#Ro Fire Brigade

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"RO GUMI, KYÛ BANGUMI" -- "EDO NO HANA KODOMO ASOBI."

PIC INFO: Resolution at 1046x1500 -- Spotlight on a woodblock print of the Ro Fire Brigade, Group Nine (Ro gumi, Kyû bangumi), from the series "Flowers of Edo, Fun for Children" (Edo no hana kodomo asobi). Artwork by Utagawa Yoshitora, c. 1859 (Edo Period).

PUBLISHER: Kobayashi Tetsujirô (Maruya Tetsujirô) (Japanese)

BLOCKCUTTER: Tsuge Shôjirô (Hori Shôji) (Japanese)

MEDIUM/TECHNIQUE: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

DIMENSIONS: 36.7 × 25.3 cm (14 7/16 × 9 15/16 in.)

CREDIT LINE: William Sturgis Bigelow Collection

COLLECTIONS: Asia, Prints and Drawings

CLASSIFICATIONS: Prints

Source: https://collections.mfa.org/objects/472296.

[art-of-manliness]

25 Amazing, Rarely-Seen Photographs of D-Day

12,000 aircraft. 7,000 ships. 13,000 paratroopers. 150,000 troops from a dozen countries. The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 was the largest amphibian invasion in history. The epic scale of the operation is hard to grasp, as is its historic consequence. D-Day paved the way for the liberation of France and, ultimately, the end of the war. Victory came at a high cost: over 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives on D-Day itself, and tens of thousands more were killed in the battles that followed.  80 years on, we’ve dug deep into the photo archives to bring a bit of D-Day’s sweep and significance back into our cultural memory. Below, you’ll find 25 amazing, rarely-seen photos from D-Day, along with their original captions. For more amazing photos of WWII as a whole, check out this post. Four ‘stick’ commanders of 22nd Independent Parachute Company, British 6th Airborne Division, synchronising their watches in front of an Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle transport of No 38 Group, Royal Air Force, at about 11 pm on 5 June 1944, just prior to take off from RAF Harwell, Oxfordshire. This pathfinder unit parachuted into Normandy in advance of the rest of the division in order to mark out the landing zones, and these officers (left to right: Lieutenants Bobby de la Tour, Don Wells, John Vischer and Bob Midwood) were among the first Allied troops to land in France.  British Airborne troops admire the graffiti chalked on the side of their Horsa glider as they prepare to fly out to Normandy as part of 6th Airborne Division’s second lift on the evening of 6 June 1944. Members of an airborne unit make a final checkup of equipment before taking off from a British air base on the invasion of Fortress Europe.  Set to be flown to spearhead the beginning of the battle for the liberation of Europe, men of an infantry paratroop regiment are shown inside a Douglas C-47 of the Ninth Air Force Troop Carrier Command, over France, June 6, 1944.  Thumbs up from these British paratroops before they left England in a glider to reinforce Allied troops in France. Their slogan, to match their camouflaged faces, and names of their girls, adorn the side of the glider. A few minutes before they embarked for the invasion of Europe, American assault troops kneel on a British pier, with their assault boats in background, and received benediction from Major Edward J. Waters, Catholic Army Chaplain from Oswego, New York. A few hours later these men were hitting the beaches of France in the first attack on Hitler’s fortress. English Channel…Some are grim-faced, some are smiling, but all are eager in their own way to come to grips with the enemy. These American soldiers were photographed aboard a Navy LCI (landing craft, infantry) on their way to the invasion coast of France. They were anxious to do the job for which they had been trained for and for which they had been waiting. They made good, too. Packed in assault craft completely ready to fight as soon as their feet touch land are these Canadian troops pictured when Allied armies, including Canadians, landed on the French Normandy coast to start the invasion of Hitler’s Europe. One of the many B-26 Martin Marauders of the Ninth Air Force is shown over the coast of France during the early morning, giving cover to the landing craft shown on the sandy beaches below. This Coast Guard landing barge burst into flames when it was hit by Nazi machine gun fire, and a soldier’s hand grenade exploded, but its crew steers it toward the beach despite the rising smoke and flame. Choppy waters in the Channel didn’t make the job any easier, either. Canadian soldiers land on Courseulles beach in Normandy. Christians Praying in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on D-Day . Allied troops from the 8th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division of the British Second Army come ashore on Queen Red Beach, Sword Beach area from Landing Craft Infantry (LCI). In the foreground are sappers of 84 Field Company Royal Engineers, part of No.5 Beach Group who are identified by the white bands around… http://dlvr.it/T7tBkn

[jayhorsestar]

i use 70% water based sanitary spirit on head recent 'joke of January b4 Valentine 14th. i do not use an umbrella whatsoever, none. my cotton polo cap was revealing needle punches, it was stored in the metallic locker at JMB, w padlock on. my A54 'samsung is not locked there, never. foreigners tracking and terrorist assessment and fire-brigade backed, all such employees padlocks CAN be unlocked by Internal Affairs, at any given time w Shop Manager present. RO civilian dressed COPS is tracking EURO Greek citizens employees of JMB, or assimilated. Famous Waffles outside, the yellow waffle making rental is NEPALESE, 2 years long, three girls, two boys. NEPAL, as in Himalaya. RO Police played jokes on late January early of Valentine 14th. they were not having the TWO Vodafone numbers just yet. only by end of April, coming to ONIX and ask 'stefi for the Bill details. am 'operations, RO Police do not go District Attorney to ask for permission, lately, or since ..forever. chest gotten stained, NOW am using toothpaste to fry miss 'brown it's cheaper, using toothpaste. it's elections year, RO BRV is not going to win the elections, whatsoever.. JMB is private affairs, tracking and tackling foreigners, like USA 'mariaisabel ten days ago, not NATURAL for the E.U. approach. safe indeed, and cheaply played, but not obeying E.U. freedoms warranted by GDPR of the 2018. no joke, am using toothpaste, am drying, am fighting it and am getting hit from side-ways, too. it be taking some time, i will be letting you see the swimming pool, wtf. m

[ultrajaphunter]

Ukraine launches missile attack on Kerch Bridge, Crimea - Russians claim... Short summary from Ukraine (12.08.2023 15.15 RO/UA time):   Kerch Bridge hit for the 4th time. (A few minutes ago it was hit for the 2nd time on the day, supposedly 8 new explosions -  ATTENTION, disclaimer, SOURCES for the second event described here) 

 1. "The counteroffensive is going poorly" as supporters of the Kremlin's terrorist regime would say.  So badly that the Crimean peninsula is about to become an island (there is still the Land Line of Communication - GLOC at Armiansk and the pontooZaporizhzhiaat Chongar). 

 2. Counter-offensive. Zaporozhye Front: 2.1 Orihiv-Tokmak axis. Robotyne is partially under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and the first defensive line of the Surovikin Line has been breached between Robotyne and Verbove.  Fighting is going on to remove as many of the artillery guns as possible.  The AFU is advancing along two lines of communication keepingand T0803) towards Polohy (I recommend to keep this name in mind for the future).   Personal opinion: why are these important to remove?  Because they are the essential pillar of the Russian Army doctrine and defremindtrategy, but moreover, they are used to remine Ukrainian minefields. 

 2.2 Velika Novosilka-Mariupol axis (I choose this city as my endpoint).  The AFU advances and begins capturing Urozhaine [controls over 50% of the town], on the east bank of the Morki Yaly River) and begins east of Urozhaine advancing south.   Personal opinion:  This is the end of the Surovikin Line.  This is where the Russians are most vulnerable.  The Russians probably relied on the advance from Marinka (a city that no longer exists, it was razed to the ground by the Russians and yet they fail to conquer it) to block the Ukrainian Armed Forces from getting through this area.  They miscalculated. 3. 

Counter-offensive. Herson Front. (Here we have only one point. And a sweet one at that).  The Kozachi Laheri/Cossack Camps and Oleshky bridgehead is developed, but the Russians don't have the manpower to reach the Ukrainians at this point.  The Ukrainians are preparing for new operations to cross the Dnieper River.   Personal Opinion: If the Russians hadn't blown up the Kahovkha dam, the counteroffensive would be well advanced, but even so, as Pentagon sources said yesterday, "The Ukrainian air force is performing miracles, given the circumstances, and putting the Russians on the defensive everywhere." 

 Agree with these Pentagon sources. 

With all that delay, the AFU manages to generate problems in the Herson area as well, big enough to force the Russians to make decisions about moving troops out of the Vasylivka area (Zaporizhzhia Front) which will drastically vulnerability them as they approach the Herson Front on lines of communication controlled by Ukrainian artillery fire.  We will see what the Russian commanders decide. 

 3. Kupiansk-Kreminna Front. 

 3.1. Kupyansk axis (northern front): the Russians advanced towards Kupyansk 2 days ago, as of yesterday the AFU (without reserves) started a counter-counter-offensive operation and pushed the Russians a few hundred meters north towards Lyman Perschy. 

 3.2 Svatove sector (centre of the front). The AFU pushed them right back about 5 km in the last 8 days.

   3.3 Kreminna-Lyman axis (southern front): the Russians have not advanced at all towards Torske for several days, and in the woods southwest of Kreminna the use of cluster bombs is driving the Russians back. ----  The result is this: the Ukrainian counteroffensive is going badly, except that the Russians have nowhere they want, and the Ukrainians, with all possible disadvantages, are advancing on all fronts. -  The Kerch Bridge, Putin's pride and joy, is currently in flames. - Crimea is close to turning into an island. -  The first defensive lines of the Surovikin Line have been breached. - Between 0.5% and 1% of Russian artillery is destroyed daily. -

 2/3 of the Ukrainian assault brigades have not been introduced into the counter-offensive. - 

Ukrthe ainian Armed Forces control (or rather are in range of Storm Shadow/SCALP and HIMARS) all land communication lines from Donbas and Crimea, i.e. those "feeding" Russian troops in the south. -  The AFU is building the almost impossible: a front across the Dnieper! - The Russians are trapped in the Bakhmut area and decimated on the flanks. And it's only the second week of August.  Draw your own conclusions. Obviously, any comments from you, sharing/reposting or whatever this is and liking helps disseminate this information based on facts and data from the ground and not stories,  so I invite you to do so. 

 Slava Ukraini!

[bottlecaprabbitgames]

Can we please know about the Wicked Lotus ROs? I need someone new to obsess over 👀

None of the ROs are in the Brigade, purely because MC will not be staying Novassa (for now. I have a base of 6 ROs but it could change), which is where that section of the Brigade is posted and where the common route takes place.

Two ROs are flippable!

The demon IS an RO ;)

One of the ROs is hard to get onto their route, you have to pick pretty specific options to garner their interest and be a certain gender depending on their own gender purely because of who the RO is...

Name: Ishtaraem (Tara)

Age: ???

Pronouns, gender, sexuality: Woman, she/her, demi?

Species/Race: Demon (?)

Height: 5'9

Body Type: Average, muscular legs and arms.

Eyes: Swirling yellow, orange, and red, like liquid fire. Almond shaped and keen.

Hair: Mid-back length dark brown hair. Curly, kept in a braid with beads added in.

Appearance: Tara is inhumanly beautiful, but in a way that sets your teeth on edge and immediately sends the hairs on your neck standing on edge. Her skin is a soft brown. She has freckles all over her nose and cheeks. Her skin has natural moles. Her shoulders and hips are wide.

Job?: ???

Family: Spoilers.

Tara is the demon you make a deal with. She can be vicious and has very little interest in anything but her own goals. Her patience tends to wear thin and she is quite blunt. Her symbol is a blood colored lotus with black leaves.

Name: Killian

Age: ???

Titlements (if any): The Executioner, Tara's bodyguard

Pronouns, gender, sexuality: Man, he/him, bisexual

Species/Race: Demon? (that's what MC guesses)

Height: 6'7

Body Type: Muscular, well-built for strength and power.

Eyes: Very dark blue-violet.

Hair: Chin-length, wavy and auburn.

Appearance: Killian's entire presense demands attention, anxiety and fear, even when he is invisible. His skin is splotched with black and red, randomly white symbols will highlight on his arms and sternum. He is covered in silver tattoos on his chest and upper arms, and a large scarlet lotus with black leaves is in the center of his shoulder blades on his back. He is covered in scars. He has elfish ears and an extra set of canines on both the top and bottom. His nails are usually elongated into black claws.

Job?: Bodyguard for Tara.

Family: A younger half-sister who is only 13 in human years. Father is still alive and kicking, as much as Killian wishes otherwise.

Killian is unable to go out in public much, even in his more "human" form, due to the attention he draws, so he is incredibly touch-starved and sexually frustrated out the yin-yang. So much so that upon meeting MC, he propositions them... Killian is a rather aggressive man and has a tendency to use his fists for talking. His softer areas are guarded with spiked armor so thick that even Tara still gets stabbed by it sometimes.

Name: Roshan

Age: 23

Pronouns, gender, sexuality: Non-binary-Genderfluid, he/him, asexual bi-romantic

Species/Race: Witch, irl he would be Middle-Eastern

Height: 5'2

Body Type: Slim

Eyes: Hazel-blue

Hair: Long, straight black hair. Very frizzy, often kept in a bun.

Appearance: Roshan is a short, thin person with a medium brown complexion. He tend to wear colors that are very vibrant, especially royal blues and purples or shimmery reds and oranges. He has a mole under his right eye and a scar along the left side of his face, from hairline to just under the curve of his jaw. He tends to prefer to dress femininely or very andro.

Job?: Apprentice to the grand witch Lolandra.

Family: Mother and sister located in Haerstrom.

Roshan is quite friendly and is quite eager to talk to MC. He is a little absent minded. He is very open... for the most part.

Name: Lady Adelaide

Age: 34

Titlements (if any): Lady of Babliose

Pronouns, gender, sexuality: She/her, woman, pansexual

Species/Race: Human? IRL she would be French.

Height: 5'7

Body Type: Curvaceous.

Eyes: Startlingly clear green.

Hair: Flame-colored red hair. Kept in tight curls, naturally wavy. Tends to fall around her face to perfectly frame it.

Lady Adelaide is a master at the spoken tongue and dances around forwardness with grace befitting how she moves herself. Her skin is quite pale, thought utterly lacking any freckles or blemishes of any kind. Her features are almost sharp but something softens them just enough to go from prudish to seductive.

Job?: None, her last husband died two years ago, leaving her his wealth.

Family: An ailing twin sister, her mother, her aunt, and a rather expressive barn owl.

Lady Adelaide keeps the lower half of her face covered at all times, along with her hands. She wears very costly fashion.

Name: Eleanora/Elain

Age: 30

Titlements (if any): Captain for the Black Castle Mercenaries

Pronouns, gender, sexuality: Woman, she/her, bi; Man, he/him, bi

Species/Race: Human. IRL they would be Mediterranean.

Height: 5'8/5'10

Body Type: Muscular, well-built, some fat.

Eyes: Hazel-green with gold and bronze flecks.

Hair: Dirty blonde hair kept short. (Eleanora has it with sides shaved.)

Appearance: Heavily scarred. Both have numerous tattoos, some made from scarrification. Skin is darkly tanned, though MC can't tell if it's naturally that color or from sun exposure or both. Hard features.

Job?: Mercenary Captain

Family: None aside from an ex-husband.

E is quite open with their interests in others being... very friendly. Outside of that, they're rather quiet and observant, though they have a streak of being a sarcastic ass when it fits them to be.

I won't talk abt the RO who is very specific to get to, yall will have to find that out yourself...

[themyskira]

Favourite reads of 2019

The Light Brigade — Kameron Hurley Storm of Locusts — Rebecca Roanhorse Fairlady — Brian Schirmer and Claudia Balboni The Cloud Roads — Martha Wells

Empress of Forever — Max Gladstone Deeplight — Frances Hardinge Six of Crows — Leigh Bardugo Crowded vol. 1 — Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein and Ted Brandt

With the Fire on High — Elizabeth Acevedo Die vol. 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker — Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans The Epic Crush of Genie Lo — F. C. Yee Lazarus vol. 6: Fracture I — Greg Rucka and Michael Lark

Karen Memory — Elizabeth Bear To Be Taught, If Fortunate — Becky Chambers Dactyl Hill Squad — Daniel José Older On the Come Up — Angie Thomas

[woossexyponytail]

Threat of death Chapter 17 Interrogation

Summery: After a job gone wrong, Jeon Jungkook finds a target on his back, realising he has no idea who wants him dead, they bring in the help of an old friend who coincidentally is an assassin for higher.

______________________________

You stood in Mr Jeon office as he was talking on the phone, Namjoon stood next to you, looking a bit nervous, you tried to keep your cool, so you could think rationally.

Putting the phone down Mr Jeon pinched the brigade of his nose sighing in defeat.

Looking up at both you and Namjoon, he stood up crossed his arms and had a stern expression on his face.

"I want you to go to the prisoner, get him to talk, I wanna know where my son is, no matter what it takes" he told you.

"You'd be amazed how persuasive I can be, even with dangerous men." You told him as you and Namjoon left the office and made your way down to the room the prisoner was being held in.

Walking in you heard Taehyung in the room, Jimin stopped the two of you, as the rest watched Taehyung.

Taehyung pulled out a gun, surprising the group, he fired at the wall, jumping back in surprise himself.

"That was merely a demonstration, do not make me demonstrate again because now I have some sense how this gun works, and next time I will not accidentally miss you" Taehyung said, hand slightly shacking.

"You got started without me" you said walking in to the room, walking over to Taehyung you grabbed his gun, pulling the safety on and then putting it in your waist band.

The man in front sat in a chair, he sniggered at the two of you, looking over at him, you glared.

"Well you've got my attention but I don't have yours, what about now?" You said pulling out the gun and aiming at his head, "Hello" you said smirking at him.

"I ain't gonna tell you shit" he said, spitting on the floor, you sighed at him, grabbing his hand you broke two fingers and let him fall to the floor.

"CRAZY BITCH!!, YOU BROKE MY FUCKING HAND!" he yelling holding his hand to his chest.

"I broke two fucking fingers, this is me breaking your hand" you told him, now breaking his hand.

"You know, you scare me" Taehyung said eyes widening at you, "You better look away then" you told him not looking away from the guy in pain on the floor.

"Tell me now, or I swear I'll execute you where you stand." You said putting the gun right to his head.

"I don't know what your talking about." He said looking away from you.

"Where"

You shot the gun to the right side of his head.

"Is"

You shot the gun to the left side of his head.

"Jeon"

You shot the gun to the right side again.

"Jungkook"

You shot the gun to the left side again.

"OKAY!!, There's a warehouse in Namdaemun-ro, the kid is there, but he's probably already dead, I'm wasting my breath." He said looking up at you.

Your eye twitched as you slammed the gun across his face, knocking him to the floor, blood pouring from his cheek.

"From this moment, your every breath is a gift from me." You told him, turning around.

"Well then, why don't you stay here and consider the future. Make sure I'm not in it, however. You won't enjoy seeing me again." You told him as you left the room with Taehyung running behind you.

"You ok?" Namjoon asked once you got out the room.

"Of course." You told him as you walked to get ready to find Jungkook.

"Just checking, your not normally this emotional." Namjoon said, walking beside you, though you didn't see the looking that Namjoon and Seokjin shared.

______

Sorry it's really short...

[bibibibuckleykinard]

Starting this off by saying this wasn’t a request, I started this back in November and seeing a was having a hard time coming up was something with the prompts that I had, I figure finishing this up would relieve the pressure I was putting on myself. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!

Day Eleven: Fire at the Mill

There was a ringing in his ear, smoke everywhere, he was struggling to breathe. He’s on the ground on his knees crawling away, he’s coughing, trying to catch his breath, away from the house in the driveway smoke spitting out from the front door, and the windows.

He hears a voice screaming at him but can’t understand it.

“Aaron!”  He snaps back to reality. “Where’s Rob?” he heard Liv ask panicky. “Aaron!”

“He… he was behind us….” He explained turning back not seeing his husband.  “He…. He’s still…” Aaron stammered on realizing. “No,” he replied making it to his feet. “ROBERT!” He yells out. “ROBERT!” He yelled again this time heading back towards the house.

“Aaron, you can’t!” Liv cried grabbing on to her brother. Aaron turned back to a terrified Liv. “Don’t leave me,” she pled.

“Liv, go get help.”

“I.. I can’t.”

“Liv, go now!” He yelled pushing her away from the house. The teen turned running towards the woolpack, Aaron turned back to the Mill. “ROBERT!” He called out again. Hesitating only for a couple of seconds before bolting back into the burning structure. “Robert! Rob!” Aaron choked out as he entered the house. He couldn’t see anything but he continued on trying to make his way to the stairs. “Robert! Can you hear… (cough) …me?!” He called out. “Rob…(cough)…ert!”

He reached out trying to feel the stairs, “Robert, if you can hear me come towards my voice!” He called out. He reached out again feeling the metal of the handrail, he grabbed on, instantly regretting it, “Shit!” he cursed quickly drawing his hand back. It was stupid, he knew that he could feel his hand blistering already.  “Robert (cough)… “ he called out again desperate for an answer. He had to get out, the smoke was becoming unbearable, he turned quickly making his way back the way he came. He made his way out the door coughing and gasping for air. “Aaron!” He heard his mum scream. He ran out, holding his hand close to his chest, he felt someone grabbing on to him, he looked up to see Cain and the next thing he knew Chas was pulling him in. “Liv?”

“She’s with Charity,” Chas replied. “The fire brigade is coming-“

“Robert’s still in there,” Aaron panted out.

“Aaron, your hand,” she stated reaching for it. He pulled his hand away, “I need to go back,” He replied turning to head back into the house.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Cain told him stopping his nephew who was trying to push past him.

“I need to get to him, he’s hurt” Aaron nearly yelled pushing Cain away. Cain grabbed onto his shoulder trying to stop him. “The place could come down on your head,” Cain tried reasoning.

“I don’t care, Robert needs me!” Aaron cried.

“Help will be here soon-“ Cain tried arguing as Aaron successfully got passed the other man, "ROBERT!" Aaron yelled making his way closer towards the fiery house. Cain quickly grabbed onto him trying to pull him back, “Get off,” he yelled turning back to push Cain away again, but failed to get free of his uncle's grip. ‘Something’s wrong,’ he thinks to himself, in an instant everything went quiet, the ringing in his ears was back, he struggled to keep his eyes open.

Robert

He tries opening his eyes but he can’t, there’s something resting over his mouth and nose, he can hear voices but he can’t place who they belong to. He didn’t know where he was, what was going on, the voices began to register, his mum, Liv… the fire, Robert and like that he remembers.

“Are you sure he’s okay?” Aaron hears Liv ask,

“Ro-“ he tried saying.

“I think he’s waking up,” he heard.

“Rob… Robert,” he managed to croak out through the oxygen mask.

“He’s okay, love,” Chas tells him.

“No,” he mutters. “I need…”

“I promise you, Robert’s okay,” his mum tried to reassure her son again. “He’s getting checked out by the doctors now,” She explained as her son’s eyes fluttered open. “Welcome back,” she replied softly with a warm smile.

“What… what happened?”

“Boiler exploded,” Liv replied.

“Rob.”

“He’ll be in, a bit,” Chas explained.

“He… he was trapped.”

“They got him out,” she told her son. “After the second explosion, he woke up in the ambulance on the way to the hospital asking for you in all,” she added.

“I want to see him,” Aaron argued.

“And you will,” Chas told him. “They’re getting a brain scan done to make sure everything is okay.”

Aaron winced as he reached for the oxygen mask pulling it down, seeing his bandaged hand for the first time. “You went back in for Robert,” Chas explained. “The doctor says it should heal,” she explained.

“It hurts,” Aaron replied.

“Probably the pain meds wearing off,” Liv commented.

“Do you want me to get the nurse?” Chas asked. Aaron simply nodded his head yes. Chas gave him a soft squeeze on his arm. “I’ll be right back,” she said before turning to the teen. “Make sure he doesn’t make a break for it,” she stated before leaving the two on their own.

“Are you okay?” Aaron asked her.

“Am now,” she explained. “I heard Cain talking to Zak… there’s no saving it, the Mill, it’s-“

“We’ll worry about that later,” Aaron reassured the teen.

“Aaron’s right,”The two heard, Liv turned to see Robert stood in the doorway, dressed in sweats and a hospital gown. “Rob,” Liv stated making her way over hugging him, causing him to grunt out in pain. “Sorry,” she replied easing up on her grip.

“No, you’re fine. Just have some minor burns on my back is all,” he explained wrapping his arms around the teen.

“Is that all?” Aaron questioned.

“Well that, plus lung full of smoke and a concussion,” he replied looking over at Aaron.

“And they’ve let you out of bed?” Liv questioned letting go of her brother-in-law.

Robert smirked, “They don’t know I’m gone, not yet at least. Vic’s covering for me,” he explained making his way over to his husband’s bedside. “Hi,” he muttered his hand finding its way to Aaron’s cheek, running his thumb through his beard. “Hi,” Aaron muttered back. “You're a stubborn idiot, you know that right?” Aaron remarked with a smirk. “You have a concussion and you’re out wandering the halls,” he added.

“They wouldn’t let me see you,” Robert simply replied taking a seat on the bed. “Chas told me you went back in…” he explained referring to the burning house.

“I couldn’t leave ya,” Aaron replied. Robert leaned down cupping his husband’s face before kissing him, “You’re just a stubborn as me,” Robert replied after pulling away.

"There you are!" They heard, looking to see Chas making her way in. "How did you get in here without me seeing?" She asked.

"I waited ‘til you were busy talking to the nurse," Robert explained. "How did you know I was missing?" He added.

“The nurse told me when I asked how you were doing," she explained. "You should be resting,” she argued.

"I know," he explained turning his attention back to Aaron. "I just had to make sure he was okay," he added.

Chas smirked, "Come on Liv," she stated wrapping her arm around the teen. "Let's go let the staff know that Robert hasn't made a break for it," she went on. "Give them two some time," she added.

"Thanks, mum," Aaron replied. His mum simply smiled as she guided Liv out, leaving the two in silence. Aaron could feel the tears welling up in his eyes instantly, “Hey, don’t start with that now, you’ll have me going,” Robert explained.

“Sorry,” Aaron said clearing his throat as he wiped the tears away. “It’s just… I thought… when I didn’t see you behind us… I thought I had lost-“

“You didn’t,” Robert reassured the man. “I’m here, concussed, but here,” he added.

“Yeah,” Aaron agreed, reaching for Robert’s hand needing to feel his husband.

"I love you," Robert muttered.

"I love you," Aaron echoed.

ao3 link

previous fic

[trashpidgeon48]

To cheer myself up after I heard that newsies was being taken off Netflix I google translated the drunk history of fallout boy and here’s how that went

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[wawerrell]

The Cult of Republican Victimhood

“You will not replace us! White Lives Matter!” That was all I needed to mute the video of angry, torch-bearing white nationalists marching in Charlottesville last night. The master race took time off from their busy schedule of collecting welfare benefits and flying rebel flags to protest the college town’s decision to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Of course, they lit their torches and took off their masks—your neighbor, your barber, your teacher, your minister—for more than a statue.

They were there because they feel as though the glory of their whiteness wanes. They were there because they fervently believe—and Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, our Attorney General, agrees with them—that the generosity of the white man was taken advantage of, and, as a result, the white man now suffers undue and unchecked discrimination because of the color of his skin.

Gobs and gobs of campaign post-mortems point to identity politics as the fatal flaw in Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid. Critics fault her for running too much against Trump and his immorality—appealing to the scores and scores of those offended by his comments, marginalized by his proposals, and threatened by his policies—rather than running on her own qualifications and merits. The irony of all this is that identity politics were precisely the foundation of Trump’s campaign and already an essential aspect of the GOP’s election strategies.

Trump honed in on and gave a voice to the Cult of Republican Victimhood.

The depths of shamelessness within this Cult are unfathomable. Days after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, the NRA held a press conference. (Because they value the 2nd Amendment far more than the 1st, the NRA forbade all questions.) A member of the audience—heartbroken, frustrated, angry—interrupted Wayne LaPierre in the middle of his proposal to post armed guards in schools across the country. LaPierre, thus attacked, looked down as though he might cry. A gunman with an assault rifle had just murdered children at an elementary school, and a protestor was tasteless enough to scream angrily during his proposal to put more guns in school.

The transmutation of responsibility into victimization is their central communion. This communion enables the Cult of Victimhood to transmogrify the thrice-divorced Kim Davis (no relation to Kim Jong Un) from outlaw into Christian martyr.

So agile are these fantastical acrobatics that the Cult even consider Ayn Rand’s works to be literature. (If you thirst for poorly-written, thinly-veiled fascism, Charles Hill has written better screeds on Yale’s one-ply toilet paper.) And, dear reader, who is John Galt anyway? Is he:

a)     an ego-driven capitalist who treats the people in his life as Lilliputian ladder rungs before throwing them away like soiled prophylactics?

b)    a rugged individual who—despite being victimized by “the haters and the losers” (and antitrust regulations)—manages to make a success out of himself?

Perhaps it’s a matter of frames of reference. More accurately, I think the answer to that tired question in that tired book has to do with identity politics.

Trump presented himself as the Moses who would lead the beleaguered and besieged out of the desert, those huddled masses who change their profile pictures to a Nativity scene with the disclaimer: “Facebook says this is politically incorrect. Share and type ‘Amen’ if you’re not embarrassed by Jesus!” These are the Fox commentators who claim that a policeman was killed “because of the color of his uniform.” These are the men and women who suffer from Holocaust Envy, whose eyes gaze wistfully at pictures of Birkenau, looking for a grandmother or a distant relative—anything to let them to lay claim to the horror, to the undeniable suffering and inescapable discrimination, to having survived the fiery crucible of genocide.

Trump targeted those who are convinced that they once had greatness—a heaping portion of the American dream, a home, status, riches—and yet find themselves now wandering aimlessly in the desert. Wracked by the housing market, globalization, the opioid crisis, automation, a broken education system, and fading prospects, they look to foist the blame for their misfortune on some vague and vicious enemy. In her first novel, The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison writes precisely about the need to focus hatred—and direct it onto that which is within your grasp, not something fathoms beyond your reach. Describing Cholly Breedlove, Morrison discusses his need to hurt and hate Pauline, his wife, and Darlene, his first lover:

“No less did Cholly need [Pauline]. She was one of the few things abhorrent to him that he could touch and therefore hurt. He poured out on her the sum of all his inarticulate fury and aborted desires. Hating her, he could leave himself intact.”

If Cholly cannot find an outlet for raging against his own life, the way his dreams bore no fruit, if he cannot funnel hatred towards something he could “touch and therefore hurt,” it will destroy him from within. And it is only because he can reach Pauline that he receives any sort of catharsis; Cholly cannot find that same expurgation of a frustrated lifetime in hating those with more power. It will do him no good, for instance, to hate the white men who forced him to “perform” for them—“I said, get on wid it. An’ make it good, nigger, make it good.”—when they catch him making love to Darlene. “Hating them,” Morrison writes, “would have consumed him, burned him up like a piece of soft coal, leaving only flakes of ash and a question mark of smoke.” The fire that rages with no target will burn itself out.

These conservative and victimized men and women are filled with anger at the world and filled with dread that their world will disappear. They are told by Sean Hannity and Donald Trump and the vacuous nabobs of Fox & Friends that they—“good country people,” as Mrs. Hopewell might misidentify them—have been supplanted, cast out, and thrown down by immigrants swarming like cucarachas across the border or by some millennial upstarts bankrolled by Soros. Republicans in rural Iowa take a perverse comfort in hearing from “Dr.” Sebastian Gorka that, once the ISIS armada lands and takes unawares our unarmed and unprotected coasts, the town of Decorah, Iowa will be Christianity’s Stalingrad. Reassured by Twitter that the raking claws of the MSM neither understand nor like them, they wear the name “Deplorable” as a badge of honor: their disregard for “political correctness” is kryptonite to liberal snowflakes. Trump tapped into that frustration, gave it a voice, and weaponized it—and then he targeted it towards a hateful place.

The very act of tapping into that frustration—grease-smeared, black-lunged, calloused—is a textbook example of identity politics at work, and therein lies the irony: “Donald, Donald on the wall, who’s the snowflakiest of them all?” He told them they were losers—and that they lost because they were victims of an un-American America. The core of the country was strong, he told them, but the coasts had rotten away in disgraceful excess. Trump’s supporters, then, were Tennyson’s Light Brigade: stuck and huddled in the valley of death, bombarded on either side by “safe spaces” and Affirmative Action and two guys kissing and Title IX and pronoun preferences and and and and—

They had done nothing wrong; it was Obama who stuffed totalitarian doctrines of social liberalism down their throats with his executive orders. Schrodinger’s Liberal—simultaneously a “libtard snowflake” and a highly-capable insurrectionist who will replace the Constitution with the Koran—had stripped the glory from their whiteness, had taken the Christ out of their Christmas, had passed a healthcare bill that would prevent them from exercising their Constitutional right to die in penury.

Self-righteousness is never stronger, however, than in the moment of martyrdom. Commercials on Fox talk about a global decline in Christian marriage, and pastors in church discuss the irreligious opulence of gay pride parades. The embattled and resilient minority—those who earnestly believe that Bill O’Reilly was the real victim of the sexual harassment accusations—gleefully gather nails and a cross to cling to their victimhood.

I can think of no better example to prove the existence of the Cult of Victimhood than the phenomenon of “reverse racism,” the fantastical belief that whites have been given the short straw. Look no further than the glee surrounding Sessions’ investigation or the white nationalists’ posters and cries exclaiming that whites are being replaced, that white lives matter.

The two are similar in that they both believe that whiteness should entitle a person to a certain amount of privilege rather than take away from. Abigail Fisher, a stunningly mediocre high school student described by VerySmartBrothas as “room temperature Aquafina,” represented a large swathe of angry white people with shitty GPAs whose parents and communities have convinced them that they didn’t get into the bridge program at Southern Coastal Technical College because “Jamal took your spot.” These myths about Affirmative Action are perpetuated from the top-down; Ben Shapiro, a would-be Buckley with neither the vocabulary nor the wit who runs a “news” website with invasive pop-up ads, claims that it is racist towards white people. The language of Shapiro and Fisher and her supporters was that of displacement—the same as the language last night and today in Virginia: “This once was ours, and now you’ve taken it away.”

The unabashed, racist white knights marching around Charlottesville have already accused their counter-protestors of stifling their freedom of speech; after all, any attempt to shush vacuous idiocy will be met with renewed victimhood: “You’re taking away my freedom of speech!” These are the very type of people who voted in favor of double standards in waiting rooms and schools—but now decry the double standard of public discourse: “If you can say it, why can’t I?” or, “If I said that about black people, I’d be called a racist.” Any asshole can say whatever atrocious, racist bilge he wishes to say; your freedom of expression does not free you from the likelihood of being called out for bigotry.

Of greater significance, however, is their fundamental misunderstanding of what racism is. They operate under the delusion that racism today is isolated to language, that it’s no more than a blanket, unsubstantiated claim about a particular race of people. Language is, of course, a part of it. But racism is mostly about power.

In the moment when these conservative whites feel their power waning, they are spurred with a renewed sense of urgency reclaim that power—or at least to stanch the hemorrhaging. They cite thousands of examples in which they were the victim: while white conservatives worked hard in the fields, blacks sat on couches and collected benefits; while white conservatives paid their taxes, welfare queens drove around the ghetto in stretch Cadillacs; while white conservatives were told they couldn’t put up the Nativity Scene on the town green, Obama honor raped fifteen Southern Baptists who went to visit the White House. The easiest way to reclaim a lost sense of dignity is to rip dignity from someone else. Just as Bob Ewell desperately needs racism—he lives next to the town dump and his daughter is the mother of his children, but at least he’s white—so, too, does the downtrodden conservative who has borne the injuries levied against his religion and the color of his skin for as long as he could.

The conservative whites in this country are sick and they are tired of being stepped on. As David Duke said today in Charlottesville: “We are going to take our country back. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump.”

[maruxee]

WIP meme

Do Dis: List all the things you’re currently working on in as much or little detail as you’d like, then tag some friends to see what they’re working on. This can be writing, art, vids, gifsets, whatever. 

Tagged by @clairelutra (ty dear <3)

Note: the ones in quote marks are the actual titles of the fics. The ones that are not have no title yet.

current projects:

“osculum regis” (Hetalia) - APH Ro in three different time periods, and his interactions with three different rulers. I have this in my drafts for at least two fuckin years waht teh f

superhero AU (Sormik, mostly ToZ) - Mikleo is the elusive one within the superhero league and Sorey is basically his own version of Lois Lane. Also Yuri Lowell is cursed.

post-game AU (Sormik, ToZ) - Sorey and Mikleo reunite in different circumstances, since human society has interesting ways of interacting with living mythology. I started coming up with this idea way before I knew anything about Berseria (and I haven’t finished watching any playthroughs yet), so idk how much sense it’d make alongside the info we get from ToB. Self-indulgent AF.

“my heart’s a stone I’m throwing at your window” ( Harry Potter/American Dragon: Jake Long crossover) - a self-indulgent fic I started with no concern for quality control lmao. So far it has the most chapters out of anything I’ve posted so far, but it’s also basically a collection of oneshots of various lengths, so....

“Flesh” (AD:JL, nsfw-ish) - Rose about body issues, romance and sexuality. Attempts to be canon compliant.

“The Cage” (AD:JL, nsfw holy hell) - Huntsgirl never had a normal life, never went to school, never had normal relationships. When she learns about her past, she takes what’s hers and storms away, burns that bridge with dragon fire.

“Going Famous” (Danny Phantom/Dude That’s My Ghost crossover) -  A crybaby dead superstar is in a town full of ghosts and has some business to attend to. I haven’t updated this one in so long and I had so many plans orz.

“Midnight Cravings” (DTMG, sorta Billy/OC but not really) - A girl wanted a part-time job. What she got in the end may shock you. 

So far the only ones already posted are the crossover ones. They’re still hella incomplete tho.

But since I’m on still on this topic tho....

current ideas (not started but might as well write them down so I don’t forget, and so increase the chances of writing them):

“black and blue” (Kekkai Sensen, Leo/Black) - the aftermath of season 1. After her death, a brother and a friend do their best to glue the cracks back together. Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

enchanted AU (modern AU ToZ, sormik) - witch!Sorey, prolific in healing/cleansing spells, herbalism and spirit work who makes protection/good luck etc. charms for his friends disguised as pretty jewelry and accessories he crafts himself. (I have not much of an idea yet besides that tho.)

“At ease” (ToV, post-game) - Yuri and Flynn reunite with some of their fellow knights from the former Nyren brigade. They catch up and remember.

I also have art WIPs but the list is already hella long so imma skip that for now. :Y

No need to respond if you don’t feel like it, but might as well tag @ayalaatreides, @soymilkheaven, @pengiesama, @uncannycookie, @aliengeometries, cuz Im nosy like that.

[xlips-like-morphinex]

♬

Pyro - Kings of Leon (HAHAHA)

All the little lights - Passanger

Dauðalogn - Sigur Ros

A single book of matches gonna burn what's standing in the way.Roaring down the mountain, they're calling on the fire brigade.

It was a touch. A simple brush of flesh against flesh and that was enough to send so much spiraling within Rogue’s mind. She froze and saw the flames. She saw the bullet sliding through skull and brain matter like a hot knife through butter. She saw a jealous brother that sought to destroy so much-

Rogue gasped and held her head. Everything within her heart as the memories flooded through her. The young mutant before her had gone through so much; too much, actually.

Catching her breath, the young mutant stared at her teammate, the memories still gripping tightly to her heart.

It's getting dark in this heart of mine

They watch each other; nothing needed to be said in the moment. Rogue understood. She knew that pain, she had watched it all happen before her. But what could be said to someone who had gone through so much destruction?

The world is silent

No movement in the high landSounds like the silence of a graveThere is none awakeThere is no rapid tempoTotal dead calm

[recentanimenews]

Crunchyroll Announces Tower of God Dub Cast, May 13 Premiere

  As Tower of God hits its mid-season stride, Crunchyroll is announcing the date and cast for the upcoming dub of the series! You can watch the official Tower of God dub starting May 13 right here on Crunchyroll, with new episodes scheduled to air every Wednesday. The absolutely stacked cast joining the show is as follows:

Bam - Johnny Yong Bosch (Giyu Tomioka in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Makoto Tachibana in Free!,

Zora in Black Clover, and Ichigo Kurosaki in Bleach, among many others)

Rachel - Valerie Rose Lohman (Jess Blazkowicz in Wolfenstein: Youngblood,

Edith Finch in What Remains of Edith Finch)

Headon - Christopher Swindle (Jack Hanma in Baki, various characters in BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS,

Arthur Rimbaud in Bungo Stray Dogs)

Khun Aguero Agnis - Chris Hackney (Dimitri in Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Rak Wraithraiser - Matthew David Rudd (Baal in Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun and

Leaky Eye Lica in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind)

Yuri Jahad - Kira Buckland (Reimi Sugimoto in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable, and

2B in NieR: Automata among many others)

Evan Edroch - Kyle McCarley (Narancia Ghirga in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

and 9S in NieR: Automata)

Anaak Jahad - Cherami Leigh (Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon, and Asuna Yuuki in Sword Art Online among many others)

Hatz - Nicolas Roye (Octane in Apex Legends)

Shibisu - Scott Whyte (Known for his work in various video games including Death Stranding,

Star Wars: The Old Republic - Onslaught, and Transformers: War for Cybertron)

Endorsi Jahad - Jeannie Tirado (Norman in THE PROMISED NEVERLAND, and Fana from Black Clover)

Lero Ro - Trent Mills (LA-based comedian, actor, singer. Upright Citizen’s Brigade)

Hansung Yu - Lucien Dodge (Waver Velvet in Fate/Zero)

Serena - Cristina Vee (Darkness in KONOSUBA, Killua Zoldyck in Hunter x Hunter,

Homura Akemi in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Sailor Mars in Sailor Moon, to name a few)

Today, Crunchyroll also announced updates on our ongoing dubs and brand new dubs coming down the line, which you can find all the details right here.

  What do you think about the Tower of God dub cast? Who are you most excited to listen to in the upcoming dub? Let us know in the comments below!

---

  Kyle Cardine is an Editor for Crunchyroll. You can find his Twitter here!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[maritimecyprus]

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The Cyprus Marine Accident and Incident Investigation Committee (MAIC) examines and investigates all types of marine accidents to or on board Cyprus Flag vessels worldwide, and other vessels in Cyprus territorial waters. The objective of the MAIC in investigating an accident, is the prevention of future accidents by establishing their root causes and circumstances.

Accident Description

On 21/03/2019 about 07:40 LT, during loading operations of un-accompanied drop trailers onboard MV “Isle of Inishmore”, flying Cyprus Flag with IMO No. 9142605, while the vessel was berthed port side to, on Berth No.1 at Rosslare Europort – Ireland, an Able Seaman (A/B) of Latvian nationality became trapped and was crushed between a reversing drop trailer towed by a tugmaster truck and one drop trailer which had already been parked, during the maneuvering of the said truck on the port side aft end of Deck 3.

The tugmaster truck was driven by a port employee driver. The drop trailer towed by the tugmaster truck was being driven in reverse (backing-up) to the parking position (Lane 1-aft port side).

There were no eye witnesses of the accident. The reasons for which the A/B was found between the two drop trailers during manoeuvring are unknown.

The onboard medical emergency team (Alpha Team) attended the A/B immediately providing first aid to him (CPR – Cardiopulmonary resuscitation). The Port’s Authorities and the shore emergency services (Fire Brigade and Ambulance) attended the vessel soon after the accident providing first aid to the A/B who, despite their efforts, was declared dead on scene by the paramedics on 08:32 LT.

The case is under investigation by An Garda Siochana and Health & Safety as per Irish Law and Legislation.

As a result of being crushed between the two trailers, the cause of death of A/B was multiple severe crush injuries including cardiac and lung contusions, rib and sternal fractures, injury to pulmonary artery and haemothorax.

For more details, click below to download full report:

For more Marine Accident Investigation Reports, click here.

Source: Cyprus MAIC

  Cyprus MAIC investigation – Fatality on Ro-Ro M/V ISLE OF INISHMORE March 2019 (www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The Cyprus Marine Accident and Incident Investigation Committee (MAIC) examines and investigates all types of marine accidents to or on board Cyprus Flag vessels worldwide, and other vessels in Cyprus territorial waters. 

[todaynewsstories]

Autostrade vows to rebuild bridge; stops short of apology

GENOA (Reuters) – Italian toll-road operator Autostrade per l’Italia pledged on Saturday to rebuild a bridge that collapsed in Genoa this week killing at least 40 people, but its chief executive stopped short of apologising for the disaster.

Autostrade, controlled by infrastructure group Atlantia (ATL.MI), manages the section of the A10 motorway linking Genoa to the French border where the 1.1-km-long viaduct gave way in busy lunchtime traffic on Tuesday.

In a news conference in the port city, held only hours after a state funeral for many of the victims, Chief Executive Giovanni Castellucci voiced his deep condolences for the victims’ families but declined to give an unreserved apology.

“Apologies and responsibilities are things that are interconnected. You apologise if you feel you are responsible,” he said, adding that he would wait for official investigators to determine responsibility for the collapse.

Autostrade would set aside around 500 million euros ($572 million) for disaster recovery, including funds for a new bridge and to help bereaved families and people who will have to leave their homes close to the viaduct for the reconstruction, Castellucci said.

He added that, once authorisations were received, it would take eight months for the new bridge to be built, with a “solid and feasible project that will give a prompt answer to the needs of the city”.

The company is under intense fire from Italy’s new anti-establishment government after the disaster, though the transport ministry also has some responsibility for overseeing safety on the country’s privately operated roads.

Castellucci said that the bridge had been “in good health”.

Rome has said Autostrade failed to ensure a safe structure and has begun a legal process with the aim of revoking concessions for Autostrade’s entire Italian toll network, spanning almost 3,000 km (2,000 miles).

STATE FUNERALS

The blame game over the disaster is playing out even as Italy mourns the victims and rescue workers pressed on with their search for anyone left under the slabs of concrete.

Authorities said one more body had been found and another victim had died in hospital, bringing the known death toll to 40. Three more people who had been travelling in a car which was unearthed from the rubble on Saturday are still officially missing.

Saturday’s mass for 19 of the victims was held at Genoa’s Exhibition and Trade Centre and was led by the city’s archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco.

Some of the victims’ families boycotted the event and held their own private services as a protest against the state, accusing it of negligence in overseeing safety on the bridge.

The government has declared Saturday a national day of mourning and declared a state of emergency for Genoa, one of Italy’s largest ports, allocating just over 30 million euros for the city’s immediate needs.

Members of the fire brigade, rescue teams and the police force were welcomed with applause as they entered the exhibition centre, where the caskets, including a small white one for a child, were lined up in front of a temporary altar.

“These things should not happen but unfortunately they still do. Now they’re looking for someone to blame but dead people cannot come back,” said Giuseppe Rondinelli, a friend of one of the victims, who was among the mourners.

Slideshow (8 Images)

Players of the city’s two soccer teams, Genoa and Sampdoria, sat among the crowd, having cancelled matches this weekend in sign of respect. Relatives of the dead stood beside the coffins, adorned with white and yellow roses, some with their hands on the caskets.

Albanian flags were draped over two caskets and the Chilean flag on two others. Another was covered with soccer memorabilia.

“The collapse of the bridge was a gash in the heart of Genoa, it’s a deep wound,” the archbishop said in his homily.

Italy’s head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attended the ceremony as well as Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli.

A Genoa court will try to establish exactly why the 51 year-old bridge collapsed, but experts said problems with concrete-encased cable stays were a possible cause.

REVOKING CONCESSIONS

Italy’s populist ruling coalition launched the formal procedure aimed at revoking Autostrade’s concessions on Friday.

“Evidently someone did not do their job well in terms of ordinary and extraordinary maintenance. The concessionaire has faults that appear very grave,” Toninelli said in an interview with La Stampa on Saturday , adding that it was up to investigators to establish who was responsible.

The Transport Ministry has given Autostrade 15 days to show it has met all its contractual obligations, failing which Rome could consider it in breach of the terms of its concessions.

Toninelli said he would deploy all necessary resources to avoid further disasters and said he was preparing contingencies in case the concessions were revoked.

“The technical situation (of the collapse) is so complex that it is up to the justice system to understand what happened, why and in what conditions,” Castellucci said, pledging full cooperation with authorities in order to grant “fast and deep” investigations.

Additional reporting by Giulia Segreti in Milan; Editing by Ros Russell and Andrew Roche

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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The post Autostrade vows to rebuild bridge; stops short of apology appeared first on Today News Stories.

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[newsintodays-blog]

Italy mourns victims of Genoa bridge collapse with state funeral

New Post has been published on https://newsintoday.info/2018/08/18/italy-mourns-victims-of-genoa-bridge-collapse-with-state-funeral/

Italy mourns victims of Genoa bridge collapse with state funeral

GENOA (Reuters) – Italy mourned the victims of the collapse of a motorway bridge in the northern city of Genoa with a state funeral on Saturday, as rescue workers kept searching for the last few unaccounted people buried in the rubble.

FILE PHOTO: The collapsed Morandi Bridge is seen in the Italian port city of Genoa, Italy August 14, 2018. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

On Tuesday a 200-metre section of the Morandi bridge in Genoa gave way in busy lunchtime traffic, killing at least 38 people.

The mass for 19 of the victims was held at the Exhibition and Trade Centre of the northern port city and led by the city’s archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco.

But some of the victims’ families boycotted the event and held their own private services, as a protest against the state, seen as negligent in its role of overseeing safety on the privately run bridge.

A car was found on Saturday morning by rescue workers under slabs of concrete. The fire brigade and the Genoa prefecture said it was “compatible” with one believed to carry a family of three. But the official death toll has not yet been revised.

The government has declared Saturday a national day of mourning and declared a state of emergency for Genoa, one of Italy’s largest ports.

Members of the fire brigade, rescue teams and the police force were welcomed with applause as they entered the exhibition center, where the caskets, including a small white one for a child, were lined up in front of a temporary altar.

“These things should not happen but unfortunately they still do. Now they’re looking for someone to blame but dead people cannot come back,” said Giuseppe Rondinelli, a friend of one of the victims, who was among the mourners.

Players of the city’s two soccer teams, Genoa and Sampdoria, sat among the crowd, having refused to play matches this weekend in sign of respect. Relatives of the dead stood beside the coffins, adorned with white and yellow roses, some with their hands on the caskets.

Albanian flags were draped over two caskets and the Chilean flag on two others. Another was covered with soccer memorabilia.

“The collapse of the bridge was a gash in the heart of Genoa, it’s a deep wound,” the archbishop said in his homily.

Italy’s head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attended the ceremony as well as Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli.

A Genoa court will try to establish the exactly why the 51 year-old bridge collapsed, but experts said problems with concrete-encased cable stays were a possible cause.

The disaster has dragged toll-road operator Autostrade per l’Italia (ASPI), controlled by infrastructure group Atlantia, into a political storm. The firm manages the section of the A10 motorway linking Genoa to the French border.

“Now it is the time of grief.. but we must think about the conditions of the roads of our region and the security of our infrastructure because these victims cannot be followed by other victims,” Ilaria Caprioglio, the mayor of the town of Savona, said ahead of the ceremony.

REVOKING CONCESSIONS

Italy’s populist ruling coalition on Friday launched a formal procedure aimed at revoking concessions held by Autostrade to operate toll highways.

“Evidently someone did not do their job well in terms of ordinary and extraordinary maintenance. The concessionaire has faults that appear very grave,” Toninelli said in an interview with La Stampa, adding that it was up to investigators to establish who was responsible.

The Transport Ministry has given Autostrade 15 days to show it has met all its contractual obligations, failing which Rome could consider it in breach of the terms of its concessions.

Toninelli said he would deploy all necessary resources to avoid further disasters and said he was preparing contingencies in case the concessions were revoked.

Autostrade, which operates 3,000 km of motorways in Italy, said on Saturday it would hold a news conference in Genoa after the funerals, the company’s first public appearance since the disaster.

The group’s chairman and chief executive officer would outline initiatives to support victims’ families and those evacuated from their homes, as well as efforts to help traffic flow in the city, Autostrade added in a statement.

Additional reporting by Giulia Segreti in Milan ; Editing by Toby Chopra and Ros Russell

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