#Nice job Nicaragua

[buuniebaby]

HOME TO ME - HAMZAH X LATINA!READER 🎀

hiii! first of all i wanna make a quick note - very sorry for the inconsistency in posting for a few days. ive been struggling with writers block and summer bedrotting is getting to me a lil. 😓😓

there were A LOT of drafts of this fic that i picked up and then didn’t like. a big part of that is that i really wanted to make a fic that hits sort of close to home, and that’s what this one is to me! i was born in nicaragua and moved to the us at a young age, so this fic is based off of my experiences relating to that, even down to little things like my parents and their broken english lol. i still tried to make it pretty ambiguous to other latin-american countries, so I hope it isn’t too specific. it took me a long time to write, but im really happy with the way it came out after a day or two of really thinking about it.

this fic includes: lots of fluff, then it gets nasty. mirror sex, nothing too rough 🤗

wc: 3.4k

Your childhood summers haven’t changed since the last time you stepped foot here, even though it feels like it’s been lifetimes. you’re home, and you’ve brought your boyfriend along with you this time.

the sun shines down on you, a little too hot for your liking. it’s a lot hotter down here than the canadian weather you’re used to. it’s different, but comforting at the same time. what really makes the biggest change is the sight of your boyfriend, rays of sunlight beaming down on him, framing his curls perfectly. it makes you feel at home just as much as being here does.

the air is warm and sticky, thick with remnants of a heavy rain. sweat clings to areas of exposed skin, dampening his shirt collar and hair with a sweat.

you don’t think you’ve loved the latin-american summer as much as you have seeing hamzah bask under it.

showing your boyfriend around your home country feels like the world around you is unreal. it’s like two universes colliding - ones that probably shouldn’t coexist.

one of the things that really makes you feel like you’re out of your own body is walking down the same road that baby-you walked down to get to school. if you could’ve told your middle school self that you bagged a man this bad she would’ve forgiven you for not marrying her celebrity crush.

and the food is what really gets you - the flavor of nostalgia mixing with the taste of your boyfriend’s lips is an otherworldly sensation. although you can’t get him too full yet; that’s a job for your family.

speaking of your family - hamzah is terrified.

he tries looking extra nice at first. he wants to make a good impression, just like you’ve told him to - it’s why he’s surprised you’re bursting out in laughter seeing him walk out in full black tie attire.

“you don’t have to dress like you’re going to a wedding, hamzah-“ you giggle when he speaks over you, trying to defend himself.

“you told me to look nice, and we’re going to a dinner, y’know-“ he rambles, but catches himself. “and you’re wearing a dress!”

you roll your eyes, giving him a dead stare. “this a a sundress, hamzah. it’s not like.. fancy.” he looks at you blankly back. it’s like there’s not a single thought behind his eyes.

after your criticism and a lot of banter, you’ve got him dressed up more.. how you would have envisioned. he’s got those glasses on - the ones he usually edits with. and god, he looks good. he’s paired those with a polo shirt and a nice pair of jeans; he looks nice, presentable, but not over the top.

you’re knocking on the door while he almost shyly stands behind you before you know it. it takes a good few seconds for you to receive any sort of response, but you’re used to it. once someone eventually comes to the door, you’re greeted with the sound of children squealing in the background and music playing off a speaker - the loud environment you’re most used to.

you think you can see hamzah sweating.

your mom greets you with two little cheek kisses, as always, then smothers you into a hug. “muy linda,” she presses another kiss to your forehead, “mi alma.” she eventually finishes her ramblings about how beautiful you are and how much she’s missed you, then pauses as she pulls back. hamzah flinches.

she’s eyeing him down, eyebrows furrowed with a hand on her hip. It’s the death glare - one you know very well. if he wasn’t sweating before he definitely is now, and you’re even close to breaking into one.

hamzah doesn’t even have time to panic before her angry demeanor snaps into laughter. she’s giggling at the way his smile had dropped, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him into that same little cheek kiss. he stumbles when she does it, not knowing what to do; an anxious fluster of sorts.

she pulls away looking at you, and her giggles turn into straight-up laughter.

“he look at me so scared.. he like, ‘i already messed up!’” she says, still laughing, now imitating hamzah’s flustered appearance. her English is slightly broken, as you expected, but it’s the way she tries for you is what really counts. she’s putting in the effort. you laugh with her, but not really at what she’s saying - it’s the way she’s already made herself comfortable around your boyfriend.

“y tu eres el novio, verdad?” your father says, pointing at hamzah, managing to creep up behind your mother without you even noticing. “you going to marry her?”

you awkwardly laugh at your father and how weird he has to make things, but that’s just how your family is. hamzah doesn’t mind it, he understands - nonchalantly smiling, looking down at you as he replies with a quick “hope so.”

you giggle back, but your smile is genuine - you know he’s serious about what he just said. “maybe one day.” you continue for him.

you two enter your house and he’s already being crowded by relatives of yours. he’s introducing himself to one of your tías when he feels something tugging on the leg of his pants, startling him. he looks down only to see your baby cousin staring up at him, big beady eyes and an open mouth, almost like he’s some sort of god.

around an hour later, hamzah is about a beer and two plates of food in to the family function. he’s sitting on the floor, a doll in his hand, playing with that same prima from before. you’re not even sure if they’re communicating, if that baby can even speak any language yet, but whatever they’re doing hamzah.. seems to be enjoying himself.

it’s funny, but it’s sweet at the same time, watching your boyfriend like this. it makes you think of your future together. marrying him, taking him into your family - even watching him play with your little prima makes you fall ill with baby fever. he would be an amazing girl dad.

by the end of the night, hamzah is starting to get a little bit plastered, and your mom is already calling him mijo. you’re trying to teach him how to dance to your country’s music (which he surprisingly happens to not be bad at) while also trying to sneak a few drinks yourself. you’re running back to the bathroom when your mom catches you, pulling you aside for a second.

you tilt your head at her, confused. you’re hoping this isn’t what you’ve been nervous about the whole night - you really, really don’t want a “we don’t like this boy” talk.

instead, she smiles, which wipes away most of your worry, but you’re still staring at her reluctantly.

“te vas a casar con este chico.” she mutters, smiling. she might be a little drunk herself from the way she’s talking, but you know there’s a truth to her words. you smile back a small grin, but it means more to you than what appears - your man is locked in. even your mom agrees, he’s the one.

thank the lord.

the party dies down after a while, baby cousin and older relatives drifting off to their bedrooms one by one. you somehow find yourself sitting on your parent’s couch, cuddled up in a blanket next to hamzah. you’re both a little tipsy, what you would say is fine enough to drive, but you already know your mother will argue against you.

“y’wanna get out of here too?” hamzah whispers, voice deep and soft in your ear.

“mhmm.” you say, comfortable in his arms. “wanna stay here for a second though.”

hamzah doesn’t complain, gently rubbing your shoulder underneath the blanket with his forefinger and thumb. it’s domestic, a gentle touch, and it makes you feel warm inside.

“was cute seeing you play with my prima.” you mumble, smiling to yourself at the memory. he laughs when he picks up on what you’re talking about.

“I don’t really think I understood what was going on like, that whole time.” he begins to ramble. “I think her barbies were like, beefing and shit.” he says, smiling down at you when he sees the way you light up with laughter.

“if we ever like, get married, i wanna have a girl.” you say. he’s quick to rebut you.

“that’s not how it works.” he argues back, stupidly.

“well then, like, we just have more.” you say, the mix of alcohol and sleepiness not giving you the energy to seriously discuss this with him. “you’d make a good girl dad, i think.”

he smiles at that comment. he’s seen it around on tiktok and other social media. he thinks it’s cute, and suddenly the idea of marriage and knocking you up doesn’t seem so scary to him. that gentle touch on your shoulders is moving down to your hips before you know it. you’re both aware that you can’t do anything on your family couch, but you know the intention behind his grip.

“i think you’d be a good boy mom.” he says back. “i could see you like, teaching him how to cook and stuff. i think if you had a baby boy he would be like, really respectful, not like brain-rotted.” you laugh at the stupidity of his comments.

“i think if you raised a boy, he would end up going down like, the alt right pipeline, and start watching andrew tate clips on youtube shorts.”

you both laugh at that - it’s obvious that you’re joking now, but you still enjoy the deprecating banter.

“if my kid doesn’t reach alpha male status, im sending his ass to the frontlines.”

you continue your painfully stupid chatter, not paying attention to how dark it’s getting.

your mother eventually creeps up to you, and you take it as a sign that you should probably start making your way out.

after saying your final goodbyes to your family members who are still standing awake, you’re making your way out the door. after a few cheek kisses and repeatedly denying the “no cab? you sure?” from your mom, you two are on the way back to your hotel.

hamzah’s hand is on your thigh as he drives. it’s another domestic touch that drives you crazy. the little things are really getting to you tonight.

“you’re good with kids.” you mumble, letting your thoughts out with no warning.

“yeah?” is all hamzah says, keeping his eyes on the road and his hand on your thigh.

“yeah.” you repeat back in a breathier tone.

“im not getting you pregnant right now, if that’s what you’re asking.” he mutters, still focused on the road. “I’ll cum inside you, but I can’t handle a baby yet-”

“hamzah!” you nearly yell. “i don’t mean- i mean yeah, that’s a part of it, but like- i guess you’re just like-“ you stutter, trying to gather your flustered self. “it’s like, a domestic thing I guess. makes me wanna settle down with you one day.”

despite how nonchalant he’s acting, he gets exactly what you’re saying.

“yeah. y’know, that little sundress you’re wearing?” hamzah starts, eyes tearing off the road for a second. “that’s like, wife shit.”

you giggle at the way he says it, but you’re flattered at the intention.

“kinda surprised you liked it that much. feel like guys think sundresses are just like, skin-tight skims dresses.”

“you look fucking hot in it, are you serious? like shit, maybe i will just get you pregnant if you’re wearing that.” hamzah pauses for a moment, looking over at you while your eyes widen. “i’m joking. by the way.” you let out a soft “aww,” making a soft smile creep onto his face.

“you don’t have to tonight. i’m joking.” you smile up at him. “but i do miss the feeling of you inside me.” you can tell that you’re at least getting to him a little bit; he’s starting to get riled up.

“duh,” he says, jokingly, but his tone changes with his next words. “ill cum all over that fuckin’ dress if you really want me to.”

there’s the hamzah you were looking for.

he’s already pulling the car you two rented into the parking lot of your hotel, and you can’t even speak before the silence is interrupted with his own thoughts.

“gonna be all over you the second we get to our fucking room.” he mutters, opening his car door. as both of you get out, you can see the hard-on already somewhat formed through his pants.

you love getting him worked up like this.

checking into the room is almost painful. he stands behind you as you speak in spanish to the hotel staff, cock pressed up right against your ass. you’re stuttering as she asks you for your reservation, knowing you’re about to get fucking destroyed.

he wasn’t lying about being all over you. the minute that keycard clicks and the door is open, you’re being shoved onto the bed, hamzah crawling on top of you.

it’s a pretty hotel room - you’re taking it all in as hamzah is on top of you. huge bathroom, silky sheets, relatively good size, yet there’s one thing that sticks out to you. there’s a long mirror, placed at the side of the bed.

it’s the perfect place to get fucked in front of.

you don’t even think hamzah has taken a glance at the architecture around him from the way he’s locked in on your body. you feel his hands gravitate against different areas of your body, resting on your hips, grabbing the soft flesh through your dress. he places a soft, warm kiss to your lips, but continues with a harsher, more sloppy one. it only continues on your neck, biting and kissing down to your collarbone.

he keeps his lips in a certain place for a second, and you already know you’re going to be covering up dark spots on your neck tomorrow.

“pretty,” is all he mumbles when he pulls off, moving down to add yet another bite to your neck.

he pulls the top of your sundress down a little bit, straps going over your shoulders. it’s just enough to free your bra, which he pulls off even quicker.

his mouth is all over your tits before you know it - as expected. he’s sucking at them, licking at the nipple while the other hand fondles the soft flesh around. you can feel him getting harder against your thigh, which you didn’t even think was possible at this point.

you can tell he’s getting frustrated with how fucking tight his pants are getting, cock getting harder by the second. he quickly unbuttons his jeans, pulling them down to his ankles - he’s a little too horny to take the effort to fully pull them down. when he pulls off his boxers he lets out a sigh, letting his cock free.

you readjust to do the same, pulling at the straps of your dress, but hamzah stops you, a large hand covering yours.

“want you to keep it on.”

yes sir.

you pull the straps back up to where they should regularly be, wearing your sundress like normal, just braless. hamzah takes a minute to catch his breath, but it’s hard when you’re under him looking like that. he takes in his surroundings a little bit more as he calms down, finally noticing the mirror to his side. you can tell by the look on his face that he’s got the same idea as you.

his focus lands back on you when he turns back to look you in the eyes, gently stroking himself. his hips roll softly into his hand, pumping himself loosely in his fist. he takes his other hand and pulls your dress up just enough to see your underwear.

he’s too lazy to get them off your body, so he just pushes them to the side, a finger sliding between the soft lips to your entrance. it emits a gasp from you, even though you were expecting it.

“you look so fucking good from here.” he says, breathy. your brows furrow for a second, confused as to what he means by ‘from here,’ but then you realize where his eyes are pointed -

- the mirror.

you turn your head to look at it too, and god, he isn’t wrong. the way his hands strain, groping at your thighs while he grazes against your cunt. it’s hotter than you had expected, the idea of seeing yourself get destroyed from multiple angles.

he presses a finger into you, and you flinch at the feeling. it’s not long before he’s sliding another one in with it, pulling at your hips with his strong arms to bring you down to his knuckles. you’re looking at yourself in the mirror as he does it, watching as he pushes you around like a toy.

he pulls his fingers out after curling them a few times inside of you, and you protest by trying to buck up your hips up again. he pushes on your womb with big hands, forcing you down.

“s’okay baby.” he affirms you in a soft voice. “wanna fuck you now.”

he grabs you by the waist, strong enough to pick you up with just his bare hands and flip you over. he presses your bodies close together once you’re on your hands and knees, your back against his chest. he nestles his head right above your neck, the perfect spot to whisper into your ear.

“look in the mirror,” he starts, and you immediately do what he says. “watch how fucking good you look while I touch you.”

your back arches as an instinct at his words, feeling his palms glide against your hips. your vision feels hazy, but you’re still paying attention to the way he clings onto soft skin.

you let out a whine, shutting your eyes and facing down when he touches your inner thighs, but it doesn’t last long. before you can finish his hand rushes to your jaw, grabbing your face, pointing your head back to the mirror.

“told you to look at yourself, baby.”

it’s hot, the way he’s in control of you, even if it doesn’t take much to get you to submit. he kisses at your shoulder blade softly, watching your desperate expression fade into excitement. he strokes himself one last time before the tip meets your pussy.

your breath hitches when you feel him slide into you, strokes slow. it fits in you nicely, the back of your thighs pressing against his when he’s all the way in. a finger and thumb caress the skin between your ass and hips while he bottoms out.

“c’mon baby,” he says, slowly starting to drag his hips in and out of you. “move those hips.”

you can’t argue with him, doing what he says on command. you roll your hips back the same way you roll your eyes, creating a rhythm with his thrusts. it earns a moan from him.

he grips your hips while his speed up, moving in and out of you with an unforgiving pace. it’s enough to send you reeling, squealing as you struggle to keep your focus on the mirror. you can barely keep your composure, the urge to shove your head in your pillow and just let him use you stronger than ever.

“wasn’t- fuck- lying when I told you I wanna come all over that dress.” he says, struggling to get his words out. it only makes you clench around him, his words driving you to your own finish.

you’re screaming a “hamzah! can’t fucking take it-“ while he’s plowing into you, building up a well-awaited orgasm. he waits until he feels that clench-and-pulse sensation around his cock, signaling that you’ve came before he pulls out.

he doesn’t even need to touch himself to cum after seeing you like this - he lets himself go, ropes of his semen covering the floral patterns of your dress.

he basks in the sight of you for a moment, catching his breath after his orgasm. it’s a lot for him, fucking you after being pent up the whole day. overstimulating, almost. you’re just that attractive to him, poor boy can’t control himself.

he lays on top of your chest, grounding himself. the feeling of being against you bare skin is comforting to him, a sense of home that you two both find in each other. you run your hands through the curls of his hair.

that’s what he is to you - home. just like how it feels to be here.

[commajade]

finally watched watched my brothers and sisters in the north when it's been in my to-watch list for years and it was so touching and so beautiful.

the people interviewed were of course handpicked and have better conditions than other people because of the impact of U.S. sanctions and such, but it genuinely inspired me how hard-earned their good living conditions are. the farmers had to work really hard to re-establish agriculture after the war and now they get so much food a year they donate most of it to the state because they simply don't need it. the girl at the sewing factory loves her job and gets paid with 14 kilos of food a month on top of her wages. the water park worker is proud of his job because 20,000 of his people can come and enjoy themselves every day, and Kim Jong-un himself took part in designing it and came by at 2am during construction to make sure everything was going smoothly. his grandmother's father was a revolutionary who was executed and buried in a mass grave in seoul but in the dprk he has a memorial bust in a place of honor and his family gets a nice apartment in pyongyang for free.

imperialist propaganda always points to the kim family as a dictatorship and a cult of personality but from this docu it's so obvious that it's genuine gratitude for real work for the people, and simple korean respect. if my president came to my work and tried his best to make my working conditions better and to make my life better, i would call him a dear leader too. if my president invented machines and designed amusement parks and went to farms all over the country to improve conditions for the people, i would respect him.

the spirit of juche is in self-reliance, unity of the people, and creative adaptations to circumstances. the docu rly exemplified the ideology in things like the human and animal waste methane systems powering farmers' houses along with solar panels, how they figured out how to build tractors instead of accepting unstable foreign import relationships, and how the water park uses a geothermal heating system.

it rly made me cry at the end when the grandma and her grandson were talking about reunification. the people of the dprk live every day of their lives dreaming of reunification and working for reunification, and it's an intergenerational goal that they inherited from their parents and grandparents. the man said he was so happy to see someone from the south, and that even though reunification would have its own obstacles that we have the same blood the same language the same interests so no matter what if we have the same heart it would be okay.

and the grandma said "when reunification happens, come see me." and it's so upsetting that not even 10 years later, the state has been pushed into somewhat giving up on this hope. the dprk closed down the reunification department of the government last year and it broke my heart.

a really good pairing with the 2016 film is this 2013 interview with ambassador Thae Youngho to clarify political realities in the dprk and the ongoing U.S. hostility that has shaped the country's global image. the interviewer Carlos Martinez asks a lot of excellent questions and the interview goes into their military policy, nuclear weapons, U.S. violence and sanctions, and the dprk's historical solidarity with middle eastern countries like syria and palestine and central/south american countries like nicaragua, bolivia, and cuba.

[audible--silence]

Heard abroad…

I finally feel like I’ve been seeing what I’ve been looking at, appreciating what I’ve been seeing and feeling what I’ve been experiencing.

He just thought I was a new best friend that he also wanted to kiss

Oh would you look at that, I’m the bastard now.

“I’m pants on your knees type fucked”

“She’s positively buoyant”

“That pig is smarter than I”

The irony of seeing somewhere out the window of a bus that reminds me of bassendean, in Nicaragua

“Let me be delusional it’s great for my mental health”

“Take care of yourself and dont do anything stupid”

“What if i just do the stupid thing safely”

“Yeah mate wear a helmet”

Get used to it or die tryin

“I feel like we’ve seen other signs of madness already, like hanging out with you for three weeks”

“Before god/the devil puts his shoes on” - before the sun is up and things are happy

“This conversation proudly brought to you by spanish dictionary and pacifico”

What a weird way to live, with friends everywhere, who each individually mean the world, but all have their own worlds revolving around them.

How special it is to be able to collide worlds for a brief, beautiful, ballistic moment.

Only to pass each other by again,

And carry on

Why is the hamburger in space?

“When you cast your fate to the winds, you gotta learn to sail” - Bob McTavish

“Yesterday you we’re a real cunt so i get to spit on you”

“Dont cry! Just get on the bus! Get on the bus!”

Even if its an orchestrated con, it really does pull on the human in me seeing street boys peering in the windows of bars to try ask for money. Again and again, night after night.

Somehow even with less than $1 in my pocket, the excuse of “I dont have any money” doesn’t seem to land with them. The boys who have no more than the clothes on their back, the donated coins in their pocket and their street smarts.

It’s a developing problem that will only get worse for all involved but as is often the case, a solution is never obvious or easy.

“I picked myself the wrong passion” - on working with people

“I should’ve been eating a mango in Guatemala”on bad sex”

“Rich gypsy?”

“Just tipsy”

“I cannot miss somethin that i still have” - Davide

“She’s like a ferrari with a fiat engine”

“I can get drunk in Spanish”

“Im not alcoholic, they go to meetings. Im just a drunk”

“My brain isn’t braining”

“I’ve always wanted to fuck a bowl of soup”

“If I’m taking you to a nice restaurant, please dont fuck the food”

I know where im going, not whats going on

“I hate planning but i also hate not knowing whats coming next”

“Those fuckers better shut up or im gonna beat the belief in god out of them”

“Fuck off! I am affectionate!”

Lessons learned from not getting a job in a shit bar in a tourist town: be humble. Nobody cares what you can do. They care about your attitude.

I think you need an open mind so new ideas and ways of living can get in but not so open that your brains spill out.

If i learned one thing about traveling its that everyones your friend, u just havent said hello

yet

“I have beautiful family still so why should i get old yet” - wisdom from my 88 year old nan

[darkobssessions]

The New Resume Format

able to take a thing and make something new with it, a visionary and a results driven creative force in the work place, I put into action plans for futures previously unconsidered through opening eyes with a talent for breaking complex topics down simply. A very visual and graphic person, alternatively wired and weaving something new from every challenge. Constantly regenerating, self reflecting and adjusting, an entire ecosystem that brings with it its struggles, limits and capacity but that is how nature is built for without the limits there would not be form. So we have form and this form speaks the language of the hidden things, molds and shapes worlds out of thin air, copies the likeness of, names and shapes young minds, tools, processes, dynasties and beyond. This tongue is sharp, I was once called silvertongue. These words may ring harsh or be misconstrued. Oracular talent.

Been to Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Mexico, USA, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Lithuania, UK, Nicaragua, studied this that and the other. Worked sparesely but thoroughly, cracked a mystery or two, struggled through more problems than an average human will ever encounter during their lives, smahsed it because I'm still here and I really really need this job so if you can not ask me if I applied to the right one at the end, or tell me that I'm overqualified that would be really nice. See above. Gifted and also handicapped in a million and one hilarious ways. Basically an enigma. Does not come with a paper manual, I am the manual I can explain if you listen. Otherwise I will not talk, but the job will get done so if you can handle that and a spark of madness and problem solving, then clearly I am your candidate.

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

What is the “Greatest Country on Earth™?“

I mean this objectively.  Out of ~200 nations, one of them has to be undeniably better than the rest.  If we make a sortable list, one has to be on top, just as certainly as one has to be on bottom,  So, which country is the all around best?

I can tell you for absolutely certain it is NOT the United States; sure, we’re economically best, every other country relies on us for trade, but something like 99% of all the money is controlled by so few individuals that they could all fit in one of those crappy rental limos that high schoolers get their parents to splurge on for Prom Night.  Income inequality has never been worse, minimum wage been stagnant for almost 10 years, and nobody can afford a home.  “America” is rich, but “Americans” aren’t.  So that ain’t great.

The Democracy Index lists the top ten most politically stable and democratically active countries as Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand. Finland, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland,  I happen to know for a fact that Canada, Australia and New Zealand are super racist, just like their dear old dad the British Empire (and their cousin, America); Canadians hate the indigenous, New Zealand hates the Maori, Australia hates the aboriginals.  They’ve taken a page out of Andrew Jackson’s playbook to genocide the problem away then punish he stragglers to make their lives as hard as possible.  So that’s not great.  Scandinavia seems nice, but I’ve had my heart broke too many times to take them at face value.  If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Let’s go further.

Breaking down the Democracy Index, we get different leaders based on criteria:

Electoral Process and Pluralism: elections are free and fair, and there are multiple views being discussed.  Nine countries get a perfect score of 10.00; Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Luxembourg, Uruguay, and Denmark [for reference, the US got a 9.17]

Functioning of Government: can it collect taxes and spend them on stuff that’s useful?  No country gets a perfect score, but the three highest are Norway, Canada, and Sweden with 9.64 each. [for reference, the US got a 7.14]

Political Participation: can people vote, and do they?  Only Norway gets a perfect 10.00.  The next five are trailing behind; New Zealand, Iceland, Finland, Israel, and the United Kingdom each score 8.89. [for reference, the US got a 7.78]

Political Culture: how invested are the people and the government in the right to vote?  We get perfect 10.00s from Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and Ireland [for reference, the US got a 7.50]

Civil Liberties: how free are you?  How oppressive is your government?  Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand get perfect 10.00s [for reference, the US got an 8.24]

From this, we can glean that Ireland seems pretty great.  But they’re wrapped up in the aftermath of Brexit; there’s a non-zero chance that the Troubles could start back up again if they put a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which would be HORRIBLE.  That’s not on them necessarily, it’s just as much if not more on the UK government (British Tories see the Irish as subhuman; Boris Johnson wants to wipe them out, put them in his slave mines with the Syrian refugees and Jeremy Corbyn’s corpse).

The World Happiness Report lists the top 10 happiest countries as Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, and Austria.  These too can be broken down into further criteria:

GDP Per Capita: a country’s total wealth divided by its population (this is not as indicative as it sounds; a higher GDP doesn’t mean you see a single extra cent from your job.  Countries with the highest GDPs have the largest wealth gaps, and are middle of the road when it comes to happiness.  The top 10 are Qatar, Luxembourg, Singapore, United Arab Emirates. Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, United Sates of America, and Saudi Arabia.

Social Support: how much does the country care for its citizens?  Top 10 are Iceland, Finland, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, the United Kingdom (normal so far), then Turkmenistan and Mongolia!  Turkmenistan is a military dictatorship run by a man who likes to watch horses fuck.  I think he may be over-reporting how much aid he’s giving out to the people.

Health Life Expectancy: the 10 most medically modernized countries are Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, France, Northern Cyprus (which is under Turkish occupation), regular Cyprus, Canada, and Italy

Freedom to Make Life Choices: this sounds like something the US should excel at; Freedom and Liberty are our favorite catchphrases!  But no, in practice we’re not even close to the top of the barrel.  The top 10 are Uzbekistan (former Soviet Republic), Cambodia (one-party dictatorship), Norway, the United Arab Emirates, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, New Zealand, Canada, and Sweden.  Turns out maybe “freedom” means “no rules, all anarchy” in some countries, and hey, more power to them.  For reference, the United States is in the middle of the list, between Peru, Botswana, the UK, and Japan.

Generosity: do unto others, as the saying goes.  Turns out the richest countries are the least generous.  Whoodathunkit?  The 10 most generous countries are Myanmar, Indonesia, Haiti, Malta, Kenya, Bhutan, Kuwait, Thailand, Iceland, and the UK.

Perceptions of Corruption: does your government have it’s hand in the cookie jar?  The top 10 least corrupt are Singapore, Rwanda, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Luxembourg, and Ireland.  For reference, the US is down low, between Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Nicaragua, and Iran.

The Human Development Index lists the top 10 developed nations as Norway, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Australia, Sweden, Singapore, and the Netherlands.  The US sits pretty at 15, though this index just shows that we have running water, electricity, and roads; while we are technologically developed on the country-wide scale, the closer you look, the less this technology helps those at the lower levels.  Poor people are still poor, still have lead in the water, still lack access to good food.  The US is considered a considered a developing nation in that regard.

Ireland, New Zealand, and Switzerland get passing scores on all four of the freedom indices (Freedom in the World, Index of Economic Freedom, Press Freedom Index, and Democracy Index); they’re both socially and economically free, their press is in a good situation, and they’re full democracies.  Good on them.  Australia is socially and economically free, a full democracy, but their press’s situation is only “satisfactory,” a step down from “good.”  Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Costa Rica, and Portugal are socially free, their press is good, they’re full democracies, but they are economically “mostly free.”  For the record, the United States is socially free, only mostly economically free, our press is satisfactory, and we are a flawed democracy (this puts us on par with Taiwan, Lithuania, Latvia, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Cyprus)

And finally we have the Corruption Perceptions Index.  As of 2020, the lest corrupt countries are New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Singapore, Norway, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany.

Taking into account the various indices, Norway tops almost every list followed by Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand.  If we can get over he racism (that’s gonna be a major hurdle), I think it’s safe to say that we have our three finalists.  Norway and Iceland are tied or first, with Ireland a close second.  I’m more inclined to favor Ireland because they’ve been helping out the Choctaw Tribe back in the US during the coronavirus, in repayment for their help during the great potato famine; Good Guy Ireland, pays his debts, helps his friends, has a mutual fucking hatred for WASP bastards.

Ireland appears to be the greatest place to live.

Now burst my bubble, because I know it’s coming.  Tell me the bad news, rip off this band-aid nice and quick.

[thinkveganworld]

Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it ...Iran-Contra

Here’s Part One of a four-part series on Iran-Contra I wrote a few years ago.  It was published at a number of online sites including Online Journal (now Intrepid Report), the Daily Kos, and several others.  Though Iran-Contra happened years ago, the history of this episode should be understood.  As the old saying goes,  “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

George H. W. Bush's many lies - Part One

By Carla Binion (”thinkveganworldtumblrcom”)

January 14, 2000 | George W. Bush is the Republican party's confident front-runner and a "pet" of certain mainstream TV journalists.  Chris Matthews of CNBC's "Hardball" said recently that Bush's father had a clean presidency, and commentator Cokie Roberts said on ABC's "Sunday Morning" that Bush comes from a nice family.  

Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and other members of the Reagan Administration participated in a cover-up of Iran-Contra during the 1980s, and the cover-up continues to this day.  In their glowing praise of the Bush family, Matthews and Roberts did not mention George Herbert Walker Bush's many lies to the American people regarding Iran-Contra.

During Iran-contra, Republicans undermined the Constitution in ways Democrats have never done.  Many people say Democrats and Republicans are both owned by large corporations.  They say there is little difference between the parties, and that neither represents the people.  That is true to an extent, but, on the whole, it is only Republicans who have aggressively threatened the Constitution.

Americans often either wince or yawn at the mention of Iran-Contra, a scandal lost to memory for most of us.  However, the story is important now because the son of one of the Iran-Contra participants is running for president.  The elder Bush lied to the public when he claimed he was "out of the loop" on Iran-Contra.  

People might find Iran-Contra interesting if it were more accurately named.  An apt name for Iran-Contra would be the"Republicans-Undermine-the-Constitution" scandal.  If the public fully understood that George W. Bush's father participated in a forceful assault on the Constitution, George-the-Younger would not likely be the GOP front-runner today.

One reason Iran-Contra is lost to the American memory is that television news commentators did not do a good job explaining it to the public.  The problem is not that mainstream media censored the story.  They did not.  Print journalists ran detailed accounts, and the Iran-Contra hearings were televised.  The problem is, many Americans get all their news from television.  Many people believe a news story is important only if TV journalists discuss it on news talk shows day after day.  

Television journalists did not repeatedly dissect Reagan's and Bush's behavior and explain the constitutional implications of Iran-Contra.  Journalists did manage to set aside enough air time to saturate the public with detailed explanations of the Clinton scandal.  If TV commentators had spent an equal amount of time sifting through and explaining Iran-Contra, most Americans would now fully understand why the scandal mattered and how it threatened our constitutional system.  If journalists understood Iran-Contra, they would not say George W. Bush's father had a "clean presidency."  

This week I replayed 1987 and 1990 broadcasts of  "PBS Frontline" with Bill Moyers on the subject of Iran-Contra.  I also re-read substantial portions of the "Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair" published by the New York Times (Times Books, 1988.)  The Moyers broadcast and the Congressional Report are the sources for all the information which follows, except where I specify other sources.        

Moyers says that Congress's report on the Iran-Contra affair shows "the common ingredients of the White House policies were secrecy, deception, and disdain for the law."  Moyers is right.  The Congressional Report does show the Reagan White House deceived the American people and expressed contempt for the Constitution and the law.  

The Congressional Report says:  "The President did know of the Iran arms sales, and he made a deliberate decision not to notify Congress. ... As a consequence of the President's decision not to notify Congress, the operation continued for over a year through failure after failure, and when Congress finally did learn, it was not through notification by the Administration, but from a story published in a Beirut weekly."  

President Ronald Reagan repeatedly told the American people he would not negotiate with terrorists.  That was a lie.  A November 3, 1986 report in a Lebanese magazine broke the story that Reagan was bargaining with the Ayatollah Khomeni for release of American hostages.  Moyers shows footage of Reagan looking straight into TV cameras denying it.  Reagan lied to the public again during a news conference the following week, claiming there were no U. S. sales of arms to Iran.

Reagan also lied to the American people about the nature of the Contras and the purpose of their operations.  Reagan and CIA director William Casey created the Contras.  Reagan portrayed them as democratic "freedom fighters," but the Contras' ultimate goal was the overthrow of the Nicaraguan government, a government legally recognized by the United States.

The Contras were not interested in promoting democracy, as Reagan claimed.  A March 1986 report by the human rights monitoring group America's Watch said:  "The testimony we obtained frequently showed gratuitous brutality:  the Contras not only murdered their victims; they also tortured and mutilated them.  In some cases they also killed members of the families of their targets." (William D. Hartung, AND WEAPONS FOR ALL.)

Around 70 percent of the American people disapproved of Reagan's Central American policy, but he zealously (and secretly) pursued it anyway.  When CIA agents under Reagan's CIA director Casey mined Nicaraguan harbors and blew up fuel tanks, Congress cut off Contra funds.  Reagan then secretly and illegally turned to foreign governments for money to keep the Contras going.  He lied about that to the American people, too.

The Reagan White House enlisted a group called the "Enterprise" to help get around the law.  General Richard Secord defined the Enterprise during the Iran-Contra hearings.  He said, "The Enterprise is the group of companies that Mr. Hakim formed to manage the Contra and the Iranian project. ... I exercise overall control."  Secord admitted to the Congressional Committee that he sold arms to the Contras for a profit.

The Enterprise included, in Moyer's words, "a shadowy network of arms dealers, fraudulent companies, and secret bank accounts."  Senator Daniel K. Inouye, chairman of the Senate Select Committee, described the Enterprise as a "shadowy government with its own Air Force, its own Navy, its own fund-raising mechanism and the ability to pursue its own ideas of the national interest, free from all checks and balances, and free from the law itself."  

Enterprise leader Richard Secord purchased 1,000 missiles from the CIA for $3.7 million.  He sold them to an Iranian middle man for $10 million.  The Enterprise made millions of dollars of profits from sales to Iran, and most of the money did not reach the Contras.  Around $8 million remained in a private Swiss bank account at the time of the Moyers broadcasts.

During the Iran-Contra hearings, Senator Paul Sarbanes asked Secord, "If the purpose of the Enterprise was to help the Contras, why did you charge [Contra leader] Calero a mark-up that included a profit?"  Secord answered, "We were in business to make a living, Senator.  We had to make a living.  I didn't see anything wrong with it at the time."

Bill Moyers says, "While profits were being made, lives were being lost. ... In Nicaragua the Contras use weapons from the Enterprise against civilians.  It is a terrorist war they are fighting.  Old men, women, children are caught in the middle."  Lt. Col. Oliver North learned the Contra leaders were not noble "freedom fighters."  North's liaison with the Contras, Robert Owen, told North in a memo that the people surrounding Contra leader Adolfo Calero "are not first-rate people.  They are liars, greed and power motivated.  This war has become a business to many of them."  

Moyers interviewed a disillusioned former Contra officer. The officer said of Contra leaders, "They bought shoddy goods and sold them at hiked up prices.  They bought low-grade grains...and put them up for sale or billed them to themselves at the highest prices.  They did the same with ammunitions.  They did the same with rifles."

"All this," says Moyers, "the contempt for Congress, the defiance of law, the huge mark-ups and profits, the secret bank accounts, the shady characters, the shakedown of foreign governments, the complicity in death and destruction -- they did all this in the dark, because it would never stand the light of day.  Secrecy is the freedom zealots dream of.  No watchman to check the door.  No accountant to check the books.  No judge to check the law.  The secret government has no Constitution.  The rules it follows are the rules it makes up."

The Reagan Administration repeatedly lied to the American people throughout the Iran-Contra scandal.  In fact, Reagan, Bush, and the other Iran-Contra participants managed to get away with their wrongdoing precisely because they lied, stalled, stonewalled, and participated in a cover-up -- not because they were innocent, as many of their supporters still believe. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Note:  I’ll post the other parts of this series later. 

[antoine-roquentin]

ON DECEMBER 11, 1981 in El Salvador, a Salvadoran military unit created and trained by the U.S. Army began slaughtering everyone they could find in a remote village called El Mozote. Before murdering the women and girls, the soldiers raped them repeatedly, including some as young as 10 years old, and joked that their favorites were the 12-year-olds. One witness described a soldier tossing a 3-year-old child into the air and impaling him with his bayonet. The final death toll was over 800 people.

The next day, December 12, was the first day on the job for Elliott Abrams as assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs in the Reagan administration. Abrams snapped into action, helping to lead a cover-up of the massacre. News reports of what had happened, Abrams told the Senate, were “not credible,” and the whole thing was being “significantly misused” as propaganda by anti-government guerillas.

This past Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo named Abrams as America’s special envoy for Venezuela. According to Pompeo, Abrams “will have responsibility for all things related to our efforts to restore democracy” in the oil-rich nation.

The choice of Abrams sends a clear message to Venezuela and the world: The Trump administration intends to brutalize Venezuela, while producing a stream of unctuous rhetoric about America’s love for democracy and human rights. Combining these two factors — the brutality and the unctuousness — is Abrams’s core competency.

Abrams previously served in a multitude of positions in the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush administrations, often with titles declaring their focus on morality. First, he was assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs (in 1981); then the State Department “human rights” position mentioned above (1981-85); assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs (1985-89); senior director for democracy, human rights, and international operations for the National Security Council (2001-05); and finally, Bush’s deputy national security adviser for global democracy strategy (2005-09).

In these positions, Abrams participated in many of the most ghastly acts of U.S. foreign policy from the past 40 years, all the while proclaiming how deeply he cared about the foreigners he and his friends were murdering. Looking back, it’s uncanny to see how Abrams has almost always been there when U.S. actions were at their most sordid.

ABRAMS, A GRADUATE of both Harvard College and Harvard Law School, joined the Reagan administration in 1981, at age 33. He soon received a promotion due to a stroke of luck: Reagan wanted to name Ernest Lefever as assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs, but Lefever’s nomination ran aground when two of his own brothers revealed that he believed African-Americans were “inferior, intellectually speaking.” A disappointed Reagan was forced to turn to Abrams as a second choice.

A key Reagan administration concern at the time was Central America — in particular, the four adjoining nations of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. All had been dominated by tiny, cruel, white elites since their founding, with a century’s worth of help from U.S. interventions. In each country, the ruling families saw their society’s other inhabitants as human-shaped animals, who could be harnessed or killed as needed.

But shortly before Reagan took office, Anastasio Somoza, the dictator of Nicaragua and a U.S. ally, had been overthrown by a socialist revolution. The Reaganites rationally saw this as a threat to the governments of Nicaragua’s neighbors. Each country had large populations who similarly did not enjoy being worked to death on coffee plantations or watching their children die of easily treated diseases. Some would take up arms, and some would simply try to keep their heads down, but all, from the perspective of the cold warriors in the White House, were likely “communists” taking orders from Moscow. They needed to be taught a lesson.

The extermination of El Mozote was just a drop in the river of what happened in El Salvador during the 1980s. About 75,000 Salvadorans died during what’s called a “civil war,” although almost all the killing was done by the government and its associated death squads.

The numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. El Salvador is a small country, about the size of New Jersey. The equivalent number of deaths in the U.S. would be almost 5 million. Moreover, the Salvadoran regime continually engaged in acts of barbarism so heinous that there is no contemporary equivalent, except perhaps ISIS. In one instance, a Catholic priest reported that a peasant woman briefly left her three small children in the care of her mother and sister. When she returned, she found that all five had been decapitated by the Salvadoran National Guard. Their bodies were sitting around a table, with their hands placed on their heads in front of them, “as though each body was stroking its own head.” The hand of one, a toddler, apparently kept slipping off her small head, so it had been nailed onto it. At the center of the table was a large bowl full of blood.

Criticism of U.S. policy at the time was not confined to the left. During this period, Charles Maechling Jr., who had led State Department planning for counterinsurgencies during the 1960s, wrote in the Los Angeles Times that the U.S. was supporting “Mafia-like oligarchies” in El Salvador and elsewhere and was directly complicit in “the methods of Heinrich Himmler’s extermination squads.”

Abrams was one of the architects of the Reagan administration’s policy of full-throated support for the Salvadoran government. He had no qualms about any of it and no mercy for anyone who escaped the Salvadoran abattoir. In 1984, sounding exactly like Trump officials today, he explained that Salvadorans who were in the U.S. illegally should not receive any kind of special status. “Some groups argue that illegal aliens who are sent back to El Salvador meet persecution and often death,” he told the House of Representatives. “Obviously, we do not believe these claims or we would not deport these people.”

Even when out of office, 10 years after the El Mozote massacre, Abrams expressed doubt that anything untoward had occurred there. In 1993, when a United Nations truth commission found that 95 percent of the acts of violence that had taken place in El Salvador since 1980 had been committed by Abrams’s friends in the Salvadoran government, he called what he and his colleagues in the Reagan administration had done a “fabulous achievement.”

The situation in Guatemala during the 1980s was much the same, as were Abrams’s actions. After the U.S. engineered the overthrow of Guatemala’s democratically elected president in 1954, the country had descended into a nightmare of revolving military dictatorships. Between 1960 and 1996, in another “civil war,” 200,000 Guatemalans were killed — the equivalent of maybe 8 million people in America. A U.N. commission later found that the Guatemalan state was responsible for 93 percent of the human rights violations.

Efraín Ríos Montt, who served as Guatemala’s president in the early 1980s, was found guilty in 2013, by Guatemala’s own justice system, of committing genocide against the country’s indigenous Mayans. During Ríos Montt’s administration, Abrams called for the lifting of an embargo on U.S. arms shipments to Guatemala, claiming that Ríos Montt had “brought considerable progress.” The U.S. had to support the Guatemalan government, Abrams argued, because “if we take the attitude ‘don’t come to us until you’re perfect, we’re going to walk away from this problem until Guatemala has a perfect human rights record,’ then we’re going to be leaving in the lurch people there who are trying to make progress.” One example of the people making an honest effort, according to Abrams, was Ríos Montt. Thanks to Ríos Montt, “there has been a tremendous change, especially in the attitude of the government toward the Indian population.” (Ríos Montt’s conviction was later set aside by Guatemala’s highest civilian court, and he died before a new trial could finish.)

Abrams would become best known for his enthusiastic involvement with the Reagan administration’s push to overthrow Nicaragua’s revolutionary Sandinista government. He advocated for a full invasion of Nicaragua in 1983, immediately after the successful U.S. attack on the teeny island nation of Grenada. When Congress cut off funds to the Contras, an anti-Sandinista guerrilla force created by the U.S., Abrams successfully persuaded the Sultan of Brunei to cough up $10 million for the cause. Unfortunately, Abrams, acting under the code name “Kenilworth,” provided the Sultan with the wrong Swiss bank account number, so the money was wired instead to a random lucky recipient.

Abrams was questioned by Congress about his Contra-related activities and lied voluminously. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of withholding information. One was about the Sultan and his money, and another was about Abrams’s knowledge of a Contra resupply C-123 plane that had been shot down in 1986. In a nice historical rhyme with his new job in the Trump administration, Abrams had previously attempted to obtain two C-123s for the Contras from the military of Venezuela.

Abrams received a sentence of 100 hours of community service and perceived the whole affair as an injustice of cosmic proportions. He soon wrote a book in which he described his inner monologue about his prosecutors, which went: “You miserable, filthy bastards, you bloodsuckers!” He was later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush on the latter’s way out the door after he lost the 1992 election.

While it’s been forgotten now, before America invaded Panama to oust Manuel Noriega in 1989, he was a close ally of the U.S. — despite the fact the Reagan administration knew he was a large-scale drug trafficker.

In 1985, Hugo Spadafora, a popular figure in Panama and its one-time vice minister for health, believed he had obtained proof of Noriega’s involvement in cocaine smuggling. He was on a bus on his way to Panama City to release it publicly when he was seized by Noriega’s thugs.

According to the book “Overthrow” by former New York Times correspondent Stephen Kinzer, U.S. intelligence picked up Noriega giving his underlings the go-ahead to put Spadafora down like “a rabid dog.” They tortured Spadafora for a long night and then sawed off his head while he was still alive. When Spadafora’s body was found, his stomach was full of blood he’d swallowed.

This was so horrific that it got people’s attention. But Abrams leapt to Noriega’s defense, blocking the U.S. ambassador to Panama from increasing pressure on the Panamanian leader. When Spadafora’s brother persuaded North Carolina’s hyper-conservative GOP Sen. Jesse Helms to hold hearings on Panama, Abrams told Helms that Noriega was “being really helpful to us” and was “really not that big a problem. … The Panamanians have promised they are going to help us with the Contras. If you have the hearings, it’ll alienate them.”

Abrams also engaged in malfeasance for no discernible reason, perhaps just to stay in shape. In 1986 a Colombian journalist named Patricia Lara was invited to the U.S. to attend a dinner honoring writers who’d advanced “inter-American understanding and freedom of information.” When Lara arrived at New York’s Kennedy airport, she was taken into custody, then put on a plane back home. Soon afterward, Abrams went on “60 Minutes” to claim that Lara was a member of the “ruling committees” of M-19, a Colombian guerrilla movement. She also, according to Abrams, was ”an active liaison” between M-19 ”and the Cuban secret police.”

Given the frequent right-wing paramilitary violence against Colombian reporters, this painted a target on Lara’s back. There was no evidence then that Abrams’s assertions were true — Colombia’s own conservative government denied it — and none has appeared since.

Abrams’s never-ending, shameless deceptions wore downAmerican reporters. “They said that black was white,” Joanne Omang at the Washington Post later explained about Abrams and his White House colleague Robert McFarlane. “Although I had used all my professional resources I had misled my readers.” Omang was so exhausted by the experience that she quit her job trying to describe the real world to try to write fiction.

Post-conviction Abrams was seen as damaged goods who couldn’t return to government. This underestimated him. Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., the one-time chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tangled fiercely with Abrams in 1989 over the proper U.S. policy toward Noriega once it become clear he was more trouble than he was worth. Crowe strongly opposed a bright idea that Abrams had come up with: that the U.S. should establish a government-in-exile on Panamanian soil, which would require thousands of U.S. troops to guard. This was deeply boneheaded, Crowe said, but it didn’t matter. Crowe presciently issued a warning about Abrams: “This snake’s hard to kill.”

To the surprise of Washington’s more naive insiders, Abrams was back in business soon after George W. Bush entered the White House. It might have been difficult to get Senate approval for someone who had deceived Congress, so Bush put him in a slot at the National Security Council — where no legislative branch approval was needed. Just like 20 years before, Abrams was handed a portfolio involving “democracy” and “human rights.”

By the beginning of 2002, Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chavez, had become deeply irritating to the Bush White House, which was filled with veterans of the battles of the 1980s. That April, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Chavez was pushed out of power in a coup. Whether and how the U.S. was involved is not yet known, and probably won’t be for decades until the relevant documents are declassified. But based on the previous 100 years, it would be surprising indeed if America didn’t play any behind-the-scenes role. For what it’s worth, the London Observer reported at the time that “the crucial figure around the coup was Abrams” and he “gave a nod” to the plotters. In any case, Chavez had enough popular support that he was able to regroup and return to office within days.

Abrams apparently did play a key role in squelching a peace proposal from Iran in 2003, just after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The plan arrived by fax, and should have gone to Abrams, and then to Condoleezza Rice, at the time Bush’s national security adviser. Instead it somehow never made it to Rice’s desk. When later asked about this, Abrams’s spokesperson replied that he “had no memory of any such fax.” (Abrams, like so many people who thrive at the highest level of politics, has a terrible memory for anything political. In 1984, he told Ted Koppel that he couldn’t recall for sure whether the U.S. had investigated reports of massacres in El Salvador. In 1986, when asked by the Senate Intelligence Committee if he’d discussed fundraising for the contras with anyone on the NSC’s staff, he likewise couldn’t remember.)

Abrams was also at the center of another attempt to thwart the outcome of a democratic election, in 2006. Bush had pushed for legislative elections in the West Bank and Gaza in order to give Fatah, the highly corrupt Palestinian organization headed by Yasser Arafat’s successor, Mahmoud Abbas, some badly needed legitimacy. To everyone’s surprise, Fatah’s rival Hamas won, giving it the right to form a government.

This unpleasant outburst of democracy was not acceptable to the Bush administration, in particular Rice and Abrams. They hatched a plan to form a Fatah militia to take over the Gaza Strip, and crush Hamas in its home territory. As reported by Vanity Fair, this involved a great deal of torture and executions. But Hamas stole a march on Fatah with their own ultra-violence. David Wurmser, a neoconservative who worked for Dick Cheney at the time, told Vanity Fair, “It looks to me that what happened wasn’t so much a coup by Hamas but an attempted coup by Fatah that was pre-empted before it could happen.” Yet ever since, these events have been turned upside down in the U.S. media, with Hamas being presented as the aggressors.

While the U.S. plan was not a total success, it also was not a total failure from the perspective of America and Israel. The Palestinian civil war split the West Bank and Gaza into two entities, with rival governments in both. For the past 13 years, there’s been little sign of the political unity necessary for Palestinians to get a decent life for themselves.

Abrams then left office with Bush’s exit. But now he’s back for a third rotation through the corridors of power – with the same kinds of schemes he’s executed the first two times.

Looking back at Abrams’s lifetime of lies and savagery, it’s hard to imagine what he could say to justify it. But he does have a defense for everything he’s done — and it’s a good one.

In 1995, Abrams appeared on “The Charlie Rose Show” with Allan Nairn, one of the most knowledgable American reporters about U.S. foreign policy. Nairn noted that George H.W. Bush had once discussed putting Saddam Hussein on trial for crimes against humanity. This was a good idea, said Nairn, but “if you’re serious, you have to be even-handed” — which would mean also prosecuting officials like Abrams.

Abrams chuckled at the ludicrousness of such a concept. That would require, he said, “putting all the American officials who won the Cold War in the dock.”

[foreverbeingthunderbuddy]

It’s A Date [b.b.]

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Prompt: “How much did you drink?”

Summary: You work for Tony Stark and are madly in love with Bucky. After repeatedly rejecting Tony’s invitations to his monthly extravagant parties, you decide it’s finally time to be badass and accept the invitation. You go the party – and instantly accompany a good old friend named Liquid Courage. Not a good idea when your crush is right there, too.

Warnings: um cuss words, sexual tension

A/N: This is my piece for @upsidedownparker’s 5k writing challenge, congrats again!! Word count around 6k. 

Masterlist

Didn’t someone once say that being sexy is all about attitude, not body type?

Clearly, that someone was a beautiful person with no body flaws because there’s literally no way your attitude can overpower what you see in your bedroom mirror right now. A black dress that goes to mid-thigh and is tight around the waist. A closer look quickly reveals: a little too tight. Or maybe not the dress is the problem here, maybe it’s what underneath it.

It’s been a while since you last wore this particular piece of clothing but you didn’t think those two or three years took a toll on your body as they did. Sure, you didn’t gain a significant amount of weight – maybe one or two pounds? – but you are a hundred percent certain this dress looked better when you bought it.

Hrmpf.

You already did your make-up and were actually on your way out but you couldn’t leave without a last glance in the mirror and well. That was a mistake. You pick on the material at your waist to make it look a little looser, see it doesn’t work, sigh and then grab your purse on the bed behind you.

You accepted Tony’s invitation yesterday and at this point it’s too late to call in and cancel. You could just not show up but the second you told him you’d be there, he declared he’d be looking for you, so it’s not like nobody would notice if you stayed away. He would give you shit for the rest of this week if you chickened out.

The reason why Tony is so eager to get you to go to one of his parties is that since you started working for him two years ago, you declined every single monthly invitation he sent out. Every single one of them. Without an exception. You’re not entirely sure why you do it, all you know is that the thought of dressing up and walking alone among crowds that scream high-society and judge you the second they lay their spoiled eyes on you, is terrifying. And you know you’d be alone.

You interned for a year at Kasper Mentinkberg’s company, did errands, sorted folders, stuff like that until he let you assist in his lab. Halfway through, the project you were working on got a higher classification and the committee demanded a stricter selection of the staff that was involved in it. Meaning no interns.

Kasper had to let you go but you know you did a good job working for him because he made sure you had an excellent letter of recommendation and a job interview with Bruce Banner’s head of assistance at the Stark Tower. You remember leaving the subway station and looking up at the Tower for the first time, heart in your throat, buzz in your ears, breathing non-existent.

When you entered the interviewer’s office, your hands shook so hard it almost looked like a tremble went through your whole body. But you survived, surprisingly. And not just that, two days later you got a long-awaited call from a number you have memorized since Kasper informed you about the job interview. Your heart was beating somewhere outside your body as you picked up your phone and answered it.

You interned at Bruce’s lab for three weeks before he sat you down and offered you a legit job. You almost cried. Bruce Banner, THE Bruce Banner, wanted you to work for him. A girl is allowed to cry about that. Tears of joy, of course.

You’ve been working for him for two years now and you are proud to call him your friend. Not many people can say that. And not many people have a Stark Industries ID, a work place in the Stark Tower, and a very generous boss who doesn’t know what minimum wage is. Working for one Avenger also comes with the circumstance that you meet every single one of Earth mightiest defenders at some point in your being there.

And one of them caught your eye in particular. One would think the metal arm is an immediate indicator of him being a Walking Danger but you’re not dull enough to mistake James Buchanan Barnes for any other than the sweet, caring person that he is. Even if his appearance can be intimidating sometimes.

If Bucky knew about your feelings for him, you would have to quit and move to Nicaragua.

You sigh again and close your apartment door behind you. You won’t cancel tonight, it’s time that you get yourself together and attend one of Tony’s stupid parties. Maybe he will leave you alone then.

The drive to his New Yorkian mansion takes fifteen minutes. Traffic included. You live very close to the Tower and the Tower is very close to Tony’s mansion, so it’s all just a stone’s throw. Sometimes you walk to work, if the weather is good and you don’t feel too exhausted from the previous day. Let’s just say working overtime isn’t a rarity in a corporation that sees its responsibility in saving the world every week, including weekends.

Though, Bruce would never let you work on Saturdays and Sundays, you just offer it and if refused, you stubbornly come to work anyway if you feel like they are occupied with a big case and need every help they can get. Hence the tiredness on some days. Maybe you’re not as smart as you always think you are.

The mansion appears in front of you and with all the decorations and the lights it looks like the fanciest building in this city. And is that a red carpet on the ground? Tony never had an understanding of subtlety. You would smile if the sight of glamorous crowds walking through the gates didn’t make you so anxious. That’s a lot of people.

You cut your eyes away from the extravagant dresses and high-heels and search for the side gate instead. Tony told you, in case you ever decided to attend his parties, you could take the sideway and park your car in a separate parking space that is specifically reserved for his Avenger colleagues and a couple of staff members who he is friends with. And apparently, he sees you in that category as well.

You show the security guard your invitation and ID and he checks whether your name is on the list for special parking, which it is, opens the gate and you follow a nicely decorated path along the side of Tony’s house until eventually you reach a small parking lot that is separated from the garden – or outside area, how Tony calls it – by a big wooden fence. There are already ten cars parking next to each other but you don’t know which one belongs to whom.

There are four empty spots left and you stop your car next to a red, expensive looking Tesla. Carefully so as not to harm the shiny car paint, you open the door and crumble out of your not at all fancy-looking vehicle and sort your dress, remove all wrinkles and check your hair. You can hear voices coming from behind the fence, joyful chatter and mindless laughter, and it seems like a part of the guests have already moved their conversations outside to the over-the-top patio.

It’s going to be fine, Y/N, don’t get stressed just because you don’t know anyone. They’re not going to notice you anyway. Just look for Bruce or Nat and stay one or two hours and then you’re done.

You take a deep breath and start walking to the open glass door, glowing lamps in the shape of a ball lay on the ground left and right like statues in a museum entrance. Not without hesitation, you enter the mansion.

Or just get drunk, maybe that’s better.

You follow the music – jazz? – down the hallway and walk around a corner and through another door. The voices you could make out vaguely now sound very prominent and you know if you walk around that corner over there, you will enter the huge party room. Party hall. Party area?

It’s enormous and has a bar and looks like Tony could rent it to other people as a party location.

Let’s go.

Gathering all your courage, you step forward and leave the hallway and almost get struck dead by the sight that presents itself in front of you.

Dim lights, dozens of little seating areas occupied by important looking, glitter wearing people, stylish lamps creating a We’re-at-a-club atmosphere without destroying the ambiance’s high-society feel, a beautifully lit, gigantic bar that holds about every type of liquor you could imagine, a dancefloor and a small buffet offering what looks like fingerfood and salad.

The music – only barely drowned out by the people’s chatter – is coming from speakers that are hidden well enough that you can’t find them. Oh, and those really are a lot of people. It seems like Tony invited half of New York tonight. Ugh. At least you are one of the few people who 1) work for him and know him personally and 2) are allowed to park on his property. Makes you feel a little more special, and you need that feeling, urgently.

You would have loved to see his “garage” with those deluxe cars but that’s for another time, you guess.

Hesitantly, you start to move and make your way over to the bar, dodging guests who are too caught up in their conversations to notice you. This is exactly like last time.

See, you’ve done this before. You said you never attended one of Tony’s parties but that isn’t exactly true. You just think that first time doesn’t count because you’ve only been there for five minutes before you left with a heavy, disappointed heart and teary eyes. It was five months ago.

All this “It’s time to be an adult and just go that dumb party” already happened, you didn’t wear this dress, though, you wore a black skirt and a silver, sleeveless blouse. It was an expensive outfit and you were happy to showcase it. Everything was exactly like tonight, short car drive, special parking, jazz music, deep breath at the corner, being wildly impressed by the interior.

The only thing that was different back then was your motivation. Tonight it’s so Tony won’t bother you again with his judging eyes and charming attempts at persuasion to get you to accept the invitation. Five months ago it was the fact that Bucky has personally tried to convince you to come here. You’ve already fallen for him at that point, so it wasn’t like he had much Convince-Y/N work to do.

****

“Y/N, you’re really missing out and I’m not just saying that because Tony wants me to. Come on. Try it at least once” He said and rested both of his elbows on the counter that separated you from him.

You were in the lab, Bruce was in a meeting with Tony and there were only two other assistants minding their own business at the other side of the room. It wasn’t often that Bucky came down here and when he did, it was so he could speak to Bruce about important Earth saving stuff. He almost never came to the lab just to talk to you, even though he always did when he was here. He made sure he got to exchange at least a couple of words with you every time, without an exception.

Even if it was mostly him talking and you making agreeing noises because his presence and unshared attention made you so nervous that you couldn’t get out three coherent words without embarrassing yourself.

You remember his hair was tied in a low knot at the back of his neck and his eyes were so piercing blue that you preferred looking at your notes in front of you. You also remember the slight annoyance you felt when you realized you were in full lab attire, your hair in a boring ponytail and you didn’t even bother to put on make-up.

“I don’t know” You said and showed a little smile, still not looking at him, “Those parties always sound so … fancy and over the top. I don’t think that’s for me.”

“It’s not really for me either but … they have a bar and nice music and plenty of opportunities to talk to each other without having Bruce or his assistants being nosy bystanders.”

Your heart jumped at that comment and you looked up to meet his eyes and saw him smile when he realized he had you on the hook. Without hiding the confident look on his face, he straightened up and laid both his hands flat on the counter and you tried not to stare at his metal arm under that tight, black shirt whose sleeves he pulled up to his elbows.

“Come on, Y/N.”

****

As every girl on this planet would, you gave in. Got dressed up, came here full of hope and a joyfully beating heart, only to see Bucky dance with a beautiful woman rather intimately, allowing her to kiss his face and brush her hands over his biceps and back, making your joyful heart turn hollow and sink to your knees.

Maybe this is one of those situations where a misunderstanding leads to the female protagonist storming out the room in tears while her guy tries to get away from Miss I’m-responsible-for-the-low-point-in-this-love-story without being too rude because he is a genuinely good guy, you thought. So, eyes filled with un-cried tears and a tight throat, you watched and gave him ten seconds to prove this is nothing but a misunderstanding.

He used that time to lay his arms around her waist and whisper something into her ear. You were out of there before any of the other Avengers could notice you.

****

“Why didn’t you come to the party yesterday?” He asked and grabbed one of the Erlenmeyer flasks filled with an orange liquid that you didn’t exactly know because you mindlessly mixed stuff together while thinking heartbrokenly about the previous night.

You didn’t look at him and proceeded to write down notes.

“I did come to the party. It was nice. Beautiful decorations” You said and tried to keep your voice on a light level. From the corner of your eye, you could see Bucky turn his head to you, surprised.

“You did?”

“Yup.”

“I didn’t see you, why … Why didn’t you come to me? I thought we wanted to talk?” He asked and the fact that he genuinely sounded baffled angered you almost enough to let it show. Instead, you shrugged.

“I didn’t want to interrupt. Besides, I already was in good company. Tony invited a ton of people, some of which I knew, so I kind of … forgot I guess.” You looked at him. “I’m sorry.”

His beautiful blue eyes stared at you as if he tried to read your mind. He looked puzzled and there was something else. Something you weren’t willing to identify.

“You didn’t want to interrupt” He repeated. You nodded and pulled your attention back to your notes.

There was silence for a moment and you heard a quiet thud as he put down the flask that was still in his hand. It took all of your willpower not to look at him, as much as your wildly beating heart wanted you to.

“Next time I pick you up and we go there together. Maybe this meeting-at-the-party thing doesn’t work for us” He said and actually sounded determined. Now why did it hurt you to reject him?

“I don’t think there’s going to be a next time for me. I saw enough and I don’t think it’s worth it.”

****

You walk around a woman with a shiny, golden dress and that’s when your eyes fall on a familiar face in the crowd at the same time as that familiar face notices you, too. Bruce Banner’s eyes grow big as he realizes who he is looking at and you register with an amused smile how his jaw drops like he is in a cartoon. You wave at him and he salutes to you.

Rolling your eyes, you laugh and disappear from his field of vision, approaching the bar and sliding into a free spot at the counter. You climb onto the chair and inspect the shelves behind the two bartenders. God, that’s a lot of bottles. How to you choose?

Your thought from earlier pops up in your head again – Get drunk! – so you order a cocktail from which you know it’s more alcohol than anything. Long Island Iced Tea. Two or three of those should do the job. Maybe before you get completely shitfaced, you should look for Tony and prove you were actually here.

You turn in your chair and let your eyes wander over the crowd. A useless venture it seems, there’s no way you find him between all these people. You crane your neck and see Bruce talking to Nat. They look like two teenagers on their first date rather than two mighty Avengers who fought Hydra and Earth’s most dangerous scum. You smile while sipping on your drink.

****

“So, you and Nat, hm?” You asked and threw a meaningful side-look at him while you handed him a pair of lab goggles. He pretended not to see your look and put them on.

“Me and Nat?”

“Oh, don’t act all innocent. I’m not blind. Every time you two talk it’s like you’re about to have your first kiss. I almost feel weird being in the same room with the two of you anymore, I feel like a constant cockblock.”

You heard him snort nervously but he still refused to look at you and tipped on the holo-screen in front of him.

“Wow, I- I don’t think you are- I don’t think that’s true. We’re not, you know, it’s not easy- we are-“

“In love?”

He shot you an annoyed look.

“What about you and Bucky? Any good news?” He suddenly asked, going into direct attack mode. His question did exactly what he intended, it took you off-guard and you stared at him for a moment, the wheels in your head working hectically.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“He has a soft spot for you, Y/N, it’s fairly obvious. Do you really think it’s necessary for him to come down here as often as he does?” He asked and gave you a smile that you didn’t reciprocate. He probably didn’t see Bucky at the party. But … did he really have a soft spot for you? Did he come down here with excuses just to talk to you?

“Why have you been avoiding him lately?”

“I think Nat is so into you” You said to change the subject.

“I think Bucky is so into you” Bruce retorted and grabbed a little container filled with blue powder.

“What the fuck is this? Love Advice Live with Bruce and Y/N?” Tony suddenly threw in from the door.

****

Does Bucky really have a soft spot for you? Then why did he go and dance with other women like he’s about to do the do right there on the dance floor? Is that a weird Winter Soldier way of liking someone? Is that how they did these things back in the 40s?

Before you get any of these questions answered, your eyes find the person you have been thinking about the whole night. His chin-length hair is pulled back and gives a free view of his pretty face and he wears a black sweater over a dark blue button-up peeking out at the collar. He looks so good you want to cry.

His eyes are on you. And you don’t know how long he has been watching you.

Despite your manners picking on your side and trying to get you to smile at him, you don’t and simply look at him. He does the same. All while ignoring the man and woman next to him who he’s been in a conversation with. You see his gaze travel down your figure, taking in your outfit and you realize he has probably never seen you in a dress before. When his eyes come back up to your face, there’s still no reaction but he doesn’t break off eye contact either.

You wait three seconds – he certainly doesn’t look like he’s coming over here anytime soon – and turn away from him to face the bar. God, can your pulse calm down please? Why did this feel so wild?

You pull out your phone and scroll down to Tony’s contact.

Hey, Tony. I’m at your little party. Bar. I officially pronounce myself off the hook now.

You put away the phone and take another deep gulp from your drink. It’s already half empty and you feel warmer and warmer as the seconds pass by. Or maybe that’s just the burning look Bucky is giving you from somewhere behind you.

“Excuse me, is this spot taken?” A deep male voice suddenly asks and you smile into your drink before making a vague gesture with your hand.

“Now it is.”

Bruce sits down next to you and puts his drink beside yours. You don’t know what the liquid is, but you know it’s high-proof.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I bet 50 bucks that you wouldn’t attend these parties until next year” He jokes and brushes his thumb over the condensation of the glass in his hand.

“And who bet with you?” You ask, feeling both amused and uncomfortable that you would be a conversational topic at the Stark Tower. Bruce smiles.

“Steve. He said you would come here before this Christmas and he was right.”

“Sorry about the 50 bucks.”

He shrugs.

“Ah, whatever” He says and takes a gulp from his drink, “It was about time.”

You grab your own glass and empty it. Probably not a good idea but free alcohol, my people. Now is the time. You could cut the tension between you and Bucky with a knife and why would you sit through it sober? Tomorrow’s not a work day for you anyway.

You don’t tell Bruce about your little tragedy five months ago, instead you sigh, say “Yup” and order another Long Island Iced Tea. When it arrives, you both clink glasses and take generous sips before putting down the drinks and staring at the shiny bottles in the shelves.

“So. You and Nat, hm?” You repeat the question that opened a very similar conversation some time ago. He gives you The Hand – stop right there.

“Not gonna have this conversation again. Just shut up and drink your alcohol bomb and let me stare at her in peace.”

You snort, do what he says and then follow his gaze over your shoulder to Nat standing a couple of feet away. She’s talking to Steve. You throw a careful look at Bruce who watches them with a resigned look on his face. Sucking in some air, you want to start assuring him that there’s nothing going on between those two when he raises his hand and shows you his palm again – stop right there.

“Don’t wanna hear it.”

Hrmpf. Okay then.

Your eyes wander over the dozens and dozens of heads until they find a certain person you’ve been meaning to look for but meaning to ignore at the same time. Bucky is currently caught up in a conversation with a blonde chick, he has his head slightly tilted down to her and she has a look on her face that indicates she is about to eat him alive.

Hello, jealousy, my old friend. There you are. Would you mind not punching me so hard? That’d be nice.

You clench your teeth and grab your glass from behind you and – well, you guessed it. This drink is disappearing faster than you thought. Should you stop?

“What about you and Bucky?” Bruce teases beside you, he likely noticed your behaviour. You give him The Hand like he did with you earlier and keep your eyes on Bucky. What you don’t do is answer but it seems enough of an answer for Bruce anyway because he starts laughing.

“At least I’m not alone with this.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Bucky and I are not like you and Nat.”

“Sure. Listen, I’ll go outside for a second, make a phone call … and stuff. You okay here?”

You give him a look – “I’m an adult, Bruce” – and nod. He smiles his awkward Banner smile and stands up from his seat. You don’t watch him leave, instead you search for Nat but she, too, has disappeared. Hm. You smile to yourself. Make a phone call, sure.

You barely took another sip when you feel another presence next to you.

“Hi, is this spot taken?” An unknown male voice asks and you turn your head to see a handsome guy with dark blonde, short hair, brown eyes and a charming smile. He wears a white suit shirt tucked into his black pants and a black necklace around his neck whose pendant is hidden under his shirt.

You automatically smile back, “Nope”, and gesture for him to sit down. In his hand is a beer.

“Are you alone?” He asks and eyes you closer, taking his time with checking you out. If he didn’t have such a charming smile, you would lie and tell him your plus one is outside smoking.

“Yeah, I came here on my own” You admit with a shy smile and look back at the crowd.

Two piercing blue eyes meet yours and even from the distance you can see a slight frown on his face. He is still talking to the girl but right now he doesn’t seem to hear a single thing she says.

“I almost can’t believe that. Surely, there must be quite a number of men who would have loved to come here with you” The man says and his cheesy comment makes you laugh, more out of embarrassment than anything else. You look back at him and feel the alcohol get to your head. Which is why you don’t come up with something to excuse yourself and leave but actually stay here and smile at him.

“You’d be surprised” You say because you don’t know what else to answer and throw a quick glance at Bucky but you can’t find him. He’s gone. Just like the blonde. They probably left together. That realization hurts you more than you expected, and your smile vanishes instantly.

“Well, lucky me, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to talk to you right now” He says, oblivious to the fact your mood dropped to negative fifty. You turn to him and give him a polite smile. And then you listen to him talk about the law firm he works for, some kind of fancy one you already forgot the name of the minute he told you, and sip on your drink. Lost in thought.

“That’s awesome” You express your obligatory adoration after a minute, so he won’t ask you questions, not knowing what it was that he just said that is so awesome. He – his name is Mark – rewards your comment with a smile, lays one of his hands on top of yours and looks at one of the expensive looking wine bottles in those shelves.

“Well, tha-“

“Excuse me” Someone suddenly interrupts and at the familiar voice your head swings around and you stare up at Bucky with wide eyes.

“Um, yes?” Mark asks, sounding more irritated than appropriate and you could push him.

One look at Bucky reveals: the man is pissed. His eyes seem darker than usual and his sensual mouth is pressed into a line. And thank god, his hostile demeanour isn’t directed at you.

“Can I help you with anything?” Bucky asks him and steps a little closer to you, making your pulse speed up. Should you intervene? Do you want to intervene? Nope. Not really. Mark was getting more and more annoying to be honest and it looks like Bucky is saving you from him.

“Excuse me? Help me with anything? What exactly do you mean?” Mark clearly doesn’t know who he is talking to or else he would try to keep his tone more respectful. Bucky could knock him out with a single punch.

“I mean” He says lowly, and lays one hand around your waist, “Do you need anything or why are you bothering my date?”

Oh-oh.

Mark looks at you, dumbfounded doesn’t even cut it, and then he frowns. One of his many mistakes tonight is not taking away his hand from yours.

“She told me she’s here on her own and she didn’t even mention you once, man. Maybe step back and bother someone else.”

Double oh-oh.

You feel Bucky’s hand squeeze your waist, likely to regain some composure. Is it wrong that you don’t want him to regain composure?

“As far as I could see, you didn’t even give her the chance to tell you she’s with me. You should give the women an opportunity to say something, too, when you talk to them, man.” Well. You did tell him you’re alone but that’s an unimportant detail, you guess. “Now why don’t you step back and we forget this happened?” He asks and how he asks it, it doesn’t sound like a question, it sounds more like an order and something way back in your head finds that hot. Ugh. The alcohol.

Mark apparently doesn’t have a sense for self-preservation.

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

“Alright then, maybe I can change your mind.” And with that he reaches out to Mark’s hand, grabs his wrist and pulls it away from your hand rather violently, so that Mark loses balance for a second and steps to the side. You watch with big eyes but closed mouth. No way you’re getting inbetween that.

“Ey, man-“ Mark starts but gets interrupted by Bucky’s metal hand laying itself on his shoulder – squeezing hard you bet – and that’s when he finally notices the unusual arm. You can literally see the thought process play out on his face, anger, confusion, realization, regret, fear. You would laugh if it wasn’t so serious.

The people standing next to you have long detected the uneven fight going on over here but because they know who the Winter Soldier is, they don’t even make an attempt to help poor Mark out of his misery. He kind of … deserves it. Just a little bit. A teeny tiny little bit.

“I, um-“

“How about you go over there and don’t look at her again for the rest of the night. How about that?” Bucky asks rhetorically and gives his shoulder a “soft” push. You just know he wishes he could use his strength to its full potential but that really wouldn’t be fair, would it?

“Good idea” Mark says and wants to go for his beer on the counter but Bucky’s arm at his chest stops him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you. Leave it. I’m sure you’ll find another beer.”

Mark nods.

“Of course.”

And then he’s gone. If Bucky had been a stranger right now trying to harass you, your saviour in shiny armor certainly wouldn’t have been Mark. Good to know.

You don’t say anything while Bucky steps to the bar right next to you and orders a beer. You just take in his side profile.

“You would think lawyers had at least some manners” He suddenly says and gives you a look and you can’t help but smile. He knows Mark’s lawyer? So he listened in on the conversation.

“Maybe he was my date and you just cock-blocked me” You say before you can stop yourself but you feel so much more confident than usual. You would never talk to him like that if you were in the lab. Tonight is different, though – mindlessly, you brush over the glass of your second almost empty Long Island Iced Tea – and you wonder why. Probably doesn’t need a scientist to figure out.

Bucky turns to you and props up his metal arm on the counter. You don’t think you have ever been this close to him, his face only inches away and oh my god – have those eyes always looked right into your soul? You almost miss the cocky smile on his face.

“I know he wasn’t. You just met him. And I wouldn’t have intervened if you hadn’t looked so miserable while he tried to get his filthy hands near your body.”

You smile. For some reason.

“So you watched us?” You ask teasingly, and again, the special confidence is speaking out of you. God, when you wake up tomorrow, you will be so embarrassed about this. You know he notices, too, because he raises his eyebrows and his eyes cut to the glass in your hand.

“How much did you drink?”

“Not much. I can take a lot” You lie and give him a determined nod. It doesn’t have the effect you hoped for, though, because the bastard starts grinning widely like you made a joke.

“Ah yeah? You can take a lot? Let me guess, that’s your first drink.”

You play punch his shoulder – of course he doesn’t even move an inch – and empty the rest of your glass. What a smart plan. How does a girl sober up, so she won’t make a fool out of herself in front of the guy she’s in love with? Right. Drink more.

“It’s my fifteenth, thank you very much.”

Bucky throws his head back and laughs and you stare at his neck as if you’re hypnotized or thirsty as fuck or both.

“Maybe I should take you to the hospital then, party girl. I don’t need you to die of alcohol poisoning. Besides, that’s definitely not how I planned our date to go” Bucky says and you suddenly feel heat crawl up your neck.

“Date? I don’t recall planning this as a date. I came here on my own” You say and raise your hand to order another Iced Tea but Bucky is faster.

“Water for the lady please. Thanks.”

You don’t get the chance to make a big deal out of this because he is already back to talking.

“I convinced you to come here five months ago and you saw me dance with a random woman and then decided you’re through with all of this but I told you I wanted to come here with you next time. I didn’t particularly say Date but I think it was pretty clear what I meant” He explains and takes a sip from his beer without his eyes leaving your face. You frown.

“Is that guy logic? Also, don’t remind me of that night. It opened my eyes” You lie again, because it didn’t open your eyes at all and you’re still heads over heels for him like the first day. But you try to regain some ground here and you think you are doing a good job.

“Y/N, I think we need to talk. No sugar coating, no holding back. I lost my patience tonight and we need to clear some things up” He says and puts down his beer. With one arm he grabs your waist, the other goes to your upper back and he pulls you off your chair.

“Let’s dance. We can talk then.”

Dance? How can you possibly talk about your feelings while dancing? Not that you actually want to talk about your feelings, especially not with Bucky. You’d rather die.

And that’s when you notice the calm, jazzy music coming from the speakers, definitely encouraging slow, romantic, meaningful dances. You look at him and see him smile. Sly dog.

****

Forever Tags:  @izzy-the-teawitch @wowpeterparker @brightcolorsoffendme @strangequakson @rosegoldquintis @thirdwheelchurchill  @hazel-eyed-bi @goldenkillmonger @yourwonderbelle @hawaiiantozier @irondadandspidersoncute @thirtiethnovember @fancyfangirl-style @appalo0 @lionheo04 @vivideley @mae-shower @jitterbuck @bookgirlunicorn @stanningissohard

Bucky Barnes Tags:  @ria132love @cauraphernelia

[go-diane-winchester]

Misha Collins is a failure

I did a post about how much of a failure Misha Collins is, in the field of acting.  This genius, and I have noticed this consistently with hellers, completely misread the post. 

@fandemisha asked me the following:

Is there a school operating today in Nicaragua, and an orphanage in Haiti, and you say that Misha is a failure? Tell me what Jensen and Jared have accomplished outside their bulky bank account?

This person seemed familiar so I rummaged through my stash of heller receipts and found this.  This is @fandemisha's  lol theory about Jensen having a breakdown at Jibcon and Jared's inclusion in the last Jib panel.

See how this weirdo's brain works.  She thinks that people who spend almost no time together have regular sex.  Cockles takes a lot of overreaching, but if they don't over reach, they wont have a ship.  Ok, so @fandemisha, my post was not about Misha's questionable charities.  It was about his shitty acting.  Misha has a flopped orphanage in Haiti which is as big as a villa but houses around 20 children.  How can a poor country have a shortage of orphans.  The orphanage was without electricity for a long time.  The asshole couldn't provide lights, but he had the money for a cruise every year or so.  Jared and Jensen have no time for charities because, unlike Misha, who barely works, J2 have full time jobs.  Despite that they still make time for:

To Write Love on her Arm [TWLOHA]

The Down Syndrome Connection

St. Jude’s

Wounded Warriors

AKF

Misha's problem is his charity work is not exactly successful.  It like showing off about baking ten wedding cakes in a day and they look very posh, but when you taste them, they taste of garlic.  That is what Misha's charities are like, very big and loud proof of Misha's sainthood, but when you look deeper, you realize that he hasn't done much good.  He can totally toot his own horn though.  However, if you try to question the failure of his projects, his very mature answer is ''fuck you''.  Nice, very telling of his temperament.

Oh, and the reason why J2 have bulky bank balances, is because they are leads which means they work more than Misha who is number 5 on the call sheet.  And they are the leads because they are better actors.  Misha cant act well.  He stinks.  The execs didn't know that so they gave him the Empty entity.  The nasal voice has been laughed at, by all and sundry.  Execs were forced to recast the role.  Sorry you cant come to terms with the truth.  Fuck your ugly overlord.

[eorzeasntm]

ENTM Tumblr Cycle 11

Round Six: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and Legends from Around the World

Whew, that title is a mouthful, but we wanted to ensure that everyone had a chance to pick a story that had meaning to them.  We had a tale from Japan, legends from England and Nicaragua, and a whole passel of Grimm’s tales to bring us full circle.    The judges and the community all agreed that this week’s best fairy tale cosplay was:

Ni’ko Shae for Puss in Boots

The decision to go with a vertical shot showed off those long kitty legs to perfection, and the choice of an action shot in a dungeon (since this round was free style) let the story fully come to life.  Congratulations!

Our guest judge this week was Momoko, the co-host of ENTM Instagram Cycle 2.  Thanks Momoko!  We did a full on judge swap so you can also check out my critiques for IG Cycle 2, Round Two on our Discord channel!

For the Tumblr models, your critiques for this week are below if you keep on reading.

Judge Momoko

Kota:  I love your glam for this!! It really feels like a Hollywood take on what Little Red Riding hood would wear. It’s also very very easy to tell which fairy tale you’re showcasing, so big props to you!! The apples in the opposite corner to you help to add a couple more pops of red to the overall pic and help balance it.

Yomu: I hadn’t heard of this legend before, so first off, I wanna say thank you for teaching me something!! I thought your use of the Nanamo minion was so incredibly cute and creative!! I think the lighting was just a hair harsh on her, though, and we sort of lost all of the cute pink colors on her, but I also thought how you framed the upper half of the pic with bamboo was both a clever way to stay true to the legend and keep it from having too much empty space!!(It might take me a bit to send them all out today, ‘cause I’m at work, but I promise they’ll be sent today

Haila:  This was such a fun entry!! I’d never heard of La Mocuana and had to read about it, but I loooooove monster girls and creepy folklore in general, so I’m so happy you went with it!! After reading about it, I think you fit the story to a T!! I love the expression and how it’s half-hidden, and the colors/filter really tell that you’re by yourself in a dark cave. I will say that your hair blended in a little too well with the background, but other than that, yours was so creative and fun!!

Peaceful:  How creative!! I never would of thought of doing King Arthur, but you really nailed it!! It’s extremely easy to tell which legend you’re replicating. Your picture’s colors are a little dull and faded, which halfway lends to it, but it also makes it a little muddy. However, I think you adding that soft back lighting over your shoulders easily draws the viewer’s attention back to you, which was really clever!!

Adam:  I think your choice in legend was really interesting!! There’s all sorts of aquatic-based stories, and I feel like Sinbad would be a little more difficult to convey, so props to you for choosing something challenging!! I wish I could’ve seen a more dynamic pose/more of the boat you’re standing on, but the soft muted colors in the background are such a nice combination with the yellow pop of your glam!!

Bria:  Beauty and the Beast is my favorite story!! I really liked your glams and how the colors complimented each other. However, it is a little difficult to tell exactly which fairy tale you’re emulating without the title, and it’s hard to see who the specific model in the picture is. But I also thought that your garden courtyard background was a cute way to imply that you’re at a fairy tale castle!!

Luma: Your choice for your story was way too cute!! I never would’ve thought of doing Jack and the Beanstalk, but I’m so glad that you did!! I think that your choice of environment was super cute, creative, and resourceful!! My biggest thing was that I couldn’t see your face, and your glam colors blended a little too well with your background, but I also liked how unbalanced your picture was; it really helped showcase how giant that beanstalk was!!

Ni’ko- Yours was my most favorite picture!! Your glam was so cute (going for that monotone look to match your hair and tail was a really clever way to make yourself look like a cute tabby), and the boots!! THE BOOTS!! The way that you zoomed out the camera to help elongate your legs was such a clever way to bring focus to the main part of your legend in an almost cartoony way, which I’m a big fan of. I think that your weapon choice and overall color palette is extremely well-done, too!!

Judge Ona

Haila: I learned about this folktale when I took Spanish in High School. Our teacher was pretty twisted, but that’s why everyone loved Senora. I was super excited when Kat told the judges that you did this tale, and genuinely LOVE how you captured it! She hides her face and wanders the forests driven mad by betrayal. If you aren’t the vision of mad, I don’t know what is!

I love the color palette here. Sticking with blues, and only a hint of pinks, you create an eerie vibe. With the filter appearing almost translucent over you, it creates an illusion that you are actually the translucent one.  The glamour choice is phenomenal. In the story it says she is dressed in silks, and this is extraordinarily flowy.

My only real critique is that I cannot see your entire body, and although the filter gives a spooky feel, I wish you could have found a cave entrance or a body of water or something to add to the background. Regardless of this, this shot totally encapsulates La Mocuana, and I am so glad you picked something from Nicaraguan culture.

Ni’ko: If you keep changing Ni’ko’s color I will never know who I am looking at.

However, Ni’ko, I love the choice here! I love how you did a non-human fairytale, where your race could be used to your advantage. I love how you are being showy with your pose, as Puss and Boots most definitely was. Sword up, foot pointed forward toward the front of the image and back hand outstretched as if you’re saying “is that all?”. I also LOVE that your glam looks like the humanoid version of the character we all know; it was an excellent choice to do a big jumpsuit instead of flashy armor.

The lighting is well placed, bringing the viewers eye to your face and the rapier, and the decision to battle such a big enemy was an excellent choice so as its size does not compete with you, because much of it lies just off screen from you.

My only real critique here, is that I wish you maybe had a smirk on your face instead of the blank expression here. A smirk would have conveyed that you are about to kick this monster’s behind, and you are a feline, not a knight. I still love this image and genuinely believe it is one of your strongest yet.

Peaceful: I love your choice of story. Sword in the stone, King Arthur before he was king! It’s a well-known tale, and it’s a strong story to try and cosplay. Unfortunately, you took a big chance and it didn’t quite pan out how maybe you envisioned. However, this image has many strong characteristics, and I would like to go over those for you.

First, your use of this emote or action, shows movement in your character. Bracing yourself to pull the impossible sword from solid stone. You have determination on your face and are focused on the sword. The choice of location lends to the story and is the perfect choice. I would try to avoid the large amount of deadspace in the upper right corner. I know you wanted to get Merlin in the shot, but I think you could have done without him, and closed further in on yourself.

Try next time to place a light on your face instead of the rock in the front, make sure to avoid dead space in the image, change the angle of the image so that its not an upskirt shot which often makes the physics of the clothes act funny, and be mindful of the background (that weird little purple light is very out of place. I think you have some very strong elements, and some weaker ones that you can work on for next week! Remember, you can ask Kat for advice and feedback before submitting.

Yomu: Yomu finds a tiny human in a tree and immediately believes that he may have had too much to drink.

The facial expression had me in tears. You are genuinely freaked out by what you have just found. Your emote here shows excellent action and I can feel the same startling feeling that this woodcutter is feeling! I am pretty sure anyone would feel immediate concern and confusion if they were in this situation.

I love the glamour here, as the story is Japanese in origin, the use of a Japanese style robe helps to place the story’s origin. I am a little concerned about the physics of the robe, however, as it falls slightly unnaturally. The spotlight on your minion is perfect, as the story talks of a shining girl 3 inches tall. Also, excellent choice of filter with particle. I do wish, however, there was a bit more blur to the minion, as this close of a shot lends to distortion and pixelization.

Overall this is a strong image and you do a wonderful job telling the story of the woodcutter. I would loved to have seen more of this story. Try to take into account depth of field, and physics next week. Thank you for also thinking outside of the box and giving us a story from Japan!

Judge Wulf

Bria, you and your costar’s outfits are very well color coordinated! Your location choice is also very appropriate, I feel, since that area of Idylshire gives off a very regal and proper feel. I am a bit concerned that you hair blocks your face! You’re the star of this photo, so make sure you’re the one we see the most of! Always remember: when working with a costar, make sure that they are there to support you and make you look good! That being said, I adore the chemistry between the two of you. Can’t wait to see next week’s shot!

Luma, I admire the lighting in this shot. I am a major fan of bright colors, and you’ve really made the greens, browns, and yellows all come together in this forest scene to make it look both awesome and welcoming all at once. Going with a vertical shot was also a very good choice, I believe, because it makes the “beanstalk” look much more large and imposing, and by contrast you come across much smaller! My main note is this: Since you’re kneeling down and facing away from the camera, you do kind of look a little cloaked in darkness upon first glance. This is a simple fix, though! Just make sure to light up your character a bit more! Once again, I’m really impressed by your concept this week!

Ni’ko, the story of Puss in Boots is one of those that I read over and over again as a kid, and I think you’ve captured a very nice look using the equipment and colors in game! The monster looming over you is also an amazing touch, as it makes you look small, and even more true to the tale! I’m very impressed with your shot this week, but if I had to nitpick, I’d say that it’s only a little off that you aren’t looking at the boss’s face, instead looking through them. Like I said, that’s only a small note though! Very good job this week!

 Peaceful, I instantly knew this was the story of King Arthur! Using iconic imagery to give out key details of what you’re cosplaying in a very important part of any cosplay picture, and I’m glad you’re doing that here! The picture is...very dark though. It may be just my computer monitor, but I find it pretty difficult to see your face or other details about the picture. Could this be an issue with the filter? I’ll tell you where all the darkness does work, though: in the forest behind you. The darkness gives the forest a very spooky vibe, and I’m honestly a little unnerved! For the next week, make sure your character is well lit and visible. Good luck! 

Judge Terrini

Adam: I feel underwhelmed by this shot. You're glamour does nicely call to an Arabic pirate, and there's the boat and water and distant shore but it doesn't really draw on the charm of the Legend of Sinbad. He was one of the early Swashbuckling archetypes and you seem very mellow in this pose. A more dynamic pose and angle would have been nice to see here, something swinging your sword or at least looking away from the camera would have been better to capture the sense of something more. This is a myth, a legend, so you want to capture people's imaginations like the story you're drawing from. Also watch your background composition when you go for something scenic like this. The weather condition colors everything to be rather samey and the sea and sky are both similarly rippled and plain so they come across as uninteresting to the eye. Play with angles and don't be afraid to drop things from your concept for the sake of better composition. Play with it.

Bria: This shot is very playful, and I do like the use of colors (love them blues and purples) as well as the fountain backdrop, but as a depiction of Beauty and the Beast it comes across as a reskin mashup of the Disney movie. It might have been nice if you had your guy wearing an ifrit mask or lion mask or something to up the beast factor, or perhaps went for a different scene from the story. When a competition is fierce, you've gotta push creativity to the limit and really be memorable. 

Haila: I'm not familiar with the fairy tale you're spinning here, but still, I'm entranced. The effects and colors you've chosen with this pose tug at my heart, like you're despairing inside a storm of magic, struggling and pushing onwards. This must certainly have been a moving fable, and your depiction here makes me want to know more. 

Kota: I love the colors captured in this shot, and your glamour is so cute! It's really spot on! Taking the picture by the Apple Trees in North Shroud was great to bring that touch of red into your background as well. The angle of the ground is a bit off-putting and it might be nice to have something more to the image on the ground to enhance the theme with more of a "path". There are some fences in that area too that you might have made use of to that effect. Overall, still a lovely shot.

Judge Nadede

Kota Tumet: This is a pretty good image from you this week. I knew right off the bat that you were Red Riding Hood without looking at the caption, so glamour and your setting did it’s job. I like the lighting that you have and very nice use of depth of field that you have going on there. Your composition I felt was nicely put together as well. I do find myself kinda wishing you were able to incorporate the wolf somewhere within your image as it seems like the only thing missing to make this feel truly complete. So far though, to me, this is your strongest image so far. Keep up the good work.

Yomu Kazul:  I have to admit, yours was one of two stories I actually had to look up and read. After reading “Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,” I felt that you did a good job portraying the scene of the little girl popping out from the bamboo. The composition is nicely done and having the “little girl” looking at you helped at least guide my eye up to you and then back to her with you looking right at her. I thought it was a nice touch using Nanamo minion for the little girl instead of a lala as, if I remember reading right, the little girl was just a few inches or so tall when she pops out of the bamboo. So I applaud attention to detail there. My qualm however is when zooming out to get an overall view of the image, your foreground is a bit on the bright side and going back to where your face is in the image, it’s a bit on the dark side. I would suggest try to make the light to where it is a bit brighter towards you and not so bright closer to the audience. Overall, nice work.

Luma Lee:  Luma, while I like the composition of your shot this week, the bottom part where you are at was hard for me to make out. I wouldn’t have thought Jack and the Beanstalk at all just from looking at your image because it was a bit muddled. After reading the description that you had chosen “Jack and the Beanstalk,” it made a bit more sense as to why there is an emphasis on the tree. What I’m having a problem with is that your lighting could use work, especially around your character. With you in the shadows and your outfit is the same color as your background, you blend in a bit too much. I also think a different filter would have worked in your favor as well. So far this is your best shot compositionally for me, just work on the lighting a bit more. Good job.

Adam Evershot:   While this is a nice shot for you Adam, I felt like you could have done more with the story of Sinbad. I find myself wishing that perhaps you could’ve brought in extras to help you with a “crew” of some sort or brought some part of the story to life. I do find the atmospheric lighting of your image nice, I do wish that you could have done a bit more with the lighting on your character to bring you out just a bit more. Just remember when doing a cosplay type shot to find a way to bring out the story of that character more. Overall good work.

[skating-jellyfish]

About me tag

I got tagged by ejili (I’m sorry for some reason I can’t tag you ;w; ) and I feel like I’m kinda late to the party but i didn’t have much time to do it ;; sorry, since I game late I feel kinda awkward tagging someone but if you wanna do it feel free doing so! Sorry for taking so long!

Also y’all will be able to see the fact that I don’t know how to tumblr and I got no idea how to change the letters policy(?

How tall are you?

I’m 1,68 so like 5,6 for the other side :>

What color and style is your hair?

It’s curvy and dark brown, normally I just leave it at natural and it takes its own form(?

What kind of student are/where you?

Not part of the brilliant ones for sure, maybe the one that always keeps asking stupid questions.

What color are you eyes?

Dark brown again :D

When were you born?

A first September 17 years ago, maybe 16...

What’s your fashion sense?

Do I even have one? Most of the time I just dress black, blue or pink.

Do you like school?

Yeah, until physique class cames in.

Where were you born & where do you live now?

I was born on the capital of a small country called El Salvador who is in the middle of America and in the middle of nothing :> I still live there it’s nice but small!

What school do/did you go?

A french school in the capital

Full name

Andrea ❤️

Do you wear braces?

Nope~

They are kinda expensive so I’m happy that i don’t.

Do you have any regrets?

Aside from being born? Yeah many

Favorite book?

Tom sawyer and huckleberry Finn

Favorite movie?

Ahhh this is hard but probably Mulan

Favorite tv show?

Does anime counts? Because One Piece

Do you wear glasses?

No, i do need them tho, but I just can’t get used to them and my head hurts when I put them on ;;;;

Favorite pastime?

Pet dog(? Idk really maybe to play otome and jrpg

Dream job?

House wife

What countries have you visited?

Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Colombia, The United States, France and Belgium (I’ve also stayed in Madrid’s airport if that counts)

Scariest nightmare?

Loosing people that it’s close to me

Any enemies?

Not really

Any significant other?

Joel Crawford and Gaius from Fire Emblem, bot I will die alone.

Do you believe in miracles?

Yes

How are you?

Pretty tired and hungry

[backpackeress]

How to travel on a budget?

Today I want to take time and answer a question I am asked quite frequently: How am I able to afford travelling the world?

Well, let me tell you that I do recommend to save up a little money even if just to keep it as a prudent reserve while you are on the road having fun. One never knows what can happen while we are out exploring and let‘s get serious here for a minute – safety first, guys!

While you are backpacking around the globe there are however several life-hacks on how to safe money that are worth knowing and that I was able to learn through my own wandering.

1.) Do your research, know your stuff – hacks on flights & visas ✈

Saving money starts early on with booking a flight and applying for your visas. You do not need a travel agency to book your flights for you. There are countless websites out there allowing you to book online from your couch. Some of them even offering you to make up your own route so you don‘t have to fly back from the same country you arrived in.

Make sure to always use the ‘incognito window’ when browsing for flights as websites will be able to know what flight prices you have been shown before by using their cookies. Also, flight prices are at their lowest when you fly in and out on a Wednesday and if you book on a Thursday around midnight. One of the best websites to check for the cheapest offers out there is skyscanner. If you found and offer for a direct flight (where you don’t have to change the airline) it can also pay off to book the flight on the airlines website directly as you can save up on commission.

As for visas, depending on where you are going and what passport you hold it might not be necessary to get a visa in advance. If you are looking to get ETA (Canada) or ESTA (USA) make sure to only apply for these visas on the official government website and don’t let yourself be tricked into buying over an agency. Current prices (2019) should be a maximum of $7 for ETA and $14 for ESTA. If you are traveling in central or south America as well as south east Asia you do not have to get visas for every country in advance just make sure you have one for the country you are flying into. Crossing the borders from one country to another in south east Asia (exception for China) and central/south America is usually quite easy going and all you need is your passport and a couple of spare passport photos of yourself to put on the forms. You usually won’t have any problems crossing the borders on both plane or bus.

2.) Save money on accommodation

Finding the right hostel is usually an easy business. Countless platforms offer millions of options for cheap backpacker hostel’s around the globe. Trust me, I must know, I run one. I personally mostly use booking.com as they offer the best conditions for customers when it comes to flexibility of modifying or terms of cancellation. If you already know where you are heading and are certain your plans won’t change it is worth booking the non-refundable rate as it is usually 10% cheaper than the standard rate but as the name suggests, you cannot cancel your booking free of charge. Another little insider tip is to book on the hostel’s website directly (if there is one) as you can usually save up on booking commission that would be charged through a platform. Also, if you are intending to stay at the same place for a longer period (at least a week) it might be worthwhile to drop the hostel a direct message and ask for an offer and a reduction. Usually they are happy to give 10% off if you are staying longer and book directly.

If you are traveling as a group (at least 2 people) and also if you are traveling in areas such as south east Asia or south/central America it often is quite worthwhile to check out options on http://www.Airbnb.com. Apart from sometimes coming across rather unique accommodations (such as tree houses or igloos) you will often find double rooms for the same price as two bunks in a hostel and if you are traveling as a group you might even be able to rent an entire apartment for a really good price.

If you are an absolute low budget enthusiast you can check out couchsurfing, a social network where youngsters offer their couch or a spare room to travelers for free. Or, especially if you are travelling in warm countries, you might want to bring your tent or a hammock. Many hostels in warmer regions are used to people just paying to use the shower rooms while they set up their tents in the garden or yard.

3.) Get around cheap

When in Rome do as the Romans do. This also goes for getting around. Avoid tourist traps by taking the local bus (in comparison: crossing the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua cost us about 3,50 $ on the local bus and would have been around $50 on the official bus bookable online). However, in countries where you have to cover hundreds of miles it might pay off to book tickets online and in advance. Buses are generally cheaper than trains. Affordable long distance companies would for example be Tiki bus (all of south and central America) or Greyhound (USA, Canada, Oz).

If you do not know how to start finding any options to get from A to B check out www.rome2rio.com. Some countries, such as Australia or New Zealand also tend to have a very organized backpacking-community and it is easy to hitch a ride with someone leaving a hostel to go see a national park or drive to another city. If you are staying long term it is always worth checking out the notice board in hostels to find a ride to share or just boldly ask around in the common room (yes, it actually works).

4.) Working abroad

Whether you are able to acquire a working visa or not there is always a way to find work abroad.

Workaway & WWOOFING: Both Workaway and WWOOFING (=working on organic farms for free) are online portals that allow you to connect with people around the world in order to find work in exchange for accommodation and sometimes a little pocket money. Unfortunately, both platforms require you to pay a fee, it is however worth investing if you are intending to stay in a country for a longer time and therefore need to look after your finances. Workaway requires an annual fee of around 35 EUR and enables you to surf profiles of users worldwide while WWOOFING gives you the opportunity to buy a list of addresses of farmers of a specific country. None of the jobs offered on such platforms should require any particular work experience nor a working permit as you are not getting paid. However, some individuals might still require the applicants to hold a work and holiday visa nevertheless so make sure to talk this through with a possible host in advance. Workaways are not only a nice way to save up on some money but are also often quit an experience in itself, whether you end up planting trees, saving turtles or working on a ranch or in a surf camp, they can be worthwhile just for the experience itself.

If you want to take a gap year it might be of interest to check out whether your country is allowed to apply for a ‘work & holiday visa’. Such visas give you both a one year permission to stay as well as a permit to work. Personally, I applied for this when I was staying in Australia and New Zealand. It was a great way to afford travelling for a year. With a ‘work and holiday visa’ you are able to apply for any workaways as well as every regular paid job and you pay taxes like everyone else (so make sure to apply for a tax return before heading home).

In countries that are used to seeing a great amount of working backpackers you are able to find work via notice boards in Hostels, through platforms such as ‘gumtree’ or in case of Australia, by calling the national fruit picking hotline. As countries like Australia rely on backpackers for most of their farm work it is super easy to get placed at a farm in need of more hands by ringing up the hotline within a few days.

If you feel I have left out on some information or you want to add some more travel-life-hacks please leave a comment and until then, happy wandering, folks!

[broomclosetbrew]

It was 109 degrees today and is only now below 80, a bit too warm for the firepit so I'm sitting by the glow of my new Haunted Mansion Stretching Portrait lantern from Spirit Halloween while I smoke a Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta cigar and sip a Heaven's Door cask strength single barrel bourbon picked for Total Wine. Coming in at 118.5 proof, this NAS Tennessee Whiskey has a 70% corn, 22% Rye, and 8% Barley mash bill. The whiskey has notes of biscuits, brown butter, some minty rye, and a nice lingering finish. .... Putting some smoke in the air tonight in remembrance of the crew of CG-6505 lost this day, September 4, 2008, with all hands just off the coast of Oahu. The four aircrew, Capt. Thomas Nelson, Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Wischmeier, Petty Officer First Class David Skimin, and Petty Officer First Class Joshua Nichols were conducting hoist training with a Station Honolulu boat crew when the hoist cable snagged on the boat causing the cable to part and forcung the aircraft to enter an unusual attitude recovery. This extreme yaw damaged the rotor system and caused additional damage when the rotor blades struck the hoist boom. The aircrew attempted to make it to shore safely while issuing "mayday" calls but only made it two miles before the aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean five miles from shore. .... "We do this job because every once in a while someone is out there without hope, desperately praying for their life, and we get to be the answer." - Mario Vittone, USCG CWO (ret) .... #uscg #uscoastguard #flyuscg #remember #pssita #cigar #CigarLover #CigarAfficionado #cigarphoto #cigarsnob #cigarlife #cigarsmoke #joyadenicaragua #sailorandsticks #cigarsandwhiskey #TapThatAsh #whiskey #bourbon #singlebarrel #heavensdoorwhiskey #bourbonheritagemonth #whiskeylife #WhiskeyLover #whiskeyphoto #WhiskeyNeat #WhiskeyAfficionado #whiskeygram #whiskeyandhistory #quote #quotestagram (at Coastal San Pedro) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiHGeZJP-oN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[emthesinger]

An Unlikely Lover

Chapter 10

I’m pretty much confused as to what I’m supposed to do about him.

“I just don’t know. I don’t want to be treated like that again. Now I feel like I have to be with him all the time to make sure he doesn’t pull a stunt like that again. And I want to be his girlfriend, not his babysitter.” I tell Francesa and Rachel.

“If you really like him, it’s so worth it.” Francesa comments.

“Yeah, that’s true. But you should make it very clear what your rules should be. Like in a soccer game. You can’t just tell him the rules as you go.” Rachel tells me.

“Yeah, but everyone knows that when you’re in a relationship you aren’t supposed cheat.”

“Yeah you’re right.” The two say at the same time.

“I mean, he did come after me. I’m definitely not going to chase him.” I say.

“Make him keep chasing then.” Francesa says jokingly.

“That’s actually not a bad idea, Cesca.” Rae says.

“Ugh, I just don’t know. I can’t stop thinking about him, but I’m so mad at the guy.”

“That’s why you should let him chase you.” Cesca says.

~

It’s been a couple of days, and I’m getting ready for dinner with the girls. The whole team is having a random dinner, for no reason. But that gives me a reason to put a dress on. Rae is throwing her clothes all over the place looking for a pink dress. Francesca is peacefully curling her brown hair, while listening to music. I’m drinking already. And I’m still in my pajamas. That consists of an oversized t-shirt, and I’m walking around in my underwear.

“You have a problem.” Rae tells me, frantically looking for that one pink dress that she so happens to be obsessed with.

“No, you have a problem. You make the cleaning ladies suffer.”

“I’m not the one drinking at 4 in the afternoon.”

“It’s just some wine! What’s so bad about that?” I ask my best friend.

“Well, you’re not even trying to get ready.” She comments, and finally finds her dress.

It’s a pink long sleeved, above the knee, mini bodycon revealing her cleavage and curves.

“You always like to look like a slut.” I tell her, and throw all the clothes that she put on my bed to her face.

“Rude. You’ll pay for that.”

“Yeah yeah.” I reply, getting up from my bed and walking to the balcony.

Once I realize that I finished the whole bottle way too quick, I scream.

“WHAT HAPPENED?!” Francesa yelled, running towards me.

“I think I may have a problem.”

“Told you so!” Rachel said from inside te room.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean a drinking problem.” I say, walking in and throwing the empty bottle away.

“Oh. Just go to AA.” Cesca says.

“Yeah but that’s embarrassing.”

I had just taken a shower, so when I take my shirt off it’s a little damp on the back. My pink romper is hanging in my closet and I snatch it from the wooden hanger. It shows a little bit of my cleavage too. Francesa is wearing a long, loose flowy off the shoulder black dress.

“Your waist looks snatched.” I tell Francesca and she smiles.

To prove my point that I have a drinking problem, I search the mini fridge for more alcohol.

“You see, you need help.” Rachel said, while buffing her foundation into her skin with a beauty blender.

She passed by me and smacked my butt, since I was bending over to look for something to drink.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. But drinking is fun.” I say, finally finding a small bottle of tequila.

Francesa was already and the dinner was in an hour.

“What should we do now?” Ivan’s cousin asks.

“I don’t know,” I reply and finish the small bottle of alcohol.

The three of us end of watching Netflix on my laptop, waiting for the hour to pass by. We get so distracted by Friends that neither of us realize that we’re actually 30 minutes late to the dinner now.

“Shit!” I comment and close my laptop.

The dinner was only on the main level of the resort though, in the dining room. So it was no problem getting there quickly. The second we arrive, the guys all look at us.

Rachel and Francesa start posing and stuff, but I just walk away and ask for drinks.

“Hi, I’m Tom Stills. A sports journalist, much like you.” A British man says, and extends his hand so I can shake it.

“I’m Jimenna León. I’m also a travel journalist. But it’s very nice that you know my main profession.” I tell him, and grab a beer bottle from a bucket of ice.

“Your accent, is very strange, where are you from?” He asks.

“I’m mixed, half Nicaragüense, half British. I was born in Nicaragua but raised in England on the Scottish Borders.”

Tom and I end up talking the whole dinner, about what I love which is journalism. We’re actually in the same organization for sports journalists in England. The dinner goes by quick because I have someone to talk to.

“Since I’ll be around here, would you like to have dinner sometime?” He asks, hoping for a yes.

Luka hears him say this, which makes him look up at me. He then leaves the dining room. For sure, I want to say yes because it’s a guy who loves to write. But at the same time, I want to spare him the heartbreak. Because I don’t like him. Everyone already knows who I like.

Dejan, Šime, Ivan R, Mario, Tim and Mateo look at me, giving me a mom look. Yes, the ‘you better do the right decision’ look.

“Look, I’m not interested in relationships right now. But I’ll see you around.” I reply, and put a hand on his shoulder.

The Brit smiles awkwardly and leaves the dining room.

“Good job.” Dejan says, giving me a hug.

“What the hell? For what?” I ask.

“For proving to us, and to yourself that you know what you need to do. You just showed us that you still like the captain of the Croatian national team.”

I did, I just really did. Well, I’m screwed. As much as I try to ignore my feelings for Luka, I just can’t. My mind always wanders back to him. When someone hurts you, you get pride. And I’m the one full of pride here. Luka is openly showing to me that he still wants me. I, on the other hand, have been trying to hide and deny it. Pride gets the best of people, and it’s getting the best of me.

I grab the last remaining bottle of alcohol from the bucket of ice and storm away to the elevators. I’m outside my door now, trying to unlock it. Once I do, I noticed that my room looks different.

It looks cleaner, first of all, and second there are candles and roses everywhere. The balcony door is open, so the wind is slightly making the curtains move.

Ew. What is Rachel planning to do tonight with any of the single players on the team? I don’t even want to think about it.

Without a care or two in the world, I open the bottle of vodka and take a big sip. Slowly, I walk towards the balcony and see that Luka is there. Standing in a suit. He places a bright purple carnation flower on my ear. I’m surprised he knows my favorite flower. It’s not an obvious type either.

“Luka, what are you doing here? I told you we’re over. I’m not interested anymore.” Those words hurt to say. They really did.

“You’re prideful. As much as you hate to admit it, you know that you still care.” He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my earlobe.

“We can’t be together. We just can’t. I’m a distraction, remember?”

“You are not a distraction. You are my fuel to move on. My inspiration.” The blonde gently takes my hands and puts them on his shoulders.

I think we’re going to slow dance. His hands hold my waist. We’re moving slowly, from side to side.

“Really?” I ask quietly.

“Yes. I need you, Jimenna. I only need you.”

My fingers are now running through his long hair, it’s so soft. My thumb caresses his cheekbones. The two of us pull in, and our lips meet in a soft kiss. I think we both needed this. But I pull back before he does.

“I’m sorry.” All I can think of is apologizing.

“For what? I should be the one saying sorry and asking for forgiveness.”

“I already forgave you, Luka. I’m just sorry for not letting you focus. I know how much this tournament means to you.”

“I’d rather lose every game, than spend another day without you, Jimenna Marie León.”

[giantsfootsurfing]

Enjoy and Enhance with Exposure of Surfing Camp of USA

People who are specialist swimmers and want to learn surfing do not require a lot of guidance. They can simply grab and study the sport on their own. However, simply expert swimmers must use this condition. Even the people who have basic skills should get the assistance of a trainer at surf camps Nicaragua. What kind of help do superior swimming skills offer? They help out you in sustaining balance. Besides that, swimmers are not frightened of water depth. Even if there is a danger of drowning, these people would be within a safe spot.

A surf camp is not the correct choice for every individual. These camps demand a decent amount of money. Some camps are not put up are just put up for objectives of enjoyment. Paying great sums of money to these camps is not a clever option. A proper surf camps USA is one in which more stress is exerted on realistic learning. Understanding how to balance on the surfboard is not as vital as actually doing it. The majority of trainers do not pay attention to realistic training. Instead, they concentrate on verbal training only. In the aspect of water sports, this kind of verbal teaching does not assist a lot. Besides that, the level of commitment is also valued a lot. Before joining a camp in the USA, you need to ensure your schedule also. Do you have the time to go to the seashore each day, practice as well as take learning sessions? If you are in a job, this goal would be impossible for you to achieve. Nevertheless, if you do not have an extremely busy schedule of work and you have a liking for the sport, enrolling in a surf camp is not a very bad choice.

Some camps simply help on weekends. This makes it simple for employed people to learn surfing and have a nice day at the seaside. However, everyone does not like making recurrent trips to the seaside. If this is the scenario with you, surfing is not the accurate sport for you. The vacation surf camps teach tips at the professional intensity and make a major involvement in refining your surfing skills. However, you also need to partake as a learner. You need to practice the tips surf every day to add to your physical flexibility. Surfing is a sport characterized by the continuous search for the wonderful wave; today's high-end surf travelers are pushing the periphery and exploring the far corners of the world.

Original Source:

https://bit.ly/3uAd3N0

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | The Year of Living Dangerously (Weir, 1982)

This review contains spoilers.

For whatever reason, the early to mid '80s saw a number of movies pop up about journalists covering precarious political situations and foreign conflicts. Why the trend? Well, I'm sure somebody somewhere has already offered analysis that's intelligent and thoughtful, but let me provide some dumbassed speculation of my own. If I were a betting man, I'd wager that some combination of post-Watergate political disillusionment, a reaction to a right wing presidency (all roads lead to Reagan) and increasing awareness of the role America was playing in these conflicts thanks to coverage of civil wars in Nicaragua and El Salvador played a part. Of these movies, my two favourites would have to be Circle of Deceit, the West German film shot dangerously near actual conflict zones in Beirut and where Bruno Ganz thirsts for Hanna Schygulla in between bartering for massacre photos, and Under Fire, where Gene Hackman puts in a wonderfully textured and pained performance as the third wheel in a romance between Nick Nolte and Joanna Cassidy while the three of them cover the Sandinista uprising.

What both those movies have in greater supply than this one is a willingness to interrogate the eagerness with with their journalist heroes cover real life horrors, milking bloodshed to sell papers or get ratings. There's a scene in Under Fire where a group of journalists watches a bombing campaign from atop a hotel that succinctly conveys this queasy dynamic of war as a spectator sport. There's an element of this in The Year of Living Dangerously, where the hero gets so eager to pursue the story he thinks he's caught onto, about an attempted Communist uprising, that he completely misses the actual military coup and subsequent massacre that takes place. The final stretch of the film shows the hero and his Communist-affiliated assistant racing to the airport as the killings begin. These scenes are tense, and at least for a PG-rated film, quite bracing in their impact, but the final shots, where the hero is reunited with his love, hit a completely solipsistic note, entirely inappropriate for the material.

When discussing this movie, the elephant in the room has to be Linda Hunt's character. It's not just that she's playing an Asian character, which is bad enough on its own, but that the characterization seems to play so readily into unmasculine stereotypes about Asian men that are unfortunately so prevalent even today. This was Hunt's breakout film role, and credit to her, she's very good, managing to wring nuance and poignancy out of this extremely loaded characterization. But at the same time, seeing her in this makeup is about as distracting as Sean Connery's Japanese disguise in You Only Live Twice, without the camp elements of that other movie to make it easier to laugh off.

All that being said, this is a very gripping movie on the whole. As Ebert points out in his review, this does a great job of capturing the tense yet perhaps a little thrilling ambience such a political situation would evoke for its journalist hero, the humid atmosphere, and the callous group dynamic in the foreign journalist community. (It was nice, after having first seen it on a muddy DVD copy, to revisit this in a crisp HD transfer, which really let the technical aspects shine.) There's a great, slimy performance by Michael Murphy as a journalist who seems to enjoy his job a little too much, in contrast to the naive idealism of Mel Gibson's hero. At the risk of sounding glib, I think a lot of Gibson's performances are coloured by the darkness of his real life, but this is the furthest I've seen him get away from those qualities. And there's also Bembol Roco as Gibson's assistant, turning in work too subtle for Gibson's myopic character to pick up on. And of course Sigourney Weaver, who I don't need to tell you is great as she always is.