#port costa school

[jollmaster]

trivia: Angel Dust as mortal

• real name: Antonio Costa [rib]

• period of life: mid XXth ct.

• region: Sicily

• spent childhood and youth in a village near Palermo, fooling around with beloved sister, going to parochial school and riding a hog instead of a horse

• when he was about fourteen, father decided that it was time to get younger son into the business (Angel still reads aloud and writes with a lot of mistakes)

• worked through brute force or delivery/transfer of contraband; had no problem with killings and murders

• the only murder Antonio regretted was the second one, — when he was nineteen, he fell in love for the first time with a guy (an ally, a port worker); that guy after Antonio's confession blackmailed that he would tell the consigliere everything, so Antonio stabbed him to death, thus keeping the secret

• honestly admits that he's not very smart: a smart man wouldn't get addicted to the phencyclidine

• very social, talkative, loud; depends on slightly perverted family ties and the authority of elders

• cause of death: overdose

main gang, actual designs: Vaggie, Charlie, Angel Dust, Niffty, sir Pentious, Cherri Bomb, Husk, Alastor

as mortals: Vaggie [María de la Vega], Cherri Bomb [Saoirse], sir Pentious [Spencer], Husk, Alastor

+ Charlie in full-human form

[thatsmzbitchtoyou]

Stranded FINAL Chapter 5

Summary:  Tossed overboard and lost at sea, Bucky washes up on an uninhabited island.  Injured, lost and scared, with little to no wilderness training, he fights to survive.  But is he really alone?

Warnings: bodily injury, mentions of sexual harassment/assault, eventual smut

Previous chapter

Bucky was quiet from then on.  He knew he was being ridiculous, but couldn’t find it in himself to try to be better.  He started messing with the plane’s motherboard after finding a manual under one of the seats.  He had taken a few classes in school about electronics and needed something to keep his mind off of the unlivable situation he lived in now.  

A few weeks later he figured out how to turn it on, the plane thrumming as he picked up the radio and held the button.  Static rang out in the cabin and he smiled.  It was worth a try, right?

“Hello?  Can anybody hear me?” He said loudly into the receiver.  He waited a moment before trying again.  “We are stranded on an island.  Last known location was near the southern coast of Costa Rica.  SOS.”  He waited again.  He thought he heard a blip of some kind of noise, but it quickly disappeared back into static.  He sighed and repeated the message one more time before leaving the radio on for a few more minutes, then turning off the plane altogether.  

He did it every day at about the same time.  He never heard anything, but he figured that at least it was something new to try.  The sour mood between him and Y/N eased up slightly, but the tension was still there.  At night they didn’t dare touch each other as they slept next to each other, and if they woke up entangled they would quickly apologize and move away like each other’s touch stung.  

Bucky woke up one morning to a strange sound.  He waited until he heard it again and then shot up out of bed.  The jostling woke Y/N.  “Buck?  What’s going on?”  Bucky ran out of the plane and towards the beach he had washed up on.  The blaring noise happened again, and as he broke through the tree line he saw a huge cruise ship coming their way.  He started laughing and waving his hands above his head.  “We’re here!  We’re here!”  

He could faintly see a few people aboard waving back at him.  Bucky turned back to the tree line and saw Y/N slowly walking out of it.  She gaped at the ship coming toward them.  “It worked!!  Y/N it worked!”  Bucky ran up to her, picking her up and twirling her around.  Y/N barely reacted, her eyes still watching the ship as a few smaller boats were lowered with people in them coming to shore.

“The radio?”  Y/N asked, her eyes finally meeting his.

“It worked,” Bucky breathed, surprised by himself.  “We’re saved.  We can go back home.”  

Y/N broke down into sobs, sinking down to her knees and crying heavily as Bucky held her.  The small boats finally made it to the shore, some people walking up to greet them and helping them grab what they wanted to keep and bringing them back to the cruise ship.  

They were hurried along to the doctor on board to be assessed, then given a shared room to get clean and settled as the ship moved back towards a port in Costa Rica.  The captain asked them a lot of questions and gave them his phone to call whoever they could think of.  News spread on the ship quickly of the rescue mission and that one of the people was the famous lost singer.  

Y/N and Bucky hid in the cabin they were given, not wanting to be hounded by passersby and watching eyes.  After another dinner had been brought to them Y/N stood out on the balcony, watching the water and the sunset.  Now that she was cleaned up Bucky found it even harder to look at her.  The wild nature of how he’d found her would probably always be his favorite, but this clean, glowing woman in the setting sun was another nail in his coffin.

Bucky approached her, standing next to her and leaning on the balcony like she was.  They stood together for a moment before the sun disappeared off the horizon, then Y/N quickly turned and went back inside.  Bucky sighed then followed her in.

“How much longer are you going to ignore me?” He asked.  Y/N looked at him in shock.  “Or are you just waiting til we make port and then you’ll be whisked off to your awaiting entourage and try to forget this ever happened?”

“For fuck’s sake Bucky,” Y/N grimaced.  “It’s like you don’t know me at all, after what, almost a year on the island together?”

“Apparently I don’t, because you won’t speak to me.  You won’t even look at me most of the time.  I really thought that maybe someday if we got off that godforsaken island we’d have a chance at a happy life together.  You made it pretty clear you wanted me,” he said as he walked up to her.  Y/N backed up until her back hit the wall.  “And I’m pretty sure I made it clear I wanted you.  So now that we’re free, and safe, did you change your mind?”  He gave her a wounded look as he tried to control his frustration.  “Or was I just a convenience to you?  Something that made you feel good for a minute?”

Y/N looked hurt at his words.  “Of course not, Buck.”  He stared at her and waited.  She sighed and hung her head.  “You scare me.”

Bucky recoiled at that.  “Scare you?”

“Yes, you scare me.  Because from the moment I saw you I wanted you,” she said, her voice raising.  “Not just because I was lonely.  And I fought, I wrestled with myself that entire time, to keep it friendly.  We were using each other to survive, to have companionship in the struggle.  And then you helped me not freeze to death, and then you looked at me like that,” she gestured towards him.  “And then I was weak and wanted just a moment of something good, just one moment to feel you.  And you gave it to me, and it felt so good, I didn’t want to stop.” Her eyes closed and she rubbed her temples with her fingers.  “But I couldn't handle it, being near you, after that.  I wanted more, all of it, all of you, what we could be.  And now we’re safe,” she looked back up at him.  “And now…I’m scared of what this means for us.”

Bucky sighed again, a small smile on his lips.  “Well we’re here.  We’re going home.  And we can make that whatever we want it to be,” he stepped toward her again, reaching for her hand and lifting it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.  “All I want is you, lovey.  I’m all yours.”  

Y/N gave him a dreamy look, her eyes fluttering at the feeling of his lips on her skin.  “I’m yours,” she whispered back to him.  

Bucky couldn’t wait anymore and gently grabbed her face and kissed her.  Y/N immediately responded, her hands winding around his waist and pulling him close, a soft whine passing her lips.  Bucky walked backwards until his legs hit the bed behind him and he sat, bringing her with him to straddle his lap.  His hands slid from her face down to her waist, settling on her hips and pulling her flush to him.  Y/N was feeling him all over, her hands gripping his shoulders, the back of his neck, his face, his arms, everywhere she could reach.  He opened his mouth and tasted her lips with his tongue, making her whimper and opening her mouth to let him in.  

Y/N scratched her nails down his scalp and he moaned into her mouth.  It all felt so good, too good, that he felt like he was vibrating from the inside out.  His hands slid to her butt and he pushed her down onto his growing erection.  Y/N gasped, her hands pulling the hair at the nape of his neck.  Bucky started kissing down her cheek to her neck, licking and sucking different spots, finding out what she liked.  When he reached the top of the sundress someone had given her from the cruise gift shop he pulled the straps down and started kissing the swell of her breasts.

“Oh god,” Y/N sputtered, her hips starting to grind down on him.  She started pulling at his shirt, which he quickly helped get off before going back to her chest.  Her fingers softly ran along the scar on his sternum then her nails scratched down his chest, making him slightly rut up against her hips.  He suddenly turned so that she was laid on the bed and he crawled over her, pulling her dress down til her breasts were exposed then hiking up the bottom half of the dress til he could see her pussy.

“No underwear?” Bucky breathed incredulously.

“Well when you haven’t worn them for a few years…” Y/N teased, giving him a shrug.

Bucky moaned as he looked at her, one of his hands reaching down and his fingers exploring between her legs while he went back to nipping and licking her breasts, his tongue flicking one of her nipples as he found her clit.  She arched her back at the dual sensations as she choked out a moan.  Bucky’s thumb rubbed and flicked her clit while his other fingers slowly entered her.  He groaned from feeling how wet she was for him.  As he pumped his fingers in and out her moans became increasingly louder, her legs shaking and her hips bucking against his hand.  He kissed back up to her mouth and pumped his fingers faster, curling them slightly inside her.  Y/N panted against his mouth, feeling the tightening deep inside her get pulled taught until it snapped and she yelped as she came around his fingers.

Bucky kept pumping until her hips stopped shaking, then he pulled his fingers out and tasted them.  “Taste so good, Y/N,” he groaned as he shifted himself over her.  He shimmied out of his pants and underwear and pulled her legs up and over his hips.  He dragged his cock through her wet lower lips, the head rubbing on her clit and making her whine.  “We don’t have any protection…” 

“We can figure that out later,” Y/N said hoarsely.  “Please Bucky, let me feel you.”

Bucky thanked the scientific gods for after-sex birth control as he held his cock, pumping it a few times before lining himself up with her.  He slowly pushed the head in, making her mouth drop open, a long groan coming from each of them.  Y/N’s feet hooked behind his back, pulling him in faster.

“Fuck, Y/N, you want my dick that bad?” Bucky gasped.  Her pussy felt like it was swallowing him whole and he had to wait a moment so he wouldn’t immediately lose it.

“I need to feel you…all of you, everywhere,” Y/N said, her hands scratching up and down his back.  

Bucky could tell she was touch starved but wasn’t prepared for how badly she would want him.  The thought flattered him but made his heart ache for her.  “I’ve got you,” he promised, keeping his upper body close to hers.  He rolled his hips, making her eyes roll in her head.  “I’ve got you, Y/N.  My girl…”

He thrust slowly at first, letting her adjust to him and feel him fully.  Y/N’s brow furrowed, her eyes shut tight, her hands sliding down to his butt to pull him in again then tickling up his sides.  Bucky had been with people before, but none of it had felt this intimate, this special or personal.  He picked up the pace of his hips and thrust a little harder, helping him reach a little deeper.

“Buck…” Y/N moaned, kissing his cheek and down to his neck, licking and sucking along his throat, her fingers running through his hair again.  Bucky’s hips shook as he thrust even harder.

“God, Y/N,” he moaned into her ear.  “Taking me so well…so deep…you feel perfect.”  He kissed her again, their tongues entangling as he thrust in and out of her.  He could feel her pussy flutter around him and he shivered.  “You gonna cum?  Cum all over my dick?  Huh?” he spoke against her lips, not letting any space come between them.  

“Fuck yes,” Y/N said, then sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, nipping it with her teeth.

“Gonna fill you up–”

“Please,” she gasped, her back arching.

Bucky slipped a hand between them and started flicking her clit as his hips pummeled into her, chasing his own release.  “My girl…my pretty girl…” he grunted.

Y/N tensed as she came again with a loud strangled moan that he quickly covered with his mouth.  Her pussy squeezed his cock so hard that he gritted his teeth, a long whine coming from his throat as he came inside her, continually rutting against her to make sure she could feel it all.  Y/N groaned feeling him fill her up, a little bit of cum dripping from in between them.

They panted against each other as they tried to breathe normally again.  Bucky’s face was tucked against her neck, his lips randomly kissing her neck and her ear, whispering praises to her.  She shifted her arms so that she was holding him around his shoulders, her fingers running through his hair like they used to when they would fall asleep together in the plane.  She started humming “Nature Boy” softly like she used to and he smiled.  When she finished the song Bucky sighed and squeezed her.

“God I love you,” Bucky sighed.

Y/N tensed slightly and looked down at him.  He looked up at her to see her reaction.  She was smiling softly and leaned down to kiss his nose.  “I love you, too,” she said quietly.  

***

Bucky had been right about one thing.  Once they made port Y/N was surrounded by people and cameras that separated them.  Bucky was greeted by his parents and sisters, their tearful reunion recorded for the world to see.  Y/N’s family tried to whisk her away but she wouldn’t leave without Bucky, pushing through photographers who were screaming questions at her and him and their families.  Airport and police officials took them all away to a private room and asked Y/N and Bucky extensive questions about what happened to them.  After a few hours they were finally released, and Y/N jumped into action with her family and people who had been involved with and in charge of her estate upon her disappearance.  She arranged for everyone’s flights home and figured out a time for her and Bucky to get back together soon once everything calmed down and they got things settled in their lives.

“This isn’t goodbye,” Y/N said, tears falling from her eyes as they held each other.   “You hear me?  I will get things settled and come get you.”  Bucky nodded, a few stray tears of his own falling that she quickly wiped away.  “You’re mine.  And I’m yours.”

“You’re mine and I’m yours,” Bucky repeated, kissing her nose.  “I love you.”

“I love you,” Y/N said, her tears falling more heavily.

They separated, each of them going back to their respective homes.  Bucky had a slow, steady flow of tears the whole way home, his family trying to console him.  He cried for the friends he’d lost and all the questions the officials had about them and having him go through what happened the day of the storm.  He cried for being able to see his family again.  He cried for the fact that he had survived and was rescued.  He cried for finding love that he so far had only gotten to enjoy for a short period of time, and he wasn’t sure when he’d feel it from her again.  Bucky was a mess as he tried to get back into normal life.  All the things he used to take for granted now were overwhelming.  He couldn’t sleep when she wasn’t there next to him to hold him.  The silence in his life was so loud without her there always humming or singing a song.  His parents tried to get him to cut his hair but he wouldn’t because he knew when the time came that she would want to run her fingers through his hair again.

A few weeks later he got the call and was instantly on a plane.  As scared as she was of flying it was the fastest way to get him, and so he found himself on a private plane.  Y/N had been able to get her estate fixed and was bringing him back to her.  The minute he was on solid ground Y/N was running to him on the tarmac, jumping into his arms then holding, crying and kissing each other.  She brought him to her apartment that she was renting for the time being.

“How have you been?” she asked once they were finally alone.

“Not great,” Bucky said honestly, a grimace on his face.

“Yeah me neither,” Y/N laughed sadly.  

Bucky pulled her close, holding her face in his hands as he just sat and looked at her.  “Can we just…lay down?”

“Yes,” she whispered, staring at him like she was memorizing him all over again.

She led him to her room and they changed into more comfortable clothes and got into her bed together.  Bucky snuggled into her chest as she held him, her hands running through his hair.  He breathed shakily.  It was like he was taking his first full breath in over a month.  Y/N moaned as she felt him against her.  “It’s been too long, my love.”

“Never again,” Bucky sighed.  

“Yeah you’re not going anywhere,” Y/N snorted.  “You and I are going to go get a house together.  And anywhere I go, you go.  I mean…” she looked down at him.  “You can obviously say no…”

“Please,” Bucky scoffed.  “I’m not going anywhere.  You’re going to get so sick of me.”

“Impossible,” Y/N scoffed back at him.  

As they cuddled Bucky felt like he could finally relax.  He was willing to give up anything he ever wanted or planned just so he could stay right there with her forever.  As hard as the experience had been, he was grateful to have been stranded with her. 

THE END! I hope y'all liked this one. And I'll keep churning out more stories as they come to me. Thank you for the likes, comments, follows and reblogs!!

[thirdlotusprince3]

For a school field trip for Miraculous Ladybug

[communist-ojou-sama]

Re your 'banana shit' post: what are good sources to learn about the human cost in export economies and international shipping?

"The use of harmful child labor is widespread in Ecuador’s banana sector. Researchers for the Human Rights Watch report, Tainted Harvest: Child Labor and Obstacles to Organizing on Ecuador’s Banana Plantations, spoke with forty-five child laborers during their three-week long fact-finding mission in Ecuador. Forty-one of the children began working between the ages of eight and thirteen, most starting at ages ten or eleven. Their average workday lasted twelve hours, and fewer than 40 percent of the children were still in school by the time they turned fourteen.

In the course of their work, they were exposed to toxic pesticides, used sharp knives and machetes, hauled heavy loads of bananas, drank unsanitary water, and some were sexually harassed. Roughly 90 percent of the children told Human Rights Watch that they continued working while toxic fungicides were sprayed from airplanes flying overhead. For their efforts, the children earned an average of $3.50 per day, approximately 60 percent of the legal minimum wage for banana workers."

"In the geographically small countries of Central America, a couple of US-based banana companies have wielded enormous influence. The United Fruit Company (now known as Chiquita) acquired so much power in Guatemala and Honduras that it came to function as a state within a state, giving rise to the notion of “banana republics.” The company consolidated its power through various means: it installed authoritarian civilian and military governments that gave concessions to land, railroads, and ports; it divided its labor force along ethnic and racial lines; it built hospitals, schools, workers’ barracks, and houses for its management; and it used massive amounts of pesticides and herbicides in a capital intensive effort to cultivate varieties of the fruit that North American consumers came to expect but which were susceptible to Panama disease and Black Sigatoka. Bananas and plantains are a dietary staple throughout the tropics, and the diseases that beset the Gros Michel and Cavendish varieties that are grown on monocrop plantations threaten a vital source of healthy and relatively cheap calories that much of the world has come to rely upon."

"Benthic macroinvertebrates are usually abundant in rivers, represent several trophic levels, participate in nutrient cycling and differ in sensitivity to pollution. Most of them have small home ranges, at least in aquatic stages, and usually have long life cycles and thus are good bioindicators as they provide information about the water quality integrated over a longer time period, compared to the values given by water samples taken at discrete points in time. Pesticide and nutrient levels in the aquatic environment can be expected to vary, with peaks after application and high rainfall events. Monitoring of pesticide levels thus requires a very frequent sampling to detect peak concentrations (Liess et al. 2003). Another concern is that toxic effects can result from exposure near or below the analytical detection limit for a given pesticide (Walter et al. 2002) or from a combination of pesticides and other stressors, e.g. temperature or high nutrient loads (Polidoro and Morra 2016). It is also important to consider the effect of chronic exposure to pesticides as well as the exposure to mixtures of several pesticides, which together can cause toxic effects through additive toxicity (Verbruggen and van den Brink 2010).

The possible additive or synergistic effects between stressors are a major concern in rivers, which receive irrigation and run-off water from banana farms. Large-scale banana farming relies on the use of fungicides, nematicides, insecticides and herbicides. Most often, several different compounds of each type of pesticide are applied over the year in order to minimize risk of inducing resistance in pests. The extensive system of drainage canals in a typical banana farm causes increased stream flashiness and sedimentation and due to high precipitation a substantial amount of pesticides and nutrients end up in the aquatic environment. Non-target aquatic organisms further downstream will thus be subjected to a complex mixture of toxic substances, fertilizers and changes in stream flow."

"The conversion of natural ecosystems to intensive banana production systems can have negative effects on soil health, such as erosion, loss of organic matter and biodiversity, in addition to chemical, biological and physical imbalances. Indeed, soil degradation is a major factor limiting the productivity and sustainability of the banana sector. Banana growers worldwide, from conventional and organic export monocrops to mixed food gardens with bananas, suffer soil degradation processes through a complex of factors which vary by system and agroclimatic region. Salinization (due to inadequate irrigation practices and drainage), compaction, nutrient imbalances (due to the unavailability of organic fertilizers, soil depletion or over-fertilization, loss of biological activity), and incidence of soil-borne pathogens (loss of diversity of soil biota resulting in low disease suppressiveness) are key issues in banana plantations worldwide."

[rjmenvs3000f23]

Week 1 Blog Post

Prompt : Describe your current relationship with nature. How has this developed/evolved? Who offered you “a sense of place,” as described in our textbook?

My love and appreciation for nature started when I was a little kid. I was born in Tanzania, a country famous for National parks and game reserves. Growing up I remember walking to school and hearing the call of wild peacocks and watching them in awe as their tail feathers rattled. My mom would come and pick me up when school was over and our walk back home was filled with canopies of tall trees that protected us from the harsh sub-Saharan sun. As much as I was fascinated by nature and its abundant flora and fauna, I was also wildly scared of it as a child and I think that’s when I learned how to appreciate it from a distance. 

In the winter of 2008, my family and I moved to Canada, and I got to experience snow for the first time in my life. We lived in Port Credit and every weekend my family and I would walk by the water and we would look at the ducks, geese, and all the Canadian wildlife. These family walks started to instil my sense of place with nature within Canada and they helped to further foster my fascination with it. My family and I then moved to Mississauga and I remember looking forward to the start of every different season. Spring for me meant I could see flowers and trees in bloom and I could look at fields of dandelions from my school bus every morning. Summer meant I could go swimming and visit parks and beaches. One summer my friend and I went to Jack Darling Memorial Park and we found a baby snapping turtle in the water. We would also go to different parks and watch the fish near the surface of ponds and give them names and life stories. Those experiences with my close friends offered me a sense of place with nature and I felt connected with it. Growing up I would also watch nature documentaries and videos of animals peacefully living in sanctuaries and it inspired me to pursue a career with animals. I gained a deep respect for nature and all the wildlife you can find within it throughout the globe.

When I first came to Guelph I was enrolled in the Wildlife Biology program, however, in my second year I ended up switching to Human Kinetics. Despite that, during covid times I would take it upon myself to learn about the plants that surround my neighborhood, and learn more about animal conservation but more so as a hobby now. I enjoy exploring different parks and hiking trails near my city and I still marvel at all the wildlife and plants that flourish within our ecosystem. I’ve also been to Costa Rica, France, and Switzerland, and in each country, I would always take some time to myself to explore the nature there and learn more about it.

Guelph has certainly offered me a sense of place with nature and I love our beautiful campus. My fascination for nature grows every day as I get to learn new material and I do hope to pursue a job in wildlife conservation at some point in my future.

[occult-roommates]

It’s time to go

That was it, after two wonderful weeks, it was time to go back to San Myshuno; say farewell to the low-poly seagulls and hello to the low-poly pigeons. There they were, waiting before their flight, Rudi, Dawud and Daniele were starting to get bored, so they just...looked at each other’s passport.

Daniele: Wait, why do you have an American passport? I thought you were born in Costa Rica and grew up in Germany. You’ve moved to the US like...less than six months ago. Rudi: My mom is Costa Rica and I was born there, and I did move to Germany cause my dad was German. After he died, my mom wanted to go back home, but she got in an online relationship with a Puerto Rican dude, who is now my step-father, so we moved to Puerto Rico. And since Puerto Rican have US passport well here I am. Daniele: Fascinating, thanks for the explanation. Rudi: Costa Rican and Puerto Rican. Call that the double rican...God I wish I was actually rich. Dawud: I don’t get it? Daniele: In Spanish, Costa Rica means rich coast and Puerto Rico means rich port. I don’t speak Spanish but you know my first language is Italian and in Italian both rich coast is costa ricca and rich port is porto ricco so I kinda...deduced. Dawud: I now feel incredibly stupid for never realizing. Rudi: You deadass grew up in Arizona and cannot speak not even un poquito de Español?  Dawud: I mean, I could have picked Spanish in high school like a normal person, but my biggest bullies were all in that class so instead I picked German like a fucking nerd.  Rudi: Oh really, you speak German? Say something, I totally won’t roast you for your pronunciation. Dawud: Uh...Ich mag trinkt Pferdeblud. Rudi: Not only is this sentence barely coherent and not grammatically correct but WHY is this the sentence you chose to say? You actually pronounced it perfectly though. Dawud: I said this one cause it’s the only one I know. Rudi: Ok so WHY is this the only one you know??

While these two were...peacefully arguing about the validity of Dawud’s German, Daniele tried quickly to look at Rudi’s passort. As soon as they saw him do that, they took it away from him.

Daniele: Lu-na M-M-M-Mo- Rudi: BITCH! Daniele: What, I just wanted to see if your first name is actually Rudder! Rudi: Yes, my full name is Rudder, that’s my old name that’s written here. I haven’t changed my name legally yet cause I’ve only realized I’m nonbinary like...barely a year ago. Daniele: YOU’RE A WEREWOLF AND YOUR PARENTS LEGIT DECIDED TO NAME YOU LUNA??? Rudi: You think that’s bad, my mom is fucking named Guadalupe. Dawud: Also why do you read so slowly Dan? Daniele: Can’t I be dyslexic in peace?

Kino looked at these three, in awe on how their age gap can be barely three years and yet, they felt so much more mature than these overgrown teenagers. That’s when they got a text from Toni asking if they were still on the island. Kino answered with a yes, so Toni asked them to go outside the airport.

Kino: Oh, hi Toni. Already missing me? But you know, I’ll likely be back next summer. Toni: Kim I love you.

Oh...Oh my. Kino had often confess these words to someone, but they had never been on the receiving end before. Toni took their hand, and they kissed, right before it was announced boarding had began for their flight.

Hopefully then, it won’t take a year before they see each other again.

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[cinquecolonnemagazine]

Nuovo anno scolastico: quanto cosa la ripresa

Nuovo anno scolastico alle porte. È ormai questione di giorni ed in tutta Italia riprenderà la frenesia quotidiana da back to school. Ma, per la maggior parte delle famiglie, la scuola non inizia con la riapertura delle attività bensì qualche giorno prima, quando si corre alla ricerca di tutto l’occorrente per il nuovo anno scolastico. I genitori hanno dovuto fare i conti con spese maggiori e un’inflazione che ha colpito anche il comparto scuola. Nuovo anno scolastico: quanto costa il back to school idealo – portale internazionale di comparazione prezzi leader in Europa – ha indagato la tematica, scoprendo come quest’anno acquistare uno zaino stia costando il 13% in più rispetto all’anno precedente. Se, infatti, in media il costo di uno zaino lo scorso anno si attestava sui 100 euro, adesso il suo valore supera i 113 euro.  A fronte di questi costi medi, i dati di idealo mostrano come gli italiani stiano cercando di risparmiare quanto possibile: negli ultimi tre mesi, infatti, quasi il 76% delle intenzioni di acquisto di zaini scuola, è relativo a prodotti dal costo non superiore a 90 euro, mentre il 40% delle stesse si riferisce a prodotti dal costo non superiore a 50 euro. Quale zaino scegliere E se il costo degli zaini resta un fattore importante, si scopre come anche il loro peso sia un dilemma per i genitori che non vogliono sovraccaricare le schiene dei propri figli. Infatti, sorprende come il 20% di quanti cercano uno zaino si stia indirizzando verso uno zaino trolley a rotelle, prediligendo volumi attorno ai 25-30 litri. Gli zaini più cercati quest’anno sono rosa (28%), seguiti da quelli blu (23%) e neri (15%). Il motivo più desiderato resta quello dell’intramontabile Minnie (16%). Tra i motivi più richiesti seguono quelli a tema calcio (9%) e unicorni (8%).  Come risparmiare sul corredo scolastico Per quanto l’interesse online nei confronti degli zaini scuola sia già cresciuto ad agosto (con un +50% di intenzioni d’acquisto rispetto al mese precedente), la categoria è ancora oggetto di grande attenzione e la prima settimana di settembre ha fatto registrare un ulteriore incremento di ricerche del 21% su base settimanale.  D’altronde, ormai, chi acquista online può tendenzialmente ricevere i propri prodotti a casa nel giro di 24-48 ore e, affidandosi alla comparazione prezzi, può anche beneficiare di ingenti risparmi: chi ha acquistato uno zaino online quest’anno, in media ha potuto risparmiare oltre il 12%. Si tratta di un “tesoretto” pari a circa 15 euro, certamente utile per comprare altro materiale scolastico. Read the full article

[travelingwithjuaniqa]

‼️CAN WE SHOUT SPRING BREAK‼️

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When: March 30, 2024

Where: MAHOGANY BAY, ROATAN and COSTA MYA & COZUMEL Mexico

Departing from GALVESTON, TX!

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Interior Cabin: $109pp

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First deposit: $25pp Oct 17, 2023

Second deposit: $250pp Nov 1,2024

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Final payment due Jan 1, 2024

Note: No passport needed but it is highly recommended

Secure your spot😍

[infactforgetthepark]

[Free eBooks] 5 nonfiction from Verso Books [Award-Winning World History, Politics, Economics, Mental Health, Ecology, Activism]

To celebrate the launch of their redesigned website, quasi-academic publisher Verso Books are offering 5 non-fiction ebooks (6 outside US/Canada) in a mix of subject areas, free for a limited time.

To accompany the 80% off ebook sale through Wednesday, April 26th, 4 freebies are available worldwide, and due to rights issues, 1 additional book is free outside US/Canada. Simply add them to the cart from either the dedicated blogpost or the individual product catalogue pages linked from there, and the price will automatically be reset to $0.00.

Heroes: Mass Murder and Suicide by Italian philosopher and activist Franco Berardi, examining the relationship between capitalism and mental health worldwide.

Abolition Geography: Essays Towards Liberation by American prison scholar Ruth Wilson Gilmore, a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Geographers, a decades spanning collection of her essays.

Dissidents among Dissidents: Ideology, Politics and the Left in Post-Soviet Russia by Russian author Ilya Budraitskis, a teacher at the Moscow School of Social and Economics Sciences, a collection of his essays about the post-Soviet evolution of Russia, and winner of the Andrei Bely prize in its original language.

Half-Earth Socialism: A Plan to Save the Future from Extinction, Climate Change and Pandemics by Troy Vettese, an environmental historian at Harvard University, & Drew Pendergrass, advocating a hybrid approach balancing the needs of modern society against those of the environment.

only available outside US/Canada: The Cost of Living Crisis: (and how to get out of it) by Costa Lapavitsas, James Meadway, and Doug Nicholls, an exposé cum advocacy pamphlet on the roots of certain economic troubles and steps to mitigate it

The 5th (or 6th) freebie is a separate offer (ebook will also automatically drop to $0.00 upon adding to cart while valid), good through Thursday, April 27th, and is:

How to Blow Up a Pipeline: Learning to Fight in a World on Fire by Swedish author Andreas Malm, an associate professor of human ecology at Lund University, his manifesto examining the underlying history of and global responses to climate change activism and advocating in a provocative manner for a switch to less passive tactics. This was adapted into an eponymous film, and you can read more about the adaptation and some book recommendations from the filmmakers via this blog post.

NB: if you've previously picked up freebies or sale books from Verso before, you'll have to re-activate your account on their website to migrate it to the new system, following the instructions on their website. Your library and order history should be fully ported, though it'll show in random order instead of by date.

Offered DRM-free worldwide through Wednesday, April 26th (probably until around midnight Eastern Time) or Thursday, April 27th, available directly from the publisher's webstore (requires account signup with valid email and billing address, but no payment info).

[safereturndoubtful]

Day 10 - to Ponte Madeira

For two days at Moreira bay I have seen practically nobody. No other vehicle came down to the sea. I did see a farmer, a hundred metres or so away, moving some sheep, but that was it.

It will rank in my top ten stopovers, whenever I get round to compiling that chart.

The wind dropped considerably today, swings and roundabouts, as the more pleasant conditions outside, meant the seas were a lot calmer today, and less entertaining.

It was my last day on the coast and I had two visits planned. The first to Rostro Beach, about 2 miles long. Once again, nobody else was there.

Near the coast wind turbines are very common. Spain is second only to Germany in power obtained from such turbines. There are 1,265 wind farms. It intends to have 75% of its power from renewables by 2030.

What happens when your dog drinks tadpoles? Do they come out the other end as frogs? Stay tuned..

My last port of call on the Costa da Morte was its southern terminus, the lighthouse and Cape Fisterra. You may recall me mentioning this when I was at the lighthouse at Estaca de Bares 8 days ago. The two lights were the original ones of the coast here, built to a similar design in 1856.

This is a fairly major tourist destination, and was actually quite busy today. Cape Finisterre in English, Cape Fisterra in Spanish, was believed in Roman times to be the end of the world.

It’s fame though these days, is that it is the end of the Camino de Santogo, the Way of St James. A few intrepid hikers were finishing, having carried everything with them the whole way. I chatted briefly with a Japanese couple. Apparently some accommodation was open, but by no means all. The tour companies, which arrange everything, including luggage transport, will not start operating until mid-March.

The town is a bustling tourist venue, with plenty of new hotels and restaurants, and was busy, though not a patch on what it will be in a couple of months. The road to the lighthouse from town was closed for tree-felling, but I had planned to hike over the hill anyway, making it into a circuit.

The best part was high up at 250 metres, looking towards the lighthouse and the ocean. There were six school buses there, and a charge to get close to the lighthouse, which I skirted. I think the view I had from above was vastly superior.

I met a German couple with a yellow labrador who told me they had parked their blue self-built camper next to mine. They had been on the road for 3 weeks, and were just on their way home, having travelled the Spanish coast clockwise from Barcelona.

I didn’t want to tell them that they had missed the best bit, the next 200 km to the north..

These old stone elevated buildings are very common. They are called ‘esteos’ in Galicia, though more widely in Spain known as ‘hórreos’.

They are granary stores, elevated to keep rodents out.

Then it was farewell to the Atlantic, and onwards inland. I’m due at Volkswagen in Santiago de Compostela tomorrow morning, and wanted to stay reasonably close.

I drove inland through great country parallel to the Camino de Santiago, and on my way somewhere else, stumbled on the Ponte Madeira.

The old bridge was built in the 13th century, and rebuilt, or improved upon, in the 18th.

The village dates back to then also, as does the chapel of St Brais.

[ginaclyne]

September was a tireless month of travel and photo shoots, but the weekend of September 23rd I was surrounded by good friends and had the honor of photographing Ryan & Siobhan’s wedding in Port Costa, N. California. When I find myself this busy, I tell myself that I will sleep later, later, later, after all the photos are taken. Here’s a little sneak peek from their Port Costa school house wedding for now. Love you guys, look how young and alive you are. ❤️

More photos to come, this is just a sneak peek afterall! 🙂

    Siobhan & Ryan’s Port Costa School House Wedding (Sneak Peek) September was a tireless month of travel and photo shoots, but the weekend of September 23rd I was surrounded by good friends and had the honor of photographing Ryan & Siobhan's wedding in Port Costa, N.

[whatsyourghoststory]

Paranormal Stories - Cecil Hotel, Amityville Horror, Ghost Adventures, Jon Ronson, Roswell crash

(video) For those who just check out my YouTube channel and don't visit the web site, I did a little recap of the last year and a half of action here to show them what they've been missing. Who knows, maybe you missed an interesting highlight too

For those who just check out my YouTube channel and don’t visit the web site, I did a little recap of the last year and a half of action here to show them what they’ve been missing. Who knows, maybe you missed an interesting highlight too – check out the video below with time stamps in case you want to skip to a specific topic: Time Stamps:0:00 – making videos for the International…

[longliveblackness]

Britain's first black teacher

Thomas Joseph Jenkins was the first black school teacher in Britain.

Born in 1797 on the Upper Guinea coast in West Africa, Thomas would go on to become a teacher at a time where black people were seen as intellectually 'inferior' to other races.

Mr Jenkins journey to becoming the UK's first black teacher would start with his father.

Thomas father, a local chief had established an reputation as a prominent slave trader. When his son reached the age of six, his father entrusted him to James Swanson, captain of the slave ship Prudence.

The African chief hoped that his son might receive a better education in Britain than in his home village.

As an adult, he travelled to London where he trained and worked as a teacher at the British and Foreign School Society.

Thomas graduated in January 1821 and travelled to Mauritius as a teacher.

By 1823, he was chosen to lead the newly established free Government "Model School" in Port Louis.

Thomas served the remainder of his teaching career in Mauritius and died in June 1859, leaving a widow and four children.

•••

Primer maestro negro de Gran Bretaña

Thomas Joseph Jenkins fue el primer maestro negro en Bretaña.

Nació en el año 1797 en la costa de la Alta Guinea en África Occidental. Thomas se convirtió en maestro en un tiempo en el que se creía que las personas negras eran intelectualmente “inferiores” comprados con otras razas.

El camino de Mr. Jenkins a convertirse en maestro, comenzó con su padre.

El padre de Thomas, un cacique local que había establecido una reputación como un prominente comerciante de esclavos. Cuando su hijo alcanzó la edad de seis años, se lo encargó a James Swanson, el capitán de un barco de esclavos llamado Prudence.

El cacique africano tenía la esperanza de que su hijo podría tener una mejor educación en Bretaña que en su aldea natal.

Como adulto, viajó a Londres donde entrenó y trabajó como maestro en British and Foreign School Society (Sociedad de Escuelas Británicas y Extranjeras).

Thomas se graduó en enero de 1821 y viajó a Mauritius como maestro.

En 1823 fue elegido para dirigir la “Escuela Modelo”, gratuita y recientemente fundada por el Gobierno en Puerto Luis.

Thomas cumplió el resto de su carrera docente en Mauritius. Falleció en el año 1859, dejando a una viuda y cuatro hijos.

[archaeologysucks]

A highly-educated single woman with telegraph skills, globe-trotting in the 1930s, including a trip to Germany in 1939? Low-key wondering if she was a spy. Her parents were German, so she almost certainly spoke the language.

1920 census: 1734 W Monroe St, Chicago, Cook, IL Talken, Lydia M / Lodger / F / W / 30 / single / literate / b. IN / father b. USA / mother b. USA / Operator / Telegraph

1930 census: Garfield Arms Hotel, 3260 Maypole Ave, Chicago, Cook, IL Telken, Lydia M. / Guest / F / W / 50 / single / literate / b. IN / father b. Unknown / mother b. Unknown / Teacher / Education

Louisiana, New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820-1945 Name: Lydia Telken Event Type: Immigration Event Date: 8 Jul 1937 Event Place: New Orleans, LA Port of Departure: Pto. Barrios, Guatemala Gender: Female Age: 43 Status: Single Residence: 113 Homan Ave, Chicago, IL Birth date): 4 Jun 1894[sic] Birthplace: Laurenceburg, IN Ship Name: S.S. Santa Marta

New Orleans, Passenger Lists, 1813-1963 Name Lydia Telken Arrival Date 15 Aug 1938 Port of Arrival New Orleans, LA Port of Departure Puerto Limon, Costa Rica Birth Date 4 Jun 1884 Birth Place Dearborn Co, IN Age 54 Sex F Status Single Residence 113 N Homan Ave, Chicago, IL Ship Name S.S. Sixaola

New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957 Name: Lydia Telken Event Type: Immigration Event Date: 17 Aug 1939 Event Place: New York, NY Port of Departure: Hamburg, Germany Sex: F Age: 55 Birth date: 4 Jun 1884 Birthplace: Lawrenceburg, IN Status: Single Residence: 113 N. Homan Ave, Chicago, IL Ship Name: S.S. New York

1940 census: Graemere Hotel, 113 Homan Ave, Chicago, Cook, IL Telken, Maria / Head / F / W / 55 / single / 5y college / b. IN / 1935 residence: same house / teacher / public school / 12 mo income: $2416

[felipeandletizia]

Felipe and Letizia retrospective: May 7th

2006: Visited a school in Costa Rica

2008: Visit to Poland (1, 2)

2009: Audiences at la Zarzuela

2012: Opening of “Asamblea Nacional Euro-Toques Espana” at Caixa Forum.

2013: Opening of “Asamblea Nacional Euro-Toques Espana” at Caixa Forum & Opening of the new sluice at Port of Seville in Sevilla.

2015: “King of Spain” and “Don Quijote” journalism awards 2015 at “Casa del Libro” in Madrid.

2018: Meeting of the Scientific Council of the Elcano Royal Institute of International and Strategic Studies in Segovia & 10th ‘Proyectos Sociales Banco de Santander’ awards.

2019: COTEC Europe 2019 in Naples, Italy & Event celebrating World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2019 (1, 2, 3).

2020: Visit to the Electrical Control Center of the Red Eléctrica de España

2021: Meeting for the Presentation of the European Recovery Plan & Delivered the National Flag to the Army Aviation Academy (ACAVIET).

F&L Through the Years: 753/??

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

In 1985 the Washington Times sponsored a fund for the Contras who committed atrocities, and trafficked drugs to the US

▲ Two women carry the coffin of a child killed by a Contra landmine in Managua, July 4, 1986. Thirty-one unarmed civilians, including women and children, were killed when the truck they were riding in struck a Contra landmine. The truck was carrying a 50-gallon barrel of gasoline.

__________________________

Reverend Sun Myung Moon, a South Korean theocrat who fancied himself the new Messiah, had founded his newspaper, The Washington Times, in 1982 partly to protect Ronald Reagan’s political flanks and partly to ensure that he had powerful friends in high places.

In the so-called “Koreagate” scandal of the late 1970s, Moon’s religious cult had been exposed as a money-laundering front [see KCFF scam and ROFA scam] for South Korean intelligence and other corrupt right-wing political forces in Asia (including some elements of organized crime).

As a result, Moon had been convicted of tax evasion and spent time in federal prison. He was determined to prevent a recurrence of those investigations and thus began pouring what came to total several billion dollars of his mysterious money into the Washington Times, creating a propaganda bulwark for the Republican Party and guaranteeing himself a phalanx of powerful defenders.

_____________________________________

From ‘United States and state-sponsored terrorism’

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_and_state-sponsored_terrorism

In the 1980s the Sandinista government of Nicaragua did not attempt to create a communist economic system; instead, their policy advocated a social democracy and a mixed economy. The government sought the aid of Western Europe, who were opposed to the U.S. embargo against Nicaragua, to escape dependency on the Soviet Union. However, the U.S. administration viewed the leftist Sandinista government as undemocratic and totalitarian under the ties of the Soviet-Cuban model and tried to paint the Contras as freedom fighters.

The Sandinista government headed by Daniel Ortega won decisively in the 1984 Nicaraguan elections. The U.S. government explicitly planned to back the ‘Contras’ (who were a collection of various rebel groups that had been formed in opposition to the rise of the new Sandinista government) as a means to damage the Nicaraguan economy and force the Sandinista government to divert its scarce resources toward the army and away from social and economic programs.

________________________________________________

Edited from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua

When the hereditary dictatorship of the Somoza family was deposed by the Sandinistas in 1979, the Somoza family’s worth was estimated to be between $500 million and $1.5 billion – gained through massive corruption.

In 1980, the Carter administration provided $60 million in aid to Nicaragua under the Sandinistas, but the aid was suspended when the administration obtained evidence of Nicaraguan shipment of arms to El Salvadoran rebels. In response to the coming to power of the Sandinistas, the ‘contras’ formed.

[The US government viewed the leftist Sandinistas as a threat to economic interests of American corporations in Nicaragua and to national security. US President Ronald Reagan stated in 1983 that “The defense of [the USA’s] southern frontier” was at stake. “In spite of the Sandinista victory being declared fair, the United States continued to oppose the left-wing Nicaraguan government.”]

The Reagan administration authorized the CIA to help the contra rebels with funding, armaments, and training. The contras operated out of camps in the neighboring countries of Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south.

▲ Contras in Nicaragua on the southern front.

The contras engaged in a systematic campaign of terror amongst the rural Nicaraguan population to disrupt the social reform projects of the Sandinistas. Several historians have criticized the contra campaign and the Reagan administration’s support for it, citing the brutality and numerous human rights violations of the contras. LaRamee and Polakoff, for example, describe the destruction of health centers, schools, and cooperatives at the hands of the rebels, and others have contended that murder, rape, and torture occurred on a large scale in contra-dominated areas. The United States also carried out a campaign of economic sabotage, and disrupted shipping by planting underwater mines in Nicaragua’s port of Corinto, an action condemned by the International Court of Justice as illegal. The U.S. also sought to place economic pressure on the Sandinistas, and the Reagan administration imposed a full trade embargo. The Sandinistas were also accused of human rights abuses.

In the Nicaraguan general elections of 1984, which were judged to have been free and fair, the Sandinistas won the parliamentary election and their leader Daniel Ortega won the presidential election. …

▲ A demonstration against Reagan’s illegal support of the Contras.

After the U.S. Congress prohibited federal funding of the contras in 1983, the Reagan administration nonetheless illegally continued to back them by covertly selling arms to Iran and channeling the proceeds to the contras (the Iran–Contra affair), for which several members of the Reagan administration were convicted of felonies. The International Court of Justice, in regard to the case of Nicaragua v. United States in 1984, found, “the United States of America was under an obligation to make reparation to the Republic of Nicaragua for all injury caused to Nicaragua by certain breaches of obligations under customary international law and treaty-law committed by the United States of America”. During the war between the contras and the Sandinistas, 30,000 people were killed.

____________________________________

Contra atrocities

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contras#Human_rights_violations

The United States began to support Contra activities against the Sandinista government by December 1981, with the CIA at the forefront of operations. The CIA supplied the funds and the equipment, coordinated training programs, and provided intelligence and target lists. While the Contras had little military successes, they did prove adept at carrying out CIA guerrilla warfare strategies from training manuals which advised them to incite mob violence, “neutralize” civilian leaders and government officials and attack “soft targets” — including schools, health clinics and cooperatives. The agency added to the Contras’ sabotage efforts by blowing up refineries and pipelines, and mining ports. Finally, according to former Contra leader Edgar Chamorro, CIA trainers also gave Contra soldiers large knives. “A commando knife [was given], and our people, everybody wanted to have a knife like that, to kill people, to cut their throats”. In 1985 Newsweek published a series of photos taken by Frank Wohl, a conservative student admirer traveling with the Contras, entitled “Execution in the Jungle”:

The victim dug his own grave, scooping the dirt out with his hands… He crossed himself. Then a contra executioner knelt and rammed a k-bar knife into his throat. A second enforcer stabbed at his jugular, then his abdomen. When the corpse was finally still, the contras threw dirt over the shallow grave — and walked away.

The CIA officer in charge of the covert war, Duane “Dewey” Clarridge, admitted to the House Intelligence Committee staff in a secret briefing in 1984 that the Contras were routinely murdering “civilians and Sandinista officials in the provinces, as well as heads of cooperatives, nurses, doctors and judges”. But he claimed that this did not violate President Reagan’s executive order prohibiting assassinations because the agency defined it as just ‘killing’. “After all, this is war—a paramilitary operation,” Clarridge said in conclusion.

▲ The CIA “assassination manual,” authorized by CIA supervisor Duane Clarridge, provided illustrated instructions in Spanish on how to make a bomb and blow up a local police station. Other pages explained how to assassinate victims with a rope, wire, belt, pistol, rifle, shotgun, machine gun, or explosives.

____________________________________

From a special report by Robert Parry  December 9, 2010

White House aide Oliver North’s chief Contra emissary, Robert Owen, made this point in a March 17, 1986, message about the Contras leadership. “Few of the so-called leaders of the movement … really care about the boys in the field,” Owen wrote. “THIS WAR HAS BECOME A BUSINESS TO MANY OF THEM.” [Emphasis in original.]

That business was cocaine trafficking to the US.

… Another break in the long-running Contra-cocaine cover-up was a report by the Justice Department’s Inspector General Michael Bromwich.

According to evidence cited by Bromwich, the Reagan administration knew almost from the outset of the Contra war that cocaine traffickers permeated the paramilitary operation. The administration also did next to nothing to expose or stop the crimes.

Bromwich’s report revealed example after example of leads not followed, corroborated witnesses disparaged, official law-enforcement investigations sabotaged, and even the CIA facilitating the work of drug traffickers.

Bromwich cited U.S. government informants who supplied detailed information about Meneses’s drug operation and his financial assistance to the Contras. For instance, Renato Pena, a money-and-drug courier for Meneses, said that in the early 1980s the CIA allowed the Contras to fly drugs into the United States, sell them, and keep the proceeds.

CIA Inspector General Hitz made clear that the Contra war took precedence over law enforcement and that the CIA withheld evidence of Contra crimes from the Justice Department, Congress, and even the CIA’s own analytical division.

According to Hitz, the CIA had “one overriding priority: to oust the Sandinista government… . [CIA officers] were determined that the various difficulties they encountered not be allowed to prevent effective implementation of the Contra program.” One CIA field officer explained, “The focus was to get the job done, get the support and win the war.”

Hitz also recounted complaints from CIA analysts that CIA operations officers handling the Contras hid evidence of Contra-drug trafficking even from the CIA’s analysts.

from Big Media’s Guilt in Gary Webb’s Death By Robert Parry (A Special Report) December 9, 2010

https://consortiumnews.com/2010/120910.html

____________________________________

Former CIA agent David MacMichael: “Once you set up a covert operation to supply arms and money, it’s very difficult to separate it from the kind of people who are involved in other forms of trade, and especially drugs. There is a limited number of planes, pilots and landing strips. By developing a system for supply of the Contras, the US built a road for drug supply into the US.”

____________________________________

The Washington Post reported on the drive to support the Contras by the Washington Times.

By Michael Isikoff     May 7, 1985

The Washington Times said yesterday that it is sponsoring a worldwide fund-raising campaign to collect $14 million for the “contra” rebels in Nicaragua and has received a $100,000 commitment for the cause from the paper’s owners, the Unification Church.

The Times campaign, coming just two weeks after the House rejected President Reagan’s request for the same amount of aid to the contras, is among the most ambitious publicly announced initiatives so far to raise private money specifically for the anti-Sandinista guerrillas.

Arnaud de Borchgrave, the Times’ editor, who has championed the contra cause on the paper’s editorial page, announced in a front-page editorial yesterday that the newspaper is setting up a non-profit, public corporation that will oversee fund raising for the contras and that will operate independently of the paper’s news operations. …

De Borchgrave said he thought up the idea for the campaign on Sunday and won quick approval from Col. Bo Hi Pak, the top deputy to Unification Church leader Rev. Sun Myung Moon and president of News World Communications Inc., the parent company of the Times.

Pak “thought it was a great idea” and immediately pledged $100,000 to the drive, he said. …

The Times initiative comes while a number of closely related conservative groups such as the World Anti-Communist League (WACL) and the United States Council for World Freedom have been conducting independent fund-raising drives to funnel military and other aid to the contras. …

But the full scale of private-sector aid to the contras has been difficult to determine, in part because many of the groups involved in raising money have described their efforts as being humanitarian aid to refugees in Honduras, where many of the families of Nicaraguan contras are living.

One such group that has acknowledged providing refugee assistance is Causa, the Unification Church’s anti-Communist political arm that is also headed by Pak.

▲ Advertisement in The New York Times, March 16, 1986, signed by over 200 religious leaders.

____________________________________

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contras

In his 1997 study on U.S. low intensity warfare, Kermit D. Johnson, a former Chief of the U.S. Army Chaplains, contends that U.S. hostility toward the revolutionary government was motivated not by any concern for “national security”, but rather by what the world relief organization Oxfam termed “the threat of a good example”:

It was alarming that in just a few months after the Sandinista revolution, Nicaragua received international acclaim for its rapid progress in the fields of literacy and health. It was alarming that a socialist-mixed-economy state could do in a few short months what the Somoza dynasty, a U.S. client state, could not do in 45 years! It was truly alarming that the Sandinistas were intent on providing the very services that establish a government’s political and moral legitimacy.

The government’s program included increased wages, subsidized food prices, and expanded health, welfare, and education services. And though it nationalized Somoza’s former properties, it preserved a private sector that accounted for between 50 and 60 percent of GDP.

____________________________________

Bolivia’s government-protected cocaine shipments helped transform Colombia’s Medellín cartel from a struggling local operation into a giant corporate-style business for delivering cocaine to the U.S. market.

It fell to Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s right-wing Washington Times to begin the vendetta against those who reported on the cocaine-Contra connection.

____________________________________

In Bolivia, Moon disciple Tom Ward and the former Hitler SS Officer, Klaus Barbie were often seen together

How Sun Myung Moon’s organization helped to establish Bolivia as South America’s first narco-state.

FFWPU President of IAPP Prosecuted for Money Laundering and Drug Smuggling in US Court; may be connected to UC / FFWPU Leadership

The Unification Church and the KCIA – ‘Privatizing’ covert action: the case of the UC

CAUSA and the Catholic Church in the 1980s

CAUSA and Three South American Terror Generals