#kick rocks Iran

[laineystein]

For everyone that has commented on my very not normal levels of calm, I’m pleased to report that my anxiety is finally spiking. Wai waiiiii wai.

💙🇮🇱🤍🧿

[deadpresidents]

Hi! I'm a longtime reader and am trying to find something you posted years ago about Saddam and Dubya and the real "cause" of the iraq war to show my friend. Are you able to help me find the link to it? THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Thanks for sticking around for all these years!

I'm guessing this is the post you were talking about. It's one of those posts that gets requested every couple of years:

Anonymous asked: Why did Bush start the Iraq War?

It all started in the spring of 1986 when George W. Bush was sent to Iraq as a secret emissary on behalf of the Reagan Administration.  Despite his lack of experience in…well…anything, President Reagan sent Bush because Bush’s father, Vice President George H.W. Bush, said he could be trusted.

The Iran-Iraq War was at a stalemate and the younger Bush went to Iraq in order to offer assistance to the Iraqis in their cause.  The United States had a vested interest in the deposition of Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and senior aides in the Reagan Administration, as well as top American intelligence officials, believed that strengthening Iraq would lead to an Iranian defeat and that an Iranian defeat would result in the end of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.  That would bring about the fall of Ayatollah Khomeini.

George W. Bush, just 39 years old at the time, arrived in Baghdad in secret and was whisked away by helicopter to one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces, on the Euphrates River in Najaf.  It was there that the eventual adversaries would first meet, but at the time, they really enjoyed each other’s company.  For hours, they joked, watched local performers, spoke to one another about their hopes and dreams, and then gathered for dinner.

During that dinner, the seeds were planted for a conflict that later would cost thousands of American and Iraqi lives.  Saddam and Bush feasted on quail that Saddam claimed he had personally hunted earlier that day.  Bush, remembering his diplomatic initiative, asked Saddam what the United States and President Reagan could do to help Iraq defeat the Iranians and topple Ayatollah Khomeini.  Saddam laid out what he would need, and Bush assured the Iraqi leader that his requests would be no problem and that he was glad that they could come to an agreement.

Unfortunately, both men began drinking during the dinner, and both men became boisterous.  Good-natured joking was transforming into sharp jabs and then downright hostility.  Saddam and Bush were joined by a very small group of people, and the entire room went silent as the Iraqi dictator and the future American President started boasting about their manhood and making challenges to the other man.

Saddam found himself in an unusual position as Bush would not defer to him in these challenges.  When Saddam dropped and did 50 push-ups, Bush did the same.  When Saddam swam across the Euphrates and back, Bush did, as well.  They had a foot race around the palace with no clear winner.  Arm-wrestling settled nothing.  They competed to see who could kick a soccer ball the furthest and, again, there was no distinction between the two.  Saddam skipped a rock across the river six times, and so did Bush. 

Saddam was getting more-and-more frustrated by his inability to best George W. Bush in feats of strength, athletic contests, or the board game “Sorry!”.  If an Iraqi had met all of Saddam’s challenges as Bush had without deferring to the Iraqi dictator, Saddam would have had his son Uday torture the man.  Of course, he couldn’t do that with the son of the Vice President of the United States, especially since he had been sent as a special emissary by President Reagan.

Suddenly, an idea brightened Saddam’s countenance.  He summoned an aide and whispered something in the man’s ear.  Five minutes later, Saddam’s aide walked in with a large boombox and an Iraqi soldier brought in several pieces of cardboard.

Saddam stood up, loosened his tie, removed his military-style beret, and rolled up his sleeves.  Staring at George W. Bush with fire in his eyes, the Iraqi dictator growled, “Let’s see your B-boy stance, Texas.”

Bush quickly stood up, ready for the challenge, removed his jacket, and rolled up his shirtsleeves, as well.  Removing his shoes, Bush gestured to Saddam, “It’s your country…for now…so, why don’t you go first?”.

Although he was fuming and visibly shaken by Bush’s confidence, Saddam closed his eyes, took three deep breaths, and pointed at the Iraqi near the boombox.  Immediately, Run-D.M.C.’s self-titled album began playing and – there’s really no other way to put this: Saddam Hussein got the fuck down.  The Iraqi dictator was popping, locking, busting out power moves and pulling up with world-class freezes.

Bush was obviously overmatched.  The confidence was gone.  The liquid courage from the night’s alcohol was abandoning him.  As “Rock Box” played, Bush discovered that he couldn’t match Saddam Hussein in everything.  Had it ended there, with Saddam smiling and shaking hands with the future President after Bush graciously admitted defeat, perhaps the world would be different today.

Saddam, however, had been humiliated earlier in the night.  Instead of smiling and shaking Bush’s hand, he pointed once again to the boombox.  Saddam stared hard at Bush, did the Crip Walk and then transformed that into a Moonwalk.  Saddam Moonwalked right out of the room, continuing to stare Bush directly in the eyes, and saying, as he reached the doorway, “Show yourself out, motherfucker.”

When George W. Bush returned to the United States, he immediately gave up drinking alcohol and focused himself on his life and future.  He swore to himself that he would one day gain revenge against Saddam Hussein’s disrespectful showing during their b-boy battle in Iraq.  Everything Bush did from 1986 on was done with the single purpose of destroying Saddam Hussein.  Owner of a baseball team, Governor of Teas, President of the United States – none of these things meant much if Saddam Hussein was still gloating about his victory.

People talk about the oil or the revenge for slights against George W. Bush’s father or a search for weapons of mass destruction, but you now know the truth.  George W. Bush went to war in Iraq because Saddam Hussein ambushed and embarrassed him during their breakdancing battle in 1986.  There was never blood for oil; the blood was for breakdancing.

[thebreakfastgenie]

Can you explain Jimmy Carter to an Australian

Jimmy Carter was president from 1977 to 1981. He lost re-election to Ronald Reagan in perhaps the downgrade of the century. Carter was traditionally ranked as one of our worst presidents, but that's kind of unfair, and recently some (including me) have begun to say he was underrated. I think sometimes he gets memefied into being more liberal than he actually was, but he was liberal, and he has a reputation for being more interested in peace that other US presidents. His foreign policy was mixed bag, but he did refuse to invade Iran during the hostage crisis, and I think that counts for something. The peaceful reputation is somewhat relevant to the contrast with Kissinger. The American hostages held in the embassy in Iran were released immediately after Ronald Reagan took office and Reagan fans like to claim this was because Reagan was so intimidating but Reagan didn't really do anything. The Ayatollah's government hated Carter personally because he let the deposed Shah of Iran come to the US for cancer treatment. Jimmy Carter is probably one of our best examples of a Christian president, except he's the kind of Christian who's like "peace is good and racism is bad" so the "America is a Christian country!!" people hate his guts lol.

He was also kind of chill in other ways; they called him the rock and roll president because he had some musicians campaigning for him, especially the Allman Brothers, who played a big role in his campaign. Also Gregg Allman smoked weed at the White House with Carter's son and Carter 100% knew about it.

For many years Carter's reputation has been "not a great president, but a great ex-president" because the Carter Foundation has done a lot of incredible humanitarian work, perhaps most notably nearly eradicating guinea worm, a parasitic disease. He was also personally building homes with Habitat for Humanity into his nineties. He's also known for being a peanut farmer before he got into politics. He was married to his wife Rosalynn who just died for 77 years. So he has kind of a sweet old man reputation.

He's also 99 years old, beat brain cancer once, and announced he was going into hospice, like, almost a year ago? It was a while ago, and yet he's still kicking. So that's kind of a meme too among the kind of nerd who follows these things (me).

So the tl;dr is two really old American politicians, one associated with peace and humanitarianism, one associated with war crimes.

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

All Along the Watchtower (Chapter 14)

[Can also be read on AO3]

Pairing: Captain John Price x Fem!OC (3rd person POV)

Word count: 3.5 K

Warnings: Minors DNI - canon typical violence, swearing, smoking, military inaccuracies

Summary: The intrepid duo head to the Syrian base controlled by Zorokov's PMC, and a full-scale invasion occurs

A/N: Rory Sinclair is a dual citizen (both Canada and the UK) who's been living in the UK since she was 14. She is 28 at the time of this fic, Price is 32. This series is set in 2017 before the events of the first MW game. Rory's thoughts are bold and italicized, other italics are used for emphasis

*I have struggled with this chapter for a while now, it's not perfect but it had to get done so I could make the ship finally sail for these two. (Only 4 chapters left after this) Throwing this chapter at the wall and running*

November 2, 2017 14:52 - Al-Hasakah, Syria

Helicopter shadows stretched across the arid sand, massed together, flying in formation. Rory could practically hear the Ride of the Valkyries playing in her head as the forces of the US Marines and SAS all rained down upon the outskirts of one city near the border of Turkey and right in the path of Iran’s slowly growing power in the region. However, this was in no way a move to stop the encroaching involvement of a foreign government, this was a controlled, confined operation against the hired goons owned by Zorokov and ISIS forces, with one clear directive – wipe them off the map completely . 

As the approach began, the nose of each helo pointed down towards the compound in the distance, the doors opened on each side and ropes dropped, soldiers rappelling into the coming battle and armed to the teeth. At the door of one such helicopter, the wind whipping through her hair, rocking side to side with the turbulence, Rory looked down through her aviators at the mass of golden sand and the gray smattering of rocks that passed below. Her cigarette clenched between her teeth, smoke coiling up past her cheek, holding the mesh beside the door for stability as she stood by Price – his boonie hat looking as though it wanted to fly off his head any moment – and listened intently as he gave his orders. 

“We’ll be at the X in three. Gonna fight our way through to the designated area f’ the nest. Expect heavy resistance. Ground troops will take care of clearin’ us a path and keepin’ enemies distracted. Stay on me, yeah?”

Nodding at his orders, she mused, “Feels just like the good old days.”

“Gettin’ sentimental about the job already, Sinclair?”

“I’ll be the first to admit, sometimes a good fight’s in order.” She tossed her nearly spent cigarette butt out of the helicopter and watched as it fell to the ground below, fading out of view that farther it got. “This is my bread and butter. Nothing quite like it to get the adrenaline pumping,” she stated, checking the rope tied into her harness by tugging on it. 

His gloved hand came to her shoulder, resting there. “Lookin’ forward to seein’ you in action again, Lamb .”

A half grin curled at her lips with the use of her call sign. “I was wondering when that was going to come out.”

Meeting her with a smirk, he tipped his head towards the open exit of the helicopter. “Go on, sweetheart. I’ll meet you on the ground.”

Giving him a little salute, she jumped out of the helicopter door, rappelling down the rope into the flurry of gunfire that had kicked off down below. The wind whipping through her hair, she forgot just how terrifying yet freeing this all felt, having to rely on training and her team to get out alive. A shiver crawled down her spine as the adrenaline started to spill throughout her body. Sniper rifle strapped to her back, assault rifle in her hands, she found cover below and waited for Price before making her next move. 

In the distance, heavy tanks began to roll out from the compound, treads cutting through sand as mortar shells went off, and even from this far away, vibrations still traveled up her legs and made her pulse quicken. She was in the thick of it. There was no turning back. 

The radio crackled with chatter from other units, heavy fire and casualties were already being called in as artillery fire continued and black smoke started to rise into the sky – their forces were powerful, but not unstoppable.  

As Price descended, Rory picked off the insurgents that started to move in. Even with an assault rifle she had the same precision as with her sniper scope, and with just a few quick shots, bodies dropped and rolled down the sandy dunes. Boots hitting the ground running, Price was quick to reach her side behind cover. All hints of the humor he had had with her before were gone. This was the hardened Captain at her side, ruthless and determined, the man who had no fear about getting his hands dirty to get the job done. “Let’s push up, stick close,” his voice a husky whisper as if he were saving it for the real heat when he would start barking orders. 

Following in his wake, Rory kept hunched behind the burnt-out ruins of armored vehicles. Picking off those who popped out of hiding like the targets on the training ground, she never wasted a shot, every one had to count. 

The sound of incoming tanks grew steadily, the loud metal clink and then boom of artillery being loaded and fired increasing. Missiles sailed towards their targets from the helicopters above. Pockets of sand blown sky high. This was never going to be any walk in the park, but it did remind her just how close she walked with death at any given time while out in the field and on the front lines. In the grand scheme she had gotten away with little damage in her time as a soldier, a few bullet wounds, some scars from shrapnel, but nothing life threatening nor career altering – at a moment’s notice that could all change however. 

A muffled yell caught Price’s attention and he stopped, his eyes narrowing until realization hit and he was shoving Rory backwards to the ground with him.

“ RPG! Incoming! ”

Hitting the ground, the force of the blast wave shook through her chest, the plate metal weight crushing down onto her ribs. Ears ringing, head spinning, nausea spilled over as her inner ear was left trying to find its point of balance. Sand in her eyes began to sting as they watered and she tried to blink the debris out. With a groan she rolled onto her side and watched as the Captain was the first to get back up to his feet, dusting himself off. 

His piercing stare focused on Rory still laying on the ground. “You broken?” He asked, head tilted, concern painted on his features. 

She couldn’t quite make out the words, his voice muffled in her ears like she was swimming underwater, the same odd droning it had been during that ride back to the safehouse after her fight for survival with Zorokov. Her head fuzzy like it was stuffed with cotton, Rory looked at him stupefied.

“Sergeant, you broken?” Speaking in a rough bark as he moved closer, Price held out his hand for her to take. 

His brusque tone clearing the daze from her head, she gave her head a shake and dragged her hand down her face, wiping the sand off that clung to her. Fighting to get her bearings once more, her vision still somewhat blurred, she looked up at him trying not to appear quite so foggy. “No.”

His grip on her hand was powerful, a forceful pull to drag her back up to her feet. An appraising glare swept over her as he chose to decide for himself whether she was actually telling the truth. “Good.” 

She nodded and grabbed her weapon from the ground, her first few steps were a stumble until her center of gravity was restored, but her boots marched on.  

Fighting their way through the abandoned town that led to the outpost, Price led her towards a branch away from the middle of the ongoing battle around them. A shelled-out husk of a mosque would provide ample coverage of the warzone, a bird’s eye view of the entirety of their surroundings, and that was to be her sniper’s nest. 

“Take overwatch up top there,” Price said pointing to the roof of the building. 

“Affirm. “I’ve got your six out there, just keep your head on a swivel, eh?”

“You bet your arse I will. Give ‘em hell, Lamb.”

Splitting off, she raced down the emptied street, and entered through the blown out doors of the mosque. Climbing up through the rubble to reach the sun that came through the weapon-made skylight above her, beams of golden light caused the dust and dirt around her to glow as it drifted through the air. Careful with each placement of her hands and feet, she made her way to the top, given no time to appreciate the view before she was setting up her rifle and laying on her belly amidst the debris from a previous attack upon this part of the city, overlooking the entire warzone that led up to the outpost. 

Rory watched through her scope, keeping her eye on the action and the many enemies that still scattered the area. There was no shortage of targets for her to set her sights on, but rather than just pick off every one she could see, her focus remained on the Captain and keeping him protected as he moved forward, taking out the threats that remained unseen from his vantage point, but not from hers. She had promised to watch his back, she wouldn’t fail in that duty, she wanted to shield him all the same. 

As he moved through the hordes they had come to fight, she realized upon closer inspection that there was something about the way Price moved – it was entirely predatory. Danger lurked in those steely eyes, unknowable, impenetrable, and buried below all the control he aimed to enforce upon himself (and everyone else for that matter). Slipping for just a moment in the heat of battle, something feral growled up to the surface as he tore through the enemy like they barely existed at all. A fury that lay dormant until such a time as violence was required, when a threat deserved his attention. Quick and dirty, sharp and biting. Whether with his guns or the knife he carried, if he set out to end a life he surely would. Her chest tightened just at the thought, like if her heart beat any harder it might explode inside her – a ticking time bomb. 

Rubbing at her eyes, she jammed her thumb and forefinger into her tear ducts until phosphenes danced across her vision, pretending as though she were fighting the glare of the sun shining into them – but that didn’t explain the coiling knot in her abdomen or the shortness of breath she suddenly felt. Definitely a leftover daze from the bomb… Now was not the time or the place – she knew better than that. 

Lighting a cigarette to settle herself, she let it dangle from her lips as she scanned the derelict cityscape, recognizing a squad of enemy soldiers headed in Price’s direction. Eleven targets . Lining up her aim, accounting for wind speed and direction, as if just the feel of it over her skin gave her all the answers – an instinctive art – Rory took out each one in rapid succession with one shot through the head. Efficiency is what she had come to be known for in her time as a sniper. Bullets tore through the air, the concussive force of them crumpling bodies like ragdolls as the back of their skulls were ripped open, spraying those next in line for death in blood and brain matter. Easy picking .

The radio crackled, and Price’s voice was deep and rich over the broadcast, congratulating her. “ Good shit. ”

There was an undeniable pride in his voice. A man all too willing to shower her in praise. If she had her scope trained on him she was sure she would see the blush on his cheeks, overcome by a fluster from her skills and acumen in this situation. 

“Couldn’t have done better yourself?” she teased.

“ There’s no goddamn way I'm admitting to that. Keep it up, Sinclair .”

She chuckled quietly and kept scanning the environment for enemies as Price moved ever closer with the rest of the forces, clearing out enemy troops on their way towards attacking the outpost. From her place in the nest, she could see it all: buildings slowly cleared by squads, the streets emptied of tanks and armored vehicles as bombs rained down from the air support above, fires spreading, the heat building, the way the sun glinted off the scraps of metal and rebar that dangled off the destroyed buildings… and off the scope aimed out a top window near the Captain’s location. Quick to warn him, she called out the threat’s position over the radio. “Captain, you have a sniper above you. 10 o’clock.”

Cover fire sprayed from his weapon and from the soldiers that had collected on his position, a squad of marines having been slowly picked off earlier by the threat she had located, they hid behind the leftover remains of a wall already riddled with bullet holes.

Noting the enemy sniper’s nest, she aimed down the scope, adjusting slightly to the right, and took out the sniper and the spotter that shared a window with one bullet, as precise as a Swiss timepiece. 

“ Fucking hell, Sergeant .” He gave a low whistle. “ I can see why the CIA loved having you about. Weren’t lying when it comes to being a damn good shot, were you? ”

Laughing, she picked up her cigarette from the sand and took a drag. “I certainly wouldn’t lie about something like that, Captain.”

“ Just how many confirmed kills have you got? ”

“I’ll tell you when this is over.”

After hours pushing forward at a slow crawl and with the exterior cleared, the sun had nearly begun to set and the orange hues of the sky met with the bloodstained sand at the horizon. The outpost, their objective, was all that remained in their efforts for diverting further conflict between nations in the Middle East. 

A quick brief later, the invasion began. Rules of engagement: weapons free . 

Ally tanks rolled out, armored vehicles with turret guns following in close proximity and the wave of soldiers that still stood - drained, but not beaten - bringing up the rear. 

One foot in front of the other they marched steadily. Night vision ordered to be used. 

Rory’s hand twitched and with a quick flex of her fingers, she swallowed back that feeling of deja vu. Groundhog day. Repeating the mistakes of the past, or rather, making up for them. Back in Syria, sweeping an outpost – at least this time she already knew there were ties to something less than savory. She could expect the very worst and then be surprised not to find it, if she were lucky. 

Flicking down the night vision goggles, she once more delved into that world of black and white. Shades of gray, just like everything else in her career. She moved forward, following on the heels of Price as he started the charge. Gunshots sounding off, endless rounds of muzzle flare. The milieu of constant war that she had panged for at her desk in relative safety at Stirling Lines surrounded her, the jealousy that had bubbled up inside her for having been left on the sidelines now converted into hunger, a drive to see the mission complete and successful pushing her forward past the fear and doubt that holed up inside her head. 

Spreading throughout the outpost, multiple small squads took it floor by floor, clearing it like a pack of wolves, swarming their prey and tearing it down to nothing at all. Put on the defensive, the enemy started to become more desperate and short sighted, fighting reflexively rather than methodically. It made them weak to interception moves and flanking, it also made them extremely dangerous the more rash they became. Explosions on other floors brought with them flashbacks to Afghanistan and Iraq, and the reminder of IEDs permeating Rory’s thoughts. That fear of entering a known weapon production site and wondering whether one would meet their demise via bomb vest detonation was a near persistent threat on a person’s mind. She held her weapon a little tighter to her and carried on moving forward, following Price who firmly held point. While the others took care of the threat, they were headed to the command center, the heart and brain of the enemy operation. 

A large, metal bunker door was shut tight before them, a security panel on its side, the most high tech and hard to break protection this outpost had shown to have thus far. 

“Have we got thermal imaging on how many are in there? Last thing we want is to walk into a bloody firing line,” Rory whispered as she took her spot to the side as Price set up the C4 to breach the door. 

“Walls are too thick, can’t get anything accurate.”

“So we’re going in blind.”

“Welcome to the special forces, Sergeant.”

She stretched out her shoulders, twisting her neck from side to side. Stress climbing up her nerves and tensing her muscles. Combat readiness caused her nerves to jump and twitch, moving reflexively, body on high alert. 

“We blow the charges to breach, then toss flashbangs, keep ‘em stunned. Then take ‘em out.”

“Two on however many. I’ll take those odds.”

Moving to a safe distance, the charges were detonated and the metal of the bulkhead door was shorn open, leaving jagged, smoking edges. With a quick toss of the first grenade, leaving the enemy in shock and disadvantaged, unaware of how much resistance they were actually up against. Rory and Price took point at opposite sides of the door, ducking in to pick off the enemy soldiers inside. 

As the smoke eventually cleared and bullet fire stopped being returned, the two soldiers waited to make sure the room was entirely clear, doing a sweep of the room from the safety of their cover before entering inside. 

Bodies of hired guns, PMC soldiers, lay in a haphazard mess around the room. Blood dripping from the holes bored through their kevlar, riddled with bullets. Slowly but surely, scanning the bodies, their fingers at the ready on their triggers, Price and Rory made sure there were no survivors left, ready to spring up and attack them. 

On the table in the middle of the room, a laptop sat, one of the enemy corpses hunched over the keyboard, blood sprayed across the screen. Pushing the body out of the seat, letting it fall to the floor heavily, Rory wiped her arm over the screen, clearing it of the red bodily fluid and bits of viscera that had landed upon it. 

Taking a seat at the chair, she managed to gain access to the laptops files, reaching the main PMC server and a database of contracts. “What are we looking for specifically?”

“Anythin’ that will leave Zorokov out in the cold, leave him without allies.”

“So Russian contracts,” she stated quickly.

“Get mother Russia involved and they’ll be happy to let us deal with ‘im.”

“Good old-fashioned blackmail.”

“Thank goodness we’ve got Kate to help get us that information quick.” Pressing on his radio, Price got in contact with Laswell. “Kate, just hit a goldmine for ya.”

Connecting to their server, Laswell began searching through the PMC’s database of contracts. Finding each and every op they had been hired for and by who, a list of shell companies attached. 

“ You weren’t kidding, John. ” 

There was a silence as Laswell got to work digging, finding the right knife to sever the ties that kept Zorokov safe. 

“ I’m guessing you haven’t dug too deep into these contracts yet, have you? ”

“Why?” Price’s tone became severe as he stared at the screen still smeared with drops of blood. 

“ One of the more recent contracts. It’s Russian .”

“Where?” he growled, all ready to take on another fight.

“ Urzikstan . Support against Al Qatala and the Liberation Force .”

Steely eyes narrowed at the info drop. “Barkov?”

“ How’d you know? ”

An almost distant look appeared in Price’s stare, memories coming forward of a time years ago when he was a Lieutenant. A war that never ended, had started long before he got there and – if the Russians had their way – would likely continue on. 

“Seems as though you have history with him,” Rory said softly.

“You could say that,” he rasped.

“Urzikstan? Isn’t that where you’d been serving that first time we –”

“Yeah.” His jaw clenched. “Surprised you remember that.”

“Got a good memory for things.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, his glare darkened. “Country’s been war torn for twenty years.”

He stated it matter-of-factly, so jaded by years of war, of fighting, of being a soldier. It didn’t even seem to faze him anymore speaking in numbers like that. It was just the cold, hard facts. Blunt and brutal. There was no point in sugarcoating it when the people of those countries couldn’t turn a blind eye to it, they lived it every day. 

“Jesus Christ,” she said, rubbing at her brow. “Well no wonder Russia’s been looking out for Zorokov. It’s not just the money, he’s helping the bloody war effort. Destabilization in the region.”

“ I’ll make sure this gets to the right people .”

“Thanks, Kate.”

This was it, the noose they had been looking for to tighten around Zorokov. The tourniquet to chop off the gangrenous arm. The rotten job of ending one oligarch’s reign was nearly complete. They could come home. 

[smilesession]

who can shove a contra up your ass

and beat gaddafi with a touchdown pass

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

who's got chunks of j.f.k.'s head

floating in a jar of formaldehyde under his bed

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

(confusion interwoven as we speak)

who sucks off the pope behind closed doors

and spits the cum into your open sores

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

(catholic institutional aids)

who can squash republics like bananas

and try to pick off cigar smokers in havana

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man(

central impotent america)

who can snake a tire iron down your throat

and laugh as you're falling in the moat

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

who'll hand-feed a zionist with a spoon

and kick the palestinians to the moon

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

(committee to inflict atrocities)

who can plant a car bomb in beirut

and make peasants suck on united fruits

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

who gives you a piece of the rock

as you're sucking off their ugly cock

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

(controlling intravenous apathy)

who can slip a needle in your arm

and three days later you have bought the farm

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

(conspiracy of international affairs)

who can train guerrillas by the dozens and dozens and send them off to kill their untrained cousins

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

(conmen industrializing the amazon)

who can stab a rumor in your back

so when you bleed it's documented fact

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's the CIA) CIA man

(choreographed dis-information apes)

who wears black and drives in big, dark cars

and flies around in silver bright cigars

fuckin A man (fuckin A it's a UFO) it's a UFO man

(fuckin A wouldn't you like to know)

who can steal the jungles of zaire

and then wish you a happy new year

who can take the sugar from the sack,

put in lsd and pour it back

who's behind the death of malcolm x and thousands others while you're having sex who can kill a general in his bed, overthrow dictators if they're red who can build a pyramid overseas from pretoria to tel aviv to washington d.c. who can take egyptians, saudis and jordanians and turn them against the libyans, syrians and iranians

who delivers bibles to iran signed by horse cock phepner

or maybe it's the K.G.B, the B.O.S.S, the D.I.N.A, the F.B.I, the I.R.S, the Council on Foreign Relations, the I.F.F, World Bank Mafia, the National Security, State Death Squads, or singing in monotheistic three-part harmony, it's the Mossad, the Institute of Terror, the Persian Gulf Apple Pie Dictators, the Vatican City Opium Farmers, and the Computer Infortmation Accumulation with the Cremation of Indonesians Association, carrying out Covert Indulgence in Africa while Continually Instigating Arabs paid for by the Council to Induce Armageddon legislated through Congressmen Indebted to Aipac, which is really a Colony of Intergalactic Aliens

[brookston]

Holidays 10.29

Holidays

Black Salsify Day (French Republic)

Bob Ross Day (Abeldane Empire)

Candies Day

Coronation Day (Cambodia)

C6HO Day (Kentucky)

Cumhuriyet Bayrami (North Cyprus, Turkey)

Cyrus the Great Day (Iran)

Feed the Birds Day (UK)

Festival of Global Climate Change

Fiestas Patrias begins (Honduras)

Halloween Eve Eve

Hermit Day

Hide From Everyone Day (a.k.a. Hermit Day)

International Internet Day

Laugh Suddenly For No Reason A Lot Today Day

Naming Day (Tanzania)

National Boner Day

National Book Day (Brazil)

National Cat Daddy Day

National Cat Day

National Hermit Day

National Martina Day

Oatmeal Day

PSC Awareness Day

Sea Slug Day

Separation of Church and State Day

Turkish Republic Day (Turkey)

World Online Networking Day

World Psoriasis Day

World Stroke Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Gnocchi Day (Argentina)

National Disgusting Little Pumpkin-Shaped Candies Day

National Oatmeal Day

Poperinge Beer & Hop Festival begins (Belgium) [Every 3 years, 3rd Friday, but postponed from 2021]

5th & Last Sunday in October

European Summer Times Ends (EU) [Last Sunday]

International Creole Day (Dominica, Saint Lucia) [Last Sunday]

Jounen Kwéyòl (Creole Day; Dominica, Saint Lucia) [Last Sunday]

National Grandparents Day (Australia) [Last Sunday]

National Student Baptism Day [Last Sunday]

Reformation Sunday [Last Sunday]

Visit a Cemetery Day [Last Sunday]

World Swim Hat Day [Last Sunday]

Independence Days

Turkey (from Ottoman Empire, 1923)

Westarctica (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Abraham of Rostov (Christian; Saint)

Andrei Ryabushkin (Artology)

Chef (a.k.a. Theuderius; Christian; Saint)

Chiara Badano (Christian; Blessed)

Colman mac Duagh (Christian; Saint)

Douai Martyrs (Christian; Saint)

Gaetano Errico (Christian; Saint)

Ghatasthapana begins (Nepal)

Isis/Osiris Mysteries II (Pagan)

James Hannington (Anglicanism)

Kojagrat Purnima [15th Day of Dashain]

Lazarus Long Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Mary of Edessa (Christian; Saint)

Maximillian (Christian; Saint)

Narcissus of Jerusalem (Roman Catholic Church)

Nut Day (Pastafarian)

Robertson (Positivist; Saint)

Warren the Warthog (Muppetism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Historically Unlucky Day [10 of 11]

Historically Bad Day (Stock Market Crash, Hurricane Sandy & 8 other tragedies) [10 of 11]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [58 of 71]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

All I Want for Christmas Is You, by Mariah Carey (Song; 1994)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, with Alex Haley (Biography; 1965)

Being John Malkovich (Film; 1999)

Blue Moon, 24th Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child (Novel; 2019)

Bullwinkle Busts a Brush or The Cleft Palette (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 226; 1963)

BUtterfield 8, by John O'Hara (Roman à clef Novel; 1935)

Create Dangerously, by Albert Camus (manifesto; 1957)

Don Giovanni, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Opera; 1787)

The Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour (Radio Series; 1929)

Get Nervous, by Pat Benatar (Album; 1982)

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Film; 2010)

Hemispheres, by Rush (Album; 1978)

Hulu (Streaming Network; 2007)

The Huntley-Brinkley Report (TV News Show; 1956)

Jingle Bell Rock, recorded by Bobby Helm (Song; 1957)

Keeping Up Appearances (UK TV Series; 1990)

Last Night in Soho (Film; 2021)

Man of the Century (Film; 1999)

Mind Games, by John Lennon (Album; 1973)

My Generation, by The Who (Song; 1965)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Animated Film; 1993)

The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James (Novel; 1880)

Portrait of a Moose or Bullwinkle Gets the Brush (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 225; 1963)

Princess Mononoke (Anime Film; 1999)

Ray (Film; 2004)

Red Riding Hoodwinked (WB LT Cartoon; 1955)

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now! (WB Animated Film; 2021)

The Sentinel, 25th Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child (Novel; 2020)

Trip for Tat (WB MM Cartoon; 1960)

Welcome to the Pleasure Dome, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Album; 1984)

What’ll I Do?, recorded by Frank Sinatra (Song; 1947)

Wild Target (Film; 2010)

Today’s Name Days

Ermelina, Hermelindis, Melinda (Austria)

Časlav, Honorat, Ida, Narcis (Croatia)

Silvie (Czech Republic)

Narcissus (Denmark)

Alf, Alfred, Fred, Fredi (Estonia)

Alfred, Urmasimo (Finland)

Narcisse (France)

Ermelinda, Franco, Grete, Melinda (Germany)

Abramios, Melina (Greece)

Nárcisz (Hungary)

Ermelinda, Michela, Massimiliano (Italy)

Elva, Elvijs, Fortuna, Laimonis (Latvia)

Gelgaudas, Narcizas, Tolvydė, Violeta (Lithuania)

Noralf, Norunn (Norway)

Euzebia, Franciszek, Longin, Longina, Lubogost, Narcyz, Teodor, Wioletta (Poland)

Anastasia (Romania)

Zinaida (Russia)

Klára (Slovakia)

Narciso (Spain)

Viola (Sweden)

Garrison, Cyrano, Cyrena, Narcissa, Narcissus (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 302 of 2024; 63 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 43 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Gort (Ivy) [Day 27 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Ten-Xu), Day 15 (Geng-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 14 Heshvan 5784

Islamic: 14 Rabi II 1445

J Cal: 2 Mir; Twosday [2 of 30]

Julian: 16 October 2023

Moon: 99%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 22 Descartes (11th Month) [Robertson]

Runic Half Month: Hagal (Hailstone) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 36 of 89)

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 6 of 29)

[freezing-kaiju]

Ok so! The getting to know 9 people better thing! Was tagged into this by @blisseylesbian hihihi buddy

3 ships: AsuRei, BarghestxAtalantaxShebaxNightingale, Passionlip/Esdeath. Two ones made with my darling gf, both crackships, and one that was the CORNERSTONE of my personality in 2020 and beyond.

First ever ships: symbra and widowtracer/widowtracily. Don’t recall earlier ones, but I was brought to this site by overwatch and it isn’t a badge of honor but it sure is a badge I’ll wear.

last movie: Shin Godzilla. Watched it back to back with Hereditary with my beloved and had a fascinating fucking time. It’s really long though, so I had to pause at a point to cope with the enormity of it all. Fascinating look at bureaucracy and unnatural batural disasters and I love how much Goji looks like it’s in pain all the time. Like breathing hurts, like moving hurts, like it rubs itself against rock just in the desperate hope that if it hurts different it will feel better.

Currently reading: Dante’s Inferno, A Modern History of Iran, and SEEEEVERAL yuris. Two of these are for class, and due to a project proposal the yuri ones have become also for class.

Currently watching: Denji Sentai Megaranger, Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger, Kamen Rider Geats, Kamen Rider Build. On a huge tokusatsu kick lately, it’s so so soososoososo fun.

Currently chomping: the dregs of Mac and cheese that I was too late to get, some barbecue beef, cucumbers, lettuce, and a bit of pizza. Didn’t eat breakfast or much lunch.

Currently craving: Mac and CHEESE goddamnit!!!! Fuuuuuck!!!! Macking cheese

LET’S TAG! @jerzeyjimmy ! @echidna-auxiliatrix ! @underwater-pinball ! @woolieshubris ! @muigi1 ! @pupmon1 ! @zhuhongs ! @moodorbs ! @folieadeuxsday ! A mix of old friends, new ones to tumblr, and people I’d like to be friends with! WAHOO!

[agesinmotion]

NOVEMBER 13TH

Ever wondered what secrets November 13th holds? Let's dive in!

Back in 1775, during the American Revolution, patriot forces captured Montreal, striking a major blow against British rule.

On this day in 1851, London and Paris were linked by telegraph for the first time, shrinking the world and kick-starting a new era of instant communication.

In 1918, Russia boldly annulled the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, signaling a major shift after the Great War by stepping away from harsh peace terms imposed by Germany.

On this day in 1935, the streets of Egypt were ablaze with anti-British riots, fueling the fire in a powerful moment in Egypts long path to independence.

And in 1986, the U.S. was rocked when President Reagan admitted to selling weapons to Iran, unraveling the infamous Iran-Contra affair, sparking one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history.

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

My name is Jeremiah, so I'm nominally inclined to prophesy doom, always without honor in my native land.

Today is December 5, 2002. My intuition tells me we're in for something devastating on a national level before the end of the year which is seventeen days from now. If I'm wrong, I'm glad. I love bing wrong on twitches like this. Unfortunately, I have been right more thimes than I wanted to be. Whatever the color of the governmental alert system, my jeremiad warning system is glowing more brightly.

One of my essential forecasting tools is the cover of Newsweek magazine. Although this is only December 5, I just read the December 9 issue of Newsweek. Here's a sampling of the last few Newsweek cover stories, starting with the most current and moving backwards.

December 9th....The New Virginity....Why more Teens are choosing not to have sex....The politics of abstinence.

November 25th...The New World of Internet Games....Cars of the Future....At Home Film Making....High Tech Vacation Plans.

November 18th...Top Gun (featuring a leather jacketed and blue jeans version of Dubya giving everybody a confident thumbs up)....How Bush Beat the Odds....Harry Potter Grows Up.

November 11....Why TV is Good for Kids...Saddam's Oil Games

October 28....The Kurt Cobain Diaries....The Private Dreams of a Rock Legend.

And that my friends is Newsweak at the close of 2002.

'it's awful quiet in the jungle"

"yeah, too quiet."

Meanwhile our top gun thinks he's got a mandate.

This is not a good thing.

Kennedy stares down Khruschev in Cuba. Kennedy starts to get a mandate. Kenedy gets whacked in Dallas.

LBJ wins clear electoral mandate in campaign against Goldwater. Johnson refuses to seek a second term after mismanaging Viet Nam and turning Merica into the pitiful giant that he worried we might become if he didn't kick some ass and take some names. He fgot his own ass kicked and his name shamed.

Nixon wins clear electrical mandate over McGovern. Nixom wategates all over the place and has to leave the office in disgrace.

Reagan wins clear mandate by demolishing Mondale. He gets involved in Iran/contra fiasco as Alzheiner's comes a knock, knock, knockin and he barely beats the posse as he gets out of town just in time.

George Bush the first, gains a mandare after his "success" in Operation Desert Storm. Meanwhile our economy falls apart. We read his lips and fire his ass.

Bill Clinton wins electoral mandate by destroying Dole and then gets Whitewaterboarded and runs into a devil with a blue dress on with whom he "does not have sex with that woman"

I don't want Dubya to think he has a mandate but I think he thinks he has one.

Not good.

He's up n that rarified 65% approval rating, as high for as long as any president in my lifetime. His party swept the recent electins on the bombardier jacket coat tails of this popular war time president.

Looks like a mandate to me.

We can do anything we want claims Blutarsky.

I'm worried not only about the next few weeks but also about the next few months and what seems to be percolating under the surface.

It's quiet in the jungle, too quiet

Mandates lead to arrogance.

Call Hitler in Hell

Arrogance always loses eventually.

Hubris attracts nemesis.

Pride comes before the fall.

My name is Jeremiah.

This is what I see.

I want to be wrong.

Ww'll see, won't we?

[almaqead]

"The God of Dogs." From Surah Seven, Al Araf, "The Heights."

Ramadan Day 14

Donald Trump is still free, and that means the Mormons and Republicans are still in charge here in America and are getting away their crimes, including attacking Israel scott free. In God's Name, the unholy alliance between the USA, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and Muhammad Bin Salman against the Sacred City must not succeed.

Vladimir Putin had an upset in Moscow but the war in Ukraine is still raging, another sign America is faltering in its duties to God. Food and water are running shy in the Middle East, most of Africa, there is plenty of food in Argentina but now no one has any money or can afford it. There is no money at all in India, and all around the world, we are waiting for the Right Time, the Hour of Right Judgement.

Read now what Allah told Muhammad to do about a world like ours.

7: 175-178.

And relate to them ˹O Prophet˺ the story of the one to whom We gave Our signs, but he abandoned them, so Satan took hold of him, and he became a deviant.

If We had willed, We would have elevated him with Our signs, but he clung to this life—following his evil desires. His example is that of a dog: if you chase it away, it pants, and if you leave it, it ˹still˺ pants. This is the example of the people who deny Our signs. So narrate ˹to them˺ stories ˹of the past˺, so perhaps they will reflect.

What an evil example of those who denied Our signs! They ˹only˺ wronged their own souls.

Whoever Allah guides is truly guided. And whoever He leaves to stray, they are the ˹true˺ losers.

Commentary:

Whoever reads the Quran and reflects upon the past becomes God's Prophet in the here and now. The god of dogs, Satan and his prophets are trying to take over this planet. They must not be allowed to succeed.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 175: Relate to them the story of a deviant. The Value in Gematria is 7717, ז‎זאז‎ , "The move."

"Leave Egypt or die with the Firstborn of the Egyptians."

v. 176: His Example is that of a dog. The Value in Gematria is 15558, אהההח, ahhh, "the howling brother."

Howlers are people God has abandoned for failing to follow the Commandments. From the Song of Moses, found in Ha'azinu:

7 Remember the days of old;     consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you,     your elders, and they will explain to you. 8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,     when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples     according to the number of the sons of Israel.[b] 9 For the Lord’s portion is his people,     Jacob his allotted inheritance. 10 In a desert land he found him,     in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him;     he guarded him as the apple of his eye, 11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest     and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them     and carries them aloft. 12 The Lord alone led him;     no foreign god was with him. 13 He made him ride on the heights of the land     and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock,     and with oil from the flinty crag, 14 with curds and milk from herd and flock     and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan     and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. 15 Jeshurun[c] grew fat and kicked;     filled with food, they became heavy and sleek. They abandoned the God who made them     and rejected the Rock their Savior. 16 They made him jealous with their foreign gods     and angered him with their detestable idols. 17 They sacrificed to false gods, which are not God—     gods they had not known,     gods that recently appeared,     gods your ancestors did not fear. 18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;     you forgot the God who gave you birth.19 The Lord saw this and rejected them     because he was angered by his sons and daughters. 20 “I will hide my face from them,” he said,     “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation,     children who are unfaithful. 21 They made me jealous by what is no god     and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people;     I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding. 22 For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,

v. 177: What an evil example. The Value in Gematria is 5876, החזו‎ "predict".

The Quran says that humans bring their own troubles:

‏ أَوَلَمَّا أَصَابَتْكُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَدْ أَصَبْتُم مِّثْلَيْهَا قُلْتُمْ أَنَّىٰ هَٰذَا ۖ قُلْ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ أَنفُسِكُمْ

AND DO YOU, now that a calamity has befallen you after you had inflicted twice as much [on your foes], ask yourselves, 'How has this come about?' Say: 'It has come from your own selves.' Verily, God has the power to will anything: (3:165) [Asad]

The focal point of the entire teaching of the Qur’an is that human being’s every action and even his thought produce consequent results (3:29; 9:78; 67:13). Good actions produce good results and bad actions produce bad results (2:81-82; 2:202). This is called the law of requital:

لَّيْسَ بِأَمَانِيِّكُمْ وَلَا أَمَانِيِّ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ ۗ مَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا يُجْزَ بِهِ وَلَا يَجِدْ لَهُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَلَا نَصِيرًا

It may not accord with your wishful thinking - nor with the wishful thinking of the followers of earlier revelation - [that] he who does evil shall be requited for it, and shall find none to protect him from God, and none to bring him succour, (4:123) [Asad]

وَمَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

And you will be requited nothing except for what you used to do (evil deeds, sins, and Allah's disobedience which you used to do in this world). (37:39) [Hilali & Khan]

اصْلَوْهَا فَاصْبِرُوا أَوْ لَا تَصْبِرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

Taste you therein its heat, and whether you are patient of it or impatient of it, it is all the same. You are only being requited for what you used to do. (52:16) [Hilali & Khan]

But this is possible only if a human being is free and uses his freewill and freedom of choice to act (18:29) and face the consequences thereof:

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۖ وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُم بِوَكِيلٍ

SAY [O Prophet]: "O mankind! The truth from your Sustainer has now come unto you. Whoever, therefore, chooses to follow the right path follows it but for his own good, and whoever chooses to go astray goes but astray to his own hurt. And I am not responsible for your conduct. (10:108) [Asad]

v. 178: Whoever Allah guides is truly guided. And whoever He leaves to stray, they are the ˹true˺ losers. The Value in Gematria is 7856, זחהו‎ , zakho, from zakak ho, "He always remembers to praise that which pure and has purpose."

Donald Trump, the Republicans, the Russians, the Saudi Arabians, anyone and everyone causing war, apartheid, and ecomonic, climactic, and food and water stress on this planet must be stopped. The fact they are doing this the fault of the human race and the human race must mount an effort to make right all the wickedness it has caused by sitting in the audience while the god of dogs ran this world for so long.

Whoever clings to life will follow the Quran and do what has to be done to stop them. And all this is happening because the US Government couldn't bear the thought of doing its job, putting a stop to a hotelier, a former President his friends from doing things no one should be allowed to do. It will be a miracle of this generation recovers from it but we must try.

[newstfionline]

Sunday, February 18, 2024

The Case for Spending Way More on Babies (The Atlantic) There’s a strong case that Congress should be spending way more money on kids. As a general point, the United States, despite being the richest society Earth has ever known, tolerates astonishingly high rates of child poverty. Kids are two or three times as likely to grow up in poverty in the United States as they are in most of our rich-country peers. That is a direct consequence of the United States spending such a small share of its GDP on family benefits such as public child care, home visits, and payments to new parents—a smaller share than all other OECD countries except Turkey, Costa Rica, and Mexico. The country is also an outlier in lacking a comprehensive paid-family-leave program and child care for kids 5 and under.

Hefty fines, penalties will rock Trump family’s business and fortune (Washington Post) For more than 100 years, since Donald Trump’s grandfather started buying land in New York City, the Trump family has run a real estate business in New York. Barring a successful legal appeal of Friday’s decision by a New York Supreme Court judge, that could change. In his ruling on a months-long civil trial brought against Trump and his business by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), Justice Arthur F. Engoron prohibited Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York firm for three years. He barred Trump’s elder sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, from doing so for two years. “There is no one at the financial helm. There’s no CFO, no controller, and now you don’t have Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. or Donald Sr. running it,” said Boston College law professor Brian Quinn. After finding that Trump Organization executives had engaged in years of fraud by inflating their property values to get better insurance and tax rates, Engoron ordered that the company operate under the close eye of two overseers to ensure compliance with financial reporting obligations. In other words, Trump can remain the owner, but he has lost control.

To fight dengue epidemic, health agents in Brazil scour junkyards and roofs for mosquitos (AP) The small team of state public health workers slalomed between auto parts strewn across a Rio de Janeiro junkyard, looking for standing water where mosquitoes might have laid their eggs. They were part of nationwide efforts to curtail a surge in Brazil of the mosquito-borne illness of dengue fever during the country’s key tourist season that runs through the end of February. Earlier in the month, just days before Rio kicked of its world-famous Carnival festivities, the city joined several states and the country’s capital in declaring a public health epidemic over this year’s greater-than-normal number of cases of dengue. So far this year, Brazil has recorded 512,000 cases nationwide, including both confirmed and likely cases—nearly four times more than those registered in the same period a year ago.

Avdiivka, Longtime Stronghold for Ukraine, Falls to Russians (NYT) Ukraine ordered the complete withdrawal from the ruined city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine before dawn on Saturday, surrendering a city that had been a military stronghold for the better part of a decade, in the face of withering Russian bombardment and relentless assault. The fall of Avdiivka, a city that used to be home to some 30,000 people but is now a smoking ruin, is the first major gain Russian forces have achieved since May of last year. In recent weeks, Russian forces have been pressing the attack across nearly the entire length of the 600-mile long front. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the head of Ukraine’s forces in the south, said there had been no choice but to withdraw, given the Russian advantage in firepower and the number of soldiers they were willing to throw into the battle.

Israel Was Behind Attacks on Major Gas Pipelines in Iran, Officials Say (NYT) Israel carried out covert attacks on two major gas pipelines inside Iran this week, disrupting the flow of heat and cooking gas to provinces with millions of people, according to two Western officials and a military strategist affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps. The strikes represent a notable shift in the shadow war that Israel and Iran have been waging by air, land, sea and cyberattack for years. Israel has long targeted military and nuclear sites inside Iran—and assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists and commanders—both inside and outside of the country. Israel has also waged cyberattacks to disable servers belonging to the oil ministry, causing turmoil at gas stations nationwide. But blowing up part of the country’s energy infrastructure, relied on by industries, factories and millions of civilians, marked an escalation in the covert war and appeared to open a new frontier, officials and analysts said.

ICJ declines new protections for Rafah despite ‘perilous situation’ in city (Washington Post) The International Court of Justice on Friday declined South Africa’s request to introduce additional safeguards for Palestinians ahead of Israel’s planned offensive in the southern city of Rafah, where an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians are seeking refuge from Israeli bombardment. In its response to a Feb. 12 request from South Africa, the ICJ said the “perilous situation” in Rafah required Israel to abide by its previous ruling last month, which included taking “all measures within its power” to prevent the crime of genocide and to allow more aid into Gaza. South Africa is pursuing a case against Israel in the ICJ, alleging it is committing and failing to prevent genocide in Gaza, accusations that Israel denies. A verdict on the question of genocide could take years. The situation in Rafah is becoming increasingly dire, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its most recent update, with people “desperate, hungry, and terrified” ahead of the expected attack. OCHA said that the number of aid trucks allowed to enter the Gaza Strip had declined over the past week, with only 20 entering on Thursday.

US diplomats warn of lasting anti-American sentiment in Middle East (ABC News) The State Department has received multiple warnings from its posts in the Middle East during recent weeks about the lasting impact from U.S. messaging on the conflict in Gaza, triggering a meeting in Washington with intelligence agencies to evaluate the fallout, according to internal communications reviewed by ABC News and officials familiar with the matter. One cable from the American mission in Morocco said that former collaborators in the country asserted that the U.S. had become “toxic” because the administration’s support for Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack had been widely perceived as a “blank check for the Israeli response.” An enduring hit to U.S. popularity in the Middle East could have extensive implications for American diplomacy. Some State Department officials say it may take a generation to rebuild U.S. standing in some countries.

Thousands homeless after DR Congo's worst floods in sixty years (Reuters) In a makeshift camp for people displaced by floods in Democratic Republic of Congo, father-of-three Cyprien Seka anxiously watched his baby nap on the floor of a crowded tent and wondered if it would ever be safe to return home. Torrential rains swelled the Congo river to its highest level in over 60 years in late December and forced around 500,000 people to flee the rising waters. "It's been almost a month since we left our homes because of the flooding... We are suffering," Seka said at the camp on the grounds of a Catholic church on the outskirts of capital Kinshasa. Like many others, Seka's family lost almost all their possessions in the rush to escape. Sixteen of Congo's 26 provinces are grappling with the fallout from the floods, which killed at least 221 people, damaged tens of thousands of homes, and exposed already vulnerable communities to increased risk of malaria and typhoid

Nigeria’s Capital Blames Rickshaws for Crime (Bloomberg) In Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja, rickshaws are essential for getting around absent a working public transit system. But officials are planning to ban the three-wheelers, citing their role as getaway vehicles in a crime and kidnapping crisis that’s engulfed Nigeria’s second-richest city. The rickety vehicles struggle to climb the city’s hills at a maximum speed of just 43 miles per hour. And rickshaw drivers who have come to the capital to escape poverty say the government is making them scapegoats for its own inability to protect residents.

[laineystein]

are you doing okay right now?? i just saw from a jewish mutual that israel is getting bombed ans it looked like you were posting related to it so i just wanted to check in on some of y'all

if you don't live there and im mistaken then sorry but either way hope you're doing well

Hiii! Very kind of you to reach out. I am fine BH. I’m at my parents’ because their mamad is way better than ours and we haven’t had to use it yet BH. My in-laws are in the Jerusalem area and they entered their mamad a little while ago but are out now. Alerts were mainly in the north and the south but things are quiet right now. Praying they continue to be and we can have peace soon, amen.

Thank you 💙

[helmort]

🎃𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗺, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗶, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱🎃

Nobody knew the man's name, but he had a way about him, a way that suggested he'd seen things, things that made him important enough to access the most guarded secrets and speak to the most powerful people. They said he had an audience with three of the most influential figures in the world of faith: a Bishop in Italy, a Rabbi in Israel, and an Imam in Iran. These were the puppeteers, the shadowy figures who pulled the strings behind Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. But I know what you're thinking. The Pope, famous Rabbis, and Imams, they run the show, right? Wrong. Behind the scenes, these three held the keys to shape the destinies of millions of believers on this rock we call Earth.

On a fateful day, the man visited them, one after the other, his face a mask of worry and fear. He pleaded, "I've got proof that they're coming, that the end is near, within months. I know when it's happening. Please, in the name of your faith, spread the word. Save them, before it's too late!" The Bishop chuckled, dismissing the man, saying, "Throughout the Catholic Church's long history, we've seen countless like you. Go away now; I have more pressing matters." The Rabbi was less patient, swiftly kicking the man out after just a couple of words. The Imam, though, had a more practical approach. He called for assistance, and after a series of slaps, the strange man was thrown out.

As the last conversation ended, the man surveyed the city. He muttered to himself, "I tried to save them. I reached out to the most important people of this ignorant species. They don't even know who the Krutha are." With those words, the man was enveloped by a beam of light and vanished into the sky.

The next month, Earth vanished from the galaxy, humanity erased entirely. The Krutha, enormous alien beings, larger than suns, consumed the planet with their tentacles. They devoured it, just as we'd devour an apple.

Watching the destruction from their spaceship, one alien asked, "Why didn't you attempt to communicate with their scientists or politicians?" The other alien replied, gesturing towards the Krutha's tentacles, "On Earth, politicians served corporations, not their constituents. As for scientists, no one ever paid heed to them. Humans never had faith in vaccines or climate change. Just imagine if they actually believed in something like this monster… Only religions can force primitives to believe in monsters."

💀☠️💀☠️💀

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 10.29

Holidays

Black Salsify Day (French Republic)

Bob Ross Day (Abeldane Empire)

Candies Day

Coronation Day (Cambodia)

C6HO Day (Kentucky)

Cumhuriyet Bayrami (North Cyprus, Turkey)

Cyrus the Great Day (Iran)

Feed the Birds Day (UK)

Festival of Global Climate Change

Fiestas Patrias begins (Honduras)

Halloween Eve Eve

Hermit Day

Hide From Everyone Day (a.k.a. Hermit Day)

International Internet Day

Laugh Suddenly For No Reason A Lot Today Day

Naming Day (Tanzania)

National Boner Day

National Book Day (Brazil)

National Cat Daddy Day

National Cat Day

National Hermit Day

National Martina Day

Oatmeal Day

PSC Awareness Day

Sea Slug Day

Separation of Church and State Day

Turkish Republic Day (Turkey)

World Online Networking Day

World Psoriasis Day

World Stroke Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Gnocchi Day (Argentina)

National Disgusting Little Pumpkin-Shaped Candies Day

National Oatmeal Day

Poperinge Beer & Hop Festival begins (Belgium) [Every 3 years, 3rd Friday, but postponed from 2021]

5th & Last Sunday in October

European Summer Times Ends (EU) [Last Sunday]

International Creole Day (Dominica, Saint Lucia) [Last Sunday]

Jounen Kwéyòl (Creole Day; Dominica, Saint Lucia) [Last Sunday]

National Grandparents Day (Australia) [Last Sunday]

National Student Baptism Day [Last Sunday]

Reformation Sunday [Last Sunday]

Visit a Cemetery Day [Last Sunday]

World Swim Hat Day [Last Sunday]

Independence Days

Turkey (from Ottoman Empire, 1923)

Westarctica (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Abraham of Rostov (Christian; Saint)

Andrei Ryabushkin (Artology)

Chef (a.k.a. Theuderius; Christian; Saint)

Chiara Badano (Christian; Blessed)

Colman mac Duagh (Christian; Saint)

Douai Martyrs (Christian; Saint)

Gaetano Errico (Christian; Saint)

Ghatasthapana begins (Nepal)

Isis/Osiris Mysteries II (Pagan)

James Hannington (Anglicanism)

Kojagrat Purnima [15th Day of Dashain]

Lazarus Long Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Mary of Edessa (Christian; Saint)

Maximillian (Christian; Saint)

Narcissus of Jerusalem (Roman Catholic Church)

Nut Day (Pastafarian)

Robertson (Positivist; Saint)

Warren the Warthog (Muppetism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Historically Unlucky Day [10 of 11]

Historically Bad Day (Stock Market Crash, Hurricane Sandy & 8 other tragedies) [10 of 11]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [58 of 71]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

All I Want for Christmas Is You, by Mariah Carey (Song; 1994)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, with Alex Haley (Biography; 1965)

Being John Malkovich (Film; 1999)

Blue Moon, 24th Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child (Novel; 2019)

Bullwinkle Busts a Brush or The Cleft Palette (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 226; 1963)

BUtterfield 8, by John O'Hara (Roman à clef Novel; 1935)

Create Dangerously, by Albert Camus (manifesto; 1957)

Don Giovanni, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Opera; 1787)

The Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour (Radio Series; 1929)

Get Nervous, by Pat Benatar (Album; 1982)

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Film; 2010)

Hemispheres, by Rush (Album; 1978)

Hulu (Streaming Network; 2007)

The Huntley-Brinkley Report (TV News Show; 1956)

Jingle Bell Rock, recorded by Bobby Helm (Song; 1957)

Keeping Up Appearances (UK TV Series; 1990)

Last Night in Soho (Film; 2021)

Man of the Century (Film; 1999)

Mind Games, by John Lennon (Album; 1973)

My Generation, by The Who (Song; 1965)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Animated Film; 1993)

The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James (Novel; 1880)

Portrait of a Moose or Bullwinkle Gets the Brush (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 225; 1963)

Princess Mononoke (Anime Film; 1999)

Ray (Film; 2004)

Red Riding Hoodwinked (WB LT Cartoon; 1955)

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now! (WB Animated Film; 2021)

The Sentinel, 25th Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child (Novel; 2020)

Trip for Tat (WB MM Cartoon; 1960)

Welcome to the Pleasure Dome, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Album; 1984)

What’ll I Do?, recorded by Frank Sinatra (Song; 1947)

Wild Target (Film; 2010)

Today’s Name Days

Ermelina, Hermelindis, Melinda (Austria)

Časlav, Honorat, Ida, Narcis (Croatia)

Silvie (Czech Republic)

Narcissus (Denmark)

Alf, Alfred, Fred, Fredi (Estonia)

Alfred, Urmasimo (Finland)

Narcisse (France)

Ermelinda, Franco, Grete, Melinda (Germany)

Abramios, Melina (Greece)

Nárcisz (Hungary)

Ermelinda, Michela, Massimiliano (Italy)

Elva, Elvijs, Fortuna, Laimonis (Latvia)

Gelgaudas, Narcizas, Tolvydė, Violeta (Lithuania)

Noralf, Norunn (Norway)

Euzebia, Franciszek, Longin, Longina, Lubogost, Narcyz, Teodor, Wioletta (Poland)

Anastasia (Romania)

Zinaida (Russia)

Klára (Slovakia)

Narciso (Spain)

Viola (Sweden)

Garrison, Cyrano, Cyrena, Narcissa, Narcissus (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 302 of 2024; 63 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 43 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Gort (Ivy) [Day 27 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Ten-Xu), Day 15 (Geng-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 14 Heshvan 5784

Islamic: 14 Rabi II 1445

J Cal: 2 Mir; Twosday [2 of 30]

Julian: 16 October 2023

Moon: 99%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 22 Descartes (11th Month) [Robertson]

Runic Half Month: Hagal (Hailstone) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 36 of 89)

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 6 of 29)

[garudabluffs]

Ricky, the Rock That Couldn't Roll (You Rock Group)

YARA HAWARI: Just to give you context, the West Bank is under Israeli military occupation, which means that the Israeli army has control over the whole area. And it's created this military infrastructure that allows them easily to close down Palestinian towns and villages by barricading roads, by blocking entrances and exits. In addition to these physical barriers, there's also a lot of fear because Israeli settlers who illegally reside in the West Bank have been given more arms, in part because so much of the Israeli army is being diverted to the south. And these Israeli settlers are going on rampages and shooting Palestinians. So, you know, movement across the West Bank is already - in the best of times is already severely limited. But now there's so much fear and tension. It really has come to a standstill.

RASCOE: And so what has - that mean when you say it's come to a standstill?

YARA HAWARI "And it's difficult, I think, for us in the West Bank, for Palestinians in the West Bank to comprehend that kind of reality. Palestinians in the West Bank live under a military occupation, which is already, you know, incredibly brutal and harsh, but the siege in Gaza is on another level. And so I think, you know, Palestinians are understanding it through that light. They are deeply fearful about what is about to come. You know, I think Palestinians see this very much as an attempt to ethnically cleanse Gaza of the Palestinian population.

One of the big talking points at the moment is this facilitation of a humanitarian corridor in Gaza into Egypt if the Egyptian regime agrees. And there's a real fear that this, basically, will be a permanent exile. And Palestinians not just in Gaza but in the West Bank and across the rest of Palestine are perpetually frightened of being kicked out of their homes, of being permanently exiled because this is what - you know, something that has been ongoing for so long."

6-Minute Listen READ MORE Transcript https://www.npr.org/2023/10/15/1205950932/israeli-troops-have-killed-several-dozen-palestinians-in-the-occupied-west-bank

How Israel's relationship with Iran could impact the war

Iran expert Mehrzad Boroujerdi "No matter how many other Arab countries come and make peace with Israel, Israel's immediate problem remains with what is happening in the West Bank and Gaza, and therefore, that issue needs to be addressed."

October 15, 2023 6-Minute Listen READ MORE Transcript https://www.npr.org/2023/10/15/1205950932/israeli-troops-have-killed-several-dozen-palestinians-in-the-occupied-west-bank

[dynamoe]

Happy Mother's Day from baby Billy & his horrible mother.

Sure, she's a sweet old lady NOW but she emotionally tortured Billy for years while she covertly tortured Sandinistas for Reagan's CIA.

↓ 🚨DECLASSIFIED: TRIPLE THREAT DID IRAN-CONTRA🚨 ↓

Oliver North was just the fall guy. Starting 1981, Triple Threat personally couriered US weapons to Iran around an arms embargo to sell to Ruhollah Khomeini, delivered with a smile and a medley of songs from The Music Man.

Reassigned to the administration's other pet project in Honduras, she was tasked with unifying branches of the Contras to overthrow the leftist Santinista government of Nicaragua.

"Human Rights Violations SCHUMAN Rights Violation! Nothing is too extreme in defense of American righteousness!"

Ignominiously dropped from superhero rosters for being pregnant in the mid-'70s, she was suddenly reactivated in 1981 as an off-the-books agent for international enforcement.

She had volunteered and raised money for Reagan, having been charmed by him years earlier when he chaired the Screen Actors Guild and been governor of California. She wept openly at his Morning in America campaign ads, that theatrical emotionalism and invoking of American exceptionalism hit her in the sweet spot.

Rose Whalen: "Communists are worse than rock & roll and jazz cigarettes."

Her strong conservative values (she bought into every Satanic Panic) and unquestioning, simplistic belief in "truth, justice, the American way" made her a natural choice for squelching revolutions and taking out communists. She could still high-kick and karate jazz hands with the best of them in a physical fight (Threat #1). Her acting skills made her a natural spy and emotional manipulator (Threat #2). And what a set of pipes (TRIPLE THREAT)!

Billy, only a kindergartner at the time, not even aware of his mother's previous career as superhero Triple Threat. He was told had to move to the suburbs of Washington DC for "mom's new job" for the government.

She always brought him back a souvenir from her "work trips," painting the path of her government-sponsored bloodbath in the from of snow-globes, stuffed animals and souvenir spoons.

And she went to Prom with him.

Happy Easchter  (2023)

Lord of the Pies

What Christmas is ALL ABOUT

Trick-or-Treat (Li'l Billy's Rusty Venture Costume)

Debut Reboot

Magical Maschter Mischtofeleesch

Saturn Devouring His Son

Chatty Breakfast (animated)/ Breakfast with the King 👑

Halloween Pumpkin 2.0 🎃

Li'l Billy Aces the SAT 💯

A Machine for Baby

Sad Stretch for Ballet Billy

Billy Goes To Prom

⟶ Very Rude

⟶ Back-to-School

⟶ My Weird Baby (very, very Li'l Billy)

⟶ Baby New Year 2022

FAILURES OF SCIENCE index