#case 30 how the East was won | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

smqazi · 4 months ago

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ENJOIN WHAT IS RIGHT AND FORBID WHAT IS WRONG.

امربالمعروفونہیعنالمنکر

AMR BIL-MA’ROOF WA NAHI ‘AN-IL-MUNKAR, AND DO FULFILL YOUR COMMITMENTS.

In the year 1991, I was a student in London and saw a Pakistani student drinking alcohol. I told my class fellow that such and such person was drinking alcohol. He said I don’t care. So, I told him that when the next time he comes to your home drunk, you will care.

When these corrupt politicians, whom my Late Father used to call RASCALS (British English as he worked with a English CME in Pakistan Railways), Qaum Farosh and Zameer Farosh قوم فروش اور ضمیر فروش were looting and robbing the poor people of Pakistan, depositing their wealth in foreign banks and building palaces in Europe, Middle East and the United States. Yoiu did not care so you see the result; they bankrupted your country.,

They keep coming back to our country from overseas, loot and rob more from the same helpless, honest, the needy, the poor and the simple people of so-called Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which by definition is neither Islamic nor Republic, unfortunately.

You cannot get your money or property because some other CROOKS in the courts and corrupt lawyers, they will not let you recover it as they are being paid very heavily by these RASCALS to protect them from getting justice for you. It is as simple as that.

That is why they are afraid of Imran Khan. One of PDM minister said on the TV, “if Imran Khan comes came back, he will hang them upside down”, because I am sure he will, In shaa Allah.

They always asked for a plain field to play but they never any game that way so far. They played cricket with their own umpires paid by them who always ruled in their favor so they won each game. The ground will be empty. The crowd will stay to watch and cheer Imran Khan playing his last ball and win the game by the Grace of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). He has a track record of winning the games of more than thirty (30) years.

The day Imran Khan is released, they will pick up their ball, bat and wickets and run away to their Nano in Londons, or their Iqamah and visa providers in Europe, Middle East and the United State, and work as labor or janitors because they don’t care. All they care is how to protect and preserve their money in the foreign banks and their properties in overseas countries.

That is why they want to keep him in jail as long as they can, so that he cannot play in a fair field and win the game. They have fabricated more than 200 FAKE cases against him, which he has been fighting for more than a year. And he has won most of them. He is going to win the last two also. He is a Mujahid of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and His Last Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam).

Lastly Yet importantly, my dear brothers sand sisters in Pakistan, I appeal to your conscious to bet on a horse that can win any race and he is Imran Khan. There is no body in Pakistan, who has the credibility, education, experience, guts, patience, steadfastness and the spirit that Imran Khan has. He was declared As-Saadiq wa’d-al-Ameen and I think he is the only one in this whole world called by that name after Prophet Muhammad (SallaAllahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam).

Now is the time to support Imran Khan, get him released from the prison, and vote for him in the next election as your leader, chairman of PTI, and the future Prime Minister of a new and real Islamic Republic of Pakistan, In shaa Allah!

He may not be able to get all of your wealth and property back because of heavy odds against him, but I assure you that with the help of Allah (Subhanahu wa T’ala), his positive mental attitude (PMA), sincerity of purpose, and your full support, he will stop them from making these regular trips to London, loot, and rob you and then go back again to their Kafeels and Visa providers, In shaa Allah!

‘Imran Khan Zindah Baad, Pakistan Paa’indah Baad, Pakistan Taabindah Baad and Pakistan Zindah Baad, Ameen, till ETERNITY, Ameen, Thumma Ameen, yaa Rabbil ‘aalameen

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FOLLOW THE ORDER OF AMR BIL MA’ROOF WA NAHI ‘ANIL MUNKAR

Under the order Amr bil-Ma'roof and Nahi 'an-il-Munkar, it is my duty as a Muslim to advise all Muslim Brothers and Sisters to do GOOD and refrain from doing OTHERWISE.

The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give Zakāh and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those - Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. NOBLE QUR’AN, CHAPTER (Surah a-Tawbah, 9, Verse (Ayah) 71

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says in the NOBLE QUR’AN, Chapter (Surah) al-Isra' Verse (Ayah) 34:

And do not approach the property of an orphan, except in the way that is the best, until he reaches maturity. And fulfill [every] commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will be] questioned. NOBLE QUR'AN, 17:34

MY SHEIKH TOLD ME NOT TO MAKE A PROMISE, BUT IF YOU DO, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU FULFILL YOUR PROMISE.

THE CHOICE IS ENTIRELY YOURS, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.

END OF THE STORY!

__________________

SHORT

ENJOIN WHAT IS RIGHT AND FORBID WHAT IS WRONG.

امر بالمعروف و نہی عن المنکر

AMR BIL-MA’ROOF WA NAHI ‘AN-IL-MUNKAR, AND DO FULFILL YOUR COMMITMENTS.

That is why they are afraid of Imran Khan. One of PDM minister said on the TV, “if Imran Khan comes came back, he will hang them upside down”, because I am sure he will, In shaa Allah.

MY SHEIKH TOLD ME NOT TO MAKE A PROMISE, BUT IF YOU DO, MAKE SURE THAT YOU FULFILL YOUR PROMISE.

THE CHOICE IS ENTIRELY YOURS, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.

END OF THE STORY!

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drmaqazi · 4 months ago

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ENJOIN WHAT IS RIGHT AND FORBID WHAT IS WRONG.

امربالمعروفونہیعنالمنکر

AMR BIL-MA’ROOF WA NAHI ‘AN-IL-MUNKAR, AND DO FULFILL YOUR COMMITMENTS.

That is why they are afraid of Imran Khan. One of PDM minister said on the TV, “if Imran Khan comes came back, he will hang them upside down”, because I am sure he will, In shaa Allah.

‘Imran Khan Zindah Baad, Pakistan Paa’indah Baad, Pakistan Taabindah Baad and Pakistan Zindah Baad, Ameen, till ETERNITY, Ameen, Thumma Ameen, yaa Rabbil ‘aalameen

_________________________

FOLLOW THE ORDER OF AMR BIL MA’ROOF WA NAHI ‘ANIL MUNKAR

Under the order Amr bil-Ma'roof and Nahi 'an-il-Munkar, it is my duty as a Muslim to advise all Muslim Brothers and Sisters to do GOOD and refrain from doing OTHERWISE.

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says in the NOBLE QUR’AN, Chapter (Surah) al-Isra' Verse (Ayah) 34:

MY SHEIKH TOLD ME NOT TO MAKE A PROMISE, BUT IF YOU DO, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU FULFILL YOUR PROMISE.

THE CHOICE IS ENTIRELY YOURS, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.

END OF THE STORY!

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ledenews · 5 months ago

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Ward 3’s Connie Cain Ready to Make History in Wheeling

She was winning, but then she was losing. It was that close. And then, on Election Day on May 14th, it appeared she lost her bid - by just two votes! - to become the council representative for Wheeling's Ward 3. But wait! Oh! The slimmest of margins caused a recount! “I had to wait a week,” said Connie Cain, one of four candidates who ran in Wheeling’s Ward 3, “and it really did drive me nuts. It was a long week, trust me.” But then her phone rang. But, no, it wasn’t the courthouse. Nope. It was a local newspaper reporter, and that’s who informed the East Wheeling native she had WON the Ward 3 council seat representing thanks to five provisional votes that all went in her favor. The election day totals showed Jerome Henry was in the lead, 199-197, but the final-final count showed Cain with 202, Henry with 199, Chris Ham with 188, and George Greenbaum with 41. Ward 3 covers the East Wheeling, Center Wheeling, South Wheeling, and Mozart neighborhoods, and Connie Cain will become the area's newest representative on Monday at the Capitol Theatre when the six council members and new mayor Denny Magruder are sworn into office at Noon. Cain is unafraid to discuss the issues with local media outlets, including The River Network. “All I could do when I got the first call was scream,” Cain admitted. “But now I’m really excited to get started so we can do some good things for the people of the city. I’m anxious for our swearing-in ceremony and the first meeting (July 2). “I started thinking about running for council about a year ago and then decided to do it and I’m happy I did,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working with everyone and I think Denny Magruder is going to be great as mayor. He’ll get everyone working together.” The first issue she hopes to address? Homelessness, and the impacts the homeless have had on Ward 3. “It’s the elephant in the room. We have to talk about the homeless situation because I heard about it from most of the people in the ward during my campaign,” Cain said. “We have to figure out what’s happening now and what needs to be happening. The homeless people need services and we have those, but we have to figure out how it’s working and how it can be improved. “This is Wheeling and we help people here,” she said. “We have to make sense of it because I don’t think that’s the case right now when it comes to the resident in Ward 3.” Cain's campaign included a lot of door-knocking so she could talk with as many residents as possible. H-I-S-T-O-R-Y Cain is 55 years old and her and her husband, Kendall, live along 14th Street in East Wheeling. She’s a mother of three, and grandmother to nine, and has worked for the First Judicial Circuit Public Defender Corporation for 30 years. On Monday, she will become the first black woman elected to Wheeling’s City Council. “And I love that. I love that I’m making that history, and I love that I’ll be following Clyde Thomas as the second black resident to be on Council,” Cain recounted. “Clyde was first elected back in 1971 and he served 20 years and he did a great job for everyone in the city. I want to be the same kind of council representative. “I hope seeing me on council tells other black girls that this is possible,” Cain said while smiling. “I’m surprised it took this long to have the first black woman on council, but here I am and I’m ready to work with everyone. I want all of us to work together no matter what the issue so we can help Wheeling grow. One thing I want to address is affordable housing so our kids can afford to stay here. Right now, that’s difficult for a lot of people.” In fact, Cain will address anything and everything brought to her by her constituents. “Of course, I can’t promise that I’ll get every pothole filled and street paved, but I do promise I’ll check on everything and get back to the resident asking the question. That’s part of the job,” Cain said. “(W.Va. Delegate) Shawn Fluharty told me knocking on doors was the most important part of a campaign, so that’s exactly what I did. I knocked on all the doors, and I talked to the people of Ward 3. “The people in Mozart wanted to talk about crime, and the people in South Wheeling are concerned about all the new people from the new apartment buildings because of the new crime. The people in Center Wheeling just want attention from the city and so do the folks in East Wheeling,” she added. “The residents of Ward 3 want to be represented, and that’s what they’re going to get.” Read the full article

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finalmajorgameproject · 9 months ago

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different wars research

Since my game is based around war I am looking at some of the wars and how they started and what caused them. This will help me have a better understanding of what I should do with my cinematic. I am also going to look at some local history.

WWI- The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand set off a chain of events that then led to the First World War. The war had lasted between 1914 to 1918. There were over 30 nations during WWI with two main sides the central powers, (consisting of mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey) and The Allies (consisting of mainly France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan and from 1917 united States).

WWII- After Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany he soon invaded Poland in September of 1939 which drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany. The war was fought by 50 nations but there were two main powers between Germany, Italy and Japan (Axis powers) and great Britain, France, United States and Soviet union (Allied Powers).

Battle of Hastings- The battle of Hastings begun on the 14th October 1066 because of a disputed succession to the throne. Edward the confessor had failed to produce any children to succeed him so when he died his brother in law Harold Godwinson claimed the throne insisting the old king nominated him at his dying moments. Soon after he was crowned he had to fend off challenges to his rule. the first of which being Harold Hardrada, the king of Norway which he eventually won in September 1066 and then a second challenge came from william, Duke of Normandy (who was believed to have been promised the throne by Edward the confessor half way through his reign) three days later.

the first Crusade- The first crusade was organised by Western European Christians. Their primary objective was to stop the expansion of Muslim states, to reclaim for Christianity for the holy land in the Middle East. They desired to take Jerusalem away from Muslim control. They begun in 1096 and lasted nearly two centuries. It ended around 1099 when they were finally expelled from the kingdom in Syria. The crusades continued for several centuries after 1099 but declined rapidly during the 16th century.

Russia vs Ukraine- It is believed that the current Russian vs Ukraine conflict is a case of Russian not wanting Ukraine to join NATO and are trying to prevent it. Also it is believed that Russia sees Ukraine as Russian territory and are taking it back. This war has been going on since 2022. Russia is trying to reclaim Ukraine whilst Ukraine is defending itself from being invaded.

Israel vs Gaza- The Gaza-Israel conflict is a localized part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict beginning in 1948, when 200,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes, settling in the Gaza Strip as refugees. Since then Israel has fought 15 wars against the Gaza Strip.

War of the Roses- The main cause of the war of the roses was the incompetent rule of a Henry VI of England and the ambition of Richard, Duke of York and then his son Edward. The conflict was between two sides of the Plantagenet family, the house of York and the house of Lancaster. The duke of York believed he had a better claim to the throne than Henry VI. The war lasted 30 years from 1455-1485.

Looking at all the wars a big similarity between them is that they are either fighting for power and/or land. A lot of the older wars were fought over claims to the throne.

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mariacallous · 2 years ago

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In December 2021, President Biden’s administration hosted the first Summit for Democracy, which resulted in the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal that encompassed about a dozen different programs that the United States government aspired to support with $424.4 million. From March 29-30, the U.S. will partner with countries on diverse continents to co-host a second Summit for Democracy. Zambia is the designated African partner country and will join fellow co-hosts Costa Rica, the Netherlands, and South Korea. The choice of the southern African nation is not surprising given widespread international praise of Hakainde Hichilema, Zambia’s president, who won the 2021 elections and quickly moved to transform the country’s image. After years of democratic backsliding under his predecessor, Hichilema recently repealed a draconian law against defaming the president that was frequently used to imprison opposition leaders and activists. He also established a new debt management office, with input from civil society, to enhance transparency over foreign borrowing.

Democratic backsliding remains a concern

The summit is timely for Africa. According to Afrobarometer’s polling in 34 countries, a majority of African citizens prefer democracy over alternative forms of government. And besides Zambia, there are some other recent bright spots, such as Niger, which experienced its first peaceful handover of power between civilian governments last year. Nonetheless, recent analysis from the Varieties of Democracy project notes that 79 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population continues to reside in regimes classified as electoral autocracies—regimes that hold elections for chief executive but do not meet standards of free and fair elections—or closed autocracies. There is a temporal dimension to these characterizations as well: The Ibrahim Index of African Governance uncovered that one-third of Africa’s population reside in a country where political participation, rights, and inclusion significantly deteriorated in the last five years. In fact, some of the erstwhile democratic champions in the region have reversed course. President Macky Sall of Senegal, for instance, continues to obfuscate about whether he will run for an unconstitutional third term in next year’s elections despite strongly opposing his predecessor’s efforts to do so more than a decade ago.

Preparations for key elections in 2023 are worrying

Several pivotal elections in 2023 also highlight the democratic vulnerabilities for the region. Trust in the integrity and capacity of electoral commissions remains especially problematic in many countries. Nigeria’s recently concluded general elections are a case in point; the Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission had raised high expectations about voter transparency due to its use of an electronic voter accreditation system. Yet, it violated its own electoral act by failing to transmit the results electronically to its IReV portal, raising public doubts about vote rigging. Large-scale protests erupted in late 2021 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over concerns about the independence of the new head of the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI). Insufficient funding to the CENI, combined with ongoing unrest in the east of the country, has prompted suggestions that this year’s polls may be postponed. In Madagascar, the United Nations has opted not to establish a basket fund to pay for the $33 million requested by the electoral commission to implement elections scheduled for the end of this year. This decision is based on, among other reasons, a lack of confidence in preparations thus far, uncertainty over how past resources were used, and a failure to implement election observer recommendations from the 2018 elections during which Russia mounted a sizeable disinformation campaign in the country.

Skewed boundary delimitations of electoral constituencies remain another challenge to defending democracy in the region and risk delegitimizing elections. Few expect Zimbabwe’s elections in July 2023 to be free or fair, but civil society and opposition leaders are even more skeptical given the new electoral boundaries delimited by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and adopted as law in late February 2023. The boundaries favor constituencies that historically support the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front. Similarly, Sierra Leone’s opposition has condemned the results of last year’s census, the results of which are used for delimiting constituency boundaries for the June 2023 elections. The census exercise, from which the World Bank and EU withdrew their support, appears to cut in half the population of the capital city, Freetown—an opposition stronghold—while the population in the incumbent party’s stronghold has grown.

Nascent anti-corruption efforts need political buy-in

Beyond electoral dynamics, there are deeper concerns about the performance of democracies. Corruption, for instance, is at the heart of African public dissatisfaction with the performance of democracies, and it has been used as a justification for several of the coups in recent years. As a result of the first democracy summit, several anti-corruption efforts have been launched with a particular focus on enabling civil society and media to expose malfeasance and enhance transparency. While these efforts and those of anti-corruption champions are necessary, they are far from sufficient in the absence of incentives that disrupt the political settlement that fosters public waste. South Africa’s Zondo report, for instance, has been deemed one of the most extensive audits of any government’s finances, revealing vast amounts of patronage within the ruling African National Congress. Yet, despite South Africa’s robust civil society and strong oversight institutions, very little effort has been made to address state capture, resulting in the country being added to the Financial Action Task Force’s “grey list” in late February for financial crimes and money laundering. Similarly, at the first democracy summit, Malawi committed to supporting oversight institutions, explicitly agreeing to enhance the independence of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ABC). A year later, the director of the ACB was arrested and suspended from her job hours before arrest warrants were issued for several top officials believed to be involved in corrupt activities.

What to expect from the democracy summit

For all these reasons, the expectations from this second democracy summit must be modest. It will undoubtedly offer an important opportunity for civil society organizations, media, industry, and some governments to showcase accomplishments and share tactics for navigating closed political spaces. Hopefully, there will also be information about whether pledges from the first summit materialized and how resources were used. However, the growth of summitry as a tool of geopolitical relations with the continent, by not only the U.S. but also the EU, China, Russia, and soon the U.K., increasingly makes explicit the stark incongruence across different development and governance goals for the region. For instance, during the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the magnitude of pledges offered far outweighed the resources pledged under the Presidential Initiative for Renewal, and there was minimal discussion of democracy. Human rights advocates protested that some of Africa’s most autocratic leaders, such as Equatorial Guinea’s 40-year ruling dictator, were invited to the event. This second democracy summit will still be symbolically important. Yet, without fundamentally addressing some of the incentive structures of political elites to bias elections, undermine oversight institutions, or enable intra-party corruption, it cannot be expected to prevent democratic backsliding or assuage African citizens’ disillusionment with democratic performance.

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jrpneblog · 2 years ago

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Six of the best leading up to Gentry Day

A maximum six points for North End this week leading up to Saturdays Gentry Day adventure on Tees-side. Cardiff were seen off at Deepdale last Saturday before North End went to Rotherham on Tuesday evening and did more than enough to bring the three points back from South Yorkshire. On Saturday we celebrate those no longer with us and this year, almost by default, the annual Bowler Hat day is against Michael Carrick`s Middlesbrough. It is a tough assignment for North End following on from these two victories but there is an underlying feeling amongst some North End fans that a win against the Smog Monsters might just mean that it is game on again in the long distance chase for the play off spots.

Reflecting on last Saturday and a 2-0 victory over the Bluebirds at Deepdale saw North End struggle a little bit for an hour before a double substitution of Ched Evans and Robbie Brady really changed the game. Cardiff were stubborn but didn't offer a great deal up front and when Tommy Cannon put us in the lead half way through the second half it was enough to see us home even though Ched Evans made it two in added time after a rebound from a free kick with the Bluebirds down to ten men. It wasnt our best performance of the season but it did show that when we get the balance of the team right we can be a threat and that Cannon and Evans are certainly the best front two partnership at the moment.

On Tuesday evening we visited fifth bottom Rotherham United and produced a much better performance than the previous Saturday. I was quite surprised how often North End went route one in this game but it certainly proved fruitful on the evening. Cannon gave us the lead before we conceded a very poor equaliser from a cross from the Rotherham right. However just on the stroke of half time North End took the lead when Evans turned and fired home a left foot shot to seasl the points. For twenty minutes of the second half we completed dominated and should have been three or four up but we couldn`t breakthrough again and saw the game out fairly comfortably for our ninth win on the road this season.

Saturday sees the North End faithful embark on our unique Gentry Day when we remember those North End fans lost over the last twelve months. At lunchtime on Friday we had sold close to 1,700 tickets and with cash sales on the day we should have a loud and proud following up in the North East. The game itself looks a tricky affair with Boro on somewhat of a roll having moved up into third place in the Championship just four points behind fourth placed Sheffield United. Boro will also have in their ranks one Cameron Archer late of this parish and North End will have to keep a very special eye on him for all of the afternoon. Cameron owes us nothing and I for one will be applauding the lad before the game starts. Road trips hold no fear for North End and we go there having taken thirty two points from eighteen away games which is almost automatic promotion form. Oh if we could only have won a few more a Deepdale this season would have a very different narrative.

And finally this week:- whether you are in your best suit or your birthday suit at the Riverside on Saturday have a great day out and respect those no longer with us like you always do. Other clubs cast envious eyes on what we do on Gentry Day and long may it be the case. We`re the one and only North End. Remember what Bally said almost 53 years ago.

These are not fans, they are Gentry.

JR`s HIGH FIVES

Coventry to beat Blackpool 5/4

A £5 Stake returns £11.25 on bet365

SEASONS STATS

Returns £155.76 Stake £150.00

Percentage profit+/-loss + 1.04%

Predictions 30 won 14 lost 16.

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hardynwa · 2 years ago

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Dele Momodu Reveals How Atiku Will Become Nigeria’s Next President

The Director of Strategic Communications of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Momodu has revealed how the party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar will become President in a matter of weeks. According to Momodu in a statement on Tuesday, the former vice president would dominate the North-East, North-West, North-Central and South-South geopolitical zones. Momodu said, “Atiku Abubakar will dominate the North-East, North-West, North-Central and South-South. Tinubu may pick a few states in the North and South-West but won’t have enough to win. The bridges required to cross to victory have taken Atiku 30 years to build. Tinubu has not been able to lock down the entire South-West not to talk of the whole of Nigeria. “Over-reliance on bribing the electorates will fail. Hoping to rig brazenly will also fail spectacularly. I repeat, the entire North and the South-South will make Atiku the next president. Atiku will still be competitive in the South-East and South-West. Wherever Obi is number one in the East, Atiku will be number two. Wherever Tinubu is number one in the South-West, Atiku will be number two or vice versa. “Atiku will be the first to cross the line of recording 25 per cent in 24 states. He will get 25 per cent automatically in the 19 states of northern regions and will pick six in South-South automatically. He will pick more 25 per cent in all of the five states in the South-East, a traditional base of PDP, and same in the South-West. The media director pointed out that many of the polls about the forthcoming presidential election on February 25, 2023, had failed monumentally due to the over-reliance on technology in a largely illiterate population. Momodu said historically, whenever the South produced two strong candidates, the dominant northern candidate won, stressing that it was the case in “1979 and 1983, Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe versus Shehu Shagari.” He said, “Bola Tinubu is far weaker today in the South-West and Awolowo was by far more formidable, while Obi is the new Azikiwe (the first Governor General and President of Nigeria) in the South East, and Kwankwaso is the current Aminu Kano. “Wherever Obi is number one, Atiku will be number two or vice versa. I do not know of any state PDP will not record 25 per cent and eventually win the overall popular votes. Nigeria has become so polarisingly divided (pardon my tautology) that the “peoples” are going to vote majorly along ethnic lines as well as primordial sentiments. The North will not vote a “fake Muslim” in the name of a pretentious and mischievous Muslim-Muslim ticket. The scam is dead on arrival.” Momodu further noted that the North-East would not vote for Tinubu when they have one of their own contesting to become president. He said, “The North-East will never vote for a number two position when they’ve been chasing the number one since 1966. The North-West will not abandon an Atikufor a Tinubu who’s well known for his iron grip on Lagos State since 1999. The South-West itself knows it has the most controversial and palpably weakest candidate in this race this time and would humbly and readily accept its fate with equanimity. It will also dawn on the South East that Obi’s raving popularity alone cannot carry him across the winning line and many of their traditional voters will willingly settle for Atiku Abubakar and Ifeanyichukwu Okowa, the cerebral man and gentle giant of Igbo ancestry. “I predict that the former vice president Atiku Abubakar will be the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is the most prepared, experienced candidate in the race who’s ready to hit the ground running from day one.” Read the full article

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mycriminalcasefiles · 2 years ago

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Aigoo~ Just when I’m starting to like these star-crossed lovers…

#criminal case #criminal case mysteries of the past #case 30 how the East was won #giulietta capecchi #seamus o’neil #judge Justin Lawson #Another Romeo and Juliet tale set in the wild west #or was it east?#sorry I was born minus the sense of direction #but lookit this emotional display of judge lawson #i kinda like him more now

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nichuuu · 3 years ago

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Sociopath: Chapter 20 - Last Waltz

Hyejin and Seung-won exit the interrogation room, leaving the two lovers alone.

“Hyejin, I need to talk to you about something,” Seung-won says in a hushed voice

“What’s up?” Hyejin asks, breaking her stride as she turns to her partner.

“Chief Ahn was in the room with Nayeon a couple of minutes ago…and he said he briefed her on what was to happen…” He continues.

“Eh? Didn’t he say that he didn’t want any part in this case?”

“Exactly…so why would he suddenly just come in and brief Nayeon like that? It’s way too sudden…”

Hyejin purses her lips.

“Let’s review the footage,” she decides. Seung-won nods and they walk back to the interrogation room. They enter the door to the right of the interrogation room, entering the room where they are concealed behind the one way glass pane. In the room, the two lovers are in an embrace, with Sang-woo crying in his girlfriend’s arms as Nayeon comforts him.

“It’s okay honey…it’s okay…let it out…” They hear, the sensitive microphones in the room clearly picking up each and every syllable.

“Let’s not intrude,” Seung-won decides. “Review the footage and let’s leave them in private.”

Hyejin nods and walks over to the monitors on the desk nearby. She takes a seat and starts rewinding the footage recorded by the multiple cameras in the interrogation room.

“How many minutes ago was this?” She asks.

“Maybe about 30 minutes,” he replies. Hyejin types away on the keyboard before pulling up the footage from said timing. She leans back in her seat, watching as Nayeon in the video stands in front of the door. A couple of seconds later, the door opens.

“Hello, Nayeon.”

As soon as the voice rings out, static begins to fill the screen, a sight that the two partners know all too well.

“Shit…he knows they’re here, we gotta get them out of here!” Hyejin says as she quickly scrambles for the door. She grabs the handle and twists it, only to find that it won’t budge. She jiggles the handle, the handle not even moving an inch. Hyejin takes a few steps back before running forward and kicks the door. A shock gets sent up her leg as she clutches her sore foot.

“Saekki…forgot they had these reinforced after Mi-soo kicked one of them down…” she curses.

“Is it locked?”

“No shit it is…we gotta find a way out of here before-”

“Thank you honey…it’s kind of a shame that we can only visit each other for a short while…”

“Who told you that?”

“Hyejin.”

The two detectives divert their attention to the conversation happening tin the interrogation room.

“Huh? I got told by their Chief that I’d be transferred here with you!” Nayeon says.

“Wait…Chief?” Sang-woo asks.

“Yea! The chief of the precinct! He’s in charge of this case!”

“H-He told you that?” Sang-woo asks. Nayeon nods.

“Y-Yea…is something wrong honey?”

“Y-Yea…Hyejin told me that…she’s in charge of this case,” I reply. Nayeon blinks a couple of times.

“W-Wait…if Hyejin’s in charge…then why…”

A rumble passes through the building, the floor beneath them shaking.

“The hell was that?” Seung-won asks. Hyejin’s radio answers the question for him.

“Requesting assistance in the east wing, I repeat, assistance in the east wing. There has been an explosion. Any unit available, please help.”

The two detectives stare at each other, knowing full well what’s to happen next.

“If he’s really here…then the next thing would happen is-”

The lights cut out as static fills the microphone.

“That…” Hyejin completes. She desperately begins ramming her shoulder against the door, trying to break out. Little does she know, the Bamboo Rat has made his way through the ventilation system and is now unscrewing the vent cover. They don’t hear the loud clang as the vent cover drops to the floor, nor do they see the contraption that he throws onto the one way glass, blocking it entirely as he shines a bright light on his two targets.

“Hello Sang-woo,” he says before swiftly lunging forward and plunging a needle into Sang-woo’s neck. He presses down on the plunger, the anestesia serum flooding Sang-woo’s veins. He slumps forward onto the floor. Nayeon screams, but is cut short by the chop delivered to the side of her neck, making her pass out as well. The bamboo rat checks his watch. He’s making good time. He grabs both of their bodies, dragging them nearer to the door. The locking mechanism of the room opposite would only hold up for another 5 minutes, and the power would be back in another 3. He needed to hurry.

He opens the door just enough for him to survey the pitch black hallway with his night vision goggles. No sign of life. With surprising strength, he drapes Nayep n’s body over his shoulder and hooks Sang-woo up under the armpits. He quickly takes the two limp bodies out of the open door of the precinct and haphazardly chucks them into the van waiting for him. He quickly slides the door shut before hopping into the driver’s seat. He starts up the vehicle before pulling out of the precinct parking lot and driving off into the night.

His destination?

HQ, as instructed.

That reminds him…

He dials up the team leader, more than ready to give the good news.

“Yeoboseyo?”

“Team leader, I’ve got both targets with me, bot incapacitated.”

“Good job Ahn. Bring em’ back.”

“Understood.”

He hangs up, a smug smile on his face.

“Let’s see you solve this one Hyejin,” Ahn Gyeong-hui laughs proudly as he makes a turn.

Back at the precinct, the mechanism holding the door shut finally gives, allowing Hyejin to burst out. Her heart drops as the lights flicker on, revealing the opened door of the interrogation room, its occupants long gone.

“Shit,” she curses before she picks up her radio.

“All available units, briefing room, now.”

***

My eyes slowly open to the sound of voices. My arms and legs feel numb as shit…where am I?

“Ah. Look like someone’s waking up! You, give him a good welcome!”

SLAP

A hand whizzes across my field of view, slapping me firmly across the face. My cheek stings as my senses come back online. My eyes dart around frantically. Crates…metal crates and boxes are stacked up around me. I try moving my hands and hear a metallic ‘chink’. I look down and see a set of steel handcuffs locked around my hands, while my body is chained to a pole, my legs lying parallel to the floor, tied and trussed up. This is…unorthodox…

“Ya! Eyes here! Hit him!”

Another firm slap is delivered to my right cheek, eliciting an involuntary yelp out of me.

“There we go! Fancy seeing you again Sang-woo!”

My eyes travel towards the source of the noise.

Im Sung-woon.

“Welcome to the Im family warehouse! I’m happy that you could join us!” He says, too cheery for my liking. My gaze wanders around the place, searching for Nayeon.

“If you're looking for your precious girlfriend, she’s right here!”

He pulls Nayeon up to the railing of the catwalk, displaying her as if she’s a prized possession.

“Sang-woo!” She calls out to me. I try to speak, only to find that my words are muffled.

“Duct tape is one hell of a sound blocker huh?” Sung-woon chuckles as he begins descending the steps. I struggle against my restraints, trying as hard as I can to loosen them up.

“Aish…he’s obviously not feeling too welcomed here! Do your thing boys!” Sung-woon instructs. A sharp kick is delivered to my right, followed by another on my left. Punches, kicks, slaps and all sorts of hits rain down on me as I helplessly get beaten, only able to throw my cuffed hands above my head that is of minimal use in blocking the hits.

“STOP IT! STOP!” I hear Nayeon yelling, her voice cracking as she can only watch me receive beating after beating. A fist slugs my left cheek, a knee strikes my nose, an elbow slams against my back, a foot finds my stomach.

I can taste blood in my mouth, my vision a flurry of arms and legs swinging uncoordinated, all of them with a common goal of causing as much pain to me as possible. One of my many assailants grabs my hair, pulling me upright as another swings his leg, connecting with my jaw. I hear a sickening crack as an accute pain shoots up towards my brain. The knuckles of another connects with my ribs, knocking the wind out of me as another delivers a blow to my face.

“Alright! That’s enough!” Sung-woo calls out. I’m given another good kick across the face for good measure before the hand gripping my hair lets go, letting me slump forward. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been hit in that same area. My left eye feels numb…heck, I can’t even open it…

“Remove his gag. I think he has blood in his mouth.”

The tape is ripped off my face, leaving a tingling sting. I involuntarily cough, blood splattering in front of me as my chest burns. Yup…definitely a couple of broken ribs…

“S-Sang-woo…” Nayeon chokes. I look up at her and manage a small but weak smile.

“G-Gwen…chana…” I manage. It hurts me to look into those eyes and see the fear and hurt she’s feeling.

“Look at him Nayeon…he’s getting hurt because of you!” Sung-woon chuckles.

“D-Don’t listen-“

A foot pushes the back of my head down to the floor, letting my cheek become a canvas for my blood to paint.

“Thank you…I hate being interrupted Sang-woo…if you want to meet your Eomma any sooner, you can keep talking.”

I had to restrain myself from letting out a very specific pair of words that would never, ever sit well with Eomma. Hint, it has 4 syllables and the first word is four letters long, the second one three letters long.

“Good boy…that’s what Nayeon calls you doesn't she?” He chuckles. I see Nayeon squeeze her eyes shut, unable to look at my current state.

“Ya…you…already took one of my loved ones from me…are you really that heartless to take another?” I ask, mentally bracing for another blow to somewhere on my body. I see a flash of movement on my right and I flinch, preparing for the hit.

“No. No need for that,” Sung-woon says. I hear a small, disappointed sigh as the assailant sets his leg down. “Step away, give him air.”

The men back off one by one, taking their place by their boss’s side.

“Sang-woo-ya…you have no idea what I’m ready to do at all times. You know…my friends used to call me a fox…you wanna know why?”

“Because you’re cunning?” I reply. He grins and nods.

“My…you’re a smart one aren’t you! Yes, I am cunning. I planted the seeds for small scuffles, stole a watch and famed it on someone else for kicks, blackmailed my teachers for better grades. There was no limit to what I could do Sang-woo…and that still applies today.”

From his waistband, he removes his gun and cocks it.

“There is no limit to what I will and can do Sang-woo. When you have money and power…there’s nothing you can’t do. You’ve just never been given the chance to experience it.”

He presses the gun to Nayeon’s temple. My blood goes cold.

Think Sang-woo, think!

“Y-You say that money…and power gets you everything…right?” I say. He smiles.

“What? Are you going to give me a lecture on morales Mr Park? Trust me, if you think that’ll save your girlfriend, you’re sorely mistaken. Unlike Nayeon here…I’m not weak. I am strong, I am powerful. Trying to ‘touch my heart’ won’t work on a great mind like mine Sang-woo…”

Quick crash course on reading between the lines ladies and gentlemen. Now, what can we infer from his bullshit ass statement? Personally, I’ll say these few: Asshole, Narrow-minded, Greedy.

Oh, and the most important takeaway from that?

He’s egotistical as fuck.

And boy do I know how to pop an inflated ego.

“Keep…telling yourself…that,” I chuckle. If I play my cards right, I can buy Nayeon some more time…and buy more time for me to think up a solid plan. The smile on Sung-woon’s face disappears.

“What did you say?”

I smile internally. The bait has been cast…waiting for a bite…

“I said…Keep…telling yourself that!” I repeat, louder this time. I start to pay attention to my surroundings, looking for a way to break free of these chains.

“If…money and power…gets you…everything? Why…are you still…single?” I ask as I try wriggling my wrists. No hope in wiggling out…but my hands can still move as usual…

“My, my! You’re quite the talker for someone who’s at a disadvantage!” Sung-woon growls. I manage to force a convincing smug laugh.

“Disadvantage?” I smirk, my wrist making one third of the way out. “I’d say…you're at a…disadvantage. Maybe…all that hot air…in your head…is blurring your vision! Or maybe…it’s that big ass…ego of yours…compressing your brain…and killing your brain cells?”

He grits his teeth. That’s it…take the bait…

“You obviously haven’t been learning…rough him up!” He barks. The men crack their knuckles and approach me.

“Oh please!” I manage to laugh. “You…asking them to beat me up…does nothing. Do you…really think these guys are…fully under your control… huh? You think these…guys listen to you…because of your money and power? If you do…you’re sorely mistaken. I can…bet my ass that you…must’ve done something to get…them in the palm of your hand…something like…threatening their families maybe?”

The men freeze. Neat, first try.

“Ah…so he uses fear and terror to keep you poor souls in check…tell me, how…many lives have you taken…or how many crimes…have you committed to keep the ones you hold dear…safe from this monster.”

They exchange looks between each other.

“Ya! What are you doing? BEAT HIM UP!”

“You don’t have to listen to him,” I quickly interject. I force myself to breathe despite the pain burning my chest. “You guys…don’t have to be afraid of him…I doubt he has…more than one assault team. He may look…like he has money…but I think he’s been hiding something…tell me, when was the last time you got paid?”

“Ya! Don’t listen to-”

“A-About…actually…I can’t remember…I…I don’t think we’ve been-”

BANG

The one who replied to me shrieks as he clutches his leg, falling to the floor. Another deafening shot goes off, and the man goes still, blood running from the hole in his head. I squeeze my eyes shut, his limp body giving me unpleasant memories.

“Any more talking and that’ll be you! NOW HURRY UP!” Sung-woon yells.

“Don’t you see? You’re… just pawns! You’re just pawns… in his sick game of chess, doing… the dirty work…putting yourselves on the line. And for…what? For his selfish…cause? For…his fun little…game? To let him control…you with the fear he uses against you? Look at that…he’s ready to dispose of you…at any given time! There’s 5 of you! 5 strong…men against…one scrawny…ass businessman! What can he…do if you revolt against him? He can’t do shit!”

“STOP LISTENING TO HIM! BEAT. HIM. UP!”

I look each and everyone of them in the eyes.

“You don’t… have to be scared…law enforcement exists for a reason…they can help you…they can keep your loved ones safe…”

“WHAT ARE YOU GUYS…you know what? I don’t need you. Chief Ahn!”

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

5 thumps fill my ears as the 5 men I was talking to drop to the floor, limp. I stare at the 6 bodies scattered in front of me, a small part of me feeling sorry for them…they had mothers…fathers…wives and children…yet, this monster is more than ready to just take their precious lives in a flash.

“Thank you Ahn…gosh…you’re the only competent one around here are you?” Sung-woon remarks as a man with square framed glasses walks out from the shadows.

“C-Cheif Ahn?” Nayeon asks. He smirks and waves.

“Hello Nayeon, nice to meet you again,” he says cooly as he blows the smoke from the barrel of his gun, the same gun that shot and killed the 5 men in front of me. So this was the chief Nayeon was talking about…

“Now…could you hold her Chief Ahn? I have to complete what my men couldn’t,” he growls as he shoves Nayeon to the Chief. He casually presses his gun back onto Nayeon’s temple as Sung-woon walks over to me. He points his gun at me, cocking the hammer back. Inside, I’m shitting my pants as we speak, but outside, I hold my smirk.

“You know…holding that gun only makes you look scared and afraid…if you want to kill me, how about you do it with your own hands?” I challenge. I surreptitiously glance around, looking for something that I can use. Something flashes in the corner of my eye and I see a nail lying right next to me…I need to get it somehow…

“Your tricks won’t work on me, Sang-woo. You’ll have to try harder than that!” He says as he delivers a kick to my stomach. I’m momentarily winded as I try to recover. His black, polished business shoe flies upwards, catching me in the chin as my head jerks up violently, my brain rattling in my skull.

“Not much of the chatter now are we?” He grunts as his right leg swings, connecting with my left cheek as my head whips to the right and I intentionally lean more towards the said direction. I fake a long recovery as I cough on the ground, using my fingers to pull the nail into my palm. I slowly rise up, carefully concealing the nail behind my arm as I straighten myself. Thankfully, he’s smart but not observant. As soon as I recover, his left leg quickly follows up, his foot connecting straight with my nose as I hear a dull crack. I feel blood begin to flow from my nose as he knees me in the side, most likely fracturing a rib in the process.

“STOP! JUST STOP IT YOU SICK FUCK!” Nayeon cries as tears stream down her face. She’s been trying to be strong the whole time, but I think she’s gone far past breaking point.

“What was that Nayeon? Did you want me to continue?” He smiles sadistically as he pulls my hair up roughly, my eyes forced to look at the bright fluorescent lights above.

“S-Stop…p-please…don’t hurt him anymore…” She pleads tearfully. This is what he wants…he wants her to break…he wants to make her suffer.

“N-Nayeon…” I call out to her. She looks at me, her eyes full of pain and worry as she scans me. “I’ll be okay…” I pant. Sung-woon laughs.

“Ah…keep telling yourself that. Well…I’ve had my fun with you. I think it’s time for you to go.”

The cold muzzle of the gun presses against my temple.

“Wait…” I gasp. “If…you’re gonna kill me…you at least deserve to give me…an explanation on how…you did all this…like how you…got away with burning…down…Nayeon’s outlets…and why…why you…killed Eomma…”

He sighs.

“Well…I suppose you do deserve a breakdown of my great plan as your dying wish…well. If you insist on knowing, who am I to deny a man his dying wish? I’m generous aren’t I?”

Yea right bitch.

“It’s a rather intricate plan really.” He begins. “First what I needed was blueprints of the general area. And once again, power and money got me just that Sang-woo. Next, it was just a matter of looking for an ideal time where the street is the quietest, after that, it’s just a simple act of cutting power supplies to those areas through my connections, a little bit of glass smashing, a little ethanol, a little kerosine and voilà, there you go!”

“Then…what…about…getting into…Nayeon’s office? How…did you do…that? You…bypassed 3 extra…security cameras…”

He chuckles.

“Something’s just so comforting about the number three isn’t there? I knew about them. In fact, I know your entire security system inside out. Just a couple of talented hackers and just like that, I was in! It’s all so simple Sang-woo, but you just don’t understand it…”

“It’s not that he doesn’t understand you prick,” Nayeon spat. A sense of dread fell over me as I watch his face grow dark. He slowly walks over to Nayeon.

“What did you call me?” He growls. Nayeon stares back defiantly, her wet eyes filled with anger. Silently, I plead with her using my eyes to not repeat herself. My heart sinks as she stands up straighter.

“I called you a prick.”

His back stiffens.

“Why you little BITCH!”

His hand whizzes fast and I hear a loud slap.

“YA!” I yell as I see Nayeon’s face get whipped to the left. He is merciless and quickly follows up with another. I want to yell, I want to scream, but the burning in my lungs stops me. Thankfully, he’s taken out enough of his anger on her as he roughly grips her chin and forces her to meet his eyes.

“You think you're so slick, huh Nayeon? You think you can just make remarks like that and get away? Well, let your uncle teach you a lesson!”

He lets go of her face roughly before walking back to my right. He grips my hair once again, pulling it back so hard I thought that I’ll go bald right there. He presses the gun to the bottom of my chin. I hear a click as he cocks the hammer.

“This is where being smart gets you Nayeon. This is what’s to happen. Say you’re goodbyes,” He growls.

“DON’T!” Nayeon cries, but is silenced by Cheif Ahn’s hand around her mouth.

“Quiet!” He orders as Nayeon starts to struggle, in total disregard that a pistol is right next to her head, ready to blow her brains out. I glance at Sung-woon, who smirks smugly.

“You’ve been a good boy Sang-woo…I’ll reward you with your last words to her…go on…”

I look at him, then look back at my struggling girlfriend.

“I’m…sorry Nayeon…you…you…you should…should’ve…”

Sung-woon leans in, almost in a mocking manner.

“What should she have done Sang-woo? Do finish…”

I gaze at him, before a sly smile crosses my face as I grip the nail like a dagger.

“Should’ve cuffed me to the pillar bitch.”

With that, I place my left hand over the top of the nail, guiding it as hard as I can into Im Sung-woon’s thigh. It enters with a disgusting squelch as I feel blood on my hands. He shrieks in pain as the gun falls from his hand, right in front of me as his hands scramble to grab his leg. I pick up the gun and use it like a hammer, swinging hard with both my hands as the base of it connects with his skull, effectively silencing him as he’s knocked out cold.

I quickly grip the gun properly, pointing it at Chief Ahn.

“Let…her…go…” I breathe, the pain in my chest intensifying. With a hand still over Nayeon’s mouth, he presses the gun to the back of Nayeon’s head, pulling Nayeon in front of him like a human shield.

“Make me. Do it, shoot me…I doubt you’d miss me…and her…” he smiles. Shit…I didn’t think this through…my mind races as I keep eye contact with him, my shaky, cuffed hands doing their best to hold the gun up. Think, think, think!

A yelp interrupts my planning as Chief Ahn suddenly retracts his hand from Nayeon’s mouth, shaking it wildly as if it’s on fire.

Nayeon bit him.

Using the opportunity, Nayeon grabbed his face and pulled it towards her rising knee. I wince as I may or may not have heard a crack before Chief Ahn’s body goes limp, falling onto the floor as his gun releases from his grip. Nayeon kicks it away before running to me.

“That…was hot…” I chuckle breathlessly. She places a finger on my lips.

“Shhh…you’re hurt. Save your breath,” she whispers as she crouches and walks over to Sung-woon’s limp body. She digs into his pocket and produces a set of keys. She unlocks the chains around me, then the handcuffs, before finally unbinding my legs.

“What…a strange…way of restraining someone…huh?” I manage. She smiles and pecks my cheek.

“Mhm…come on darling, let’s get you up,” she says as she wraps my arm around her shoulder. She helps me up, my chest burning more than ever.

“Oh fuck…that hurts…” I wince.

“Sorry honey.”

“Don’t…worry about it baby…” I smile weakly. I look around us, my lips forming a line aat the sight of the numerous limp bodies around us.

“We…should tie…Sung-woon and…Ahn up,” I suggest. She nods before supporting me to a nearby chair.

“Easy does it…” she coos as she gently helps me settle on the chair. “Be right back,” she adds before quickly running off. She drags Ahn’s limp body to join Sung-woon near the pillar. With herculean strength, she somehow props the two grown ass men up before running the thick roll of chain around them, locking them in place. She retrieves the gun that I left on the floor and tosses it away, before cuffing the two men together. With a contented sigh, she quickly walks back over to me.

“Where does it hurt honey?” she asks, her eyes full of concern as she gently touches my sore cheek.

“To…be honest…everywhere,” I grunt. Her eyes gaze up at mine guiltily.

“This…this is my fault…” she whispers. I smile and muster some strength to gently cup her cheek.

“No…it’s not…you never knew Nayeon…”

“But I-”

Now it’s my turn to place a finger on her lips.

“Shh…we’ve both had a really long day…” I say. She nods, understanding the intended message. She reaches up and squeezes my hand.

“Yea…it’s been a long day…” she echoes as she gazes into my eyes lovingly. We stare at each other. Nayeon disregards my bloody face and just locks her lips with mine, an action that was done to comfort the both of us.

“Yucks…your mouth tastes like blood,” she cringes. I manage a small chuckle.

“The…taste of love…darling…” I whisper. She smiles.

“OVER HERE! MOVE MOVE MOVE!”

Thundering footsteps are heard as Nayeon and I turn to the closed door of the warehouse.

“BLOWING THE LOCK! CLEAR!”

A small spark emits from the door before it is pushed open, revealing a full squad of special operations officers. A dozen rifles point at the two of us, lazers landing on our heads and bodies.

“HANDS UP! ON THE GROUND!” an officer yells. Nayeon and I raise our hands. Just as we’re both about to stand up, a familiar voice reverberates through the air.

“WAIT! HOLD YOUR FIRE!”

Moon Hyejin pushes past the crowd of officers. She looks at us, then at the mess behind us.

“Ssi-bal…I gotta get better at arriving on time. Search the area, look for evidence, looking for whatever we can to use to press charges,” she instructs as she holsters her gun. “And get medevac in here, ASAP.”

“Yes ma’am!”

The special forces spread out, doing as instructed. Hyejin walks over to us.

“You guys okay?” she asks.

“Could…be better…” I huff. She nods and surveys the scene behind us.

“Looks like you two did some…cleaning,” she muses.

“Oh…the six guys weren’t us…but those two over there were us,” Nayeon explains.

“Neat…let’s get them in handcuffs,” she says before activating her radio. “Could I get a couple more guys in here? The two targets are down, some extra hands would be nice.

“Roger that. Sending in more men.”

“Medevac should be in here any minute now, just hang tight,” she says. I heave a sigh of relief, but quickly regret it once a sting shoots up my chest, making me hiss.

“Take it easy baby,” Nayeon whispers as she laces her fingers with mine. I smile and nod.

“Yea…let’s…take it easy,” I breathe.

***

The familiar sound of the heart rate monitor fills my ears. I hold Sang-woo’s hand as we patiently await the results from the doctor. This time, we know that there’s no need for any safehouses…no need for any detectives. Just us.

“How are you feeling?” I ask him.

“Much better…and even better since you’re here,” he smirks. I roll my eyes.

“Cheesy,” I remark. He smiles and caresses my bruised cheek.

“Don’t lie…you know you missed it,” he chuckles. I smile and nod.

“I did…so much…” I reply. Just then, we hear a knock on the door. I lift my head off his lap.

“Come in!” I reply on his behalf. The doctor opens the door and steps in.

“How are you feeling, Park-ssi?” he asks as he shuts the door.

“Much better. Thank you doctor,” he nods.

“That’s great, Then your results will make you feel a lot better. Aside from 3 cracked ribs and a broken nose, you’ve suffered no brain damage and no vital organs have been harmed. We’ll just need to keep you here for a while for you to make a recovery, then your good to go!” He declares. We smile and thank him.

“Thanks doc.”

“Don’t mention it…alright, I’ll leave you two alone,” he smiles before exiting the room. I grin at my boyfriend, a sudden weight lifted off my heart.

“It’s…it’s finally over…” I whisper. He smiles and nods, squeezing my hand.

“It is Jagi…it is…” he replies.

“We have so much to catch up on,” I giggle. He laughs and nods.

“We do…but…can we just enjoy this moment for now…I just wanna hold my girlfriend,” he requests. Who am I to deny him of it?

“Sure thing honey,” I say as I lay my head back on his lap. Familiar hands comb a path through my hair as I close my eyes, relishing this time with him, even though we’ll have many more. But…it’s just something about the moment that makes me want to stay here forever.

“I love you Sang-woo,” I say. His smile says it all as he brushes some hair out of my face.

“Me too darling…me too…”

#im nayeon #fanfic #kpop #writing #nayeon

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smqazi · 4 months ago

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ENJOIN WHAT IS RIGHT AND FORBID WHAT IS WRONG.

امربالمعروفونہیعنالمنکر

AMR BIL-MA’ROOF WA NAHI ‘AN-IL-MUNKAR, AND DO FULFILL YOUR COMMITMENTS.

You cannot get your money or property because some other CROOKS in the courts and corrupt lawyers, they will not let you recover it as they are being paid very heavily by these RASCALS protect them from getting justice for you. It is as simple as that.

That is why they are afraid of Imran Khan. One of PDM minister said on the TV, “if Imran Khan comes came back, he will hang them upside down”, because I am sure he will, In shaa Allah.

That is why they want to keep him in jail as long as they can, so that he cannot play in a fair field and win the game. They have fabricated more than 200 FAKE cases against him, which he has been fighting for more than a year. And has won most of them. He is going to win the last two also He is a Mujahid of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and His Last Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam).

Lastly Yet importantly, my dear brothers sand sisters in Pakistan, In appeal to your conscious to bet on a horse that can win any race and he is Imran Khan. There is no body in Pakistan, who has the credibility, education, experience, guts, patience, steadfastness and the spirit that Imran Khan has. He was declared As-Saadiq wa’d-al-Ameen and I think he is the only one in this whole world called that name after Prophet Muhammad (SallaAllahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam).

He may not be able ton get all your wealth and property because of heavy odds against him, but I I assure you the with the help of Allah (Subhanahu wa T’ala, his positive mental attitude, sincerity of purpose, and your full support, he will stop them making trips to London, loot, and rob you and then go back again to their Kafeels and Visa providers, In shaa Allah!

‘Imran Khan Zindah Baad, Pakistan Paa’indah Baad, Pakistan Taabindah Baad and Pakistan Zindah Baad, Ameen, till eternity, Ameen, Thumma Ameen, yaa Rabbil ‘aalameen

_________________________

FOLLOW THE ORDER OF AMR BIL MA’ROOF WA NAHI ‘ANIL MUNKAR

Under the order Amr bil-Ma'roof and Nahi 'an-il-Munkar, it is my duty as a Muslim to advise all Muslim Brothers and Sisters to do GOOD and refrain from doing OTHERWISE.

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says in the NOBLE QUR’AN, Chapter (Surah) al-Isra' Verse (Ayah) 34:

MY SHEIKH TOLD ME NOT TO MAKE A PROMISE, BUT IF YOU DO, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU FULFILL YOUR PROMISE.

THE CHOICE IS ENTIRELY YOURS, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.

END OF THE STORY!

0 notes

russiaukrainewar · 3 years ago

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Russia: Between Poison and Vaccine

Properly, while everyone is watching the news and banter about NBA hockey teams, race-baiting, and minimal wage versus 1% type warfare socialist rhetoric, perhaps we need to turn down the noise and look at some of what's going on internationally for a moment. Let's talk chicken, no let's talk Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea as an alternative today - allow me to start that dialogue.

You see, there was an appealing report in the New York Times on May 30, 2014, called; "Ukraine Says That Militants Won the East," by Allison Smale and Phil Roth which stated;

"It is by now a well-established pattern. Armed, bad men in their 20s to 40s storm a community creating of largely symbolic value in an area somewhere in eastern Ukraine, evict anybody however there, Russo-Ukrainian War seize weapons and ammunition, throw up barricades and proclaim themselves the rulers of a people's republic. It is not yet determined who is in control or how the militias are organized. Through such ways, a couple of thousand pro-Russian militants have gripped buildings in about several towns, effectively establishing get a handle on over a lot of an industrial region of approximately 6.5 million nestled from the European border."

Solution me that: Ukraine threw in the towel their nuclear weapons in business if you are protected by the USA and NATO, however now Obama has essentially stated that treaty won't be enforced and Kerry is looking for a new treaty - protecting debt for Ukraine, loaning more. Maybe the treaty and promises of a state say a bit about the integrity of the leadership. If Ukraine threw in the towel their nukes, and now is challenged by Russia, russia ukraine news they missing by doing so, ergo, why could every other state actually give up their nukes, actually, they'd be better down to get some nukes as a perceptional centered last security, such as the stinger on a poisonous animal - stating don't mess with me.

What do you consider other nations are usually planning today about all this? Iran for example, I guess Russia drives a lot of nuclear weapons over to Iran today, and then Iran may continue steadily to counteract all their enriched uranium in business for introduced financial sanctions and global banking flows. And what happens today with Belarus and Poland, if the EU and USA turn their buttocks on Ukraine in their time of requiring what does that say - I'd concern yourself with an offer reuniting of large portions of the former USSR - Sunlight Tzu type, ukraine news with no picture fired, only through intimidation and display of strength. Think about that for a minute, think I'm incorrect for pointing out the obvious?

In the event that you don't think that these issues have an international effect on our companions and the trust factor we've with them, you may want to read yet another report, same day while the NYTs item, but that one in Reuters "Philippines says U.S. obligated to help in case of strike," by Manuel Mogato, Extra reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Modifying by Jordan Perry and Robert Birsel which stated;

"The US features a treaty obligation to help the Philippines in case of a strike on their terrain or armed makes in the South China Beach, the Philippine international minister said on Saturday, rejecting wondering of a security pact. The US and the Philippines on Saturday signed a 10-year Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement letting the U.S. makes wider usage of Philippine basics and position vessels, airplane, equipment, and troops for maritime security. The offer was testimony to an "ironclad" U.S. commitment to defend their earliest Southeast Asian ally, U.S. Leader Barack Obama told troops from equally places that week while on a visit to Manila."

Properly, I'm uncertain about you but I'd ask if which means that the US could go into conflict with China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea all on the same day? I mean we certainly have a lot of "red lines" and promises going on by that government, some of which might not satisfy if drive stumbled on shove. I think our government is not being taken significantly by our adversaries anymore and our companions should be wondering exactly the same questions, wouldn't you if you had been a US ally at this time? So significantly for Catsup diplomacy - what concept are we sending because package, a bloody one I fear. Believe me about that.

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josefavomjaaga · 3 years ago

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Helfert, Joachim Murat, Chapter 6, Part 4

Sorry as usual for the long delay. I really had to finish some other work. When we left off, Murat was still in Corsica, planning his landing on Neapolitan soil.

In Ajaccio, Murat's imminent arrival was soon known, and on the 23rd, when he made his entrance, a reception awaited him that sealed his doom. For now he was drunk from joy and a feeling of victory. His pride, his ambition, together with his adventurous, extravagant imagination, won over him to such an extent that he remained completely deaf to calm ideas, to rational arguments. "This is how my Neapolitans received me," he exclaimed to Franceschetti in the evening, "whenever I returned from the field to their midst!" And after a while: "Yes, so be it! I will live or die among my people! I want to go to Naples, let us not miss a moment to be there!" To make the measure of his delusion complete, a letter from Count Borgia of Rome, sent to him via Porto-Longone, came into his hands in these days, describing the mood in Naples as immensely favourable to him, and King Ferdinand as hated everywhere. Lambruschini, who could teach him otherwise, was, as we know, not even in Naples at that time, let alone that any news had arrived from him, which, incidentally, in the mood in which Murat now found himself, would hardly have changed his decision.

The next few days were spent preparing for departure. As a side piece to the Bogognano Manifesto, he now had a "royal decree" drawn up which could almost be called Napoleonic, so much thought was given in it to the most insignificant details. The constitution is to come into force on 1 January 1816, and the convocation of the chambers is to be initiated without delay" (Art. 1). "All civil servants, officers and dignitaries discharged since May 21 shall immediately resume their official positions; the former division of the army shall be restored; all grades, all allocations, all promotions, honours and rewards made during the last campaign shall remain in force (Art. 2, 8, 10). On the other hand, all those appointed since that day shall immediately leave their posts, otherwise they will be declared rebels, inciters of civil war, traitors to the fatherland, put outside the law and treated as such (Art. 3, 4). Neither the royal palaces, summer residences and estates were forgotten, for which the former court servants would once again have to take care, nor the king's horses, equipages and carriages, for which the chief stable master and his staff were made responsible (Art. 13, 14). "All our adjutants and orderly officers must appear without delay at Our Headquarters and rally around Our person" (Art. 18). . . The decree, consisting of 20 articles, was calculated to 36. It provided for the composition of the ministry, for the filling of the leading military posts in the capital and in the provinces. But because it was pointed out to the "King" that a premature appointment of these personalities, most of whom were in Naples, would only expose them to Ferdinand's revenge, Murat agreed to the relevant articles being suppressed. The decree and the manifesto were then sent to the printers at Ajaccio, in order to have a sufficient number of copies of both at hand at the first moment. The place and date of execution were left open; both headings were to be filled in as soon as they were in place.

On 28 September, everything was ready for departure. The desired vehicles were prepared and equipped as needed: there were five trabacoli and one felucca, larger barques (gondoloni), as the Barbaresks used them for their raids; the crew to be embarked, officers, soldiers and seamen, numbered about 250. Immediately before embarkation, the "King" promoted all officers by one rank each and awarded the Order of Both Sicilies to those who were not yet decorated with it. The relevant decrees were written in all royal chancery style, so that the clerks available in Ajaccio had to be diligent enough in their work.

Joachim entrusted the supreme command of the flotilla to the frigate Captain Barbara, a Maltese by birth, who had been given the baronate by Murat.

On 25 September, Colonel Maceroni had arrived in the port of Bastia, from where, after learning that Murat had departed from Vescovato, he had telegraphed his imminent arrival in Ajaccio. At noon on the 28th, he arrived in the capital of Corsica and went to Joachim without delay to inform him of the conditions of the Great Powers, to hand over the travel documents for the journey to Trieste and to enclose his most urgent ideas not to reject the offer made to him out of hand. At the same time, the British Captain Bastard, who had long ago arrived in the port of Bastia with the frigate Mäander and two sloops of cannon, offered to take the ex-king across the sea. But it was impossible to have a sensible word with him. If the Corsicans, for whom he had never done anything, had welcomed him so enthusiastically, would this be less the case in Naples, which he had showered with benefits as king? And should he abandon the hundreds who had now joined him to the revenge of the French government? And if his enterprise failed, what could happen to him? That his person should be secured and that he should be kept in some remote place like his brother-in-law! - When his faithful congratulated him on the unexpected salvation opened up to him by the offer of Emperor Franz, he exclaimed: "Of course, I will go to Austria, so that one morning I may be found strangled in the bosom of my family! I would rather go to Constantinople! But no, even there I would be killed!" Nevertheless, he wrote a letter to Maceroni in which he did not necessarily reject the proposal of the allied powers, but reserving the right to consider it as soon as he would be with his family. He explained that he had to decline Bastard's invitation because it had been made in an improper manner: "une sommation trop peu mesurée"; no doubt the captain had addressed him simply as "Marshal Murat".

Carabelli also arrived in Ajaccio that day and had a conversation with the ex-king, without achieving anything other than encouraging the ill-fated man in his intentions.

Helfert comments on the arrival of the Neapolitan Carabelli in a footnote with reference to two other reports:

Franceschetti p. 39-41 and Colletta-Gallois p. 30 f. present the matter as if the Neapolitan government had sent Ignazio Carabelli, who is supposed to have joined his brother Simone after his arrival in Corsica, in order to play the agent provocateur with Murat and lure him to Naples. This is not only contradicted by Ricciardi's explicit testimony, but also by the entire situation and mood at the Court of Naples, where Murat's ventures were feared, not desired. It is downright nonsensical when Colletta-Gallois add the remark: "Ainsi on était informé à Naples de tout ce qui se passait en Corse". Was there an undersea telegraph at that time? Lambruschini, who certainly hurried to bring his well-meant warnings to the ex-king, needed seven days from Rome to Bastia, 6 to 12 October, and Ignaz Carabelli was certainly not sent by Minister Medici before mid-September, probably only after the 18th, when Jablonovski had his conversation with the king. Now Carabelli, who no doubt had a government ship at his disposal, may have managed his passage to Bastia more quickly than Lambruschini; but from Bastia he still had the arduous land route or the circumnavigation of Cape Bianco in the north or Cape Bonifazio in the south - Maceroni had taken a full three days from Bastia to Ajaccio! - so that he certainly did not meet Murat before the 28th, which is also consistent with explicit witness statements. And then one should have been informed in Naples "de tout ce qui se passait en Corse"!

The text continues:

Before midnight Murat wrote a second long letter to Maceroni, in which there was no longer any question of yielding: "I will never accept the conditions which you have been instructed to impose on me; for me they are nakedly and simply tantamount to an abdication, for which I am offered the sole advantage of being allowed to live in perpetual slavery and under the arbitrary control of a despotic government. I have not abdicated, I have the right to reclaim my crown if God gives me the strength and the means to do so! I place freedom above all else; captivity is death to me. What treatment have I to expect from these powers who made me spend two months under the daggers of the assassins of Marseilles! I have laid down my life a thousand times in battle for the fatherland: shall I not be allowed to lay it down once for my own interest?"

Immediately afterwards, he went to the ships, the anchors were lifted and they set out into the open sea. The citadel of Ajaccio, whose crew had not dared to take any action against the Muratists, sent a few live rounds after the flotilla, which, however, did no damage because the flotilla was already out of range. The sky was clear, the sea calm. But on the 29th a storm came up and the small squadron had to drop anchor on the 30th at the deserted island of Tavolara, on the north-east coast of Sardinia. On 1 October, they set sail again and on the 4th were so close to the coast of Naples that they could see Vesuvius. The ex-king's mad plan of taking Ferdinand by surprise in Portici now flashed through his mind again, but he let himself be talked out of it and they steered south towards Calabria. On the 6th Paola was in sight. Efforts were made to anchor: a storm arose and four of the ships were driven far out to sea, only the felucca of Battalion Commander Courrand remained near the vessel carrying the "King". On the 7th they waited for the others to return; when they did not show themselves, a landing was nevertheless to be attempted. A muleteer and one of Joachim's old guard came along the way and Major Ottaviani was disembarked to question them. Their answers did not inspire confidence; they also attracted the attention of the beach guard, from whom two blind shots were fired, demanding obedience. Ottaviani was again put ashore, then two sailors and Baron Barbara, who identified themselves to the local authorities as "Frenchmen on a journey to Tunis"; for Barbara had provided himself with passports to that effect in Corsica. Nevertheless, the officials became suspicious and detained Ottaviani and one of the sailors; only the other sailor and Barbara were released. Murat did not want to abandon his men, but in the end he followed prudent considerations and set sail for Amantea and then even further south.

Courrand's behaviour now became so suspicious that Captain Pernice and Lieutenant Moltedo, who were on his ship, insisted on being transferred to Barbara's barque; indeed, Courrand disappeared with his vessel the following night and was never seen again. Murat had only one ship left, and now for the first time pusillanimity came over him. He had only a handful of men with him; he saw that his enterprise would be foolhardy. He ordered Galvani to throw the copies of the manifesto and the decree into the sea and decided to sail to Trieste in order to make use of the offer of the Emperor of Austria and of his passport, which he had prudently kept with him. But for this they needed money, food and above all a larger ship. They were near Pizzo and Murat wanted to disembark here in order to procure what they needed. Barbara objected to this plan, an exchange of words ensued, Murat became passionate, and all his good intentions were blown out of the water. The ideas of the more superior, and the entreaties of his faithful valet not to run to his ruin, did not succeed: he, the "king," commanded, and the others had to obey. "I have only done good to the Neapolitans," he cried, "they cannot have forgotten me, they will hasten to my aid!"

The barge struck the shore, the officers were eager to jump out of the ship, but Murat refused them: "It is for me to be the first to set foot on the soil of my kingdom." And with that he was ashore. He had enough deliberation left to order Captain Barbara to lead his ship into a sheltered bay close by to be ready for any eventuality. It was on the 8th of October, a Sunday, between 11 and 12 o'clock in the morning.

#joachim murat #colonel maceroni #naples #naples 1815 #helfert murat

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angryschnauzer · 4 years ago

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In Another World

Summary: In another world, it was Jensen that got the role of Captain America, not Chris. You have dreamed of meeting Jensen ever since you saw him in his CGI glory in The First Avenger, and your comicon experience you discover to be underwhelming. But then you meet a cosplayer in the bar... and life takes an altogether different turn for you.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Comicon, Comic Convention, Strangers at a Bar, Cosplay, Captain America Cosplay, Unprotected Sex, Hotel Room Sex, Oral Sex, Fingering, Blow Job, Anal Play.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Female Reader (no race specified)

The above Jensen manip i cannot trace, it was sent to me years ago by a now deactivated tumblr user, with the signature half chopped off. Its the artwork that inspired this fic. In case you weren’t aware, Jensen auditioned for the role of Captain America but it of course went to Chris.

I do not operate a tag list, but feel free to go ahead and follow @angryschnauzerwrites and put that blog onto notifications, as you will then be notified when i post a new story. Oneshots will be posted on Tumblr and AO3, Multichapter stories will be AO3 exclusives.

Due to the amount of stories i have written over the years i no longer have a masterlist, instead please check out my AO3 HERE.

In Another World

You sat at your computer, staring at the screen as you streamed the latest press junket. Marvel was going all out with its ten-year plan for The Avengers and with this press tour for The Winter Soldier you had fallen in love even more with Cap.

As the images streamed live from the far east, you watched as Jensen flexed his muscles and his co-stars laughed in admiration. He was born to be Captain America.

But you weren’t the only one watching.

In a small apartment in Boston another pair of eyes watched with an added level of sadness. He remembered the audition. Standing in the hallway with a bunch of other guys, all in their 20’s, all having a few bit-part roles under their belts in teen TV shows or low budget horror movies. The same green eyes that stared out of the screen had looked at him in the hallway, holding his hand out to shake;

“Hey man. Jensen”

“Chris”

Jensen smiled;

“Strong Boston accent there dude”

Chris chuckled;

“Say the same about you, what’s that Houston?”

“Dallas”

“Eh, close enough”

They chatted for a while as the guys ahead of them in the line entered the room, only to leave 5 minutes later. They didn’t look up at the guys left, no-one wanted to read expressions to give themselves fake hope. The door opened and the annoying droll voice of the elderly secretary called out;

“Ackles”

Chris looked up, holding his hand out to his new acquaintance;

“Break a leg man”

Shaking it briefly Jensen nodded;

“Thanks man”

You clung to your priority tickets, the excitement so intense you weren’t sure if you were going to puke or cry. You hoped for neither. It was your first convention and you had maxed out your credit card and called in sick from work when the special edition tickets had been released, refreshing your computer every ten seconds so that when they had been released online you had made your purchase within 30 seconds.

Now standing towards the front of the queue you were terrified. You had loved Jensen from the first moment you’d seen him in all his CGI glory in The First Avenger. You’d followed his career and had even gone back and watched his entire back catalogue. He was a natural for the role and the stealth suit from the most recent movie had made him look so handsome you had actually swooned when you had seen those first opening scenes of the movie aboard the Lumerian Star.

The con volunteers were doing an amazing job, herding the fans into some form of order, and as you got closer you could hear the laughter and squeals of joy as fans ahead of you were rapidly shown in.

It was your turn. The flimsy black curtain was pulled aside, and you were pushed into the brightness of the well-lit area that was surrounded on all sides by vivid blue panels that bore the con’s logo. Jensen turned and smiled, putting his hand out and you found you were standing next to him. Your head swam;

“Do you have a pose?”

“Umm…” You could see the con workers and volunteers moving their arms in a ‘hurry up’ motion; “I guess… a hug?”

“Sure thing”

He wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pointed towards the bored looking photographer;

“Smile sweetie”

You did. You smiled, your saw blobs as the flash blinded you. You didn’t even register as Jensen pressed his hand to your back, thanking you before turning to the next person who had already been pulled through the black curtain. A volunteer took your wrist and pulled you gently through the curtain on the far side, giving you your photo number as they apologised it was so fast.

The curtain closed and you stood there, blinking as you tried to focus on the small piece of paper you held. It was done. Over. You’d met Jensen and it had been so rushed you hadn’t even had chance to look at him.

The bile started to rise, you looked around and saw a trash can, leaning over it and vomited into the piles of used coffee cups and candy wrappers.

The hunt for a bottle of water at a con hadn’t been something you would think would take so long; a lot of the vendors had already sold out, others the line was so long it would have taken you longer to get the water than the queue for the con in the first place. It seemed as if everyone was walking against you, or you were going against the flow of them, but when you finally got your water you drained the entire bottle, soothing your bile parched throat. Wiping your mouth with the back of your hand you heard an announcement over the PA system;

“We apologise, but the Jensen Ackles panel won’t be broadcast out of the auditorium due to technical issues”

“WHAT?” you grabbed your wrist, looking at your watch as your eyes went wide. You’d been so dazed by your photo op and feeling ill afterwards you had forgotten about the panel. You needed a drink, and something stronger than water.

Chris adjusted the helmet of his costume as he looked in the mirror. The men’s room was quiet, the main panel of the con was on and he couldn’t bring himself to sit in the same room as the guy that had won the role that had made him millions; of fans and dollars.

After not getting the Captain America role Chris had continued to take bit parts and small independent movies. He was recognised occasionally but he hadn’t hit the big time. In fact there were months when there was nothing coming in and it was only after someone had asked him to fill in at a kids party where one of the superhero guys had fallen sick at the last minute did the idea of cosplaying come to him. Now however he was well known in cosplay circles, even getting paid for some appearances. He was called a natural for the role, but that was the hardest to hear. He’d worked hard with his costumer and within just a few weeks of the latest movie coming out they’d successfully recreated the amazing Stealth Suit in its darker colours.

Checking his pants for his wallet he decided he needed a drink, and something stronger than a soda.

Nodding to the bartender, you thanked him as he set the beer down in front of you before he went to the far end of the bar to pull the latest load of glasses out of the dishwasher. You sat picking at the label and tracing patterns in the condensation that gathered on the cool glass. You were vaguely aware of other people coming and going, and when the barstool next to you was taken you didn’t look up.

“What’ll it be Cap?”

The bartender’s greeting drew your attention from your drink, casting your gaze to your side and your breath was sucked from your body. You watched as the man set his helmet onto the surface of the bar before nodding to what you were drinking;

“Same as the lady please”

Your eyes travelled from where his hand sat on the countertop of the bar up the dark sleeve of his stealth suit, taking in his wide shoulders and up to the fluffy dark blonde hair, slightly messed up from where he’d been wearing the helmet. You couldn’t help it, but you were staring. Your jaw was hanging low as he turned slowly to you, his blue eyes sparkling with just the faintest hint of green as he looked at you and a self-conscious smile tugged at the corner of his mouth;

“Hi…”

“You’re… you’re…”

“No, just cosplaying…” he turned back to his beer for a moment until you finally found your voice

“No. You’re Chris”

He set his beer on the countertop and turned to you, this time a genuine smile on his face;

“Do we know each other?”

“Well…” you blushed; “We spoke on Instagram” He cocked an eyebrow, but his attention didn’t waiver from you as you continued; “You’re ‘AlmostCap’, right? You posted about wanting advice on how to dye leather boots a deeper colour? I messaged you with the details of the dyes costumiers use”

His face broke into a wide smile;

“Oh yeah, that really worked! How did you know that?”

“Majored in theatre design at college”

“Well that titbit of knowledge brought the whole costume together” he motioned to his stealth suit and you couldn’t help but to look him up and down; “Without you I wouldn’t look this good”

You snorted back a laugh;

“I’m sure you look just a good without the suit”

Bringing your beer to your lips you took a sip, not realising Chris had moved closer until his lips brushed against your ear;

“Would you like to find out?”

The hotel room door crashed against the wall, the metal doorknob leaving a dent in the drywall. Chris had you pressed up against it, one hand holding you flush with his chest as his other hand blindly reached out for the door to close it. As soon as his fingertips grasped the cool wood he threw it shut with a thud that reverberated through the room.

Your hands clawed at Chris’s costume, desperate to find purchase, something, anything to hang onto and anchor yourself as he kissed you so hard you saw spangled stars. He’d put his costume helmet back on for the rather quick walk through the convention to the hotel where you were staying. His lips traced patterns over your cheek before he pressed kisses down your neck, whispering as he went;

“I don’t normally do this…”

“Me neither…

“...especially in costume…”

“Oh Chris…Cap…”

“It’s Captain tonight, Princess”

His fingers had found their way to the buttons on the front of your dress, skilfully plucking each one from its grasp on the thin cotton fabric, before his still gloved hand roughly cupped your breasts. As his lips found yours again, he groaned into your mouth as he weighed your breasts in his large hands, the rough leather against the lace of your bra sending chills through you. If Chris had a Captain kink you weren’t about to say no, hell, it would be one of your biggest fantasies.

You found yourself being manhandled towards the bed, Chris’s kisses hard and ravenous, and when he wasn’t kissing you his tongue was doing the most devilish things on your skin. The bed touched the back of your knees and you were falling back onto the covers, Chris following seconds later as he pressed you into the mattress. With a thick thigh he pushed your legs apart, the rough Kevlar fabric of his suit brushing against the delicate skin of your soft skin as his fingers sought out the juncture of thighs. The brush of the harsh leather of his fingerless gloves made you groan into his mouth as he tugged your panties to the side and his thumb found your clit. Rubbing small circles, he teased it from its hood, before his fingers slid through your folds to ease some of your slick moisture from you to smooth his efforts.

When his lips left yours you chased after them, but his voice made you settle back against the bed and open your eyes;

“Uh-uh… stay there Princess”

You watched as he brought his fingers to his mouth, before his kiss bruised lips closed around his glistening digits and he moaned as he tasted you;

“You taste amazing”

“Umm… thank you?”

“Here…”

He brought his hand to your mouth and you grasped it as you sucked gently on just the fingertips, watching as Chris’s already lust blown pupils widened even further;

“Jesus fucking Christ, your tongue…”

Letting go of his fingers with an audible pop, you pushed yourself up onto your elbows, resting on one arm as you slid a hand between your bodies and palmed his erection through his suit;

“What about my tongue?” you grinned before you tugged him down to lay beside you.

Pushing up onto your knees you ran your hand down his chest and stomach, the costume warm from his body heat and firm to the touch. Your fingers clawed at his suit to try and find the zipper, and after thirty seconds of searching you let out a huff;

“Ok, how the fuck to I get in here?”

With a low chuckle Chris reached down and lifted a hidden Velcro flap that revealed the button and the top of the zipper, and you eagerly tugged the pants of his suit open. The large bulge in his boxers immediately filled the space of the open zipper, and you found yourself nuzzling against the hardness that the soft jersey fabric could hardly contain. Pressing open mouthed kisses to the hard shaft through the fabric, you felt Chris’s hands on your head, he wasn’t pushing but you could tell he wanted you. With a smile you just about tugged his boxers down enough to free his cock, the thick shaft standing proud from the fly of his stealth suit. You wrapped your hands around it, the flesh hot to touch and pumped him slowly.

“Ah fuck Princess…”

“Yes Captain?”

“Please…”

He sounded wrecked, and as you leant forwards and licked at the bead of clear precum that was pooling at the tip you not only heard but felt the low rumble of his moan of appreciation. Wrapping your lips around the tip you started to suck, your tongue working over the hot smooth flesh as your fist worked up and down, pumping him slowly as you let the saliva pool in your mouth so you could take him deeper. In a moment when you pulled off to take a breath Chris’s hands were suddenly on your hips, moving you until you were kneeling on the bed and straddling his shoulders, and for a moment you squealed where his sudden strength had moved you with such ease.

“Gotta taste you…” he muttered from beneath the skirt of your dress, his hands smoothing over the globes of your ass and you could feel his breath hot on your skin. His fingers tugged your panties to the side and he was pulling you down onto his mouth, his tongue swiping through your soaked folds.

For a moment you lost yourself, Chris’s efforts driving you closer to orgasm than you thought was possible, but you found your senses and leant forwards again, taking him as deep as you could and you felt his moan deep in your cunt as he almost came on the spot. Working your fingers into his suit you cupped his balls, feeling them tight and hot in your hand as you sucked hard on his cock. At the same time you felt Chris drive his tongue into your soaked hole and his thumb sought out your clit. Your orgasm was rapidly approaching, and you could feel your legs start to shake. The harder he drove forwards the deeper you took him into your mouth. You heard a muffled cry from between your thighs and you felt that first tremble of the thick vein that ran the length of his cock. At the same time you felt his fingers dance over the crack of your ass, one finger pressing lightly against your dark rose and you were cumming over his face as he pumped thick ropes of cum down your throat.

When your legs were about to give out you tactfully rolled to the side, laying on the bed next to Chris as he fought to catch his breath. With laboured efforts he wrenched his helmet off, and you propped yourself up on your elbows to watch as he started to fumble with his costume;

“Gotta get out of this…”

Watching a hot guy strip was not something you’d experienced before, and a hot guy dressed as Captain America? Well that was hitting all your buttons in one go. You smiled as Chris was muttering to himself;

“Fuckin’ suit, so fuckin’ hot… fuckin’ drenched in sweat…”

When he was down to just his pants you finally spoke up;

“Need a hand there Captain?”

Chris looked up and grinned;

“You mind if I use your shower?”

“Sure thing, it’s all yours…”

Chris started for the small bathroom door, his utility pants hanging low on his hips before he paused and turned, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth;

“Wanna join me?”

Showering with a guy you had literally just met was a surreal experience. The comfort and security of being partially clothed during a hook-up was completely stripped from you as you stood in the small shower enclosure the hotel room offered. Chris had looked absolutely sinful as he had stood beneath the cascading water; his skin patterned with multiple tattoos and just the right amount of chest hair that made you want to run your fingers through it as the hot water coursed over his body. Your fingers had trailed down over his hard stomach, tracing the trail of hair that led to his thick cock hanging heavy between his muscled thighs.

His lips had met yours eagerly again, and he soon had you pressed against the wall, his leg wedged between your thighs as you ground yourself against the firm muscle. Chris’s hands found your ass and eagerly pulled you hard against him, trapping his now angry cock between your bodies;

“Fuck… you’re so fuckin’ sexy” he muttered against your ear, his fingers digging into your asscheeks; “You gonna cum for me Princess? Soak my thigh?”

“Yes Chris, please…”

“What do you need Princess?”

“Something…. Just more…”

He pulled back from you, searching your expression for something, anything as he chose his words;

“I can give you more…” The depth of tone sent a shudder down your spine; “I’m gonna ask you this and you can say no, and I won’t walk out that door if you say no, but do you like ass play?”

You growled. You god-damn growled like a feral wildcat, nodding eagerly;

“Yes Chris… fuck, yes…”

He captured your lips for another fierce kiss as his hands slid over your ass and one finger trailed up the seam of your cheeks before pressing gently against your rear;

“Now Princess” he muttered against your lips; “I haven’t got any lube in here so it’ll just be a gentle press, you tell me if you want me to stop”

You nodded, biting your lip as he pushed forwards, one hand gripping your hip as he slid you up and down his soaked thigh, the other pressing gently but insistently against your back door.

Just that stimulation alone was enough, and you were cumming hard, your head pressed against the cool tiles as Chris sucked a hickey into your neck.

You stood there panting as you tried to regain your composure, Chris holding you tight in his arms as he gently caressed you as you finally came to your senses. Nuzzling against his neck you felt him push his hips forward, his thick cock hard again against your hip;

“Ready for another round?”

“Anything for you Cap” you grinned.

The pair of you had fallen back onto the bed, half dry and oblivious to anything other than pleasure. Body heat rising, you felt your back naturally arch as Chris lay on top of you, pulling his knee up to part your legs further and you could feel his thick length laying hot and hard against your soaked folds. As his other leg pushed up and parted your thighs even further, you felt that first nudge of his tip at your soaked entrance, your legs instinctively wrapping themselves around his waist and with one firm squeeze you felt his breach your body and slide into you.

The base noise that escaped your throat as you felt each glorious inch stretch your velvet walls was music to Chris’s ears, and he let you take the lead even though he was the one on top, letting your body grow accustomed to his size. His lips brushed against your ear as he spoke softly;

“You’re doing so good Princess, feel so fuckin’ amazing, takin’ me so deep”

You slowly relaxed your thighs grip on his waist and Chris started to move, sliding his hips back as he slid out, before pushing slowly back in. Propping himself up either side of you, you watched as his arms bulged as he looked down and watched as he pulled out again, your wetness liberally coating him.

With his tip just notched inside you whined at the loss, before with a powerful thrust he filled you completely;

“Holy FUCK!”

“Do you like that Princess? Like my thick dick splitting you open?”

“Fuck Chris, yes, do it again… please!” you whined.

The gorgeous man above you grinned down, seemingly turned on by your begging, and with a loud grunt he started to pile drive into you, his impressive girth stretching you in all the right ways, the slight upward curve to his shaft making your g-spot his number one target with every push. The man was a demon in bed, fucking you hard as he pressed kisses to your chest and breasts, all whilst uttering the dirtiest things about how good you felt, how well you were taking his dick. You begged for more and he eagerly gave it, fucking you through one orgasm before chasing another. His thrusts started to get sloppy, his hips stuttering and he cursed quietly under his breath;

“Fuck… I’m gonna cum soon…”

“Cum inside me… I’m on the pill…”

He pushed a hand between your bodies, rubbing hard circles against your clit and soon you were coming, your orgasm triggering his, and you as your body milked the cum from his body you both felt like you had found heaven.

With a grunt Chris rolled to your side, his dick sliding out of your soaked channel and he lay on the bed, his head propped up on one elbow, his dick full and swollen at your hip, still shining with your combined fluids. Your body trembled with the aftershocks of your intense orgasm, and you practically purred when Chris gently ran his fingertips over your breasts;

“That was fuckin’ amazing… I’m probably going about this the wrong way, but can I buy you dinner?”

“That’d be nice”

Dinner had been a fun affair; you had redressed, and Chris had worn his stealth suit pants but just wore the thin Under Armour undershirt instead of the full suit. Although the hotel was well used to people in cosplay costumes during the conventions using their facilities, Chris didn’t want to draw attention to himself, instead he wanted his sole attention to be able to be on you rather than people asking for photos. Throughout your meal the conversation had been fun and light, Chris telling you how he had in fact auditioned for the Marvel role but didn’t envy the craziness that came with the now worldwide recognition that Jensen had to put up with. You had explained how you now worked for a theatrical costumer’s agency on the West Coast, but had heard about some openings for a new series production out of Vancouver.

Chris laughed softly;

“Typical… I fall for a girl that lives on the opposite side of the country”

“You… you’ve fallen for me?”

Chris paused, resting his hand over yours;

“I’m sorry, I’m kinda sappy when it comes to relationships… and I gotta be honest, when I saw you at the bar, I recognised you from your Instagram and when you helped me… I was trying to play it cool…” he took a deep breath; “I hope I’m not scaring you off…”

Leaning forward you pressed a kiss to his cheek;

“No… it’s nice… its more than nice…”

Once the meal was over the pair of you stood in the foyer, unsure what to do before Chris pointed out the rest of his costume was in your room.

“Where are you staying tonight?”

“I was meant to be crashing on a friends couch”

Grinning you pulled him close;

“Did you want a bed rather than a couch?”

“Fuck yes”

Minutes later you were crashing in the door to your room, Chris’s hands and lips trying to cover every inch of your body, and this time with the knowledge of how his costume worked you knew exactly how to get his pants open, tugging them to the floor as you pushed him into one of the chairs and knelt at his booted feet. With his dick in your mouth he was soon hard again, but that was when he took control, standing and moving you until you were knelt on the soft chair arms looking out of the high rise window over the convention center and city below, the lights of the city oblivious as he flipped your skirt up and pulled your panties down, and filled you with one smooth thrust;

“Fuck… this pussy is fuckin’ perfect, you feel like heaven…”

Wrapping his strong arms around you he pulled you flush with his hard chest, sucking at your neck as his dick rubbed so beautifully against your g-spot you were coming again, screaming out your release as Chris pulled out and lifted you, pulling you to your feet before you found yourself pressed against the wall and he filled you again.

Clinging to his wide shoulders you felt him filling you over and over, your pleasure climbing higher than you ever thought possible. Chris’s strong arms were holding you up, his large hands gripping your ass as he fucked you into the wall, your legs wrapped around his narrow waist;

“Chris, I’m gonna cum…”

“That’s it, cum for me, let me feel that pussy milking me as I fill you up… you feel so good, I’m never letting this pussy go…”

As you came so did he, your walls squeezing him so tight he thought he may pass out from the sheer pleasure. For the longest time he just held you there, your bodies joined until Chris’s dick softened enough to slip out of you. Letting your feet fall to the ground you kissed as you made your way to the bed, falling onto the mattress before wrapping the covers around your flushed bodies, falling asleep soon after.

The sound of a phone ringing pulled you from sleep, the warm body next to you grumbling at the sound before it rapidly jumped out of bed;

“Fuck, that’s my phone”

Through bleary eyes you watched Chris’s naked ass as he rummaged through the piles of clothing on the floor, finding his phone and answering it just in time;

“Yeah… uh-huh… for real?! Yeah absolutely! Send me the details, I’ll be there!”

You watched as he listened a little longer before ending the call, turning to you and he had the biggest smile on his face;

“I might have gotten a part!”

“Really? That’s amazing!”

“Yeah, they want me to do some screen tests with a possible co-star, see if there’s chemistry”

Jumping out of bed you ran and hugged him, kissing him deeply as he carried you back to the bed;

“I feel like celebrating… how about breakfast in bed?”

“Ok, I’ll call room serv… oh…”

Chris was pushing your legs apart and kissing up your inner thigh, and that’s when you realised he was talking about a different kind of breakfast in bed. As you lay back and enjoyed the magic he could perform with his tongue, you blissed out from pleasure.

Three Weeks Later

Chris finished the last scene, the director calling cut and he grinned as he looked at his castmates. None of them could quite believe how they were there, standing in a cold and rainy British Columbia small town, with writers and directors that had been trying to get their series picked up for years.

The rest of the cast of ‘Supernatural’ was a small ensemble, and having been given the role of the older brother; Dean Winchester, Chris felt at home with the role and had been given he contract straight after his screen test with his on screen brother Sam. Laughing with the actor that played Sam - a native New Yorker by the name of Sebastian - the two of them had immediately clicked and their friendship and on screen chemistry shone through the camera.

“Hey Evans, Stan!”

The sound of the producer’s voice caught Chris’s attention;

“Yeah?”

They need you two back at the studio, costume fitting”

“Sure thing”

The sound of the small doorbell that had been fitted on the counter drew your attention from the racks in the back room, calling out for your new arrival that you’d be out in a second. The job you’d applied for in Vancouver had pulled through, and it was your first week. A new show that needed a lot of men’s casual wear, yet things like jeans and jackets needed seams strengthened for fight scenes and pockets added for prop weapons. You were yet to meet the two main stars of the show, the casting having not been fully finalised until just days ago, and everything was hush-hush until it was going to be announced at one of the late summer conventions.

Dumping the armfuls of clothing onto the counter you turned and almost fainted;

“Chris?!”

For a second he looked in shock before he vaulted the counter, and took you into his arms;

“You’re here? You’re really here?”

“You’re the star?! You didn’t tell me!”

You kissed him deeply, before a quiet cough from behind Chris drew your attention, Chris turning;

“Seb, I want you to meet the girl I was telling you about”

The other guy raised an eyebrow;

“You’re THE girl? Wow, it’s a pleasure to meet you” he held his hand out over the counter and you shook it, Chris still holding you in his arms; “I’m Sebastian but everyone calls me Seb”

Looking at the two of them you knew in that moment the show was going to be a hit, and you looked forward to making these two look even better on screen… if that was even possible.

#chris evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans smut #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you

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architectnews · 4 years ago

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Architecture highlights from east Africa include projects from Madagascar and Burundi

Continuing our collaboration with Dom Publishers, the editors of the Sub-Saharan Africa Architectural Guide select architectural highlights from east Africa.

The Sub-Saharan Africa Architectural Guide contains over 850 buildings in 49 countries in Africa. It aims to be a comprehensive guide to architecture in the African countries that lie south of the Sahara.

Sub-Saharan Africa Architectural Guide is a seven-volume book focused on architecture in Africa

The fifth volume of the seven-volume publication is named Eastern Africa from the Great Lakes to the Indian Ocean and includes chapters on Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar.

"It is not only a guide book in the traditional sense but much more, featuring impressive photographs and essays on various aspects of the continent's building culture," said co-editor Philipp Meuser in an interview with Dezeen.

Read on for picks from each country in the region selected by Meuser and co-editor Adil Dalbai:

Photo by Javier Callejas

Kenya Swahili Gem Apartments, Mombasa, by Urko Sánchez Architects

Arguably one of the most iconic residential buildings in all of Africa, even if it was planned more for the upper middle class, the Swahili Gem Apartments combine features that make the most of the creekfront setting yet still ensure privacy.

The fourteen-home luxury development includes four patio houses that run down to the water and flats above them. It takes its inspiration from the rich traditions of Swahili architecture: the mashrabiyya outer skin shields occupants from view on all facades except the water-facing one.

Wooden lattices carved by local artisans add to the shade and airflow. Rainwater is collected, and water is solar-heated to save energy. In addition to white plaster finishing, the project uses a mtomo finish, a coralstone cladding technique original to Lamu that helps keep thermal capacity thanks to the porosity of the stone.

Photo by Arnold Mugasha

Uganda Baha'i House of Worship, Kampala, by Charles Mason Remey,  Cobb, Powell and Freeman

Called the Mother Temple of Africa, the structure on the outskirts of the city is one of eight Baha'i Houses of Worship in the world, and the only one in Africa.

This sacred building is enthroned on one of Kampala's hills. In the evening sun, the place looks picturesque, while the pulse of the metropolis beats in the valleys between the hills.

Charles Mason Remey initially designed the building, and the architectural firm of Cobb, Powell and Freeman, who also created the Bulange, modified the design to accommodate the existing local conditions and oversaw the construction, which began in 1958.

Measuring over 40 metres in height and with a pointed tip at the very top, the structure is roofed by a dome covered in green mosaic tiles. The dome rests on nine reinforced concrete columns which are filled in with brick walls featuring coloured glass panels. Nine windows are set into the dome and it is painted pale blue inside.

Photo by Adil Dalbai

Rwanda Genocide Memorial  Amphitheatre, Kigali, by John McAslan and Partners

Expressing the national collective memory in architecture is always a great challenge.

The fact that a Scottish architect planned Rwanda's genocide memorial as a theatre with a spectacular backdrop of the city silhouette is evidence of a new openness to the world in one of the smallest African states, which just a generation ago was a non-place with racism and civil war.

Even though it is only one of the numerous physical spaces devoted to the commemoration of those murdered in the 1994 genocide, the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi, established in 2004, is definitely the most important.

In the mass graves located in its gardens, over 250,000 bodies are buried. The Memorial also houses the Genocide Archive of Rwanda and exhibitions on the history of the Rwandan genocide.

Photo by BC Architects

Burundi Muyinga Library, Muyinga, by BC Architects

The Muyinga Library is part of a future inclusive school for deaf children. It was built in locally sourced compressed earth blocks, according to a participatory approach. The building is organised along a longitudinal covered circulation space.

The building shows that it is possible to design thoroughly modern architecture using local building methods.

It is an exemplary example of how foreign architects, in this case from the former colonial power Belgium, have found an adapted design. However, the typology of the library still remains somewhat alien.

Photo by Vitaly Pozdeyev

Tanzania Michenzani flats, Zanzibar Stone Town, by Hubert Scholz

The rows of houses, more than a kilometre long, lie like a scar in the middle of the huts.

Yet the socialist series buildings were the first to be erected on the newly won land. In the 1970s, the GDR donated architectural know-how along with the complete supply of materials.

The fact that East German housing construction was successful in Africa has unfortunately been forgotten in Germany.

Photo by Nadia Moussa

Comoros Mitsamiouli Stele, Grande Comore Island, by Mahmoud Keldi, Nadia Moussa

Only a few remarkable examples of the architecture of the poor island state in the Indian Ocean have been documented. One of them is this monument in honour of the victims of the Yemenia Airways crash, which was inaugurated on 30 June 2011 in Mitsamiouli, northern Grande Comore.

This monument, a collaboration between local architect Nadia Moussa and Mahmoud Keldi, a Paris-based French-Comoran architect, aims to commemorate the crash's French-Comoran victims.

The memorial is a tall, thin slab of reinforced concrete, shaped like an abstract sail and coated with cut volcanic stone and sheets of stainless steel, on which the names of the 153 victims were to be engraved.

One would like to see more monuments in Africa that have such a high level of abstraction.

Photo by DHK Architects

Seychelles Kempinski Seychelles Resort, Mahé Island, by DHK Architects

This project shows one of the places of longing that one would like to visit once in a lifetime. As long as you remain aware that not all places in Africa radiate this peace, and that even in the Seychelles more than 80 per cent of the population live in poverty, you can enjoy this foreign world.

Designed by the South African office, DHK Architects, the Kempinski Seychelles Resort project required that the former Plantation Club Resort and Casino on the island of Mahé be redeveloped.

Photo by Ulandi van Dyk

Mauritius Mauritius Commercial Bank, Quatre Bornes, by Jean Francois Koenig

The Mauritius Commercial Bank Building, an unusual edifice with a large water basin at its foot, is located in Quatre Bornes. Constructed in 2010, the structure was designed by Jean Francois Koenig Architects as an elliptical shape that rests on four travertine-clad pillars.

The building has open office floor plates that are naturally lit by glass from floor to floor, providing visual connections between levels and facilitating communication. It also features two auditoriums, training facilities, a modern kitchen and canteen, and plantrooms.

It was the first project in the southern hemisphere to obtain a BREEAM good environmental certificate and has become an iconic structure in Mauritius.

Why does the national bank of a tax haven build such a conspicuous building in the countryside? And this, shortly after the global financial crisis of 2008/2009? Some architectural thoughts remain a mystery. For a bank anyway.

Photo by Stefano Carera

Madagascar Under the Sails Residence, Nosy Be Island, by Stefano Carera, Eirini Giannakopoulou

Four simple volumes united under one roof make up this two-storey private residence by the sea. The quartet of separate volumes are linked by wooden decking and a central patio. This central patio, a living space that mediates between inside and out, connects the front of the house to the back, and therefore the sea to the forest.

The choice of local materials and traditional construction techniques embrace the landscape of Nosy Be, an island about eight kilometres off the northwestern coast of Madagascar which is a popular tourist destination.

The thatching, a material often used for roofs on the island, becomes a natural carpet that, with its form and scale, covers the whole house. Viewed from the beach, the roof conceals the concrete columns of the house.

The architectural style may be irritating for Africa. But Madagascar has part of its cultural roots in Southeast Asia. In the local architecture, the similarities to buildings in Indonesia are not accidental but deliberate.

The post Architecture highlights from east Africa include projects from Madagascar and Burundi appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

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yepic · 4 years ago

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Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (/tʃɪˈpoʊtleɪ/, chih-POHT-lay),[7] often known simply as Chipotle, is an American chain of fast casual restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom,[8] Canada,[9][10] Germany,[11] and France,[12] specializing in tacos and Mission burritos.[13][14] Its name derives from chipotle, the Nahuatl name for a smoked and dried jalapeño chili pepper.[15] The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CMG.[16]

Chipotle is one of the first chains of fast casual dining establishments.[17] Competitors in the fast-casual Mexican market include Qdoba Mexican Grill, Moe's Southwest Grill, Rubio's Coastal Grill, and Baja Fresh.[18] Founded by Steve Ells on July 13, 1993, Chipotle had 16 restaurants (all in Colorado) when McDonald's Corporation became a major investor in 1998. By the time McDonald's fully divested itself from Chipotle in 2006,[19] the chain had grown to over 500 locations. With more than 2,000 locations, Chipotle had a net income of US$475.6 million and a staff of more than 45,000 employees in 2015.[3]

In May 2018, Chipotle announced the relocation of their corporate headquarters to Newport Beach, California, in Southern California, ending their relationship with Denver after 25 years. Founder Steve Ells attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Afterward, he became a line cook for Jeremiah Tower at Stars in San Francisco.[20] There, Ells observed the popularity of the taquerías and San Francisco burritos in the Mission District. In 1993, Ells took what he learned in San Francisco[21] and opened the first Chipotle Mexican Grill in Denver, Colorado, in a former Dolly Madison Ice Cream store at 1644 East Evans Avenue,[22] near the University of Denver campus, using an $85,000 loan from his father.[19] Ells and his father calculated that the store would need to sell 107 burritos per day to be profitable. After one month, the original restaurant was selling over 1,000 burritos a day.[16] The second store opened in 1995 using Chipotle's cash flow, and the third was opened using an SBA loan. To fund more growth, Ells' father invested $1.5 million. Afterwards, Ells created a board of directors and business plan, raising an additional $1.8 million for the company.[23] Ells had originally planned to use funds from the first Chipotle to open a fine-dining restaurant, but instead focused on Chipotle Mexican Grill when the restaurants saw success.[24][25]

In 1998, the first restaurant outside of Colorado opened in Kansas City, Missouri.[26] The company opened its first location in Minnesota by opening near the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in March 1999.[27]

In 1998, McDonald's made an initial minority investment in the company. By 2001, the company had grown to be Chipotle's largest investor.[19] The investment from McDonald's allowed the firm to quickly expand, from 16 restaurants in 1998 to over 500 by 2005.[28] On January 26, 2006, Chipotle made its initial public offering (IPO) after increasing the share price twice due to high pre-IPO demand. In its first day as a public company, the stock rose exactly 100%, resulting in the best U.S.-based IPO in six years, and the second-best IPO for a restaurant after Boston Market. The money from the offering was then used to fund new store growth.[29]

In March 2005, Monty Moran was appointed president and chief operating officer of Chipotle while Ells remained chairman and CEO.[30]

In October 2006, McDonald's fully divested from Chipotle.[31] This was part of a larger initiative for McDonald's to divest all of its non-core business restaurants — Chipotle, Donatos Pizza, and Boston Market �� so that it could focus on the main McDonald's chain.[32] McDonald's had invested approximately $360 million into Chipotle, and took out $1.5 billion.[23] McDonald's had attempted to get Chipotle to add drive-through windows and a breakfast menu, which Ells resisted.[33][34] In 2008, Chipotle opened its first location outside of the United States in Toronto.[10]

In January 2009, president and chief operating officer Monty Moran was promoted to co-CEO, a position that he would share with Ells, while Moran retained his president position.[35]

In a list of fastest-growing restaurant chains in 2009, Chipotle was ranked eighth, based on increases in U.S. sales over the past year,[36] and in 2010 Chipotle was ranked third.[37] Consumer Reports ranked Chipotle as the best Mexican fast-food chain in 2011.[38] The company serves approximately 750,000 customers per day.[39]

In December 2010, Chipotle hired chef Nate Appleman to develop new cuisine. Appleman has won Rising Star Chef from the James Beard Foundation, was named "Best New Chef" by the Food & Wine magazine, and competed on The Next Iron Chef.[40]

In 2010, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audited Chipotle's Minneapolis restaurants, and found that some employees had been hired using fraudulent documents. In December, Chipotle fired 450 employees from its Minneapolis restaurants as a result of the audit, resulting in protests by local groups.[41][42] In February 2011, ICE expanded the audit to include 60 restaurants in Virginia and Washington, D.C.[43] which resulted in 40 workers being fired. In April 2011, the criminal division of the attorney general's office in Washington, D.C., joined the case, and ICE agents began interviewing employees at 20 to 25 restaurants in other locations, such as Los Angeles and Atlanta.[44] In response to the government investigations, Chipotle hired former director of ICE Julie Myers Wood and high-profile attorneys Robert Luskin and Gregory B. Craig.[45]

In December 2016, Chipotle announced that co-CEO Monty Moran has stepped down from his role effective immediately with Ells becoming the sole CEO.[46][47] Eleven months later, Ells announced in November 2017 that he would be stepping down as CEO.[48]

In December 2017, Chipotle announced it signed a 15-year lease and in late 2018 will move around 450 corporate employees – currently housed in multiple buildings around downtown Denver – into the new 1144 Fifteenth Tower and occupy around 126,000 square feet or 5 floors of the 40-story tower.[citation needed]

In February 2018, Chipotle announced that Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol would replace Ells as CEO starting on March 5 while Ellis would retain his chairman position.[49] Many industry analysts praised Niccol's appointment saying that Chipotle "needed new blood."[50] Chipotle stock went up $30.27, or 12.04%, as a result of the announcement. However, other analysts criticized the announcement by saying that "the move goes against everything the burrito chain stands for."[51]

In May 2018, Chipotle announced that it would relocate headquarters from Denver to Newport Beach, California in Southern California. Corporate functions handled in their Denver and New York offices would move to Newport Beach or to an existing office in Columbus, Ohio. This move would impact 400 workers, some being offered relocation and retention packages.[52]

In June 2018, the company announced the closing of 65 under-performing restaurants.[53][54]

Other restaurant expansion[edit]

In 2011, Steve Ells was a judge for the TV show America's Next Great Restaurant and investor of ANGR Holdings, the company that will be running the winning concept's restaurants. Chipotle has agreed to purchase Ells' investment in ANGR at his cost, provide support for ANGR operations, and invest a total of $2.3 million in cash contributions.[55] The winning concept, Soul Daddy, was quickly closed after operating for less than 5 weeks.[56]

In September 2011, Chipotle opened an Asian fast-casual concept restaurant named ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen in Washington, D.C.[57] The company has said the new restaurant "would follow the Chipotle service format and its focus on 'food with integrity' in ingredients."[58] Chipotle's plan was to start with only one store, and see how the restaurant works out before expanding the concept.[59]

On December 18, 2013, the company revealed that it had opened its first fast-food pizza chain in Denver back in May 2013. According to Associated Press, Chipotle partnered with a local full-service restaurant called Pizzeria Locale to create a fast-food version of the eatery, keeping its name. The company plans to open at least two more pizzerias in the Denver area.[60]

In April 2014, Chipotle announced an increase in menu prices for the first time in nearly three years, due to increasing costs for steak, avocados, and cheese. The price increase was expected to be rolled out from the end of second quarter of 2014 through the end of the third quarter.[61] In late 2015, Chipotle expanded its mobile strategy through delivery partnerships with tech startups like Tapingo, a delivery service that targets college campuses.[62]

On July 29, 2016, the company announced the opening of its first Tasty Made burger restaurant in the fall. Chipotle was still dealing with the various virus outbreaks with additional marketing. The company was also reducing the number of new stores for the year from 235 to 220.[63]

The newer restaurant concepts did not perform as well as expected so that ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen and Tasty Made were respectively closed in March 2017[64] and February 2018[65] leaving only Pizzeria Locale operating besides the parent company.

International[edit]

According to an article in The Motley Fool, Chipotle had 17 locations outside of the United States by October 2014 with the majority in Canada, and the UK was in the process of opening more locations.[66] The rate of overseas expansion was slower than expected.[67] Many of the press reviewers thought that the food was overpriced for their area.[12][68]

As of 2018 there are 33 locations outside of the United States with 19 locations in Canada (Ottawa, Toronto, Markham, Vaughan, Mississauga, Oakville, Vancouver), 6 locations in The United Kingdom (London), 6 in France (Paris), and 2 in Germany (Frankfurt).[better source needed][3][69]

Canada[edit]

Chipotle Mexican Grill in Canada

In August 2008, Chipotle opened its first location outside of the United States in Toronto.[10] The second location in Toronto–and in all of Canada–was not opened until 2010.[67]

The first Canadian location outside of the Toronto area was opened in Vancouver in December 2012.[70] A second Vancouver-area location was opened in Burnaby in October 2014[71] followed by a third in Surrey in January 2016,[72] a fourth in Langley in October 2016,[73] and a fifth in West Vancouver in March 2018.[74]

The first location in the nation's capital of Ottawa was opened in February 2017 at the Rideau Centre.[75]

Chipotle rapidly expanded in the Greater Toronto area, and is still opening new locations.[citation needed] As of 2018, there are 11 locations in Toronto, 2 in Vaughan, 2 in Mississauga, 1 in Oakville, and 1 location in Markham.

United Kingdom[edit]

The second Chipotle Mexican Grill location in London, located on Baker Street

Chipotle expanded to Europe with the first European restaurant opening in May 2010 in London.[8][76][77] A second location opened in London in September 2011.[78] The following year, three additional locations were quickly opened in the London area.[79] After this growth spurt, the rate of further expansion in London slowed greatly with the sixth location appearing in 2013[80] and the seventh in June 2015.[81] Although Chipotle blames the slow growth in the United Kingdom on the British unfamiliarity with Mexican foods,[82] several locally owned burrito chains had opened locations across the United Kingdom during the same interval.[83]

France[edit]

The first location in France opened in Paris in May 2012.[12][84]

Expansion in France was much slower than that in the United Kingdom or Canada, with a second location in Paris opening in 2013[85] and a third location in 2014.[86] At 7,000 square feet, the restaurant at La Défense is, as of 2015, the largest Chipotle location in the world, while a typical Chipotle restaurant is usually between 2,200 and 2,500 square feet.[87] A fourth Parisian location was opened in Levallois-Perret in 2015[88] followed by a fifth[89] and a sixth[90] Parisian location in 2016, both in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Germany[edit]

The first location in Germany opened up in Frankfurt's Skyline Plaza shopping mall in August 2013.[11][68]

A second location opened in Frankfurt's MyZeil shopping mall in April 2019.[91]

Corporate management[edit]

Chipotle's team includes a residing corporate office of managers and its board of directors. Members of both teams are appointed to serve on committees: audit, compensation, and nominating and corporate governance.

The top management team consisted of the chief executive officer, Steve Ells; the chief financial officer, Jack R. Hartung; the chief marketing and development officer, Mark Crumpacker.[92] The current board of directors consists of: Ells, Patrick Flynn, Albert Baldocchi, Neil Flanzraich, Darlene Friedman, Stephen Gillet, Kimbal Musk and John Charlesworth.[93] On March 14, 2018, it was reported that Mark Crumpacker, who had previously been charged in a 2016 cocaine ring indictment, would be leaving the company.[94]

Ells serves as chairman of the company, and served as Chief executive officer until November 2017.[95][48] He has a 1.25% stake in the company.[96] The labor-market research firm Glassdoor reported that Ells earned $29 million in 2014, versus a median of $19,000 for Chipotle's workers, making the CEO-to-worker pay ratio 1522:1.[97]

On February 13, 2018, Chipotle announced that Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol would replace Ells as CEO starting on March 5 while Ells would retain his chairman position.[49]

On March 6, 2020, Ells resigned as chairman and left the board of directors, breaking his final ties to the company. At the same time, Niccol was appointed chairman and the size of the board was reduced from 10 to 7 directors.[98][99]

Operation and distribution[edit]

All of Chipotle's restaurants are company-owned, rather than franchised.[100] As of December 2012, 1430 restaurants have since opened throughout the United States and Canada, with locations in 43 states, Ontario, British Columbia, and the District of Columbia.[101][102]

The field team are the employees who work closely with but not directly within specific restaurants. The field support system includes apprentice team leaders (step up from restaurateurs), team leaders or area managers, team directors and regional directors (not atypical for them to oversee more than fifty locations).[103] Because Chipotle does not franchise, all restaurants are corporately owned. Thus, whenever Chipotle is in the process of launching a new location, the field team hires a new general manager and trains them at a current location so that they will be ready for the new location when it opens for business. The corporate office takes care of finding and funding new locations as well.[104]

Menu[edit]

A Chipotle restaurant in Brandon, Florida, having the typical service-line layout with menu above

Chipotle's menu consists of five items: burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, and salads. The price of each item is based on the choice of chicken, pork carnitas, barbacoa, steak, carne asada, tofu-based "sofritas",[105][106] or vegetarian (with guacamole, which would be at an extra charge otherwise). Additional optional toppings are offered free of charge, including: rice, beans, four types of salsa, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce.[107][108]

Chipotle regular sized chips and queso with a side of sour cream.

When asked in 2007 about expanding the menu, Steve Ells said, "[I]t's important to keep the menu focused, because if you just do a few things, you can ensure that you do them better than anybody else."[109] Chipotle also offers a children's menu.[110][111] Most restaurants sell beer and margaritas in addition to soft drinks and fruit drinks.[112]

The majority of food is prepared in each restaurant. Some exceptions are the beans and carnitas, which are prepared at a central kitchen in Chicago, Illinois.[113] None of the restaurants have freezers, microwave ovens, or can openers.[114]

Chicken Burrito Bowl

The chain experimented with breakfast foods at two airports in the Washington (D.C.) metropolitan area but decided against expanding the menu in that direction.[115][116][117] Starting in 2009, selected restaurants had offered a pozole soup,[118][119][120] which has since been discontinued.

In June 2015, Chipotle began test marketing a pork and chicken chorizo-type sausage as a new protein option at selected locations in the Kansas City area.[121][122][123] Some food writers have expressed their health related concerns over the protein's relatively high sodium content since a 4-ounce serving contains 293 calories and 803 milligrams of sodium[124] while the American Heart Association’s recommended daily amount is less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium.[125] In contrast, the protein options with next highest sodium contents are Barbacoa with 530 milligrams and sofritas with 555 milligrams.[124] An earlier version on the Mexican sausage was tested in Denver and New York City in 2011,[126] but that test was terminated when that version of the sausage was perceived as looking too greasy.[127] Chorizo was discontinued in September 2017[128] but was returned to the menu in the following year for a limited time.[129]

In July 2020, Chipotle began test marketing a cauliflower rice option at 55 locations in Colorado and Wisconsin.[130]

Chipotle accepts fax orders, and in 2005 the company added the ability to order online from their website. For both online and fax orders, customers proceed to the front of the line to pay for pre-ordered food.[131] In 2009, Chipotle released an app for the iPhone that allows users to find nearby Chipotle locations, place an order, and prepay with a credit card.[132] In 2013, Chipotle released an Android app that allows users to locate nearby Chipotle locations, place an order, prepay with a credit or gift card, and access favorites and recent orders.[133][134]

Nutrition[edit]

In 2003, a Center for Science in the Public Interest report stated that Chipotle's burritos contain over 1,000 calories, which is nearly equivalent to two meals' worth of food.[135][136] MSNBC Health.com placed the burritos on their list of the "20 Worst Foods in America" because of their high caloric content and high sodium.[137] When a burrito with carnitas, rice, vegetables, cheese, guacamole, and salsa was compared with a typical Big Mac, the burrito had more fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, and sodium than the Big Mac, but it also had more protein and fiber.[138] The restaurant has also received praise – Health.com included the restaurant in its list of the "Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants".[139]

Chipotle's vegetarian options include rice, black beans, fajita vegetables (onions and bell peppers), salsa, guacamole and cheese.[140] All items other than the meats, cheese, sour cream, and honey vinaigrette dressing are vegan.[140] As of late 2013, Chipotle developed a new cooking strategy for the pinto beans, eliminating the bacon and making them vegetarian and vegan-friendly.[141] The cheese is processed with vegetable-based rennet in order to be suitable for vegetarians.[140] In April 2010, Chipotle began testing a vegan "Garden Blend" option, which is a plant-based meat alternative marinated in chipotle adobo, at six locations in the U.S.[142][143] The flour tortillas used for the burritos and soft tacos are the only items that contain gluten.[140]

Food sourcing[edit]

In 1999, while looking for ways to improve the taste of the carnitas,[20] founder Steve Ells was prompted by an article written by Edward Behr to visit Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).[144] Ells found the CAFOs "horrific", and began sourcing from open-range pork suppliers. This caused an increase in both the price and the sales of the carnitas burritos.[76]

In 2001, Chipotle released a mission statement called Food With Integrity, which highlighted Chipotle's efforts to increase their use of naturally raised meat, organic produce, and dairy without added hormones.[7] Chipotle only uses the leg and thigh meat from its chickens; the breast meat is sold to Panera Bread.[145]

Customers at a Chipotle restaurant in Fredericksburg, Virginia

Ells has testified before the United States Congress in support of the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, which aims to reduce the amount of antibiotics given to farm animals.[76][146]

Since 2006, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a Floridian farmworker organization, has protested Chipotle's refusal to sign a Fair Food agreement, which would commit the restaurant chain to pay a penny-per-pound premium on its Florida tomatoes to boost tomato harvesters' wages, and to only buy Florida tomatoes from growers who comply with the Fair Food Code of Conduct.[147] In 2009, the creators of the documentary film Food, Inc. (along with 31 other leaders in the sustainable food movement) signed an open letter of support for the CIW's campaign, stating that, "If Chipotle is sincere in its wishes to reform its supply chain, the time has come to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers rights."[148] In September 2009, Chipotle announced that it would sidestep partnership with the CIW and instead work directly with East Coast Growers and Packers to increase wages for its tomato pickers.[149] Ells framed the dispute as a fundamental issue of control, stating that, "the CIW wants us to sign a contract that would let them control Chipotle's decisions regarding food in the future."[150] In October 2012, Chipotle signed an agreement with the CIW and became the 11th company to join the organization's Fair Food Program.[151]

In January 2015, Chipotle pulled carnitas from its menu in a third of its restaurants; company officials cited animal welfare problems at one of the suppliers, found during a regular audit, as the reason.[152] Subsequently, a false rumor spread online claiming it was done to appease Muslims who consider pork to be unclean, leading to some protests on social media.[153] The company still uses antibiotic-free and hormone-free steak in its restaurants, despite being briefly forced to "serve beef that is not naturally raised" during the summer of 2013, posting an in-store notice each time that occurred.[154] Roberto Ferdman of The Washington Post opined that Chipotle's stated mission to sell "food with integrity" may be "untenable" if meat producers continue to breach Chipotle's ethical standards.[152]

Also in 2015, Chipotle stopped using genetically modified corn and soy beans in their foods, claiming to be the first nationwide restaurant to cook completely GMO free.[155] This was done in response to increasing consumer demand for GMO free products.

Food safety[edit]

External video "How Chipotle made hundreds of people barf". Vox report dated January 6, 2016, explaining Chipotle's "food safety crisis".

Since 2008, a former Kansas State University food safety professor has accused Chipotle of confusing the public by using such terms as "naturally raised meats", "organic ingredients", and "locally sourced" and trying to equate those terms with food safety.[156] In rebuttal, a Chipotle spokesperson told The Daily Beast that "all of our practices have always been very much within industry norms. It's important to note that restaurant practices are regulated by health codes, and restaurants are routinely inspected by health officials. Everything we have done in our supply chain and in our restaurants has been within industry norms."[156] Yet, FiveThirtyEight pointed out that the 2015 norovirus outbreak appears to be unusual[157] and others are criticizing their food sourcing or handling practices.[158][159] MarketWatch wrote that the result of all of these outbreaks will be to force Chipotle to obtain their produce from larger corporate farms that can afford the more extensive microbial food-safety testing programs and to process vegetables at centralized locations instead of at the individual stores, both of which are industry-standard practices that the company had previously criticized.[160] The New York Times implied that the company's insistence on maintaining its long standing rhetoric about "food integrity" seemed to be quite opposite with the realities of recent current events and made it appear that the management was just ignoring their current problems.[161] It also has been pointed out that Chipotle's current record-keeping system is actually hindering the health authorities' investigation in locating the sources of the various infections.[161]

A writer for the magazine Popular Science pointed out that Chipotle had publicly acknowledged that they "may be at a higher risk for food-borne illness outbreaks than some competitors due to our use of fresh produce and meats rather than frozen, and our reliance on employees cooking with traditional methods rather than automation."[162][163][164] Henry I. Miller, a medical researcher and columnist and the founding director of the FDA's Office of Biotechnology, asked: "One wonders whether Chipotle’s "traditional methods" include employees' neglecting to wash their hands before preparing food, which is how norovirus is usually spread. And the fresh versus frozen dichotomy is nothing more than a snow-job. Freezing E. coli-contaminated food does not kill the pathogens; it preserves them."[165] Describing food poisoning outbreaks as "something of a Chipotle trademark; the recent ones are the fourth and fifth this year [2015], one of which was not disclosed to the public", Miller notes that "a particularly worrisome aspect of the company's serial deficiencies is that there have been at least three unrelated pathogens in the outbreaks – Salmonella and E. coli bacteria and norovirus. In other words, there has been more than a single glitch; suppliers and employees have found a variety of ways to contaminate what Chipotle cavalierly sells (at premium prices) to its customers."[165]

A writer for the North Carolina newspaper The News & Observer called Chipotle's "food with integrity" a "lucrative farce" and a "marketing ploy" by pointing out that organic food is "often grown with manure (an 'all-natural' fertilizer), which can certainly increase the risks of accidentally spreading fecal bacteria like E. coli."[166]

In December 2015, Seattle health officials closed a Seattle-area Chipotle for a day after it had repeatedly had small numbers of violations during recent consecutive inspections that previously would not have generated a closure order.[167] On December 10, 2015, CEO Steve Ells released a press statement apologizing for 2015 outbreaks and promised changes to minimize the risks of future outbreaks.[168]

March 2008 hepatitis outbreak[edit]

In March and April 2008, the Community Epidemiology Branch of the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency traced a hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego County to a single Chipotle restaurant located in La Mesa, California in which 22 customers were infected with the virus.[169][170]

April 2008 norovirus outbreak[edit]

In 2008, Chipotle was implicated in a norovirus outbreak in Kent, Ohio, where over 400 people became ill after eating at a Chipotle restaurant.[171] Officials at the Ohio Department of Health said that the outbreak was caused by Norovirus Genotype G2.[172] Many of the victims were students at Kent State University.[173] The initial source of the outbreak was never found.

February 2009 Campylobacter jejuni outbreak[edit]

In 2009, an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health traced an outbreak of campylobacteriosis to a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Apple Valley, Minnesota.[174][175][176] The investigation found that chicken was sometimes served undercooked by the restaurant and determined that lettuce which had been cross-contaminated with raw or undercooked chicken was the vector for the outbreak.[177][178][third-party source needed]

July 2015 E. coli outbreak[edit]

In early November 2015, The Oregonian reported that there was a little-known E. coli outbreak that had occurred earlier in July in which five people were infected with the O157:H7 strain of E. coli. The outbreak was traced to a single Chipotle location in Seattle and that the incident was not publicized at that time.[179][180] Seattle public health officials defended their actions at that time by saying that the outbreak was over by the time they made an association with Chipotle. Health officials were unable to trace the source of the July outbreak and said that the cause of the July outbreak is unrelated to the October/November outbreak.[179]

August 2015 norovirus outbreak[edit]

Another norovirus outbreak was confirmed to have occurred in August 2015 at a Simi Valley, California location in which 80 customers and 18 employees reported becoming ill.[181][182] Ventura County health inspectors found various health violations during two inspections following the outbreak report.[183] Despite those violations, the county health officials did not close the restaurant and allowed it to continue to operate.[181] In a January 2016 article, The New York Times reported that the number of victims involved in the Simi Valley norovirus outbreak was actually 207, twice the number that was reported earlier.[184]

In an unusual move, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration has gotten a federal grand jury to issue a subpoena in January 2016 as part of a criminal investigation seeking documents and information from Chipotle concerning the Simi Valley norovirus outbreak.[184][185] As of January 2016, it is too early to tell which organization is the actual target of the investigation. In most cases involving norovirus outbreaks that involved a single location, state and/or local authorities are the usual jurisdiction responsible in the investigation and prosecution of those type of cases. However, Ventura County officials had been criticized for their handling of parts of their investigation, and for allowing the restaurant to continue to operate after finding health violations during consecutive inspections.

Less than two weeks later, a federal class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California claiming that Chipotle knowingly allowed an ill kitchen manager to work for two days before sending that person home. Then, the restaurant actively deep-cleaned the restaurant to remove all traces of contamination prior to notifying the Ventura County Environmental Health Division of the existing outbreak, hindering their investigation. The lawsuit also claimed that the number of known victims was as high as 234 and estimates that the number of meals that the infected employee may have come in contact with could be as high 3,000.[186][187][188]

August 2015 Salmonella outbreak[edit]

At almost the same time as the Simi Valley norovirus outbreak, Minnesota health officials confirmed a Salmonella outbreak that affected 17 Minneapolis-area Chipotle restaurants in mid-August 2015. The source of the outbreak was traced back to contaminated tomatoes that were grown in Mexico.[189][190] The Minnesota Department of Health reported that samples from 45 victims were tested and found that their illness was caused by the Salmonella Newport bacterium as determined by DNA profiling.[191] Later, the state officials reported that the total of persons who became infected was increased to 64 and the number Chipotle locations in which they had acquired the bacterium was increased to 22, all located within the state of Minnesota.[192]

October 2015 E. coli outbreak[edit]

In October 2015, at least 22 people were reported to have gotten sick after eating at several different Chipotle locations in the states of Washington and Oregon. At that time, an epidemiologist for the Washington State Department of Health said the culprit appeared to be a Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli bacterium, but they were still waiting the outcome of several laboratory tests before they could give a definitive result.[193][194][195] As a precaution, Chipotle had closed 43 stores in Washington and Oregon pending the results and recommendations of the involved health authorities. On November 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reported that the number of persons reported ill had risen to 40 known cases and that the bacteria samples taken from 7 infected persons in Washington and 3 persons in Oregon states were confirmed to be infected by the same strain of E. coli, the Shiga toxin-producing STEC O26 strain, as determined by DNA profiling.[196] At least 12 persons required hospitalization, but no fatalities. As of November 2015, Health authorities were still trying to trace the exact source of the bacterial contamination, but suspected fresh produce.[197]

On November 12, the CDC increased the number of known cases to 50, the number of persons requiring hospitalization to 14, and the number of DNA fingerprint confirmations to 33.[198] Through a match via Pulsenet, the DNA fingerprint also matched a recent case in Minnesota, but the ill person did not eat at Chipotle. The source of the bacteria infection still had not yet been determined at the time of the report released by the CDC and the CDC is trying to use the more definitive, but more time-consuming whole genome sequencing procedure to see if they are able to determine the relationships between all of the STEC O26 cases. In the meantime, Chipotle reopened the closed restaurants on November 11 after disposing all of the food within the closed facilities and deep cleaning those facilities.[199]

On November 20, the CDC reported that the number of STEC O26 cases, as determined by DNA fingerprinting, had increased to 45 with 16 persons requiring hospitalization and the total number states being affected had increased to six.[200] Besides Oregon and Washington, new cases were reported in the states of Minnesota, California, New York, and Ohio.[201] 43 out of 45 of the affected individuals had reported that they had eaten at a Chipotle in the week before they had become sick.

On December 4, the CDC reported that the number of STEC O26 cases, as determined by DNA fingerprinting, had increased to 52 with 20 persons requiring hospitalization and the total number states being affected had increased to nine.[202] New cases were reported in the states of California (1), Illinois (1), Maryland (1), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (1), and Washington (1).[203]

The price of shares for Chipotle stock dropped a further 12% immediately after the CDC had issued their update on November 20.[204] Share prices had been dropping since the initial announcement of the E. coli outbreak in late October with investors unsure if the drop in share prices just a temporary aberration and that Chipotle management is handling the incident as well as they could. Chipotle has since hired a consultant to improve their food safety program and have their program reviewed by both the CDC and FDA.[205]

On February 1, 2016, the CDC official closed their investigations on the larger E. coli that started in Pacific Northwest in October 2015 and also the smaller outbreak that started in Kansas and Oklahoma in November since no new cases were reported since December 1.[206] In their final report, the CDC stated that 55 persons in 11 states were infected with the same strain of STEC O26 during the major outbreak with 21 of those persons requiring hospitalization. The five persons infected in the later outbreak were made ill by a genetically different strain of STEC O26. The CDC also reported that federal and local health and food safety authorities were unable to detect traces of the microorganisms in any of the food samples taken from the suspected restaurants or from their supply chain. The CDC, FDA, and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service were unable to determine a point source that was in common in the meals that were consumed by all the victims since some of the restaurants were located far apart and had obtained some of their ingredients from different suppliers while other consumers of the suspected suppliers were not affected.

November 2015 E. coli cases[edit]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on December 21 that five more people became ill after eating at two Chipotle restaurants located in Kansas and Oklahoma in late November. Preliminary DNA fingerprinting results appear to indicated that the newer cases were caused by a different strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O26. Scientists are waiting for the results of the more definitive whole genome sequencing analyses to determine if the organisms responsible for this outbreak are genetically related to the E. coli that are responsible for causing the outbreak that had started in Oregon and Washington in late October and thus an extension of that outbreak. The agency has not yet determined which food is responsible for the outbreak.[207] The Food and Drug Administration reported that they are trying to determine how the bacteria in these cases, along with the earlier Oregon, Washington, and other multi-state cases, might have been propagated through the food supply chain.[208]

December 2015 norovirus outbreak[edit]

The closed restaurant on December 16, 2015

In December 2015, eighty students at Boston College, including members of the men's basketball team, were sickened after eating at a single Chipotle restaurant. Affected students had been tested for both E. coli and norovirus in order to determine the cause of the illnesses.[209][210] Although it would take as long as two days before the results of more definitive tests became known, public health investigators reported that preliminary tests pointed to the presence of norovirus.[211] The health inspectors for the City of Boston had since closed this particular location on December 7 for a number of health violations that included maintaining meats at a too low of a temperature on the serving line and for allowing a sick employee to work at the time of the inspection.[212]

On December 10, officials from the Boston Public Health Commission reported that tests had identified a single strain of norovirus that is responsible for this particular outbreak.[213] Boston Globe reported on December 10 that 141 persons were reported to have gotten ill and that some of the newer victims had not visited Chipotle before contracting the virus[214] and most likely became infected by being in close proximity to someone who had gotten ill at Chipotle, such as a roommate or dorm-mate.[213] Boston authorities traced the cause of the outbreak to a sick employee who was allowed to work on the day of the outbreak. Chipotle has since fired the employee and also the manager who knowingly allowed the ill worker to complete his shift instead of following health codes.[215]

Consequences of the multiple incidents in 2015[edit]

On February 8, 2016, Chipotle closed all of its eateries nationwide for a few hours during the morning for an all-staff meeting on food safety.[216] The company hired a new head of food safety, who instituted changes including having all employees wash hands every half hour, having two employees verify that produce like onions, jalapeños and avocados have been immersed in hot water for five seconds to kill germs on their exteriors, and using Pascalization to pre-treat food ingredients.[217]

Since the series of food-poisoning outbreaks in 2015 lowered trust in the product, Chipotle has tried to lure back its customers with free food and heavier advertising. Same-store sales increased 17.8% percent in the first quarter of 2017.[218]

July 2017 norovirus outbreak[edit]

Despite corrective actions, the company faced another setback in implementing their safe food policies in July 2017. A norovirus outbreak is being investigated in Virginia. More than 130 people reported having norovirus-like symptoms and two individuals had tested positive for the virus after eating at a Chipotle restaurant in Sterling, Virginia. The Loudoun County Health Department confirmed the illnesses from July 13–16, 2017. Shares of Chipotle's stock stumbled more than 10% on this news[219][220] and also the news that customers had posted videos of mice skittering through a Chipotle restaurant in Dallas just a few days before the norovirus incident was reported.[221][222] On July 25, several news agencies reported that Chipotle officials confirmed that the "recent norovirus outbreak in Virginia was the result of lax sick policy enforcement by store managers" and that the company believed that an employee was the cause of the outbreak.[223][222]

July 2018 Clostridium perfringens outbreak[edit]

In late July 2018, Ohio public health officials launched an investigation after receiving 368 complaints from customers after they had eaten at a Powell, Ohio, location.[224] By mid-August, the U.S. Ce

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