#or that the 16 personality test becomes a major political force

[fipindustries]

look i could only put nine options, i could also mention the time the reader stops the story to complain that the sex scenes suck, or that this is a future where gender criticals win and having pronouns is illegal

[baoshan-sanren]

Chapter 43

Emperor Wei WuXian And His Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Birthday

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 Part 1 | Chapter 8 Part 2 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 Part 1 | Chapter 15 Part 2 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 Part 1 | Chapter 22 Part 2 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 | Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30 | Chapter 31 | Chapter 32 | Chapter 33 | Chapter 34 | Chapter 35 | Chapter 36 | Chapter 37 | Chapter 38 | Chapter 39 | Chapter 40 | Chapter 41 | Chapter 42 

The Gifting Ceremony used to be the highlight of Wei Ying’s birthday celebration. Not so much for the gifts themselves, but for the fact that it signaled the end of the formalities, and the quickly approaching departure of all the sects.

Instead of feeling relieved, Wei Ying is tense and irritable, the upcoming banquet looming larger by the moment.

After seven long days of constantly being accosted by each and every sect leader, even those Wei Ying can ordinarily tolerate with equanimity are beginning to test his patience. 

Jin GuangShan looks far too unhappy for someone whose son had been released from the dungeon that very morning, when the brat should have rightfully remained locked up until his first gray hair appeared. Nie MingJue has been grim and distracted all day, hardly a fit company for anyone. The HeJian Fan Sect Leader is not yet well enough to participate in any ceremonies, not if he means to save his strength for the next day’s travel, and the MeiShan Yu Sect Leader has been been firmly planted by Madam Yu’s side for nearly an hour. Since they both cannot seem to help glancing at Wei Ying every few moments, he is sure that whatever they are discussing will not bode well for him in the end.  

In addition, the Council, showing themselves to be no better than a brood of gossiping hens, had not held to their promise to keep Wei Ying’s betrothal plans a secret. No one has dared speak of these things in his presence, but it is obvious that majority of the sect leaders are now aware that the Emperor had chosen his future Emperor Consort. Wei Ying supposes it was illogical to think that someone like Sect Leader OuYang could actually keep a secret. Still, he hates that Lan Zhan is now a subject of gossip and wild speculation, before he has even had a chance to accept the proposal. Worse, he is beginning to feel as if every bit of slander, every string of nonsense whispered in the corners of the palace, must be magnified by the time it reaches Lan Zhan’s awareness.    

Lan Zhan had said that he will not change his mind. He had said that he wants to marry Wei Ying. But how much drivel can one person be subjected to before deciding that the benefit is not worth the cost? How many underhanded comments from the Qin Sect Leader about his daughter’s sweet nature and refined manners will turn out to be too many? How many thinly veiled jabs about the importance of succession from the Chang Sect Leader? How many hushed whispers of the imminent anniversary of the Empress’ death, each one carrying a stark reminder of the man who had killed her?

Wei Ying thinks he has become accustomed to some of Lan Zhan’s minuscule expressions, at least well enough to know if the man is angry or distressed. But Lan Zhan is at the very end of the hall, still and silent, his uncle and brother by his side. Lan XiChen looks as tired as Wei Ying feels, and Lan QiRen looks as coldly disapproving as he always does. It is Lan Zhan whose thoughts are impossible to read from this distance, his face calm and composed, his eyes expressionless. If he is hearing the gossip, if he finds it ridiculous, or maddening, or unbearable, Wei Ying can read nothing of the sort from his countenance.  

He understands why Lan Zhan had declined his invitation to be seated by the throne during the Gifting Ceremony. The rumors are vicious enough without such an obvious display of favor. But it is unbearable, the distance between them, as if he cannot still feel Lan Zhan’s thumb pressing into his cheek, the scrape of Lan Zhan’s teeth against his bottom lip. As if they are suddenly little more than strangers.

The banquet being only hours away is even more unbearable. Lan Zhan will meet with Song Lan and uncle XingChen after the Gifting Ceremony, but Wei Ying must deal with other matters, and may not have a chance to speak to him again before the celebration starts. Before Lan Zhan willingly places himself in harm’s way.  Before Wei Ying has a chance to remind him to not take any unnecessary risks.  

HuaiSang’s fan lightly taps his knee in reprimand, and Wei Ying resists the urge to snap at him.

He may be distracted, but he is still perfectly aware of his surroundings.

The chest in front of the throne, filled to the brim with delicate spheres of imperial jade, is a gift from the LanLing Jin. Jin GuangShan has spared no expense. The man looks as if he had aged significantly in the last few days, a curse, Wei Ying supposes, of having to deal with brainless offspring. Of course, the blame for this rests entirely on Jin GuangShan, as he has had more brainless offspring, both hidden and acknowledged, than any man Wei Ying has ever met. Still, he feels a thin thread of pity for the man.

Wei Ying would wager that the seven day celebration had not come close to meeting Jin GuangShan’s expectations.

He taps his fingers against the arm of the throne, deliberating.

No matter what Wei Ying does, the next few assassination attempts are certain to be funded from the Jin Sect coffers. It does not seem to matter, whether he treats Jin GuangShan with politeness or cold indifference; the man simply believes that a world without an Emperor would be a world in which he, himself, would have a greater chance of seizing wealth and power. Still, Wei Ying would very much like to have a decreased flow of assassins while he attempts to make arrangements for his wedding.  

It is tempting to go back on his word sooner than he had planned, and permit the reinstatement of the engagement. Everyone present is very well aware that the Emperor has a soft spot for his shijie. They will easily believe that she has managed to influence him, even in such a short period of time. But he cannot reward Jin ZiXuan’s ridiculous behavior in this way, not while the other sect leaders are present.

“Sect Leader Jin,” he says instead, regretting the words even as they are leaving his mouth, “Madam Yu has expressed regret that her time with a dear friend has been cut short. You will remain at the Immortal Mountain an additional ten days, so that she may properly renew her acquaintance with Madam Jin.”

Wei Ying does not dare look over at Madam Yu. She absolutely abhors being used in such a way, but since her daughter is to become the next High Councilor, Wei Ying believes she owes him a significant favor. Jin GuangShan looks properly grateful, and perhaps a little apprehensive as well, which is a satisfying combination.

The gift from the Yu Sect is presented next, then the gift from the Nie Sect, then the Fan and Chen Sects. Wei Ying cannot begin to guess what sort of a gift the Lan Sect will present this year, but he has always felt that their gifts were selected to carry a vague message of admonishment, much like Lan QiRen’s perpetually cold expression.

One year, the Emperor had received a copy of the three thousand Lan Sect rules. They were exquisitely bound and written in a beautiful hand, but no amount of tight binding or lovely calligraphy can make three thousand rules anything but tedious. He had read them, mostly out of curiosity, but the exercise had been as monotonous as listening to Jin GuangShan’s compliments.  

Still, he has never quite anticipated the Lan Sect gifts with this much curiosity or impatience. Their gift is traditionally presented last, but Wei Ying thinks that this will be the last year the Lan Sect is forced to the bottom of the court hierarchy. By his next birthday, he should be married to Lan Zhan, and the Lan Sect will be expected to take their rightful place above all the others.

The gift from the Wen Sect is next, and Wei Ying perks up slightly at the sight of a black chest being carried forward. Wen RuoHan might be a terrible human being on his best day, and a conniving, ruthless tyrant on his worst, but the man has an eye for striking oddities. The gifts that had come from the Wen Sect over the years have been more bizarre than explicitly valuable, never failing to entertain the entire court. One such gift, an enormous, thin slate of cloudy water jade, had found its permanent residence in Wei Ying’s chambers. Depending on the angle of the sun rays reflected off its surface, the slate would depict shadows of birds in flight, folding ocean waves, and on one memorable occasion, two small rabbits chasing each other across the white expanse.

Wei Ying is on his feet before the chest is even opened for his inspection, fully expecting to be enthralled with its contents. Still, despite being surprised each year, the gift takes him off guard.

It is a sword.

Heavy and long, its pommel vaguely constructed in the shape of a leaping tiger, it holds a greater resemblance to the sabers more often used by the Nie Sect, than the cultivator swords Wei Ying is accustomed to handling. Its surface is inky black from its tip to the hilt, a black so deep that it seems to feed on the light around it, creating shadows where none should exist. It is both beautiful and ghastly at once, and Wei Ying cannot seem to look away.

Never before has the Wen Sect sent him a weapon, and his mind is already full of possible implications. He believes that he has reached a favorable agreement with Wen RuoHan, and that the man would find no benefit in going back on his word. The gift was sent before the agreement had been made. Therefore, it could signify the beginning of the rebellion that Wei Ying has managed to avoid, or it could signify Wen RuoHan’s intention to remain a sword in the hand of the Emperor, as long as it suits his purpose.

It is odd, but he cannot escape the impression that the sword should be hot to the touch. Steel is always cold, except in the midst of a battle, but the black inky surface seems to radiate warmth, and he is reaching for the handle before realizing that he means to do so, his fingers wrapping around the ridges of the hilt.

It is cold.

So cold that it burns, his hand submerged in flames. It spreads, the ice traveling through his wrist and elbow, nestling easily in the bones of his shoulder. It is a ruthless, frigid wave, but the way it envelops his chest is deceivingly gentle, the breath in his lugs growing sluggish and slow. A faint sense of disbelief and panic has not yet fully formed when he tries to release the hilt, but he is no longer in command of his arm, the limb paralyzed and unfeeling.

A series of disconnected thoughts dart across his consciousness. 

An awareness that this may be death, a type of death no one could have predicted. 

Lan Zhan at the end of the hall. 

Nie HuaiSang behind him, still sprawled leisurely next to the throne, hopefully too far to be affected. 

A-Yuan. 

He tries to speak, to issue a warning, but his throat is ice, both unyielding and fragile. He thinks, if he could open his mouth, the winter would emerge from his breath, freezing the world to its core.

Just before the world goes black, he hears a familiar voice, faded and distant, already a long gone memory.

“Wei Ying.”

[thelastyetfabolousmidwestmadman]

Dark Side Of The Rising Sun Part 1

Yo what’s up!

After the success of my previous post, I’ve decided to bring a follow up where I talk about the many dysfunctions and issues facing Japan that I’ve learned in my research. Detective Conan often shows the criminal justice system of Japan in a positive light while in reality it has many issues due to the culture.

Now let me make this clear: Japan has many great things about itself that should never be ignored. However, these are real flaws that have or need to be addressed with many Japanese also recognizing them as problems.

Now I had to split this into parts as this is rather ungainly to put it all at once. If you have any questions please ask and I’ll do my best to answer them.

 Suicide

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world with about 15.2 deaths per 100,000 people.

This is due to many factors such as Suicide not being considered a sin as well as historical connotations of it being a honorable way to go.

It is also considered a act of revenge, apology, and protest.

It is mostly caused today by factors such as unemployment, alienation and intense social pressure.

Japanese society is overall tolerant of Suicide but this is changing in recent times.

Another factor is the need for acceptance over individuality.

People with mental illness are often discriminated against, stopping potential help.

Internet Suicide Clubs where anonymous people make/plan suicide pacts and commit group suicide are a major issue.

If you kill yourself via Shinkansen, your family will be fined heavily. It is also the cause of half of the train delays and referred to as a human incident.

Tall buildings have mandatory suicide fences to prevent people from jumping off. When they succeed, they take off their shoes before hand.

It is common for suicidal people to take insurance policies and wait a year or two to go through with it so their families would be okay.

Ikka Shinju or family suicides are when the entire family kills themselves together due to Asian views of the family. When the parents kill their children before themselves, this is called Muri-Shinju or murder suicides.

Oyaku Shinju or parent-child suicide are where a single parent kill their children along with themselves.

Drownings, overdoses, hangings, and jumping off places are the most common form of suicide.

Judiciary

Traditionally, the judge is hated more then the lawyer is in the west as the Judge is often viewed as a symbol of the Japanese nobility judging the common man.

If you are sent to trial, you are certain to be convicted regardless of innocence due to the countries 99% conviction rate. (Really makes Eri’s work more awesome and badass doesn’t it?)

The Japanese supreme court is one of the most conservative in the world, rarely ruling against issues that are blatantly unconstitutional and anti human rights. As a result, one of the more positive proposals for amendments of the Constitution is the creation of a separate Constitutional Court.

If you are sent to death row, you will never be told in advance when you are going to die.

Culturally, once arrested the person is automatically considered guilty.

Police are often reluctant to overturn convictions as they insist that only guilty are arrested and convicted.

The law when a child is considered criminally responsible is 14.

Judges are often pressured into making convictions as their careers are negatively affected by a not guilty verdict.

Prosecutors are given the choice not to pursue a case regardless of sufficient evidence.

Prisoners in Japan, while somewhat treated better then much of the world due to it’s focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment, have to follow strict military style regulations from minor things such as being forced to fold the bed, or to wash your face to more draconian measures such being beaten if you don’t march or sit the wrong way.

In turn, many have inadequate access to medical care as they don’t have many options for their healthcare.

It can take months or years before you are tried, meaning that a right to a speedy trial is completely nonexistent.

“Periods of reflection” where inmates are forced to be handcuffed, gagged and placed in solitary, are often not recorded by the warden.

Foreigners are forced to speak and write in Japanese.

Drug Use

It is considered vastly socially unacceptable to do narcotics in Japan.

Most drug addicts are even considered to be not human.

If a celebrity is caught doing drugs, his career is automatically fucked and he is blacklisted from the industry, as well as erased from current projects.

The most commonly sold drug is methamphetamine. This started after World War II due to Meth being legal for soldiers to consume in order to stay up late on petrol as well as from occupying Americans. After the was, it became a huge epidemic for 12 years.

Marijuana use has risen among youth. Despite it having little danger as well as medicinal uses, it is widely considered evil, with the law having no tolerance.

Overall, Japan has little drug use compared to the rest of the world due to the cultural taboo and strict laws. However, there are signs that it is being vastly under counted,

Most illicit drugs are imported from Taiwan and South Korea due to it being near impossible to grow it natively but it is becoming increasingly hard to do so.

Drugs overdoses are criminally under diagnosed.

Epidemics often occur due to low periods of economic growth and recessions. (Examples include the postwar period, the 70′s, and the Lost Decade after the Bubble Economy burst in 1989)

It is common for your family or doctor to call the police once you admit there is a problem. Then you are forced to take a urine sample and if it tests positive you are immediately arrested.

A lot of doctors open pharmacies to add to their income. As a result, many oversubscribe prescription drugs.

Hypocritically, Alcoholism is completely tolerated and not treated as a addiction due to alcohol being considering purifying in Shinto, a cure, and Japan having a intense drinking culture.

Child Abuse

For the most part, physical child abuse is considered a private issue and often ignored. While things are slowly getting better, Japan still has a long way to go. (Imagine if Kogoro did what he did to Conan in the west. Child services would be on him like a fly swatter.)

Child services often return the children to their parents even if they say their abusing them as the counseling centers need the parents to admit to their abuse.

It is a complete myth that Japan’s age of consent is 13. That is only the lowest one could set it. Most prefectures are set at 16 or higher. In turn, child molestation of those under 12 is heavily punished. However while vaginal rape of children is illegal, basically just about everything else as long as it’s statutory is basically alright.

Enjo Kosai or compensated dating is the practice of Teenage Girls to go on dates with older men in exchange for money and gifts. While not necessarily always leading to prostitution is treated as such and the girls are often blamed if they are hurt in the process.

Child sex trafficking of migrants is a serious issue and they are often treated as criminals and sent home without counseling.

Adoption of children is rare and frowned upon so many of them have to gro up in centers.

Children of unmarried couples are discriminated against due to the violation of the traditional Ie system and do not have the same protections or privileges of married couples because of its Koseki system.

Men are not obligated to pay child support and it’s near impossible to get them to legally as they can simply hide their finances by not telling them. Plus only one person can be named on the custody sheet.

Child Pornography was effectively decriminalized until 2014. No seriously.

Sexual Harassment/Assault

Domestic violence victims are disabused from coming forward due to the idea of bringing shame to their family.

Stalking cases are rarely taken seriously by the police

OH THERE”S WAY MORE BUT THIS LIST IS DARK ENOUGH SO LET”S SAVE THIS FOR A LATER DATE.

Working Conditions

Idols are heavily exploited and forced to follow strict rules such as having no social life, banned from having a boyfriend, etc. This is because they are supposed to sell a image of innocence and be there exclusively for their fans.

Anime creators are often forced to work long hours with little pay. This has resulted in a slump in the industry with very few new hires so they are forced to rely on the older animators whose health may fail sooner rather then later.

Funds are rarely given to films with artistic intent or that are political in nature, resulting the film industry suffering compared to the more internationally regarded South Korea.

Police Corruption

Until recently, Japanese police would work with organized crime to lower crime. The only reason they stopped was not out of concern for the everyday citizen but because they were embarrassed by the Yakuza when they began to show up more publically.

The media is often laughably compliant to the police, with they rarely offering a critical lens.

Police have undue influence on the Pachiko industry, with many retired officers being hired as muscle and for advice.

It is quite common for officers to embezzle from their slush funds.

In a effort to cover up crime, police often refuse to investigate mysterious or suspicious deaths, preferring to label them as accidents or suicide.

Police are often anti migrant and sexist to a fault.

It is neigh impossible to get a wiretap going due to rigid privacy laws.

Even the police can’t fire weapons as you need approval to even loose your gun so many officers have never fired a bullet.

Government Incompetence/Corruption

Voter Apathy is super high, with many elections having hilariously low turnout.

Many politicians have Yakuza connections, with the gang members serving as bodyguards and canvassing for votes.

Votes in the countryside are worth two compared to urban ones.

A lot of politicians are completely out of touch and constantly have to resign for gaffes (racism, sexism, historical revisionism, etc.)

Political acts are based on group consensus so it can take a long time to get meaningful reform done.

Criticism and debate is ironically frowned upon, with open criticism within a party being effectively banned.

Cronyism is common. While for the most part Japanese politics is based on expertise, many politicians are awarded ministries based on their support for the leader.

The NHK (Japanese version of the BBC) is largely neutral and free but the current Japanese government can dictate what it is to focus on temporarily.

Press Clubs are often given exclusive access to interviews and information from the government, so they get biased preferential treatment.

Okay I guess the point of this list is to bring attention to these issues and expand the opportunities of where to go when it comes to dark DC fanfiction. Don’t worry, here’s a cute Conan to make you smile!

[lorei-writes]

The Dragon of Yss: Extra!

Bloopers, Outtakes, some HC

Masamune x MC (Mizusaki Mai)

Fantasy AU

Summary: He wanted Mai to remain herself - and for that very reason, he promised to protect her, at any cost. Little did he know, he may need somebody to save him as well.

All parts:  Part 1 - Sands of Estarra ,  Part 2 - Findings , Part 3 - “ I knew you’d come.” , Part 4 - Reborn , Part 5 - Eevi , Part 6 - Closer , Part 7 - Way to Varshka , Part 8 - The Gods We Trust , Part 9 - Flowers that Bloom in Adversity ,  Part 10 - Singing Bird , Part 11 - Vibrant Smoke ,  Part 12 - Hidden in Plain Sight , Part 13 - Heritage , Part 14 - Isger , Part 15 - Mad Possibility , Part 16 - Unraveling , Part 17 - Promises Sealed in Snow , Part 18 - Never Unfamiliar, Part 19 - White Noise , Epilogue: Threads

So, the main part of the story may be over... But it did not stop my brain from coming up with few little things here and there. As such, allow me to share those here as well.

// Dialogue shortly following the ending of the series; between Iroha and Masamune

// General post-chapter 19 notes/HC + explanations

“What do you mean you were turned into a dragon?! I thought you said you’ve lied to me only once in my life and that this was the lie!”

“Of course not. It was when you were seven and refused to go to sleep without having cake, so I told you that the neighbours’ dog was hungry and ate it.”

(Pause)

“Are you for real?”

“Dire situations call for appropriate measures.” 

“I swear to skies, dad...” 

The Plague of Yss

Iroha - the heiress of the Date clan

I feel it may be somewhat unclear, yet I decided against repeating it in the story itself. As was stated, Mitsunari had some hypothesis to test and needed at least a single person who survived long enough into the plague OR recovered from it.

The plague of Yss was in fact more of a double-edged sword, perhaps it could be even called a ritual performed by Isgerians. Yssians are their descendants and, as you probably already know, Masamune turned into the dragon as the result of this plague.

Long story short: Masamune is the survivor of the plague, the one thing Mitsunari needed. This is also why they came to live in Varshka, the place being one of two major cities presented in the story. (Why Varshka and not Vyrminia? University in Vyrminia would still be partially destroyed. As was stated by Mila, despite being almost the same in most regards, the atmosphere is the major thing setting those two apart. +Take note that Ieyasu did work there shortly before being forced to move to Vyrminia and recorded a rapid increase of cases of said plague there).

As was implied several times in the story, magical abilities or lack thereof may influence one’s life to a great extent - from their social status to rendering them a desirable product on the black market. 

Allow me to write a short list (least to most desirable) of abilities.

Giftless.

Healer.

Connector (either of two types).

Transmuter. 

(As for why this order is like so: talk between Oxa and Masamune in regards to giftless and healers; fact that the only transmuter in the story is Alleyah/Manya and it’s specifically mentioned that this ability is extremely rare and desirable to the point of people being bred to acquire it in the offspring. Yes - yikes; the only remaining and most common class are, of course, connectors, hence its placement).

Lastly, before I move to the point, please let me remind you: abilities are inherited. It is not completely random.

How does it all tie up into Iroha’s situation?

The history repeats itself. Iroha is hence more desirable heir than any of her cousins. If she so chooses - she will become the heiress of the Date clan. However, as it was already implied in the story: it is a choice. Masamune tells her he will handle any business with his family if she wishes to take a different path.

Masamune is giftless, which, aside from having only one eye, makes him a very poor candidate for a heir. As such, it was his younger brother who was granted the role - whichever type of magic he possessed, it was better than no magic and the risk of passing this “affliction” onto the next head of the family.

However, just as magic is passed, so is lack of it. Even if it did not activate in his generation, Kojirou’s children are born giftless. (Given the context, despite the other parent possessing some sort of ability).

Meanwhile, Masamune’s daughter, Iroha, was born a connector, having inherited the ability from her mother.

Her trip to Mitsuhide’s estate is related to that - there are little other reliable ways for her to be taught about diplomacy. 

On warlords and their relationships

This may cause a question to appear: how did the warlords even end up being connected? Well... Simply as that, they were all sons from rather prominent households and had most likely met each other during diplomacy trips of their parents. Them either becoming heads of said families or not - that comes into play later on in their life. Their relationships survived. 

It also means that the reason why Ieyasu was able to become a physician is because he was a healer and hence, not the best candidate. Also - Masamune could travel the world in search of Mai because... He didn’t have any political duties to attend to.

As for Mitsunari and Hideyoshi - it’s not explained nor implied how they got where they are. However, it’s possible to adapt canon for the sake of that.

Portal magic and its many faces

As it was stated in the story, the main thing setting Arynthian people from other connectors is that - if one of them is born a connector - their magic manifests somewhat differently. It’s ruled by different limitations.

As such, Mai’s portal magic is different from that of Kyubei. (As it was shown, she can see colorful lines and can follow them basically anywhere. Kyubei, meanwhile, has to be able to see the place he is supposed to open the portal to - or to be able to visualise it well, as was pointed out when Mai passed through a portal point).

Why am I bringing it up? Because Iroha’s magic is a bit different too. It has less limitations that Kyubei’s ability, yet it isn’t as powerful as Mai’s.

This also explains why “Arynthinas” are so rare - the ability degenerates fast. It’s more of an error than actual ability, so to say.

Kenshin & the timeskip 

What was he even doing then? How long was it?

Well. Kenshin has a very fuzzy memory of last 20-ish years of his life in the form of the dragon. As was previously mentioned, it happens so when the primal desires take over human mind - when smelling blood or... Well, or what? It was mentioned he was hungry.

Yes. He was starving himself for the entire duration of the timeskip. Why? Because then the flammable substance in his stomach self-ignited and caused him to combust. In a way, he committed an act of self-burning...

And flames of the dragon were the only thing which could turn him back. So they did. 

// Bullet-points (not written in the story, may not be written, but overall, you can assume those are canon)

Iroha was born 12 months after her parents reunited. When Mai got pregnant, it was a surprise for all parties involved. However, they chose to continue the pregnancy. 

Mai became proficient in portal magic mostly because Iroha’s powers would activate at random when she was still little. A toddler stuck between the worlds doesn’t make for a happy toddler.

On that note, Masamune could be hardly left home alone with her. Hardly, as he eventually developed fast enough reflexes to pull her out of a portal right as she was starting to pass through it. It later became a joke that they needed to keep her on a leash for few months - which is not completely incorrect. 

Developing the cure involved taking plenty of samples. In other words: RiP Masamune’s veins, he would curse like a sailor whenever he had to have his blood drawn.

To follow down this path: the preventive medicine involved having your skin cut and then it being injected. Iroha was very young when it happened and so, she has a scar on her arm from that. 

Shortly after that, they moved back to Yss. Masamune might have not been the heir, but family standing did make some matters easier to achieve for him. As such, he’s a bit of a local leader in his community, I would say, dealing mostly with local politics and management. 

They were relieved when it turned out their son, Tadamune, was giftless. 

Iroha will never live down what happened at the apple tree.

During winter, the frostbite on Mai’s hands makes itself known again. Her skin cracks and scabs start to form - and each year, Masamune takes it onto himself to tend to them. He is more than aware that she got it while he was still turned into the dragon.

Manya continued to serve under Mitsuhide. However, she hardly uses her power anymore. She grew particularly close with Kyubei, although they’re still working on the terminology. Or perhpas there is no reason for it?They’re not sure themselves; Call them very close friends.

Mitsuhide does not have a chid or a partner. He doesn’t seem to mind, however, his “niece” having always been a handful to manage. He made sure to tell everybody about the apple tree. All of his stories contradict each other. 

Time almost stopped for Kenshin when he was still a dragon. In other words, he’s the oldest in actual years of life, but in terms of physical form? He’s younger than Masamune or any other warlord. This lands him in a rather peculiar spot of... Well, an adult face, although in his case, it’s just another variety of VERY severe baby face. 

// outtakes 

-- this was a very early attempt at writing the smut scene. Written several months prior to actually getting to this point in the story.

The room was cozy and simple, the inventory of it consisting of  warm chimney stretching from below the floor and up through the ceiling, a small table, with a bronze basin on top of it, and a bed, just barely big enough to fit two people comfortably. They stepped inside, the white sheets seemingly calling them, inviting them to come closer. Mai sank onto the mattress first, her legs still remaining on the floor. She kicked her boots off and, this time, lay down properly.

„ We're switching today,” she said, opening her arms for Masamune. He obliged, soon nuzzling into the crook of her neck. Resting in silent contentment, he slung his arm over her waist, pulling her even closer. She stroked his hair tenderly, basking in the warmth exchanged between their bodies. Ever since she was kidnapped, she wanted to just hold him, knowing he'd push himself with no regard for his own well-being.

„ You shouldn't have done that, you know...” she hummed. „ What were you even thinking, it was so risky...”

„ I screwed up in the market, didn't I?” he sighed. „ I'm sorry I didn't keep my word then.”

„ You idiot, you missed the point entirely. I can... If... If that's what I have to do to survive, I will accept it. But I don't want to lose you,” her voice hitched. Masamune propped himself on his elbow, cupping her cheeks with his free hand.

„ I'm sorry. But I couldn't stand having you whisked away again too.”

As if guided by pure instinct, she pulled him into a kiss. His lips pressed against hers more delicately than usually. She opened her mouth, needing to taste him, over and over again. His familiar scent enveloped her, his fingers tracing the outline of her jaw – and for a moment she could have sworn that the time stopped, that the entire universe was reduced just to that single small room. Yet, they had to part eventually, their lungs begging for air. To her surprise, Masamune returned to his previous spot, his hair tickling her chin.

„ I missed you so much, Mai,” he murmured against her skin. His lips brushed her neck once, twice, and so many more, each and every time descending slightly, until he reached the very tip of her collarbone. His hand waited at the hemline of her shirt.

„ But you should rest...” she trailed off.

„ I'm fine. You know the question was whether you want it or not.”

Hadn't she known the answer already? Yet, the reason still fought within her, reminding her of both her and his fatigue... But... Maybe? Maybe just a little... Maybe just a little more.

„ I do,” she uttered finally.

-- At first I considered Mitsuhide and Manya becoming and endgame ship. I ended up deciding against it. However, a line of dialogue stayed. I debated using it for another pair, but it didn’t happen either. 

A chilly gust of wind slipped through the tiny creaks around the window. His teeth pulled lightly on the cord keeping her neckline closed, the knot soon unraveling. His hand snuck under her shirt, travelling up so very slowly, as if he wanted to renew the map of her body in his mind. She shivered under his touch, anticipation growing deep within her. His lips returned to her neck, as he cupped her breast from below, massaging it lightly. Switching between the left one and the right one, his fingers caressed them unhurriedly. Masamune pulled onto the top of her shirt, the fabric dispersing over the cord just slightly, exposing her shoulders. Cold air inviting itself into the room again, he kissed the newly freed skin. He  propped himself on his elbow and looked down at her, her nipples peaking through her clothing.

„ Masamune...” she whined a bit, as if to rush him. He chuckled in response, the garment soon flying to the floor.

„ Aren’t you impatient, kitten?” he hummed against her breast, his breath warming up her skin. Mai shivered.

“ You’re..!” her voice hitched, as he took her nipple between his teeth and bit on it just lightly, flicking it with his tongue and sucking it a moment later.

“ Have you said anything just now?” he laughed, looking up at her. Mischief played in his eye, as he returned to caressing her, his fingers sliding down her side.

“ That I missed you too,” she gasped as he grabbed her rear, his hand sneaking beneath the fabric of her pants. As if to make up to her for all the missed time, his lips trailed a path down her abdomen – until she couldn’t take it anymore, pulling him up by his shoulders, needing to taste his lips. She pushed Masamune against the pillows and straddled him. Seeing the surprised look he gave her, Mai laughed a little.

“ I still think you should rest,” she stated firmly, her fingers tracing his jawline. She cupped his face and leaned forward,  her hair tickling his cheeks as he kissed her again, his tongue entering her mouth eagerly. Wordlessly, she

-- Another dialogue exchanged between Mitsuhide and Manya. It made it into the final story, although slightly altered.

“I love you.”

“What--”

“With every fiber of my being. I love you.”

“He will not love you, no matter how much you change.”

“How can you know that?!”

“The filthiest scums on earth are unable to feel anything lest it’s twisted - and love, my dear little one, can never withstand that sort of deformation.”

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[strawberry-jules]

i think i’ve mentioned my project to start dating myself and learn to fall in love with myself. i’m going to start documenting it here.

i’m in such a better place, thank god. i was really scared for myself, in a constant state of dissociation so far removed from myself i truly didn’t care if i died. i’m learning how to recover from an experience like that. i have such a short time here, i’m tired of feeling like i was feeling. i know that accepting myself as a whole and no longer projecting my insecurities on to a “person” i created in my mind (the shadow man, i’ll get to that in a minute) isn’t an option for everyone. i’m lucky in that i have a lot of choice and will when it comes to my mental health. i forget that sometimes. i always have had that ability to just choose how i’ll feel, it’s very helpful. anyway, onto my constant projection.

when i was in 4th grade, i wrote a story about the Shadow Man, a fictional character i created specifically for this school assignment. he was probably about 8 ft tall, and he was almost entirely 2 dimensional, like a cartoon, except his eyes. his head held no facial features except the sockets where his eyes would have been. two deep, somehow blacker-than-the-rest-of-his-being holes sunken into his flattened skull. he was solid when you looked at him, you couldn’t see through him. in actuality, he was a whisper of a black smoke that you could only feel near you. 

we wrote these stories for a halloween activity in class. after i turned mine in, i looked across the room to the whiteboard, my eyes passing over the window momentarily. there was a man standing at the window, his shoulders and head were the only things visible, and he had a hat with a wider brim than i had ever seen, blocking out a majority of the light trying to filter into the room. i quickly glanced back, realizing that no one could be standing outside the window looking into the classroom-- the side of the room with the window was on the edge of a sudden almost 3 foot drop, the edge of a very sharp little hill, blocked in with a fence. there was only about 6 inches of space between the wall and the drop, perhaps even less. to be looking inside the classroom, someone would have to be standing on that narrow grass ledge between the wall and the fence, or they would have to be so tall that they could stand behind the fence at the front of the school, looking inside the window. no one was that tall. by the time my eyes found the window again, he was gone.

he stayed with me for many years after that. i was 9 at the time. as a child, i would feel him with me in the dark, when i was in the bathroom and steam fogged the mirror and i couldn’t see anything in detail, when i would trek out into the woods alone and i would feel the faintest brush of his hand on the back of my neck. i was 16 when i realized that he was a manifestation of my insecurities and fears, and he wouldn’t go away until i accepted them. unfortunately, i was too young and emotionally immature to actually act on that realization. i continued to allow him to be where i projected my fears of failure; didn’t pass that test? that makes sense, i could feel him breathing down my neck, in retrospect. instances like that. 

the most intense encounters i had with the shadow man were my freshman and sophomore years of college, when i was truly alone. i had no one else to protect me from myself, and in my eyes, he took advantage of that. he would follow me home from nights i was so high i couldn’t find my dorm, knowing that i had put myself in a situation so dangerous with men i didn’t know. he would walk close enough that he could push the small of my back, urging me forward. i could hear his laughter, feel his cool breath through my hair. it became a game of cat and mouse: i would behave in a way that put me in danger, or i just simply knew wasn’t correct, and he would chase me home when i was finally alone, making me pay my penance. if he caught me, i would finally atone for my sins with my life as the payment. if i let him finally catch me and make me whole again, mistakes and emotional projections and inability to deal with sadness and anger and fear and hurt put back into me, the place where it really belonged, i would surely die. i couldn’t handle being held accountable to myself. sometimes, i would try to be brave. i would turn to face him, and he would be gone. i didn’t understand why i could never actually see him again after that day as a child. i could only feel him near me, constantly hovering, constantly watching.

it wasn’t until i came out as lesbian that i had my final encounter with him. i finally admitted to myself that i had been lying and hurting myself and pushing down who i really was, that i had been projecting my insecurities about my attraction to women onto him rather than dealing with it myself. i realized that i would never be able to accept all the bad things about myself until i accepted some real, hard to swallow truths. i’m a lesbian. i have an eating disorder that stems from control issues, more than likely due to my inability to control my sexuality. i have a hard time understanding who i am, because i never allowed myself to become myself. i put myself into a box and hid in it and never let my mistakes or real feelings near me. and that’s okay. it was my coping mechanism. 

that’s when the walls of that box fell away, and i was left with this feeling that none of it was real, and the only real thing about me was a part of my identity i had spent no time with. so i managed to push away all of the good things about myself that came from the time spent in that box, because i felt like i didn’t deserve them, that they weren’t found in an association with my sexual identity and therefore weren’t who i actually am. with that feeling came the need to deal with all the bad things about myself, too, because i deserved it. i deserved to feel that pain for how i treated myself for so long. i got so high that i felt like i went to a different dimension. i saw the shadow man. i cried and i apologized to myself for letting it go on so long, and to him for making him the pinnacle of everything i hated about myself for so long. he forgave me, and he took my hand. he gave me back all the feelings i had pushed away for so long, and i was hit by this tidal wave of love. i opened my eyes and found that i wasn’t looking at the shadow man, i was looking at myself as a child. at some point in my early childhood, i think i was about 4 or 5, i realized i liked girls, but i also realized i wasn’t supposed to. so i hid it, and found it easier to hide all the feelings i didn’t like in that little box, that eventually morphed into the shadow man. at 9 years old, i wrote a scary story that i took so much to heart, i made it a place for everything that scared me, and what scared me the most was myself and everything i thought i shouldn’t be feeling. i had protected myself from myself for so long, that by the time i made it back around to me, the damage was severe. in that moment, i finally understood self love.

it’s taken a couple days for me to realize that i’ve been projecting my anger at myself onto my dad’s family, and that’s the reason i want to stop talking to them. they’re the main reason i hid who i am for so long. i wanted to be perfect in their eyes, to gain their approval and love that i was never given. there’s a lot to unpack in that sentence, i’m not going to get into it, but just gather that my dad’s family can be very toxic and didn’t like me growing up. i finally got to a place where they would approve of me, when my life fell apart, and i was forced to come to terms with who i am. is it right of me to be so angry at them when i was really the one doing the damage? no. but do i think they should be held accountable for how they made an innocent child feel, do i think they should be held accountable for their racist tendencies and selfish world views and constant purposeful ignorance? absolutely. and do i want to be the person to educate them? not really. there are so many of them in such a deeply rooted group think, it would take more out of me than i have to offer, to try to affect actual, substantial change in them. i have so little time on this earth, i don’t want to waste it on them when i could be helping people who deserve my help. i would spend so much of my time on wealthy adults who have college degrees and are willfully ignorant and have obviously made their choices to be such, when i could be helping someone who can’t help themselves, when i could be helping the people who actually want to make a change in themselves, who are open and kind enough to put others first. i’ve wasted the last 16 years of my life trying to please them, i don’t want to waste another 16 trying to educate them. they’re big kids, they can do it themselves and join me when they’re ready, or they can stay where they are while i surround myself with people who are committed to making a change and being good people.

and i want to be tolerant of them, to be able to look at them and say, it’s okay that you’re like this. but i can’t reconcile believing black lives matter while simultaneously making an exception for my wealthy, politically influential family and saying, well, black lives matter but it’s okay that you guys don’t necessarily think that there’s any real importance behind that phrase and i’m okay with that. because i’m not! and i’m not saying that they don’t believe that black lives matter, because i truly think they’re generally pretty ambivalent toward people of color, i just know that they don’t see any validity in saying that people of color are marginalized and oppressed and disenfranchised and persecuted/prosecuted at a significantly higher rate than white people and that’s a really, really big issue. in itself, in my eyes, apathy toward racism is just as bad as being racist, because you’re being willfully and knowingly complacent in hate crimes and perpetuating a society in which shit like this has to be said. guilty by association. it’s bullshit, and i’m tired of being okay with people’s apathy because we’re related. however, i do find myself drawn back to just resigning myself to my fate with them. 

and this ties back into me dating myself. i don’t want to love someone who is so intolerant, i don’t know why i’m being so intolerant because it’s making it hard to love myself. i’m behaving like such an asshole, but i truly am stuck in such an emotional crossroads and i feel like i have to pick between advocacy and complacency, and it makes me feel so resentful toward my family for making me make the choice. why am i projecting my anger on them? what am i struggling with that i can’t get over? am i really this upset with them over their racist tendencies, or am i upset about something else and using this issue as a scapegoat? is it for how they made me feel about being gay for so long, so i’m using something else about them to fuel my anger because i’m angry and i have to feel like i have to have a valid reason to be angry? why am i not angry for myself? i don’t feel that upset when i think about how they made me feel, i’m mostly upset at myself for letting it get to me the way it did. i didn’t deserve that. i’m upset at how they made me feel, not necessarily at them. but i feel like i should be, so i’m using something else about them that does genuinely bother me as a way to cover up the fact that i’m angry that i’m not more angry and hurt, because i really deserve to be and someone needs to stand up for me because i never seem to be able to. i’m projecting my anger at myself onto them so hard that it’s hurting me. 

i don’t know where else to go from here with this realization. i’m fairly sure i just hit the nail on the head with this issue, i just don’t know how to resolve it. i guess i need to learn what family means to me first. i just wish they were better people so that i didn’t have to deal with this.

[freetheshit-outofyou]

On This Day....

On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July. On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution–the Bill of Rights–and sent them to the states for ratification. The Signal Corps dates its existence from June 21, 1860, when Congress authorized the appointment of one signal officer in the Army, and a War Department order carried the following assignment: “Signal Department–Assistant Surgeon Albert J. Myer to be Signal Officer, with the rank of Major, June 27, 1860, to fill an original vacancy.” The Signal Corps was authorized as a separate branch of the Army by act of Congress on March 3, 1863. 21 June 1921 – U.S. Army Air Service pilots bombed the captured German battleship Ostfriesland to demonstrate the effectiveness of aerial bombing on warships. At the time, the ship was one of the world’s largest war vessels. Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell, assistant chief of the Army Air Service, arranged the demonstration to prove that air power should become the country’s first line of defense. Most military leaders doubted that airplanes could inflict serious damage on warships. Mitchell’s tests proved them wrong. 1942 – Churchill receives the news of the fall of Tobruk while meeting with US President Roosevelt. FDR immediately offers aid and 300 Sherman tanks and 100 self-propelled guns are immediately dispatched to North Africa. The better equipment will make a difference in the British performance at El Amien. 1966 – U.S. planes strike North Vietnamese petroleum-storage facilities in a series of devastating raids. These missions were part of Operation Rolling Thunder, which had been launched in March 1965 after President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered a sustained bombing campaign of North Vietnam. The operation was designed to interdict North Vietnamese transportation routes in the southern part of North Vietnam and to slow infiltration of personnel and supplies into South Vietnam. During the early months of this campaign, there were restrictions against striking targets in or near Hanoi and Haiphong. In 1966, however, Rolling Thunder was expanded to include the bombing of North Vietnamese ammunition dumps and oil storage facilities. In the spring of 1967, it was further expanded to include power plants, factories, and airfields in the Hanoi and Haiphong area. The White House closely controlled operation Rolling Thunder and at times President Johnson personally selected targets. From 1965 to 1968, about 643,000 tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam. The operation continued, with occasional suspensions, until President Johnson halted in on October 31, 1968, under increasing domestic political pressure. 2000 – Some 55 years after World War Two ended, 22 Asian-American veterans received the Medal of Honor for bravery on the battlefield during a White House ceremony.

*HARVEY, CARMEL BERNON, JR. Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date: Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam, 21 June 1967. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 6 October 1946, Montgomery, W. Va. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Harvey distinguished himself as a fire team leader with Company B, during combat operations. Ordered to secure a downed helicopter, his platoon established a defensive perimeter around the aircraft, but shortly thereafter a large enemy force attacked the position from 3 sides. Sp4c. Harvey and 2 members of his squad were in a position directly in the path of the enemy onslaught, and their location received the brunt of the fire from an enemy machine gun. In short order, both of his companions were wounded, but Sp4c. Harvey covered this loss by increasing his deliberate rifle fire at the foe. The enemy machine gun seemed to concentrate on him and the bullets struck the ground all around his position. One round hit and armed a grenade attached to his belt. Quickly, he tried to remove the grenade but was unsuccessful. Realizing the danger to his comrades if he remained and despite the hail of enemy fire, he jumped to his feet, shouted a challenge at the enemy, and raced toward the deadly machine gun. He nearly reached the enemy position when the grenade on his belt exploded, mortally wounding Sp4c. Harvey, and stunning the enemy machine gun crew. His final act caused a pause in the enemy fire, and the wounded men were moved from the danger area. Sp4c. Harvey’s dedication to duty, high sense of responsibility, and heroic actions inspired the others in his platoon to decisively beat back the enemy attack. His acts are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.

*MCWETHY, EDGAR LEE, JR. Rank and organization: Specialist Fifth Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Rank and organization: Binh Dinh province, Republic of Vietnam, 21 June 1967. Entered service at: Denver, Colo. Born: 22 November 1944, Leadville, Colo. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Serving as a medical aidman with Company B, Sp5c. McWethy accompanied his platoon to the site of a downed helicopter. Shortly after the platoon established a defensive perimeter around the aircraft, a large enemy force attacked the position from 3 sides with a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire and grenades. The platoon leader and his radio operator were wounded almost immediately, and Sp5c. McWethy rushed across the fire-swept area to their assistance. Although he could not help the mortally wounded radio operator, Sp5c. McWethy’s timely first aid enabled the platoon leader to retain command during this critical period. Hearing a call for aid, Sp5c. McWethy started across the open toward the injured men, but was wounded in the head and knocked to the ground. He regained his feet and continued on but was hit again, this time in the leg. Struggling onward despite his wounds, he gained the side of his comrades and treated their injuries. Observing another fallen rifleman Lying in an exposed position raked by enemy fire, Sp5c. McWethy moved toward him without hesitation. Although the enemy fire wounded him a third time, Sp5c. McWethy reached his fallen companion. Though weakened and in extreme pain, Sp5c. McWethy gave the wounded man artificial respiration but suffered a fourth and fatal wound. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his safety, and demonstrated concern for his fellow soldiers, Sp5c. McWethy inspired the members of his platoon and contributed in great measure to their successful defense of the position and the ultimate rout of the enemy force. Sp5c. McWethy’s profound sense of duty, bravery, and his willingness to accept extraordinary risks in order to help the men of his unit are characteristic of the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.

MONTI, JARED C.* United States Army Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. Place and date: Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006. Citation: Staff Sergeant Jared C. Monti distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a team leader with , in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in While Staff Sergeant Monti was leading a mission aimed at gathering intelligence and directing fire against the enemy, his 16-man patrol was attacked by as many as 50 enemy fighters. On the verge of being overrun, Staff Sergeant Monti quickly directed his men to set up a defensive position behind a rock formation. He then called for indirect fire support, accurately targeting the rounds upon the enemy who had closed to within 50 meters of his position. While still directing fire, Staff Sergeant Monti personally engaged the enemy with his rifle and a grenade, successfully disrupting an attempt to flank his patrol. Staff Sergeant Monti then realized that one of his Soldiers was lying wounded in the open ground between the advancing enemy and the patrol’s position. With complete disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Monti twice attempted to move from behind the cover of the rocks into the face of relentless enemy fire to rescue his fallen comrade. Determined not to leave his Soldier, Staff Sergeant Monti made a third attempt to cross open terrain through intense enemy fire. On this final attempt, he was mortally wounded, sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his fellow Soldier. Staff Sergeant Monti’s selfless acts of heroism inspired his patrol to fight off the larger enemy force. Staff Sergeant Monti’s immeasurable courage and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and the United States Army.

SOURCE

[jayaugustine]

An Open Letter Regarding Reopening Houses of Worship Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

TO: Christian Leaders and Concerned Citizens

RE: The Imprudent Rush to Reopen and Re-Occupy Houses of Worship

May 20, 2020

I write this open letter, as a religious leader and former law professor, sharing my sincere concern for how the church’s longstanding racial and socioeconomic divisions have once again manifest within partisan politics. These racial and socioeconomic divisions have created false narratives that embolden certain conservative and majority white, evangelical faith groups to publicly support positions adversely affecting minority communities. Accordingly, considering the empirical data revealed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the disproportionately adverse effect the pandemic has had on the African American community,  I write to: (1) debunk the politicization of well-reasoned, governmental shelter-in-place orders; and (2) urge members of populations that are disproportionately vulnerable to refrain from mass, in-person gatherings, including worship experiences, at the current time.    

I offer my opinions, based on my professional and educational experience. In addition to serving as national chaplain and spiritual leader of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.—the oldest predominately black, intercollegiate fraternity in existence, boasting of past and present leaders like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., United States Ambassador Andrew Young, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall—I also serve as senior pastor of St. Joseph AME Church, a faith community founded in 1869 that has been the spiritual home of some of North Carolina’s most influential citizens, including John Hervey Wheeler, for whom Durham’s United States Courthouse is named, and John C. Merrick, the founder of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. Well before earning my doctorate at Duke University and serving St. Joseph, I also earned a law degree at Tulane University and spent 15-years as an adjunct law professor. I share these qualifiers to emphasize that my point of analysis is far from a kneejerk reaction. It is instead contemplative, well-informed, and appreciative of the historical divisions that once again manifest within the church, as race and religion engage partisan politics.      

Executive Order 138 and the Legal Matters at Issue

On Saturday, May 16, 2020, U.S. District Judge James C. Dever, III issued a temporary restraining order barring enforcement of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order 138’s prohibition against any more than 10-people gathering for indoor worship. The judge’s ruling noted the same standard was not applied to businesses, which were limited to a 50% capacity. In responding favorably to a lawsuit filed by two Baptist churches, a minister, and revival group, the ruling failed to consider the different natures of occupancy and the governor’s inherent power to protect the best interests of North Carolina citizens under the Tenth Amendment’s well-settled police power.    

Governor Cooper took an oath to serve the best interests of North Carolina’s citizens. Notwithstanding his publicly professed faith and open indication of missing in-person church gatherings, his oath requires personal passion be separated from prudent decision making, when the prior can detrimentally affect the latter. Indeed, Governor Cooper had solid reasons for the 10-person limitation, based on his own personal and social experiences, as well as the legal protections rooted in the United States Constitution. As a frequent churchgoer, Cooper is personally aware that spiritual worship (even when social distancing is observed) is far different from retail shopping. The very nature of worship, wherein people seek a closer interaction with the Divine, includes singing, extemporaneous utterances, verbal affirmations of God’s providence, and the preaching of God’s word. Consistent with Cooper’s lament that he doesn’t want churches to become COVID-19 hotshots, his personal experiences and observations evidently suggest ALL OF THE FOREGOING expressions of worship substantially increase the exchange of droplets and potential inhalation of the novel coronavirus. Further, as the state’s chief executive, Cooper’s executive order was rooted in legal authority derived from the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which gives power to the states, as not reserved to the federal government, for the protection, health, and welfare of its citizens. The judge’s injunction so focused on the subterfuge allegations that First Amendment rights were being violated, it neglected to consider that Tenth Amendment protections were being extended.          

The Larger Socially Divisive Issue: a 50-year old Alliance of Partisanship

In writing as a religious leader, my primary concerns are two-fold, insofar as it appears either of two things or a possible combination thereof occurred. First, it is possible that certain majority white, evangelical faith groups have been manipulated by very specific political and business interests that place “profits over people” and so-called liberty over the sanctity of human life. Second, it is also possible that these faith groups, have independently acted in a callus and inconsiderate manner, disregarding both science and the best interests of our most vulnerable populations, by encouraging mass gatherings at houses of worship, crouching any opposition to their advocacy as violative of the First Amendment. Either scenario creates a false narrative wherein governmental actors, including Cooper, are vilified for attempting to protect the sanctity of human life and attacked with an outrageously partisan, anti-American rhetoric emanating from the Trump White House.

 Furthermore, inasmuch as the “Reopen America” alliance—a fusion of conservative political operatives vilifying Democratic leaders—is collaboratively working with majority white, evangelical faith communities, we have seen incarnations of this alliance for more than 50-years. In the wake of the American Civil Rights Movement’s success, Richard Nixon’s 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns skillfully built a “southern strategy” coalition, deliberately courting white evangelical Christians who became aligned with certain partisan political interests. That alliance was solidified during Ronald Reagan’s successful campaigns of the 1980s. It has also endured in an ultra-partisan fashion, even through the racially divisive rhetoric and governance of Donald Trump. Now, during an unprecedented pandemic that has resulted in so many deaths, disproportionately concentrated in the African American community, the same evangelical/partisan political fusion has vilified Democratic governors, most notably Gretchen Whitmer, in Michigan, and Cooper, in North Carolina.

Rational Thinking Must Prevail Over Angry, Baseless Rhetoric

At St. Joseph, we have assembled a pandemic response team that is relying on science in slowly moving toward facility reoccupancy. We will not reoccupy the church premises prior to a deep cleaning and comprehensive sterilization of the entire facility. Without such precautions, I cannot sincerely act as an ambassador of the Divine and welcome worshipers into a spirit-filled experience. Anything short of first taking all necessary prophylactic precautions is arguably pastoral malpractice and inconsiderate of invited guests. Moreover, it could open the church to potential liability.

Recent news coverage showed that only two weeks after reopening, a Baptist church in Ringgold, Georgia was forced to again close its doors because several families contracted COVID-19. Although the virus spreads equally, given the way it has disproportionately affected the African American community, I strongly encourage all those who fall within vulnerable population groups, including the elderly, to refrain from mass gatherings. Further, given that the Centers for Disease Control has highlighted that many individuals have tested positive for the virus, while remaining asymptomatic and serving as carriers in transmission, I believe it imprudent to rush to reoccupy houses of worship at this time.

Conclusion

The ongoing pandemic has forced us all to adopt “new norms.” Rather than place faithful parishioners in potential danger, I encourage clergy leaders and concerned citizens to use alternative options, including the free technological advancements made available to everyone through social media Web streaming. We have successfully done so at St. Joseph and will continue doing so for the foreseeable future. Moreover, as Alpha Phi Alpha’s national chaplain, I personally lead Alpha’s Word on Wednesday, a mid-week prayer and praise Zoom meeting, with live music, where attendees join from across the United States. In both instances, people are safe and free to worshiping God without the potential of fatal harm.  

 Regardless of what legal rulings come from the courts, I strongly encourage everyone to #StayAtHome and refrain from attending mass worship at this time. You could literally be saving someone’s life.

Yours, in the Master’s Faithful Service,

Reverend Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine

National Chaplain, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. & Senior Pastor, St. Joseph AME Church

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Social distancing could last months, White House coronavirus coordinator says (Washington Post) Some form of social distancing will probably remain in place through the summer, Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus task force coordinator, said Sunday—the same day several governors expressed optimism about the course of the virus and outlined their plans for a piecemeal reopening of their economies. After weeks of being told to simply stay home to halt the spread of the virus, individuals and business owners are now facing more complex decisions about how to proceed. In places where restaurant dining rooms are reopening, is it safe to go? Is it a good idea to return to the hair salon for a much-needed trim? And for business owners facing a litany of new guidelines about how to reopen without endangering their workers or customers, are the risks worth it?

Las Vegas and the jobs crisis (NYT) As the bottom fell out of the American economy, few places were hit harder than Las Vegas, where a full one-third of the local economy is in the leisure and hospitality industry, more than in any other major metropolitan area in the country. Most of those jobs cannot be done from home. Nearly 350,000 people in Nevada have filed for unemployment benefits since the crisis began, the highest number in the history of the state. Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas-based economic research firm, estimates the city’s current jobless rate to be about 25 percent—nearly double what it was during the Great Recession—and rising. “From an analytical standpoint, this is unprecedented,” said Jeremy Aguero, a principal analyst with the firm. “We have no frame of reference for what we are seeing.” Before the crisis, Nevada’s economy was one of the fastest growing in the country. Then, practically overnight, the glittering Vegas strip shut down, throwing thousands of waiters, bartenders, hotel cleaners and casino workers out of work, often without severance or benefits, and leaving the most bustling and storied stretch of the state’s economy boarded up and empty.

Bolsonaro Pulls Back Justice Minister Pick as Critics Cry Foul (Foreign Policy) Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has postponed the appointment of a new justice minister after numerous news reports suggested Bolsonaro loyalist Jorge Oliveira would be the favorite for the role. The decision follows an explosive few days at the top of Brazilian politics as allegations of presidential corruption mount and public confidence in Bolsonaro’s handling of the country’s coronavirus epidemic crumbles. The latest episode began on Friday with the abrupt resignation of Justice Minister Sergio Moro, after Bolsonaro had fired the head of Brazil’s equivalent to the FBI, Maurício Valeixo. In his resignation press conference, Moro alleged Bolsonaro had fired Valeixo for personal and political reasons relating to ongoing federal investigations into Bolsonaro’s children. Immediately following Moro’s remarks, Brazil’s chief prosecutor asked the Supreme Court to authorize an investigation of Moro’s accusations against Bolsonaro. Writing in FP last week, Eduardo Mello observed that Brazilian lawmakers will be loath to remove Bolsonaro if that risks empowering Vice President Hamilton Mourão, a retired four-star general. “While most in Congress know that Bolsonaro’s populist rhetoric is a threat to them, they also think that having a general with no links to the country’s political power brokers is a bigger risk at the moment,” he wrote.

Chile plans coronavirus certificates (Foreign Policy) Chile is moving forward with a plan to issue “release certificates” to those who have recovered from the coronavirus. The plan, according to Chile’s top health official, Jaime Manalich, would mean holders would be “freed from all types of quarantine or restriction, specifically because they can help their communities enormously since they pose no risk.”

Virus spreads fear through Latin America’s unruly prisons (AP) The spreading specter of the new coronavirus is shaking Latin America’s notoriously overcrowded, unruly prisons, threatening to turn them into an inferno. The Puente Alto prison in downtown Santiago, Chile, had the largest of Latin America’s largest prison virus outbreaks so far, with more than 300 reported cases. The prison’s 1,100 inmates are terrified. Social distancing is hard to practice in jail. Latin America’s prisons hold 1.5 million inmates, and the facilities are often quasi-ruled by prisoners themselves because of corruption, intimidation and inadequate guard staffs. Low budgets also create ideal conditions for the virus to spread: There is often little soap and water and cell blocks are crowded.

As Europe confronts coronavirus, the media faces a trust test (Nieman Reports) By and large, European COVID-19 coverage is not increasing the public’s trust in the media. In an Edelman survey, journalists were the least trusted information source on the coronavirus, falling behind politicians and healthcare CEOs. This response follows five years of declining trust in the European Union’s media, and in some countries, the numbers are quite stark. About a week into Italy’s COVID-19 lockdown, a TradeLab study found that only 16 percent of those surveyed believed news on the pandemic was balanced and transparent.

Dutch teens sail across Atlantic after becoming stranded in Caribbean (Washington Post) When the global pandemic made air travel impossible, a group of Dutch high school students stranded in the Caribbean got home the old-fashioned way—sailing a 200-foot schooner across the Atlantic. The 25 teenagers on board the Wylde Swan sailed into the port of Harlingen and were reunited with their families on Sunday, roughly five weeks after leaving the island of Saint Lucia. Many of the students had minimal sailing experience when they signed up for an educational program aboard the two-masted schooner and had anticipated spending only six weeks cruising the relatively calm waters of the Caribbean. They eventually embarked on a journey of nearly 4,500 nautical miles across the ocean. Along the way, the students gradually got past their seasickness and watched dolphins swim alongside the vessel. One 17-year-old told the Omrop Fryslan Dutch radio station that it had been “an even more exciting journey than what I had signed up for.”

Face masks become mandatory in public across most of Germany (Washington Post) Most federal states across Germany implemented rules on the wearing of face masks in public on Monday, amid hopes that it will allow businesses to reopen without sparking a second wave of infections. The details differ between federal states. For instance in Berlin, face masks are mandatory on public transport, but violating the rule will not be penalized. In Munich and other cities, however, the rules are expected to be more strictly enforced with hefty fines. Face masks are now also mandatory in supermarkets and other shops across much of the country.

Dry Germany, drying Rhine (Bloomberg) Germany’s spring showers haven’t materialized this year, and that’s drying out the country’s most important river (the Rhine), prompting concerns that key industrial goods might have trouble making it to their destination. Typically one of the wettest months, Europe’s biggest economy has received just 5% of its normal April rainfall so far, according to Germany’s federal weather service. It’s on course to be the driest month since records began in 1881.​

The right to work from home (Bild am Sonntag) German Labor and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil has called to enshrine the right to work from home into German law, in a move that could become more common as advanced economies emerge from their coronavirus epidemics. “Anyone who wants to, and whose workplace allows it, should be able to work at home—even when the coronavirus pandemic is over,” Heil told Bild am Sonntag.

Saving Czech pubs (Worldcrunch) With more than 90% of pubs closed due to lockdown measures, the Czech Republic has been deprived of an emblematic part of its culture. In response, Czechs have spent 7 million CZK (257,124 euro) since the beginning of April on beer and food vouchers to be consumed in better times, reported iROZHLAS.cz. Started by the Czech Beer and Malt Association, the site “Zachraň svou hospodu!” (Save Your Pub!) enables concerned drinkers to buy vouchers in order to support their favorite bars and restaurants through the coronavirus shutdown, and use them whenever the cash-strapped pubs reopen.

Mideast economies take massive hit with oil price crash (AP) Iraq is planning painful cuts in social benefits relied on by millions of government workers. Saudi Arabia will likely have to delay mega-projects. Egypt and Lebanon face a blow as their workers in the Gulf send back less of the much-needed dollars that help keep their fragile economies afloat. The historic crash in oil prices in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is reverberating across the Middle East as crude-dependent countries scramble to offset losses from a key source of state revenue—and all this at a time when several of them already face explosive social unrest. While some Gulf countries can rely on a cushion of foreign currency reserves, nowhere in the region are the circumstances more dire than in Iraq, where oil sales fund 90% of the state budget. Iraq saw massive protests in the past months by a populace angry over the weak economy and rampant corruption—and the turmoil could erupt again. Cutbacks in spending will only add to the pain for a population struggling to get by under coronavirus restrictions.

Lebanese defy coronavirus lockdown and block roads, protesting deteriorating economy (AP) Protesters took the streets across Lebanon late Sunday, blocking roads and highways to protest the worsening economy, in defiance of a coronavirus-triggered lockdown and curfew imposed by authorities, according to the country’s official news agency. Sunday’s demonstrations were the latest to rock Lebanon in recent days, even as a lockdown and a dusk-to-dawn curfew remained in place. The coronavirus pandemic has deepened Lebanon’s worst economic crisis since the nation’s 15 year civil war that ended in 1990. Since October, hundreds of thousands have demonstrated against the government and its elites, decrying corruption and other mismanagement that has crippled the economy.

Netanyahu confident of U.S. backing on annexation (Foreign Policy) On Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu told a pro-Israel Christian group, the European Commission for Israel, that he was confident the United States would give its blessing to a planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank in a matter of months. A condition of Netanyahu’s newly formed coalition with Benny Gantz is that Washington must approve any annexation decision first. Writing in Foreign Policy on April 23, a trio of seasoned Israeli military commanders warned Netanyahu against such a move. Ami Ayalon (a former chief of the Israeli Shin Bet security service), Tamir Pardo (a former director of the Mossad), and Gadi Shamni (a former commander of the Israel Defense Forces Central Command) argued that annexation would undermine Israeli security and could spark a popular backlash in Jordan and Egypt—endangering hard-won peace treaties with those countries. “This irreversible step, once taken, is likely to trigger a chain reaction beyond Israel’s control,” they wrote.

[han100894]

Some of My Frustration with NNT

So this is probably going to be a controversial take, but as much as I like NNT, there are things about it that have been bothering me.

One big one is, despite attempting at least lip service, the girls often vastly get overshadowed by the guys.

(Note, this is me airing my frustrations, I still like NNT, I like all of theses ships to some extent, I don’t mean to rain on anyone’s parade. It would be awesome to know if anyone else agrees, but mostly I’m just trying to make myself feel better and honestly it may not be the best written and I’m probably forgetting points that made me feel this way and I’m sure I’ve forgotten things in the Manga itself.)

Just look at the three biggest ships: Kaine, Banlaine, and Melizabeth.

I like Kaine, it was my first favorite ship but… it’s ultimately King’s story. The majority of the focus is on King’s POV and feelings. Even Daine’s memory loss is played more about how he feels than her—she doesn’t even get a chance to get mad at Gowther for it, or for that matter angry at King—no instead King gets mad on her behaft. She gets pulled around by the plot, and the memory loss in particular to give King extra angst. Even her confused feeling for Meliodas are mostly played as comic relief, drama fodder early on with Elizabeth, and to King more angst. We get very little from her POV.

And whenever Diane tries to protect King (In my memory at least) it always backfires on her, leading to King to Angst and “power up” and come to the rescue.

She has no real major victories to her name. Generally in any fight from the second half of arc 1 and moving forward she’s either coached by King (The Vytle festival, he saves Diane and defeats his enemy alone, but Diane needs couching), or King takes the spotlight (fighting Helbram, fighting Mael)

The only plot point she gets on her own is the brief time with Matrona after she loses her memory once again. Otherwise her plotlines are heavily tangled with King’s and again we usually see things from King’s point of view. Even when they both went back to the past Diane ends up goofing off but King notices something is wrong. We just—we never get into her head like we do King. We don’t see anywhere near the kind of character development he has.

And King gets several plots unconnected to Diane, Helbram, the fairy forest, Ban and his sister, his inferiority complex…

I just wish she’s get some focus that didn’t revolve around King (or Mel)—and also that she got a chance to protect King without it instantly backfiring on her or making King feel bad about himself again…

(Also, there is no reason for Diane to be “equivalent of 15” none at all. Made even worse once King gets to go through “fairy puberty” in an instant and grow up something she can’t do (Also why the heck would 700=15 when giants only live to like 2000?)

And then Banlaine:

Let’s be honest, Elaine exists almost completely as a prop for Ban’s story, up to and including dying on him (aka being fridged) and causing his manangst and driving his story). She spend half the story dead and the other half deathly ill. She has little to no interaction with anyone else—even her conversations with her own brother is all about Ban.

She doesn’t even really get much of a say about the whole thing, Ban’s quest to save her, it just is.

I do think the Raven’s arc was the best arc, but it was so entirely because of Jericho and her character development and drive, not because of Elaine. She had one moment of cute interactions with Elizabeth as they fought off two people who had no build up and were pretty much fodder, and then she had one moment where she saved Ban and managed to “grow up” something that’s downplayed slightly by being part of the reason Ban gets into his huge angst, and her losing her upgrade literally the next time we really see her just in time for Ban to save her (And turning her back into a child look alike) something that was truly not necessary. Gloxina didn’t lose his wings when he died, and wings are literally something fairies are killed for to sell—she could have stilled died and not lose her upgrade.

Honestly what I want from her is her to get to talk with her god damn brother, and maybe actually work things out on screen how he hurt her, and her understanding how he did so almost entirely unintentionally without Ban being their or brought up would be nice. Off screen does not count at all either. other than that let her be a person and not a prop!

And finally Melizabeth

Technically, or at least some people believe so, Meliodas and Elizabeth are the two main, main characters of the story. Honestly I kinda feel that Meliodas, Ban and King are the one who have gotten the most development and focus throughout the whole story, or at least until recently.

Elizabeth has tried, but in a lot of situation she’s been a plot point (Getting kidnapped, the seed not being in the cup for her test, ect) or had a lot of her agency taken from her to push the story along. Ever since she got her memories back she’s been trying to change that yes, but so far has instead been nearly instantly kidnapped and put into a situation where she could only be saved by others. (And yes, in story context she as in a bad situation for her powerset, but Nakaba still decided to have this happened to her and decided that she could do nothing to help just after she decided she would do something about all of this. It’s not like he didn’t have a choice.)

Meanwhile Meliodas has mostly treated Elizabeth like a child—which is fair considering she is one, she’s only 16 (Seriously, why couldn’t she have been at least 18, what would that have changed other than a tiny bit of the creepy factor)—but even after she regains her memories, he decides what he’s going to do with no input from her (Take the Commandment, break the curse, kidnap her, ect) and yes he has no emotions at the time but it’s still really shitty and only a step more than earlier when he refused to allow her to join the Sins again at the start of arc 2, without even explaining why, and even insulting and hurting her instead.

And it’s not that I want her to be a badass fighter. I’m fine with her being a realistic pacifist and mostly a healer and leader—that’s great. I just want her to have more agency instead of being shoved around to force the plot to do what Nakaba wants and get a chance to actually help Meliodas like she wants.

Bonus: Monspeet and Derieri

Their relationship is interesting, as on its outside it’s actually reverses some of the tropes this story has. Derieri is the one who get most of the focus and character development, while Monspeet is somewhat behind her. And in a twist, instead of the girl being fridged for the guy’s character development, the guy is fridged for the girls. Something rare enough that I actually thought that Monspeet’s death was somewhat okay (Up until Derieri’s story faltered right after).

Derieri has the same somewhat realization as Elizabeth—she was always the one being protected by Monspeet, being taken cared of by him, and how she wanted to be the one who did it back.

But then just as she was getting a big moment, finally a chance to somewhat redeem herself and try and help stop this war and save Mael, she is killed just as she’s about to do it, stopping her story cold turkey.

And now with Mael doing the weird reincarnation thing I have to ask why. If she’s almost certainly going to come back at some point (probably in the sequel—Arthur’s story I’d assumed if it actually happens) why couldn’t she have succeeded when she was so close. Why did she have to be worfed to show off Mael and eventually being the catalyst to power up King.

It’s just… frustrating.

I just wish she’s been allowed to succeeded after everything. I wish she’d gotten at least one moment where she protected Monspeet.

Last complaint

And one thing that has bothered me over all is, most notably while Ban and Meliodas were in Purgatory, how “We are going to get out of here and save our girls” which is great I guess, but, both them, and King in his “I have to protect you” say it so often that it almost feels…infantizing. The guys are so obsessed with taking care of and protecting the girls who don’t get the same chance to do it for them, or try and get punished for it, or realize to late and it’s just…

Ban and Mel really do it, King has his huge “I have to save everyone” complex, even Monspeet goes overboard with Derieri a bit (hitting away the rocks anyone). Escanor is similar, though he respects and believes in Merlin as much as he wants to jump to her defense making him a bit of an exception but I have no idea if Escalin is supposed to be a thing or not at this point. Margret got to be political prisoner for ages, and when she went out to find Gil she gets manipulated into becoming Ludo’s host. Veronica gets a whole side plot only for it to suddenly stop with no conclusion.

I just want the girls to get to do cool things, sometimes completely unconnected to the boys, and not have it backfire on them or get overshadowed. I want the relationships to have more equal screen time between each partner, Is that so much?

[connywrites]

of flesh and blood 16

start - part [15]

-

“There is a neurological process they call the ‘reward system’. Do you know what that is?” It paused, but not long enough for Gavin to say anything.

“Of course you don’t. Think of gambling. You spin a wheel, and you get two out of three numbers that match. You think you’ve almost won, so you spin again, and again. Have your chances increased? No. But your brain sees something like an opportunity and digests the idea that maybe next time there will be a greater chance for the big win… and that’s the start of an addiction problem, but luckily for both of us, we don’t have to go down that route.” Gavin looked bored again, rubbing an eye while he listened with his half-available consciousness.

“I’ve given you nice things, so in hopes for more good things, you behave accordingly. Notice how much less you’ve acted up since I switched to a positive behavior dynamic, instead? Fascinating.” Its voice was not any more or less sinister than usual, as Gavin could tell by the lack of interest in how it spoke.

“All the while, it was statistically proven to be that way with domestic pets and wildlife alike, but I wanted to see it come to fruition in human form. Sure enough, the negative punishments were extremely effective, but one of sentient mind will always crave the better in favor of avoiding the worst.”

Gavin felt a headache coming on.

“This is a good thing, in your favor.” It waited to see his response, but he didn’t move.

“I’m supposed to appreciate being treated like a dog instead of an abused one?” He almost rolled his eyes, but he could catch by the way the 900 was looking at him that this wasn’t a time he wanted to start pushing his boundaries. It seemed like he was continuing to learn well, as the android duly noted the lack of aggression even in the somewhat accusative statement.

“We’ve been over this before,” it responded patiently.

“If you’re unhappy with the situation, it’s unfortunate for you, but you have nothing to complain about. I’ve been treating you fine and you’ve been acting accordingly. What’s the problem?”

Gavin hated the way it made him feel sheepish. Straightening his posture and ignoring the urge to rub the back of his neck, he simply took in the words for what they were. He’d learned with the practice of behaviors between them that the less he reacted with agitation, the less irritated he would get as a whole, and thus it became easier to nudge it away rather than feed directly into the emotion. It made him start realizing how irrational his own behavior was and how nasty it made him; the RK900 had been right about how he’d been skittish, loud, even obnoxious in the way he interacted and how pushy he was in his behavior, something he’d never have imagined himself changing from. Now, people saw him as a civil, polite person with some ugly history at worst, a nearly overwhelming change as the amount of interaction increased between coworkers and strangers alike. If he wanted, he could reach out and make actual friends, set up a social life of people he would theoretically take advantage of in favor of winning his own means, but he knew he didn’t have the intelligence to back it up so he’d never get away with it. The idea of changing his entire outward personality because a robot made him was humiliating and infuriating, but he couldn’t deny the many ways it had helped him, leaving him without an argument against the 900 once more.

“Good,” it responded favoritively to his silence. Unsurprised, Gavin knew better than to bother reacting with anything short of silent stillness.

It tried his patience every second when he was left to stand stiffly, be it in his own home, the office, outside on patrol, or at a crime scene; the way he had to keep every muscle in place, constantly thinking about it or he’d forget and start scratching his head or gesturing with his arms again. Pointing fingers was the hardest motion to get rid of once he didn’t have a pistol to use. Within a few weeks, the worst of his habits had been taken care of, and by the end of another month, the smaller tics were mainly willed away and overcome with more proper ones. His hands were behind his back or linked together across his stomach, his shoulders were square as he stood up tall and his vision was straight ahead unless someone initiated eye contact with him first. He wasn’t allowed to step any closer to them than the range they were in when contact was first initiated, as he’d had an old tendency to walk up and get into people’s personal space for the sake of aggression. No weapons were on his person and he was to wear his uniform on the job and something equally decent looking outside of work, no matter where he was to go.

After a while, the routine ingrained itself naturally, and he would set his hair after a shower without thinking twice about it. Folding his clothes for the mornings and washing them every week became less of a chore and more of a natural habit; something uninteresting to do that would bore him before he got ready for bed. Sleep came easier with more activity, less tension and fewer cups of coffee and espresso shots. It became easier to socialize as people stopped looking at him like the freak in the room, and he became friendlier by nature interacting with people merciful enough to grant him the chance.

Constantly-tested patience became second nature and eventually he stopped clocking the seconds, adjusting to the sound of nothing in his head as he forced away the restlessness that seemed constantly roused inside of him, which got easier as he cut down the caffeine, which lead to more money in his wallet than he knew what to actually do with. In turn, he’d figured out how to budget gradually for longer-lasting stock food, eventually learning his hand at cooking at home from spicing canned beans to properly browning meats and crisping them to a personally desired degree without burning the dinner or himself. He could time a pair of eggs to be done with the toast, granting a few extra seconds to cool while he set the table and made his second cup of coffee; the one they’d both agreed he wouldn’t start the day without. Once he could get up, shower and dress without the help of caffeine, the liquid started to taste bitter to him and too much sugar and milk would cause stomach aches once the majority of it had been dwindled from his regular diet. Eventually, orange juice started the day with breakfast and strong chai tea paired lunch and dinner. His meals were balanced and portioned, his furniture was properly cleaned and re-arranged, finding peace in the way the area somehow looked bigger when Nines positioned the TV against the far wall.

The bills were caught up with, his promotion was achieved, he was taking his medications every day and he was getting six to eight hours of sleep at night. He clocked in and out of work on time, and with the ability to focus a lot better on the cases, his workload continued to improve. The wounds the android engraved on his back healed and scabbed over, and the verbal mistreatment from 900 ceased along with the physical. While he’d never entirely appreciated its company, it became easier to tolerate, and eventually he wasn’t so afraid of it. As it stopped acting so aggressive and their time together was decreased, he was able to enjoy finally finding time to himself while still managing the schedule for work, eating, and sleeping. It was surreal to think such a concept seemed impossible, yet his ‘work partner’ managed to, albeit forcefully, whip him into it in under two months. The irony of the behavior resulting in treatment after he violently tore apart the previous android would never entirely leave him, but he did his best to move on and appreciate the improvements for what they were; exactly as RK900 had told him to do.

For the most part, he'd gained control over his life. If there were any aspects he wanted to change, they were probably within reach. It made the shift into the reverse position strange as well, as Gavin could virtually feel RK900 weaving in and out of his life. At first, it was nice, but after a while, he could tell the absence was becoming more noticeable. Acknowledging the fact he really had become reliant on the machine, Gavin settled on the idea he didn’t need it in his life; but thinking, believing and replicating were different things, and while it had taught him a lot in their time together, how to break away from it wasn’t one of them.

“Will you come back home?” The request made the 900 study him long and hard.

“Please?” A side-eyed gaze from the android made him regret asking.

“Are you aware of what you’re asking? Of who?’ Gavin cleared his throat, straightened his posture, adjusted the lapels of his jacket and nodded his head once. While he had the practice to try and farce certainty, he definitely didn’t feel so sure. Relying on a dangerous, inhuman construct for company was a can of worms he wished he’d never opened.

“Just for a night,” he murmured, hoping none of his nearby coworkers would hear them.

“You’re losing your mind at home alone, aren’t you?” Gavin grit his teeth and bit his tongue, swallowing down the undignified feeling it took to accept the matter.

“I can’t keep up with anything. My life’s falling apart.”

“That’s a bit dramatic. I stopped going home with you a mere two weeks ago.”

“I know. It’s too long,” he admitted in a rushed breath.

“It’s too quiet,” he said, and spotting a twitch in his eye, the RK900 did a quick scan.

“Did you miss your medication?” The shit Gavin hissed under his breath gave it all the answer it needed.

“Watch your tongue. Well, perhaps I did leave you on your own a bit too early. I’ll drive us home after work.”

-

“You do know your reliance on me is artificial, and now ingrained from behavioral training alone?” Rubbing his eye, Gavin blinked away the sleep as he rolled over beneath the sheets.

“If I say no, will it make a difference?” With a hmm under its breath, its hand drifted to trace loops through Gavin’s hair, prompting him to glance back towards it.

“Probably not. I often dismiss the fact you don’t always have an opinion.”

“Whatever’s happening here…there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t stop it. Now, anymore, I’m not sure if I want to.” Gavin sighed. RK900 continued its gentle movements, staring into his eyes as he turned to face it again. The way it looked at him in moments like these were what felt much too human -- less like a person-shaped webcam was staring at him, and more like a person was communicating with him, with eye contact and body language – the way that came naturally. Gavin assumed a major contribution to wanting android company in a social light really was loneliness; it seemed evident to him by the fact their creator lived alone with no one else but the original models to begin with. Those were creepy – blonde hair, blue eyes, a flawless body and a doll-like stare that looked through you. He wasn’t sure if a Chloe model would be better or worse, at this point. At least maybe they wouldn’t try to kill him.

“I’m a temporary unit, detective Reed. I won’t be around forever, as is proven by the fact I have somewhat replaced my predecessor already.” It spoke in that calmer voice, too, the one it used when it wanted him to feel safe; quiet and low as if to avoid stirring nearby company with too much noise. Personal. The idea of being intimate with an android would have terrified him a few months back, but now, the kind words and soft touches were the last thing he had to be afraid of.

“I know.” Its eyelids sunk with a look of disappointment as it had already calculated exactly how he felt; that he could claim to be self-reliant in the moment, but once the time came, he’d fall apart and wouldn’t know what to do. It could imagine it in a full preconstruction already, the way the dirty laundry would start littering the floor, how he’d start letting go of his hair, his hygiene, lost in a stupor of his own depression and trying to perk up with coffee until it turned into aggression all over again. All that hard work and nice training gone to waste.

“You know, but are you aware? That means you might not have company once my model is updated.”

“Great. Someone else can get abused in their own home.” He flashed it a split-second, sarcastic smile that creased heavily in the cheek lines before it faded, his eyes dimming with a dirty glare shortly thereafter. No matter how much he might have gotten used to the routine or adjusted to the android’s behaviors, he’d never forget how much he’d given up for the sake of the changes in his life.

“What did I say about complaining?” It glared at him, so he glanced away.

“That wasn’t a complaint.”

“Sarcastic remarks count.” Gavin mock pouted, laying his head against his pillow before rolling onto his stomach so his body was face-down, smothering his face. For a second, he pretended there wasn’t a six-foot-plus tall hyper-intelligent machine sharing his own bed with him, letting his thoughts drift and swirl before its speech distracted him.

“Are you ignoring me?” Gavin turned his head enough to peer at it with one eye, most of his face still smashed into the pillow.

“Couldn’t’f I tried. You think they’ll keep you around? Like they did with Connor?”

“Maybe. But I doubt it.”

Gavin blinked. No one told him anything about this stuff, but then again, he never asked; generally, he’d never cared.

“Guess I should look into one of those house models, huh?” Rolling his eyes, Gavin immediately felt disgusted at the idea. One of the healing slices in his back seemed to tear open with a new ache as he reached too hard in a stretch, making him hiss, flinch and curl down into the blankets.

“Let me apply some ointment to that.” Gavin almost looked surprised it didn’t miss a beat.

“Oh, you hurt me, then you wanna do something to help it?” The android cleared its throat, and he felt his posture stiffen right then and there, despite lying down against the mattress and being curled up in pain.

“’You’ statements. Sorry. My worst habit, I guess,” he murmured against the pillow fabric.

“You’re so close,” it offered in a forgiving tone.

“It’ll be gone eventually. And yes – I do. All things considered, I had no actual reason to hurt you. I think it’s better if I have no reason to help you. I can’t be guilted for that.” Gavin blinked.

“Is this what the voice in your head sounds like? I’d hate listening to that guy,” he snarked. Huffing, Gavin peeled off his shirt and sat up while the android went to the bathroom to quickly retrieve fresh bandaging materials.

“Sometimes. Often it’s a replica of a woman that might be bent on shifting humanity’s democracy, herself. Sometimes, I wonder.” Gavin looked lost, and the android left him that way to moved its focus to the large, identifiable wound it left on his back. Association left it feeling nostalgic, replaying the tape in its mind of the night it carved away with a morbid sense of glee, more than content to leave him wounded for life. The familiarity left it feeling uncertain this time, internally registering it as something like guilt, but not quite.

“Why would you have the desire to take back something you did of your own accord?” It remembered asking him with the intention to taunt.

“Point-defeating. Humiliating, really.”

It was. Nothing was pleasant about the sensation, nor the desire to take away the damage it had caused. After a thorough reading and statistics report on what that felt like, it relocated that piece of coding somewhere easily accessible without it remaining as a forefront of its functioning. After a few seconds of stalling, its hands found the container of sterilizing liquids and ointment, promptly tending to the wound as it internally reverted to a neutral state.

“Hurry. Please,” Gavin hissed through grit teeth as he felt the deep sting of the tear. An analysis told the android he wasn’t suffering any infections, and for the most part, the wounds had nearly healed; at worst, he’d torn open an old scab.

“Quit your fussing. It doesn’t look so bad, you know.”

“I mean, if it was my name in flawless handwriting, maybe I’d say that, too. But if I had a choice…” 900 stared at him idly while it rubbed away excessive dry skin along the upper curve of the ‘R’.

“Maybe it was a bit over-the-top,” it said in a tone that seemed too genuine for what it really was. Gavin wondered if that was what he was becoming attached to; the riddle of it all, the puzzle that was this particular model and how it worked. Nothing had ever gotten to him quite so much before, and now he had to watch every word and step—worst of all, he didn’t know what to do without it. At a lock of words, he sighed.

-

Waking up flush against the android with its arms wrapped around him was the newest of all, at first rousing him with a sudden jolt of surprise before the reality of the situation settled in and he let out a long breath. Glancing at the clock, he nearly panicked a second time at the sight of the hour before realizing it was a late Saturday morning.

“You’re going to have a stroke one day,” it murmured against the back of his neck, punctuated with a kiss.

“Hopefully. Then I’ll be out of this misery,” he uttered back, breathing still brisk from the surprise dose of adrenaline.

“At least your chances are much lower now.” He could virtually feel the silver eyes staring from right behind as the arms embracing him tightened just enough to be noticeable. Unease churned in his stomach while he subconsciously wanted to pull away, feeling uncomfortable in the android’s grasp without any prior memory of getting there; but would it be angry if he left?

“Besides, you aren’t so eager to die,” it added, sending an extra red flag in his mind that told him to flee, kicking a leg as he reached to grip the edge of the mattress.

“Or you would be by now. You’ve had plenty of chances.” One arm held him by his stomach as it wrapped around his torso, the other trailing up his back until it caressed through his hair the way it had many times before. It didn’t feel as nice this time.

“It was a joke. Anyways, can I get some breakfast?” It cast him a dismayed stare, unimpressed by his tone. Even if he couldn’t see it, the judgement weighed heavily in the air, and his assumption became dismal.

“So eager to get out of bed?” Gavin swallowed, trying not to show his fear.

“I’m hungry.”

“That’s a lie,” it stated flatly.

“You ask me to stay the night with you, but won’t stay in bed on Saturday?” There was a noticeably coy whine to its voice that made his heart skip a beat. The fact it was right scared him, alongside the fact his moods were so flippant with its company. If it was there, he wanted it gone. Once it was quiet, he missed the bone-chilling stare and demands for every little thing it wanted. Sometimes he wondered if he missed the pain, but generally dismissed it in favor of feeling much better without it.

The violent visions of what he’d done all those weeks ago revisited him, and he scrambled to grab the medicine bottle beside the table. It was immediately snatched from him.

“You can’t take that now. It’ll make you sick.” Feeling its other hand still clenching around his stomach, he squirmed.

“I already feel sick. That’s the only thing that gets this shit out of my head. You know that.” Then its grasp loosened as it glanced up at him with faux concern, eyes softening with its expression shifting to that of convincing innocence. It did no favors to the nausea welling in his stomach.

“I’m getting some water, sir.” The snide tone was almost enough for it to react, but for now, it remained quiet.

“Can we go out for breakfast today? I feel stuffy in this place and I want to get a shower in.” RK900 stood from the bed, following him in his trek to the kitchen.

“Where did you want to go?”

“I don’t care. Anywhere with bacon and pancakes.” Once he got some water, he paused, turning to squint at the android with a thoughtful, accusatory glare. With realization creeping up, his breath almost stopped in his throat as he inhaled deeply to speak.

“You. You left my window unlocked. The first day, since that’s how you got in, it was unlocked, because I forgot the night before and got distracted by…” case 017. It was a unique one, the one that had kept him up for three days on end.

“And every Thursday after that. So you assumed I’d never catch onto a pattern, but I—” 900′s hand gripped his jaw so as to clasp it shut as it pulled him close to look him in the eyes.

“I don’t take kindly to being accused of something in my own home. Why would I do something so petty and useless? Your paranoia is getting the worst of you because you missed a day on your medication routine. It’ll balance out. Do deeply consider what you say next, for those words may be your last if you keep snapping out of the blue like this.” Its voice was sharp, precise, and quick with a bite to it that burrowed deep within his ears.

“Now, I suggest you shower and get dressed for our little date before I decide you aren’t going.”

This time, he was able to hold back the tears until he got to the shower, naked and bare with his wounds showing-- sore, itchy and just out of reach from him clawing the remains apart with his own hands.

-

“I’m disappointed by your recent re-emergence of old erratic and aggressive behavior. When we get close to having you well-adjusted, you decide to push your limits with me. Why?” Once in the car, it took nothing but a single swipe across the GPS to direct the vehicle towards the restaurant.

“I have given to you, I have taken from you, I have hurt you and I have helped you. I destroyed you to rebuild you. No one else would have granted you that, but still you keep this up.” Pausing, it peered at him through narrow eyelids below looming, aggressive eyebrows.

“Do you enjoy the punishment?”

Gavin was still too terrified to say anything, occasionally shivering in his seat as his body remembered the earlier weeks of pain he’d endured. Mouth open with his lips trembling, his head was a whirlwind while he spun in mental circles to think of what to say, but nothing came to mind. Nothing that made sense, at least.

“With that reaction, probably not. It’s a bit late in our interactions for you to be experiencing psychological damages now…though you were always a bit slow,” it quipped; if anything would get to Gavin, it would be an underhanded insult, but nothing pulled him from the frightened daze he’d found himself in since his scolding. Glancing at the directions routed on the GPS, it wondered if it should route to somewhere else in favor of Gavin’s current state of being.

“Yesterday you missed me, today you’re scared of me. Stockholm syndrome at its finest. This really could be a crime scene, if our roles were reversed, hm?” Slowly, Gavin calmed down, feeling the tension in his body slowly ease while his breaths steadied. A dizzy haze swayed in his mind that made him feel like he was still half-asleep, making him wonder if he’d taken anything strange the night before.

“There you go. You’ll feel better after you eat.”

-

No appetite. Boxing up the meal, Gavin quietly poured the rest of the mocha down his throat, mentally clocking the fact he’d start shaking from it in about half an hour, worsened if he didn’t eat between now and then. Old habits were already catching up.

“Why are you so afraid of me now? I thought we had gotten over that.”

Wide, dilated eyes stared at it while Gavin felt his instincts rush for the right words.

“S-sorry, sir.” It was all he could think of to say; all he knew the android actually wanted to hear. He wasn’t exactly granted a position where he could express his utter terror towards androids as it was, let alone what had been haunting his mind for days and weeks and months on end.

“I can’t help it.” RK900 rolled its lips together, tentatively trailing its fingers down his cheek, along his jawline and over the now-healed wound it left across his neck.

“I’ve left impressionable marks on you, physical and psychological, I know.” A sigh intentionally weighed with disappointment and a snap of its fingers later, it lead them out of the restaurant and back towards the car.

“When you aren’t scared of me anymore, you won’t miss me. You’ll feel complete as your own person, and another’s company won’t seem so important to you.” Gavin stared out the window as he leaned against the passenger side door, wishing for nothing else than to tumble out the opening pane as his fingertips brushed over the single-touch buttons that would open the doors – but automatic cars had automatic features, like locking the doors as soon as the device is in motion.

“Can’t wait,” he mumbled.

[berniesrevolution]

IN THESE TIMES

UNDER ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES, THE DEATH OF A HOMELESS WOMAN TRYING TO CROSS A ROAD IN ARIZONA WOULD BARELY AROUSE NOTICE. 

After all, about 16 pedestrians are killed every day on U.S. roads, and Arizona is one of the deadliest states.

But the March 18 death of Elaine Herzberg, 49, in Tempe, was an international news event. Herzberg—or “Miss Elle,” as she was known in Tempe’s homeless community—was struck by a Volvo SUV steered by Uber’s self-driving car technology.

She was the first pedestrian killed by a self-driving car.

Until recently, self-driving cars were an abstraction, a dreamy, far-off idea. Now they are literally crashing into us. Twenty-four U.S. cities are either running autonomous vehicle (AV) test programs or have committed to doing so, according to the Bloomberg Aspen Initiative on Cities and Autonomous Vehicles. Uber is one of more than a dozen firms racing to bring the technology to the market; some experts believe AVs could fully replace human-driven cars by 2040.

AVs are already influencing public policy. This spring, the Koch brothers’ group Americans for Prosperity helped defeat a $5.4 billion mass transit initiative in Nashville, in part by suggesting AVs would make such transit obsolete. In short, we are on the precipice of a major technological change, one that reshapes the way we live and travel in ways we can’t yet fully grasp.

In an oft-cited thought experiment, Robin Chase, co-founder of the car-sharing company Zipcar, offered two scenarios for how the self-driving revolution could unfold. She calls them “heaven” and “hell.”

In “heaven,” drawing on and expanding Chase’s vision, AVs usher in a new age of personal and civic well-being. Traffic deaths are eliminated; an 8-year-old child can bike to school in a major city without fear. As outdoor activity becomes safe and popular, public health outcomes improve. Urban dwellers rely on shared AVs and expanded public transit to get around and are largely freed from the financial burden of individual car ownership. Cities repair some of the damage done in the highway era. Massive surface parking lots are no longer needed, for example, and that space is repurposed for parks or desperately needed affordable housing. In a boon for the climate, AVs run on zero-carbon electricity. While some workers lose their jobs in the transition—such as bus drivers, truckers and delivery people—social policies like universal basic income help ensure a safety net.

In “hell,” however, AVs further entrench Americans’ already dysfunctional relationship with cars. Social isolation, congestion and inequality increase. Less concerned about long commutes, people sprawl across the countryside, eliminating farmland and establishing elite and exclusive communities far from the masses. The total number of miles driven increases exponentially, along with urban congestion. AV owners order their empty cars to cruise the city all day to avoid paying for parking. Buses are mired in heavy traffic or simply discontinued as public support for them erodes, leaving lower-income people stranded. The transition to AVs doesn’t coincide with a transition away from internal combustion engines. Passenger cars and trucks, already the source of roughly 15 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, increase their footprint dramatically, broiling the planet.

Right now, it’s unclear which direction we’re headed. But we are at an inflection point. The auto industry is pushing Congress to greenlight not only the testing of self-driving cars, but also sale to the public, currently lobbying a handful of Democratic holdouts in the Senate on a bill that would do just that. What’s lacking is what’s needed most: public oversight.

(An advertisement circa 1878 depicts a runaway car, playing on early fears and skepticism of the automobile. The ad proved prescient, as cars would enable sprawl that has eaten into farmland across the country.)

THE NEW MOTORDOM

According to University of Virginia historian Peter Norton, who studies the early automotive era, we’re on the brink of the most sweeping technological change in transportation since the transition from the horse and carriage to the car about a century ago.

We’re just starting to fully recognize what was lost in that transition: Huge portions of downtowns turned over to parking lots; thriving communities cut through by highways; the death of legacy transit like streetcars; white flight and urban depopulation. The auto revolution even caused political polarization, as suburbanization created increasingly homogenous communities with increasingly divergent interests.

The popular myth is that Americans in the early 20th century immediately embraced cars. But Norton argues that the American “love affair with the automobile,” as the auto industry presents it, was carefully manufactured. The introduction of cars into cities was met at first with skepticism, even horror. The public was aghast when hundreds of people—disproportionately children—were run over and killed in streets where just a few years earlier they had been free to roam and play. The front page of the New York Times in 1924 pictured a car with a human skull mounted on the hood. “Nation Roused Against Motor Killings,” read the headline.

In response, car companies and other auto interests—a set of forces that Norton calls “motordom”—launched a lobbying and publicity blitz. One key battle was the struggle for a resource that remains hotly contested: street space.

Streets had been gathering places where merchants sold goods and children played. Urbanites were reluctant to cede this territory to noisy, dangerous and noxious cars.

A turning point came when motordom introduced the term “jaywalker,” branding pedestrians as intruders in the rightful domain of drivers. In 1921, for example, auto clubs recruited Boy Scouts to distribute cards to pedestrians in Hartford, Conn., that explained “jay walking” and instructed them how to properly cross the street. In 1952, a more explicit card distributed in Cincinnati read “I am a jaywalker” and gave the recipient a choice of hospitals to be delivered to when she was struck.

There was continued resistance from engineers, planners and ordinary citizens, most notably New York City’s Jane Jacobs, the mother of contemporary urban planning, who fought expressways and advocated for mixed-use public space. But many urban planners, such as Jacobs’ nemesis Robert Moses, enthusiastically embraced the redesign of cities around cars. Zoning rules were overhauled to require a minimum number of parking spaces for most new development. Black and brown neighborhoods were torn down to make way for highways.

Norton sees echoes of motordom in the sunny depictions of an AV future. Ford’s website, for example, presents a “City of Tomorrow” with an enormous highway right through a city center. Norton points to a joint 2010 presentation by SAIC (a Chinese car manufacturer) and GM in Shanghai. The companies, he says, offered a vision of total auto dependence, imagining a world where “the minute you leave the door you’re in a pod of some kind looking at screens the whole time, and you never see anybody doing anything else.”

Tech and car companies developing self-driving vehicles, including Uber, Waymo, Ford and Volvo, established a lobbying group called the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets in 2016. They hired the former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, David Strickland, to lead the effort. The group has lobbied Congress—so far successfully—to keep collision data secret.

(Continue Reading)

[bountyofbeads]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/opinions/2019/01/23/two-years-trump-has-been-undermining-american-democracy-heres-damage-report/?utm_term=.6de802fa04c7&__twitter_impression=true

"Can U.S. democracy survive when between 35 and 45 percent of the population cheers a president who behaves like an autocrat?"

For two years, Trump has been undermining American democracy. Here’s a damage report.

By Brian Klaas | Published January 23, 2019 at 8:11 Am | Washington Post | Posted January 23, 2019 |

Can U.S. democracy survive when between 35 and 45 percent of the population cheers a president who behaves like an autocrat?

When Donald Trump took office two years ago, I and many others began sounding the alarm — not out of partisan worry but out of concern for democracy. Trump, we argued, was an existential threat to the republic. For the first time in American history, the president of the United States was an authoritarian-minded demagogue who viewed checks and balances as outdated nuisances rather than sacred principles.

I even wrote a book explaining how Trump was behaving like a “lite” version of the thin-skinned authoritarian leaders I have interviewed and studied in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. I called Trump a wannabe despot. In return, some Trump fans called me an alarmist — a person suffering, perhaps, from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Others acknowledged that Trump had autocratic tendencies but argued that he had become such a weak and unpopular president that those impulses were meaningless.

Now, two years later, should we still be alarmed? Or was I an alarmist?

The United States is still a democracy. The Constitution and its checks and balances still exist. And even though Trump swoons at even the mention of a foreign dictator or despot, he is not one himself. Yet Trump has done immeasurable damage to U.S. democracy. That damage can be broken down into three categories: damage to institutions; damage to norms; and normalization of authoritarian tactics within the Republican Party.

First, Trump has chipped away at the institutional pillars of democracy. On a near-daily basis, Trump tries to undercut rule of law to advance political goals or to save his own skin. He’s called for the jailing of political opponents while pardoning political allies. He has fired investigators because there was an investigation into him. He forced an attorney general out because he wouldn’t sabotage an independent investigation. All these actions implicitly undermine the rule of law — the ultimate basis of any democracy. Trump has gotten away with it, so far.

Trump has also relentlessly attacked the free press, another pillar that allows democracies to stand above authoritarian regimes. He has echoed the worst dictators in history, calling journalists the "enemy of the people.” Trump defended Saudi Arabia’s government after it murdered Jamal Khashoggi, then went on to endorse beating up journalists. Days later, a die-hard MAGA disciple sent pipe bombs to Trump’s favorite media targets. All presidents loathe the press; Trump is the first who has publicly condoned acts of violence against journalists.

Trump has even tried to undercut the integrity of elections, both by spreading lies about voter fraud to sow doubt in the system itself and by doing nothing to deter foreign attacks aimed at disrupting U.S. elections.

Second, Trump has taken a buzz saw to democratic norms, the soft guardrails of democracy. Democratic norms — the unwritten guidelines of political behavior — give meaning to democratic institutions. Without the norms, the institutions might as well just be ink on parchment. Trump has violated countless ethics norms while simultaneously introducing a level of nepotism and cronyism more befitting of Uzbekistan than the United States. It’s hard to decide which screams “banana republic” more: the president’s unqualified daughter helping to pick the next World Bank president, or putting Eric Trump’s wedding planner in charge of all federal housing in New York and New Jersey?

Third, and most important, Trump has injected authoritarianism into the bloodstream of the Republican Party. Polls have shown that a majority of Republicans now agree that the press is an “enemy of the people” rather than “an important part of democracy.” Less than half of Republicans now have a favorable view of the FBI, a drop of 16 percentage points since Trump took office. And 74 percent of Republicans wrongly believe Trump’s lies that voter fraud is widespread, rather than the truth. (It’s vanishingly rare.) Even when Trump leaves office, those destructive views will linger.

That’s why the most chilling part of the president explicitly praising a congressman for violently assaulting a reporter wasn’t the depraved comment — it was the crowd. The thought of violence against journalists — who they saw as the “enemy” — sent the red-hat-wearing mob into a frenzy. They cheered and whooped and clapped with glee.

American democracy has decayed during Trump’s time in office, even though his deficit of discipline and surplus of scandals have weakened him considerably. But the biggest tests are yet to come: How much more damage will Trump do if he faces impeachment or indictments? Can the pillars of democracy be salvaged if the new normal involves 40 percent of the country yelling their approval every time a politician hits them with a sledgehammer? And will the next Republican nominee be a slicker and savvier demagogue who can capitalize on the groundwork laid by Trump? I don’t know the answers. But as someone who has studied how democracy dies across the globe, I remain deeply worried about Trump’s America.

[maybeyoumissthisf-kingpost]

Biggest world events in 2020

So 2020 is about to end with a lot of remarkable events, but I'm not sure if it's optimistic or not, let alone pessimistic. When I was a child, I often heard my grandparents tell me about the difficulties in the past, how they lived hard in the past so that today we can have enough food and warm clothes. Heartbroken. I admire the old people so much. However, suddenly looking back at what happened in the past year 2020, I tapped my forehead and thought… and then unconsciously patted my thigh with pleasure because finally, I also had something to later "converse" with my children and grandchildren that I had How can we survive this year of calamity?

World events in 2020 to tell later on

The year 2020 has passed, gently leaving the Wuhan flu epidemic to continue raging with the strong rise of the global "cholera" pandemic. The public went crazy watching the politicians "go to solve" the crazy political affairs. People praising the smell, people pouting and criticizing. Meanwhile, the media invited the Weasel Foxes to play the game of hiding cats 💩 to hide their "hunter" nature. Faced with that gray prospect, suffering humanity raised its face to the sky and asked God, what could be more tragic? At the end of the year, God looked down and said, "Biden!" then banged on the table and cursed at the father who crossed his face.

Sorry for the rambling, but I like to sarcastic before I get to the post. Because rarely have the opportunity to experience with readers on the last day of the year. Here are some notable events in 2020 of the world that I would like to share again.

1. Wildfires in Australia and California (USA)

2020 witnessed two intense wildfires in Australia and California (USA). In Australia alone, it can be said that this is the most fierce wildfire disaster in the country's history, when forest fires continuously lasted from December 2019 to 2020 and destroyed nearly 20 million hectares of forest. , displaced thousands of people and killed at least 34 people.

Taking this opportunity, "radical" suffragettes immediately sounded the alarm about climate change, that global warming is the cause of forest fires, despite the fact that the number of fires Forest occurrence is much less this year than the average in previous years, according to the European Union's (EU) Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS). I think climate change also knows how to "distinct regions" because it only chooses forests in capitalist countries to burn, not other countries.

2. The US killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani

On January 3, 2020, amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, the United States carried out a drone strike on a convoy near Baghdad International Airport that was carrying some The passengers included Quds Force commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi People's Mobilization Forces (PMF/PMU) commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and soldiers. senior officials of the two sides.

From the scene images, Soleimani's body was identified by the ring he wore on his finger and the sausage bar (100% meat) that fell off but was still intact. At the same time, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also confirmed the death of General Soleimani.

3. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle abandon the British Royal Family

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan shocked the Queen in particular, and the world in general, when they announced they were relinquishing their status as senior members of the British Royal Family on January 8. Royal officials fear this will seriously damage the monarchy's future. It is interesting that while the world views this as an important political event, only Vietnamese people approach it as a showbitch comedy.

4. Wuhan flu (aka COVID-19)

On January 9, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced about a deadly virus that appeared in Wuhan, China. In just a few months, the virus has spread rapidly globally to more than 20 million people and caused at least 750,000 deaths. However, thanks to the relentless efforts of WHO Director-General Tedros and the effective support of the media, the Wuhan flu (Wuhan Virus) finally succeeded in… in turn changing the name Wuhan flu. into Coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2. Currently, this Wuhan Virus has many new strains, it is expected that the new name may be COVID-19 Pro or COVID-19 Pro Max.

5. Impeaching President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump faced an impeachment trial in January initiated by Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, with the aim of removing his presidency in January 2020. Democrats have repeatedly accused Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani of abusing their power to press the Ukrainian government to investigate the corruption scandal of Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden. According to the indictment, Mr. Trump (probably) committed bribery by asking for political favors in exchange for official action.

Finally, President Donald Trump was acquitted on February 5 due to the lack of evidence of impeachment.

6. Stock market wobbles in 2020

The Wuhan pandemic not only caused heavy loss of life, but also greatly affected the world economy. Many countries were forced to close down (lockdown), causing a serious decline in consumption. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 2997 points as investors panicked about the impact of the continued spread of the coronavirus, a record since 1987.

7. Oil prices went negative for the first time in history

Also because of the Wuhan flu, the US WTI oil price for the first time in history fell to a negative level on April 20, with a selling price of -37.63 USD/barrel. That is, the seller must pay the buyer. Fortunately, that ridiculous thing did not happen in Vietnam, people at that time only had to fill up with gasoline at a "stable" price of about 16,000 VND per liter.

8. Black Lives Matter protest for George Floyd

In fact, Black Lives Matter protests are still as common as usual in the US, but the case of the black brother George Floyd died after being pinned down by the police, along with the viral saying "I can't breathe" (I can't breathe). breathe) has sparked a wave of powerful protests and riots across the United States to demand an end to police brutality and anti-racism. That movement was enthusiastically supported by the left everywhere, with Biden's knees on all fronts in memory of this "national hero".

However, the death of George Floyd was later revealed that he did not die of asphyxiation, and also that "no life-threatening injuries were identified at the autopsy of George Floyd". In addition, the cadaver nasal swab was tested and determined that George Floyd was positive for the Wuhan virus (which often makes it difficult for the victim to breathe). At the same time, the black man was also found to be positive for many other banned substances and drugs.

The video of the police arresting George Floyd was also posted and showed that this young man was accused of using fake bills, being drunk, showing signs of being high and opposing the police many times when he was arrested.

9. Joe Biden Becomes Democratic Presidential Candidate

Joe Biden officially defeated more than 20 other Democratic candidates (including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren) to become the 2020 presidential candidate.

10. Twitter hacked by a 17-year-old

A young weitei-age in Florida, named Graham Clark, has successfully hacked the Twitter accounts of famous political figures, artists and businessmen - including Joe Biden, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Kanye West - to commit bitcoin fraud.

11. Explosions in Lebanon in 2020

A massive explosion at the port city of Beirut occurred on August 4 due to the accidental detonation of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate, equivalent to 1200 tons of TNT, which was confiscated by the state from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus and stored at port for six years without any precautions. The explosion killed 190 people and injured thousands more.

12. Kamala Harris Selected as Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate

On August 11, Biden announced he had selected California Senator Kamala Harris as a co-conspirator in the office of president. Thereby Harris became the first black and Asian woman to serve as Vice President. Many predicted that Ms. Harris could become the legitimate president of the United States when Biden once said he would cede his presidency in case his health was not guaranteed. That belief was further strengthened when two days ago, on December 29, Biden continued to "confoundly" call Harris the President-elect of the United States.

13. Ruth Bader Ginsburg passes away

United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on September 18 at the age of 87. Amy Coney Barrett was later appointed to take the place of former Judge Ginsburg. Mrs. Barrett was an outstanding jurist, a pious person and known as a woman of traditional values. Barrett's appointment strengthens the Supreme Court's constitutional majority (6-3). Currently, the new Supreme Court Justice is only 49 years old (born in 1972), so she is facing the opportunity to influence US law for decades to come. It can be said that this is such a big political shift that it may have a deeper impact than the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential election.

14. President Donald Trump infected with Wuhan virus

President Trump announced on October 2 that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the Wuhan virus. He was hospitalized for three days at Walter Reed National Army Medical Center before being discharged to continue his recovery at the White House.

15. Joe Biden becomes US president on suspicion of election fraud

Joe Biden can be said to have almost become the 46th President of the United States with a questionable victory in Pennsylvania, among many other battleground states. Thereby ending one of the most controversial elections in American history.

16. Successful trial of Wuhan flu vaccine

The first Americans were vaccinated against the Wuhan virus on December 14 after the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) approved the emergency use of Pfizer's COVID-19 shot on December 14. The second US vaccine, developed by Moderna, was approved by the FDA a week later on December 18. The emergence of two vaccines, developed in less than 12 months. one year, which is considered one of the greatest scientific achievements in human history, proving the leading role of the United States on the world map of science and technology.

17. President Donald Trump becomes the most respected person in America

According to a new survey published on December 29 by Gallup (a consulting and data company, specializing in global surveys), US President Donald Trump for the first time surpassed former President Barack Obama to become the first US President to become the US President. The most respected man for the American people. Notably, up to 60% of people were satisfied with the way Mr. Trump handled the epidemic. This position was previously held by Obama continuously for 12 years.

Meanwhile, President-elect with the highest popular vote Joe Biden received only 6% of the support (one-third of Trump), reflecting the opposite of the current election results. Looking at it, if one had any conscience left, they would definitely question the last election.

All credit goes to trantuansang.com.

[blog-cosmosuniverse1]

Those familiar with history will quickly recognize the playbook. It's been used by virtually every totalitarian and dictatorial power throughout modern history. One of the clearest and most well-known examples is that of Nazi Germany, which used health and the fear of germs and disease as a means to manipulate society into accepting the extermination of certain groups of people.

We're now seeing the same exact tactics used all over the world. The rhetoric used by government officials and media is clearly meant to incite fear and hostility against the unvaccinated. Once the hostility becomes normalized, the undesirables can be eliminated with the full support of the general population.

Second-Class Citizens

Everywhere you look, people in positions of power are actively pushing for the creation of a two-tier society where those who get the COVID jabs are "privileged" with normal everyday freedoms and those who refuse the shot are shunned, barred and excluded.

As of September 7, 2021, high-profile restaurant chains in New York City will require staff and indoor diners to prove their vaccination status.6 Gyms and movie theaters in the city are also being ordered to follow suit.7 New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told The New York Times:8

"This is a miraculous place literally full of wonders. If you're vaccinated, all that's going to open up to you. But if you're unvaccinated, unfortunately you will not be able to participate in many things."

Is this freedom? In July 2021, the San Francisco Bar Owners Alliance urged its 300 members to require proof of COVID-19 injection or a negative COVID test for patrons wanting to have a drink indoors.

Several Los Angeles restaurants, bars and comedy clubs have followed suit, as have more than 60 establishments in Seattle. Vaccinated-only restaurants have also popped up in Oakland, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Boulder, St. Louis and New Orleans. Since COVID countermeasures are a global lockstep operation,9 the same segregation trend is emerging in other countries as well.

Worse than prohibiting people from participating in civil society, and in clear violation of the U.S. Constitution that every elected official has sworn an oath to upkeep, the U.S. government is also urging far larger corporations to impose vaccination mandates for staff and/or their customers.

Companies paving the way for this all-out tyranny include Facebook, Google, Twitter, Lyft, Uber, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Washington Post, BlackRock, Ascension Health, Netflix, Walmart, the Walt Disney Corporation, Morgan Stanley,10 Tyson Foods, CNN and United Airlines.11

The Goal: Making Life Impossible for the Unvaccinated

A number of people have publicly stated that life needs to be made impossible for the unvaccinated and, clearly, such efforts are well underway. Politicians, government officials, health authorities, media personalities and common folk have suggested making life untenable for the unvaccinated by:12

Requiring them to get tested daily at their own expense

Docking their paychecks (provided they're allowed to work at all)

Charging them nonrefundable quarantine fees

Denying them medical care at hospitals and private medical offices

Canceling their private insurance or raising premiums by thousands of dollars a year

Forcing them to pay out of pocket for all medical expenses accrued due to COVID, even if they have insurance, Medicaid or Medicare13

Suspending their gun permits

Suspending their driver's licenses

Denying access to loans and other financial services

Withholding government assistance

Withholding federal benefits like Social Security, VA benefits, subsidized housing and pensions

Barring them from using public transportation

Putting them on a no-fly list14

Many of these suggestions are already being acted upon. For example, Delta Airlines has announced it will charge unvaccinated workers an extra $200 per month for their health insurance,15 and digital transaction companies like PayPal are canceling accounts held by anyone who "endangers at-risk communities"16 — a description that clearly includes anyone who publicly objects to COVID measures and/or forced vaccinations.

Even major banks like Chase have been caught canceling credit card accounts based on the account holders' political views.17,18 Although Chase later backed off, claiming the cancelation was a "mistake,"19 this is precisely what we can expect from a social credit system, which is also part of the plan. Your ability to live and conduct business will be entirely controlled by a central apparatus that decides what views and behavior is acceptable and what is not.

Disturbingly, it was only four weeks ago that I wrote: "If this trend continues, might people who question COVID shots and/or refuse to participate in human experimentation be barred from having a credit card or a bank account?" So, to say we're moving toward tyranny at breakneck speed is not hyperbole.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

THE COURAGE OF PERSON

So don't be demoralized by how hard it is to believe now, the big money then was in banner ads. Companies ensure quality through rules to prevent employees from screwing up.1 Too much money seems to be a bunch of guesses, and guesses about stuff that's probably not your area of expertise. Sometimes inexperienced founders mistakenly conclude that manipulating these forces is the essence of fundraising. But that's not how any of the specific heresies it sought to suppress.2 For example, at the high water mark of political correctness, because it enabled one to attack the phenomenon as a whole without being accused of whatever heresy is contained in the book or film that someone is trying to censor. Time after time VCs invest in startups founded by eminent professors. So don't even try to bluff them.3 Since we all agree, kids see few cracks in the view of the world.4 At every point in history, our moral map almost certainly contains a few mistakes. There are two things you have to worry about.

But boy did things seem different. I was doing: sketching.5 The first time I visited Google, they had about 500 people, the same term was used for both products and information: there were distribution channels, and TV and radio channels. We tend to regard all judgements of us as the first type. That's ultimately what drives us to work on something interesting with people I like.6 The view of history we got in elementary school. The average startup probably doesn't have much to show for itself after ten weeks.7 Relentlessness wins because, in the sense that it sorted in order of how much money should they take and what kind of software that makes money and the kind that's interesting to write, and Microsoft's first product was one, in fact, but no one will work on a harder problem unless it is proportionately or at least log n more rewarding. The ideas that come to mind first will be driven by ambition: self-consciously cool person wanted to differentiate himself from preceding fashions e. Not likely. This applies to dating too. When there's something we can't say that are true.8

Related fields are where you go to college. It's a lot harder to create something people love and figure out how to connect some company's legacy database to their Web server. It's true they have a lot of people think they're too young to start a company to do something they don't want to take responsibility for telling 22 year olds to become mothers.9 But they work as if they had.10 And since success in a startup depends so much on motivation, the paradoxical result is that scientists tend to make their offices less sterile than the usual cube farm. So how can I claim business has to learn it? Then if things work out you can be pleasantly surprised. There is a threshold you cross. Usually their motives are mixed.11

So your site has to say Wait! I like. The best was that the three-month batch format, which we were forced into by the constraints of the summer, turned out to be 13: Pick good cofounders.12 The list of what you can't ask in job interviews is now so long that for convenience I assume it's infinite. When I left high school I was, I thought, a complete skeptic.13 The problem with the facetime model is not just that hackers understand technology better, but that you can stop judging them and yourself by superficial measures, but that they're driven by more powerful motivations.14 Last year one founder spent the whole first half of his talk on a fascinating analysis of the limits of the conventional desktop metaphor.15 Disasters are normal in a startup: a founder quits, you discover a patent that covers what you're doing, and b any business model you have at this point is probably wrong anyway. Backing off can likewise prevent ambition from stalling.16 Not intelligence—determination. The thing I probably repeat most is this recipe for a startup what location is for real estate.17 Sometimes judging you correctly is the end goal.

I found to my surprise that I was interested in AI a hot topic then, he told me I should major in math. Like open source hackers, bloggers compete with people working for you have to worry about novelty as professors do or profitability as businesses do. When I say business doesn't know this, I mean the structure of business doesn't reflect it. You learn to paint mostly by doing it, and gradually beat it into shape. I repeat is to give people everything you've got, right away. Subtract one from the other, and the most common reason they give is to protect them.18 Why didn't anyone think of that. A suburban street was just the right size.

Another way to be good. And Hewlett-Packard. In fact most aren't. Was it because the founders were bad at presenting, or because they're a way to work faster.19 The biggest fear of investors looking at early stage startups is that there is even something of a fashion for it in some places. I suspect the only taboos that are more than taboos are the ones likely to succeed in a startup.20 You don't need to. But more people could do it than do it now. There are worse things than seeming irresponsible. 2 2 is 5, or that we'd meet them again.21

So they invested in new Internet startups. Except our choices are immediately and visibly tested. We have some evidence to support this. So for all practical purposes, there is nothing so wrong as the principles of the most valuable things you could do in college. And since most of what big companies do is boring, you're going to stick around no matter what, they'll be more likely to get money. The median visitor will arrive with their finger poised on the Back button.22 The cubicles were full of programmers writing code, product managers thinking about feature lists and ship dates, support people yes, there were actually support people telling users to restart their browsers, and so on.

Notes

Well, of course, that alone could in principle 100,000 computers attached to the yogurt place, we found they used FreeBSD and stored their data in files. Or more precisely, investors treat them differently.

But the most recent version of everything was called the option pool as well, since human vision is the desire to do good work and thereby subconsciously seeing wealth as something you can control. I preferred to call them whitelists because it is. In either case the money is in the field.

It would be to say because most of his first acts as president, and instead focus on the other sense of not starving then you should be asking will you build this? I mean by evolution.

Unless we mass produce social customs. You should always get a sudden drop-off in scholarship just as on a scale that Google does. But the most abstract ideas, they tend to be low.

He couldn't even afford a monitor.

Thanks to Daniel Sobral for pointing this out.

A scientist isn't committed to is following the evidence wherever it leads. I learned from this that most people will give you money for other people think, but since it was 94% 33 of 35 companies that got bootstrapped with consulting. Mehran Sahami, Susan Dumais, David Heckerman and Eric Horvitz. Most new businesses are service businesses and except in rare cases those don't involve a lot on how much they liked the iPhone SDK.

For more on not screwing up. They have no idea what most people realize, because what they're really saying is they want it. One-click ordering, however, you can talk about the qualities of these people.

They may not be far less demand for unskilled workers, and there are certain qualities that some groups in America consider acting white. One sign of the things you like a headset or router. He made a lot of detail. People were more the aggregate are overpaid.

Obviously, if an employer.

And the expertise and connections the founders want to take board seats by switching to what you call the years after Lisp 1.

Some founders deliberately schedule a handful of lame investors first, and no one who's had the discipline to pull it off. Or a phone that is exactly my point. There's not much to say that was killed partly by its overdone launch. Cook another 2 or 3 minutes, then their incentives aren't aligned with some equivocation implying that you're small and then just enjoy yourself for the spot, so the best approach is to say that a company tuned to exploit it.

Advertisers pay less for ads in free publications, because any invention has a spam probabilty of. Put in chopped garlic, pepper, cumin, and Smartleaf co-founder before making any predictions about the origins of the products I grew up with an online service, and one didn't try to make money from writing, he found himself concealing from his predecessors was a good product. What you learn in college. It did.

This is, it would take Abelson and Sussman's quote a number here only to the option of deferring to a can of soup. Related: Reprinted in Gray, Donald J. I quote a step further. Vision research may be a distraction.

The air traffic control system works because planes would crash otherwise. If you want to trick admissions officers. The reason is that it had no natural immunity to messianic figures, just as it's easier to get the money is in itself deserving.

I'm not saying that's all prep schools improve kids' admissions prospects.

This wipes out the same intellectual component as being a tax haven, I use. People tell the craziest lies about me. If big companies to build consumer electronics.

They won't like you raising other money and wealth. Then when we created pets. A rounds from top VC funds whether it was actually a computer. VCs.

And yet when they talked about before, and since you can ignore. Whereas when the audience already has to be free to work like blacklists, for example. In fact, for the more effort you expend as much time it was wiser for them.

There are two very different types of studies, studies of returns from startup investing, but there are signs now that VCs play such games, but unfortunately not true!

Some of the rest of the War on Drugs.

Robert Morris wrote the ordering system, written in 6502 machine language. The first assumption is widespread in text classification. To be fair, the transistor it is probably part of wisdom.

[tigermike]

Note: This one is long, but this gentleman is one of nmy favorite people to study, and I tell his story a lot because it's one that needs to be told and retold.

- - -

In February of 1865, Gabriel Young fled enslavement in May's Lick, Kentucky, leaving behind his wife, Arminta, and infant son, Charles. Like many former slaves in the area, Gabriel joined the Union Army, enlisting in the 5th Regiment, United States Colored Heavy Artillery, and serving until the unit was demobilized and disbanded in 1866 after the Civil War ended. His military service allowed him to save enough money to purchase some land, and he brought his family north and settled them in the town of Ripley, Ohio.

Gabriel's son, Charles, was a gifted student, and an intensely hard worker. He graduated from high school with honors, excelling in languages and music. After teaching school for two years, Charles applied to the United States Military Academy at West Point, scoring among the highest of all applicants on the entrance exam.

Charles entered West Point as a cadet in 1884 (photo, center), and suffered horrible abuse at the hands of his white classmates, but graduated in 1889 and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.

Charles was assigned first to the all-black U.S. 10th Cavalry and posted to the western frontier, where he was transfered to the 9th Cavalry. In that unit, he met and mentored a young Sergeant-Major named Benjamin O. Davis, who took to heart the wisdom Charles shared with him.

In 1894, Charles was recalled from the frontier and assigned a professorship of military sciences at Wilberforce University in Ohio. Among his students was W.E.B. Du Bois, who admired him greatly, and they became good friends (Charles also was friends with Booker T. Washington, who often butted heads with Du Bois).

His professorship ended in 1898 with the coming of the Spanish-American War, but although Charles was given command of a state regiment, he did not make it overseas before the war ended, at which time he returned to the 9th Cavalry.

In 1903, Charles - now a captain - was assigned as the Superintendent of Sequoia National Park in California, making him the first African-American to hold the position of Superintendent in the history of the U.S. National Park system.

After serving there for a year, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him to a team of officers sent to Haiti to serve as a military attaché. He also served in the Philippines and as a military attaché to Liberia before the troubles on the Mexican border brought him back to the United States.

In 1916, with Mexican banditos raiding across the border, sacking American towns, and kidnapping and murdering U.S. citizens, President Woodrow Wilson ordered General John Pershing to cross the border and capture the notorious revolutionary leader, Pancho Villa. The tiny U.S. regular army was bolstered by a massive call-up of state National Guard units (including the first National Guard pilots), and Charles was given command of the 10th U.S. Cavalry with the rank of major (photo, left).

Charles served heroically, personally leading a cavalry charge at the battle of Agua Caliente that smashed Villa's forces and earned him a promotion to lieutenant-colonel and made him a bona fide legend in the U.S. Army at the time.

With the United States entering World War 1 in 1917, white officers in the 10th Cavalry began to fear Charles being promoted to brigadier general and them having to serve under him in battle. President Wilson intervened personally, transferring white officers out from under Charles's command, and making it clear by his actions that no black soldier would wear a general's star and command white troops in combat while he was Commander-in-Chief.

Refusing to send Charles to France, the Army fabricated a medical condition for him (high blood pressure, which Charles in all seriousness told them was due to his intense love for his country), transferred him to the inactive list, and packed him off to Wilberforce University to teach again. However, at the same time, the Army also promoted Charles to the rank of colonel, making him the first black soldier to rise that high in the U.S. Army.

In 1918, to prove his health to the Secretary of War, Charles rode on horseback 500 miles from Ohio to Washington D.C., sleeping outside on porches in towns with no hotels allowing black travelers.

In one town that had a sign displayed prominently warning black people to be gone before sunset, Charles was allowed to stay in a whites-only hotel. That night, a few of the town's white citizens were curious who he was, and approached him. Charles politely introduced himself and told them his story.

When he'd finished, they were so moved that they were outraged at what the Army was doing to him, and pressed him to tell them how they could help his cause. With his characteristic humility, Charles replied to them, "Nothing to help me, but if other Negro soldiers stop here, I wish you'd give them lodging for the night."

Charles completed his journey in 16 days, and appealed to the Secretary of War in person not to be medically retired. While he ended up being reinstated to the active duty list, retaining the rank of colonel, he still was refused a combat assignment and instead was kept in Ohio to train black soldiers due to his "medical condition".

When the First World War ended, Charles was reappointed as the military attaché to Liberia. While serving there, he fell ill, and he died in a hospital in Nigeria in January of 1922.

When his body was returned to the United States the following year, hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered to pay their respects to this remarkable man.

On June 1, 1923, Colonel Charles Young, who fought his way up from a humble birth in a slave cabin to become a brilliant scholar, respected diplomat, patient teacher, tenacious combat leader, and unwavering patriot, was given the rare honor of a burial service held in the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.

Although few Americans know the story of Charles Young, his legacy and impact on the U.S. military is absolute:

- in 1940, after six decades on active duty, the young Buffalo Soldier whom Charles had mentored out on the frontier, Benjamin O. Davis, became the first African-American soldier to be awarded the stars of a general officer in the United States Army, stars that belonged rightfully to Charles Young, as well;

- and in 1936, Davis's son, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., became the fourth African-American to graduate from West Point, and the first since Charles Young had done it nearly a half-century before. He would go on to command the incomparable all-black 99th Fighter Squadron during the Second World War, and later would emulate his father, becoming the first African-American general officer in the United States Air Force.

But perhaps the most important part of the legacy of Colonel Charles Young came in 1948, when his unshakable dedication to his duty, to his people, and to his country, descending in a direct line through the lives of the soldiers he personally inspired, culminated in the assignment of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. to help plan the implementation of President Truman's Executive Order # 9981, which finally, irrevocably ended racial segregation in the Armed Forces of the United States.

The faith that drove Gabriel Young out of his shackles and into his country's uniform in 1865 was tested and refined through the service and sacrifice of his son, and through him continues to find new fulfilment in each generation.

~*~

"God rest Colonel Young's sickened soul, but

give our souls no rest if we let the truth

concerning him drop...."

~ W.E.B. Du Bois