#leaving an injured minor alone?? in a foreign country???

[hariboz]

ollie has spoken about his story about supercharger & his cast he had during bp, and i’m actually so livid rn i could cry

Mnet:

ignored ollie when he told them he thinks his finger might be broken during the sports day, telling him to wait until the shoot is over to receive medical attention

neglecting ollie’s concern for his hand which caused him to go get his hand checked out BY HIMSELF in a foreign country

cut in the part of ollie saying he wants to go home during supercharger while ollie was hiding by himself and crying EVERY SINGLE DAY because he was so anxious and under so much pressure bc he couldn’t perform as well with his cast

didn’t acknowledge ollie trying his absolute hardest, not even ONCE, to the point where ollie said he even fell asleep in the stairwell once because he had been practicing so late but we saw nothing of any of this? only him saying he wants to go home?

we all know mnet is a dirty snake, but all of this is a little too much even for them, no? ollie already had barely any screentime, a lot of his footage coming from behind the scenes/extra content, and yet the one scene they include is him just saying he wants to go home after crying for days, being scared and just exhausted mentally and physically in general? mnet you count your fucking days

[a03bkdk]

fantasy bkdk fic rec list

a certain kind of magic by eatdirt

((4590-1/1))

“Forgive me, kind witch! I—I do not wish to disturb you, but I’m afraid it's urgent!"

Katsuki will later blame his bewilderment that anyone—let alone a human boy in filthy rags—would drag themselves all the way out to his home on the outskirts of civilization, for why he stalks down the stairs and cracks open the door.

“Are you a fucking idiot?” he growls.

Or, the one where Katsuki is a witch in a weed-infested swamp and Deku won’t stop coming around.

the shrinekeeper and the harvest god by bkdkwritingsdump

((smut-30148-18/18))

Izuku keeps the shrine of the harvest god, a minor god mostly worshiped by farmers and ignored by everyone else until the yearly harvest festival. During a spring thunderstorm one year, a mysterious man named Katsuki shows up at his shrine seeking shelter from the rain, but ends up over staying his welcome by a few months. In that time, Izuku not only begins to become suspicious of his identity, but finds himself longing for something more between them.

cupid, draw back your bow by almasaga

((i dont remember if there is smut-16496-2/2))

Cupid remembers the oath he took, remembers the broken arrow, remembers the wrath of his mother and goddess, remembers his roots, remembers that he is a god.

But when he hears him he forgets it all.

“Are you there still?” Asks a voice, clear and never wrong. The only voice he wishes to hear.

“Always,” he says and it blows through his beloved.

solar by kindaopps

((smut-7037-1/1))

Here he is, a god, wanting a mortal.

deku by mirachadoodles

((smut-20852-9/9))

Neither seemed willing to look away in the tense silence that fell, drawn to one another as if by a thick and brilliant thread.

The boy viewed him thoughtfully, as though he recognized him from another life, as though he knew him.

It was odd—he felt the same way.

---

Or, shortly after Katsuki's dragon went missing, a naked man attempted to break into his family barn. Izuku had no memory of his past life, and apparently had no idea how to be human, either. He was just acting on instinct.

a cat named deku by  silentsongbird

((6662-1/1))

Bakugou begrudgingly takes in a stray cat that has been hanging around his home. He says he's motivated by the weather turning colder, but he just can't resist the little fur ball. One night, Deku decides to let him in on a little secret.

if the stars align, then for us they were meant by runawaydeviant

((smut-17485-6/6))

Katsuki and Eijirou crash land in a forest to the south of their homeland. Injured and stranded, they befriend a local nature spirit, who is much more than he first appears to be.

soulmates in steel and (p 2)mine is yours by lalazee

((3000-1/1)) (p 2(smut-2509-1/1))

Midoriya Izuku returns to a tribe long lost and forgotten to claim his rightful throne. At least, that's what King Katsuki assumes of him.

(p 2) One large, calloused hand spread sparks down Izuku’s chest, ribs, rested at his lightly bruised hip. Izuku knew fingerprints still remained from last time, and the last, and the time after that. He felt more like a dappled deer now, all those spots smattered across his thighs, ass, hips, wrists. King Katsuki was certainly a man who marked his territory.

but the entrails are the best part! by supercrunch

((15278-1/1))

The boy straightens up. He’s about half a head shorter than Katsuki, face soft and youthful and sweet. He turns to look at him properly. His dark hair shines in the dying light, basket of blooms looped over one arm and mouth quirked into a tiny half-smile. The sun hits his face and makes his eyes a bright greeny-gold, just like emeralds.

Katsuki likes emeralds.

“Pretty,” he says, reaching out and picking the stranger up around the middle. He’s surprisingly heavy, although Katsuki doesn’t mind. “I like you. Come see my nest.”

The boy hits him.

He’s stronger than he looks, turns out. Katsuki drops him and falls onto his back, pain blooming across his face. Birds sing. The sky’s a lovely shade of orange, clouds floating lazily by. The boy scarpers. He leaves his basket of flowers behind, footsteps thumping on the ground and fading away as he escapes.

The sun sets. Katsuki, lying flat on his back with a bloody nose, decides he’s just fallen in love.

happenstance by merrywetherweather

((78566-22/22))

When Katsuki was just a child, his mother, the King of Lucia, took him to enact diplomacy with the Midoriya's, the royal family of the neighboring country of Tayloria. After that day, his fate was sealed, his marriage arranged to the Midoriya's elusive omegan child.

At the age of twenty, he leaves for Tayloria again, this time, to finally wed his fiance and cement the allyship of the two kingdoms indefinitely. Only, his fiance turns out to be the child he had met on his very first visit, a naive, idealistic young prince who wants nothing to do with marrying the prince of Lucia.

Good thing he just assumed Katsuki was only part of his fiance's entourage.

An arranged marriage between two princes aob au where Katsuki tries to abide by Izuku's desire for a natural romance to develop without letting Izuku know his true identity.

plums by Ivillpunchyouinthethroat

((14116-3/3))

There’s a boy stealing plums from the garden below the balcony Katsuki’s lounging at for the night.

Correction.

There’s a boy stealing plums, very badly, from the garden below the balcony Katsuki’s lounging at for the night.

mermaid AU breathe In by contrarybee

((series-smut-3 works-45236 in all))

Midoryia Izuku was born in captivity. He's never known the ocean.

His human carer Yagi-san tells him they're getting a new merman in the aquarium, one that they hope Izuku might like. Having been alone since his mother's death, Izuku is beyond excited to have a new mer around, but Bakugo Katsuki might prove to be too much. Or maybe he's just right.

fishy by warschach

((smut-19417-1/1))

Izuku’s convinced his hot co-worker/neighbor, Katsuki, is a mermaid-or merman- you gotta consider genders even with mythical creatures- and plans to prove it.

(or this is kinda like the show ‘Monster Quest’, except Izuku actually finds said monster, falls in love, and have sexy times.)

home is where the waves crash. by tiredwrites

((4105-1/1))

Izuku thrashes in his cage, the fins that line his large tail flare with a dangerous purpose. The claws his fingers taper into slice through the water and catch the light that filters into the clear water of the aquarium tank he's in.

His gills flare in irritation as he flips around, muscled tail ramming into the three-inch glass barrier with a thundering BAM!

Bioluminescent sacs under clear scales flare and glow, flashing a brilliant toxic green. The team that had brought the merman into the tank watch the mer flail and roar, flexing the powerful jaws that can often unhinge, like a snake.

only the roses know by katyastark

((13193-5/5))

Izuku didn’t want to marry a foreigner. The person he wanted was here… somewhere. He didn’t have a face or a name to ascribe to his admirer. Only roses. For every name day and holiday since he was thirteen, he had received a perfect orange rose. He’d never seen anything so beautiful. The roses never failed to make him feel doted upon. It was their secret, and Izuku cherished it more than anything else in the world. He didn’t want to give that up for some stranger, for an alliance through a loveless marriage.

torn fur, blunt teeth by scribespirare

((smut-43013-17/17))

After eight months of being collared, Izuku is finally free. But a dark, stormy city is no place for a lonely shapeshifter on the run.

ignorance leads to bliss by nikawithspice

((smut-3941-1/1))

A brave wandering adventurer swoops in and saves a beautiful prince from danger, gets dragged to a celebratory bonfire and has a night that he could only have dreamed of!

Or, the one in which Midoriya Izuku accidentally gets married to a Dragon Prince but wouldn't have it any other way.

[codevassie]

Fantasy TS Fic Recs

[***Let me know if I’ve missed anything on the Content Warnings!]

[**Do Not Ask Authors for Updates!]

[*Leave these authors Comments, please and thank you!]

Put A Spell On You by LostyK

Status: Complete

Summary: Roman sighed, trying to figure out how best to explain it. “I think everyone’s in love with me.” Virgil rolled his eyes. “How do you walk around under the weight of that ego?” Everyone is acting strangely around Roman. Thank god his best friend (and crush) Virgil seems to be unaffected, because he's going to need all the help he can get to figure out why everyone is confessing their love to him.

Relationships: Prinxiety, Minor Logicality 

CW: Love Spell, Nonconsensual Kiss, Toxic jealousy, Sexual References, Potentially Disturbing Imagery, Manipulation of someone under the influence of a love spell, Violence and Blood Mention, Spider Mention

My thoughts: I stumbled on this fic by accident and that may have been one of the best accidents of my life. It’s so cute and funny and the characters are right on--not to mention the urban fantasy setting. It’s the perfect setting for this plot, with the fantasy element of magic and the normalized element of a school campus. And Remus has a relatively small part, but he’s absolutely brilliant in this author’s style. Roman and Virgil’s relationship throughout the whole thing is also Very Special to me and my heart. Really really good. Please go check this one out!

Broken Wings by proxxima

Status: Incomplete, Work In Progress

Summary: Virgil, once one of the greatest thieves ever known, ended up in poverty. In order to survive, he has to accept what one would call a suicide mission: stealing an extremely valuable jewel from a mysterious nobleman. However, his wings fail him and Virgil finds himself alone and injured in a foreign kingdom, not sure who he can trust. 

Relationships: Prinxiety, Picani/ Sleep(Remy), past logince, intrulogical

CW: Swearing, Unsympathetic Remus, Unsympathetic Deceit, Blood, Alcohol, Death and Murder Mention, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Blood and Violence, Anxiety, Injury, Implied Sexual Content, Innuendo, Past Abuse, Mental Breakdown, Character Death, Implied/ Referenced Torture, Threats, Mourning, Abuse, Abusive Friendship 

My thoughts: This! Fic! Y’all!! I’ve been keeping up with it for a while now and every week is like a brand new adventure. There’s always so much going on here and so many things that I can’t wait to figure out. The author, An, is so good at revealing little by little so we’re always on our toes. They also make the cutest Prinxiety, the most suspenseful situations, and the best freaking characterizations for all of them. I would die for all of the characters. It’s pretty intense right now because there’s only a few updates left and everything is going down. Go check this out in its final stretch and I’m sure you’ll love every bit!

Of Forests and Kings by Avery_Kedavra

Status: Incomplete, Work In Progress

Summary: Roman loves to save the day, but when he ventures through the forest to topple the reign of the evil king, he gets a lot more than he bargained for--a tired king, a deadly forest, and a terrified crown prince. Logan would have been perfectly happy letting Roman run off on his own, but Patton insists they go rescue him. With the ever-annoying Daniel, they chase him through the forest, hoping to reach him before trouble does. Trouble, however, waits for no one.

Relationships: Prinxiety, Logicality

CW: Death, Fantasy Violence, Weapons, Arguing

My thoughts: Classic fantasy in a not-so-classic way. Roman is not the prince here, nor is he a dashing hero or knight. He is quite the character though, and he is so entertaining to read. His and Virgil’s banter is to die for. And, on the other end, Logan, Patton, and Daniel(Deceit)’s journey is just as entertaining. I honestly can’t get enough of Daniel--his characterization is quite on point. It’s surprising and interesting and fun and I can’t wait to see where the heck it’s going!

My Dreams Made Music In the Night by coconutcluster

Status: Complete

Summary: Virgil never believed in shooting stars - not really, anyway - but when one crosses the sky one night, he makes a wish (if you can even call it that) on impulse, and soon finds himself waiting for it again, night after night. (Or, rather, waiting for the golden figure in his dreams that always follows.)  

Relationships: Prinxiety

CW: Mention of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Anxiety

My thoughts: This fic... magical, dreamy, ethereal, beautiful. It has dreams and stars and dancing and a setting that takes you away from the real world. It’s just very peaceful--quietly happy--a small reprieve from the trudge of daily life that pushes it far away, makes you forget for a while. I remember I was on the bus when I read this, on a morning after a long car ride and little sleep and too little schoolwork done and too many hours at a job that I gave too much to. It gave me peace that morning, so it’s stuck close to me. I just love this fic a lot. 

Of Trying and Towers by parsnipit

Status: Complete

Summary: “Then there’s Princey. He always wants to go haring off after these impossible, grandiose dreams.” “Like breaking the Queen’s Stone, stealing all of her power, and freeing the entire kingdom from a rule that’s lasted well over five centuries?” “Yeah,” Anxiety said. “Like that.” After (grudgingly) attempting to overthrow the monarch of his country, Anxiety finds himself the sole survivor of a curse that takes Thomas and the other sides away from him. To make matters worse, he’s trapped in a tower with his own self-loathing and cowardice, and he finds himself guarded by an unusually polite dragon. What’s a guy supposed to do? Break out of the tower, finish overthrowing the monarchy, and save Thomas and the other sides. Obviously. (Ugh. He really doesn’t feel good about this.) 

Relationships: Prinxiety

CW: Anxiety and Panic Attacks, Hunting, Blood and Violence, Minor Medical Procedures, Injury, Death, Mild Gore, Self-Loathing, Brief Self-Harm, Allusions to NSFW, Ableist Language, Mentions of Torture, Execution, Drowning, Murder

My thoughts: And, of course, I couldn’t do a fantasy list without this one! This was one of the first fics I ever read for this fandom, which probably explains my taste in fics for this fandom (aka addicted to prinxiety. i’m sorry. one day i’ll rec more than prinxiety and lamp). I really like this because they’re all still aspects of Thomas’ personality, but it’s in a completely new setting--so canon with a twist. I thought it was a pretty great intro to fics in the fandom too because it considers all four core sides and it’s wonderfully written. I really want to reread it now, actually. It’s been a while. If you’re new or old to the fandom, I’m sure this will be one you enjoy. 

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

A divided nation asks: What’s holding our country together? (AP) Elections are meant to resolve arguments. This one inflamed them. Weeks after the votes have been counted and the winners declared, many Americans remain angry, defiant and despairing. Millions now harbor new grievances borne of President Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud. Many Democrats are saddened by results that revealed the opposition to be far more powerful than they imagined. And in both groups there are those grappling with larger, more disquieting realizations: The foundations of the American experiment have been shaken—by partisan rancor, disinformation, a president’s assault on democracy and a deadly coronavirus pandemic. “What is holding our country together?’” wonders Charisse Davis, a school board member in the Atlanta suburbs, where the election has not ended. A pair of Senate runoffs on Jan. 5 will decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.

US officials: Suspect in Nashville explosion died in blast (AP) The man believed to be responsible for the Christmas Day bombing that tore through downtown Nashville blew himself up in the explosion, and appears to have acted alone, federal officials said Sunday. Investigators used DNA and other evidence to link the man, identified as 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner, to the mysterious explosion but said they have not determined a motive. Officials have received hundreds of tips and leads, but have concluded that no one other than Warner is believed to have been involved in the early morning explosion that damaged dozens of buildings and injured three people. In publicly identifying the suspect and his fate, officials disclosed a major breakthrough in their investigation even as they acknowledged the lingering mystery behind the explosion, which took place on a holiday morning well before downtown streets were bustling with activity and was accompanied by a recorded announcement warning anyone nearby that a bomb would soon detonate.

Ex-Military Officers Criticize Spain’s Government (NYT) Earlier this month, 271 former members of Spain’s armed forces used the anniversary of the country’s Constitution to issue a manifesto criticizing the left-wing coalition government and warning that Spain’s unity was under threat. The manifesto was published shortly after chats were leaked to the Spanish news media in which retired air force officers described Gen. Francisco Franco, Spain’s former dictator, as “the irreplaceable one” and gave a thumbs up to the suggestion that left-wing Spaniards be shot. Some of the retired officers also sent letters to King Felipe VI attacking the government led by the Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez. Although the defense minister and the chief of the armed forces said the statements did not represent the views of the active military, the bold foray into politics by former officers prompted the government to take legal action and worried analysts in a country that was led by a military dictatorship until 1975.

Gibraltar’s border with Spain still in doubt after Brexit (AP) While corks may have popped in London and Brussels over the end to a four-year saga known as Brexit, there is one rocky speck of British soil still left in limbo. Gibraltar, a British colony jutting off the southern tip of Spain’s mainland, wasn’t included in the Brexit trade deal. The deadline for Gibraltar remains Jan. 1, when a transitionary period regulating the short frontier between Gibraltar and Spain expires. If no deal is reached, there are serious concerns that a hard border would cause disruption for the workers, tourists and major business connections across the two sides. More than 15,000 people live in Spain and work in Gibraltar, making up about 50% of Gibraltar’s labor force. The Rock was ceded to Britain in 1713, but Spain has never dropped its claim to sovereignty over it. For three centuries, the strategic outcrop of high terrain has given British navies command of the narrow seaway from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

France and Germany Retake Reins as Britain Leaves EU’s Economic Orbit (WSJ) Britain long played a special role within the European Union, as a nuclear power and permanent United Nations Security Council member that had Washington’s ear. It was also a budget hawk that insisted on keeping the bloc’s spending in check. Some EU officials worried that the U.K.’s exit from the bloc would weaken a union that had been under pressure since Britons voted in 2016 to depart. That vote confronted the EU with the risk of disintegration and strengthened the hand of euroskeptic movements from Italy to Hungary. Instead, as the U.K. prepares to leave the EU’s economic orbit Jan. 1, the EU has regained confidence, helped partly by a revived Franco-German partnership and encouraged by the anticipated arrival of the Biden administration in Washington. Meanwhile, Paris, now the bloc’s dominant foreign-policy actor, is driving debate on everything from relations with Washington and Moscow to expanding the EU’s military capabilities.

Pope formally strips Vatican secretariat of state of assets (AP) Pope Francis has formally stripped the Vatican secretariat of state of its financial assets and real estate holdings following its bungled management of hundreds of millions of euros in donations and investments that are now the subject of a corruption investigation. Francis moved against his own secretariat of state amid an 18-month investigation by Vatican prosecutors into the office’s 350-million-euro investment into a luxury residential building in London’s Chelsea neighborhood and other speculative funds. Prosecutors have accused several officials in the department of abusing their authority for their involvement in the deal, as well several Italian middlemen of allegedly fleecing the Vatican of tens of millions of euros in fees. The scandal has exposed the incompetence of the Vatican’s monsignors in managing money, since they signed away voting shares in the deal and agreed to pay exorbitant fees to Italians who were known in business circles for their shady dealings.

Each year 1,000 Pakistani girls forcibly converted to Islam (AP) Neha loved the hymns that filled her church with music. But she lost the chance to sing them last year when, at the age of 14, she was forcibly converted from Christianity to Islam and married to a 45-year-old man with children twice her age. Neha is one of nearly 1,000 girls from religious minorities who are forced to convert to Islam in Pakistan each year, largely to pave the way for marriages that are under the legal age and non-consensual. Human rights activists say the practice has accelerated during lockdowns against the coronavirus, when girls are out of school and more visible, bride traffickers are more active on the Internet and families are more in debt. While most of the converted girls are impoverished Hindus from southern Sindh province, two new cases involving Christians, including Neha’s, have roiled the country in recent months. The girls generally are kidnapped by complicit acquaintances and relatives or men looking for brides. Sometimes they are taken by powerful landlords as payment for outstanding debts by their farmhand parents, and police often look the other way. Once converted, the girls are quickly married off, often to older men or to their abductors, according to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Forced conversions thrive unchecked on a money-making web that involves Islamic clerics who solemnize the marriages, magistrates who legalize the unions and corrupt local police who aid the culprits by refusing to investigate or sabotaging investigations.

China jails citizen-journalist for four years over Wuhan virus reporting (Reuters) A Chinese court handed a four-year jail term on Monday to a citizen-journalist who reported from the central city of Wuhan at the peak of last year’s coronavirus outbreak, on grounds of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” her lawyer said. Zhang Zhan, 37, the first such person known to have been tried, was among a handful of people whose firsthand accounts from crowded hospitals and empty streets painted a more dire picture of the pandemic epicentre than the official narrative. Criticism of China’s early handling of the crisis has been censored, and whistle-blowers such as doctors warned. State media have credited the country’s success in reining in the virus to the leadership of President Xi Jinping.

U.S. bolsters support for Taiwan and Tibet, angering China (Reuters) China expressed anger on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law measures to further bolster support for Taiwan and Tibet, which had been included in a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package. China has watched with growing alarm as the United States has stepped up its backing for Chinese-claimed Taiwan and its criticism of Beijing’s rule in remote Tibet, further straining a relationship under intense pressure over trade, human rights and other issues. The Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 and Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 both contain language objectionable to China, including U.S. support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in United Nations bodies and regular arms sales. On Tibet, which China has ruled with an iron fist since 1950, the act says sanctions should be put on Chinese officials who interfere in the selection of the exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s successor.

Indonesia bans foreign visitors for 2 weeks over new coronavirus variant (Reuters) International visitors will be barred from entering Indonesia for a two-week period to try to keep out a new potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus, its foreign minister Retno Marsudi said on Monday. The new regulation, effective Jan. 1, comes days after Indonesia banned travelers from Britain and tightened rules for those arriving from Europe and Australia to limit the spread of the new variant. The new regulation applies to all foreign visitors, except for high-level government officials or foreigners with residency permits, she said.

Saudi court jails women’s rights activist for more than five years (Reuters) A Saudi court on Monday sentenced prominent women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and eight months in prison, her family and media said, after her conviction in a trial that has drawn international condemnation. Hathloul, 31, has been held since 2018 following her arrest along with at least a dozen other women’s rights activists. United Nations human rights experts have called the charges “spurious” and along with leading rights groups and lawmakers in the United States and Europe have called for her release. Rights groups and her family say Hathloul was subjected to abuse, including electric shocks, waterboarding, flogging and sexual assault. Saudi authorities have denied the charges. Hathloul rose to prominence in 2013 when she began publicly campaigning for women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia. The main charges against Hathloul, which carried up to a 20-year sentence, included: seeking to change the Saudi political system, calling for an end to male guardianship, attempting to apply for a U.N. job, attending digital privacy training, communicating with international rights groups and other Saudi activists. Hathloul was also charged with speaking to foreign diplomats and with international media about women’s rights in the kingdom.

‘I would never go back’: Horrors grow in Ethiopia’s conflict HAMDAYET, Sudan (AP)—One survivor arrived on broken legs, others on the run. In this fragile refugee community on the edge of Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict, those who have fled nearly two months of deadly fighting continue to bring new accounts of horror. At a simple clinic in Sudan, one doctor-turned-refugee, Tewodros Tefera, examines the wounds of war: Children injured in explosions. Gashes from axes and knives. Broken ribs from beatings. Feet scraped raw from days of hiking to safety. On a recent day, he treated the shattered legs of fellow refugee Guesh Tesla, a recent arrival. The 54-year-old carpenter came bearing news of some 250 young men abducted to an unknown fate from a single village, Adi Aser, into neighboring Eritrea by Eritrean forces. He said Ethiopian soldiers beat him and took him to the border town of Humera. There, he said, he was taken to a courthouse he said had been turned into a “slaughterhouse” by militia from the neighboring Amhara region. He said he heard the screams of men being killed, and managed to escape by crawling away at night. “I would never go back,” Guesh said. Such accounts remain impossible to verify as Tigray remains almost completely sealed off from the world.

[alexsmitposts]

NYT’s “Leaked” Chinese Files Story Covers For Terrorism The New York Times has once again exposed itself as an organ of US special interests operating under the guise of journalism – contributing to Wall Street and Washington’s ongoing and escalating hybrid war with China with a particularly underhanded piece of war propaganda. Its article, “‘Absolutely No Mercy’: Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detentions of Muslims,” at face value attempts to bolster allegations made primarily by the United States that China is organizing unwarranted and oppressive “mass detentions” of “Muslims” in China’s western region of Xinjiang. But just by investigating the quote in the headline alone reveals both the truth behind what is really happening in Xinjiang, why Beijing has reacted the way it has, and that the United States, including its mass media – is deliberately lying about it. Ten paragraphs into the NYT article, the quote “absolutely no mercy” appears again – only this time it is placed within proper context. It was the response Beijing vowed in the aftermath of a coordinated terrorist attack in 2014 that left 31 people dead at China’s Kunming rail station. The NYT would write (emphasis added): President Xi Jinping, the party chief, laid the groundwork for the crackdown in a series of speeches delivered in private to officials during and after a visit to Xinjiang in April 2014, just weeks after Uighur militants stabbed more than 150 people at a train station, killing 31. Mr. Xi called for an all-out “struggle against terrorism, infiltration and separatism” using the “organs of dictatorship,” and showing “absolutely no mercy.” The NYT – which has actively and eagerly promoted every US war in living memory – would unlikely flinch at the notion of the US showing “absolutely no mercy” against “terrorism, infiltration, and separatist,” yet it demonstrates a particular adversion to it in regards to Beijing just as the prominent newspaper has done regarding Syria and its now 8 year struggle against foreign-funded terrorism. Despite claiming to have “400 pages of internal Chinese documents” – the most damning allegations made by Washington and indeed the NYT itself – are still left unsubstantiated. This includes claims that “authorities have corralled as many as a million ethnic Uighurs, Kazakhs and others into internment camps and prisons over the past three years.” No where in the NYT article is evidence derived from these documents to substantiate that claim. Dubious Origins Like much of what the US media holds up as “evidence” to bolster establishment narratives – the “leaked files” come with it doubts over their provenance, translation, and the context and manner in which they are being presented to the public. There are also the lies of omission deliberately presented by the NYT and others covering this recent “leak” that need to be considered. The NYT itself admits (emphasis added): Though it is unclear how the documents were gathered and selected, the leak suggests greater discontent inside the party apparatus over the crackdown than previously known. The papers were brought to light by a member of the Chinese political establishment who requested anonymity and expressed hope that their disclosure would prevent party leaders, including Mr. Xi, from escaping culpability for the mass detentions. Regardless – nothing appearing in the NYT article is actually a revelation of any kind. China has made its policies clear regarding terrorism and separatism in Xinjiang. Like every other nation on Earth – China refuses to tolerate violent terrorism and the extremist ideology used to drive it. These policies – when presented out of context as the NYT has deliberately done – appear heavy-handed, oppressive, unwarranted, and authoritarian. If presented together with the very real violence, terrorism, and foreign-sponsored separatism emanating from Xinjiang – the polices take on an entirely different and understanble light. Terrorism in Xinjiang is Real, But Omitted When Reporting Beijing’s Counter-terrorism Efforts The Western corporate media itself has even repeatedly covered deadly terrorism carried out by a minority of extremists among China’s Uyghur population. However – they do so in the most ambiguous way possible – and refuse to mention it when subsequently covering Beijing’s attempts to counter it. For example, CNN in a 2014 article titled, “China train station killings described as a terrorist attack,” would report: A day after men armed with long knives stormed a railway station in the southwest Chinese city of Kunming, killing dozens of people and wounding more than 100, authorities described what happened as a premeditated terrorist attack. The article also admits that Xinjiang is beset with “frequent outbreaks of violence,” in reference to waves of violent terrorism carried out by Uyghur separatists, but falls far short of qualifying just how bad this violence has been. The BBC would extensively elaborate on what CNN meant by “frequent outbreaks of violence” in a 2014 article titled, “Why is there tension between China and the Uighurs?,” reporting that (emphasis added): In June 2012, six Uighurs reportedly tried to hijack a plane from Hotan to Urumqi before they were overpowered by passengers and crew. There was bloodshed in April 2013 and in June that year, 27 people died in Shanshan county after police opened fire on what state media described as a mob armed with knives attacking local government buildings At least 31 people were killed and more than 90 suffered injuries in May 2014 when two cars crashed through an Urumqi market and explosives were tossed into the crowd. China called it a “violent terrorist incident”. It followed a bomb and knife attack at Urumqi’s south railway station in April, which killed three and injured 79 others. In July, authorities said a knife-wielding gang attacked a police station and government offices in Yarkant, leaving 96 dead. The imam of China’s largest mosque, Jume Tahir, was stabbed to death days later. In September about 50 died in blasts in Luntai county outside police stations, a market and a shop. Details of both incidents are unclear and activists have contested some accounts of incidents in state media. Some violence has also spilled out of Xinjiang. A March stabbing spree in Kunming in Yunnan province that killed 29 people was blamed on Xinjiang separatists, as was an October 2013 incident where a car ploughed into a crowd and burst into flames in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. While the NYT also references deadly terrorism in Xinjiang – it does so in a muted, secondary fashion, attempting to decouple it from Beijing’s motivations for pursuing polices with “absolutely no mercy” in response. One need not imagine what would follow if such violence took place on US or European soil or the polices demonstrating “absolutely no mercy” that would undoubtedly follow not only domestically, but across the globe against nations perceived – or claimed – to have been involved. The September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington D.C. precipitated a now 20 year long “War on Terror” which has evolved into multiple ongoing wars, military occupations, and covert operations across scores of nations. The US Department of Defense’s own newspaper, Stars and Stripes, in a recent article titled, “Post 9/11 wars have cost American taxpayers $6.4 trillion, study finds,” would admit (emphasis added): American taxpayers have spent some $6.4 trillion in nearly two decades of post-9/11 wars, which have killed some 800,000 people worldwide, the Cost of Wars Project announced Wednesday. The numbers reflect the toll of American combat and other military operations across some 80 nations since al-Qaida operatives attacked the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington in 2001, launching the United States into its longest-ever wars aimed at stamping out terrorism worldwide. By comparison, China’s attempts to rehabilitate extremists through education and employment is a far cry from America’s global war – in which as many have died, as the US claims China is “detaining.” This is before even considering that out of the 80 nations the US is waging war and killing people in – the one nation from which the majority of the 9/11 hijackers came from – Saudi Arabia – has not only been spared, but is sold record-breaking amounts of US weapons and hosts US troops to protect it from regional states it openly attacks with legions of armed extremists espousing the same toxic ideology that motivated the 9/11 hijackers. The US Sponsors Xinjiang Unrest Worse still, the US has been repeatedly caught jointly-sponsoring the very strain of extremism allegedly behind the 9/11 attacks in its various proxy and regime-change wars beforehand and ever since. Not surprisingly, there is also evidence that the US is fueling the violence in Xinjiang itself as well as recruiting extremists from the region to fight in US proxy wars abroad – most notably in Syria. These militants are then returned to China with extensive experience in terrorism. US State Department-funded and directed Voice of America (VOA) in an article titled, “Analysts: Uighur Jihadis in Syria Could Pose Threat,” would admit (emphasis added): Analysts are warning that the jihadi group Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) in northwestern Syria could pose a danger to Syria’s volatile Idlib province, where efforts continue to keep a fragile Turkey-Russia-brokered cease-fire between Syrian regime forces and the various rebel groups. The TIP declared an Islamic emirate in Idlib in late November and has largely remained off the radar of authorities and the media thanks to its low profile. Founded in 2008 in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang, the TIP has been one of the major extremist groups in Syria since the outbreak of the civil war in the country in 2011. The TIP is primarily made up of Uighur Muslims from China, but in recent years it also has included other jihadi fighters within its ranks. Uyghur recruits have been trafficked through Southeast Asia where – when discovered, detained, and deported back to China – are followed by protests from the US State Department. When Thailand refused to heed US demands that Uyghur recruits be allowed to move onward to Turkey – where they would be armed, trained, and sent into Syria – a deadly bomb would detonate in Bangkok killing 20. The bombing was linked to the Turkish terrorist organization, the Grey Wolves, co-sponsored by the US for decades to augment NATO’s unconventional warfare capabilities. The US government’s own National Endowment for Democracy (NED) openly funds fronts operating out of Washington D.C. espousing separatism with the NED’s webpage detailing its funding of these groups even including the fictional name of “East Turkestan” used by separatists who reject the official designation of Xinjiang which resides within China’s internationally-recognized borders. The inclusion of the term “East Turkestan” implies US support for separatism as well as the very real, ongoing deadly terrorism demonstratably used to pursue it. And more than just implicitly supporting separatism, US government support in the form of NED money is admittedly provided to the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) which exclusively refers to China’s Xinjiang province as “East Turkistan” and refers to China’s administration of Xinjiang as the “Chinese occupation of East Turkistan.” On WUC’s own website, articles like, “Op-ed: A Profile of Rebiya Kadeer, Fearless Uyghur Independence Activist,” admits that WUC leader Rebiya Kadeer seeks “Uyghur independence” from China. WUC and its various US-funded affiliates often serve as the sole “source” of allegations being made against the Chinese government regarding Xinjiang. As the US does elsewhere it lies to fuel unrest in pursuit of its geopolitical agenda, allegations regarding Xinjiang often come from “anonymous” sources based on hearsay and lacking any actual physical evidence. The US State Department’s “Radio Free Asia” network even maintains a “Uyghur Service” which pumps out daily accusations aimed at stirring domestic tension within China, and smearing China’s image internationally. RFA allegations are uncritically repeated by other Western corporate media networks in an attempt to bolster the impact of this propaganda. US Gaslighting on a Global Scale The US through its policies and propaganda – including this most recent NYT article – accuse Beijing of “repression” for responding to very real, admitted, and extensively documented deadly terrorism plaguing China. At the same time, the US pursues a global war spanning 80 nations and resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands, destroying entire countries, and displacing or otherwise destroying the lives of millions. While citing “terrorism” as a pretext for its global aggression, it is simultaneously fueling the very armed extremism it claims it is fighting against. This includes the very real terrorism the NYT attempted to downplay to maximize the propaganda value of its “leaked files” story – despite other Western media networks covering this terrorism for years. Not only is this US policy disjointed, deceitful, and deadly – it is incredibly dangerous. It is essentially a low-intensity version of what the US has been doing in Syria and had previously done in Libya leading to the North Africa nation’s destruction. It is all but a declaration of war against China – not through direct military intervention – but through armed proxies, propaganda, and a deliberate, concerted effort to sow instability, division, and strife across Chinese society. Coupled with economic warfare aimed at crippling China’s economy – Beijing finds itself a nation under siege. The fact that it has not responded to this very real, demonstratable existential threat with a fraction of the violence and global-spanning destruction the US has employed to fight its fictional “War on Terror,” is the best proof of all that the dystopian authoritarian regime the NYT tries to portray Beijing as – is as fictional and nonexistent as journalism is at the NYT’s office.

[writeanapocalae]

Waking Up in a New Place

I thought I would do the odd thing and start this story from the beginning. Warning for minor body horror and suicidal ideation. 

|||| A First Meeting | The Hall | White Rose

The pain in his head was new.

Headaches, even migraines, weren’t unknown to him, had plagued him for the past to years, ever since he’d signed up for the study. They’d done something to his head, he knew that, but this pain was different. This was the kind of pain that came from being hit in the head with something the width of a fist, right at the back of the skull, but harder that a fist could hit.

There were people talking. He didn’t want to open his eyes. He didn’t want to see that he wasn’t in his bed at home. He never wanted to open his eyes. He never wanted that terrible moment to happen again, when he wasn’t in his bed, when he was somewhere strange and foreign and wrong, a place that made no sense.

He opened one eye and immediately regretted it. There were fluorescent lights and white walls and people who looked like scientists and doctors and a few people who held themselves like they were military and a few in suits. There was a man nearby, talking to a chubby individual with the notes of authority. If Jackson wanted to understand any of this, if he had any chance to get out of here, it would be through him. He just couldn’t focus enough to tell any of his features, aside from that he was tall and  had dark skin.

He gave up, closing his eye again. He hoped that the dream would be over when he woke up again.

“You hit him in the head with a baseball bat!” the shorter of the two scolded the moment they had an opportunity. “You can’t expect him to do anything for you after that! Never mind trust you!”

An accent. Jackson tried to focus but it was too hard. Even listening hurt.

“It was or last option,” the man coldly explained. “We did everything we could to make him come willingly. Eventually he just stopped answering our calls.”

He had the same accent. Jackson focused, trying to hear the other voices in the room. They were quiet, distant, but he could tell that they were all that accent. He was a long way from home. Or he was dreaming. It was hard to tell. He hoped that he was dreaming. He hoped that the dream was his.

“How am I supposed to explain to him that you kidnapped him, huh?”

“You’re a smart guy, I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

The ‘smart guy’ mumbled something under their breath as the man walked away. Jackson could feel his footsteps thrumming in his head.

There was a touch on his head, the hands warm and gentle as they turned his way this way and then the other, as if looking for damage. He was sure there was quite a bit, he’d been hit in the head with a baseball bat. His vision went red as a light was shined through his lid and he groaned, which led to a sigh from whoever was playing doctor with him.

“Oh, you’re awake! No need to pretend to keep sleeping,” it was the ‘smart guy’ talking, touching him, checking up on him. Jackson opened both of his eyes and tried to look around better than before. He could see machines along the walls, a lot of computers, stairs, a single door with a large bulbous light over it that was blessedly off.

“How are you feeling?”

“It’s too bright,” he explained, closing his eyes against the light.

“Yeah, well, that will happen when you have a concussion. What do you remember?”

Jackson tried to move, to get up off of the table. He wasn’t sure if all of him was just too heavy or if there was something keeping him down. He heard the stranger shushing him and there were more hands, more instances of their hands, against him, touching the leather straps around his wrists, ankles, and chest. “Now, now, there’s no need for that.”

He could feel the panic rising in him. He wanted out. He needed out. He didn’t know where he was. This stranger sounded kind but there was no way that they could be, not if this was what he knew that it was. They had taken him back. He thought that, after the study, they would leave him alone; if he ignored them, they would leave him alone. He didn’t ever want to come back here.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“I’m sorry,” they said, brushing their fingers against his scalp, “You’re the only one we knew the whereabouts of and one of the few survivors of earlier studies. We need your help.”

“Fuck you,” Jackson slurred.

“You’ll hear no argument from me on that. I was fully against it. They get what they want though, regardless of how.”

“Where am I?”

He heard them sigh and he opened his eyes once more. He found that he was a little bit better at focusing now. The person was pale and blond and bespectacled, their glasses round and thick, much like the rest of them. They had a kinder face than he would have expected.

“You’re in one of our facilities in Burford,” they explained.

“Is that a country?”

They wiped some of their longer hair from their face. “Burford. Oxfordshire. England. UK. Earth. You Americans really don’t know much outside of your own country do you?”

Well, that explained the accents at least, but not what he was doing here. This person, they said that they were on his side, that they were against him being brought here. He’d thought that talking to the authority would get him the best results but there was a chance that this was a better option.

“Are you going to let me go?” He wriggled his wrists, his hands fists. He had been trying so hard not to let his panic cloud his judgment, to not let him scream and writhe. He was too tired for that, too heavy, but his mind was racing, he had to escape somehow.

They put their hand over his. “I’m sorry, I would if I could but I think you know that that’s just not possible.” They glanced at the more military appearing folk around the room and Jackson could see the guns tucked away under their jackets. It was hard to tell who here was part of this of their own volition. “They need you to go back down, go back under, into the LWS, to find and retrieve something for them. They think that the fact that you survived before makes you more likely to survive a second time.  You know how it works, you can expect things better.”

Jackson slammed his head back against the gurney that he was and cried out at the pain of doing so, re-injuring where he’d taken a bat to the head. His mind was a wheel of panic, sweat on his brow. He couldn’t go back. He wouldn’t go back. He tried to free himself, to rip through the leather. His body was exhausted, he didn’t know what he would do if he freed himself, but he had to try. He wouldn’t go back. They couldn’t make him.

He could hear yelling. He couldn’t see anything, his vision more blurred than before, but he saw shadows moving. He could see the ‘smart guy’ leaning over him, could hear them speaking as they clutched his head, forced it down so that he couldn’t hit it again. Part of him wanted to. He wanted to die. He wanted to do anything other than go back down there.

There was a sudden prick in his elbow and then there was warmth and the panic subsided, as did his grip on the world.

“My name’s August. I’m going to be your guide, but you have to trust me.”

@sebcastellanyes @chibi--raiden @detectivesebcas

[sprob002-blog]

A Little About New Zealand

Like many other people, what intentionally made me interested in traveling to New Zealand was the breathtaking scenery and to visit the set of the Lord of the Rings. Just one minute into this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo4ueevKfdE), and I am ready to pack my bags and book the next flight. This beautiful country is split into the North Island and South Island, and its remoteness from the rest of the world has allowed the creation of some beautiful animals. I study marine biology, so it would be really amazing to experience evolution’s works and see things that you can not see anywhere else in the world. New Zealand is home to some unique creatures, like the kiwi, which has become the unofficial symbol for the country as well as a nickname for the native people. Another native species is the yellow-eyed penguin, which is one of the six types of penguins found around the country. 

My knowledge of New Zealand is quite limited, but I was aware that it once was under British rule until they gained independence in 1947. Even though they are now a sovereign nation, the countries flag still represents a time they were under the crown. The interactions with Great Britain and the native Maori people of New Zealand have shaped the culture of the society. An important day in history that is celebrated annually is when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on February 6, 1880. The treaty was designed to determine who had authority over the land, but the natives and English had disagreements which subsequently led to The New Zealand Wars just five years later. One interesting fact is that New Zealand was the first self-governing nation to give women the right to vote in 1893. 

 English is the common language, but many natives can speak Maori which is the second popular language in the country. The English language in New Zealand is similar to that of Australian English in the way its pronounced, but there are some differences. They say you can tell an Australian accent from a New Zealand accent by the way they pronounce vows and by the slang that is used. Australians tend to draw out their vows more, and have their own unique slang for things such as sandals that they call thongs. Even if you have an ear for accents, I’m sure it would take a couple time visiting to truly be able to tell the difference between the two. 

Prior to searching and collecting images, I was not informed of the rich history that New Zealand has. Its culture is influence mainly by western culture, the isolation of the islands, and the indigenous Maori people. In present day, the majority of inhabitants are of European decent and the Maori have become a minority, but their influence is still strong. A big component of New Zealand culture is Kapa haka, which is the term for Maori performing arts, and is a cultural dance to express heritage through song. It has even been performed before sporting events by their national rugby team, the All Blacks. When traveling to any foreign country, it is a good idea to become familiar with traditions and cultures. This short video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB3m5Nc1BzM) was a good start for me when brushing up on New Zealand traditions. 

The Maori have a traditional way of cooking that involves digging a deep hole in the ground and using hot stones to cook meat and vegetables that are wrapped in leaves. This method is called hangi, and lets you embrace the authentic experience of New Zealand cooking. I found it interesting that schools will have a hangi because this differs greatly from the food that is known to be served in US lunchrooms. 

Another popular dish is whitebait fritter, which is juvenile fish cooked in egg whites to create an omelet. This is considered a delicacy and alternative to fish and chips, and it is a must try when I visit. It’s no surprise that seafood is a big part of New Zealand diet consider the country is an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

Food gatherings are a popular and common social event in New Zealand. If a native says they are “shouting” it means that they are providing the meal at their cost. If you are invited over for dinner, the same social manners follow as in the US. It is proper to offer to bring a dish or something to drink, and to be sure if you can bring an additional guest. Also, the drinking age in NZ is 18! Some people follow Maori customs within the home by not having shoes on, not sitting on tables or pillows, and saying a karakia to bless the food before the meal. Do not be alarmed if someone greets you with a kiss on the cheek, as it is a friendly and common thing to do. After dinner a favorite New Zealand dessert is hokey pokey ice cream, vanilla ice cream with clumps of honeycomb toffee, and they apparently eat 23 liters per capita a year alone! New Zealanders also like their lolly, which is slang for candy. 

Despite having deep cultural roots, New Zealand is not immune to acts of racism. Unfortunately, they have been at the forefront of world news recently because of the terror attacked at various mosques that left over 50 dead and many others injured. (https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/03/14/witness-many-dead-in-new-zealand-mosque-shooting)

It is incredibly sad that we must fear for our lives when we walk outside, but it is especially heinous to prey on innocent people at a place of worship. This incident is the worst attack in New Zealand history, and in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sOKzcd0Uxg) the Prime Minister explains that she dose not plan to do nothing about it. She vows that the gun laws will change to prevent further incidents like this one. However, it is uplifting to see an article in the NZ Herald that schools in the country are stepping up and trying to help students with their mental health (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=12212778). Many schools, like ones in the US, believe teachers should not intervene in a student’s life, but perhaps if we took a more proactive action to help mental illnesses then maybe terrible acts like this recent one will no longer occur. 

New Zealand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1952, and this basically means that Queen Elizabeth II reigns, but it is the government and people who do the ruling. They do not have a formal constitution, but rather a collection of documents, such as the Treaty of Waitangi, that help lay the framework for their government. The country has their own form of currency, and one New Zealand dollar equals $0.66 US dollars. Their government functions in the same way as the United States by having three separate branches: the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. However, unlike the US their legislature branch is only made out of the House of Representatives. Another notable difference in their government is that they are a unitary state and not a federation. Their central government limits the authority of the regions and even is in charge of police and education. I am not sure if I would like the idea of a more powerful central government, but it does seem that the country would be more uniform in their actions.  

There are many aspects about New Zealand life that remind me of the United States. For starters, the gender roles are about the same in each country. Men are supposed to be the breadwinners while women stay at home with the children. For New Zealand, this role began because back in 1840 the majority of Europeans were men that came for work, and the women slowly started to move to the islands to create permanent homes. These roles were fairly common and constant and woman did not really start joining the workforce until the late 1900′s. In today’s world, women in both United States and in New Zealand are working to break that stereotype and are taking on more unconventional roles. Another similarity between the two countries is that Christianity is the main religion, and in New Zealand almost 50% of people claim to be Christians. Even though Anglicanism is the religion of the monarch of New Zealand, the country does not have an established church. The country has had the basic right of freedom of religion since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Also, the mainstream music in New Zealand is not much different from music I hear in America. I looked up their top 100 popular songs, and I was not familiar with #1 which was a song called “Days Go By” by a welsh band called High Contrast (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9pUR1QV3yQ). However, I was familiar with many of the other songs I saw on the list. Before researching popular artist, I had no knowledge that Lorde, who is played on many radio stations in the US, is from New Zealand. One of her most popular songs, “Royals” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlcIKh6sBtc), has an astonishing 757 million views on Youtube. I enjoyed many of the artist that I came across, like Marlon Williams. The first video of him that I saw was on NPR Music’s channel, and I was familiar with the segment they do called Tiny Desk Concert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab8YnmHB6tE). I found it very interesting to learn that many of the artist I have come across I’ve had no idea they were from places such as New Zealand. 

Besides Lord of the Rings I did not know of any movies made in New Zealand or by a NZ company. The film industry is definitely smaller than in the US, and many of their films do not receive international credit. The highest grossing film in their country is called Hunt for the Wilderpeople and made almost 10 billion dollars in 2016. The movie is a comedy/drama about a boy and his foster father running through the NZ wilderness because there is a manhunt after them. I came across the site “NZ On Screen” (https://www.nzonscreen.com/explore) that broadcast all different types of TV shows, movies, music videos, and even cultural art performances that have been made in New Zealand. I found this site really useful in trying to explore popular media as well as a way to learn more about their society. 

Before traveling to New Zealand, I believe it is a good idea to look up some travel blogs to get an idea of what it might feel like to be a tourist in a foreign land. One I found very useful was “The Do’s and Dont’s of a New Zealand Road Trip” (https://youngadventuress.com/2014/08/new-zealand-road-trip.html). It covers everything from the perfect campervan to rent, a review of popular tourist sites, and even to driving in New Zealand because lets be honest driving in a foreign country can be a little scary. However, the most informative blog I came across was “How to Plan Your Ideal New Zealand Trip” (https://misstourist.com/how-to-plan-your-ideal-trip-to-new-zealand/). This blog has all the information you need in terms of the best time to visit, how much you can expect to spend, and even some tips on how to score the best deals because it can become rather expensive. 

After researching and collecting images about New Zealand, I have a better understanding of their cultural roots and some of the traditions that are popular. I plan to expand my knowledge by keeping up with current news and exploring more of their popular movies and music. The collection I have so far will help me be more respectful when I travel to New Zealand, and it has made me more comfortable when I travel abroad. 

[everythinginslowmotion]

Voltron Rec List

Note: I also have a fic rec page where you can find all of these fics as well (|x|), and all of these on this list will be Klance (EXCEPT #4: GAP YEAR).

COMPLETED FICS (more and uncompleted fics under the cut)

1. What We Make of it  by: Wittyy-name

rating: Mature 

chapters: 1

words: 46,327

description:  Keith has been training for this for months. So despite feeling like everything else in his life is falling apart and could be summed up with a big, blaring question mark, he finds himself halfway across the world with Shiro and Allura, preparing for his first ironman triathlon. He was expecting some typical touristy activities and a grueling day of physical activity. What he wasn't expecting was to meet a gorgeous boy with bright blue eyes and a smile that made his insides squirm. Lance has been in a rut, unable to find the happiness that once filled his life. Everything looks gray, and he feels suffocated. And that's how he finds himself halfway across the world, backpacking across a foreign country with his best friend, Hunk, and their new friend, Pidge. That is, until they run out of money and decide to get a job. He's having fun, and colors are leaking past the dam and back into his life. What he wasn't expecting was to meet a beautiful boy with dark eyes and a shy smile that broke those flood gates wide open

review:  Oh my God, Wittyy did it again. Honestly, since finding her work, I've been in love. I plan of reading all of her storys (that pertain to my fandoms- which is just Voltron right now) at some point in time because the writing is just beautiful. What We Make of it is another example of how the Voltron fandom has amazing writers that are capable of converting me from 200,000 word, extremely thought out fics to oneshots and have me like them in the same way. It's pretty long for a oneshot but it's worth it. It's really good (and it's based on her trip to New Zeland so even better).

2. Never Saw You Coming by: dimpleforyourthoughts

rating: Mature

chapters: 1

words: 47,873

description: Three months in space on his own would have been fine. Three months in space with Lance McClain is a whole other fucking story

review: HOLY SHIT oh my God this is one of the best fics I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I thought her other one was great but this one just blew everything else out of the water. Keith is an ass but I still love him and it works so well (because it is in his pov). Ugh it is so so good please read it becasue it deserves to be recognized and appreciated more- honestly I dont know how it isnt more popular. Definitely one of my top favorite fanfics I have ever read!

3. Nothing Quite as Sweet by: dimpleforyourthoughts

rating: Teen & Up

chapters: 1

words: 50,370

description: Keith is a barista who hates his job. Lance works at the cat shelter across the street. 

review:  So due to my recent lack of fanfiction to read, I spent the entire morning looking at rec lists trying to find on worthy of reading and I had seen this one on a couple and saw that though it was a oneshot that it was in fact longer than Wittyy's WMMOI and thought "Why not give it a shot". So I did and then spent the rest of my afternoon reading it and holy shit was it good. Honestly, I'm so happy i read this because like words just can't descrive how I feel about it. I'm usually not a big fan of cats and stuff but the way they are used in here just get me and Im also not huge on coffee shop aus but this one is just way too good. read it. READ IT. Its so worth an entire afternoon.

4. Don’t Forget to Remember Me by: CamelotQueen

rating: General 

chapters: 1

words: 4,107

description: Keith recognizes him immediately. Alarm bells go off in his head. This person is important, he thinks. He wishes he could remember. “Keith!” he exclaims, “Look who’s finally awake. How are you feeling today?” Keith falters. His mind is working a mile a minute trying to recall this person’s name, what he is to him. “Um… who are you?” he asks dumbly. He immediately regrets it. -Keith suffers from dissociative amnesia

review: If you like sad, read this. This is a oneshot that was followed up with the next fic to this right (I'll Never Leave You Alone) and both of them kill you. They are so well written and you really can feel the emotions that is going on between the characters, especially what Lance is feeling as he takes care of Keith who is also struggling very much so. The other members of Team Voltron (minus Allura and Coran) make an apperance in this fic but their part is minor.

5. I’ll Never Leave You Alone by: CamelotQueen (add on to Don’t Forget to Remember Me)

rating:  General 

chapters: 7

words: 17,300

description: Over a decade after the team was launched into space, Keith is back on earth struggling with dissociative amnesia. Luckily he's not fighting it alone, and his husband and the rest of the team are there to help. A series of drabbles revolving around Keith's amnesia

review:  I can't with this fic. The oneshot (Don't Forget to Remember Me) made me cry, and although I managed to not cry during these 7 oneshots, it still got to me so bad. I feel so horrible for Lance and Keith and everyone else because they have to go through this and I can't even imagine how hard it would be. Each chapter is a different day in Keith/Lance's life. They are mainly bad/neutral days and chapter 2 is a great day, but again for the most part this will kill you but it is amazing.

6. Gap Year by: WaxandWane

rating: Teen & Up 

chapters: 1

words: 1,432

description:  Lance finds himself. Turns out, he was right there all along.

review:  This is in fact the only fic that I have read that is not for a ship. It is for Lance on his own. Again, it's another fic with a really short description but trust me it is well worth the read. I'm usually not one that is for oneshots all that much but since I've entered the Voltron fandom, oneshots are mostly the only completed works since it's a fairly new fandom. Also this is completely from Lance's perspective and it's a little depressing becuase Langst but Langst is now my new favorite thing (Lance + Angst is the best thing to ever happen to me) so I'm 100% okay with that.

7. Lucky by: imtheonlybeefcow

rating: General Audiences 

chapters: 1

words: 7,000

description:  Allura lets everyone have a one week vacation! Lance gets to see his family.

review:  So this one is actually by one of my best friends. When she first told me about her "Lance can sing headcanon" I was like OH MY GOD THAT IS AMAZING I WANT IT NOW, and then she told me she was writing a fic and I was so happy (especailly since she let me read it as she was writing it). This whole thing is just so pure. Also Lauren is amazing and I love her

8. I Think I’ve Hit A Wall by: imtheonlybeefcow

rating: Teen & Up 

chapters: 6

words: 11,286

description:  Keith gets injured while training and it's up to Lance and Shiro to take care of him

review:  Another fic by my friend (no I'm not being bias I promise, I'm actually super picky about my fics and she is a great writer so her fics deserve to be on here). One of my favorite things about this fic (besides the fact that I was able to read parts of it before everyone else, and was asked for help with some of the decisions- nothing major and only like 2 things but still) is the title. It fits it so well, and I think it's really funny considering. Read it, it's a good one

UNCOMPLETED FICS

1. On Thin Ice by: Minadora

rating: Mature 

chapters: 9/?

words: 149,858

last update: 3.12.17

description: Once upon a time, two Canadian nerds decided to start a figure skating au about their two space sons and their wonderful misfit friends. Ten pages of headcanons later we finally put electronic pen to electronic paper and created this monstrosity. This multi-chapter fic chronicles the lives of a hockey player named Keith who gets forcibly enlisted into figure skating lessons by his brother, Shiro, to "work on his footwork". There he meets a pompous - yet talented - figure skater named Lance and gets swept away by both the sport and the skater. Enjoy the ride because it's only just started.

review:  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. That is how I feel when I'm reading this fic. And when it updates. And just in general anytime I begin to think about it. I love this fic so, so much. It's literally all of my favorite things combined into one big thing. Angst, Fanfiction, Klance, and Figure Skating. And it's so good and long (and i'm a sucker for long fics). Honestly, I'm such trash for this fic and I get told that all of the time but I'm so okay with it because come on figure skating is the best

2. Shut Up and Dance With Me by: Wittyy-name, illustrated by: Wolfpainters

rating: Mature 

chapters: 10/16

words: 132,130

last update: 5.26.2017

description:  Lance and his friends have been regulars at the Altea Dance Studio for years. Not just for classes, but to hang out, practice, and spend time with good people who love dancing. Every year, they audition to be one of the few representing Altea at the regional dance competition. Lance always auditions solo, but this year he misses out on auditions and blows his chance to participate. And so does his self-proclaimed rival, Keith. Luckily, Shiro comes up with a brilliant plan: convince Lance and Keith to audition as a duo. With a little convincing, and a lot of effort, these two might just be able to pull it off and go to regionals... or they might crash and burn.

review:  When I said I love Wittyy's work I wasn't kidding, her fics will be on here a lot. I think I started reading this after I finsihed reading what was made of OTI, and I was like holy shit did I just find another amazing slow burn au with another sport that i like. The answer is yes, I did. Honestly I have a huge problem, but I don't really care at this point because fics like this are just so good and Wittyy is an amazing writer and wolfpainters (the arist, aka Sora) is also just so good and together they are perfect.

3. The Marks We Make by: Wittyy-name, illustrated by: Wolfpainters

rating: Mature

chapters: 5/?

words: 94,834

last update: 5.4.2017

description:  Lance McClain constantly dreams of the day he'll finally meet his mysterious soulmate. They don't say much, if anything at all, but they leave him with gorgeous paintings temporarily tattooing his skin. It's not exactly the situation he hoped for, but when he feels the connection between them, he can't bring himself to resent them. As much as he wishes his soulmate would just talk to him, he's resigned himself to being patient. In the meantime, he has a loving family and good friends to help him get by. Keith Kogane dreads the day he'll finally meet his obnoxious soulmate. He's just an art student who's struggling to find his place in the world. There's so much he hasn't been able to control in his life, and the thought of having a soulmate, just another thing in his life which he also has no control over yet can't do anything about, is a little terrifying. So he ignores the words that occasionally appear on his skin. He has other things to focus on: like being a new student at a big university where his childhood friend and step-brother go.

review:  Yet another fic by my favorite person, Wittyy (and illustrated by Wolfpainters). Just when you thought Wittyy's writing couldn't get anybetter, it did. This fic only has a few chapters up right now and I'm hooked. Like everything else that she has ever writen, TMWM is halarious, angsty and cute and sweet all at the same time. I think part of the reason I love her writing so much is that the characters never seem like they are out of character from the show, yet I almost forget they aren't her characters at all and I love it. Anyway, this fic is amazing and I can't wait to see where it goes. (bonus for all HP fans- there is also quiddich so read up you nerds)

4. Shadow of the Past by: wittyy-name (mirrored fic: Ghost of the Future by: Zizzani)

rating:  General 

chapters: 2/?

words: 18,988

last update: 2.26.2017

description:  When Lance is thrown through time, he finds himself one year in the future, in place of the Lance that should be here. He finds his team to be remarkably familiar, yet distinctly different. They have more scars, a better grip on the whole saving the universe thing, and over a year’s worth of teamwork to bind them together. But the weirdest part? Keith seems to be a lot more touchy with him. Not that he’s complaining… much. The team must try and work out how to reverse the two Lance’s places and restore them to their original timelines. But despite the fact that they’re still his friends, Lance can’t help but feel a little out of place among a team that’s been through so much with a Lance that just isn’t him. And it doesn’t help that the team is on edge around him, refusing to tell him anything for fear of influencing and changing the past. Things get even more complicated when they have to rely on the team in the past to complete the switch, leaving Lance to little more than sit, wait, and attempt to fill in his future self’s shoes. Mirror fic to "Ghost of the Future" by Zizzani

review:  So like it's mirror, I also discovered this one through Wittyy and if you read Ghost of the Future then you need to read this one as well because they go together and it just makes the whole thing so much better, not to mention, who wouldn't want to see the future paladins (because this one is from past!Lance's perspective in the future). It's super interesting to see how Witttyy portray's the futures of team Voltron so far and how their relationships and lives have changed over the course of the year.

5. Ghost of the Future by: Zizzani (mirrored fic: Shadow of the past by: Wittyy-name)

rating: General

chapters: 2/?

words: 17,282

last update: 2.26.2017

description: When Lance is thrown through time, his future self from one year ahead is transported to the past in his place. This Lance is faster, stronger, and markedly more mature. Not only that, but he's distinctly more intuitive about his teammates and A LOT more touchy with Keith. The team must try and work out how to reverse the two Lance's places and restore them to their original timelines. Things only get more complicated when the Future Lance can't seem to remember where he was when the switch happened, and he refuses to reveal anything about his own time for fear of influencing the team's decisions. Mirror fic to "Shadow of the Past" by wittyy_name 

review: So I discovered this fic through Wittyy (who writes the mirror fic) and WOW it is so good. This one is from future!Lance's perspective in the current time (the time of the show) and I just have so many feelings towards Lance from the future, it's really not okay (I love him so so much). Ugh these two fics are just so well written and i can't handle it.

6. I Found Love by: seabreez, illustrated by: thesearchingastronaut

rating: Teen & Up 

chapters: 3/?

words: 12,201

last update: 3.17.2017

description: Keith is just trying to live his life as a freelance illustrator with his cat, keeping up with bills by having two part-time jobs. But when he keeps bumping into Mr. Tall, Tan, & Handsome after a music event at his bar, well, maybe he's willing to make time for pretty, blue eyes and a laugh like silver bells.

review: Okay, so thesearchingastronaught is hands down one of my favorite voltron artists because her work is amazing, so when I saw that she collabed with people and did the art for fics I had to read them. I actually read the next fic before this one but still this one is so good. Pure fluff is a really good change from my usual slow burn hardcore angst that I'm used to. So if you are looking for fluff or just a break in the sadness that is your choice of fanfiction, then this is for sure the fic for you.

7. Off Balance by: jubilee_jawz, illustrated by: thesearchingastronaut

rating: General Audiences 

chapters: 2/?

words: 4,786

last update: 1.27.2017

description: 12 year old Keith has settled into his adoptive home quiet nicely. Its Christmas Eve and Shiro makes it home late from uni and he takes Keith out to see the local ballet preform The Nutcracker. Lance is a soldier in the show and beats a rat into submission and little Keith gets his first crush. (AU where Lance is a ballet student at Altea Academy and Keith is pining as per usual. )

review: Fuck Dance AU's- aka. please read this because there are only 2 chapters and it's so adorable already and there is a cute mini aussie named Chaiko and i love dance AU's and need all of them now but especially this one. Jubilee-jawz is the actual author and thesearchingastronaught is the amazing artist for this story and if you like klance then you have probably seen her work- it's so good. Unfortunately, I think this fic has been set on hold for just a little bit because of some personal issues, but I'm not completely sure

[theconservativebrief]

Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions.

A gunman opened fire at a Thousand Oaks, California, bar, killing at least 12; Venezuelan consumer prices continue to inflate.

David McNew/Getty Images

A suspect shot and killed at least 12 people, including bargoers and a sheriff’s deputy, at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, late Wednesday night. [Vox / Jennifer Williams and Jen Kirby]

The gunman, a former US Marine who may have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, tossed a smoke bomb into the crowd and opened fire, also leaving 18 injured, authorities said. Many of the bar’s patrons that night were college students as young as 18. [LA Times]

The man, who was found dead inside the bar, was identified as 28-year-old Ian David Long. According to US officials, he was “not a stellar Marine” and was known to local law enforcement for minor offenses. His motive or any possible connection to terrorism remain unknown. [NPR / Laurel Wamsley]

President Donald Trump tweeted early Thursday morning saying that he had been “fully briefed” on the situation and offering his condolences. [Twitter / Donald J. Trump]

Since the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012, there have been 1,897 mass killings in the US. In 2018 alone, 311 mass shootings have left 314 killed and 1,270 wounded. [Vox / German Lopez and Kavya Sukumar]

The Thousand Oaks shooting comes less than two weeks after a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11. According to Vox’s German Lopez, easy gun access has enabled these killings: not only does America have uniquely weak gun laws, but it also has more firearms than any other country in the world — 120.5 guns per 100 residents. [Vox / German Lopez]

Democrats have long advocated for stricter gun regulation. In the 2018 midterm elections, though, only one state — Washington — had a gun-related ballot measure up for a vote. The initiative, which passed, will implement restrictions on the purchase and ownership of firearms, including raising the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21. [Ballotpedia]

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Venezuela experienced mass inflation in the past 12 months: Consumer prices rose 833,997 percent through October and are expected to rise above the 1 million percent mark before 2018 ends. [Reuters / Corina Pons]

Critics blame the economic collapse on years of government intervention in the economy through strict foreign exchange restrictions and price controls, which have led to chronic shortages of food, medicine, and other basic goods. [Business Insider / Will Martin]

President Trump signed an executive order last week barring Americans from dealing with firms and people who are involved with “corrupt or deceptive” gold sales from Venezuela. These sanctions are sure to hurt the Latin American nation’s economy further. [UPI / Danielle Haynes]

In the meantime, Venezuela is experiencing a mass exodus due to the political and economic uncertainty. A new UN estimate finds that 3 million people have fled since 2015. [Washington Post / Adam Taylor]

After more than 20,000 Google employees around the world participated in a walkout to protest the company’s settlement of sexual harassment cases, Google announced an overhaul of its misconduct policy. [NYT / Kate Conger and Daisuke Wakabayashi]

An Azerbaijani woman became the first target of new British legislation on “unexplained wealth” after she spent 16 million pounds at London’s Harrods department store. She was freed on bail but faces embezzlement charges. [Yahoo News via AFP]

The small town of Yoncalla, Oregon, elected an 18-year-old mayor named Ben Wyatt … uh, Ben Simons. Anybody having Parks and Rec flashbacks? [Twitter Moments]

Bryan Cranston confirmed that the Breaking Bad series is getting a film sequel, which will likely pick up where the season five finale left off. [ABC News / Paul Donoughue]

“You can change your name. You can change your gender. Why not your age?” [A 69-year-old Dutch man who says he “identifies as” a 45-year-old is trying to take legal action to change his age to improve job prospects and have better luck with women on Tinder / Twitter Moments]

Why World War I’s wounded needed a sculptor. [YouTube / Phil Edwards]

Trump has eroded important democratic institutions. Will Democratic wins change that?

Christine Blasey Ford has a security detail because she still receives threats

“Protect RBG” memes capture cultural anxiety over the Supreme Court

The number of Americans who meditate has tripled since 2012

The stubborn irrelevance of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show

Original Source -> Vox Sentences: Venezuela’s 1 million percent price hike

via The Conservative Brief

[borderfactcheck]

This Week in Border Security: April 13, 2018

Presidential memo seeks to detain all asylum seekers

Last Friday, Trump signed a memo that aims to end so-called “catch and release” practices at the border within 45 days. A detailed report by Vox describes the phrase as a “catchall term for any law or policy that prevents the federal government from keeping every single immigrant apprehended without papers at the US-Mexico border from being processed.” Thus an asylum-seeking migrant apprehended along the border who is released pending his or her asylum hearing would be considered a “catch and release.”

Although those most often “caught and released” are vulnerable populations like asylum-seekers, families, and children, the Trump administration would insist on detention. The White House, in Vox’s words, is pursuing policies “designed to push the federal government as far as it can legally go right now to make detention and deportation the rule for everyone crossing into the US without papers — regardless of circumstance.”

This is significant considering that a policy of strictly detaining and deporting would send hundreds of thousands of protection-seeking children and families into long-term detention, as they await a day in backlogged immigration courts. Those who prefer deportation to detention may risk death. This is what may happento Central American migrant Juan Carlos Guevara—a caravan asylum-seeker from El Salvador— whose life was threatened by 8 gang members after seeing two neighbors being dragged blindfolded from their house. One of the immigration lawyers providing legal assistance to these migrants, Allegra Love, stated, "Leaving your home country, with your children, on foot, into a whole another country that is hostile, towards another country where our president is actively creating stronger policies to prevent asylum seekers from being there, that is scary. They are in God's hands."

$73.3 million worth of fencing goes up in New Mexico, but Trump claims it’s a wall

The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for 2018 which passed March 23 and gave Customs and Border Protection $1.34 billion in funding for fencing, is now being implemented in New Mexico. According to the Dallas Morning News, “The construction will replace three-foot-tall posts and a taller mesh fence with an 18- to 30-foot barrier” made of bollard fence which is expected to cost $73.3 million. Although the 20-mile segment of barrier is clearly fencing, consisting of steel posts which allow one to see through into Mexico, and despite the fact that the Homeland Security Appropriations Act does not finance an actual wall, Chief Patrol Agent Aaron A. Hull of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector has rebranded the fence saying, “The president has started his project. It’s very much a wall.”

The Dallas Morning News reported, “The Trump administration has also shifted goalposts, saying any new updates, maintenance work, or replacements of existing barriers qualify as part of "Trump's wall." This glorification is likely an attempt to appease Trump’s conservative base to which he promised a “big beautiful wall” to during his presidential campaign, but for which Congress did not approve funding.

Lourdes Campos Nuñez, who lives across the border in Anapra, Mexico, said, “ I thought the wall would be made out of cement. That man, your president, is crazy, but if insists on wall, let's all call it a wall and maybe he'll leave us alone.” Lourdes’ son and daughter also agreed that it was a fence, that it was nonetheless dividing and ugly. In the meantime, 250 national guardsmen, out up to the 4,000 who may be deployed, were sent to New Mexico under Trump’s command in order to “secure the border”.

The caravan arrives in Mexico City Monday, while an alleged splinter from the caravan arrives in Arizona

Despite incessant media coverage of the caravan, a group of what started out as 1,200 predominantly Honduran Central Americans walking northward—prompting President Trump to send the National Guard  to “secure the border”—the procession is slowing. As of Monday, a group of 500 migrants reached Mexico City, where they were welcomed by a shelter that could house them for 3 days. According to Arizona Central, after their arrival, the caravan migrants proceeded to march to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe where they denounced  “Central American governments for not addressing the conditions that force people to leave their home countries, and singling out Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez.” Most of the migrants decided to stay in Mexico, though some have broken off from the caravan to attempt to reach the United States and request asylum.

Newsweek reported that one group of 60 migrants that arrived in Yuma, Arizona this Monday is thought to have splintered off the caravan. Of the 60 migrants apprehended, “90 percent were families and a third were less than 18 years of age.” However, this apprehension has been receiving much right-wing media coverage since the group did include one MS-13 gang member, Herberth Geovani Argueta-Chavez. In his interview, the 18 year old El Salvadoran admitted to being a gang member, but stated he was trying to separate from the gang.

According to Customs and Border Protection, the group is now being processed for immigration violations. This is likely due to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s order last week to begin a “zero-tolerance” policy for people who cross or attempt to cross the border illegally. The directive “instructs all federal prosecutors on the southwest border to prosecute all Department of Homeland Security referrals for alleged violations of federal immigration illegal-entry laws” in an attempt to stop “catch and release policies.” There was no mention whether the group was attempting to request asylum, or whether that process is underway.

Most migrants do not have the legal representation necessary to successfully claim asylum

A Texas Tribune report found that from October 2000 through February 2018, less than 30% of migrants in deportation proceedings in Texas had representation, and “nearly 70 percent of the Texas cases during the time frame studied ended with a removal order. By comparison, 74 percent of defendants in New York had a lawyer, and just 27 percent received a deportation order.” This demonstrates a correlation between legal representation and deportation.

Advocates and attorneys have stated that lack of representation multiplies a migrant’s likelihood of deportation: “80 percent of unaccompanied minors who entered the country between 2012 and 2014 and didn't have representation were deported.” A routine asylum case consists of 4 hearings and hours of preparation before each hearing, in a complex system and mostly in a foreign language.

Nonetheless, last week Attorney General Sessions established a quota for immigration judges to close 700 cases per year. The resulting fast-tracking of cases will likely lead to cut corners and violations of due process—but also to more appeals, causing more work for immigration lawyers and judges in the long term.

Further Readings:

Burnett, John As Border Crossings Tick Up, Migrants Bring Children, Take More Dangerous Routes (NPR, April 6, 2018)

KGNS Border Patrol agent arrested in Monday's double homicide (KGNS, Apr 09, 2018)

US Customs and Border Protection Yuma Sector Border Patrol Agents Confiscate $348K of Methamphetamine (US Customs and Border Protection, April 10, 2018)

Carranza, Rafael 'Wiped away': Border agent says he can't recall shooting unarmed Mexican teen (Arizona Central, April 10, 2018)

Bosh, Steve Trump versus California (Kusi News, April 10, 2018)

Grillo, Ioan The Other Border Problem: American Guns Going to Mexico (The New York Times April 11, 2018)

NBC San Diego Video Shows US Agents Dumping Injured Man Over Border (NBC San Diego, April 11, 2018 )

Eddington, Patrick Introducing “Checkpoint: America” (CATO Institute, April 11, 2018)

Dibble, Sandra  Study finds record violence costing Mexico billions of dollars (The San Diego Union Tribune, April 11, 2018)

Elliott, Tim ’Hand over your son or we’ll shoot him’: escaping Central America’s gang violence (The Sydney Morning Herald, April 14, 2018)

—Monica Hayward

[republicstandard]

The Future of Europe is Civil War

Europe is committing suicide- or at least it's leaders have decided to commit suicide. Whether European people decide to go along with this is, naturally, another matter. ~ Douglas Murray, The Strange Death of Europe

Europe is my home. It is where I live. Everything I value is here- on this continent. Everything I love and will suffer to lose is here. My country, separate, slightly odd, provincial and uncool; Brexit Britain, land of bad food and uncharitable reputations on dental hygiene and house cleanliness, is a European country too. God knows it is a conflicted time to be an Englishman abroad. God knows it hurts to look at the goldfish bowl from outside. Yesterday brought the story of 78-year-old Richard Osborne-Brooks.

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A Scotland Yard spokesman said:

'At 00:45hrs on Wednesday, 4 April, police were called by a homeowner to reports of a burglary in progress at an address in South Park Crescent, Hither Green SE6, and a man injured.

'The 78-year-old resident found two males inside the address. A struggle ensued between one of the males and the homeowner. The man, aged 38, sustained a stab wound to the upper body.

'London Ambulance Service took the injured male, who was found collapsed in Further Green Road, SE8, to a central London hospital. He was pronounced dead at 03:37hrs.'

What happened next? Of course, this pensioner was arrested on suspicion of murder. Murder! A crime which requires premeditation and to be without lawful excuse, for stabbing an intruder to your home. With his disabled wife upstairs, Mr. Osborne-Brooks encountered and subsequently killed an armed man who was intruding in his home, the purported castle of the Englishman. No more a castle, you are a serf of the state and subject to prosecution- for doing what any man ought to do in such circumstances. Are we to accept that criminals may just enter our homes, threaten our lives and take what they will?

This pensioner committed no crime. If an armed man breaks into your home you must be able to defend yourself against the chance of being murdered. @metpoliceuk must stop persecuting British victims of crime. https://t.co/gLRQqbiydG

— Ash Sharp 🇬🇧 🇵🇱 (@6crip) April 4, 2018

This is a travesty of justice at any time, let alone the crime nightmare we find ourselves in today. You are more likely to be raped in London than New York. Terrorism is impossible to control. Islam is appeased and treated as an exalted religion over our own and is in control of increasingly large territories across the country. The leader of the Christian faith in Britain has simply given up. White Britons are a minority in their own capital. Free speech died long ago in the land of my fathers. You've heard this song from me and others before. The rhetoric of terrorism will never win and strong and stable becomes a little more shrill with every passing assault on my people. The police investigate online hate speech but not muggings- as the unfairly maligned Katie Hopkins said, if this terrorism losing, I'd hate to see it win.

Our enforcement officers are visiting mosques today to speak to residents about hate crime concerns. If you face anti-Muslim hate, report it to @TellMamaUK and always dial 999 in an emergency. #WeStandTogether pic.twitter.com/j92uOU6UgC

— Hackney Council (@hackneycouncil) April 3, 2018

This is not a police officer. This is an enforcement officer, whose job is to collect information about crimes committed against the good name of Islam. He has no power to arrest, nor to issue any fines. This young man is employed by the state to sniff out hate. The kind of hate that obeys neo-Marxist ideas, the perceived hate for the minority projected into the heart of the White Briton, hate that is subjectively felt- on behalf of the minority! If you feel someone hates someone, then it is so and neither party need agree with you.

I'm from a little place called Great Britain, But I dunno if I love or hate Britain, These words upon my page written, Are the things that make and break Britain. ~ Scroobius Pip

Maybe your European country has similar problems that are being unreported. Maybe you are a Swede, lied to about your democratic socialist wonderland, or German and told that your generation must suffer the intolerable, for the indelible sins of the Reich. The Reich, the idea of which remains to this day the great weapon against the people of all Europe, against our national identity. It seems that wherever you turn, suggesting that perhaps our nations are ill-served by the Multi-Kulti experiment draws the accusation: "Nazi!"

Is it the case that this fifty-something school teacher is a Nazi when she says with sadness of her majority immigrant students;

"I believe the difference between their world at home and our world is so large they cannot reconcile them. The Sharia is, for many students, surely superior."

Only the fool or the ideologue can disagree with this assessment. Anyone who thinks for longer than ten-seconds about the nature of faith can see how obeying the laws of God is more important to the faithful than integrating with a sad shadow of a Western civilization that knows not for whom it stands. We know not why we exist. No longer allowed a national identity, Europeans are simply chattle. Though we are told that we are free, the truth is we have no freedom at all and no respite from the Orwellian demands of our masters that we ignore the obvious in favor of the fantastical.

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The sad reality is that, in all likelihood, war will come again to our continent. It will be unlike the war that nearly killed national identity, in that no more will a nation-state invade her neighbors for territory and conquest. This war will be continent-wide, but internal- and I believe firstly ideological. As the demographics slide further and further towards the annihilation of White Europeans in many countries, the powers that be -the globalist, rootless and self-serving elites that lead most European countries- will ramp up the programming. State news channels will increase the propaganda, of how values are all that matter. We will see enforcement officers like in Hackney rolling out across the land. The taxpayer will pay for their own imprisonment, fearing to leave their houses, and unable to defend their homes in any case.

“There is a rise in knife crime because nothing is being done about it. Gang crime and gangland violence should be taken seriously as terrorism by the state. Statistical trends over the years show more fatalities of gangland activities than terrorist activities. There is no voice of reason from state officials and an absence of debate.” Dr. Mohammed Rahman

What I contend we are seeing is the weaponization of minority groups by the state itself. One has to admit, using Islamophobia to repress verbal dissent and feral immigrant youth to make the streets so dangerous -or at least give that impression- that most civilians will simply stay at home would be a brilliant idea if your agenda is to create a submissive and servile nation of tax-cows. The neoliberal debt machine needs feeding; so for as long as the music plays the aim has to be to keep the majority dancing to the tune while they are robbed blind, and ultimately replaced by the migrants Israel is too proud to take.

The state must encourage the Muslim community to tell stories of hate crimes, which suggests the hate crimes are few. Tell Mama, a Muslim run and state-funded collector of anti-Muslim sentiment is regularly pushed through the media as an authority on the matter, despite previously losing funding for misrepresenting statistics. Imagine if you were being persecuted- would you need enforcement officers and campaigners to encourage you speak out?

If extremists seek division, we rise above. If extremists cause harm, we rise above. If you face hate, we rise to help: #WeStandTogether pic.twitter.com/4O8R7TbNeE

— TellMAMAUK (@TellMamaUK) March 23, 2017

Imagine, a state-funded NGO and enforcement officers on the streets of Telford, of Oxford, of Rotherham. Where was the state then? Looking away. Gathering evidence of anti-Muslim hate, I suppose. Imagine a constable patrolling Mr. Osborne-Brooks' street in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Where was the state then? Not protecting the law-abiding citizen, that is for sure.

Imagine recognizing that for all the faults in our society that this society is British, not the dar al-Islam; and that British law -not Islamic- has to rule. Imagine that offense had to be taken and not given. Imagine that instead of stifling the legitimate questions many Britons have about Islam and immigration we could be trusted to discuss them and find peaceful grounds, and non-violent solutions. Instead, old men are arrested for defending their wives and homes from burglars; criticism of Islam is banned, and London itself has been turned over to criminal gangs- the vast majority of whom are non-British in ethnicity.

The UK police will probably-most-definitely-never investigate reports of TellMAMAUK wrongdoings. Call it a hunch. pic.twitter.com/gsLkWz3kc1

— Nick Monroe (@nickmon1112) April 5, 2018

I have been a vocal opponent of interventionalist foreign policy and war in general for most of my adult life- primarily from a leftist position. I abhor violence. I find no pleasure then in telling you that we are headed for civil war in the United Kingdom if we persist in treating the native population as little more than a tax farm. For far less insult the American Revolution began, and like almost all civil conflicts we will see bloodshed in England when the financial situation becomes untenable for a critical mass of citizens. For reasons best known to themselves, our leaders -and this I fear is true of most Western nations- have abdicated. Capitulated. Do they care about anything other than living out their lives in comfort, secure that their childless lineages end during times of relative prosperity?

[Society] is a partnership in all science, a partnership in all art, a partnership in every virtue and in all perfection. As the ends of such a partnership cannot be obtained in many generations, it becomes a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born. ~ Edmund Burke

For whatever reason, we believe that war is over in Europe, that it may never return. Seventy years of peace with forty years of paranoid cold war have resulted in a kleptocrat European Union and brainless, soulless political elites who know nothing of their own cultures; wishing only that all Europe becomes a federal state. Looking to a utopian future has always proven to be a recipe for disaster for mankind.

I don't hate white people strictly because they're white. I hate white people because of hundreds & hundreds & hundreds of years of white people hating other races strictly being they are NOT WHITE Racism involves prejudice But not all prejudice is racist https://t.co/NV4OYrPLNe

— 🌷♠🌱Fox🌱♠🌷 (@cascadianpoppy) April 4, 2018

It will not start out as a race war; first Britons will first turn on each other as the hard left demands more state support and the right refuses to pay for it. The socialist cries that the government has sold the family silver will carry some weight- enough to mobilize the anti-capitalists against the working class, who are already beginning to gather together in self-interest. The riots of the disenfranchised Black youths in London will again be played off in the media and by the liberals as a just and expected response to this austerity; and Islam will continue to be protected at all costs, despite further evidence of rape gangs, jihad, and terror plots. In such an environment, all it will take is a single flashpoint to turn economic strife into sectarian violence the likes of which we have not seen since The Troubles. The fight will be undesired by all, not that this will save us.

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ John F. Kennedy

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In a time of chaos, human beings revert to tribal states. We seek solace and comfort in those that are like ourselves. Can we deny that on some cultural-wide subconscious level that this is happening at greater and greater levels? The desire for ingroup identity is rising, across all demographics. You can feel it in the air and water itself- this is why identitarians are looked at with fear by the state. The elites know what the rise of these groups portend for the future, that none of these events are happening in isolation, that they are all connected to the state's failure to enforce the laws fairly. Is civil war inevitable? Maybe- I hope it can be avoided. I hope, as always, that I am wrong and the world can be a Coca-Cola advert of inclusivity, just plain old getting along, in the way that our governments have promised us we all would.

I am nothing, if not a relentless optimist.

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[wionews]

The Mumbai serial bombings: Lessons from the past

Mumbai, being our financial capital, has seen a spate of terror attacks, around half a dozen since the 1990’s that shattered the lives of many innocent Mumbaikers, leaving over six hundred dead and more than a thousand injured. It was in July, approximately a decade ago, 11 July 2006 to be precise. in a space of just eleven minutes between 6:24 PM and 6:35 PM, the rush hour, first class compartments of seven local trains were targeted with improvised “Pressure Cooker” bombs that left 207 dead and at least 700 injured. Then again, five years later on 13th Jul 2011, serial bombings between 6:54 PM and 7:06 PM, in just 12 minutes, targeted Zaveri Bazar, Opera House and Dadar West localities leaving 26 dead and 130 injured.

Both these attacks had a few common threads. In both cases, the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) were based on RDX High Explosive and used extremely sophisticated timers. Both attacks were carried out by the Indian Mujahideen (IM), a local terror group. Allegedly, the IM was assisted by the Mumbai underworld, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and some foreign-based terror groups, like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and even Al Qaeda. Rumours made rounds that both attacks were in retaliation against the manner in which the Muslim community has been allegedly ill-treated in the country, especially in Kashmir and Gujarat. Some reports, however, also suggested that the terrorists were also aiming at derailing the Indo –Pakistan peace initiatives that were being undertaken in those days.

In both cases most of the perpetrators have been brought to book. In the former case, all the twelve accused were convicted by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in September 2015. Five of those convicted have been sentenced to death while the remainder have been given life terms. In the latter case, the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) had charge-sheeted ten of the alleged perpetrators of whom five are under arrest, while the rest remain at large. The investigations themselves have not been without controversy as allegations of mass detentions and police brutality have been made. Investigations into the death in custody one of those detained is still in progress.

National security is no longer about just protecting the borders but about protecting people. While physical threats continue to pose challenges, non-military threats have gained in importance and directly impact the well- being of nation-states

  ×

While it is important to revisit these tragic incidents and commemorate the memory of those lost in these horrific attacks, it is also vitally important to see if lessons have been learnt from all that transpired so as to ensure that such attacks are prevented in the future. Without doubt focus needs to be brought on our intelligence and security establishment to ensure that not only are they forewarned and capable of nipping any such attacks being planned the bud, but also have the training and wherewithal to respond quickly and efficiently in the event terrorists do manage to launch another attack.

However, where we seem to be going wrong, and which is bound to adversely impact our polity and the security environment in the future, is our mishandling of fundamentalists, both of the religious and ideological variety. There is a prevailing belief that the British succeeded in ruling us for two hundred years through their policy of Divide and Rule, it now appears that even the vast majority within our political class believes that a similar policy will pay dividends. Nothing could be further from the truth since we live in a completely different age. A inter-connected world where ideas travel faster than light and movement of people, good and services are no longer restricted by international borders or physical barriers and it is impossible to isolate people or ideas from global discourse. National security is no longer about just protecting the borders but about protecting people. While physical threats continue to pose challenges, non-military threats have gained in importance and directly impact the well- being of nation-states.

It is necessary for all of us to understand that by not opposing or raising our voices against fundamentalism and in targeting minorities, we are only helping in making the environment more conducive for radical groups to operate

  ×

This is only possible when local and central governments are empathetic and do not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, ethnicity or economic status. Where rule of law is given primacy and the criminal justice system works without fear or favour. Sadly, this has never been the case here ever since Independence. The situation has got further exacerbated over the past few years with the rise of Hindu radical groups that have been able to foment trouble with little or no attempts by the state to deal with them except for platitudes. The spate of lynching’s and attacks on minorities by vigilantes’ points to this pathetic state of affairs.

Let alone our political leadership, it is necessary for all of us to understand that by not opposing or raising our voices against fundamentalism and in targeting minorities, we are only helping in making the environment more conducive for radical groups to operate. There will always be criminal elements within society who will attempt to use any and every cause that will benefit them. Those elements can be neutralised by a professional police force and an efficient criminal justice system. The problem arises when the common man perceives he is being discriminated against and unable to get justice and willingly provides support, both overt and covert, to fringe elements.

Added to this, India's not so friendly neighbouring states often willingly exploit the situation by providing moral, monetary and physical support. In our own case our democratic traditions and the belief in the rule of law have restricted the impact of such groups to a large extent. However if, as a nation, we ignore the consequences of what allows radical elements to thrive, then we are truly on the road to perdition, and the serial bombings will just be milestones to worse atrocities.

The inescapable truth is that only the innocent will pay with their lives, those responsible for the state of affairs will get away, thanks to the personal security and sanitised environment provided at the tax-payer’s cost.

]]>

[newstfionline]

Saturday, February 27, 2012

New York woman loses job, leads pantry feeding thousands (AP) While dozens of New Yorkers lined up outside in the rain, shopping carts at the ready as they waited for free food, Sofia Moncayo led her team in prayer. “We’re super grateful for these people here. In Jesus’ name we pray,” she said, and the group of women around her clapped, cheered and replied: “Amen.” “Now,” she said, “let’s get to work.” By then, they had worked almost nonstop for hours. They picked up heavy boxes, separated thousands of items and removed snow from the curb. They were cold, wet and tired. No one would pay them and they didn’t care. They were just happy to be there for someone else that day. During the coronavirus pandemic, Moncayo has led the food distribution program through Mosaic West Queens Church in the Sunnyside neighborhood. Since then, Moncayo has had her own struggles. She was furloughed from her job at a construction company and remains unemployed. And she also owes five months of rent for the martial arts studio that she owns with her husband in the neighborhood. But she has continued to lead fundraisers and coordinate dozens of volunteers who distribute more than 1,000 boxes of food to families twice a week. “I think helping others has to do something to your brain chemically because if we had not being doing everything that we’re doing, I think this would have been a much scarier time,” she said. “Being able to dig in and help others, it really gives you perspective and helps you believe that you’re going to be OK too.”

Residents of a Texas Border City Long Felt Overlooked. The Storm Made It Worse. (NYT) Surrounded by ranch land, towering mesquite trees and acres of thorny brush, the border city of Del Rio can feel like the definition of rural Texas. Residents said they have long felt alienated from the state’s power centers and bewildered by the shifting approaches to immigration by their elected leaders in Washington. And that is just in typical times. Last week’s epic winter storm, which blanketed the area with more than 11 inches of snow and collapsed the state’s power grid, plunging most of the county’s residents into dark and unheated homes, left many feeling even more isolated, overlooked and forgotten. More than a week later, many shelves remain empty at local grocery and hardware stores, and a notice to boil water was finally lifted in Val Verde County, which includes Del Rio, on Thursday. “I definitely feel that we are a bit unseen and unheard,” said Michael Cirilo, a 39-year-old juvenile detention officer. Like most of his neighbors in Del Rio, a predominantly Hispanic city of about 36,000 residents, he lost power for several days last week. “Sometimes we feel that we’re kind of alone out here.” “When they’re running for office is when we see them,” one man said of politicians.

Not Cages, “Temporary Holding Facilities” (Vox) Generally, migrant children arriving in the US through the southern border are sent to permanent holding facilities run by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which are separate from the “cages” used by US Customs and Border Protection. Due to an increase in the number of children coming into the country, the Biden administration has begun reopening temporary facilities, sparking fears for the welfare of children inside. Biden’s camp has said that they have no choice but to reopen such facilities due to COVID-19-related capacity restrictions combined with the increase in border crossings. The children in these facilities are held until they are either matched with foster parents or united with family members in the US. There have been plenty of reports of abuse in both temporary and permanent HHS shelters: these reports include sexual abuse, neglect, dangerous living conditions, and even the administering of psychotropic drugs. To make matters worse, some of these facilities are located in inaccessible areas, making external oversight of their conditions difficult to conduct.

‘I can’t buy food’: As Cuba’s economy worsens, desperate rafters risk their lives at sea (Miami Herald) Marisol Monteagudo’s son gave her a kiss goodbye as he headed out the door to spend a night out with friends in Cuba’s Isla de la Juventud. What he didn’t tell her: That instead of grabbing a drink or watching a movie, they were planning to board a flimsy raft en route to Mexico. That was three months ago. She hasn’t heard from him since. In recent months, U.S. Coast Guard officials have detected a new uptick in Cuban rafters, with the number intercepted at sea in the fiscal year that started in October already surpassing the total for the previous 12 months. Though still vastly lower than previous surges, the recent increase has sparked concern that as economic and humanitarian conditions in Cuba worsen, more will risk their lives at sea. U.S. President Joe Biden’s proposal to transform the immigration system is also believed to be a driving factor. “It’s a combination of the rising desperation of a good part of the Cuban population over deteriorating life conditions, as well as the illusion of getting to the United States under a president who is more tolerant of undocumented immigrants,” said Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

Bhutan’s success under the radar (Foreign Policy) There have been plenty of coronavirus pandemic success stories from Asia—Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand—but one small country has gone largely unheralded: Bhutan. Despite its poverty, ratio of 1 physician to every 2,255 people, and its shared border with hard-hit China and India, Bhutan has recorded only one COVID-19 fatality. In the Atlantic, the science journalist Madeline Drexler chalks up Bhutan’s success to quick actions by top officials, clear and consistent messaging from health authorities, and strong public trust in government. But she also identifies an additional factor unique to Bhutan: the spirit of compassion and altruism reflecting its “Gross National Happiness” index. The index considers noneconomic aspects of well-being, including health, as essential to sustainable development.

US carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia in Syria (ABC News) The United States conducted a military airstrike in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias in retaliation for a recent rocket strike in Erbil in northern Iraq that left several Americans injured, according to a U.S. official. The airstrike targeted structures in the eastern Syrian town of Al Bukamal that belong to Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias that have launched rocket attacks in the past against American facilities in Iraq, said the U.S. official. The airstrike was ordered by President Joe Biden in retaliation for a Feb. 15 rocket attack against a U.S. base in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil that killed a coalition contractor and left several American contractors and a U.S. military service member wounded.

In Iraq’s Biblical lands, scattered Christians ask ‘should I stay or go?’ (Reuters) A jihadist message, “Islamic State endures”, is still graffitied on the front gate of Thanoun Yahya, an Iraqi Christian from the northern city of Mosul, scrawled by Islamist militants who occupied his home for three years when they ruled the city. He refuses to remove it, partly in defiance of the militants who were eventually beaten by Iraqi forces, but also as a reminder that Iraq’s scattered and dwindling Christian community still lives a precarious existence. “They’re gone, they can’t hurt us,” said the 59-year-old, sitting in his home which he reclaimed when Islamic State was driven out in 2017. “But there aren’t many of us left. The younger generation want to leave.” Iraq’s Christians have endured unrest over centuries, but a mass exodus began after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and accelerated during the reign of Islamic State, which brutalised minorities and Muslims alike. Hundreds of thousands left for nearby areas and Western countries. Physical and economic ruin remain. Iraqi authorities have struggled to rebuild areas decimated by war, and armed groups that the government has not been able to control vie for territory and resources, including Christian heartlands. Christians say they are left with a dilemma—whether to return to damaged homes, resettle inside Iraq or migrate from a country that experience has shown cannot protect them.

US implicates Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi's killing (AP) Saudi Arabia’s crown prince likely approved the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday that instantly ratcheted up pressure on the Biden administration to hold the kingdom accountable for a murder that drew worldwide outrage. The intelligence findings were long known to many U.S. officials and, even as they remained classified, had been reported with varying degrees of precision. But the public rebuke of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is still a touchstone in U.S-Saudi relations. It leaves no doubt that as the prince continues in his powerful role and likely ascends to the throne, Americans will forever associate him with the brutal killing of a journalist who promoted democracy and human rights. Yet even as the Biden administration released the findings, it appeared determined to preserve the Saudi relationship by avoiding direct punishment of the prince himself despite demands from some congressional Democrats and Khashoggi allies for significant and targeted sanctions. Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, urged the Biden administration to consider punishing the prince, who he says has the blood of an American journalist on his hands. Rights activists said the lack of any punitive measures would signal impunity for the prince and other autocrats.

Unfriending Myanmar’s Military (NYT) Facebook has announced that they have banned Myanmar’s military from all its social media platforms, a few weeks after the country’s government was overthrown in a military coup. Facebook’s decision comes after years of criticism over how Myanmar’s military has used the site to further their political agenda and spread misinformation. For years, members of the military were behind a systematic campaign on Facebook that demeaned the Rohingya as foreigners illegally living in Myanmar, even though many had been there for generations. Since the coup early this month, the military has repeatedly shut off the internet and cut access to major social media sites while continuing to use the platform to spread misinformation and make statements about the state of the country. In response, Facebook wrote: “Events since the February 1 coup, including deadly violence, have precipitated a need for this ban,” adding that the risks of letting the Myanmar military remain on Facebook and Instagram were “too great” and that the military would be barred indefinitely.

North Korea: Russian diplomats leave by hand-pushed trolley (BBC) A group of Russian diplomats leaving North Korea were forced to leave the country by hand-pushed rail trolley as strict coronavirus measures bring travel in and out of the country to a standstill. After travelling 32 hours by train and another 2 hours by bus from Pyongyang to reach the Russian border, the diplomats and their families loaded up their luggage on the rail trolley and pushed themselves the final kilometer to a Russian train station. The Russian foreign ministry singled out the Pyongyang embassy’s third secretary Vladislav Sorokin for providing the bulk of the effort. Photos shared by the ministry showed the diplomats on the trolley with their suitcases amid a wintry landscape. They were also seen cheering in a video as they crossed into Russia.

Massacre by Eritrean troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray region may constitute crime against humanity, Amnesty says (Washington Post) Ethiopian and Eritrean forces committed war crimes during an offensive to take control of the town of Axum in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region late last year, with one massacre by Eritrean troops a potential crime against humanity, according to a report released by Amnesty International on Thursday. The human rights group said that hundreds were likely killed during a roughly 24-hour period from Nov. 28-29, when Eritrean soldiers carried out house-to-house searches and shot civilians on the street. Eritrean troops “went on a rampage and systematically killed hundreds of civilians in cold blood, which appears to constitute crimes against humanity,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s director for east and southern Africa. The United Nations defines crimes against humanity as “widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.” In its report, Amnesty calls for a U.N.-led investigation into the violence in Axum as part of a broader international inquiry of the conflict between the Ethiopian government and forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that began on Nov. 4 last year.

Nigeria faces third mass kidnapping of schoolchildren in 3 months (Washington Post) Gunmen raided a boarding school in northwest Nigeria early Friday and kidnapped around 300 girls, marking the third mass abduction of children since December in Africa’s most populous nation. The assailants struck the Government Girls Secondary School in Zamfara state in a predawn ambush, residents said, waking up neighbors as shots rang out. By daylight Friday, community members were still working together to tally the missing—it remained unclear how many girls were forced into the nearby woods—while police officers scoured the area, which has been plagued by kidnappings in recent months. No one has asserted responsibility for the attack, but criminal gangs known as “bandits” are known to capture groups for ransom—a scourge that has prompted some Nigerians to call for a national state of emergency. The latest high-profile targets across the country’s north: Schoolchildren.

The placebo effect: ‘As a man thinks, so is he?’ (NYT) Give people a sugar pill, they have shown, and those patients—especially if they have one of the chronic, stress-related conditions that register the strongest placebo effects and if the treatment is delivered by someone in whom they have confidence—will improve. Tell someone a normal milkshake is a diet beverage, and his gut will respond as if the drink were low fat. Take athletes to the top of the Alps, put them on exercise machines and hook them to an oxygen tank, and they will perform better than when they are breathing room air—even if room air is all that’s in the tank. Wake a patient from surgery and tell him you’ve done an arthroscopic repair, and his knee gets better even if all you did was knock him out and put a couple of incisions in his skin. Give a drug a fancy name, and it works better than if you don’t. You don’t even have to deceive the patients. You can hand a patient with irritable bowel syndrome a sugar pill, identify it as such and tell her that sugar pills are known to be effective when used as placebos, and she will get better, especially if you take the time to deliver that message with warmth and close attention. Depression, back pain, chemotherapy-related malaise, migraine, post-traumatic stress disorder: The list of conditions that respond to placebos—as well as they do to drugs, with some patients—is long and growing.

[studentofrhetoric-blog]

Part 2, Thursday, March 23rd, 2017

International News:

--- "The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats have overtaken the center-right Moderates and are the second most popular party in the Nordic country, polls showed this week. Growing worries about immigration in Sweden, which received a record 160,000 refugees in 2015, have boosted support for the Sweden Democrats, echoing the rise of populist parties across Europe. The party got 19.2 percent support in a poll published on Thursday by Novus for Swedish Television, up from 18.5 percent a month ago. That compares with the 13 percent they polled in the general election in 2014. In a second poll in daily Dagens Nyheter they got 18 percent, up from 17 percent. Both polls showed that the party was in second place for the first time behind the Social Democrats, who form the minority government with the Green Party."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sweden-politics-idUSKBN16U1NS?il=0

--- "Islamic State was responsible for an attack outside Britain's parliament which left four people dead, the group's Amaq news agency said on Thursday. "The perpetrator of the attacks yesterday in front of the British parliament in London is an Islamic State soldier and he carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of the coalition," the Amaq statement said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-claim-idUSKBN16U1M0?il=0

--- "British lawmakers reacted with defiance, shock and emotional tribute on Thursday as they came to terms with an attack which left a police officer dead on the cobbles inside the gates of the world's oldest parliament. "What a mad world," said Tobias Ellwood, a government minister and former soldier who walked away from the scene on Wednesday with blood on his face and hands after joining unsuccessful attempts to revive policeman Keith Palmer. Palmer was one of three killed by a lone attacker who ploughed a vehicle into tourists on a bridge and then ran through the gates of parliament armed with a knife. The attacker was shot dead by armed police officers. The attack was the worst on British soil since 2005, when 52 people were killed by Islamist suicide bombers on London's public transport system, and the most serious breach of the parliamentary estate in decades."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-minister-idUSKBN16U16X?il=0

--- "Britain's Queen Elizabeth sent her condolences on Thursday to those affected by the attack on the British parliament conducted by a lone assailant who killed three people and injured 40. "My thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence," she said in a statement."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-queen-idUSKBN16U1FA?il=0

--- "Britain's plan to trigger Brexit talks on March 29 will not be delayed by an attack on parliament which left four people dead, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman told reporters on Thursday."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-article-idUSKBN16U1ED?il=0

--- "Scotland's parliament said it will resume its independence referendum debate on Tuesday after proceedings were suspended following the attack on Britain's national parliament at Westminster."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-scotland-idUSKBN16U0YZ?il=0

--- "Five South Koreans were wounded near the British parliament on Wednesday in what police called a "marauding terrorist attack", South Korea's foreign ministry said in Seoul...Three women and one man in their 50s and 60s suffered injuries including broken bones, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Another woman in her 60s suffered a head injury while falling and was taken to hospital. Four of the five were later released from hospital, the ministry said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-southkorea-idUSKBN16T38H?il=0

--- "Poland's prime minister drew a link on Thursday between an attack in London targeting the British parliament and the European Union's migrant policy, saying the assault vindicated Warsaw's refusal to take in refugees. Five people, including the attacker, were killed and about 40 injured on Wednesday after a car plowed into pedestrians near the British parliament. Police believe the attack was "Islamist-related", but have given no details about the attacker, who they say was acting alone. Poland's right-wing, eurosceptic government has refused to accept any of the 6,200 migrants allocated to it under the European Union's quota scheme that is designed to share the burden of taking in the large numbers of migrants and refugees who have come to Europe over the past two years. "I hear in Europe very often: do not connect the migration policy with terrorism, but it is impossible not to connect them," Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo told private broadcaster TVN24."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-poland-idUSKBN16U0TO?il=0

--- "Far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Thursday said the lone-wolf attack outside parliament in London underscored the need for tighter border controls, as France shuddered at an incident that reopened wounds inflicted by similar assaults at home. Security is a major campaign issue ahead of next month's close-fought presidential election, in which Le Pen is seen reaching the second round on a nationalist, anti-immigration platform. Wednesday's attack has dominated French news coverage and served as a poignant reminder of militant attacks on French soil that have killed more 230 people since the start of 2015. "The problem we have nowadays is this form of low-cost terrorism," the National Front leader told BFM TV and RMC radio, adding "we must control our borders". Three French schoolchildren were among those hurt by the London attacker who ploughed into pedestrians as he sped along Westminster bridge toward the British parliament. British Prime Minister Theresa May said the assailant who killed three people and injured dozens before being shot dead was British-born. Police arrested eight people in a series of raids in London, Birmingham and other parts of the country."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-france-lepen-idUSKBN16U0O2?il=0

--- "Italy's Interior Minister Marco Minniti on Thursday ordered increased security for this weekend's meeting of European Union leaders in Rome after an attack in London killed three people, a statement said. Rome will host on Saturday 27 leaders to mark the 60th anniversary of a treaty that laid the foundation for the European Union. There are also several protests and rallies expected throughout the day in the Italian capital. Italy's security alert scale is already set at 2, its highest level in the absence of an ongoing attack. Some 3,000 police and security agents had been foreseen, but the number may be raised to 5,000 after the London attack, Rome's il Messaggero newspaper reported on Thursday."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-eu-security-idUSKBN16U1AC?il=0

--- "Taliban fighters have captured the strategic district of Sangin in the southern Afghan province of Helmand after security forces pulled out, leaving the district center to the insurgents, officials said on Thursday. Helmand, which accounts for the bulk of Afghanistan's billion dollar opium crop, is already largely in the hands of the Taliban but the capture of Sangin underlines their growing strength in the south. Scores of American and British soldiers died fighting in Sangin in some of their bloodiest battles following the 2001 U.S.-led military intervention, and the loss of the district underlines the scale of the challenge facing the western-backed Afghan government and its international partners. Afghan forces have struggled to contain the spreading insurgency since international troops ended combat operations in 2014, leaving them to fight largely alone. With warmer spring weather beginning, increased fighting is expected across Afghanistan. Security officials warn that 2017 may be even tougher than last year, when both Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand, and the northern city of Kunduz came close to falling."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-idUSKBN16U0TA?il=0

--- "Afghanistan's progress in educating its children is under threat, as growing insecurity and corruption shut more schools and reduced international funding undermines a system struggling to cope. Rising school attendance, up from fewer than a million when the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 to more than seven million today, has been held up as a major success in efforts to rebuild Afghanistan from decades of war. But advances in lifting enrolment have stalled, money earmarked for new school buildings misspent and thousands of "ghost teachers" have damaged the quality of education. More than 3.5 million children, one in three Afghan kids, will miss school at the start of the school year, which began on Thursday, and the number is predicted to rise. Education Ministry spokesman Mujib Mehrdad said it was hard to say exactly how many more children were out of school but the situation had deteriorated after years of progress...Save the Children predicts the total number of Afghans missing school will rise by more than 400,000 this year due to insecurity and because many of the up to 1 million Afghan refugees expected to return from Pakistan in 2017 are children who will not make it to school..."Something has to give soon," said Ana Locsin, Save the Children's Afghanistan country director. "Which is why we are urgently calling for greater investment in aid and education so that the progress made in Afghanistan over the past 10 to 15 years, particularly in girls' schooling, does not come undone.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-education-idUSKBN16U175?il=0

--- "Turkey summoned the Russian charge d'affaires to convey its unease after a Turkish soldier was killed by sniper fire from a part of Kurdish-held Syria where Russian forces are active, Turkey's foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday. The Turkish military fired into the northwestern Syrian border region of Afrin on Wednesday, an area controlled by the Kurdish YPG militia, after the soldier was killed by cross-border fire. The YPG said Russian forces headed to the area."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-russia-idUSKBN16U0XX?il=0

--- "Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday Russia was willing to discuss reducing nuclear weapons, news agency RIA reported. "We are ready to discuss the possibility of further reducing nuclear capacity, but only if all factors are taken into account and not only the number of strategic offensive weapons," Lavrov was quoted as saying. He said it was "absolutely clear the time had not yet come" for eliminating all nuclear arms, news agency TASS reported."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-lavrov-nuclear-idUSKBN16U0NK?il=0

--- "French President Francois Hollande condemned allegations by presidential candidate Francois Fillon on Thursday that he was involved in what Fillon alleges is a government plot to spread damaging media leaks about his financial affairs."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-hollande-idUSKBN16U32S?il=0

--- "British police said a package found in Westminster on Thursday evening has been declared safe and cordons in the area are being lifted."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-package-idUSKBN16U2XW?il=0

Domestic & International News:

--- "U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has directed U.S. diplomatic missions to identify "populations warranting increased scrutiny" and toughen screening for visa applicants in those groups, according to diplomatic cables seen by Reuters. He has also ordered a "mandatory social media check" for all applicants who have ever been present in territory controlled by the Islamic State, in what two former U.S. officials said would be a broad, labor-intensive expansion of such screening. Social media screening is now done fairly rarely by consular officials, one of the former officials said. Four cables, or memos, issued by Tillerson over the last two weeks provide insight into how the U.S. government is implementing what President Donald Trump has called "extreme vetting" of foreigners entering the United States, a major campaign promise. The cables also demonstrate the administrative and logistical hurdles the White House faces in executing its vision. The memos, which have not been previously reported, provided instructions for implementing Trump's March 6 revised executive order temporarily barring visitors from six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees, as well as a simultaneous memorandum mandating enhanced visa screening...The final cable seen by Reuters, issued on March 17, leaves in place an instruction to consular chiefs in each diplomatic mission, or post, to convene working groups of law enforcement and intelligence officials to "develop a list of criteria identifying sets of post applicant populations warranting increased scrutiny.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-visas-exclusive-idUSKBN16U12X?il=0

--- "When his government lost a lawsuit in the European Court of Human Rights last week over its detention and expulsion of two migrants from Bangladesh, Hungary's rightwing prime minister blamed the usual suspect: a billionaire in New York. "It is a collusion of human traffickers, Brussels bureaucrats and the organizations that work in Hungary financed by foreign money," Viktor Orban told public radio on Friday. "Let's call a spade a spade: George Soros finances them." Across former Communist states of east and central Europe, leaders with a hardline bent have turned their wrath in recent months against Soros, a Hungarian-American financier who funds liberal charities and non-governmental organizations worldwide through his Open Society Foundations (OSF). The campaign against Soros in countries formerly dominated by Moscow appears to follow a template set by Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose own crackdown on foreign-funded charities drove Soros's foundation out of Russia two years ago. And now, with President Donald Trump in the White House, anti-Soros campaigners in Eastern Europe say they have also drawn inspiration from the United States, particularly from rightwing U.S. media like the website Breitbart, which has long vilified Soros as a liberal hate figure."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-easteurope-soros-idUSKBN16U17Y?il=0

--- "The Trump administration is preparing new executive orders to re-examine all 14 U.S. free trade agreements and review government procurement policies to aid American companies, two administration officials said. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada will top the list of trade deals to be reviewed, which affect 20 countries from the Americas to Asia, the officials told Reuters. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the orders were still being developed."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-trade-idUSKBN16U34K?il=0

--- "The U.S. Senate will vote next week on the ratification of Montenegro as the newest member of the NATO alliance, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday, after the Trump administration urged lawmakers to take up the long-delayed matter. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had written to the leaders of the Senate to say Montenegro's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was "strongly in the interests of the United States.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nato-montenegro-idUSKBN16U33K?il=0

--- "The United States warned South Sudan's government on Thursday that preventing humanitarian aid workers from reaching parts of the war-torn state that are suffering famine could "amount to deliberate starvation tactics."..."The famine is not a result of drought, it is the result of leaders more interested in political power and personal gain than in stopping violence and allowing humanitarian access," Deputy U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison told the Security Council. "The government's continued unconscionable impediments to humanitarians seeking access to famine-stricken populations may amount to deliberate starvation tactics," she said. Russian Deputy U.N. Ambassador Petr Illichev disagreed, saying the famine was "linked not just to problems with security, but also with inclement weather conditions.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southsudan-security-un-idUSKBN16U32C?il=0

 Domestic News:

--- "Most Americans support paid family and medical leave and think employers, rather than the government, should cover the costs, but they are divided over whether companies should be legally required to provide it, according to a report released on Thursday. Across ages and political parties, Americans questioned by the Pew Research Center favored paid leave for new parents, sick workers and employees caring for a family member with an illness. But a large majority of Republicans said employers should be able to decide whether to pay for the benefits, while Democrats want it to be mandated...When people were asked about specific proposals, there was more support for providing tax incentives for companies to make it easier to provide the benefit than for the allocation of government funds for it, Horowitz said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-work-paidleave-idUSKBN16U299?il=0

--- "President Donald Trump’s White House has said his plans to slash environmental regulations will trigger a new energy boom and help the United States drill its way to independence from foreign oil. But the top U.S. oil and gas companies have been telling their shareholders that regulations have little impact on their business, according to a Reuters review of U.S. securities filings from the top producers. In annual reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 13 of the 15 biggest U.S. oil and gas producers said that compliance with current regulations is not impacting their operations or their financial condition. The other two made no comment about whether their businesses were materially affected by regulation, but reported spending on compliance with environmental regulations at less than 3 percent of revenue.T he dissonance raises questions about whether Trump’s war on regulation can increase domestic oil and gas output, as he has promised, or boost profits and share prices of oil and gas companies, as some investors have hoped. According to the SEC, a publicly traded company must deem a matter "material" and report it to the agency if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important. "Materiality is a fairly low bar," said Cary Coglianese, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who runs the university’s research program on regulation. "Despite exaggerated claims, regulatory costs are usually a very small portion of many companies’ cost of doing business.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-oil-regulation-insight-idUSKBN16U1A9?il=0

--- "When U.S. President Donald Trump announced a review last week of tough Obama-era vehicle emissions and fuel-efficiency standards, he proclaimed that the "assault on the American auto industry is over." But rules set by the Environmental Protection Agency may take a backseat to consumers demanding vehicles that guzzle less gas and automakers having to meet tougher standards if they want to export cars overseas, according to auto industry analysts. In the end, U.S. carmakers may just gain a few more years to meet the more stringent targets that former President Barack Obama's administration negotiated with the companies in 2012, analysts said. If Europe and China continue to toughen their emissions standards, "the U.S. might become an outlier," American Axle President Mike Simonte told Reuters on Thursday...On a conference call Thursday with investors, Bob Shanks, Ford Motor Co's chief financial officer, said, “We are not seeking a rollback in any way. We just want to have a conversation around the levels we want to achieve.” Despite what the EPA may want, California and nine other states in the Zero Emission Vehicle program — eight in the northeast, plus Oregon — are expected to move ahead on Friday with the previously established targets."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-autos-idUSKBN16U30X?il=0

--- "A revised Republican bill to dismantle Obamacare moving through the U.S. House of Representatives would lead to the same number of Americans losing health insurance as under the initial plan, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-impact-idUSKBN16U2Z3?il=0

[delicatelycrispyobject-blog]

LONDON (Reuters) – Police investigating the worst terrorist attack in central London in 12 years arrested seven people and searched six addresses, Britain’s top anti-terrorism police officer said on Thursday. Rowley told reporters late on Wednesday that police believed the attack was an act of “terrorism

Police officer Keith Palmer was killed in the London attack, March 22, 2017

People chanted May’s challenge on the Internet, sharing a picture of the London Underground logo with the words “We are not afraid.”

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A person is treated at the scene

A person receives medical treatment at the scene

Deadly attack outside UK Parliament

Emergency workers attend to injured people at the scene.

Medical aid is provided outside Parliament

Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, in the glasses, tends to one of the injured people amid the chaos.

How an attack unfolded The area surrounding Westminster was full of people when the attack began at around 14:40 local time (10:40 ET) Wednesday. Witnesses said the suicide bomber drove his car along the sidewalk on the Westminster Bridge, colliding with pedestrians as he went. The car fell on a large number of people, including three police officers. “The attack continued, trying to enter the car parliament and then crashed near the parliament and at least one man – a – carrying a knife,” said Rowley. He was one of those who died of a woman. Parliament put on lock for several hours and forced deputies to stay in the main debate room of the House of Commons. In the early hours of Thursday morning, much of Westminster – Britain’s political heartland – is still cordoned off by police, with access to Downing Street and police headquarters in Scotland Yard blocked.

https://ssl.cdn.turner.com/cnn/big/world/2017/03/22/london-attack-how-it-unfolded-sdg-orig-mobile.cnn_1312540_768x432_1300k.mp4

  “Investigations continue in London, Birmingham and other parts of the country,” said Mark Rowley. Rowley revised the death toll by 2:59. Rowley said the victims were a police protection officer, a woman in the mid-40s and a man in the mid-50s. The attacker who rammed a car into a pedestrian on Westminster Bridge was killed before attempting to storm the parliament building, as the dead at the scene. Twenty-nine people were treated at the hospital, seven of whom were still in critical condition, Rowley said. “Their injuries are minor,” he said there was also a number of.

Hundreds of detectives worked during the night, said Rowley, with an investigation focused on the attacker’s motivation, preparation and associates. “, That this attacker acted alone yesterday and inspired by international terrorism is still our belief – – that continues to bear our investigation,” he said. “To be explicit, at this stage, we do not have specific information about additional threats to the public.”

A CNN UK official said the working theory was that the ISIS attack was “inspired or imitated”, but the authorities “are still investigating.” “Values ​​and community cohesion are now more important – this is a kind of test case.” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement a candlelight vigil will be held Thursday evening at the Trafalgar Square, not far from Westminster, to show solidarity and remember the victims. “London is the biggest city in the world and we will not bow to terrorism … We stand together, in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life.” We always have, we will always, “he said.

Overnight, the police in Birmingham, central England, raided the apartment, but it was not clear whether it was linked to the London attack. When asked about the information, local police told CNN to London Metropolitan Police. CNN said he would not comment for “operational reasons.” Only one of the victims has been publicly identified. Keith Ballmer, a 15-year-old London police officer, stabbed the parliament before the police killed the offender. A total of 40 tourists were injured, including five South Koreans and three French high school students, according to officials from both countries. One Australian was in hospital, officials said there. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said one Chinese tourist was slightly injured. It was the first terror attack in Britain since 2005 when 52 people and four attackers in the July 7 attacks killed a bomb on London’s public transport system. British MPs return to parliament on Thursday, where many were trapped for several hours as a police operation outside the previous day revealed. One member of the government, Tobias Elwood, has praised the hero after an attempt to save the police parade, Keith Ballmer, who later died. Condemnation, Condolences Prime Minister Teresa May described the attack as “sick and miserable”. Attempts to defeat through violent values ​​representing the parliament will be “doomed to failure”. “Tomorrow morning, the parliament meets as usual we will come together as usual and London – and others from all over the world who come here to visit this great city – will get up and head towards their day as usual,” she said Wednesday. “They will board the trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk in these streets, they will live their lives, we will move forward all together never surrender to terrorism.

  Terrorist attack in central London (Westminster Bridge) details LONDON (Reuters) - Police investigating the worst terrorist attack in central London in 12 years arrested seven people and searched six addresses, Britain's top anti-terrorism police officer said on Thursday.

[passportinfo]

Study Abroad – What Documents Will You Need?

Study abroad is an incomparable experience.  If you have the chance to take an educational trip or attend school overseas, you’ll find that you learn just as much outside the classroom as in it… if not more!  Studying abroad gives you the chance to practice your foreign language skills, and to really see how people live in other countries.  It’s an opportunity to make memories you’ll keep for a lifetime, and friends you’ll cherish forever.

Before you pack your bags for your foreign studies, you’ll need to make sure that you have all the right travel documents.  Read on to learn more about what you will need for your study abroad.

Passports for Study Abroad

No matter where you are going or what you’ll be studying once you get there, one thing is for certain… you are going to need a valid passport!  If you don’t have a passport yet, the very first thing you should do is to apply for one.  You’ll need to have your passport number in order to book your flight, and you are likely to need to provide your passport details when you register for your classes. Students under age 16 will need to apply for aminor passport, and older students will use the new adult passport procedure.

Do you already have a passport?  Excellent!  You will want to check it and make sure that:

Your passport has plenty of validity left.  For most countries, your passport will need to be valid for at least six months after your return to the States.  Also, it’s going to be a lot easier to renew your passport now, while you are still in America, than when you are overseas.

Your passport has blank pages marked “visas.”  You’ll need to have several blank pages available for your entry stamps and visas.  If you plan to visit other countries while you are abroad, you’ll need to have even more blank pages.

Your passport is in good condition. A worn-out or damaged passport can cause all kinds of trouble when you travel, so replace it before you leave.

Visas for Study Abroad

Will you need a visa for your international studies?  The answer to that question will depend on a number of different factors:

Where are you going?  Some countries, like China or India, require US citizens to have a visa to enter, no matter what, so you will definitely need to get a visa before you leave.  Other countries don’t require US citizens to get visas for shorter trips, and for those countries you may or may not need a visa for your studies.

How long will you be staying in the foreign country?  Even countries that don’t normally require visas for US citizens, like Canada or Spain, will require visas if you are staying for more than 3-6 months at a time.

What kind of program are you attending?  If you’ll be earning credits at a registered, accredited school or university, you are more likely to need a student visa.  If you’re taking classes at a non-accredited school or program, like a language academy or a massage school, you will likely be able to use a tourist visa.

Minor Travel Authorization

If you’re under 18 and about to go study abroad, you’re in for a great adventure! It’s probably the first time that you’ll be away from your parents for an extended period of time.  You might be thinking about how you’ll keep in contact with your family, or what you’re going to do with your newfound freedom, but have you thought about whether you’ll need extra documentation when you travel?

Travelers under 18 who will not be accompanied by their parents will need to prove that they have the consent of their parents for their travel.  This is typically done with a notarized consent letter, like this sample document from the State Department.  It’s also a good idea to carry a photocopy of your birth certificate and copies of both parents’ passports.

Some countries have very specific requirements for minors traveling alone.  South Africa, for example, doesn’t require visas for US visitors but does require unaccompanied minors to have a sheaf of paperwork proving they have parental consent!

If you’ll be getting a visa for your study abroad, you will need to prove parental consent as part of your visa application process.  If you don’t need a visa, you will definitely need to travel carrying parental consent documentation.  We recommend you carry it even if you do already have a visa in your passport.

Passports for Parents

Is your child going to be studying abroad?  You should make sure that your passport is valid and fit for travel, too!

Wait a minute, you might be thinking.  I’m not the one traveling, it’s my kid.  Why do I need to have a valid passport?  It’s a safety precaution.  If, God forbid, your child gets seriously ill or injured while they are studying abroad, you are going to want to fly out immediately to be by their side!  In an emergency, you won’t want to be held up by not having a valid passport.  And when you are already worried about your child’s health and safety, you definitely do not need the added stress of having to get a rush passport!  For your own peace of mind, go ahead and get yourself a passport, too, or renew your passport so you’ll be ready to travel.

Besides, having a kid studying abroad is a great excuse for you to do some travel, too.  Why not plan a vacation around visiting the kiddo, and then doing some exploring on your own?

We hope you have a fantastic time on your study abroad experience!