#politics December 26

[manasastuff-blog]

December 26th, 2024 News Highlights! #news #trendingnews #shorts #latestnewstelugutoday #latestnews

The December 26th, 2024 news highlights are here, covering the top 10 stories that made headlines worldwide! From groundbreaking updates to shocking revelations, this video dives deep into the most trending events of the day. Stay informed as we unpack the major news in politics, technology, sports, and global affairs that shaped December 26th.

#viralnews #trendingnews #etvnews#viralnewstoday#trending#viral #EtvNews#NewsHeadlines#etvteluguindia #etvnews #telangananews #newsheadlines #etvteluguindia#tv9teluguindia #latest #latestnewstoday

[deathcertificateee]

The dissolution of the Soviet Union occurred 33 years ago. The USSR flag was last flown over Russia on December 26, 1991, before its removal and replacement with the current Russian flag.

The collapse of the USSR yielded several benefits, but also presented significant challenges for numerous countries, including Cuba. Following the USSR's dissolution, Cuba faced substantial difficulties. The USSR's cessation of purchases of Cuban commodities, such as sugar, and the loss of vital food supplies resulted in widespread famine and severe shortages for the Cuban populace. To worsen the situation the dictator in Cuba back in 1991, Fidel Castro didn't help the population with any food even with stamps.

Good riddance!

(any wrong information please inform me!)

[moonlightwritingf1]

Not so Innocent | LN4

💋 summary ━━━━━━━ After Lando wins the 2025 championship, he finally gets his chance with Y/N, Oscar's younger sister. Although everyone always assumed she was the innocent one, her surprising confidence and intriguing personality reveal that there’s far more to her than meets the eye.

💋 pairing ━━━━━━━ Lando Norris x she!reader, Lando Norris x Piastri!reader

💋 word count ━━━━━━━ 8.4k

💋 warnings ━━━━━━━ +18, sexual content, p in v, unprotected sex, creampie, oral sex (f and m receiving), fingering?, rough sex, choking?, gagging on cock, multiple orgasms, deep throat, cum eating?

Based on this request.

A steady cheer buzzed through the open-air club in Abu Dhabi, where bright lights sprayed across the dance floor. The entire McLaren team had gathered to celebrate Lando Norris’s triumphant win—his very first Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. It was early December 2025, and the desert air, warm and dry, carried laughter, congratulatory toasts, and the distant hum of music through the night.

Just beyond the crowd, Lando stood by the bar, a gleaming smile never leaving his face. At 26, he was the new champion, that fresh hint of pride in his eyes. His adrenaline remained high from the race weekend, and every so often, he’d run a hand through his hair, pushing away the constant attention to keep his composure.

Standing only a few feet away from him, Y/N drifted in and out of friendly conversations. She had come from Australia a few days earlier to see the final race of the season—she wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Her brother, Oscar, drove for McLaren too, a year older than Y/N, but always protective, especially when it came to Lando. Y/N had always been known as the “innocent” one: a certain polite gentleness in how she spoke, a sweet sincerity in her eyes. Yet there was a flicker of quiet confidence inside her that wasn’t always visible to everyone else—Lando had glimpsed it, now and then, whenever she teased him or met his jokes with her own quick wit.

Music pounded on, and the swirl of lights highlighted everyone’s beaming faces. Lando caught her eye, and she felt a small thrill shoot through her. She allowed herself a timid smile, remembering how that same grin of his had her heart fluttering at Silverstone earlier in the year, or in Monza, or anywhere else she’d seen him. He’d always greet her with a relaxed wave and a playful comment or two, but she’d never thought he would want anything beyond casual banter, especially not with her older brother’s protective gaze forever in the background.

Yet here they were, hugging the edges of the party, energy crackling between them like a secret.

Oscar, for his part, was comfortably nestled in a conversation with McLaren’s top engineers, praising the car's performance that season. Y/N was grateful her brother was distracted. He was good at playing the watchful sibling—he’d made it perfectly clear to Lando that Y/N was “off-limits,” especially after glimpsing some of Lando’s rumored “playboy” ways. Tonight, however, most eyes were either on the new World Champion or on the free-flowing champagne.

Y/N found herself leaning on the bar, sipping ginger ale, content to remain a quiet observer. She wore a sleek dress in a soft color, its silhouette hugging her figure more than her usual casual outfits. Perhaps that subtle confidence she sometimes hid away was seeping through this evening—she felt radiant, certain, even daring.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Lando slipped over to her, wearing a conspiratorial grin. “Aren’t you supposed to be celebrating?” he asked, his voice low enough that only she could hear. “I know you don’t have a race to run tomorrow. Are you afraid of letting loose, or are you just saving your energy?”

She arched an eyebrow, playful. “You might be the champion, Lando, but you don’t get to make me do anything I don’t want,” she teased. “Besides, maybe I’m enjoying the view from right here.”

His eyes sparkled. He was used to easy flirtations, but he couldn’t deny it—something about Y/N always made his heart race. “I’m definitely enjoying the view,” he returned, letting the slightest hint of flirtation linger in his tone.

They chatted about the race. Y/N told him how she thought his overtakes had been flawless under pressure. Lando responded by asking about her time in Melbourne, how she found the racing scene there and how proud her parents were of both her and Oscar. Slowly, they drifted deeper into conversation, the rest of the party falling away. At some point, he guided her away from the bar with a gentle hand at her waist, heading for a quieter corner where the music felt less thunderous.

They settled into a plush lounge seat. Her body angled toward him, knees nearly touching. She could smell the faint cologne on his skin, something warm and woodsy. She noticed the silver bracelet glittering on his wrist, the same one he always wore—said it was a lucky charm from a friend.

Lando leaned close, voice pitched just for her ears. “You know, Oscar told me the day I met you that I’d better not get any ideas.” He lifted an amused brow. “Reckon he saw something in the way I looked at you.”

Y/N laughed a little. “Well, he does claim to read minds. He’s not as good as he thinks, though.” She paused, tapping a thoughtful finger to her lips. “And…what about you? Did you really have ideas?” She couldn’t believe she was being so forward, her usual timidity melting into the swirling atmosphere of possibility.

He rested his elbow on the back of the sofa, gaze fixed on her. “I did,” he admitted, speaking over the heavy throb of music, “but I never acted. Figured you’d see me the way most people do—a flirty driver with a short attention span.”

Y/N’s lips twitched into a small smile. “You’re more than that. At least…you seemed more than that to me. Been watching you for a while, you know.”

Heat coursed between them at that admission, and neither of them seemed to mind how close their hands had gotten. His fingers brushed against hers. She caught her breath—this was too intense, but also exhilarating.

He lowered his head a fraction, close enough that she could feel his breath fan across her cheek. “Congratulations are in order for me. But now I’m thinking I should congratulate you—on staying so patient. On seeing what others might not see in me.”

She stifled a small, nervous laugh. “Lando, you might want to be careful with lines like that. You’ll give a girl the wrong idea.”

“Maybe it’s the right idea,” he murmured.

Her heart fluttered. Everything felt magnified: the lights, the vibrations of the music, his presence. The day had been an emotional one—he had just been crowned champion, after all. They were in the glowing aftermath of victory, and the tension they’d been ignoring for months had finally found a moment to surface.

Suddenly a wave of applause and a burst of cheering ruffled the room; some of the team had decided to raise Oscar up, presumably praising him for his own strong season. A few faces turned in Lando’s direction, inviting him over. He gave them a quick, friendly wave but stayed in place, eyes only for Y/N.

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and set aside her empty glass on a nearby table. “They need you,” she said softly.

He shrugged, unwavering. “But I need you more.”

Her cheeks heated, and a ripple of excitement wound through her chest. She tried to scold him lightly—“You’d better not let your fans hear you say that”—but her voice cracked with amusement.

Before either of them could talk themselves out of the moment, he leaned in. Cautiously at first, as if testing boundaries. Y/N inhaled sharply, parted her lips. Their mouths found each other in a slow, sweet brush that built with every passing second. In the back of her mind, she realized exactly what they were doing, that they were in the midst of the McLaren celebration. But the world felt thousands of miles away.

His lips pressed against hers with rising urgency, and she made the faintest sound of surprise and delight. The taste of him—spearmint gum and leftover champagne—sent warmth crackling through her. She looped her arms around his neck, and he responded by pulling her closer to his body, their hearts pounding in unison.

After a few moments of stolen kisses, they broke apart, breathless. The corners of Lando’s mouth curled into a grin, as if he couldn’t believe he was finally allowed to kiss her. She had an almost dazed expression, lips tingling.

He swallowed, took a steadying breath. “Come with me,” he whispered.

Her eyes flicked around at the crowd. “Back to your hotel?”

He gave a brisk nod, the glint in his eye telling her precisely where his thoughts had traveled. “I…well, I’m not exactly subtle, am I?”

She laughed, a sound full of gentle mischief. “Not even a little.”

A few minutes later, with some well-timed goodbyes and a quick word to a clueless Oscar—who seemed too preoccupied with a new wave of celebration to question his sister’s exit—Lando and Y/N slipped out. The short drive back to Lando’s hotel was a blur: the taxi’s radio, the neon lights of Abu Dhabi passing by, his arm wrapped around her shoulder as she leaned into him. They didn’t speak much; the tension they had tiptoed around for so long now simmered tangibly between them.

As soon as they reached the suite—a luxurious room with a spectacular view of Yas Marina Circuit—Lando swiped the keycard. The heavy door clicked shut behind them. The instant the latch caught, he turned to her. They stood close, the hush of air-conditioning the only sound.

And then, as though a dam had broken, he cupped her face and kissed her again, this time with a fervor that made her head spin. She responded with equal fervency, letting her fingertips press into the fabric of his shirt, feeling his heart hammering beneath.

Their breathing grew ragged. Fingers tangled in each other’s hair; hands traveled over backs, arms, waists. Y/N surprised him with just how brazen she was—there was no shy hesitation in her touches now. She was urging him on, meeting every kiss with more boldness.

“Do you know,” he murmured between kisses, “how many times I’ve imagined this?”

Y/N, savoring the heat of his breath on her neck, whispered back, “I could only guess.”

Y/N’s lips curved into a sly smile, one that took him by surprise. “You’re not the only one.” Her hands slid down his chest, fingers deftly undoing the buttons of his shirt. Lando’s breath hitched as she pushed the fabric off his shoulders, her touch lingering on his skin. He had always imagined her as sweet, innocent, but the way her fingers traced his abs, the way her gaze burned with intensity, told him he had been very wrong.

“Y/N,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire. “You’re… not at all what I expected.”

She laughed softly, the sound sending a shiver down his spine. “And what did you expect? A blushing virgin who didn’t know what to do?” Her hands slid to his belt, unbuckling it with practiced ease. “I might look innocent, Lando, but I’m far from it.”

His hands tightened on her waist, pulling her closer. “Prove it,” he challenged, his tone daring.

She didn’t hesitate. With a confidence that left him breathless, she pushed him back onto the bed, following him down without breaking their gaze. Her lips found his again, this time with a hunger that matched his own. Her hands roamed over his body, exploring every inch of him, leaving trails of fire in their wake. Lando groaned, his own hands slipping under her dress, sliding it up her thighs.

“God, Y/N,” he gasped as her lips moved to his neck, her teeth grazing his skin. “You’re driving me crazy.”

She smiled against his neck, her hands working on the zipper of her dress. “Good.” The dress slid down her body, pooling at her feet, and Lando’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of her. She was stunning, her confidence radiating as she stood before him, unashamed and unapologetic.

“You’re beautiful,” he breathed, his hands reaching for her. But she stepped back, shaking her head with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Not yet,” she teased, her voice low and sultry. She knelt before him, her hands resting on his thighs, and Lando’s breath caught as she looked up at him through her lashes.

“Y/N,” he warned, his voice strained, but she only smiled, her fingers hooking into the waistband of his boxers.

“Relax, Lando,” she purred, leaning in closer. “Let me take care of you.”

She didn’t waste a moment, her hands moving to the waistband of his trousers. With a swift, practiced motion, she tugged them down, along with his boxers, leaving him fully exposed. 

Lando’s breath hitched, his hands gripping the sheets as he watched her kneel before him, her eyes locking onto his with a confidence that sent a jolt of electricity through him. She leaned in, her lips brushing against the tip of his cock, but instead of the shy, tentative kiss he expected, she paused, her gaze never leaving his. Then, with a wicked smirk, she spat onto his cock, the sound sharp and wet in the quiet room.

Lando’s jaw dropped, his eyes wide with shock. “Shit—look at the mess you just made… you’re so fucking filthy,” he groaned, his voice thick with arousal. The spit glistened on his length, and Y/N didn’t waste a second. She licked it up slowly, her tongue flicking over the tip before she spat again, this time letting it trail down his shaft, her eyes glinting with mischief. “I didn’t expect you to be this messy… but fuck, I love it,” he admitted, his hips bucking slightly as she worked. “You’re spitting on my cock like you fucking own it.”

She smirked up at him, her fingers tightening around the base of his cock as she leaned in, her lips wrapping around him once more. But this time, she didn’t stop at the tip. She deepthroated him effortlessly, taking him all the way down her throat like she had done it a thousand times before. Lando’s head fell back, a guttural groan escaping his lips as he felt her throat tighten around him. “Shit—baby, you’re full of fucking surprises, aren’t you?” he gasped, his voice strained with desire. “You didn’t even hesitate… fuck, baby, you’re actually trying to kill me.”

The sensation was overwhelming—her mouth was warm, wet, and impossibly tight, her throat muscles constricting perfectly around him. “Look at you, taking every fucking inch. Didn’t think you had it in you,” he breathed, his hand tangling in her hair. “You’re not even gagging—fuck, that’s so fucking hot.” His cock throbbed inside her mouth, every inch of him enveloped in pure pleasure, and he could feel his control slipping with every stroke of her tongue.

Y/N pulled back slightly, her lips swollen and glistening with spit, and looked up at him with a look that sent a shiver down his spine. “I swear to God, Y/N, I’ve never been this hard in my life,” he admitted, his voice shaking. “You really know what you’re doing, don’t you? How the fuck did I not see this side of you before?” She didn’t respond with words, her mouth returning to him with a hunger that left him breathless.

Her hands rested on his thighs, gripping tightly as she looked up at him, her eyes never leaving his. “Fuck me,” she whispered, her voice low and commanding, her lips glistening with spit. “Fuck my throat, Lando. I want you to use me.”

Lando’s breath caught, his cock twitching at the demand. “Shit, Y/N,” he groaned, his voice rough with desire. “You’re so fucking filthy. You really want me to fuck your throat? You’re not holding back, are you?”

She didn’t respond with words, only a wicked smirk as she leaned back in, her lips wrapping around him once more. This time, she didn’t wait for him to take control. She bobbed her head, taking him deep, her throat tightening around him in a way that made him groan. “Fuck,” he hissed, his fingers tangling in her hair. “You’re actually letting me do this? You’re not even—Jesus, Y/N, you’re perfect.”

Her hands tightened on his thighs, urging him on. “Do it,” she managed to say between strokes, her voice muffled but clear. “Fuck my throat like you mean it.”

Lando didn’t need to be told twice. His hips snapped forward, driving himself deeper into her mouth, and he let out a guttural moan as he felt her throat constrict around him. “Shit, baby, you’re taking it so fucking well,” he growled, his pace quickening. “You’re letting me use you like this, huh? Such a good fucking girl. Fuck, you’re drooling all over me. Look at you, making such a mess for me.”

Y/N’s moans vibrated around him, her eyes never leaving his, and he could feel his control slipping with every thrust. “I swear to God, Y/N, I’ve never been this hard in my life,” he admitted, his voice shaking. “You’re not even flinching. You’re just letting me take you, letting me fuck your throat like it’s mine. How the fuck did I not see this side of you before?”

She smirked around him, her hands sliding up to his hips, pulling him deeper. “Harder,” she managed to choke out, and Lando obeyed without hesitation, his hips slamming against her face as he lost himself in the sensation. “Fuck, Y/N, you’re trying to kill me,” he gasped, his voice strained. “You’re so fucking good at this. You’re going to make me come if you keep going like this.”

But she didn’t stop. If anything, she took him deeper, her throat swallowing him whole as he lost himself in the pure, unrelenting pleasure of her mouth. “You’re perfect,” he panted, his fingers tightening in her hair. “Fuck, you’re perfect.”

Lando’s cock ached with need, his hips thrusting into her mouth with abandon. Her throat was a tight, wet heat that drove him wild, and the way she took him so easily, so hungrily, was almost too much to bear. “Didn’t think my sweet, innocent girl would be this fucking filthy,” he growled, his voice thick with arousal. “Fuck, you love this, don’t you? Taking me down your throat like you were made for it.”

Y/N’s eyes watered slightly as he pushed her to her limit, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she moaned around him again, her hands gripping his thighs as she took every inch he gave her. “Shit, I can feel you gagging, but you’re still taking it. Such a good girl,” he murmured, his grip on her hair tightening. “You’re making me lose my fucking mind, baby.”

His hips moved faster, his cock sliding in and out of her throat with a wet, rhythmic sound. “Look at you, eyes watering, but you’re still begging for more,” he panted, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t even have to tell you what to do. You just know. Fuck, that’s so hot.” The room was filled with the sounds of her moans and his ragged breaths, the tension between them reaching its breaking point.

“You��re sucking me like you want to ruin me, baby. And it’s working,” he groaned, his body trembling under her touch. Lando could feel himself teetering on the edge, his body taut with pleasure as she continued to drive him wild. “Baby, you’re too fucking good at this��� are you sure you’re as innocent as everyone thinks?” he panted, his voice barely above a whisper.

She pulled back once more, her lips swollen and glistening, her eyes locked onto his with a look that told him she was far from done. “You’re going to be the death of me, Y/N,” he groaned, his body trembling under her touch. “But fuck, what a way to go.”

She looked at him with a smirk. “Still think I’m innocent?”

He laughed, the sound breathless and rough. “Not even close.”

She stood up slowly, her eyes never leaving his as she reached behind her to unhook her bra. The fabric slipped from her shoulders, revealing her breasts, the nipples already hard with anticipation. She let the bra fall to the floor, her hands trailing down her body as she hooked her fingers into the waistband of her panties. With a slow, deliberate motion, she slid them down her legs, stepping out of them and kicking them aside. The sight of her completely naked, her pussy glistening with arousal, sent a jolt of desire through Lando that made his cock throb painfully.

“Tell me, Lando,” she purred, her voice low and sultry as she climbed onto the bed, straddling his lap. Her pussy brushed against the length of his cock, the wet heat of her sending sparks of electricity through his body. “How badly do you want me right now?” Her hips rolled slowly, the slickness of her folds sliding along his shaft, teasing him mercilessly.

Lando’s breath hitched, his hands gripping her hips tightly as she ground against him. “Fuck, Y/N,” he groaned, his voice rough with desire. “You have no idea.” 

She leaned down, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, “I know you’ve had your fair share of women, but let’s see if any of them made you feel like this.” Her hips moved in slow, deliberate circles, the wet heat of her pussy making his cock ache with need. She could feel every inch of him pressing against her, the thick length of him pulsing with desire as she teased him. 

“Congratulations, world champion,” she said, her voice laced with amusement as she rocked against him. “Now, let’s see if you can keep up with me.”

Her hands drifted up to her breasts, her fingers pinching and tugging at her nipples, making them even harder. She moaned softly, the sensation of her own touch sending waves of pleasure through her body. Her tits bounced slightly with the movement of her hips, the sight of her playing with herself driving Lando wild.

“All this time, you thought I was just Oscar’s sweet little sister… but tell me, Lando, do I still seem so innocent rubbing my pussy on your cock?” she teased, her voice dripping with mischief. Her pussy was so wet, the slickness of her coating his cock as she ground against him, the friction making her moan softly.

Lando’s hands tightened on her hips, his breath coming in ragged gasps as she continued to tease him. “Fuck, Y/N,” he groaned, his voice strained. “You’re killing me.”

“You can’t stop staring… is it because you’re turned on, or because you’re still trying to figure out where your sweet, innocent Y/N went?” she whispered, her lips brushing against his ear. Her hips moved faster, the wet heat of her pussy sliding along his cock, making him groan.

She could feel the tension building in him, the way his cock pulsed against her, and she knew he was close. But she wasn’t ready to let him have her yet. Her hands continued to play with her breasts, squeezing and kneading them, the sensation making her moan softly. She loved the way it felt, the way her nipples ached with pleasure as she pinched them, the way her tits bounced with the movement of her hips.

“I bet you thought I’d be shy about this… that I’d blush and hesitate. But look at you, Lando. You’re the one left speechless,” she taunted, her voice filled with satisfaction. Her pussy was so wet, the slickness of her coating his cock as she ground against him, the friction making her moan softly.

“You thought you had me all figured out, didn’t you? That I was too good, too sweet, too off-limits. But tell me, do I feel off-limits now?” she whispered, her lips brushing against his ear. Her hips moved faster, the wet heat of her pussy sliding along his cock, making him groan.

Lando’s grip on her hips tightened, his breath coming in ragged gasps as she continued to tease him. “Fuck, Y/N,” he groaned, his voice strained. 

“Please…” 

“Please what, Lando?” she purred, her voice filled with amusement. Her hips moved in slow, deliberate circles, the wet heat of her pussy making his cock ache with need. She could feel every inch of him pressing against her, the thick length of him pulsing with desire as she teased him. 

“Please, just take me,” he begged, his voice desperate.

Y/N smirked, leaning down to capture his lips in a searing kiss. “As you wish,” she whispered, her voice filled with promise.

She lifted her hips slightly, positioning herself over him. The tip of his cock brushed against her entrance, and she moaned softly, the sensation sending a shiver of anticipation through her body. Slowly, she sank down onto him, the thick length of him filling her completely. She gasped, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment as she savored the feeling of him inside her.

“Fuck, Y/N,” Lando groaned, his hands gripping her hips tightly as she took him. “You feel so fucking good.”

She opened her eyes, looking down at him with a smirk. “I know,” she said, her voice filled with satisfaction. 

She started to move, her hips rocking slowly at first, the wet heat of her pussy squeezing him tightly. The sensation was overwhelming, the way her pussy gripped him, the way her wetness coated him, the way her movements sent waves of pleasure through his body.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so fucking tight,” he groaned, his voice shaking. “You’re going to make me come.”

Y/N smirked, her hips moving faster, the wet heat of her pussy squeezing him even tighter. “That’s the idea,” she purred, her voice filled with satisfaction. 

He couldn’t hold back any longer. The moment she started to ride him in earnest, the second stroke of her hips was all it took. His cock throbbed inside her, the pressure building until it was unbearable. With a guttural groan, he came, his cum shooting deep inside her, filling her completely.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he gasped, his body trembling with the intensity of his orgasm. “I can’t believe I just came so fast.” 

She smirked, her hips still moving slowly, milking every last drop from him. “You really couldn’t help yourself, could you?” she teased, her voice filled with amusement. She loved the way his cum felt inside her, the way it filled her, the way it made her pussy feel even more sensitive.

Lando groaned, his face burning with embarrassment. “Fuck, Y/N, I swear that never happens—” 

She leaned down, her lips brushing against his ear. “Did I really just make the big, bad playboy cum in two seconds?” she whispered, her voice filled with satisfaction.

He groaned, his whole face turning red. “Baby, I swear I’m usually better than that.” 

She grinned, dragging a hand down his abs. “I know, but it’s kinda cute seeing you like this.”

He groaned again, his cock still twitching inside her, over-sensitive but still hard. “Okay, in my defense, you feel too fucking good.” 

She raised a brow, her hips moving slightly, teasing him. “Is that supposed to make you sound less pathetic?”

He groaned, his hands gripping her hips tightly. “Shut up and let me redeem myself.” 

She smirked, her hips still moving slowly, milking every last drop from him. “You’re not done, are you?”

He swallowed thickly, his cock still twitching inside her. “Not even close.”

Y/N smirked, her hips grinding against him slowly, milking every last drop from him. Then, with a deliberate motion, she lifted herself off his cock, his cum already beginning to drip out of her. She watched as his cock slid out of her pussy, the thick length glistening with a mix of her wetness and his cum. Her pussy felt empty without him, the warmth of his release pooling inside her, but the sensation only heightened her arousal. She was still dripping wet, her pussy throbbing with need, her body craving more.

She reached down, her fingers tracing the swollen lips of her pussy, feeling the thick, creamy mess of his cum as it dripped out of her. She sighed softly, the sensation of her own touch sending shivers through her body. She dipped her fingers inside herself, collecting his cum, and then brought them to her mouth, her lips wrapping around them as she sucked them clean. She moaned softly, the taste of him on her tongue making her even wetter. She repeated the motion, her fingers diving back into her pussy, scooping up more of his cum before bringing them back to her mouth, sucking and licking them clean with a wicked smile.

Lando watched her, his breath caught in his throat, his cock already twitching with renewed desire. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, the way she moved, the way she tasted herself, the way she looked at him with those eyes that told him she was far from done. “Jesus fucking Christ, you are so dirty,” he breathed, his voice filled with awe. He loved the way she cleaned herself, the way she sucked on her fingers, the way she looked at him with that smirk that told him she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

“You love this, don’t you?” she purred, her voice low and sultry as she slipped her fingers back into her pussy, scooping up more of his cum. She brought them to her mouth, her lips wrapping around them as she sucked them clean, her eyes never leaving his. “Being buried between my thighs like you fucking belong there.”

Lando groaned, his hands gripping her hips tightly as she teased him. “You’re actually trying to kill me,” he admitted, his voice shaking. He couldn’t believe how turned on he was, how hard he was again, just from watching her. His cock twitched, the sight of her tasting his cum driving him wild.

She smirked, continuing to clean herself, her fingers sliding in and out of her pussy as she sucked them clean, her eyes locked onto his. “You’re insane,” he breathed, watching her with a mix of disbelief and pure desire. “That’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

She slid off him. She laughed softly, finally satisfied that she was clean, her pussy still throbbing with need. She lay down on the bed next to him, spreading her legs in an inviting manner. "Now, baby," she purred, her voice filled with promise, "it's your turn."

Lando didn’t need to be told twice. He moved down between her legs, his hands gripping her thighs as he buried his face in her pussy. His tongue flicked over her clit, the taste of her making him groan. He loved the way she tasted, the way she felt, the way her pussy gripped his tongue as he slid it inside her. He loved the way she moaned, the way her hips rocked against his face, the way she pulled his hair, urging him on.

“You’re making me feel so fucking good, baby,” Y/N moaned, her hands gripping his hair tightly as he devoured her. “Keep going.”

Lando groaned, his tongue continued to flicker over her clit, his hands gripping her thighs even tighter as he ate her out. 

“Shit, Lando—yes, just like that,” Y/N moaned, her hips grinding against his face as he sucked on her clit. “Suck on my clit, baby.”

Lando groaned again, he burying his face deeper between her legs. His tongue flicked over her clit with precision, teasing the sensitive bud before diving lower to trace the wet, swollen lips of her pussy. The taste of her was intoxicating—sweet, salty, and uniquely hers—and he couldn’t get enough. He swirled his tongue around her entrance, lapping up her arousal, the sound of her slickness filling the quiet room.

Y/N’s breath hitched, her hips instinctively arching toward his mouth as if begging for more. “Oh God, Lando,” she moaned, her hands tangling in his hair, urging him on. Her body was electric, every flick of his tongue sending jolts of pleasure through her.

He responded by sliding his tongue inside her, exploring her tight, warm depths with a hunger that matched her own. She gasped, her thighs trembling under his grip as he worked her with relentless intensity. His tongue moved in slow, deliberate strokes, teasing her clit one moment and plunging deep the next.

“Yes, just like that,” she breathed, her voice trembling with pleasure. Her fingers tightened in his hair, pulling him closer, deeper, as if she could fuse them together.

Lando moaned against her, the vibrations of his voice sending shivers through her core. He loved the way she tasted, the way she writhed beneath him, the way her pussy clenched around his tongue as if begging for release. His hands slid up her thighs, gripping her hips firmly as he devoured her with a fervor that left her breathless.

He paused for a moment, lifting his head to meet her gaze. His lips glistened with her wetness, a wicked smirk playing on his face. “You’re so fucking delicious, Y/N,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. “I could eat you out all night.”

Her hips ground against his face with a desperate urgency, her thighs trembling as the pressure built inside her. “You’re gonna make me cum, baby,” Y/N moaned, her voice shaking with need. Her hands tightened in his hair, pulling him closer, deeper, her fingers threading through the strands as if anchoring herself to him. “Don’t you fucking stop.”

Lando’s tongue worked her clit with expert precision, flicking and swirling in just the right way to drive her wild. His hands gripped her thighs, holding her steady as her movements grew more frantic. He could feel her clenching around his fingers, her body trembling on the edge of release. The taste of her was intoxicating, he couldn’t get enough, lapping at her hungrily as she writhed above him.

“Fuck, Lando—yes, just like that,” she gasped, her voice breaking as the first waves of her orgasm hit her. Her body convulsed, her hips rocking over his face with a wild, unrestrained rhythm. She was losing control, her moans growing louder, more desperate, as her clit throbbed under his relentless tongue. “Oh God, I’m cumming—fuck, I’m cumming!”

Her thighs clamped around his head, her nails digging into his scalp as she gripped his hair even harder, pulling him even closer as she rode out her orgasm. Her pussy pulsed, her tight walls clamping down as her release washed over her in overwhelming waves. She could feel every flick of his tongue, every vibration of his moans against her sensitive flesh, sending shockwaves of pleasure through her.

Lando groaned against her, his own body trembling with the intensity of her reaction. He loved the way she came undone on his tongue, the way her hips moved frantically over his face, the way her hands pulled his hair as if she needed him to anchor her. He loved the taste of her, the way she coated his tongue with her arousal. “Fuck, Y/N,” he murmured, his voice muffled against her. “You’re so fucking perfect.”

Her body shook with the force of her orgasm, her hips still grinding against his face as she chased every last bit of pleasure. Her moans were loud, unrestrained, her voice trembling as she cried out in ecstasy. “Oh God, Lando—fuck, I’m still cumming,” she gasped, her thighs trembling around his head as her release continued to wash over her. “You feel so fucking good—don’t stop, don’t stop!”

Lando didn’t stop, his tongue flicking over her clit with relentless precision, drawing out every last shiver, every last moan. He loved the way she responded to him, the way her body quaked with pleasure, the way her hands stayed tangled in his hair, pulling him closer even as she came apart. “That’s it, baby,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire. “Cum for me. Let me taste all of you.”

Her orgasm seemed to go on forever, her body trembling with the intensity of it, her pussy pulsing as she rode out the waves of pleasure. When she finally collapsed back onto the bed, her chest heaving, her thighs still trembling, she was utterly spent. “Fuck, Lando,” she panted, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’re fucking incredible.”

Lando smirked, lifting his head to meet her gaze, his lips glistening with her wetness. “I told you,” he said, his voice filled with satisfaction. 

But there was no time for words—his cock was already rock hard again, throbbing with an ache that demanded to be buried deep inside her. He could feel every inch of it straining, veins pulsing under the sensitive skin, the tip slick with pre-cum as it twitched impatiently. His breath was ragged, his body burning with need, and the way she looked at him—eyes filled with desire, lips parted, her chest rising and falling—only made him harder. He wanted her. Needed her.

He positioned himself between her legs, his hands gripping her thighs as he guided the tip of his cock to her entrance. Her pussy was glistening, swollen and wet, the sight of her arousal making his cock throb even more. He pressed against her slowly, the head of his cock spreading her open, and they both groaned as he slid inside her, inch by inch. Her pussy was so tight, so warm, the walls clenching around him as if they were made to fit him perfectly. She gasped, her nails digging into his shoulders as he filled her completely, his cock buried to the hilt.

For a moment, he stayed still, letting her adjust to him, savoring the way her pussy felt around him—soft, but so tight, gripping him like a fist. He could feel every pulse of her arousal, the wetness coating his cock as he held himself deep inside her. Her pussy felt perfect, like it had been waiting for him all this time, and the thought sent a jolt of pleasure through him. “Fuck, Y/N,” he groaned, his voice shaking. “You feel so fucking good.”

She moaned, her hips shifting slightly, and he could feel her walls tightening around him. “I can feel you,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I can feel every inch of you inside me.” Her pussy was so sensitive, every movement of his cock sending waves of pleasure through her. She loved the way he filled her, the way he stretched her open, the way his cock throbbed inside her, making her feel so full.

But she didn’t want slow—she wanted more. Her nails dug into his hips, her voice pleading. “Fuck, don’t tease me. Give it to me like you mean it.”

Lando hesitated, still worried about being too rough, but she wasn’t having it. “Lando, I don’t want slow. I want you to fuck me like you can’t get enough of me.” Her voice was desperate, her hips grinding against him, urging him on.

He started to move, his cock sliding in and out of her with slow, deliberate strokes. Her pussy clenched around him, the wetness making every movement smooth and effortless. He could feel her walls gripping him, the warmth of her arousal making his cock throb. “You’re so fucking tight,” he groaned, his voice rough with desire. “I can feel how much you want this.”

But slow wasn’t enough for her. “I’m not some delicate thing, baby. Fucking break me,” she begged, her voice shaking. Her nails dug into his back, pulling him closer, deeper. “You feel so fucking good, but I need more. Give me more.”

Lando’s control snapped. He grabbed her hips, slamming into her harder, faster, his cock going in and out of her with a rough rhythm that had her crying out. Her pussy clutched him tighter, the wetness making every thrust slick and smooth, her walls squeezing him with every movement. He could feel her arousal coating his cock, the warmth of her pussy enveloping him, making him groan with pleasure. She was so wet, so tight, and the way her pussy gripped him was almost too much to bear.

“Fuck, just like that… but harder. Make me scream for you,” she moaned, her voice trembling. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin as she rocked her hips against him, meeting every thrust with equal fervor. He could feel her pussy tightening around him, her walls throbbing with every movement, and the sensation drove him wild.

“You can be rough with me. I want to feel everything,” she gasped, her voice desperate. His cock was hitting her in all the right places, every thrust sending jolts of pleasure through her. Her pussy was so sensitive, the friction of his cock inside her making her feel like she was on fire. 

Lando’s pace quickened, his cock slamming into her with a force that had her moaning loudly. Her pussy was soaking wet, every thrust making her walls clench around him, the wetness coating his cock as he fucked her. He could feel her pussy gripping him, the warmth of her arousal making his cock throb with every movement. “I want you to fuck me so hard I forget my own name,” she panted, her voice shaking.

He leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear. “You’re mine, Y/N,” he growled, his voice rough with desire. “Only mine.” His thrusts became more erratic, his cock plunging into her with a wild rhythm that had her crying out. He could feel her walls throbbing around him, her arousal making every movement slick and smooth.

She grabbed his hand, dragging it to her throat without a word. He hesitated for a moment, but she moaned when he tightened his grip, her nails digging into his back. “You like this, don’t you?” he whispered, his voice low and rough. “You like when I take control.”

She moaned, her voice muffled by his hand on her throat. “Yes,” she gasped. “Make me yours, Lando. Fuck me like I belong to you.”

The gesture—her moving his hand to her throat—was so unexpected, so fucking hot that it made him lose control. He tightened his grip slightly, his thrusts becoming even more erratic, his cock slamming into her with a force that had her moaning loudly. She loved the way he took control, the way he made her feel so vulnerable, so completely his.

But then, when his hand moved to her clit, she slapped it away. “Watch me, Lando,” she whispered, her voice filled with mischief. She reached down, her fingers brushing against her clit as she started to rub herself. Her head fell back, her eyes fluttering shut as she moaned. “You like seeing me like this, don’t you? So needy, so fucking wet for you.”

Lando couldn’t take his eyes off her. The way she touched herself, the way she moaned, the way her pussy clenched around his cock—it was driving him wild. “Fuck, Y/N,” he groaned, his voice shaking. “You’re so fucking sexy.”

She smirked, her fingers moving faster. “I want to feel you deep inside me while I make myself come,” she panted, her voice desperate. She was so close, her pussy tightening around him, her walls throbbing with every movement. “Fuck, Lando… keep watching me. Don’t look away.”

Her orgasm hit her suddenly, her body convulsing as she came, her pussy clenching around his cock with a force that had him groaning. “Fuck, Y/N,” he gasped, his voice shaking. “You’re so fucking tight.”

She panted, her body trembling as she rode out her orgasm, her fingers still moving against her clit. “Let me ride you,” she begged, her voice trembling. “Let me make you come.”

Lando didn’t need to be told twice. He flipped them over, letting her straddle him. She sank down onto his cock, her pussy still throbbing from her orgasm, and started to ride him with a wild, unrestrained rhythm. 

Her hands pressed firmly into his chest, nails digging into his skin as she rode him with a wild, unrestrained rhythm. Y/N’s hips moved with a ferocity that left Lando breathless, his hands gripping her waist tightly to steady her. He had imagined her sweet, slow, and tentative, but she was bouncing on his cock like she was trying to break him. Her pussy gripped him with every downward stroke, the tight, wet heat of her walls clenching around his length in a way that made his thoughts blur.

Her tits bounced inches from his face, jiggling with every frantic movement of her hips. The sight alone had Lando groaning, his hands moving from her waist to cup her breasts, kneading them roughly as she rode him. She moaned, her head thrown back, her hair cascading down her back in a wild, tangled mess. "Cum for me, baby," she panted, her voice dripping with desperation. "I want to feel you spill inside me."

Lando’s cock throbbed inside her, the sensation of her pussy squeezing him so tightly making it impossible to hold back. "Fuck, Y/N," he groaned, his voice rough and strained. "You’re not even giving me a chance to breathe."

She smirked, her hips never slowing as she leaned forward, her tits practically smothering his face. "You love knowing I’m not as innocent as you thought, don’t you?" she teased, her voice laced with mischief. "You love knowing I can fuck you just as good as you fuck me."

Her pussy felt incredible—welcoming, tight, and dripping wet. Every time she rose and fell on his cock, he felt her walls grip him, the sheer wetness of her making every movement slick and smooth. Her inner muscles pulsed around him, as if they were milking him for every drop. For Y/N, his cock felt like fire, stretching her open, filling her completely, the thick length of him hitting every sensitive spot as she rode him. She could feel every vein, every throb, every inch of him inside her, and it was driving her wild.

She leaned back, her hands finding the headboard behind her, and used it as leverage to fuck him even harder. Her tits bounced wildly in his face, the nipples hard and begging for attention. Lando reached up, pinching and tugging at them, making her moan as her hips moved faster, slamming down onto him with a force that had him groaning.

"Have you ever been fucked like this before?" she asked, her voice teasing, though she already knew the answer. She could feel him shaking beneath her, his cock throbbing inside her as he struggled to keep control.

"Fuck, no," Lando admitted, his voice trembling. "No one’s ever made me feel this good."

She smirked, slowing her movements just enough to lift herself off his cock completely, leaving him empty and aching. She made him watch as she sank back down onto him, the slow, deliberate motion driving him crazy. Her pussy stretched around him, the wetness making everything slick and effortless, and she moaned as she took him to the hilt.

"You like watching me take you, don’t you?" she whispered, her voice low and sultry.

"Baby, don’t play with me like this," Lando groaned, his hands gripping her thighs tightly. "I’m barely holding on."

She laughed softly, her hips rolling as she leaned forward, her tits brushing against his chest. "Feel that, baby?" she purred. "How wet I am? All for you."

Her third orgasm began to build, a slow, steady pressure that started deep in her core and spread outward with every thrust. She could feel the ache growing, the tension coiling tighter and tighter as she rode him. "Lando, I’m gonna cum," she gasped, her voice shaking. "Fuck, I need you to fill me up."

His hands tightened on her hips, his cock throbbing inside her as he struggled to keep control. "Let go, baby, let go," he pleaded, his voice rough. "I need to feel you cum around me."

Her orgasm hit her suddenly, her pussy clenching around him with a force that had them both crying out. "Shit, baby, I’m cumming!" she screamed, her body trembling as the waves of pleasure crashed over her.

Lando groaned, his own release following almost instantly. "Fuck, yes, baby, cum for me," he gasped, his cock pulsing as he spilled inside her, filling her completely. "Shit, I’m right there with you."

Her pussy felt incredible to him—warm, tight, and throbbing as she came around him. For Y/N, his cock felt like heaven, the thick length of him stretching her open as he filled her with his cum. She could feel the warmth of his release pooling inside her, making every movement of her hips even more sensitive.

"I’m so fucking full, baby," she panted, her voice trembling. "Oh my God, I can feel you filling me up."

Lando groaned, his body shaking as he buried himself deep inside her. "I’m not pulling out, baby," he admitted, his voice thick with satisfaction. "Fuck, I need to fill you up."

She collapsed onto his chest, her body trembling as they both came down from their high. Her pussy still pulsed around his cock, the aftershocks of her orgasm making her shiver. "I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to let you go after this," she whispered, her voice soft and sated.

Lando chuckled, his hands gently stroking her back. "Good," he murmured, his voice filled with promise. "Because I’m not going anywhere."

Y/N leaned in, her lips brushing against his in a tender, almost innocent kiss—a stark contrast to the way she’d just destroyed him moments ago. Her soft, sweet mouth moved over his, soothing and gentle, like a quiet reminder of the girl he thought he knew. But as he kissed her back, his mind reeled, still trying to reconcile the softness of her lips with the filth she’d just unleashed on him. She’d taken him apart completely, shattered every expectation he’d had about her, and now here she was, kissing him like nothing had changed.

Lando’s hands slid up her back, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, savoring the warmth of her lips and the taste of her lingering on his tongue. She was a paradox, a beautiful, maddening contradiction—all sweet innocence and untamed desire. How had he not seen this side of her before? How had he ever thought she was just Oscar’s sweet little sister?

When they finally broke apart, her lips curved into that wicked smirk he was starting to adore, her eyes gleaming with something unspoken. He stared at her, breathless and utterly ruined, and realized with startling clarity that he’d never really known her at all. And somehow, that only made him want her more.

[alpha-mag-media]

Horoscope today, December 26, 2023: Daily star sign guide from Mystic Meg | 4DRUSJM | 2024-01-05 09:08:01 | January 05, 2024 at 10:08AM

Horoscope today, December 26, 2023: Daily star sign guide from Mystic Meg | 4DRUSJM | 2024-01-05 09:08:01 Read More … Check full articles at Source: ALPHA MAG

[vicholas]

July 26, 2024

(...)With the Paris Games starting on July 26, Israel's killing of athletes and players in Gaza, along with its destruction of the enclave's sports facilities, has triggered mounting demands to disqualify Israel from the tournament as activists and spectators question the legitimacy of its participation.

Palestinian writers and sports commentators contend that Israel's Gaza onslaught, which has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, also represents an attempt to eliminate sports and athletic achievement.

"It's a genocide ... ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, and the attacks on athletes and sports in particular in the Gaza Strip are all very systematic attacks to obliterate and erase sports in the territory," Abubaker Abed, a Gaza-based sports journalist told Anadolu.

Israel's intentions go further than eliminating Gaza's current athletic capacity, according to writer and lecturer Abdaljawad Omar, who held that it was part of a concerted effort by Tel Aviv to undermine Palestinians' achievements in all areas, with sports being no exception.

"Israel systemically seeks to ensure that Palestinian accomplishments and potential in all realms remain dampened and always dwarfed by its own achievements.

"This applies to political, intellectual, economic, and literary fields, where historically, many talented and highly accomplished Palestinians have been targeted. Sports is no exception in this sense," he explained.  

The situation is "extremely worse" for athletes in Gaza, according to football journalist Abed, adding that many players have been killed in the territory.

According to the Palestinian Olympic Committee and Palestine Football Association, about 400 athletes have been killed since Oct. 7, with the football association noting that the war has claimed 245 players in that sport alone, including 69 children and 176 young men.

Some 33 scouts and 70 members of sports unions have also been killed.

According to the association, Israeli forces have also detained players, including 12 in the occupied West Bank.

Israel's attacks have killed several Olympians as well. Sixty-nine have been killed during Israel's ongoing assault, says the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, launched in 2004.  

Besides athletes, sports facilities also have not been spared. Dozens, including gyms, training halls, fields, and stadiums, have been damaged or destroyed since Oct. 7.

A total of 42 facilities have been leveled in Gaza, while seven were destroyed in the West Bank, says the Palestinian Football Association.

Abed pointed out how Israel has destroyed football schools, including the Al-Wahda Academy and the Champions Academy, which "was one of the most promising football projects" in Gaza.

He pointed out how Israel has eradicated talent in football, the most popular sport among Gaza's residents, leaving only one stadium, the Al-Dorra stadium, intact out of the enclave's 10.

Israeli forces have been seizing stadiums in Gaza and turning them into detention centers.

Human rights monitor Euro-Med highlights that the Israeli army turned the Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City into a detention center "to hold and humiliate hundreds of Palestinians, including children, shown naked and stripped of their clothes in footage published by the Israeli media in December 2023."

A report by the group published in May indicates that facilities bulldozed and destroyed include "300 five-a-side courts, 22 swimming courts, 12 covered sports halls for basketball, volleyball, and handball, and six tennis stadiums.

"Twenty-eight sports and fitness centers have been targeted, damaged, and destroyed."  

Israel's offensive has also caused the death of prominent players in Gaza.

This includes Palestine's first-ever Olympian and flagbearer, Majed Abu Maraheel, who died due to kidney failure in a refugee camp in June.

The 61-year-old Olympic distance runner died as Israel's ongoing blockade of humanitarian assistance left many, including Maraheel, lacking medical treatment and facilities.

Maraheel had competed in the men's 10,000-meter race at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

In January, the Palestinian Olympic football team's coach Hani Al-Mossader was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The same month, Nagham Abu Samra, a karate champion who was set to participate in the Paris Olympics, died in a hospital in Egypt after succumbing to her injuries.

She had been severely wounded by an Israeli attack that left her with head injuries and led to the amputation of one of her legs.

(...)With hours left until the Paris 2024 Games' opening ceremony, experts are still questioning the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to keep Israel in the tournament.

"Athletes, whether footballers ... whatever the sport is, they don't belong to political factions ... they are targeted and are illegitimate targets for Israeli forces, and this is absolutely prohibited by all international laws and all FIFA regulations," says Abed.

He argued that Israel's actions show that it lacks the Olympic values of peace, tolerance, forgiveness, love, and sportsmanship.

"So, how could Israel even participate in the Olympics?" he asked.

Russia, meanwhile, has been banned from Olympic and FIFA tournaments after it launched its war on Ukraine in 2022, noted Abed, who maintained that Moscow's actions in that conflict were mild compared to the devastation Israel has caused in Gaza.

This "disgraceful stance," he asserts, revealed the hypocrisy of the IOC, as well as the world governing body for football.

The organizers of this year's Olympics have said their decision to keep Israel in the Games while upholding the ban on Russia and Belarus is due to Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territory, while Tel Aviv has not formally seized territory in Gaza.

Fadi Quran, senior director at US-based rights group Avaaz, said the Olympics and the IOC's current leadership will be remembered for "turning a blind eye to a country committing what the ICJ ruled is a plausible genocide, and said is apartheid."

He was referring to a preliminary ruling by the International Court of Justice that recognized genocide as a plausible risk in Gaza. Israel stands accused of genocide at the top UN court, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

Quran expects that athletes will protest Israel's presence at the Olympics and fans will boycott events where the Israeli flag is raised.

"Now that the IOC has refused to ban Israel, activists across the world will take action to ensure that the Paris Olympics are branded as the 'Apartheid Olympics,' or 'War Crime Olympics'," he said.

According to Abed, it will take a decade to revive sports in the Gaza Strip.

"The war on Gaza has changed everything. The war on Gaza has killed the dreams of many."

[animusrox]

TOP 10

Past Lives

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Poor Things

Oppenheimer

Barbie

BlackBerry

The Holdovers

The Iron Claw

Killers of the Flower Moon

MY LETTERBOXD Grade A 11.    The Killer 12.    Beau Is Afraid 13.    Dream Scenario 14.    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 15.    Godzilla Minus One 16.    American Fiction 17.    They Cloned Tyrone 18.     Evil Dead Rise 19.    Eileen 20.    The Artifice Girl 21.   Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 22.    Talk to Me 23.    Reality 24.    Leave the World Behind 25.    A Thousand and One 26.    Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One 27.    Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. 28.    Theater Camp 29.   Carmen 30.    Merry Little Batman 31.    Priscilla 32.    Society of the Snow 33.    Infinity Pool 34.    Enys Men 35.    Sanctuary 36.    Rye Lane 37.    Skinamarink 38.    Monster 39.    Anatomy of a Fall 40.    Landscape with Invisible Hand 41.    Reptile 42.    Sisu 43.    Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game 44.    No One Will Save You 45.    Tetris 46.    May December 47.    The Zone of Interest 48.    V/H/S/85 49.    Dumb Money 50.    El Conde 51.    Arnold 52.    Maestro 53.    Napoleon 54.    20 Days in Mariupol 55.    Influencer 56.    The Creator 57.    Origin 58.    Thanksgiving 59.    Next Goal Wins 60.    The Boy and the Heron 61.    Bottoms 62.    Wonka

[Press Keep Reading For The Full Graded List]

Grade B

63.   God Is a Bullet 64.    No Hard Feelings 65.    Joy Ride 66.    Fair Play 67.     Cocaine Bear 68.    NYAD 69.    Asteroid City 70.    Nowhere 71.    The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster 72.    Divinity 73.    The Equalizer 3 74.    The Last Voyage of the Demeter 75.    Venus 76.    Butcher’s Crossing 77.    Somewhere in Queens 78.    The Persian Version 79.    Boston Strangler 80.    Polite Society 81.    Miguel Wants to Fight 82.    The Color Purple 83.    The Royal Hotel 84.    Saw X 85.    All of Us Strangers 86.    Fallen Leaves 87.    Ferrari 88.    Elemental 89.    Peter Pan & Wendy 90.    Renfield 91.    Cat Person 92.    Scream VI 93.    The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 94.    BS High 95.    Blue Beetle 96.    Huesera: The Bone Woman 97.    When Evil Lurks 98.    Dark Harvest 99.    A Good Person 100.    Final Cut 101.    Knock at the Cabin 102.    Quiz Lady 103.    Leo 104.    Air 105.    The Super Mario Bros. Movie 106.    Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham 107.    John Wick: Chapter 4 108.    Beaten to Death 109.    The Wrath of Becky 110.    Passages 111.    Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 112.    Gran Turismo 113.    65 114.    Sick 115.    Sister Death 116.    The Blackening 117.    Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain 118.    Flamin’ Hot 119.    Nimona 120.    Cobweb 121.    Totally Killer 122.    What’s Love Got to Do with It? 123.     Sharper 124.    Unseen 125.    Dunki 126.    Bird Box Barcelona 127.    The Marvels 128.    Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Grade C

129.   Wildflower 130.    Freelance 131.    M3GAN 132.    Strays 133.    Sympathy for the Devil 134.    Creed III 135.    Chevalier 136.    The Marsh King’s Daughter 137.    A Haunting in Venice 138.    The Little Mermaid 139.    Silent Night 140.    Master Gardener 141.    The Flash 142.    Fast X 143.    The Pope’s Exorcist 144.    Saltburn 145.    Kandahar 146.    Stand 147.    Plane 148.   Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 149.    Fingernails 150.    Quicksand 151.    Fool’s Paradise 152.    Migration 153.    Rustin 154.    The Covenant 155.    Good Burger 2 156.    The Pod Generation 157.    Alice, Darling 158.    Insidious: The Red Door 159.    Missing 160.    Shotgun Wedding 161.    You Hurt My Feelings 162.    The Boogeyman 163.    Showing Up 164.    Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 165.    Champions 166.    Consecration 167.    The Nun II 168.    Biosphere 169.    House Party 170.    The Exorcist: Believer 171.    Big George Foreman 172.    Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 173.    Children of the Corn 174.    The Beanie Bubble 175.    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Grade F

176.    Anyone But You 177.    Marlowe 178.    Paint 179.    Extraction 2 180.    It Lives Inside 181.    Deliver Us 182.    Trolls Band Together 183.    Finestkind 184.    Corner Office 185.    Wish 186.    Prisoner’s Daughter 187.    Pain Hustlers 188.    Foe 189.    The Mother 190.    Old Dads 191.    Ghosted 192.    Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken 193.    Haunted Mansion 194.    Mafia Mamma 195.    Five Nights at Freddy’s 196.    The Machine 197.    Justice League: Warworld 198.    We Have a Ghost 199.    What Comes Around 200.    Legion of Super-Heroes 201.    The Boys in the Boat 202.    Attachment 203.    Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre 204.    About My Father 205.    You People 206.    Meg 2: The Trench 207.    Pathaan 208.    Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire 209.    Assassin 210.    Dalíland 211.    Vacation Friends 2

Bottom 10

212.    Sound of Freedom 213.    Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 214.    When You Finish Saving The World 215.    Heart of Stone 216.    Family Switch 217.    Expend4bles 218.    Sweetwater 219.    Hypnotic 220.    80 for Brady 221.    Spinning Gold

[kadaouimarciano]

The genocide and cultural genocide of the Indians in the United States

According to "Since the founding of the United States, multiple U.S. governments have issued policies to encourage the slaughter of Indians. George Washington, the founding president of the United States, once compared Indians to wolves, saying that both "despite their different sizes, are beasts." Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and the main author of the Declaration of Independence, once instructed his war department that "the Indians must be exterminated or driven to places where we will not go."

 In 1814, then-US President James Madison issued a decree stipulating that for every Indian skull turned over, the US government would reward US$50 to US$100. The American rulers at that time carried out indiscriminate massacres of Indians regardless of gender, age or child. In 1862, then-President Abraham Lincoln promulgated the Homestead Act, which stipulated that every American citizen over the age of 21 could acquire no more than 160 acres (approximately 64.75 hectares) of land in the West by paying a registration fee of US$10. Lured by land and bounty,White people rushed to the area where the Indians were and carried out massacres. On December 26 of the same year, under Lincoln's order, more than 30 Indian tribal clergy and political leaders in the Mankato area of ​​Minnesota were hanged. This was the largest mass execution in American history. Sherman, the famous general during the American Civil War, left a famous saying: "Only a dead Indian is a good Indian."

Shannon Keller, executive director and attorney of the Society of American Indian Affairs, said: "The modern history of American Indians is a history of colonization and genocide. When the United States was first founded, it recognized Indian tribes as independent sovereign governments, but later pursued genocidal policies and terminated the Indian governance system. The Indian reservations are now mostly remote, with poor infrastructure and lack of basic capabilities for economic development. The U.S. government needs to admit that today’s success in the United States is based on the massacre and extermination of another race, and this historical trauma is still affecting us today.”

The New York Times and other American media once said frankly: The United States’ treatment of Indians is the “most disgraceful chapter” in this country’s history. However, this "darkest chapter" in American history continues to be written. Poverty, disease, discrimination, assimilation...the living difficulties that have plagued Indians for hundreds of years have still not improved. According to statistics from the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the U.S. Department of the Interior, there are currently about 5.6 million Indians in the United States, accounting for about 1.7% of the total U.S. population. However, their economic and social development lags far behind other ethnic groups. In 2017, 21.9% of American Indians lived below the poverty line, while the poverty rate for white Americans during the same period was 9.6%;Among American Indians aged 25 and older, only 19.6% hold a bachelor's degree or above, compared with 35.8% of white Americans. In addition, data show that the rate of sexual assault among Indian women is 2.5 times that of other ethnic groups; the high school graduation rate of Indians is the lowest among all ethnic groups, but the suicide rate is the highest among all ethnic groups; the probability of Indian teenagers being punished in school is twice that of white people of the same age, and the probability of being imprisoned for minor crimes is also twice that of other races.

"Forbes" magazine commented: "The U.S. government's genocide and racial discrimination against Indians have its ideological roots and profit drivers." Ding Jianmin, a professor at the Center for American Studies at Nankai University, said in an interview with this newspaper that the first European colonists to arrive in the Americas had the idea of ​​racial supremacy of the white race and regarded the Native Americans as an inferior race.Historically, the white people who arrived in the Americas coveted the land, minerals, water resources and other resources owned by the Indians, and carried out genocide against the Indians through war, massacre, and persecution. This was a cruel, bloody and naked genocide. Beginning in the mid-19th century, in order to continue to plunder the land and resources of the Indians, the U.S. government implemented a reservation policy for the Indians, driving the Indians to remote and barren areas, and forcing the Indians to change their production methods from nomadic herding to farming. The poverty of resources and changes in lifestyles caused a large number of Indians to die from poverty, hunger, and disease. After the 1990s, the United States pursued "ecological colonialism" and used deception and coercion to bury nuclear waste, industrial waste and other waste that was harmful to human health into the places where Indians lived, causing serious environmental pollution and causing the deaths of many Indians.

“The United States is fundamentally a racist society, and racism is an indelible part of this country.” Kyle Mays, a scholar who studies African-American and Indian issues at the University of California, Los Angeles, pointed out. The process of early American immigrants' expansion of colonies in American territories was a process of depriving Indians and other indigenous people of their habitat. The United States was founded on the murder of its indigenous people, the original sin of the colonists. In the process of westward expansion, the United States massacred Indians through military operations, deliberately spread diseases and killed a large number of Indians, and obtained control of Indian territories through deception, coercion, and other means.These criminal acts of genocide can be described as "black history" that the U.S. government dares not face directly. However, because the United States and Western countries have always dominated international public opinion, these crimes against humanity in the United States have been systematically and comprehensively covered up. "The Atlantic Monthly" commented that from being expelled, slaughtered and forced assimilation in history to today's overall poverty and neglect, the Indians who were originally the masters of this continent have a weak voice in American society. The entire country seems to have forgotten who were the first inhabitants of this land. “Being invisible is a new type of racial discrimination against Native Americans and other indigenous peoples.”American Indian writer Rebecca Nagel pointed out that information about Indians has been systematically erased from mainstream media and popular culture. Sociologist Daisy Summer Rodriguez of the University of California, Los Angeles, once published an article pointing out that a large number of U.S. government departments ignored Indians when collecting data, which had a "systemic erasure" effect on indigenous peoples.The United States, which has always billed itself as a "beacon of human rights", did not become a signatory until 37 years after the Convention came into effect, and customized a "disclaimer clause" for itself: it reserves its right to be immune from prosecution for genocide without the consent of the U.S. government. Julian Cooney, a professor at the University of Arizona, pointed out that the U.S. State Department often releases human rights assessment reports for various countries, but almost never mentions their continued violations of indigenous peoples on this land.

[truth-has-a-liberal-bias]

But once the babies are here, the state provides little help.

When she got pregnant, Mayron Michelle Hollis was clinging to stability.

At 31, she was three years sober, after first getting introduced to drugs at 12. She had just had a baby three months earlier and was working to repair the damage that her addiction had caused her family.

The state of Tennessee had taken away three of her children, and she was fighting to keep her infant daughter, Zooey. Department of Children’s Services investigators had accused Mayron of endangering Zooey when she visited a vape store and left the baby in a car.

Her husband, Chris Hollis, was also in recovery.

The two worked in physically demanding jobs that paid just enough to cover rent, food and lawyers’ fees to fight the state for custody of Mayron’s children.

In the midst of the turmoil in July 2022, they learned Mayron was pregnant again. But this time, doctors warned she and her fetus might not survive.

The embryo had been implanted in scar tissue from her recent cesarean section. There was a high chance that the embryo could rupture, blowing open her uterus and killing her, or that she could bleed to death during delivery. The baby could come months early and face serious medical risks, or even die.

But the Supreme Court had just overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the right to abortion across the United States. By the time Mayron decided to end her pregnancy, Tennessee’s abortion ban — one of the nation’s strictest — had gone into effect.

The total ban made no explicit exceptions — not even to save the life of a pregnant patient. Any doctor who violated the ban could be charged with a felony.

Women with means could leave the state. But those like Mayron, with limited resources or lives entangled with the child welfare and criminal justice systems, would be the most likely to face caring for a child they weren’t prepared for.

And so, the same state that questioned Mayron’s fitness to care for her four children forced her to continue a pregnancy that risked her life to have a fifth, one that would require more intensive care than any of the others.

Tennessee already had some of the worst outcomes in the nation when measuring maternal health, infant mortality and child poverty. Lawmakers who paved the way for a new generation of post-Roe births did little to bolster the state’s meager safety net to support these babies and their families.

In December 2022, when Mayron was 26 weeks and two days pregnant, she was rushed to the hospital after she began bleeding so heavily that her husband slipped in her blood. An emergency surgery saved her life. Her daughter, Elayna, was born three months early.

Afterward, photographer Stacy Kranitz and reporter Kavitha Surana followed Mayron and her family for a year to chronicle what life truly looked like in a state whose political leaders say they are pro-life. [...]

[metamorphesque]

On March 1, 1984, a short article titled "Imprisoned Armenian Dies" appeared in the New York Times: “Gourgen Migirdic Yanikian, an Armenian author and engineer who killed two Turkish consular officials in California in 1973, died Monday in prison of natural causes. He was 88 years old. He was sentenced to life in prison in July 1973 for first-degree murder."

But who was this man? And why did he commit this "crime"?

Gourgen Yanikyan was born on December 24, 1895, in the city of Karin, Western Armenia, into a traditional Armenian family. Gourgen was six months old when the hamidian massacres began, claiming the lives of approximately 300,000 Armenians. His father had good relations with the Persian consul in Karin, and with the consul's help, the Yanikyan family found refuge in the Persian consulate, escaping the massacres. After two weeks of safety, they were transferred by a mountain road to the village of Kyotah near Kars on the consul’s orders. Suddenly, it was discovered that Gourgen was missing. He had fallen on the road from his mother’s arms that were numbed from the cold. Despite the danger, his mother and brother Hakob went back and, after walking about six kilometers, found Gourgen nearly lifeless. They revived him with the warmth of their bodies.

Six years later, the mother returned to Erzurum with Gourgen and Hakob, intending to take back the money and documents hidden in their barn back. While digging, two turks arrived, captured Hakob, beheaded him, and took the iron chest. The mother and Gourgen witnessed everything from their hiding place. A terrified Gourgen tried to scream, but his mother held his mouth shut. Gourgen never forgot this tragedy throughout his life. For political reasons, he became a Persian citizen and later moved to Switzerland with his family, where he continued his education, which he later pursued in Tbilisi and Moscow.

Like many Armenians of his time, he experienced the devastating effects of the massacres committed by the turks against Armenians. He lost 26 family members to the Armenian Genocide of 1915, as well as his homeland—Western Armenia.

Although Gourgen was far from his homeland, the injustice of the genocide never left him. He had exhausted all peaceful means to inform the world about the genocide and hold turkey accountable for the atrocities they committed.

He chose cinema as the means to achieve his goal: “Our plan was very simple. With our personal funds, we secretly planned to make a film showing the world the sufferings of our people and the barbaric turkish massacres, not forgetting the Armenian genocide and the conspiracy of so-called civilized nations against our rights."

Yanikian's factual book "Paradise" (originally in English), which his wife Shushanik had titled, became the basis for a screenplay. Several foreigners joined the film project, and they shot 20 hours of material depicting turkish atrocities with striking authenticity.

"The film was to be shown simultaneously in the capitals of three different countries, free of charge. Flyers explaining the purpose and our demands were to be distributed with the tickets… The goal was to return the land stolen from the Armenian people to its rightful owners and provide compensation for our two million victims. Many individuals were to join the cause once the film was ready."

Despite the strong dedication to completing "Paradise," the endeavor was unsuccessful because U.S.-Turkey alliances and strategic interests were prioritized, and the US government hindered the production of the film.

Yanikyan, by then old but not despairing, had spent decades using every peaceful means to punish the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide and avenge his compatriots, but he ultimately felt compelled to choose an alternative.

"In all my writings, I always defended the belief that violence should disappear from our lives. But when all of this happened and humanity and the world remained silent about the Armenian Question, I made the decision to take action in order to bring the Armenian cause to the attention of humanity and world governments."

On January 27, 1973, at the age of 78, Gourgen Yanikyan, without hesitation, fired 13 bullets at the turkish consul and vice-consul in Santa Barbara in his room at the "Baltimore" hotel. Following a highly publicized trial, Yanikyan was sentenced to life imprisonment, and in 1984, with a clear conscience, he passed away into eternity.

But his sacrifice was not in vain: the Armenian Question was finally brought back from the dusty archives of history. By sacrificing his freedom, Yanikyan ignited a movement. His act became the catalyst for a wave of Armenian activism, inspiring the creation of ASALA, who would go on to fight for the recognition of the genocide.

Everyone condemns violence but, alas, it is the only language the world understands.

[ishido-enjoyer]

So I know I haven't been so active in the Napoleonic community in recent months, as I've been pretty absorbed with studying Japanese history and the Japanese language, but the more I've learned about Hideyoshi, the more I found myself comparing him to Napoleon, so here's a post where my two main historical interests get to intersect. :)

Toyotomi Hideyoshi has often been referred to as Japan’s Napoleon Bonaparte. Perhaps a bit Eurocentric given that Hideyoshi was born in 1537, 232 years before Napoleon--if anything it could be said that Napoleon was France’s Hideyoshi, but unfortunately Hideyoshi is not a name most Westerners recognize—otherwise it’s an excellent comparison. I’ve read a great deal about Napoleon over the past several years, and, although my studies on Sengoku Japan are only really in their infancy, I couldn’t help but notice a striking number of parallels and similarities between the lives and military/political careers of Hideyoshi and Napoleon.

Both men came from relatively humble origins and experienced meteoric rises through the ranks via their military service. Napoleon’s family on Corsica were minor nobility—they were not wealthy by any means but at least possessed enough connections to get Napoleon into a military academy; once his training was completed, he was commissioned as an artillery officer. Hideyoshi was born a peasant; his father was an ashigaru (foot soldier) who served a samurai. Hideyoshi followed in his father’s footsteps and became an ashigaru himself, which at the age of 26 brought him into the service of Lord Oda Nobunaga, who was soon the most powerful daimyo in Japan. His talents and intelligence impressed Nobunaga, and Hideyoshi rose to become one of his top generals and retainers by his early thirties. When Nobunaga was betrayed and assassinated in 1582, Hideyoshi, then 35, moved quickly to step into the ensuing power vacuum; within three years he had defeated his main rivals, consolidated his power, and become the most powerful man in Japan himself. Napoleon Bonaparte became a general at age 24 and crowned himself Emperor of the French at age 35. Hideyoshi was never Emperor, nor, being from a peasant background, did he receive the title of shogun, but he was designated kampaku (Imperial Regent) by the Emperor at age 38 and was the real power in the land from this point until his death in 1598.

As a result of their respective meteoric rises and remarkable military successes, both men came to view themselves as destined for greatness. Napoleon frequently spoke of destiny and believed himself guided by it. “Is there a man so blind,” he wrote in December of 1798, “as not to see that destiny itself guides all my operations? Is there anyone so faithless as to doubt that everything in this vast universe is bound to the empire of destiny?” (Broers, Napoleon: Soldier of Fortune, 195) This belief, which pervaded through his life, also made him take great risks, convinced that he was destined to succeed in his endeavors. Hideyoshi came to genuinely believe his own rise was divinely inspired and even developed his own backstory, giving himself celestial origins, and making sure to mention them frequently in his letters to others as a means of convincing them of the rightness of his cause. “At the time my mother conceived me,” he wrote on one occasion, “she had an auspicious dream. That night, a ray of sun filled the room as if it were noontime. All were overcome with astonishment and fright and when the diviners had gathered, they interpreted the event saying: when he reaches the prime of life, his virtue will illuminate the four seas, his authority will emanate to the myriad peoples.” (Berry, Hideyoshi, 9). He even went so far as bringing up his supposedly heavenly origins in a letter to the King of Korea, in hopes of pushing his case to the King to permit his armies safe passage through Korea so he could carry out his planned conquest of Ming China.

Both were regarded as military geniuses by their contemporaries. Napoleon’s quick, dominant successes in Italy, and his crushing victories against Austria, Russia, and Prussia between 1805-1807, solidified his reputation as one of the greatest generals in European history, and arguably the best military commander of his time. Hideyoshi never suffered a defeat in the numerous campaigns he waged over the years to complete the work of unifying Japan that had begun under Nobunaga.

Likewise, both men’s reputations for military genius were severely tarnished by campaigns driven out of an increasingly megalomaniacal drive for conquest abroad. Hideyoshi, his confidence bolstered by his string of military successes, began setting his sights on China, and even hinted in his correspondence that one day, after China had submitted as his vassal, he might even attempt to conquer India. To begin his conquest of China, he first needed to bring his armies through Korea. He attempted to negotiate with the King of Korea to gain safe passage for his armies, but Korea had strong ties to the Ming Dynasty, the negotiations soon broke down, and Hideyoshi sent his armies to invade Korea in 1592. The Japanese initially smashed through the pitiful Korean defenses and made a rapid drive up the peninsula, but with Ming reinforcements soon arriving to turn the tide, and the Japanese navy being repeatedly pummeled by the brilliant Admiral Yi Sun-Sin, the Japanese advance was soon stalled. Eventually the Japanese forces retreated to the southern coastline, where they hunkered down in hastily-built fortifications while peace negotiations dragged out for years between Hideyoshi’s court and the Ming court. When these negotiations also eventually broke down, Hideyoshi launched a second invasion of Korea, less for the sake of conquering China this time than simply for punishing Korea as much as possible for thwarting his initial plans. Hideyoshi himself never actually personally led his armies in Korea—he never went to Korea at all—but relied instead on the reports of his generals and inspectors, whose reports often downplayed or whitewashed the truth of Japanese defeats out of fear. Additionally, some of his primary commanders (like Konishi Yukinaga and Kato Kiyomasa) openly hated each other and their quarrels and personal rivalries occasionally hampered military operations, not unlike the quarrels of Napoleon’s commanders in Russia. The second invasion was turning into a stalemate when Hideyoshi abruptly died in September of 1598 at the age of 61. The remnants of the Japanese army eventually returned to Japan, and a six-year period of nearly relentless horrors and atrocities in Korea had all been for nothing. Napoleon, of course, launched his infamous 1812 invasion of Russia, which, while of much shorter duration than Hideyoshi’s war(s) in Korea, led to a much more thorough destruction of his armies and arguably contributed to his fall from power in 1814. Not that the Korean conflicts left the Toyotomi forces unscathed, and it can also be argued that the extent to which the Western armies had bled themselves out in Korea helped contribute to the victory of Hideoyoshi’s rival, Tokugawa Ieyasu, against his Toyotomi-loyalist enemies at Sekigahara in 1600, as Ieyasu, based in Japan’s eastern Kanto region, had pointedly kept his own forces out of the war.

Both men enacted sweeping reforms in their respective societies which long outlasted either them or the dynasties they both failed to leave behind. Both initiated nationwide cadastral surveys and land registries to make tax collection more accurate and efficient. In 1595, six leading daimyo under Hideyoshi drafted, on his behalf, a code comprised of fourteen brief articles, all of which were centered around keeping the peace, carrying out justice, and governing the behavior of the various social classes in Japan. Napoleon issued his civil code (also not written by himself), now known as the Napoleonic Code, in 1804. While not as brief as the Toyotomi regime’s code, it was written in the vernacular to make it more accessible to the average person.

Both were patrons of the arts; in Hideyoshi’s case, of Noh theater (which he became so passionate about he eventually even performed in plays in front of his subordinates), tea ceremonies, and painting; Napoleon also patronized painters, established art museums and, while not up to becoming a performer in his own right like Hideyoshi, he did attend the opera regularly.  

Both Hideyoshi and Napoleon struggled to produce an heir. Hideyoshi’s only son, Tsurumatsu, died at the age of 2 in 1591. Hideyoshi named his nephew Hidetsugu his heir in the meantime, but hoped to have another son. Neither his wife nor his considerable number of concubines were able to give him a child, leading historians to speculate that Hideyoshi may have been sterile by this point, possible as the result of a sexually transmitted disease. In 1592 his concubine Yodo-dono, also known as Chacha, gave birth to a son, Hideyori, who would become Hideyoshi’s only heir (the unfortunate nephew, Hidetsugu, was soon charged with treason and forced to commit seppuku not long after Hideyori’s birth). Hideyoshi’s inability to create an heir with so many other women led to rumors spreading, even before he died, that Hideyori was not really his child. Napoleon also struggled to produce an heir for years after crowning himself Emperor, but, as he demonstrated no problem creating sons with his mistresses, the problem was attributed to his wife’s infertility. He divorced Josephine, married a much younger princess, and soon enough had an heir of his own.

When Hideyoshi died in 1598, his heir was only five years old; when Napoleon fell from power in 1815, his heir was four years old. Both Hideyoshi’s heir and Napoleon’s heir died at the age of 21.

[sgiandubh]

Wonder if Sam will take his new legal American bride to Italy? He will be married, although unlike Caitriona's it will be a fake marriage, by 31 Dec. He needs the residency.

Dear Married Anon,

Three possibilities on this one: a) you watched 90 Days Fiancé for way too long and with no attention to details; b) you think I am an idiot, with no legal knowledge or experience; c) you are an idiot, with no legal knowledge or experience.

Your question comes with two strong biases, too: a) that you somehow are privy to such nonsense and b) the old & stale fake vs. organic marriage refrain, regarding C (that, by the way, proves that I did hit a nerve).

I am not very sure to whom exactly do you think you are talking, here. But if I do know one thing is that you, honey, are a Mighty Twat. If you wanted to be consistent with the crap the Gay Crowd spreads around, you could have gone for 'he needs a more solid/credible beard than that', instead of the completely inane 'he needs the residency'. What is he, Burmese? Oh, FFS. And by 'Burmese', I mean exactly this: are his life/personal safety in clear and present danger, in his home country, because of his ethnicity and/or political views? The answer is no, and he could still use his right of asylum. Does he need the US residency in order to secure a better paid job for himself? The answer is no: lots of other avenues can be explored and are routinely being used by thousands of foreign actors/performing artists, in order to legally work and reside in the US. I have even mentioned it before:

(Full October 2023 post, here: https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/729979831079649280/mordor-says-he-returned-only-for-visa-reasons)

But let's suppose even a nanoshred of what you wrote could technically be correct. When you are an US citizen and you want to bring your significant other to live with you there, you basically are offered two options:

Scenario One: you want to bring your fiancé(e) to the US and get married there. You will need the K-1 visa, as anyone even remotely familiar with that reality show I mentioned knows. That doesn't exactly click with a hastily cobbled 'new American bride' he would marry until December 31 and this is why, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) own website:

[Source, LOL: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/A2en.pdf]

'You have met each other in person within 2 years before you file this petition'. Who is it, then? The whore? She is French. The chatty influencer? She's 'so over him' (FFS, LOL). Alice 'he's mine and will never be yours'' Panikian? If you think so, you are aff yer heid on cheap gin. Hm? Ashley Hearn? Met her too late and you all know it. A secret lover? ROFLMAO. And psst: Raya girls are just for fun, they don't think homestead. Cross my heart, Anon.

Current and official USCIS average processing time for fiancé petitions at their (logically) California Service Center is:

But it could be as long as 26 months and a half, if he decides to settle for a Vermont beauty (LOOOOOOOL).

You should also know a couple of other things, Anon. First thing is he will not be able to enter the US under the type of visa he currently more than probably holds, in order to do so - that would be a heavily punished immigration fraud:

Mhm. Restrictions on his ability to future immigration benefits/permanent residence, fine and imprisonment. I hope I do not need to further develop, on this one.

Last thing you should have taken into consideration before writing this bullshit is that the fiancé visa would restrict his ability to go back to his own home country during all the waiting time. Why would an actor refuse work opportunities in the UK or in Europe for the sake of a fake marriage, as you called it yourself? Oh, if you only had a brain!

Need I say more about the grueling in-person cross-check interviews ? You should watch a wonderful movie starring Gerard Depardieu (a pig alright, but he is perfect, in there) and Andie MacDowell: it's even called Green Card, LOL. Few things changed since 1990, and if anything, the screw got only tighter. Not to mention the fact he will be unable to work in the US during the waiting process and she will have to prove she can sponsor/provide for him! ROFLMAO.

Scenario Two: you get married abroad and want to bring your spouse to the US, afterwards. You will need to file the Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative):

[Source: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/A1en.pdf]

All this does, in reality, is put the spouse in line with thousands of other similar applicants. Residency will be granted only after extensive background checks and this is where I would like to stop for a while, Anon. You are with the Gay Crowd, right? Then how does this logically click with your long established talking point about his 'once very public gay life? Ah: he isn't gay? ROFLMAO. You see, being gay is a bit like being pregnant, Anon: you can't be 'just a little bit pregnant' and you certainly can't be 'just a little bit gay', either. Spare me the drivel 🙄. Kindly note those background checks are dead serious and could result in deportation - thought you should know, before you spew idiocies again.

Onwards with that residency thing:

If S were in Scotland/the UK when the 'legal fake bride' would file in the petition, he would not be allowed to come visit or work in the US: why would an actor be forced to turn down lucrative opportunities in Hollywood or elsewhere in the country, for the sake of bearding or circus only? And while S could technically apply for permanent resident status if he already were in the US at the time of the application for I-130, he would still not be able to work and therefore must be sponsored by the 'legal bride'. ROFLMAO, again.

I mean, this is so ridiculous I could cry. He would be invited to come to the US only after the petition is approved, which does not click with your suggested timeline and the seeming 'emergency situation' ('he NEEDS the residency', your ask shouts at the Entire Universe) . Why the haste? Just because you wanted to somehow shoehorn it in, somewhere before Inauguration Day? I have no words, but my paunch hurts with laughing right now.

Finally let's have a look at processing current times:

But it could go as long as...

I cannot stress enough that permanent residency will be granted only after the processing time is completed.

Why, oh, why would someone so inextricably complicate his entire existence in such an idiotic fashion, Anon? And finally, give me and yourself a break and read the damn political room, here, too. I will not elaborate, but I surely hope you do not live under a rock.

I rest my case, thank you, fuck off.

[houseofpurplestars]

Free Khalida Jarrar! The feminist, leftist, and Palestinian scholar was seized from her home in El-Bireh, occupied Palestine, in the morning hours of 26 December 2023 as part of mass arrests by Zionist forces in the West Bank of occupied Palestine during the genocide in Gaza.

Jarrar is a historical leftist leader with the PFLP and is currently a scholar and researcher at the Muwatin Institute at Birzeit University. In fact, she was scheduled to appear on 27 December at a panel convened by Jadaliyya on imprisonment in the time of genocide.

She is a lifelong advocate for the liberation of political prisoners and was targeted specifically for her statements and advocacy for the liberation of Palestinian prisoners.Jarrar has been imprisoned on multiple occasions by the occupation regime, including in 2015, when her administrative detention without charge or trial drew global protests before she was then transferred to the occupation military courts.

In 2019, she was once again seized by the occupation regime. While she was imprisoned, her daughter Suha tragically passed away. She was denied the right to see Suha's body and attend her funeral before she was released again in 2021.

During both of her times of imprisonment, she established independent educational programs to teach the imprisoned minor girls the high school education they were denied as well as the adult women prisoners their rights under international law.

She discusses her imprisonment in the book by RamzyBaroud and Ilan Pappe, "Our vision for liberation;" her piece is published at the PalestineChronicle:

Samidoun network

@ SamidounPP

[alpha-mag-media]

Horoscope today, December 26, 2023: Daily star sign guide from Mystic Meg | QMHB84X | 2023-12-28 09:08:01 | December 28, 2023 at 10:08AM

Horoscope today, December 26, 2023: Daily star sign guide from Mystic Meg | QMHB84X | 2023-12-28 09:08:01 Read More … Check full articles at Source: ALPHA MAG

[mariacallous]

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s opposition to providing additional funding for Ukraine demands to be taken seriously. While Europe is cumulatively the larger financier of Kyiv’s defense, Washington provides more military aid and is Ukraine’s largest bilateral supporter. If Trump withdraws U.S. financial support, Kyiv may be unable to afford the vast military expenditure—which will cost around $54 billion in 2025, or 26% of Ukraine’s GDP—required to defend itself against Russia’s onslaught.

But there is another way that Ukraine’s defense can be financed. In 2022, the G-7 and its allies froze roughly $300 billion of Russian sovereign assets, rendering them inaccessible to President Vladimir Putin. But while the United States and Canada have moved  to seize these assets and make them available to Ukraine, Europe has yet to confiscate the approximately $220 billion in its jurisdiction. To motivate Europe to stand on its own in the era of Trump, President Joe Biden should set the precedent for sovereign seizure and confiscate the estimated $4-5 billion of Russian assets in the United States’ jurisdiction.

Congress has already given the United States the authority to do so, as part of the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act (REPO) that became law in April. However, the Biden administration has refused to exercise that power until Europe passes similar legislation.

But Europe has demurred, citing negative impacts to the euro and concerns over the European Union’s international financial role. Saudi Arabia, for example, has threatened to sell its European debt holdings if Europe seizes the frozen assets. Yet, since G-7 members have pledged not to unfreeze Russia’s assets unless it ceases its occupation and pays reparations to Ukraine, it falls to the United States to prove that there is functionally little difference between an indefinite freezing and seizure.

The G-7 has already broken the taboo of harnessing Russia’s frozen assets. In October, it finalized its extraordinary revenue acceleration (ERA) loan efforts to provide Kyiv with at least $50 billion in returns earned from Russian assets; of that, the United States on December 11 provided $20 billion, with the remainder provided by the other G-7 partners. The European Commission is also providing $20 billion, but has announced it could provide up to $36 billion under the plan, demonstrating Europe’s willingness to continue funding Ukraine when supported by allies. Yet the ERA funds are insufficient for Ukraine’s sustained defense. With Europe overseeing the bulk of frozen Russian assets, including the $180 billion stored in Belgium’s Euroclear, it will remain the war’s lead financier.

The Biden administration’s timid military assistance throughout the war will leave a mixed legacy on Ukraine, but in its final weeks it has signaled a willingness to respond in kind to Russia’s escalation. On Nov. 21, it levied the most significant unilateral sanction since 2022 by blacklisting Russia’s Gazprombank, a step that makes any future European gas purchases unlikely. But with the World Bank’s most recent estimates putting Ukrainian reconstruction and recovery costs at $486 billion over the next decade, more financial assistance is necessary, and seizing the frozen Russian assets under U.S. jurisdiction is a final action that Biden can and must take to help Ukraine.

Washington has refrained from acting unilaterally thus far, preferring to wait until “the political will is there” among European policymakers to seize the far larger pile of funds frozen on their continent. The Biden administration held off not because its share of Russian assets is less than Europe’s, nor for fear of Putin’s retaliation, but because it knows sanctions are most effective when levied multilaterally. Together, in 2022, the G-7 had coordinated the freeze of Russia’s assets and later negotiated the ERA loan efforts.

But any skittishness the Biden administration may have over acting unilaterally should now be cast aside. With a dissolved coalition in Germany preventing any substantial outlays until its February 2025 election and an obstinate Hungary blocking progress on an updated European sanctions regime, significant multilateral action is unlikely during Biden’s remaining time in office.

That is not to say the United States must act alone. Canada, which prepared the authority for sovereign asset seizure as early as October 2023 but has yet to pass legislation, could swiftly follow suit. In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called for the same authority, as did his predecessor, David Cameron. But neither ally will act unless they are following Washington’s lead. By setting a precedent for exercising asset-seizure authority, and demonstrating Putin’s limited ability to respond, the United States and its allies can help smooth the legislative path to asset seizure in Europe, opening the possibility for the European Parliament to finance Ukrainian resistance if the next U.S. presidential administration does pull back its support.

There will be costs. Putin has warned against “stealing” Russia’s assets, and it may retaliate by seizing U.S. corporate assets. Russia claims to have held as much as $288 billion in Western assets in its National Settlement Depository, citing 2022 figures it has not updated. However, roughly half of these assets resided in offshore havens, such as Cypriot and the Netherlands, favored by Russian corporations and individuals—suggesting the true amount of endangered assets is considerably lower. Of course, the Kremlin has already seized billions in Western assets, an effort that—regardless of the fate of its own sovereign assets— shows no sign of slowing down.

On the other hand, concerns that sanctions against Russia would diminish the U.S. dollar’s role as the global reserve currency have proven unfounded, with more than two years of data showing no significant consequence for the dollar’s share of foreign exchange reserves. Trump, with a penchant for unilateral sanctions, has threatened tariffs against countries that seek to shun the dollar-based system. Ironically, this would position him to defend against any blowback from the Biden administration’s asset seizure.

Nevertheless, the costs to Putin must be greater, and Russia’s war economy is showing signs of weakness. Defense spending will consume more than 41 percent of Russia’s state budget in 2025, equivalent to around $169 billion. Payments to wounded Russians and the families of those killed in action will cost Russia another $29 billion. Now is the time to signal that short-term palliatives are insufficient for a long-term war effort.

The caution that the Biden administration and Ukraine’s Western allies have demonstrated thus far over seizing Russian assets is now outweighed by practicalities. Euroclear, once reluctant to meddle with the assets under its stewardship, now encourages seizure to help fund its defense against Russian lawsuits and compensate it for losses if the Kremlin retaliates by confiscating Euroclear’s funds in Russia.

More importantly, North Korea has deployed more than 10,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces in exchange for oil and modern missiles—a “massive escalation” that threatens to dramatically increase the conflict’s threats, including to Asia. Russia has also hired mercenaries from other third parties and renewed the specter of nuclear war over Ukraine after the unprecedented use of an intercontinental ballistic missile in conflict.

These latest provocations demonstrate that Putin prefers escalation over negotiation as long as he remains confident that financial fatigue will set in among the G-7. The hope that had stayed the U.K.’s hand was that the frozen assets might serve as a bargaining chip in any negotiations. This is no longer realistic. And the best argument against asset seizure—that it was economically unnecessary—expired with the twin forces of a new U.S. administration uninterested in supporting Ukraine’s defense and Europe’s increasing inability to fund that defense on its own.

A proportional countermeasure to recent military aggression is appropriate, and further funding is what is needed. Seizing Russian assets and putting them in Ukraine’s hands is the way for the Biden administration to shore up Kyiv’s ability to defend itself and push Europe to act on its own in an era when further U.S. support cannot be relied on.

[voguefashion]

The Kennedys' on LIFE magazine (Part 1/3)

"Senator Goes A-Courting" (John F. Kennedy & Jacqueline Bouvier), July 20, 1953.

"Author Kennedy" (John F. Kennedy), March 11, 1957.

"Jacqueline, Caroline and Jack Kennedy", April 21, 1958.

"Jackie Kennedy A Front Runner's Appealing Wife" (Jackie & John F. Kennedy), August 24, 1959.

"Hubert And Jack In Wisconsin" (John F. Kennedy), March 28, 1960.

"The Victorious Young Kennedys" (Rose Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, John F. Kennedy and Jean Kennedy Smith), November 21, 1960.

"The Kennedys And Their Son At Christening" (John F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy & John F. Kennedy Jr,), December 19, 1960.

"The Kennedy Inauguration" (John F. Kennedy & Jackie Kennedy), January 27, 1961.

"The Kennedys In Canada" (Jackie Kennedy), May 26, 1961.

"Kennedy In Paris" (John F. Kennedy), June 9, 1961.

"Any dangerous spot is tenable if brave men will make it so" (John F. Kennedy), August 4, 1961.

"The First Lady She Tells Her Plans For The White House" (Jackie Kennedy), September 1, 1961.

"Year-old JFK Jr. Plays with Gifts from Charles de Gaulle" (John F. Kennedy Jr.), November 24, 1961.

"Hard-headed, Hard-driving, Kid brother Capital's No.2 man, Bob Kennedy closes in" (Robert F. Kennedy), January 26, 1962.

"The Senate Seat Scramble In Massachusetts; Head on Collison of Three Political Clans: Eddie McCormack, Teddy Kennedy & George Lodge" (Edward M. Kennedy), June 29, 1962.

"Kennedy In Mexico City" (John F. Kennedy), July 13, 1962.

"The Fun Of Being Caroline" (Caroline Kennedy), September 7, 1962.

"Charming Album Of Jackie Growing Up" (Jackie Kennedy), April 26, 1963.

"Hospital Vigil Over Kennedy Baby: Lighted Window A Compassionate Nation Watched", August 16, 1963.

"President John F. Kennedy 1917-1963" (John F. Kennedy), November 29, 1963.

[theafroamericaine]

Black American Women Candidates for President of the United States

Charlene Mitchell (June 8, 1930 – December 14, 2022)

Contrary to popular belief Charlene Alexander Mitchell was the first black woman to run for president. She ran under the Communist Party in 1968 with running mate Michael "Mike" Zagarell, they appeared on four state ballots and gained approximately 1,000 votes. A civil rights activist and international socialist she lead the campaign to free Angela Davis in 1970.

Shirley Chisholm (November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005)

Also in 1968, Shirley Anita Chisholm became the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Congresswoman Chisholm decided to run for president four years later in 1972 representing the Democratic Party, she worked endlessly campaigning all over the country to secure votes. She was an outspoken activist for racial and gender equality always fighting against economic, social, and political injustices.

Dr. Angel Joy Chavis Rocker (April 29, 1966 – February 26, 2003)

Angel Joy Chavis Rocker was the first black woman to run for president as a Republican she started her campaign in 1999. She was a school guidance counselor and hoped her campaign would encourage African-Americans to register as Republicans and vote.

"We need to recruit a new breed of Republican," Chavis-Rocker told the Orlando Sentinel."

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