room followed him. Eddie, to his credit, tried to save face, nodding his head. “Uh, we... workout every day?” he said, and Chris giggled as he looked over to Buck.

“Dad, you have to show them! Lift Buck up!”

Now it was Buck’s turn to feel every eye swivel over to him, and he was sure his face was bright red in record time. Was this part of the presentation? Did Chris mention this? Buck couldn’t be sure, but honestly, it didn’t exactly sound like something he would have agreed to. He caught Eddie’s eye and shrugged helplessly—after all, Eddie would be the one doing the heavy lifting, it was kind of out of his hands.

After a shared, barely-there nod, Eddie clapped his hands together, turning back to the class. “So, uh, this is called a fireman’s lift. It’s what we do when we have to carry someone out of a burning building, if they can’t walk out on their own. What we do is—“

“Have you ever had to do it before?” A blonde boy asked from the second row, his hand straight up in the air, eyes wide. His father, a corporate manager, didn’t look entirely pleased.

Eddie was all smiles, though, as he nodded and looked over to Buck. “We both have. Our job is to keep people safe, and this is the easiest way to do it.”

The clear hero worship may have helped Eddie become a little more comfortable, but for Buck, the situation didn’t matter—acting as a dead weight was always going to be a little weird. He sighed and opened his arms as Eddie stepped forward, and he was in the air before he could blink. He twisted his body as Eddie lifted so he could still face the class, focusing on Chris’ smile as his world went sideways.

If Buck thought it was awkward before, the dead silence that met him when Eddie spun around with Buck on his shoulders was completely deafening. It was all Buck could do to focus on keeping himself right side up, and not focus on the firm line of Eddie’s shoulders against his side, his strong hands on Buck’s thigh and wrapped around his arm—and thankfully Buck didn’t have long to follow that train of thought before there were twenty kids cheering for them, clapping wildly.

Okay, note to self; if you want to impress a room full of nine year olds, you just had to lift something heavy up.

Buck found himself smiling again, cheeks feeling permanently pink as Eddie brought him back down to the ground, turning to answer a few questions as they were swarmed with tiny bodies. He loved kids, he always had, and he was definitely in his element—but he couldn’t get the thought of Eddie’s hand on his thigh out of his mind.

He wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse when the weight of Eddie’s arm looped around his waist, effectively anchoring him and sending him into another galaxy as Chris’ teacher took a picture of the three of them together.

As Buck leaned into Eddie’s touch, he couldn’t help but look down to Chris, who very much looked like the cat that got the canary—and Buck was content to assume that it was because he obviously had the coolest Career Day presentation.

After all, getting your Dad to deadlift your Buck certainly blew any investment bankers or realty agents out of the water.

“You know, if you actually want to watch a movie, you have to press play on the remote.”

“Shove it, Eds.”

His words were snippy, but Buck was all smiles as Eddie joined him in the loft, plate in hand, passing Buck a burger and a huge plate of chips as he crashed on the couch beside him. Buck had been listening to the menu theme of some action DVD that Chim had picked out for the better part of a half hour as he scrolled through his phone, his attention quickly pulled to the food. “What’s wrong, Bobby kick you off the grill again? Made you realize there was more to life than being a meathead?” Buck said with a teasing smile, and Eddie found himself laughing in spite of himself.

“Well, actually, Carla sent me a few pictures of Chris on his class trip to the zoo today, and I was going to show you, but...”

“Hey, no, what? I think it’s awesome that you’re a middle aged grill dad, you look great with that spatula, now show me the pictures!” Buck said, immediately back tracking, his pride an easy thing to swallow whenever Chris being adorable was involved.

Eddie snorted as he handed over his phone, letting Buck swipe through the photos, and if he happened to be looking at Buck more than he was looking at the photos, well that was his own business. Buck, mercifully, was plenty distracted—the sight of Chris and a peacock would do that to anyone, Eddie had already set it as his wallpaper.

“Eddie, your kid is so fucking cute.” Buck said as he looked back up at Eddie, smiling as he tapped at Eddie’s screen, undoubtedly forwarding a few of the images to his own phone. Buck’s phone was only second to Eddie’s when it came to cute pictures of Chris, and if Eddie had more than three brain cells bouncing around in his skull, he probably would have looked a little more deeply into that.

Eddie pulled his phone back as another message came through, eyes flickering over the text message as Buck took a huge bite of the burger Eddie brought him.

“Hey Buck?”

“Mmmphhgghh?”

“Say cheese.”

“Ehh, muhnuie!”

The picture was pretty disgusting, honestly—Buck had a mouth fit to bursting of burger, sauce and ketchup smeared over his cheek, eyes wide as he turned to the camera. “What? Chris wanted to see what we were doing today.” Eddie said innocently, saving the picture to his camera roll before sending it to Carla’s phone.

“Dad I need selfies of you and Buck!”

The message from Carla came through easy enough, though it was clear that Chris had taken over, and Eddie was still laughing at Buck when he read the message aloud. Buck’s scandalized look didn’t go away as he finally swallowed, and Eddie knew he was in trouble the moment Buck reached for his phone, ready for retaliation.

He couldn’t complain when he suddenly had an arm full of Buck, laughing easily as Buck fired up his selfie camera, but his laughter quickly turned into a sound of absolute horror as he felt ketchup against his cheek when Buck smushed their faces together, camera shutter firing rapidly.

“You are disgusting!” Eddie finally got out between laughs, shoving Buck aside, who looked all too pleased with himself as he furiously tapped at Eddie’s phone, undoubtedly sending the pictures to Carla (and probably Maddie, and Abuela, and maybe his own phone too).

He had to admit, when he finally got his phone back and looked over the pictures, he was a little uncomfortable—not because of the content, but because he had never known he was so fucking obvious when he was looking at Buck. He hadn’t understood the term heart eyes until now, and it kicked his anxiety up just a little bit��he needed to work on his subtlety.

Then again, the next time he caught a glimpse of Buck’s phone, he was stunned to see that the picture of the two of them had made Buck’s wallpaper...

...maybe Chris was on to something with the whole selfies idea.

“Hey Buck?”

“What’s up, bud?”

They had just finished what Buck would not hesitate to call one of the best nights of his life—Eddie and Chris had shown up with a truck packed full of food, blankets, chairs, and a huge, colorful umbrella. Buck had worried that Chris would be less than thrilled to be near the ocean after the tsunami, but his fears were completely misplaced—Chris took to the beach like a crab, and Buck’s heart felt lighter than it ever had every time he heard Chris’ laughter, getting to the point where he actually deleted a few apps from his phone to take some more photos.

The icing on the cake, though, was Chris insisting that Buck could read him his bedtime story that night. Eddie looked completely betrayed, even as he insisted it was fine.

It was fucking hilarious.

“You love me, right?”

Buck felt his brows raise into his hairline, closing the book as he nudged Chris’ shoulders. “Course I love you, buddy. You’re my favorite little man.” He said softly, the initial spike of concern easing in his heart when he watched Chris break out into a grin. He should have known it was a trap, but Chris was so cute, so unassuming, so—

“And you love Daddy too, right?”

—so damn sneaky.

Buck swallowed once he regained his bearings, nodding his head, glad for the dim light of Chris’ room to hide his blush. “Course I do kiddo. You and your dad are both very important to me.” Which, apparently, was the wrong thing to say, if the scrunch of Chris’ face was anything to go by.

“But you love him too, right? You love me and Daddy?”

Putting the long forgotten book down on the night table beside Chris’ bed, Buck pulled his arm around the kid easily, pressing a kiss to his mess of curly hair. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he opened his mouth to say something, anything, but the only thing that would come out was the truth. “Yeah, I love you and I love your dad too.” he murmured. It was the first time he had ever said that aloud before—and even as he felt his heart race, he felt lighter, to be able to get that off his chest, a secret that had been heavy on his heart for a long time.

“You should tell him that.”

Buck almost swallowed his tongue. Like he could sense his discomfort, Chris looked up, blinking owlishly without his glasses, a small smile on his lips. “It makes me happy when you tell me you love me. I bet it would make Daddy happy too.” he said with a little shrug, and Buck actually surprised himself with a little laugh.

“How did you get so smart, kid?”

Another kiss goodnight and Buck had the door shut behind him, walking on the balls of his feet as he returned to the kitchen, where Eddie was still scrubbing at a dish—and if that wasn’t enough of a red flag, the red tint to his cheeks and the way he shyly looked up at Buck told him all he needed to know. Shy was just not a typical look for Eddie.

“Edmundo Diaz, were you eavesdropping on your sons bedtime story?” Buck asked, his voice light and teasing, even as his face heated up. If Eddie had been listening in, there was no way to tell just how much he had heard, but while the thought usually pushed Buck into a spiral of despair, all he felt now was a strange sense of warmth.

Eddie looked up at him cautiously, chewing his lip. “What? It’s not my fault, I had to make sure the story you picked was up to his standards, and that you... did all the voices, and—“

“I meant it.”

Wow, fuck, Buck just blurted that out. He felt his jaw clamp shut as Eddie’s gaze snapped to him, Eddie’s eyes as wide as his own.

“Buck...”

“I’m serious, Eddie. I meant it, I... I mean it.” Buck’s feet are moving of his own accord, closing the distance between them until Buck could reach out and touch Eddie if he wanted. Well, if he could get his arms to respond. “You and Chris, you’re the most important people in the world to me, and... and I do, I love you. And I think, I think you love me too.”

Eddie couldn’t think, couldn’t respond, couldn’t do anything other than move forward and pull Buck into his space completely. Their first kiss was a little rough—bumped noses, off center, but even then Eddie could feel fireworks—and when they reconnected, when Buck’s lips met his properly, it was all Eddie could do to remain upright.

He kept his hands around Buck when they pulled back to breathe, their foreheads resting against one another, and Eddie’s cheeks were literally hurting he was smiling so hard. Buck’s little laugh was all Eddie could hear, all he ever wanted to hear for the rest of his life—so he couldn’t be blamed for failing to hear a pair of little feet leaving the kitchen, back through the hallway, or the nearly silent closing of Chris’ bedroom door.

Chris didn’t need to stick around to see the end result—adults were so gross—but he was pleased enough to see that his hard work and careful planning had paid off, knowing that his dad and his Buck would be happier than ever now that they were finally smooching (even if it had taken forever!).

His dads were a little slow on the uptake sometimes, sure, but that was okay.

After all, Chris would be there to give them a little push whenever they needed.

#eddie diaz #evan buckley #chris diaz #chris diaz is a little genius #chris diaz: professional matchmaker #buddie #buddie fic #911 #flospeaks #floanswers #mutually assured devotion #buckleydiazs

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thegirlfromoverthepond · 4 years ago

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Fire Is Catching

Once upon a time, I decided to join the list of contributors for @fandomforoz. The ever generous @justajjfan made me the honor to “buy” a story from me.

At her request, here is Everlark in Paris, with a bit of museum, and a bit of fire.

This fic would be nothing without the help I got from @xerxia31 for her awesome beta skills as well as for her help with the image :) Thank you my friend for making everything better.

Katniss was late.

Katniss was never late.

It had become their weekly Monday routine, to meet in the Grande Galerie. Peeta would show her a painting, or a piece of art he particularly liked, or she would take him to the hidden places of the Louvre only a few people knew. She had the keys to all the rooms, knew all the secret stairs, her nightly routine taking her throughout the whole museum.

She was one of the firefighters whose place of work was the most beautiful museum in the world, yet she had almost no knowledge of art.

She had laughed at the Joconde, wondering aloud why people would line up to take a picture with her.

“Look at her,” she had told him. “She isn’t even beautiful. Why do people make such a fuss about her ?”

Peeta had moved towards the painting. It was such a privilege to be able to approach such a masterpiece so closely, without anyone around.

“For today’s tastes, she’s not special. But for Italian Renaissance she was everything. The thing is, it’s all in the eyes and the smile. If you look at her while moving, it’s like she follows you. Try it, Katniss.”

He had smiled when he had seen Katniss cautiously walking around the painting, staring at Mona Lisa, while he could see the astonishment in her features.

“And if you look at her, you’ll see her mouth will fall and turn from a smiling face to a sad one.”

To this day, Peeta still remembered how Katniss’s face had shifted from disbelief to admiration, from curiosity to understanding.

The memory brought him back to reality. Katniss was late. He hoped everything was okay, that the strange sensation he was currently feeling in his stomach was nothing to be worried about.

Yet…

The sound of the sirens brought him to the large, beautiful windows. On the street, dozens of fire trucks were speeding towards the Pont-Neuf with their lights flashing. A few seconds later, another convoy of trucks passed by, again at full speed, heading in the same direction.

Something was going on. Something bad.

He tried not to think of the last time he had seen so many fire trucks, but he took his phone out anyways. He needed to know.

The news had already made the headlines.

Notre Dame is on fire.

Five little words that took the wind out of him.

Peeta had to reread the short sentence several times to be certain he understood it.

Notre Dame, the masterpiece of all cathedrals, the most elegant building of all of the city of light was on fire.

He felt his knees starting to buckle under him, had to lean onto the wall to support himself.

Notre Dame was on fire.

A treasure born in the 12th century, proof of the genius of the men who built it, a splendid building with treasures inside, with unparalleled elegance and grace.

Notre Dame was on fire.

Peeta read that firefighters from all over Paris and the suburbs had been called to join the fight, to try to save the building, the treasures, the stained glass.

The stained glass he wanted to show Katniss one day.

Katniss … As her name entered his mind, he realized what had happened.

With trembling hands, he dialled the internal number nobody ever wanted to use. The one that would reach the team of firefighters of the Louvre.

“Thresh.”

“Hey Thresh, it’s Peeta, Peeta Mellark, from the -”

“The guys from the paintings, I know you. Sorry but Katniss isn’t here tonight.”

“How do - “ Peeta started before realizing with the amount of cameras in the museum, their private visits maybe weren’t that private.

“She’s at the fire. She volunteered.” Thresh answered the question Peeta hadn’t dared ask.

Peeta closed his eyes.

Of course she had volunteered to go. He hung up, not caring anymore what Thresh had to say. Surely something like ‘it would be too dangerous to go’, or that she wouldn’t be able to see or answer him anyway.

The words were lost in a haze.

Peeta ran through the corridors of the museum, for once never stopping to look at the paintings lining the majestic walls, not even taking the time to stop by his office to grab his jacket.

He had walked the Rue de Rivoli so many times, looking at the lovely shape of the windows, the imposing stature of the former kings’ palace, or taking a detour through the Place Vendome, savouring the pleasure of the architecture. This day, though, he ran the whole length of the so long street, ignoring the other pedestrians, running until he reached the Place de la Concorde.

That’s where he spotted the column of smoke for the first time.

From behind the two towers of the building, elegant against the blue sky as always, a dark cloud of smoke was rising, threatening the wooden spire.

Peeta stopped, his breath taken away by the sad sight in front of him.

Something deeper, though, made him start running again. A litany, in his head. Katniss is there, she’s at the fire. Katniss is there, she’s at the fire playing in loop, over and over, with the rhythm of his feet on the pavement.

He couldn’t tell how he managed to get so close to the building, despite the amount of people who rallied towards the cathedral, so close he could almost touch the fire trucks. Yet, instead of looking at the cathedral, he could only focus on the men and women working with their heavy PPE, focusing on the small ones, so he could try to spot who he was looking for. Katniss.

As the day melted into the night, as the spire of the cathedral fell, as people on the perimeter sang, Peeta grew worried.

There were just too many things.

Too many flames licking the heavy stones of the cathedral.

Too many columns of smoke escaping through the stained glass or the open arches of the building.

Too many litres of water that seemed to do nothing to extinguish the fire.

Too many people rushing around, carrying the heavy material, doing their best to save the cultural heritage of the building.

Peeta never thought that one day he would see stone burning. Never thought it would be possible.

He never stopped looking for Katniss whenever he caught sight of a slender frame.

There were just so many firefighters, so many of them running around, connecting fire hoses to the trucks, or to the boats that were pumping water directly from the Seine.

He finally caught sight of her, when she took her helmet off, her braid falling down on her fire jacket, black against red.

He could see the exhaustion radiating off of her when she sat down on the pavement, her head hanging between her hands, shoulders slumped.

“Katniss!” he shouted, hoping his voice would carry over the wind, over the noise of the sirens, over the crowd chanting hallelujahs and ave marias. He thought he saw her turn her head towards him, before she turned back to the tall and lanky man in front of her. It was only a matter of seconds before she was back on her feet, hauling her equipment on her back, as if she were getting ready to dive back into the fire.

She was walking towards the entrance of the cathedral.

“NOOOOOO”

He couldn’t let her go there, couldn’t let her enter a building on fire - yet he wasn’t able to cross the barriers and the policemen blocking the access.

There was nothing he could do.

Nothing.

He felt what heartbreak meant that instant. His soul was torn, his body ached to be close to her.

He had no idea his feelings for her were so strong. So pure. So deep.

He had no idea he even had feelings for her, prior to seeing her entering this burning cathedral of stone.

Now it felt like his heart was breaking into pieces.

After what felt like an eternity, he spotted firemen coming out of the building, heavily loaded with what seemed to be paintings and small statues, stopping only to drink some water before diving back into the furnace.

It was a never ending cycle, in and out of the fire to the hymns of the people who had spontaneously gathered around the cathedral, needing to see what was happening with their own eyes.

To Peeta it was endlessly terrifying when he spotted the familiar silhouette coming in and out, again and again.

The cries of the crowd turned his attention towards the building, towards the flames that could be seen above the two towers, so high in the sky.

The forest was burning.

The 1300 oak trees from the 13th century that made the framing of the cathedral were burning to ashes.

Loud cracks could be heard, even from a distance.

Not loud enough to mask the sounds of the ambulances coming near the building.

It took hours and hours of relentless battle, thousands of tons of water, hundreds of firefighters who fought until the very last minutes of the night to extinguish the fire.

As dawn started to rise, as the sun made its lazy ascent, the fire was out.

The cathedral was still standing.

Burnt, injured, but still standing.

Torn, empty, dirty, but still standing.

Peeta couldn’t believe his eyes as the cathedral remained firmly in place, beaten but not broken.

He saw the Paris firefighters taking off their PPE. Exhaustion was written on their faces, along with something else … pride.

He heard the crowd cheering, the bells of the other Parisian churches ringing, yet he couldn’t join them for now. His eyes were scanning the faces of the men and women who had spent their night fighting against the fire.

Until he saw her.

“Katniss!!!” He shouted in the hopes of being heard, over the shouts and prayers, over the sirens and the water still being thrown on the cathedral.

He thought she couldn’t hear him, until he saw her move her head, as if searching for someone. He felt her eyes pass over him, then saw the perfect moment when she realized he was there.

He hoped the smile that graced her face was for him. He really hoped.

Then she was running towards him, leaving her PPE behind, the loud stomping of her boot clad feet echoing on the pavement. In no time, she was at the barrier, jumping over it just in front of Peeta, ignoring the shouts of the policemen around.

She was in his arms the next second.

April 15th 2020.

He checked the time on his watch, smiling.

Katniss was never late, he knew that. That day, though he was a bit more nervous than usual, was a bit unsure of how the day would go.

He finally saw her, looking even more beautiful with every day he had the chance to spend with her.

“Sorry! I was with Prim, she’s the one who insisted on the beret!” She pointed to the little hat she had on her head, that she was wearing a bit on the side like most Parisian women did. In his opinion, it was a game of equilibrium on how they never fell. He was just happy she had left her hair down, as he had every intention of having his hands tanngle in her locks later that day.

“She was right. You are cute.” Peeta grabbed her hand as they started strolling along the quays of the Seine, one of their favorite walks. For once, they were both off work on the same day of the week, something quite rare with their schedules. The Louvre was open every day but Tuesday, yet there was still so much to do in the museum besides ensuring it didn’t catch fire for Katniss.

She had to go through training on how to save the masterpieces displayed, to prioritize which ones to save in case of a fire (which led to a lot of disagreements from Peeta who clearly didn’t agree with the choices of the firefighters), or simply memorizing the museum’s rooms.

Even the small alcove they both had started to visit, trying to find a bit of intimacy out of the eyes of the security cameras. They still both blushed when they remembered the comment from Thresh, about the arrow tattoo Katniss had on her left hip.

They had kept their private sessions to just making out from then on.

(Even though they never walked through the Egyptian Department without thinking of that time Peeta made her cum next to the statue of Amon).

He was brought back to reality when she slapped his arm at his comment.

“I do not look cute!” She scowled, but he could see the spark in her eyes. He knew better, knew she liked his compliments.

“If you say so, Love, if you say so. You ready for a session with Monet?”

“Monet, Monet, Monet, must be funny, in a rich man’s world….”

“Katniss ….” he sighed, trying to prevent the smirk he could feel forming on his lips.

“What? You can’t go wrong with ABBA!” She laughed, making his heart grow even bigger.

Before their first kiss on a sad April morning, a kiss of tears and ashes, Peeta had never thought he could be able to love so much, so fiercely, so deeply, and yet feel so free.

“Where are we going? Orsay is the other way?” Katniss asked, looking around them. “We’re not going to see your painter friends?”

“Surprise, Love, surprise.”

“You know I hate surprises.”

“Yup.”

“Yet you keep on planning them.”

“Yup.”

“You’re irritating.”

“And you love me for that.”

“No, I don’t love you for that.”

When Katniss spoke those words, Peeta felt his heart break a little.

Sure, she had never told him she loved him in such terms, rather shown him in so many different ways …

“Sit down with me…” he hadn’t realized that she was now sitting on the quay, her hand held out for him to take it. He hoped he was able to conceal how much he was hurting at the moment.

“There’s something I need to tell you, Peeta. That I have wanted to tell you for some time now..”

He could feel the cool pavement under the fabric of his jeans. It felt like cold was spreading inside of him. Katniss wasn’t even looking at him, her head turned towards the other bank of the Seine, facing away.

He saw her take a deep breath before she turned to him, before her hand went to his head, cradling it in her warm palm.

He was sure the killing blow, the coup de grâce was coming.

“Peeta, look at me…” Her voice was soft as the wind, light as a feather. He mustered all the strength he had in him before raising his eyes, before blue met grey. She had the most fascinating eyes he had ever seen. That would never change.

“Peeta, you keep calling me ‘Love’…” He closed his eyes, willing the tears to fade away, wishing for the heartbreak to stop. “Nobody’s called me ‘Love’ before. I’ve been… damn, this is hard!”

This was hard? He couldn’t believe his ears.

He was opening his mouth to tell her to go for the kill directly when she put her hand on his lips.

“Don’t, Peeta. This is something I have to do. For me, for you… for us.” He could feel her fingers shaking as she took a deep breath.

”You took me by surprise, Peeta. I never thought I would… feel so much. At first I blamed it on the fire, on the pain that it brought us, you, that it brought me. It was so awful being inside the cathedral, seeing all this stone being eaten by the fire. I thought something inside me had broken… and then I saw you… you’d been waiting for me all night. All night. And I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know what was happening inside me then. Didn’t know the effect you’d have on me, Peeta.”

She turned to look at the water, letting her hand fall from his face before she continued.

“I never thought I had so much joy in me, how the little things could become so important. How a single person could have such an impact on me. How three words could make my heart grow so big I thought it would explode.”

Peeta listened, as she went on. It felt like he was living a dream.

“You call me courageous and strong, Peeta. You rave about how you’re impressed when I run into a fire, on how strong I am. Yet, I am not strong enough to say these three words, even though I want to. I’ve wanted to tell you them since the day you told me… Why is it so hard?”

She turned to him, her eyes shining.

He felt something blossoming inside of him. He knew it was love, spreading its wings. Peeta moved closer to Katniss, taking her hand in his.

“It’s hard, because once you say it, it becomes real. The question is… Do you want it to be real?”

She nodded. He went on.

“You don’t have to shout them. You can whisper them in my ear if you want…”

She smiled, and her smile was brighter than the sun. She seemed to hesitate for a second, before leaning into him. He felt her breath on his neck, on his jaw as well as the kisses she left there., Her hair tickled him. It was not enough, yet it was too much at the same time. He wanted to take her lips with his, wanted to ravish her mouth, wanted to take her to his place where they would make love until the early hours of the morning, wanted her.

He knew though that it would have to wait a few seconds. Because Katniss was about to give him the gift he hadn’t dared wish for.

He felt her take a small breath, before the words were spoken softly, for his ears only.

“I love you.”

Something exploded inside of him. It felt like he could achieve anything.

The only thing he wanted to do in that moment though was to kiss her until they ran out of breath.

So he did it.

When the bells of Notre-Dame rang for the first time in a year, they were still kissing.

#fandomforoz #Everlark #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #justajjfan #things I write #hunger games #the hunger games #AU #Hunger games fanfiction

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obstinaterixatrix · 4 years ago

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transcript of twitter thread (x) by @RileyGryc

I couldn't call my dad & explain why I think property destruction during riots is okay and why all cops are bastards, so I messaged him 3 articles & said the following to him. If you're struggling talking to your family about these topics, maybe this will help you:

First, I sent him The Other America, by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior: https://crmvet.org/docs/otheram.htm This was actually recommended by @AJBoomer4 and I appreciate them for that. It gave me the idea to look up other contemporary resources to send my father as well.

Second, I sent him Riots are destructive, dangerous, and scary — but can lead to serious social reforms, by German Lopez of Vox: https://vox.com/2015/4/30/8518681/protests-riots-work It's a fairly exhaustive analysis done in 2015 about the power - and even some drawbacks - of riots & property destruction.

Third was What I mean when I say I want to abolish the police, by Victoria Gagliardo-Silver on The Independent: https://independent.co.uk/voices/acab-abolish-police-george-floyd-protests-cops-a9543386.html It's a wonderful, detailed explanation of what ACAB means. The following tweets are the actual messages I sent my father to help him learn:

"These are the three best, and most expertly worded texts I can find on the subject of ACAB and violent protest. I can't speak better than they have on the subject, and I don't really have the energy to do so. But I will say, from personal experience, many agree with these."

"The consistent message from business owners who have had their restaurants, their hotels, their livelihoods burned down hasn't been one of anger recently. It's been of solidarity. Every single one I've seen the business owner said 'We are sad it happened, but we understand.'"

"'Businesses and buildings can be rebuilt; lives cannot be unkilled.' These owners have been diverse, a Muslim hotel owner in Minneapolis, a Chinese immigrant who owned a restaurant in NYC, many businesses in Seattle."

"Even the CEO of Target said that the burning down of his business in Minneapolis was fine. All workers there will receive full pay and benefits until the new location opens. It's covered by insurance. He encouraged the protesters and spoke to solidarity."

"As for ACAB, I know you're close with a lot of law enforcement. As the article goes over, ACAB isn't about every single cop is a bastard, it's about how the good cops are forced into silence or complicity while the bad cops spoil the bunch."

"It's about how the US police system, which was founded as an institution to track down & bring back runaway slaves, is inherently and foundationally corrupt. It means that our system of policing is inherently racist, and militarized, and those who join it even with the best..."

"...of intentions inevitably end up contributing to that system of oppression. Female reporters have been shot at. Kids have been maced. A black CNN reporter was arrested for no reason. The cops are showing that they want the violence in this case..."

"...they're the instigators nationwide against peaceful protest escalating into these riots. Curfews weren't imposed when Covid was around. 55 PPE sets can be bought for the $ of outfitting one officer in riot gear. The way policing is done in the US is fundamentally messed up."

"That's what ACAB means. Just like Black Lives Matter doesn't mean white lives don't, not every cop is a bastard. But the good ones are forced either to participate willingly or silently in this system, or burn out and deal with the trauma. I hope that makes more sense now."

I have no clue what his response will be. He has, in recent years, showed the sort of politics most men of his age get from Bill Maher. He's joked about not being able to say r*tard, called people snowflakes, has said he feels like Boomers being vilified isn't right at all.

He's a former firefighter & disaster preparedness educator. He's a government contractor who has had close friends in the police force. I have no clue if he will actually sit & read what I said fully & let it process. I hope he doesn't respond. But I did end it with this:

"All that I would ask before you respond or to refute what I've said somehow is to examine it. Examine how it makes you feel, why you feel that way. Just work through the defensiveness. That's all I ask." Here's hoping that he actually does the work before responding.

#long post #r slur ///#protest

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davidshawnsown · 4 years ago

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COMMEMORATIVE MESSAGE IN HONOR OF THE 244TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

“We, therefore, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Ladies and gentlemen, to all the people of the United States of America, to all our remaining living veterans of the Second World War of 1939-1945 and of all conflicts past and present and their families, to our veterans, active servicemen and women and reservists of the entire United States Armed Forces, to all the immediate families, relatives, children and grandchildren of the deceased veterans, fallen service personnel and wounded personnel of our military services and civil uniformed security and civil defense services, to all our workers, farmers and intellectuals, to our youth and personnel serving in youth uniformed and cadet organizations and all our athletes, coaches, judges, team managers and front office staff, sports trainers and sports officials, and to all our sports fans, to all our workers of culture, music, traditional arts and the theatrical arts, radio, television, digital media and social media, cinema, heavy and light industry, business and the press, and to all our millions of people of the free world:

Today, as one united people, we mark yet another year since the pivotal events of July 4, 1776, the day in which the 13 colonies of then British North America officially declared independence from the United Kingdom as the first of the great republics of the modern world, the United States of America, through an historic act made by several representatives of the Second Continental Congress - Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman – in the city of Philadelphia, Pennslyvania, and approved by almost the whole Congress on this very day 244 years ago led by its president John Hancock, which was the climax of a month-long efforts by its delegates on the future political destiny of the colonies, which had been at war against the Royal Navy and British Army for over a year. It was the definite act that sealed the decision made just 2 days ago by the Congress that given the circumstances faced by these colonies, the Congress, acting on the wishes of the whole people for independence, offically resolved that such is the desire of such a sovereign chamber representing the interests of the peoples of these colonies and thus it is their responsibilty to formally declare the political separation of these colonies from the British government and Parliament in London under the republican form.

The shots fired at Lexington and Concord 245 years ago was only the spark that began the long road towards the independence longed for by the American people and her armed forces supported by the governments, people and armed forces of France and Spain in the Revolutionary War,which would end in 1781 with the victory in Yorktown and the subsequent Treaty of Paris much later. It was only the first of many events that would shape the identity and character of our homeland to the superpower status and fame it enjoys today as a beacon of liberty and independence to the millions all over the globe. Today the billions of Americans remember with deep pride and honor the millions of men and women of her Armed Forces, the National Guard and state defense forces, as well as of the local state and community police and fire departments, beach lifeguard, forest firefighting and emergency management service units and the federal law enforcement organizations who in times of peace and war have offered their lives for the defense and protection of our homeland and people, many of them paying their ultimate sacrifices for the cause of the freedom and independence of the republic born out of the great revolution of 1776, as well as the people who through their time and talents brought glory and honor to the homeland and spread to their world the American way of life and culture, as well as our place as a sporting powerhouse, and ordinary citizens of all ways of life who even risked their lives to save others and thus placed their marks on the altar of our independent republic. In this wide land streching from the Pacific to the Atlantic, either in the snowy expanses of Alaska, the tropical lands of Hawaii, and in our vast and diverse landscape, whenever the people of all races, genders, nationalities and religions live, work and gather, as the nation has changed so much in these past 244 years, the character of this people will never change – a people humble, happy, loving, friendly and ready to share with others and the world at large.

We celebrate this great day in the dire circumstances of millions of Americans having suffered and died from the COVID-19 pandemic that has severely cripped the country, couped with a nationwide desire to unite millions of people to end the stigmas that have long divided this country by race and way of living. In these past months, the world witnessed how much this country has endured yet another sad chapter of its long history, first, thru the sacrifices and hard work of the millions of medical workers who have been working very hard to treat the sick even at the cost of their lives, especially those who have been afflicted by this pandemic, which has claimed thousands of lives nationwide, thru the hard work by those who have been making PPEs for the medical workers and face masks for the millions, as well as manufacturing equipment for the hospitals and medical centers, thru the best efforts by the medical profession to help produce vaccines and drugs against this pandemic, thru the hard work by those in the private sector who are still working to provide goods and services, thru the hard work and sacrifices by those working in agriculture, industry, the media and many other critical sectors, thru the brave services rendered by those who are a part of the armed forces, the National Guard, state defense forces, federal and local law enforcement and emergency units, and by the simple actions of millions in this great country not just to keep safe and healthy in the midst of this global crisis and support all those who have suffered a lot by it but also to ensure the preservation of national unity and the need to end the various social problems that this country and her people have encounted over the centuries. Having endured both national and global crises before, it is the fervent wish today of her millons of people that, united as one nation and people they will overcome these trials, rise above expectations, and become once more a beacon of hope and a helping hand to millions everywhere in the globe. It is the prayer of millions of her citizens of diverse faiths that the country recovers from this crisis as a united nation and for the unity and prosperity of all her citizens, the indigeous communities and the expat communties that call it home.

It is with great honor that Americans everywhere mark this great day with great but simple celebrations as the whole country celebrates yet another year of independence and recalls once more the sacrifices of the millions of men and women in the federal and local uniformed services, the hard work and labor of her people in all fields of endeavor and the proud culture and tradition it shares to the millions of people everywhere in the globe. In these evolving times for the Union, her people and the uniformed services of the republic and the local communities, together with the nation’s industries and corporations, united more than ever as one, are determined, standing under one flag, to show the world that no matter what happens every American man and woman will be ready to risk life and limb to live the values that are part of the heritage of our vast country as the beacon of freedom and independence, the hand of assistance to the suffering of disasters everywhere, the strong arm of defense of the free nations of the world and the spirit of friendship, cooperation, excellence, sportsmanship and fair play of her people. In the midst one one of the hardest periods of its history, with millions affected across all sectors of society, this day marks a day of solidarity and unity among the milions of citizens of this great and wide land who hope that following the sadness of these tragic times, the nation will soon return back to the hopes of a happy and prosperous future.

As millions of Americans safely welcome the anniversary of national independence in the midst of these two national crises,one of the hardest trials the country has faced since its independence as the first of the great republics of the modern world, the nation and millions all over the world hope that these trials in which the country is current facing will be overcome by the grace of the Almighty, by the strength and great force of her people and by the efforts of millions not just to assist each other but also to ensure the legacy of the heroes and martyrs of the nation’s armed forces, state defense forces, and federal and local law enforcement and emergency agencies, the heroes and martyrs among the nation’s healthcare sector which has contributed strongly to this ongoing global health crisis, the civilian heroes and martyrs who risked their lives in the performance of acts of heroism, and the many people have made the nation proud through their services in various fields of endeavor, in sports, culture, industry and in film, radio and television in which they have introduced the world to this country, her diverse peoples and cultures, and the history and sporting heritage of this wide land, will be honored for generation upon generation of Americans, knowing that their legacy to their lives and this very land, thru simple actions to our neighbor and for the unity of the people and the country, will remain in all our hearts.

To all our dear military, police, fire, EMS, forest service and border guard servicemen and women, agents and detectives and our veterans of military and civil security operations within the country and abroad, as well as to all our national athletes and coaches in sports, we remember you today with our deepest respect and gratitude, for the service you gave for this country will be honored for generations to come. Today and always you will always be the beacons of hope for the youth of our tomorrow and for the millions of the people of the world an inspiration and guide towards a brighter future for all of humanity. And to all who died for the sake of this great nation, today and always, we keep you all in our remembrance in our memories, for your legacies which sustained the young nation in the early years of her existence will continue to guide our republic today and in the years to come as it walks forward the third century of independence and beyond. As the United States and her people march on as one to the 250th Indepedence Day in 2026, more than ever, it marches on with the spirit of determination, bravery and courage of her heroes and martyrs and the great spirit of freedom and independence that has led this country out of the womb of foreign dominance and into victory after victory in the past, the very same spirit will guide this country today and into the future.

In conclusion, may we who join the American people in celebration of this the 244th year anniversary of the historic declaration of the independence of the United States of America declared on this day in Philadelphia by the delegates of the Second Continental Congress, as one united people, mark this important day with fitting tributes and always hold on to the legacy and promise of this great land for the inheritance of our future generations and joyfully celebrate the very day in which the American people broke the chains of British colonial governance, which brought great suffering to the peoples of the colonies which make up the first states of our Union, and opened wide the door of a new era of the history of humanity with the creation of this the first independent republic in the American continent and in the modern world!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF THE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND PROFESSIONALS WHO PERISHED IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF THE MILLIONS OF MEN AND WOMEN OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WHO DIED FOR THE INDEPENDENCE AND LIBERTY OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY AND HER PEOPLE!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THOSE WHO MADE THEIR MARK AND HAVE DONE GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND HAVE BROUGHT FORTH HER NAME TO ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD!

LONG LIVE THE 244TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

LONG LIVE THE VALORIOUS, INVINCIBLE AND LEGENDARY AMERICAN NATION, ITS EVER-VICTORIOUS PEOPLE, AND THE ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVING MEN AND WOMEN IN SERVICE OF ITS ARMED FORCES, THE NATIONAL GUARD, STATE DEFENSE FORCES AND CIVIL UNIFORMED LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMERGENCY SERVICES!

LONG LIVE THE VETERANS OF THE UNIFORMED MILITARY AND CIVIL SECURITY AND DEFENSE SERVICES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

GLORY TO THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, GUARDIAN DEFENDERS OF OUR DEMOCRATIC WAY OF LIFE, OUR FREEDOM AND OUR LIBERTY AND GUARANTEE OF A FUTURE WORTHY OF OUR GENERATIONS TO COME!

GLORY TO THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF JULY 4, 1776, ONE OF THE GREATEST EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY, THE GREAT EVENT THAT TRANSFORMED 13 COLONIES INTO ONE, MIGHTY, STRONG AND GREAT COUNTRY, THE FIRST REPUBLIC OF OUR MODERN WORLD AND OF ALL OF HUMANKIND!

GLORY TO THE FIRST AND THE GREATEST OF ALL THE FREE NATIONS OF THE WORLD, OUR GREAT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

MAY OUR ALMIGHTY GOD BLESS THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE, OUR GREAT AND ETERNAL HOMELAND, OUR INDEPENDENT COUNTRY, THESE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

0840h, July 4, 2020, the 244th year of the United States of America, the 245th year of the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the 126th of the International Olympic Committee, the 124th of the Olympic Games, the 79th since the beginning of the Second World War in the Eastern Front and in the Pacific Theater, the 75th since the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the victories in Europe and the Pacific, the 8th since the attacks on Benghazi, the 15th of Operation Red Wings, and the 73rd of the United States Department of Defense and the modern United States Armed Forces.

Semper Fortis

John Emmanuel Ramos-Henderson

Makati City, Philippines

Grandson of Philippine Navy veteran PO2 Paterno Cueno, PN (Ret.)

(Star Spangled Banner) (Taps) (Rendering Honors)

#fourth of july #independence day #declaration of independence #united states independence day #happy fourth of july

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