#seven banks were duped

[andavs]

Beers of 9-1-1

Updating my post on the beers of 911 to include the rest of s6 and all of s7! A few more got added because either the show added more, some got used a couple more times, or I just finally managed to figure out the names that have been haunting me.

All of these beers are fictional prop brands, and many have been used in other movies and shows. They come from prop vendors, not the 911 prop department itself.

The show uses a lot of brands of beer! Different brands will peak and get used a lot in one or two seasons, and then they tend to get relegated to background extras, or occasionally a non-main character will drink one. It adds variety and a little realism, so not everyone is always drinking the same beer.

There's been many more beyond these, but they've either been used once, they're only in the background, or I can't read the labels—yet.

Alexander’s Famous Ale This beer was mostly used in season two. Chimney was drinking it in Chimney Begins and then Athena and Hen each had one while discussing the bank heist in Oceans 911—the only time they’ve had beer during their chats. Since then, it’s become a background beer that extras drink, but Ramon was drinking one during Eddie’s homecoming party, and Red was drinking one when he and Buck first met. There was a can of it on a table at the bachelor party in There Goes the Groom.

American Colonial A new beer with season seven that so far has only appeared in There Goes the Groom.

Blind Fox Ale This was the most used beer before Genuine took its place in season six, but as of 7.10 they're tied. It was used the most through seasons two and three. Buck has had it the most (six times), but Chimney, Hen, Eddie, Tommy, and Michael all drank it too. It hung out in the background a bit, and then came back when Eddie and Buck drank it at the bachelor party in There Goes the Groom.

Brenner’s Black Cat Brew This is a mostly background/set dressing beer. Buck, Chimney, and Maddie each had one while talking about the call center takeover in The Taking of Dispatch 911, but otherwise it mostly shows up in the background or in fridges (usually Buck’s).

Cerveza Extra This is a Corona Extra dupe that was mostly used in the third season. Chimney was drinking one in the party for Buck in Kids Today, and he drank several at the bar during Seize the Day. Buck was drinking one when Eddie dropped off Chris in The Searchers, he had one at Eddie’s party in Seize the Day, and then he served one to Connor in Peru in Buck Begins. There were also a couple around Eddie’s house in Seize the Day.

Curson Light This is a Coors Lite dupe that’s only popped up a few times. Buck and Eddie each have one in Fallout, when Buck’s apologizing for not being there during the lawsuit. Eddie has another one in Fools while he’s talking to Buck about Chris, while Buck has a Grand Ale. It was also used for extras in the bar scene in Seize the Day.

Genuine Genuine first popped up in Hen Begins; Hen drinks one while she’s out with Athena for the first time. After that, it didn’t show up again until Hen and Chimney’s reunion in Fear-a-Phobia, but in season 6, it became the most used beer of the whole show.

Eddie and Buck drink it the most (Let the Games Begin, Recovery, Mixed Feelings) but so do a lot of other characters and extras. The guy who blew up his neighbor in Crash & Learn was drinking one, Buck gave one to Connor in Recovery, and Chimney and Maddie had a bunch in their fridge in Lost & Found. A number of the extras around the poker game were drinking it, and they were sprinkled around the hotel room in There Goes the Groom.

Grand Ale Grand Ale was pretty much only used in the third season. Chimney drank it while he and Maddie discussed having kids in Kids Today and during the poker game with Josh in Fools. Buck also had one in Fools while he and Eddie were talking about Chris and the skateboard. Michael had one with dinner in Athena Begins. It got used in the background a couple times, and Rita/Jeanine was carrying one at the beginning of What’s Your Grievance? in season four, but as far as I can tell, it hasn’t come back.

Heisler Gold Ale Heisler didn’t appear in the show until There Goes the Groom at the bachelor party, and so far it hasn’t been used since.

This is such a well known prop beer that it has a cult following. You can get it on shirts. It’s been used in How I Met Your Mother and New Girl and probably hundreds of other shows and movies.

Isla Tropical This is mostly a background beer for set dressing, but Lucy was drinking one in Love is in the Air when Buck and Natalia ran into her at the bar. It showed up a few times in What’s Your Fantasy?, scattered around the college house where Darius lives.

Meichtry Lite & Draft We have yet to see anyone actually drinking these beers, but they are used for set dressing, specifically in Buck and Chimney’s fridges (Recovery, Starting Over), and at the frat house call in Animal Instincts. It’s also a pretty common prop beer that’s been in a lot of shows. (Note the Brenner’s Black Cat in Buck’s fridge on the left behind the ginger beer!)

Mendoza Lager This beer showed up mid-season five in Outside Looking In. Buck was drinking one at the bar, and he had another in Starting Over on his balcony with Maddie. Hen drank a couple on her first date with Karen in Tomorrow. It was also on the counter behind Ramon in Hero Complex.

Penn Pavel’s This beer has only been used twice. In Kid’s Today, Buck had a couple open on the counter when Eddie came to get him out of bed, and then Eddie was drinking one at Buck’s loft during Treasure Hunt.

Rio Negro So far, Eddie’s the only main character who drinks Rio Negro. He and Lena each had one at the junkyard fight in Rage, he had a couple at the bar in Seize the Day, and he had a couple at his parents’ house in Hero Complex. As far as I can tell, this is the only beer that’s this character-specific.

This beer comes up regularly with background extras, usually in bar scenes, and extras were drinking it during the party at Eddie’s house in Seize the Day. In Step Nine, Herman was holding one in the photo on his dashboard.

Samuel Jacksons This is a fairly new one and a Samuel Adams dupe. It first popped up in Boston, while Chimney and Eli were talking in Eli’s basement and there were a couple scattered around in the bagpipe rescue scene, and then it came back in season 7. Buck opened one before Tommy kissed him in Buck, Bothered, and Bewildered, and then he and Eddie were both drinking one when Buck came out to him in You Don't Know Me.

Tux’s Red Ribbon This beer is a Pabst Blue Ribbon dupe and has only been in two episodes. Chimney had one at the party he was hosting at the end of A Whole New You, and then it was the only beer anyone drank in In Another Life. Buck and Chimney each had one, and Buck, Daniel, and Phillip all had one together on Buck’s couch—which is notable as something being off because Phillip is usually drinking scotch. I don’t believe it’s ever been used as a background beer.

[alielahi488]

Top 7 Rent a Car Dubai Options for Every Budget and Adventure

Dubai, that clad in such unique structures, luxury life, and many foreign wonders, is a city you must enjoy on your terms. Oh, what a joy it would be to drive through the streets of that great city as well as visit the breathtaking outdoors with the help of your own car! Travelers looking for budget options will find a variety of Rent a Car Dubai. Those who enjoy the challenge of adventure will also find them. The rentals offer not only low prices but also a selection of vehicles. Embrace the seven best Rent a Car Dubai which were prepared for every budget and thriller.

Introduction

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Budget-Friendly Car Rentals

Finding affordability in the city of opulence

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SUV and Off-road Vehicle Hire.

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Trying the flexibility approach of longer car rentals.

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Conclusion

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FAQs About Rent a Car Dubai

Q1. How old do I need to be to rent a car in Dubai?

To rent a car in Dubai, you must be at least 21 years old, although some rental companies may require you to be 25 or older.

Q2. Do I need an international driver's license to rent a car in Dubai?

Yes, visitors to Dubai are required to have a valid international driver's license in addition to their regular driver's license.

Q3. Are there any additional fees I should be aware of when renting a car in Dubai?

Be sure to inquire about any additional fees such as insurance, fuel charges, and parking fees before finalizing your rental agreement.

Q4. Can I rent a car for desert driving in Dubai?

Yes, many rental companies in Dubai offer off-road vehicles specifically designed for desert driving and dune-bashing adventures.

Q5. Is it safe to drive in Dubai?

Driving in Dubai is generally safe, with well-maintained roads and clear signage. However, be mindful of local traffic laws and driving customs to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.

Reference

[denimbex1986]

'In early March, as the collective obsession it spawned was at its height, I had the chance to ask: Have Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning seen the viral TikTok series “Who TF Did I Marry?”

The actors were seated in a sparsely decorated holding room at a Hollywood screening venue where their new series, “Ripley,” was about to be previewed. Nearly seven decades after Patricia Highsmith’s novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley” first introduced the world to its titular grifter, Tom, the story of one of pop culture’s most infamous pathological liars is now getting an eight-episode treatment on Netflix. And the 50-part social media saga by Reesa Teesa (real name Tareasa Johnson) about a walking red flag — an ex-husband who allegedly made up family members, faked phone conversations and, in their search for a home, duped her with fake bank statements that turned out to be screenshots from Google Images — was further proof that stories of scammers and fraudsters never go out of style.

“Oh, my God, I know!” Fanning said, her eyes wide with excitement. “I wanted to watch that, but haven’t. There are a lot of videos, right?”

“What is this?” Scott asked, curious to understand the enthusiasm.

“It’s this woman who got scammed by her ex and made these videos where she is like filming in the bathroom or her car and telling the story,” Fanning said.

“Oh, wow,” Scott said, brows furrowed.

The cunning con man who’s brought them together has left a more lasting impression, inspiring the 1960 French film “Purple Noon,” the 1999 vehicle for Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law, and now “Ripley.”

Developed for television by Steven Zaillian (“The Night Of”), the series was originally set up at Showtime before moving to Netflix, with production spanning from summer 2021 to spring 2022. The lavish thriller, which is shot in black and white, stars Scott as the eponymous scam artist; Johnny Flynn (“Emma”) as Dickie Greenleaf, the wayward heir to a wealthy Manhattan dynasty with whom Ripley becomes obsessed; and Fanning as Marge Sherwood, Dickie’s girlfriend, who is suspicious of the new man in town.

The dark, subversive antihero saga begins as Tom is enlisted by Dickie’s father , who mistakenly assumes Tom is a friend of his son , to venture to Italy to cajole him into returning home. Tom becomes infatuated with Dickie and his lifestyle, then kills him to avoid being deserted — and the cover-up spirals from there. It’s an apt parable for the social media age, in which the carefully crafted image can be seductive to a damaging degree. But Zaillian didn’t embark on the adaptation with that in mind.

“It had nothing to do with now,” Zaillian said by telephone. “The big draw for me was to spend more time with this particular character. ... I think there’s a lot of things about him that are like all of us. He has aspirations, he has envy, pride — he might have more than we have, or he’s just willing to go further to get it. I think one of the reasons that he’s endured as a character so well over all these years, is because we do relate to him.”

While Dickie is the person Tom becomes fascinated by, the dynamic between Tom and Marge brings the tension.

“Their relationship changes,” Zaillian said. “From the moment she meets him, Marge is suspicious of him. At a certain point, he appeals to her vanity. She starts to think, ‘Well, maybe he is OK,’ because, frankly, she’s gonna get something out of it. And so it kind of goes back and forth. Her opinion on him constantly changes.”

Scott and Fanning talked about their own experiences being duped, why we can’t get enough of con artists, and climbing all the series’ stairs.

What do you think it is about con artists that audiences stay fascinated by?

Scott: We talk so much about backstory when we’re talking about characters and I sometimes think that’s just mythical, because when you’ve got backstory about somebody, you have power. When you don’t, [the character has] all the power. It’s more sinister.

Fanning: I think Tom Ripley is the original catfish. Also, what kind of separates it from other interpretations of con men, or whatever you want to call it, is you kind of get to see how he does it all, in pretty gripping detail. Sometimes some of those details are glossed over; in this, you’re on that ride of how it’s all done and I think that makes the particular character of Tom Ripley even scarier. Also, you start sympathizing with him.

Scott: And you see his mistakes.

Fanning: I should want him to get caught, but I don’t.

Scott: I was always like, “I want to be able to feel what it’s like to be him, not necessarily be a victim of his” ... “What would I do if I was him in these moments?”

“The Talented Mr. Ripley” really asks the question, “Is it better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody?” And it grapples with the cost of buying into the life you’re fed to believe is ideal. What did you find interesting in exploring the complexity of those themes against the social media era we live in?

Scott: It’s about somebody who’s literally not being seen by a lot of people. Really just lives in the undergrowth. What I find moving about it is that I think he’s got a great appreciation for all the stuff that Dickie Greenleaf just takes for granted. He’s really brilliant at what he does. Dickie and, to a certain extent Marge, are not great artists, but they have that totally at their disposal. There’s a theme of who gets access to the arts, and who is able to go to these beautiful locations and educate [themselves]. Tom, as he’s doing all these extraordinary things, is actually falling in love with Italy, painting and food and clothes and just the beauty of the world.

As an actor, your goal is to make an audience believe that you’re somebody else and you will go to your own lengths to do that. Did it give you insight into what’s driving Tom or how far he’ll take it?

Scott: He’s not a natural-born killer. He’s not going over there with any of this in mind. He’s trying to survive.

Fanning: Somebody approached him.

Scott: Exactly. Somebody approached him. He didn’t do anything. Then he caught some feelings. Then that happened. All these extraordinary places he goes to aren’t because he’s going, “Oh, I always wanted to go to Venice.” He goes there because he has to.

Maybe not to the extent of what we see in this series, but have you ever been duped?

Fanning: The feeling that I hate the most is being tricked and duped — even in small ways when you feel like everyone else knows something that you don’t know. I hate that. It’s awful.

Scott: I will give you a specific example that happened to me last week. I arrived to Los Angeles. I was really jet-lagged, it was about 8 o’clock. I thought: OK, I’m going to go to the gym to keep me alive. And it’s a well-known, good gym. Went to do my workout and put my stuff in the locker. When I finished and went to take a shower, I thought, I’m not gonna put my trainers into my locker; I’m only going to be in the shower for five minutes. I come out and someone had stolen my trainers! There’s just one sock there. I was like, “What the f—?” You just feel so violated. And I’m thinking, “I have to go home. My shoes are gone.” So I had to wear these extraordinarily massive flip-flops from the spa. I still can’t believe someone stole my trainers and one sock. But it is a really weird feeling to be stolen from. I know you can be emotionally conned. I’ve experienced that before as well, with one of those bank fraud things. You do feel something has just been ripped from you. It’s a horrible feeling.

Tom is always paranoid about being watched. You both are public figures. Can you understand that paranoia?

Fanning: It doesn’t just have to do with being an actor or a celebrity anymore. I try and keep everything together. But there was one time that I was learning to drive and I was with my mom. We didn’t have a destination; I was just practicing. And there was paparazzi following behind me every turn and watching me park. I finally got out of the car and I was like, “I am trying to learn to drive. I am not going anywhere. You’re going to be going up and down this hill all day.” He was very nice. One time, I was moving into my house and my garage and he — it happened to be the same man — was parked nearby and I was like, “Please don’t film me moving my personal items into my house.” But in general, I think now everybody worries about being surveilled in some way.

Andrew, do you notice when it’s happening to you? When someone has their phone positioned a certain way?

Scott: Absolutely. And my real feeling about it is: just be better at it. Be better at disguising it! Not for anything to do with what my job is, just as a human being. It’s the fact that you think I can’t notice how obvious you are making it. Recently, I was on the tube in London, it was this relatively empty tube, and this girl [mimics person pointing phone in his direction] and she very badly took a photo and the flash went off. And I turned and was like, “If you want a picture, please just ask me.” And she was like, “I didn’t take a picture of you.” Somebody from down the car was like, “Mate, we saw it. You did. The flash went off.” So then she got up and got off at the stop. The shame. She was Tom Ripley! She was just lying to my face.

I want to talk more about the Marge-and-Tom dynamic. Unlike the 1999 adaptation, where Marge is more warm and welcoming to Tom and wants him to fit in, in the series, like in the novel, she’s skeptical of him from the start. How did you map out the pacing of her wariness?

Fanning: The interesting thing about the novel and the scripts is that they’re written from Tom’s perspective. The other characters have to fill in a lot of blanks. At first, that felt overwhelming. But Steve’s gift is his precision as a writer and as a director and the fact that he, whether it’s what you want to hear or not, knows exactly what he’s looking for and what he wants. I think my instinctual interpretation of Marge he was happy with, which was a relief to me. But we definitely played with it, like, “Let’s do a take where she doesn’t believe him” or “Let’s do one where she isn’t so skeptical.” And then he would figure it out later — what Marge knew, what Marge didn’t know. It was a little bit of a puzzle of keeping track of the timeline of her skepticism. But I was thrilled to play a character, a woman, that wasn’t completely duped. I love that this Marge is quite skeptical from the beginning and we got to have fun with that.

They’re very much a mirror of each other.

Fanning: And her background is also not a privileged background. The jealousy of her is, “You and I are alike, but you have it and I don’t. And you don’t deserve it still.”

Scott: They see through each other. They’re threatened by each other and you dislike about other people what you see in yourself. But I really believe that Tom loves Marge. I think it’s too easy to think: “Oh, he hates her.” I think he finds her inconvenient because she, of all people, might mess it up for him. And Dickie is a little bit more trusting or maybe just not as emotionally intelligent.

Fanning: They’re frenemies.

Sexuality in Patricia’s novels is sort of up to interpretation sometimes; it’s subtext. Andrew, what discussions did you have with Steven about how you wanted to approach that part of his identity?

Scott: I suppose it was something that I thought about a lot myself; it was very important to me to not label him too much. I did have some brief conversations with Steve about that. ... We’re very concerned with labeling in 2024. I feel like he’s a character with a lot of secrets. And talking around it too much, I feel I’ve got to protect that character. I think you have to dramatize asking the questions rather than drowning the character in giving the easy answer to appease certain people’s ideas. To my mind, he’s a character who is Other. I feel like he wouldn’t be comfortable in a gay bar; I feel like he wouldn’t be comfortable in a straight bar.

Sometimes I think his sexuality or sensuality comes out of his relationship with things — art, clothes, props, music. I love the fact that we don’t know. I think there’s a lot of people who can relate to that. I enjoy the idea of pushing that — for him to be flirtatious with a man; for him to be flirtatious with a woman — and not diagnose him too much and not to impose too much of a sexuality. And I applied that to everything about him, not just his sexuality. He’s the hero, but he’s an unreliable hero.

In the book, the three characters are very clearly telegraphed as being in their early to mid-20s, fresh out of college. How does a version of these characters who are somewhat closer to your age change your understanding of their behavior?

Fanning: I didn’t think about it. I feel like everyone is almost ageless in it. Obviously with Marge, you can tell she’s somebody who is kind of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and finds herself in this place and hasn’t had a lot of experience. She’s not a world traveler. This could be her first time out of the country. If I was thinking about age, I was thinking this is all still kind of new for her.

Scott: It was a concern because, obviously, in the book, he’s younger than I am... But that’s not what [Highsmith] concerns herself with too much. Again, the sort of slipperiness of watching their behaviors and not caught up with: “What’s the age difference here?” We’re not playing something like the evolution of teenagers. That’s not what the theme of it is and, so, it isn’t really something that we thought about.

Fanning: Steve didn’t care, so we didn’t care.

Andrew, talk to me about the stairs. You had to endure a lot of stairs in the series.

Fanning: Oh God.

Scott: There was a lot of stairs. We got a lot of coverage ... of a lot of stairs.

I can’t tell by the tone if he’s really upset by the memory.

Fanning: [laughs] No, he’s not upset. It’s just the truth.

Scott: [laughs] It’s just the truth. That’s the thing — it’s very evocative because when you go [to Italy], you’re going up lots of stairs. There’s no choice. To see what it’s like for a person from New York, who’s experiencing this for the first time and has no money, and he’s making mistakes, he can’t speak the language. But yes, there’s a lot of those stair scenes where he’s got up and life is just tough. Steve isn’t a one-and-done guy, so we certainly had a lot of takes with the stairs.'

[wavehq]

enjoy limitless possibilities here in celestire islands, bruce wayne ( dc (movies) ), where you can start the new life you've always longed for. make sure you read the checklist, as we'll be sending the discord link through ims! enjoy your new dream, eve!

( dc (movies), dupes allowed.  robert pattinson, he/him, cis man. )  ——-  hey, is that ( bruce wayne ) hanging around ( celestire museum )? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( thirty-seven ) year old ( heir of snapdragon bank ) and ( tinkering with computers )? they’re notorious for being ( intelligent ) yet ( reserved ), and i always seem to hear ( harsh realm ) by ( widowspeak ) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( giving money for the upkeep of celestire’s natural sites ), and they’re associated with ( dark clothing, the smell of expensive cologne, a distant look in his eyes ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( not being able to save his loved ones ), but it must have just been a bad dream. //  —  [ eve, twenty-six / est, she/her. ]

[cybercrime-blogs]

Rising Cases of Job Scam: Delhi Man Duped of Rs 11.8 Lakh Through Telegram Scam

The country continues to grapple with a distressing surge in cybercrime cases, with fraudsters exploiting various platforms to target unsuspecting individuals. Recently, in New Delhi, a young man named Nasir Ali fell victim to a Telegram scam, enduring a devastating loss of Rs 11,80,000.

The tale began when Nasir received a text message inviting him to join a Telegram group that promised lucrative investment opportunities. Tempted by the prospect of earning more money, Nasir delved deeper, unaware that he was walking straight into a meticulously planned trap set by cunning fraudsters.

Also Read: Cybercrime in Nagpur - Cyber Blackmailer Couple Arrested in Pune for Extorting Money

Nasir's complaint reveals that he received a message on Telegram instructing him to join a specific group. The message enticed him with the promise of increased earnings through investments. Trusting the message, Nasir joined the group, unwittingly initiating a series of deceitful tasks assigned by the fraudsters operating under the username "@Arpita."

The initial task assigned to Nasir was to deposit Rs 100 and create his profile using the provided link. The fraudsters assured him that he would receive Rs 250 in return. Falling for their persuasive tactics, Nasir complied and deposited the money, witnessing the promised amount being credited to his account shortly after. This successful transaction led him to believe in the authenticity of the scheme.

As days went by, the fraudsters would assign Nasir new tasks, primarily involving liking profiles of new individuals and sharing them with others. Each task required a certain investment, with promised daily returns. Succumbing to their manipulation, Nasir continued to invest his hard-earned money, hoping for even greater profits.

The trust between Nasir and the fraudsters grew, and at one point, they persuaded him to share the details of his seven bank accounts. Armed with this information, the fraudsters managed to extract a staggering total of Rs 11,80,000 from Nasir. Unbeknownst to him, he had fallen into a perilous trap orchestrated by these cyber criminals.

Upon realizing the gravity of the situation, Nasir confronted the fraudsters, demanding the return of his money and urging them to allow him to exit the group. Instead of complying, they resorted to threats, further pressuring Nasir. They demanded an additional sum of Rs 11,70577 to release a check worth Rs 30,00,000, exacerbating the victim's despair.

Also Read: Kashmiri Brother-in-Law could not show Kamal, and pressure on Nagpur police failed

Filled with fear and devoid of alternatives, Nasir promptly lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police. He emphasized the urgent need for action against these cybercriminals, revealing that he had already transferred a sum of Rs 11,80,000 to them. Despite providing ample evidence, the victim alleges that the police have failed to take any action. He claims to possess evidence that over Rs 6 crore were deposited into the criminals' accounts, yet the police have not seized their bank accounts or launched a crackdown.

This incident underscores the necessity for heightened awareness and stringent measures to effectively combat cybercrime. Initiatives focused on educating the public about the risks associated with online scams and promoting cybersecurity best practices become crucial in safeguarding individuals from falling prey to such fraudulent schemes.

In the wake of this unfortunate incident, it is imperative for everyone to remain cautious, exercise skepticism, and promptly report any suspicious activity to the authorities. By working together, society can collectively combat the escalating wave of cybercrime and protect innocent individuals from financial losses and emotional distress.

Source: https://www.the420.in/rising-cases-of-job-scam-delhi-man-duped-of-rs-11-8-lakh-through-telegram-scam/

[hardynwa]

India Police Arrests Five Nigerian Me For Allegedly Duping Hundreds Of Women

A fraud syndicate made of of five Nigerian nationals have been arrested in India. The Nigerians living illegally in India, and a Bhutanese woman were arrested for duping hundreds of women in India and several other countries, of lakhs of rupees on dating applications. The suspects identified as Okolie Stephen, Okolie Prosper, Okosindhi Micheal, Umad Roland, Okolie Daniel, and Kunjgmo, were arrested by Gautam Buddha Nagar Noida Police on Sunday, March 5, 2023. The 36-year-old female suspect, Kunjgmo, from Trongsa in Bhutan, is married to a Nigerian man, who is also a part of the gang but is currently in Nigeria. The suspects created fake dating profiles by pretending to be Indian doctors living abroad, or doctors of other nationalities, on apps such as Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid, Badoo and Hinge, said investigators. The suspects then connected with women and befriended them, said officers, adding that after gaining their trust, the suspects told the women that they were coming to India on a certain date to meet them. "Then these men called the women and said they were stopped at the airport by customs officials because they were carrying large amount of foreign currency or expensive gifts. The arrested woman suspect posed as a customs official and spoke to these women. She asked the women to pay a certain amount as customs duty to secure the release of their friend,” said deputy commissioner of police (Noida) Harish Chander. The victims of the fraud, who were under the impression that the suspects were wealthy doctors, transferred money after the men assured them that they would pay them back, said investigators. “This gang has been operating for the past seven to eight years and we have come to know that they have duped hundreds of women so far, not just from India but also from other countries, including Portugal, Sweden and the Netherlands,” said assistant commissioner of police (Noida-1) Rajneesh Verma. After a more than six-hours interrogation, investigators learned that the suspects used translation software to talk to women of different nationalities in their own languages. “We seized 17 phones from the suspects and saw at least 30-35 chats with different women on every phone. This means that the group was planning to cheat 500 women in the past month alone. They have fake accounts even on dating apps that are considered very safe for women. To further establish their authenticity, they changed their VPNs so that women would believe where they are calling from,” added Verma. He said the suspects spoke to the women on phone but did not do video calls. “When the women asked to speak to the men on video, the men stuck a white paper on the camera and claimed the camera was not working,” said Verma. He said after receiving the money in bank accounts set up under false identities, they broke off contact with the women after a couple of days. Then, they got the money converted to Nigerian currency Naira before using it. The suspects came from Nigeria to India in 2021 on education and medical visa of six months but stayed back illegally. They live in Supertech Golf Country along the Yamuna Expressway. A case has been registered against them at the Sector 20 police station under Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and other sections of the IT Act. They were produced before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody. Police have recovered three laptops, a two-wheeler, three passports and ₹40,000 from the suspects and have also seized a bank account linked to them that has ₹1.25 lakh. “We are going to inform the Nigerian embassy about the gang and its activities. We are confirming the exact status of their passports and visas as we have still not recovered passports of two suspects,” said Chander. Read the full article

[best24news]

Haryana News: एक साल में सात बैंको को लगाया चूना, जानिए कैसे?

Haryana News: एक साल में सात बैंको को लगाया चूना, जानिए कैसे?

हरियाणा: बैंक की एटीएम मशीन से छेड़छाड़ करके पैसे निकालने की वारदात करने वाला शतिर आबिद उर्फ सुनगो मझा हुआ खिलाडी है। वह पिछले एक साल में एनसीआर में इसी तरह मशीन से छेडछाड करके सात वारदातो को अंजाम दे चुका है। Haryana News: तीन रहडियो पर पटाखे जब्त, मची अफरा तफरी ऐसे किया काबू: जिला नूंह के गांव हिंगपुर निवासी आबिद उर्फ सुनगो को एटीएम के साथ छेडखानी करके पैसे निकालते के आरोप में मेवात पुलिस ने दस…

[percywinchester27]

A lot like ‘Us’ (Part-10)

Word count: 5.2K

Pairing: Sam X Reader AU

Warnings: Implied smut, fluff :)

Series Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is eager and honestly, still in awe that she managed to get herself an acceptance from Stanford Law School. On the face of it, her life seems as put together, mysterious and independent as one might hope for. On the insides, she carries the burden of past that haunts her till date. Seemingly, she’d left it all behind; that is until she sets foot in the class of the Law School’s youngest, most promising professor.

A/N: No angst again! And good stuff. I am being very nice these days ;)

The story employs two different timelines. The present timeline for the story takes place in 2014. Please let me know what you guys think :)

Beta: @deanssweetheart23​. Athina, you’re a goddess <3

A lot like ‘Us’ masterlist

10th September 2008

You woke up to something soft tickling your face, almost feather light and pleasant. Opening your eyes, you found Sam’s arms wrapped around you, nestling you in them. A glowing warmth spread through your body as you remembered last night, his lips on your skin, and the feel of his hot breath on your face. The way he had called out for you was enough to raise goosebumps on your skin now. And he’d said he loved you. Your heart thrummed in your chest at the memory.

Slowly, you removed his arm from over your body and slipped out of bed. You wanted to kiss him on his forehead or the point of his nose but Sam looked so peaceful you didn’t have the heart to wake him up. 

You pulled over the T-shirt and the boxers Sam had lent you last night and headed down to the kitchen. Maybe it hadn’t been the best idea to skip dinner after a morning of hangover because your stomach was churning weirdly. 

Would everything be different now? After last night. You felt like your heart would burst from all the love you were feeling. Without giving the task at hand much thought, you fried some eggs, toasted the bread and put the coffee pot on a boil, wondering what Sam had for breakfast. 

With an excitement that you had never felt before, you carried the tray laden with food upstairs, wondering how to wake Sam up. As it turned out, Sam was already sitting up, a confused expression on his face. The sheets were bunched around his waist and the sight of his naked torso made your face feel hot. When he saw you, his eyes lit up, a smile replacing the frown.

“Here you go,” you said, placing the tray before him and then joining him on the bed.

His eyes softened. “You didn’t need to,” he said, gesturing towards the food. “Not seeing you here, I was starting to worry that last night had been a dream.”

“Only the best dream of my life,” you muttered, pouring his coffee. “Black with half spoon sugar. Just like you have it.”

Sam was still stuck on your words. He took the cup from your hands and placed it back on the tray, then pulled you to him. “That’s just it. I didn’t want it to be a dream. Even if it was the best dream ever. All dreams, even the best ones end when you wake up. But with you… I don’t ever want this to end.”

You reached out and kissed him. At first he was surprised, then he leaned into it. Kissing Sam was like a breath of fresh air for your soul. If it was left to you, you would spend an obscene amount of time kissing him.

“This is one way to start the day,” he chuckled.

“Mhmmm…” you sighed, handing him the coffee and starting on the eggs. 

“Funny that Jo didn’t turn the place upside down looking for me,” you wondered idly. You should have told her where you were last night.

“I called her when you got here,” Sam said. “When er… when you were having a bath.”

Sam was always so thoughtful. Last night it hadn’t even occurred to you to let Jo know, about the acceptance or the fact that you were here, and you weren’t particularly proud of it. Absentmindedly, you scooted closer to Sam and like it was the most natural thing to do, he put his arm around you. The heat coming of his skin and his scent was so comforting, you all but melted against his side. A girl could get used to this.

“Hey,” Sam nudged you with his lips pressed in your hair. “You know that NC Central is only a seven hour drive from New York, right?”

Of course you knew that. It was a great school, but it was also on the East coast, where Sam would be. You nodded against his neck, lightly tracing the hard lines of his stomach. 

“I could drive over the weekends to see you.” There was hope in his voice.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” you smiled at the thought of it all. A new school, a new life with Sam in it. You thought of happy weekends and flinging yourself into his arms whenever you saw him. You pictured his wide smiles, and the joy in his eyes when he saw you. “I could hop on a bus on Friday night and be there in New York in the morning. You’d show me around, wouldn’t you? I’ve never been to such a big city.”

“You have no idea,” he said. “I’ve never wanted that job more than now. Hell, I’d throw myself into preparing for the bar, if it keeps us that close now.”

“Mhmm.” You huddled closer to him.

“What’re you thinking?”

“About how I’m going to afford this,” you said. “NC central isn’t that expensive, but it’s still a lot considering I have almost nothing to my name. I don’t want to sell off Gran’s house.”

“You want to make it into a bakery, I remember,” he said, gently, then added hesitantly. “Maybe I could-”

“No!” You sat up straight. “Absolutely not. I can’t ask this from you.” You hurried to explain, seeing the slightly hurt expression on his face. “This isn’t about you in any way. It’s very kind of you to offer, it really is. But I want to do this by myself. I’ll apply for a student’s loan. Like I said, the money isn’t an impossible sum. I just need a guarantor to vouch for me at the bank. I don’t want to ask aunt El cause I know she had some bank problems with the diner. She doesn’t trust them very much.”

Sam looked thoughtful.

“What’re you thinking?” You asked suspiciously. “Don’t think about volunteering.” 

His finger was drawing a pattern on your shoulder as he licked his lips. “You know I can’t. I don’t own any property myself. You should ask Dean, though.”

“Dean?” You looked up at him surprised. “Why would he?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Sam countered. “He might not show it, but he does like you. You’re not asking him to pay for your college, you’re just asking him to be a guarantor. He has great credit, the bank won’t refuse that. It’s not like you’re going to dupe him. I know my brother. Trust me, he’ll be happy to help you.”

When you still looked surprised, Sam took hold of your hand and pressed it to his lips. “Don’t overthink this. You said you wanted to do this by yourself, so you bring it up with him. I promise I won’t say a word.”

“You’re awesome. You know that, right?”

He winked. “I don’t know about that. But I’m sure happy you think that!”

You removed the tray from the bed and placed it on the side table, then moved over to straddle Sam, hands placed on either side of his face. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

In a quick moment, Sam flipped you, so that you were lying on the bed with him hovering over you. He dipped down to kiss the hollow of your neck, then whisper against your skin. “The pleasure is all mine.”

***************************************

“You know, if you keep bouncing on the balls of your feet like that,” Meg said drowsily from the table, where she sat flipping through a magazine, “I’m going to side with Kevin on this. You’re hiding something.”

You put your lunch in the bag, wondering just how to tell her. It wasn’t that you wanted to hide your history from your roommate. There was just so much of it, you had no idea where to start. For now, you just settled for, “There’s this professor. I thought he was mad at me. Turns out he isn’t.”

“Wow. It doesn’t take much to get you all chirpy.”

Just the feeling of six years worth of hell coming to an end.

“Ready to go?” You asked and Meg jumped down from the high stool.

“Yep.”

“Is this the same good looking professor?” She asked out the blue as you reached the campus gates.

“How do you know about the good looking professor?” You narrowed your eyes. You had mentioned Sam only to one person in the apartment.

Meg looked taken aback for a second, then said nonchalantly. “Cas told me.”

“You two are really close, aren’t you?” Try as you may, you couldn’t keep the sly tone out of your voice completely. 

Meg changed the topic smoothly, but not before you saw the faint blush on her cheeks.

Meg blushing? Speak of novelty.

She waved you a goodbye at the entrance of the law building, heading north to the Physics department. Wondering if anyone else in the apartment had noticed, you entered the class for your first lecture. 

Professor Mills was in a great mood today, and she encouraged a debate on whether Legal writing and its syntax should affect how seriously the core content of any litigation is treated. You firmly believed that poor syntax should in no way undermine the severity of any litigation, and made your points with citation. The opposite team consisting of Brad and everyone in Madison’s group tried to put up a strong fight, but you knew you had the moral high ground on that one. Maddy was smiling by the end of it, but the expression on the other’s faces ranged from disappointment to disgust.

Professor Mills mentioned you by your name at the end of the class, lauding you for your points. It was enough to give you the high of the day. You simply loved her.

As the college day neared its end, you were excited for Civil Procedures, excited to see Sam again. Maybe he wouldn’t ignore you now. Maybe he’d actually look at you and smile. Your eyes were eagerly glued to the door, waiting for him while everyone chattered in the background.  

It wasn’t Sam who came in. Instead, the TA Paul announced that the lecture has been cancelled for today and tomorrow. Professor Winchester would take double lectures in the following week to cover it up. 

“Well, dang it!” Meredith cursed. “After that horrible debate, I was looking forward to seeing that chiseled face.”

“You aren’t the only one who’s disappointed,” Lacey said slyly. “Y/N looks like someone kicked her puppy.”

You schooled your expressions immediately. 

Madison rolled her eyes. “Everyone was looking forward to it. Maybe he has something important. Remember he ditched Thursday, Friday on our first week, too.”

“Maybe he’s just playing hooky with his girlfriend,” Rebecca shrugged. You had a maddening urge to slap her. It wasn’t fair to direct all your anger at her; you knew that. However, listening to her words, evaporated the high you had been feeling completely.

How naive of you to think that one small conversation could make everything okay. Maybe he went back home and changed his mind, had seen that the exchange was a lapse in his judgement. Your stomach dropped at that thought. Why did he have to show you a moment of softness, if he was just going to take it all away? It would have been better then, had he continued to ignore your existence. You had been making your peace with it. You didn’t think you had it in you to take one more hit after feeling hope, at last.

Morosely, you started picking up your things.

“Y/N. Don’t forget about the party, tomorrow.”

Madison was looking at you with wide eyes.

You opened your mouth to make up a reason. She cut you off-

“Look, I checked your schedule. You’re not working this weekend. This is your last working day for the week. I’ve made all the reservations and counted you in.”

“Maddie-”

Her brow furrowed. “You’re not going to stand me up, are you? The drinks are on me.”

Looking at her, you just couldn't say no. 

“I was gonna say that I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“Yay!” She shot out of her chair and flung her arms around you. Surprised, you put your hand against her back. 

“Told you she’d come,” Madison told her friends. Lacey gave you a smile, Meredith looked disinterested and Rebecca had her back turned to you completely. That summed it up accurately. For the umpteeth time you wondered how their group functioned at all.

Brad, who had been lingering at the table with his guy friends, gave you a smirk.

“Miss Y/L/N finally gracing us with her presence?”

“Oh, butt out, Brad,” Madison shoved him. “If you keep acting like a dick, she might change her mind.”

“Now we wouldn’t want that, would we,” he said under his breath.

You didn’t want any more of their company than what was absolutely required, so you said your goodbye to Madison and left the lecture hall for the day. With your sulky attitude, returning to the apartment wasn’t an option in case you ran into someone. Those guys were very perceptive and you didn’t want to lie to them anymore.

After wandering aimlessly underneath the pergolas of the Quadrangle, you headed to the library. It was about two in the afternoon; four more hours and it would be your shift anyway.

You decided to have your lunch in the closed quarters of the librarian’s room. There wasn’t much to the room except a makeshift bed, a table, chair and a coffee machine. You could sit there and catch up with the essays after lunch.

The on shift librarian wasn’t Molly today, but this other odd hours guy. She was hovering over him, giving instructions. When she saw you, she ushered you to the side. “It’s his first time. I’m training him for the weekend.”

“Oh.” You looked over at the guy. He was clearly an anxious wreck. You felt bad for him.

“Hey listen,” you said, “Is it okay if I use the librarian’s room? I haven’t had lunch and I don’t want to go to the eateries or the mess.”

She gave you a guilty look. “The room is kinda sorta… ocupado.”

“What?”

“See for yourself.” She took hold of your hand and pulled you towards the room in question.

The door was almost closed, save for a small slit. Through it, you could see Sam sitting on the table, multiple books and files scattered around him. He was absolutely absorbed in whatever he was doing, forehead lined in concentration.

“What the-”

Molly shushed you. “Look, I know this looks weird, but he’s in the middle of something. They convicted one of his key clients, and he said he needed some place quiet to figure this out.”

“What about his firm?” You asked the obvious question.

“Client’s not from SF. He’s from LA. Heading to Acton Gris would be going in the opposite direction.”

“Then what about his office here?” You were so surprised that the questions just flowed out of your mouth.

Molly gave an exasperated sigh. “Students. They keep knocking on the door.” She gave you a desperate look. “Please Y/N, let him be. He’s really worked up about it.”

“Yeah, of course,” you assured her. 

She looked grateful. “This isn’t conventional, but he’s one of the good folks around here. I knew him from the alumni fraternity before he started teaching here. In fact, he recommended me for my internship at the LA firm he was working in then.”

That explained why she called him by his first name. She was preaching to the choir about how good Sam was though.

“That’s all fine,” you said. “Just let me know if there’s any way I can help.”

“Molly?”

Both of you jumped at the sound of his voice.

“Molly?” He asked again. “Is that you?”

She pushed the door open.

“Yeah it’s me.” She looked at you. “And this is Y/N. You remember her from the other day, don’t you?”

He smiled at you. It was a tired smile, but it held the mischief of a secret only the two of you knew.

“I remember her,” he said dryly.

All the distress and world ending angst you had been feeling since the class vanished into thin air.

“I-I didn’t mean to disturb you,” you said quickly. “I just came in to check if I could have lunch here. Clearly you are busy working, so I’m just going to go now.”

“You’re not disturbing,” he said firmly. “I’ll clear the table. You can have lunch here.”

“No- no,” you backed off. “Seriously. I can go to the mess.”

“Y/N.” He looked beyond exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept in a while. Even his words were heavy. “C’mon, in. At least sit on the bed.”

Molly poked you in the back from behind and you stumbled inside. 

The room was a mess. There were papers everywhere. Sam was one of the most organised people you knew. If there was that much mess around him, either he had changed drastically in the years or this was really a disaster situation. 

“Tell me if I can help you with anything.” The words were out before you could even think them through. 

He rubbed his hand across his face. “I can’t possibly ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking me. I’m offering.”

You didn’t know if this fell in line with proper etiquette of how one should converse with a professor, but this was Sam, and he looked ready to drop. To hell with etiquette. You were going to do whatever you could to help.

Behind you, Molly had disappeared back into the library.

He paused, considering your words, then sighed. “Even if you wanted to, this is too much to explain.”

You flung your bag on the bed and rolled up the sleeves of your sweater. “I’ve worked as a paralegal for an asshole boss. I think I can keep up.”

Sam gave you a look that was halfway between impressed and surprised. 

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he muttered under his breath, so softly that you almost missed it. “Alright, here’s the details of the case-”

You listened attentively as he quickly briefed you about this teenage boy, James Feller, who had been arrested for grand auto theft about four years back. The boy testified against the gang, cut a deal with the DA and walked. Now he had been arrested again, and after being let out, jumped the bail. Sam had until tomorrow to fix it or this kid was spending a long, long time in jail. Sam was sure that James hadn’t done it. He had some grabs from CCTV footage to prove his alibi. It only needed to be put together. He might be completely innocent when it came to the theft, but there was still the bail issue to take care of.

“Right, I’ll go through the log to see if there’s anything similar where an underage defendant jumped bail and got out of prison under the jurisdiction of LA,” you said.

“That’s exactly what I was going to suggest,” he said, astonished again.

You shrugged and pulled out your laptop, signing into the library’s archival server with your password. There were a couple of cases that could be cited in context to Sam’s case. You pulled out the soft copies of the litigations and highlighted the relevant extracts. 

“You guys need anything?” Molly was standing at the door. She had her bag on her shoulder. You looked at the clock. It was already six, time for your shift to begin. Where had the time gone?

“We’re good,” Sam said.

“Seriously? You guys don’t need anything? Not even coffee?” She came to stand by the coffee machine. “I’m making a cup for myself anyway.”

You gave in. “I’d like a cup. Thanks, Molly.”

“One for me, too,” Sam caved, too.

“You guys look intense working like that,” she said, filling the pot with water. “Are you making any headway?”

“Y/N found some useful citations.” Sam closed the heavy book before him and leaned back in his chair, rolling the sleeves of his white shirt. The coat had been hung over the back of his chair since long before. You tried not to look at him too much.

“Good on you, Y/N!” Molly said, pulling on three mugs. “How do you have your coffee?”

“Little milk and one spoon sugar,” you said politely.

“Sam?”

There was no response. You looked to see that he was busy with his phone, having not heard a single word of it.

“Let it be,” you suggested, seeing as Molly was shuffling the strap of her bag. “You go on. I’ll manage the coffee.”

“You’re a lovely person!” She noted with just a hint of surprise, then blew you a kiss. “See you later, Chica bonita.”

You poured coffee for him, black with half spoon of sugar, stirred it and carefully handed it to him. He took it gratefully, holding out two fingers as he talked over the phone. 

You grabbed your mug and went back to your laptop. It appeared that Sam was talking to a colleague explaining the things he needed to get ready. He took a sip of the coffee and stopped mid sentence, looking at you over his screen in wonderment.

“Chase, I’ll call you back in a minute.”

You had gathered your stuff in one hand.

“Y/N?” Sam interrupted you, voice oddly tender. “You remembered.”

He was holding his mug out. The warm vapours were slightly fogging his glasses.

“Of course I remember.”

There was no way you would forget.

He saw your things wrapped in your hand and the bag slung over your shoulder.

“You’re leaving?” Disappointment clear in his tone.

You shook your head. “I’m just going outside at the desk. It’s my shift now. I’ll continue tagging relevant extracts and have three sets of printouts ready for you. You’ll let me know if you need more time? I can keep the library running all night.”

“You’re the power wielding person here, aren’t you?”

“Sure am,” you grinned. “I’ll leave you it.”

Once outside, you took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Being around Sam made you conscious of every little thing… enough to drive you crazy. Maybe it was a good thing that you were going to the party tomorrow. You needed a drink. That thought inadvertently reminded you of Jo- the only sister you’d ever had. If she were here, she would have told you to go for it despite knowing how insane drunk Y/N was and wreck you would be the next day. The memory of her also made you sad, the missing was gut wrenching sometimes. You almost turned on your heel and headed by inside to ask Sam about Jo and about Dean. Were they still together? Did the diner ever get out of the bumpy patch? How was aunt El doing? 

Did they hate you for leaving like that?

That thought brought you up short. You didn’t want to know the answer to that question. There was a small hope within you. If Sam of all people could find it in himself to be civil with you, maybe they would, too. Broaching the topic now would be disastrous. It wouldn’t help Sam right now to lose concentration. Hell, he might do a 180 and suddenly remember that he didn’t like you.

You got back to your desk, filing the cards out for the day before getting to Sam’s paperwork. Though it was a manual job, you did it with utmost concentration, knowing how chaotic courtrooms got and how crucial it was to find the right evidence at the right time. Alongside, you carefully read the suit and arranged the stacks according to the order in which they were needed.

“You know, if you kept going at it like that, you’ll have to represent the boy tomorrow.”

You looked up and your breath hitched. Sam stood before you, his shirt partially untucked and sleeves rolled all the way up till his elbows. The tie was gone and the top button of his shirt was undone. There was a glint of silver against his neck, a thin chain. You wondered where it had come from absently. Without the glasses, and his hair slightly dishevelled, you could see some of the guy you had first fallen in love with.

You looked away quickly, blinking several times, then pushed the stack of printouts towards him. All three copies, arranged as per the appearances of the evidence in the suit papers. The affidavits are all the bottom, along with the supplementary copies.

“You should come down to the office and train my assistant,” he said, leaning over the table so that his elbow rested on top. “He can’t find one paper on time.”

You bit your lip, trying not to laugh.

“Aren’t you having dinner?” He asked, tucking his hair behind his ear. He was nervous. 

“I’m not hungry.” Your stomach was already so full of butterflies, you didn’t think any food could go in.

“I’m already feeling terrible that you’re helping me with this… please don’t skip dinner for it.” There was something about his voice that affected your soul. The sound of his words were different from everyone elses. All words felt kinder, lovelier when he said them.

“Why are you fighting for this kid?” The words slipped past you before you could stop them. You had been wondering this all evening. “I saw the papers. You’re doing this pro bono and not for Acton Gris. This is your own case.”

He didn’t reply immediately and his face had a far away look. When he finally spoke, it was in a reminiscing tone. “I met James when he was a foster kid a few years ago. He got pushed into the racket because of bad influence. When I saw him at the retention centre, he broke down completely. They were blackmailing him by threatening to hurt his little sister. When he first got off, he looked at me like I was some kind of miracle.”  Sam’s face had an awed look, as if he couldn’t comprehend how anyone could think that of him.

“I knew he wouldn’t get into this again. He’s in college now and has basically turned his life around. We have enough evidence to pin a gang member down for framing him. I don’t want anyone at Acton Gris to help me on this because this is my own case. Putting some poor junior on it is just abusing my power.”

He was a good man. That in itself didn’t surprise you because you had always known it. What surprised you was that he had remained one. Sam used to be starry eyed with ambitions and full of a thirst to do the right thing. He had been so idealistic. It worried you that one day he would wake up and see that the world was an even worse place than what he thought it to be. You worried that the ruthless profession might kill some of the inherent goodness in him. After having lost just as much as you, he hadn’t lost faith in the world. He had remained good.

“What?” He questioned and you realised you were staring.

“There you are!”

Jody Mills stood behind Sam, a harried expression on her face. He straightened up immediately and it occurred to you how close your faces had been.

“I went to your house, called up your PA, and here you are.”

“Jody?” He clearly hadn’t expected her.

She handed him the bag she was carrying. “I have dinner for you. I knew you would bury yourself in the case and wouldn’t cook since you’re by yourself now.”

Now. What did that mean? Lacey’s remark about Sam living in family quarters and having a girlfriend came to your mind. You dismissed it quickly.

“Didn’t see you there, Y/N,” Professor Mills came around. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

“Actually I just started a week ago.”

Her eyes flitted to the stack in front of you. “And what’s this?”

“Y/N’s been helping me with some printing,” Sam said.

Professor Mills gave him a once over. “Sam Winchester making students work?”

“It’s not like that,” you defended quickly. “I offered to help S- Mr. Winchester. I have some experience as a paralegal and this was only a matter of making copies.”

“You did a lot more than that,” Sam corrected smoothly.

“I was only joking.” she placed a hand on Sam’s arm and you noted that they were probably closer than just colleagues. Friends even. “You, on the other hand, keep surprising me, Y/N. This looks like solid work.”

You blushed at the compliment, mumbling a small ‘thank you.’ Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Sam gazed down at you oddly. If you didn’t know any better, you might have misinterpreted it as a hint of pride. 

“You have your food!” Jody ordered him and waved at you. “See you in class tomorrow, Y/N.”

“Good night,” you wished her.

Before leaving, she glanced from you to Sam and back again, a peculiar look in her eyes, shook her head and left.

She had packed a burger and pack of oily fries for Sam. You saw his brow furrow at the sight of it and smiled to yourself. Some things never changed.

Sam insisted that you have your dinner, too. However, you made sure that while he sat inside, you had your dinner at your desk. There was only so much of his nearness you could take without having your feelings run wild. Sam needed to go through the case files in peace for the court tomorrow. You let him be, only visiting the librarian’s room once to let him know that you wouldn’t shut the library at all. He was grateful for it. After everyone else had left, you wrapped the shawl around your shoulders and put your head down against the wooden desk. Closing your tired eyes just for a second, you let yourself reflect on everything that had happened today and how one day could be more impactful than a month of one's life sometimes.  

You woke up several hours later. Grey light was starting to filter from the high windows. It was early dawn.

Hurriedly you got up to check on Sam, but the librarian’s room was closed from the outside, you checked in the seating area, too. There was no one there; you were by yourself in the room. 

Back to your desk, you noticed a folded piece of paper placed under your paperweight.

It said-

Y/N,

I have to start from here now to make it to LA in time for the hearing. Didn’t have the heart to wake you up. I can’t thank you enough for your invaluable help.

Regards,

Sam.

You clutched the paper tightly in your fingers, crumpling it in the process. Sometimes a few words were louder than a speech. Sometimes the gesture was even louder.

***************************************   

A/N 2: You guys! THEY TALKED! I know a lot of you have been like ‘They just need to talk’ and well, it happened. So what do you think? Uphill?

ALL MY LOVE to everyone who commented and reblogged. You guys keep me posting! <3

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[outourfrontdoor]

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Vingt-Un

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Quinze

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Players that burst before the dealer could not keep their wagers in this game, unlike in quinze. Because the dealer was not bound by house rules, a psychological element of the game emerged, with players attempting to dupe the dealer into making poor strategic decisions.

[wavehq]

enjoy limitless possibilities here in celestire islands, peter parker ( marvel — mcu ), jj maybank ( outer banks ), and leon s kennedy ( resident evil ), where you can start the new life you've always longed for. make sure you read the checklist, as we'll be sending the discord link through ims! enjoy your new dream, peach!

( marvel cinematic universe. dupes allowed, tom holland, he/him, cis male. ) ——- hey, is that ( peter parker ) hanging around ( lavender laboratories ) ? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( twenty-one ) year old ( freelance photographer / college student ) and ( photography )? they’re notorious for being ( protective ) yet ( naive ), and i always seem to hear ( you’re on your own, kid ) by ( taylor swift ) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( graduating high school two years early ), and they’re associated with ( a tongue stuck out in careful concentration, science puns on graphic tees, red and blue spandex ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( choosing to help the villains from other universes instead of listening to strange and sending them straight back ), but it must have just been a bad dream. // — [ peach, 22 / gmt she/they. ]

( outer banks. dupes not allowed. rudy pankow, he/him, cis male. ) ——- hey, is that ( jj maybank ) hanging around ( astera beachfront ) ? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( twenty-two ) year old ( mechanic at lunalia automotive repair ) and ( surfing )? they’re notorious for being ( loyal ) yet ( temperemental ), and i always seem to hear ( damaged goods ) by ( gang of four ) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( falling off an inflatable dolphin in the pool at a kid’s birthday party ), and they’re associated with ( the scent of saltwater lingering in blonde hair, scuffed knees and elbows from running from the problems you created, longing for adventure ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( helping his dad flee the outer banks ), but it must have just been a bad dream. // — [ peach, 22 / gmt, she/they. ]

( resident evil. dupes not allowed. david castaneda, he/him, cis male. ) ——- hey, is that ( leon s kennedy ) hanging around ( sour candy )? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( thirty ) year old ( detective at investigations station ) and ( drinking the day away )? they’re notorious for being ( quick-witted ) yet ( withdrawn ), and i always seem to hear ( seven nation army ) by ( the white stripes ) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( sarcastic quips at the worst moments ), and they’re associated with ( cracking jokes in tense situations, losing your spark as you experience more horrors, turning to the bottle for comfort ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( losing his entire squad ), but it must have just been a bad dream. // — [ peach, 22 / gmt, she/they. ]

[grumpytrashpanda]

Requested by anonymous as a featured one-shot and featuring the likeness of @taikothecat as a guest character.

Summery: During what was supposed to be a normal breakfast, Rocket is once again duped by his fiancés continuous pranks. Growing tired of being on the receiving end of these petty gags he goes out of his way to plan some sweet revenge on the Star-Lord that he'll remember for weeks to come after this, with some inside help of course.

Word Count: 5,343

It was just another day in the galaxy within the early hours of morning. Now of course there wasn’t a normal cycle like you’d expect but there was a schedule everyone would try to fix themselves to for the coming days, some of the crew aboard the Quadrant still asleep in the wee hours of waking up early at seven’ in the morning.

As his normal routine schedule played out Rocket would always get another hour or so of shut eye after his partner would be up and about for the day ahead, usually attracted out of his makeshift blanket fort in the bed shared by two by the smells of pancakes and other scrumptious delicacies he’d never known before joining the Guardians.

For years alone with Groot trying to make ends meet as a bounty hunter, the raccoon would always be living off protein bars. They were easy to transport when living on the run and didn’t break his bank since his other option was rummaging through the trash for scraps.

They didn’t taste great but he managed and didn’t care, they were all he knew of when it came to feeding himself. These days he couldn’t stomach them since the bars tasted like cardboard compared to the simple pleasures he’d indulge in almost every morning, guess you could say he was pretty happy and easy to please.

The raccoon was curled up in the bed, always shifting his body into this little ball under the beige covers with nothing but his nose sticking outside to be seen. He’d always shift his sleeping position throughout the night with the warm inviting body beside him, sometimes clung to it like a child to their favorite stuffed animal during the late hours but his favorite pose was to be held by those arms from his lover.

For the most part he still hated being touched, prodded, or anything else involving his personal space but he was better about affection from others after he learned it didn’t have to be bad.

One night during their first week sleeping together Quill absently while dreaming wrapped his arm around the raccoon. Rocket’s first instinct was he was he was in danger, his small body tensing and the rational side of his mind telling him he needed to get out of there.

His tired copper-colored eyes darted around the dark bedroom nestled under the blankets and like a deer in headlights, he was completely frozen in place and unsure of what to do right there.

He’s never done anything to hurt me, so why am I afraid? if I wanted him to stop I could just say so right?

Rocket had never been given a single reason to be scared of the Star-Lord in their history together. Your average betting man would’ve known if he didn’t like what was being done right here, being cuddled with a loose arm, he could’ve easily gotten away from it and left everything there where it stood.

But he didn’t, he liked it that way...

That night he learned two important things, the first one was that touched and comforted like this was something he secretly always wanted but never knew how to ask for.

Secondly if this was going to become a routine thing for them, Peter needed to get himself some better soap or Rocket was going to take over the bedroom and kick him out into the hallway.

Rocket’s nose twitched under the thick covers when he woke up to the familiar scents of pancakes being served with his favorite marmalade, yawning with a high drag and crawling out from the sloppy mess of the large bed and onto the floor.

His feet clicked across the metal floor, the raccoon wearing some casual cloths consisting a grey shirt and black shorts he had tossed on when entering the hallway being further drawn in by the scents of pancakes and other side dishes to come.

When rounding the corner into the common room he heard a couple mixed laughs among the crew talking amongst themselves, still not having noticed him walking in yet until he yawned again catching the attention of them all with his presence. Everyone aside from Gamora and Kraglin were there for breakfast, the other two off still in slumber for the early morning today.

“Morning, Rock’.” A voice greeted him from the room’s worn out couch, the body laying on it with a single knuckle resting under his chin watching everyone go about their business and occasionally throwing in a few chats with them.

Rocket tensed up from hearing the voice, part of wished it was still waking up and misheard it coming from within his reach. The first thing to catch his eye after noticing Quill over in the ship’s kitchen still in his blue pajamas and preparing a delicious banquet for the group was their guest sprawled out like a stereotypical feline would he was sitting here among the group.

Rocket turned his head to where it came from and sure enough, the guy was still here today, his face tensing up slightly. “Go home Taiko…”

“Rocket?” Peter voiced over to him from the stovetop, the man’s informal tone sounding almost parental telling him to behave.

“Well good morning to you too, grouchy head.” Their feline guest peeped back to the raccoon, sounding even more enthused if his grinning face wasn’t already a give-away.

In a short answer Taiko was a humanoid calico cat and a guest staying with the Guardians for the time being, the black and white spotted feline had a similar skeletal structure to Rocket’s but weirdly enough without the need for cybernetics or any other enhancements.

His overall character was much more upbeat compared to the ringtail he’d often playfully tease when around him noting here that in some instances Taiko was a polar opposite with his behavior.

Rocket paused where he stood before he spoke up lowly to the cat idly staring back at him. “Look, about last night-“

“Last night? Last night was a blast…” The cat replied back to him, those eyes watching Drax as the muscular man walked back into the room not paying much attention to their conversation.

Rocket was cautious with his words mentioning the discreet topic he was talking about since nobody besides his fiance knew about their new trials as a couple, having an undisclosed third partner in the action as something they both agreed to have for the week.

That image of them all was the last thing he wanted any of their friends knowing was going on aboard the ship beyond the next room.

It was Quill’s idea first and foremost and it all was about trying new things to keep his and Rocket’s relationship together exciting, though maybe having a threesome with another guy in the basket was a mistake looking back but there was a first for everything with him.

“Yeah, ya’ can knock it with the jokes…” The groggy ringtail turned away still unsure of the whole thing. Anytime you introduce someone new into the fold there’s bound to be questions asked, many of them that couldn’t be answered without spilling the whole picture to everyone.

Rocket climbed up the steel counter and reached up to one of the cabinets containing his fruit spread, standing on his toes to grab the circular glass jar containing the marmalade and trotting back over to the table already set up.

He never asked for help with anything because yes almost everything in the ship wasn’t accustomed for his stature but he still held quite the ego when it came down to what he was physically capable of doing.

Unless on rare instances like when he was injured, Rocket would often feel insulted if something out of his reach was handed to him as if he couldn’t retrieve it himself without assistance. Instead Peter among some of the others in the group would leave things within his reach, which he always appreciated of them.

“Coming in hot, who’s hungry?” Peter announced putting dishes down for every seat at the table, a couple stacks of flapjacks on each plate with a side of vyloo eggs, which the man claimed had a sweet aftertaste compared to what he grew up on at home with but nobody else would’ve known to compare.

Everyone was busy eating and casually chatting while Rocket was fiddling with his marmalade jar, trying to get the damn thing open after he could’ve sworn it’d been popped already.

“Ok, I’ve got a good one for you.” Peter took a drink of his coffee, trying to recall the events of last night when him and Rocket were having their usual date of shared drinks. “So we went out last night and Rocket over there tries to wave down the tender to get our drinks. Only thing was that the guy serving everyone was this old guy, grey haired and wearing an eyepatch over his left side and he didn’t hear us so we were getting tired of waiting around…”

The small crowd at the table was listening onto the words while Rocket still continued to struggle with the tightly sealed jar, cursing the item a few times as the man went on with the joke.

“So anyway, Rocket climbed on the countertop after that and yelled at the server from the top of his lungs…‘ay’ does a guy gotta wait till’ his friggin’ bar mitzvah to get a drink around here?”

Peter took another bite of the flapjacks, thinking he’d done a pretty good job on them today. “After that the bartender looked over at him from across the room and with the most serious face I’ve ever seen, asked Rocket how old he was.”

“I loved that story very much.” Mantis chirped, though it was questionable if she understood everything. She wasn’t dumb but there were certainly things that’d fly right over her head at times.

“Good joke, Quill.” Rocket muttered sarcastically while everyone else laughed off the story, it sounded like something that would’ve happened. “Guy was being a real dick holding back like he did.”

“I still thought it funny how he backhanded you like that.” Peter laughed thinking about it. In all seriousness he wanted to believe the elderly man in his seventies serving them their drinks was that sly, maybe he wasn’t but it was funny to think so.

“I did not know you were one of holding beliefs such as that.” Drax stated when he looked down at his furred companion in the seat next to him at the table. “I am interested in knowing more…”

“I don’t have any beliefs ok?!” Rocket retorted to the comment.

“Hey if he does it’s fine.” Taiko had to give his two cents across the table finishing a glass of milk, knowing already Rocket wasn’t into that stuff or believed in it but he liked teasing him nonetheless. “We can have a party right here, though we might be a little old for that sort of thing yeah?”

“Can you people just shut up?! I haven’t even had my coffee yet and everyone’s on my ass already.” Rocket pointed his ears back to all of them ganging up on him.

Drax looked down at the jar, the raccoon still fiddling with it for the past couple minutes be nobody bothered to say anything. “I think our friend here is feeling insecure…”

“Drax you’re going to feeling something too if ya’ don’t shut that trap of yours on the topic, I ain’t like that.” Rocket argued back to which the muscular brute didn’t answer and continued staring at the glass.

“Do you require assistance opening that?”

“No Drax I don’t, I can open my own jar of fruit so thanks.” Rocket didn’t look him in the eyes telling him so, he’d never had this much trouble opening it before. It was as if someone deliberately tampered with it beforehand without his knowledge.

“Got it!!” The raccoon exclaimed when the jar clicked and he was finally able to slide it open, hoping to get some food in him. His excitement was short lived however, the mashed fruity contents bubbling up from the exposed air within a matter of seconds.

“What the-“ He slowly gawked peering into the container when the homemade concoction overlapped and exploded in his face with all the sticky and sweet residue.

“What the flarg’ was in that?!” He hollered aloud at everyone, hearing someone giggle while he was trying to wipe the sticky residue off himself to little avail with his hands.

“Got you again Rocky’, that’s two in a row.” Peter told him, unable to hold back his laughter any longer from being known as the one responsible for this.

“I’m going to kill you Pete, you know how hard it is to get this stuff out of ma’ fur?! Thought that was a ground rule?”

“I thought we agreed that rule wasn’t in play anymore.” Peter grinned widely leaning back in his seat, taking another tally for himself.

This little game between the couple was an ongoing thing and it came to the point these days it was like a competition between teenagers, seeing who could prank the other the most and there never was a truce because the moment it’d be called someone who hit the other again.

The only rules of the prank war were that you couldn’t physically hurt the other or at least not too bad, tamper with that person’s gear on a job since it could very well end badly for them and finally there was always a grace period during mealtimes for them both.

Simple enough rules to follow but it seemed the Star-Lord had either forgotten or disregarded that last one when compromising the raccoon’s fruit preserves right here.

“You’re an asshole.” Rocket told the man, his brows lowered and expression seethed when hopping out of his chair at the table, the raccoon stalking his way into the cockpit.

“Ah come on, it wasn’t that bad….Rocket-“

“I can’t hear ya’ I’m already gone, enjoy staring at my backside.” Rocket hollered aloud climbing up the stairs into the helm. “Hope ya’ll enjoy the rest of breakfast.”

“Rocket- “ The metal door into the cockpit slid shut leaving them out as Peter tried to talk to him, knowing if it was a real hinged door it would’ve been slammed for them all to hear downstairs.

“Shit…” Peter breathed with a sigh, looking at everyone’s reactions around the table. “Was it really that bad?”

“I Am Groot.” The teenage tree shrugged at him, still not understood by the bunch around him but his body language was uncertain.

“I believe you gave the mammal a false hope…” Drax noted from his table, having already finished his food before everyone else had.

Peter cocked his head at the brute’s words. “What’s that supposed to mean, you saying I did something wrong?”

“Yes.” Drax told him as bluntly as he always would, looking up at the man resting his palms on the table. “In this game you both play, there are rules and from I have learned watching so-called this game is you broke one of those rules here at our meal here.”

“On my planet, we would hold ceremonies for the coming of age for our children to be tested in ritual combat, to know who’d eventually become the next Destroyer. It was seen as disgraceful to attack an opponent after the fight was over, when that person had lost.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Peter lowered his head at the table before lifting back up to the face the brute. “He’s done way worse to me with his schemes right?”

“I mean- I’ve only known you folks for a month but isn’t the point of the game to do exactly just that?” Taiko concerned with a raised fork making his point, a mouthful of spongy hotcake gargling his speech.

“May I ask who this other mammal is again, he is shaped like our furred friend but is different...” Drax leaned across the table, his arms crossed when the cat’s emerald colored eyes darted up to the brute’s nose hovering over him from his plate. “He smells different too.”

“Please don’t do that-“ Taiko paused looking up the brute.

“He’s an exchange student Drax.” Peter couldn’t believe that was the first thing he thought of, it sounded so stereotypical to say but maybe Drax wouldn’t understand and thus wouldn’t question it. ”The guy’s been tagging around with us to get some experience from the best advisers those people can give him.”

“Very well…” Drax sat back down in his seat, the man breathing a sigh after feeling like he dodged a bullet with nobody still knowing. “I do not know what he expects to learn from you though?”

“I’ve been learning plenty, from him and Rocket.” Taiko chucked finishing up his plate and pushing it to the side.

“Yeah…” Peter mumbled looking not talking much either, partly because he did feel like he went a little overboard in that Rocket didn’t even get to eat before storming off in a heap.

“Hey Taiko?” Peter called out to the cat about to stroll off from the table with an outreached hand. “You mind talking to Rocket, maybe get him to come down and eat something?”

“Yeah sure thing.” Taiko replied turning on his heel and walking the short distance up the stairs into the cockpit.

“Asshole…” Rocket was in his pilot’s seat looking over the galaxy, his orange ball in hand and tossing in against the ship’s windshield.

cur-clink

cur-clink

He was beyond pissed, still pissed at Quill for being the stupid idiot he was sometimes just like when they met back all those nights ago.

I mean- I know I’m crazy but he’s supposed to be better then that.

I’m so friggin’ hungry right now, damn it Quill.

His tension on the stress ball tightened, a few holes from his claws in the worn-out object he’d been given for these situations chucking it off the glass for his waiting hand to catch again.

cur-clink

cur-clink

Before he could toss the ball again his ears perked to the sound of someone knocking on the locked door from behind, the raccoon leaning his head past his seat to the noise and clicking his teeth.

“Who is it?” He raised his voice to the whoever it might’ve been.

“It’s me, I wanted to talk to you.” Taiko stared at the metal wall for a few seconds, a tense pressure he wasn’t sure he was meant to carry but would still give his best shot. Fingers were crossed that Rocket liked him in their short time together to even let him through the doorway.

The locked door buzzed and swooshed open, the cat quickly making his way inside when it closed behind him. He noticed Rocket was down the few steps leading to the helm in his usual seat, his backside facing before the chair swiveled to face the cat.

“Let me guess, you’re supposed to be the negotiation party that wants me back down there?” Rocket looked at him as the cat walked up beside him in the quiet cockpit.

“I just wanted to check in, that’s all.” He meant it staring out the window with the ringtail but wondered if Rocket would believe it.

“Don’t you have somewhere else to go?” Rocket questioned him with a raised eyebrow, the cat turning his own head to his attention. “Or are you just out of the bag and into the bunch with the rest of us?”

“Well my ship still isn’t fixed.” Taiko replied, leaning an arm on the pilot’s seat. “I’ve been trying to see about that.”

“Don’t tell me that’s the excuse ur’ going with right?” Rocket cracked a smile at him, catching that there wasn’t much truth in it. “I could’ve fixed it right up and sent your hide off and away from here.”

His dimple grew further into a smirk looking at the cat leaning over him on the chair. “Don’t tell me you stick around and put up with all this just to check in on little ol’ me up here all day?”

“Ah come on…” Taiko nudged him playfully with a small jab. “yeah I like everyone else but I’ve got favorites, those I like more then others around here too.”

“You know what?” Rocket reached under the ship's dashboard for a brown box containing his usual bunch of trinkets and gadgets he’d mess with when up here for long periods of time. “Since you want ta’ stick around so badly, maybe it’s about time you help me out with something on Quill.”

“Ok…what do you need?” From the look on Rocket’s cunning face and the atmosphere of the room, the cat couldn’t help but be hesitant since he didn’t know what he was agreeing to here with the raccoon.

“Someone here tainted my shampoo, shouldn’t need to remind you what I looked like when you came here.” He didn’t want to go in detail on that when meeting Taiko for the first time, the conversation turning into one of those awkward introductions where the infuriated pink trash panda was scrubbing for days after his shampoo was filled with pink hair dye as a prank.

“Anyway, I don’t got any doubt it was Quill, guy couldn’t keep from snickering whenever my back was to him so I thought I’d do the same.” He pulled a small homemade device wrapped in black tape that could be hidden in the palm of his hand, giving it to Taiko to take.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Taiko curiously looked over the crude device. Whatever it was, it didn’t look very impressive compared to everything else he’d seen made by the raccoon’s hands.

There was a short black fuse tied in and it smelled of fresh gunpowder, it’s appearance looking more like a small makeshift firecracker if he knew any better.

“That’s a dye bomb.” Rocket said, still holding the orange ball in his lap when continuing. “Never made one before but thought it’d be kind of funny ya’ know, for what’s I’ve got planned for him?”

“So…what do you want me to do with this?”

“How about you shove it up somewhere for starters for asking that.” Rocket swished his mouth and his ear twitched for a moment. “I’m joking....”

“Next time he’s in the john, go ahead and toss that thingy in there with him in there. Think it’s about time he’s get his fair share of color, idiot should be grateful I didn’t choose a worse color then pink.”

Taiko nodded in response. “You share what you get right?”

“Dang right I do.” Rocket replied, sounding enthused with this plan of his he had put together over the last couple days. “It’s part of eh- what’s that thing called again? Personal growth yeah, that’s it!! I’m going to be the best future hubby for this one.”

“Ok I’ll do it on one condition.” Taiko couldn’t help but have this idea of why the raccoon had these type products around the ship it wasn’t for him personally to use. “If you tell me why someone like you would have hair products and dye just sitting around here.”

Rocket stared blankly at the cat for his words. “Dun’ know what you’re implying, I just told you it’s for-“

“You know what I’m talking about Rocket, the ride might be cheap for but it’s not free and you know that.” He hoped bartering like this would get an answer either it be with booze, a favor, or anything else he learned was the only way to get a confession from the raccoon.

Rocket growled lowly before lowering himself in the seat. “Fine, I was thinking of dying my tail purple a while back, is that what you wanted ta’ hear from me? Now get out of here…”

“That’s rich.” Taiko laughed it up, not in a mocking manner but he couldn’t imagine getting himself dyed ever crossed Rocket’s mind. It sounded so offbeat for someone of his character to care much about his appearance. “You should let me do it sometime, I’ve done it to myself before so you’d get a good job back there.”

“You ain’t gonna be doing much of nothin’ if you don’t get out of here and handle that thing first.” Rocket tried to sound threatening but it fell on deaf ears to the humored cat, nothing but hot air coming from the raccoon's muzzle.

Taiko chuckled at him, him and Quill were certainly one of the craziest couples he’d ever seen but it was sweet how those two guys would reconcile over these pranks. Sibling rivalry at its finest.

“Anyway imma’ go take a shower in the meantime, I feel gamey right now and it’s making me sick.” The raccoon huffed from his slouched position in the seat, picking a piece of black hair off himself.

“So I guess I’ll get to it…” Taiko tossed the device in the air, catching it back in his palm when leaving the cockpit before turning back. “Hey I’ve been meaning to ask you where you get those awesome jumpsuits made, do you have a personal tailor for those things or what?”

“Why do you ask?”

“No particular reason, just when I tried it on last night I loved how it felt on me.” He grinned widely when Rocket crooked his head over the chair, his face frozen there. “I might get one for myself in green.”

“You tried on my suit?!”

“Yep and I’ve got to say, I think I wear it better then you do.” Taiko winked at him flirtatiously and strolled out of there before the other could properly respond to his comment.

So while Rocket was off washing himself down Taiko was tasked with delivering the package to its rightful place but needed to wait until it was a good time. The  cat decided to go back to go back to his earlier place on the common room’s couch and wait, lazily sprawled and looking over a few things on his own holo-tablet.

He was wondering why Rocket didn’t just go ahead and do this himself but the truth was he didn’t need too and he wanted to see if Taiko would actually go through with this request of his.

It wasn’t too long before he was approached by the Star-Lord strolling through the ship, his face looking rather mixed of guilt.

“Hey Taiko…” Peter gestured with a waved hand when walking by, the man kneeling down to speak to at the cat’s level. “How’d your talk with Rocket go up there?”

“It went fine, a bit crabby but yeah.” Taiko said passively. He didn’t want it sounding like things went exceptionally well or anything, even that was in question still but he didn’t want to ramble too much out of fear of what he might say here.

Peter nodded. “That’s good. So where’d he head off too, I went into the cockpit earlier and he wasn’t in there anymore.”

“Think he said he was going to take a shower or something, maybe that’ll help him cool off from happened…”

“Yeah.” Peter rubbed a hand over his chin with a drag. “Can’t help but feel like I was a bit of a dick back there right, like more than twelve’ percent and the usual bit.”

“It happens and yeah you were kind of a dick to him.” Taiko typed in a few things on the tablet and scrolled across a few pictures. “He’ll be fine though, just needs to chill in his own time."

“Well when you see him again can you let him know I wanted to talk? Maybe I need to make him something to eat since that’s my fault too...”

“Yeah sure, I’ll tell him…” Taiko perked to which Peter smiled and walked off to his own things again to attend too, the cat watching his backside like a hawk with those green eyes from afar.

Meanwhile away in the captain’s room away from everyone, Rocket was showering and getting all the sticky jam and grime of yesterday out of his fur under the steamy water, reaching for his usual shampoo and lathering it everywhere he could reach.

“Duh duh duh, da da. Duh duh duh, da da.” He hoped nobody could hear him through the thick walls when singing along to an old tune he’d heard before once, a timeless classic he had fallen for and would argued he had the swagger to pull off if he wanted too.

Part of his mind, the really cynical part that is, was snickering at whatever awaited his partner when he’d be finishing up here. Somewhere deep down he felt kind of bad about doing this because it was that the cute kind of romance with them where’d he’d sometimes do something outlandish and act like he didn’t care if it hurt them when that couldn’t been have been further from the truth.

He trusted Taiko, well as much as anyone you’d trust enough bedding together with someone else but it went further than just that, it was always going to be awkward because his commitment wasn’t to this new guy and it was repressing when they were alone.

Still when thinking about it, maybe when everything settled and the nightly adventures under the stars shared y three stopped here or later there’d still be a place for Taiko around here.

It didn’t mean they’d stop being a thing but just maybe something a bit of themselves for here on out, their own special thing that didn’t have to result in just being here for each other’s pleasure and company.

It was complicated when he rested his head under the rushing water, letting it drown him out into his thoughts. They’d taken in so many people over the past and came across many more in their adventures of helping those abroad and far, most coming and going without a second glance but something stuck out with that spotted feline back there.

It’s something Rocket never believed he’d be having to think about, something with how this tugged at his heart in a way that was sweet and endearing to have around. It wasn’t even about sexual tension, just how he felt here about going forward.

I still can’t believe that hairball’ was in my clothes.

Eventually the man did come back into the hallways, his footsteps heard across the grated floor as the cat listened with a raised ear to a metal door being opened and closed again when captain entered it.

Being very subtle, he crawled off the couch and slinked to the corner of the room that lead into the ships corridor and sure enough, he was in the bathroom and right where this needed to take place.

“Ok well here goes nothing…” Taiko breathed seeing there was nobody around to see what he was doing when, striking the small fuse and opening the bathroom door just enough to chuck the explosive into the room with the man sitting on the toilet.

“Hey Taiko.” Rocket came down the hallway with a white towel wrapped around his waist, his fur still damp and spiked in places on his head with water from his shower, his feet clicking when walking by the cat standing outside the bathroom “You get that thing taken care of we talked about?”

“Just one second alright…” Taiko raised his hand to the raccoon.

“Three…”

“Two…”

“One…”

With that the tiny explosive went off, covering the entire bathroom and the Star-Lord in a flurry of bright pink dye that’s be in his hair for the weeks to come.

“OH MY GOD- WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS CRAP?!”

“ROCKET!!”

“And see…” Rocket grinned holding back his laughter, leaning over Taiko’s shoulder and whispering into his ear. “that’s why I like ya’.”

[billion-heartbeats]

“We the People”: The Indian Republic

72nd Republic day- unfinished agenda is staring!

Is Democracy in peril?

 America and India are the two largest democracies in the world. Alarming analogies are being drawn between the storming of US capitol on 6th January 2021  and breaching of the Red fort in Delhi on 26th January 20201. The storming of the United States Capitol was a riot and violent attack. The revolt- observed world over is a warning bell. Many of those who stormed were racists and Proud Boys members’ of Trumps stop the steal and save America rally. The unnerving sight of Confederate flag that emerged during the storming of US capitol by Trump mobs brought back bloody memories of civil war.

 The Nishan sahib on the other hand is a holy religious flag of Sikh community. The farmers’ protest has been consistently identified with religious flags.  But the climbing on to poles, waving the flag from the ramparts of Red Fort and later hoisting the Nishan Sahib, at the Red Fort on the 72nd Republic Day of India has sent shock waves across India and the world! The shocking visuals will be forever etched in the memory of Indians. Did the protesting farmers forget that on 15 August 1947, Nehru, raised the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate and that every year the PM hoists the Indian “tricolour flag” at the Red fort?

Is Democracy in India- in peril?

 On foot and in tractors, the protesters were part of a huge rally planned for India's Republic Day. The storming of the red fort has made the 72nd republic day of India as the 'republic of fear'. Red fort is a Symbol of the sanctity of our democracy.

 Red Fort was breached; 120 and odd Police Personnel injured with some in ICU. There were actually armed insurrectionists in an inflammatory state of madness marching menacingly up the steps of Red Fort- never seen before! January 26, 2021 was an unforgettable crackpot day not just for us but for a flabbergasted world watching the grotesqueness at play in the red fort! The security infrastructure guarding the historical place, where the Prime Minister unfurls the National flag was feeble and unprepared. Supporters of Khalisthan movement and anti-national forces have infiltrated the Farmers protest.

 Now, I am a common man.

The Common Man is a cartoon character created by Indian author and cartoonist R. K. Laxman. For over a half of a century, the Common Man has represented the hopes, aspirations, troubles and perhaps even foibles of the average Indian. Clad in a dhoti and a plaid jacket, the puzzled Common Man is no dupe: his sharp observations never missed  details of the political circus.

Are we a successful nation?

Yes and NO!

We seem to be suffering from a colonial hangover! Seven decades after Independence, the legacy of the British Empire continues to define India in many ways, in terms of the institutions and regulations we inherited and chose to persist with. Westminster model of democracy has failed us as reflected in the unfinished agenda of free India.

 India is a paradox

Within India there live many India-s including Rural Bharath and an Urban India and to quite a few others the Hindustan! The rich and content India, the poor and weak India, the mediocre India, the ailing India, the rejoicing India, the satiated India, the starving and famished India, the India that reaches out to the space, the India that struggles hard to write it’s name. India dreams to develop into a superpower but a third of the world’s poor still live here. India is one of the fastest developing economies in the world but also a home to the largest number of malnourished children.

 Parliamentary democracy

 In India, parliamentary democracy actually means appealing to caste and communal vote banks. It only has further entrenched them. Cash, caste and charisma- in that order, win you elections. Still elections are declared Free and fair. The Parliamentary Democracy has failed to deliver the basic necessities of life to the majority of Indians even after 72 yrs.

 Respect for ourselves guides our morals; Respect for others guides our manners. Respect is one of mankind’s most noble sentiments. The highest levels of respect are always earned – never given. “As a citizen - I should be an Honest Person, Understand the Values and have Good Manners and Proper Conduct and Learn to accept responsibility for my own actions. This is the only way we can develop and help India develop.

Within two years of independence in 1947 and through open and spirited debate, India produced a constitution that guarantees “fundamental rights and a federal and parliamentary system with a significant role for the Supreme Court. But we are into an illusion. The superstructures of democratic government—a parliament and prime minister, periodic elections, constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms—hide the realities of on-the-ground rule by local landlords, bureaucracy, and party and industrialists, buttressed by a culture of caste-based inequality, and sustained by India’s continuing poverty. A democratic India has not been able to match Communist China’s ability to bring about an economically stable society!

 Unfinished agenda

 Macro achievements

 Right after independence up to mid-1960s, we had to import food grains. Today India is self-sufficient in food production and exports various food grains. We are largest producers of fresh fruits, milk, pulses and oil seeds, largest producers of wheat, rice, and sugarcane.

 India is one of four largest military powers with nuclear capability in the world today. We  have a sophisticated missile program.  We have developed one of the most envious space programs in the world. To this day, we have launched successful Lunar and Mars missions; all thanks to Indian Space Research Organization. Indian science is transforming India!

  Despite its impressive economic growth, India still faces large challenges to overcome. Wealth at the top has not trickled down to the bottom. In 2017, 81% of the population still lived on less than Rs 140.00 a day. In the same year almost 30% of adults were illiterate and only 7% of Indians graduated.

Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty

 Can the Indian government declare that in the next 5 years India will be in the list of 50, “NO-hungry” countries? That is the greatest freedom the government can offer! The Global Hunger Index- India is 103rd of 119 surveyed for 2018. Nearly 6oo million go hungry every day.

International poverty line is US$ 1.25 per day and as per the World Bank report 32.7% of the population in India lives below the poverty line whereas 68.7% survive on less than US$ 2 per day. 45% of children in India are malnourished. India has achieved the poverty reduction target.  However, progress is uneven.

Corruption has corrupted India!

 While India remains the most corrupt country in this region, with 69 per cent bribery rates, Japan came out as the least corrupt nation, with a 0.2 per cent bribery rate. Many Indians believe that God accepts money in return for his favors. So, they believe, there is nothing is wrong in bribery!

 Religion is transactional in India. Outside the temple walls, such a transaction is called “bribe”. India’s temples collect so much that they don't know what to do with it. Billions are gathering dust in temple vaults. Corruption breeds corruption. It has ceased to carry any stigma!

 Corruption is regarded as the biggest reasons of poverty in India. Corruption in the Public Distribution System is the worst of its kind. The leading source of corruption in India is entitlement programs and social spending schemes that are meant for the welfare of our society.,

 Child labor!

 We have five million children in the labor market, says official figures. Their actual numbers may be four times as many. As a nation, we have failed each one of them. The debate on child labor should have been settled with the Constitutional amendment recognizing the right to education as a fundamental right. The problem is anything but over!

  Education-  

 India has nearly achieved Universal Primary Education. 96 % of all children between the ages of 6-14 are enrolled in school. There are 229 million students enrolled in different accredited urban and rural schools of India. The quality of its education is in crisis. 95 percent of children attend primary school- just 40 % attend the secondary schools and Gross enrolment rate in Higher education is- 20%. 7% come out as graduates and only 20% of these are employable!

 The number of graduates coming out of technical colleges is over 700,000.  However, according to one study, 75% of technical graduates and more than 85% of general graduates lack the skills in the high-growth global industries.  

In January 2019, India had over 900 universities and 40,000 colleges. Our university system is, in many parts, in a state of disrepair. Almost two-thirds of our universities and 90% of our colleges are rated as below average. The new National Education Policy 2020 introduced by the central government is going to bring profound changes to education in India.

The second freedom struggle is for ‘a caste-free India’.

 A Wake-up Call for the People! Equality is fundamental to civilized living. The caste system has become degenerated and a social evil. It is a deep-rooted problem which has defied all solutions so far.

 Religion is just a belief and faith. It can change during anytime of the life, but caste is constant. Once a shudra you are a shudra for life! Caste system is more dangerous than any religious system. Destroy India's Caste System Before it destroys India!

 Anyone with a caste mind set will be change proof - Harvard and Oxford educated are no exceptions.  Come out of caste-based reservations. Let scholarships be based on father's and mother's income and child’s merit. Refashion education. You cannot embrace 21st century with 19th century mindset!

 Secularism in India- a camouflaged hypocrisy!

Ban of Triple Talaq is first of many things to come in modern India!

True Secularism does not permit, mixing religion and State power. The Indian Constitution has allowed extensive interference in religious affairs in India's personal laws – on matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, alimony etc. In the West, the word secular implies three things: freedom of religion, equal citizenship to each citizen regardless of his or her religion, and the separation of religion and state. Supporters of the Indian concept of secularism claim it respects "minorities and pluralism". Many Critics claim the Indian form of secularism as "pseudo-secularism". India's acceptance of Sharia and religious laws violate the principle of Equality before the law.

 Uniform civil code- equal laws for every citizen irrespective of his or her religion, is still a mirage despite nearly a decade of Modi rule! Religious laws in personal domain, particularly for Muslim Indians, supersede parliamentary laws in India.

 A reality check- Universal healthcare in India!

 Thirty per cent of Indians don’t have access to primary healthcare facilities. About 39 million Indians fall below the poverty line each year because of out of pocket healthcare expenses. 70% of Indians spend 70% their income on healthcare and buying drugs.  

 One million infants die in India every year –114 every hour- before they are a month old. Add another million kids who die before they are five years. Now this is a country that allows 218 children to die every hour of the day.

We have successfully eradicated various epidemics and Polio from our nation. Life expectancy is 68.89 years, which was only 36 years at the time of independence. This is one of the major achievements.

 People’s Empowerment

 Freedom struggle was for an India that would be free from exploitation, oppression and discrimination on the basis of class, caste and creed. Tens of thousands of farmers are committing suicide! They are demanding secure livelihood.   Many middlemen in the name of farmers are battling against the farm laws which would ensure secure livelihood for the farmers!  Women are protesting against the blatant violation of their rights, growing incidences of rape, violence and exploitation! Youth are demanding their right to education and right to work. 

 Middleclass are demanding food at affordable prices, safe water to drink, housing, sanitation and dignity of infant feeding, defecation and menstruation! The previous governments were dithering and allowing Jammu and Kashmir to slip into Stone Age. The Prime Minister has done the right thing to abolish article 370 and 35-A to bring in hope of prosperity, development to Jammu and Kashmir on par with other states.

2021 is a year of hope! The Corona virus came from china. From an Indian perspective, the Chinese Virus and the Chinese State and its army have created an unprecedented havoc in the country. However, it is India and India alone which has handled these threats squarely and blunted them to a large extent. This is important.

 What does the Year of Hope – 2021 portend for us? It portends a year in which India will come into its own. It also portends a year in which India will have to overcome three challenges– China , Pakistan and Internal Politics, if it has to realize its potential!

 Our national leadership has the wisdom, sagacity and statesmanship in the face of adversity to come together and stand up to our enemies. Even more than that, 2021 is the harbinger of global change which opens immense opportunity for India.

Jai Hind!

 Dr N prabhu dev

Former VC Bangalore University

Former- Director Jayadeva institute of cardiology.

nprabhudev@gmail.com

[ipancard]

Don’t You Have PAN Card Yet? Here’s How to Apply For Instant PAN Card

New Delhi: on this digital generation, PAN card is a should for anyone. beginning from filing of profits Tax return to legit cause, PAN is being used as a critical report. preserving these things in thoughts, a developing quantity of people are now making use of for the everlasting Account variety (PAN) for his or her economic matters. hence the profits Tax branch has initiated a facility for ‘on the spot’ Aadhaar-primarily based PAN allotment provider. This facility from the I-T department is for people looking for to gain the precise identification for the first time. The trouble free facility from the government gets a PAN Card allotted to you in just a few mins using only a few clicks. Pan Card Apply Online even as Aadhaar is issued with the aid of the particular identity Authority of India (UIDAI) to a resident of India, PAN is a ten-digit alphanumeric quantity allotted by using the I-T branch to someone, firm or entity.

comply with these steps: First you will ought to log on to the reliable website/l https://www.Incometaxindiaefiling.Gov.In. at the left hand facet of the home page, you want to click on on “short hyperlinks” simply beneath the tab, you will discover an option “immediate e-PAN” you may want to click on on that option and then click on on “practice instant e-PAN” tab After this, you may see a form for making use of on the spot e-PAN You want to fill in all the info which should fit your Aadhaar file and click the submit button quickly after this, a fresh PAN may be allocated on the idea of a one time password (OTP) sent over the “active mobile wide variety” linked with the valid Aadhaar variety of someone. the brand new PAN card may have statistics of your name, date of delivery, gender, mobile variety and cope with. once the PAN is allocated, you will receive the PAN card by submit within a few days.

As organizations and individuals moved on-line, cyber criminals and fraudsters were capable of hone in their competencies and goal a wider range of people and organizations in the wake 0f the COVID-19 pandemic. at the same time as the variety of cyber attacks on enterprises improved in 2020, specifically for banks and bills companies, the range of individuals who have fallen prey to charge frauds via phishing has additionally improved. in line with information given in Parliament by using the Ministry of Electronics and statistics technology (MEITY) in September, the computer Emergency response crew (CERT-IN) had mentioned 696,938 cyber safety incidents among January to August 2020 compared to 394,456 incidents within the entirety of 2019. In fact, India studies 375 cyber attacks on a day by day basis as consistent with Lt. Gen. (retd.) Rajesh Pant, national Cyber security Coordinator, consistent with a PTI document. before everything, cyber criminals were capable of exploit the worry and panic that ensued inside the wake of the nationwide lockdowns by concentrated on customers with offers on scientific system and pharmaceuticals. Later, because the authorities started out to open its coffers to offer remedy finances to residents and the Reserve bank of India (RBI) added a mortgage moratorium, fraudsters were able to tap into those themes so that you can take advantage of unsuspecting customers. additionally they centered the PM CARES COVID-19 remedy fund by using developing fake Unified payments Interface (UPI) handles. primary cyber protection incidents in 2020 while fraudsters use phishing and social engineering strategies to dupe clients into sending cash to them by posing as valid organizations or traders, the variety of attacks on institutions has accelerated within the wake of the pandemic. As more humans labored from domestic, possibly on unsecured domestic networks, it have become simpler for hackers and cyber criminals to goal these employees as a way to advantage get admission to to an establishments’ network. a number of the fundamental cyber security incidents concerning payments or banking services entities encompass: January 2020: foreign money-exchange issuer, Travelex, focused with a ransomware referred to as Sodinoxbi. at the same time as the attackers demanded $6 million from the business enterprise, Travelex decided to shut its operations in 30 countries.  Pan Card Apply Online February 2020: Hackers sent malicious files via phishing eemails which posed as authentic communication from the earnings Tax department private info such as names, cellphone numbers, electronic mailemail addresses and dates of start of more than 1.2 million SpiceJet passengers bikes corporation Royal Enfield uncovered a database of at least 452,000 people in January 2020, which covered their names, 1ec5f5ec77c51a968271b2ca9862907d IDs, telephone numbers, encrypted passwords, vehicle-related records and social media hyperlinks March 2020: Gang in Mumbai was apprehended after developing 4,000 faux FASTags to claim refunds worth ₹20 crore, which had been siphoned to multiple money owed April 2020: faux UPI turned into created with a comparable call to the official UPI deal with for PM CARES fund June 2020: ThreatLabZ finds instances of focused attacks on authorities and banking businesses. An e eemail with an connected report, with a malware, became sent to the RBI, IDBI bank, the department of Refinance (DOR) inside the country wide financial institution for Agriculture and Rural improvement short Heal protection Labs unearths a spear-phishing e-mail marketing campaign targeting co-operative banks mentioning that the RBI has issued new pointers which the recipient must down load thru an e mail attachment principal Bureau of investigation warns states approximately  Cerberus, a trojan that sends hyperlinks to telephone users as a way to thieve information of credit card and different monetary facts from the telephone, as well as capture -aspect authentication info CERT-IN problems an advisory on EventBot, a mobile banking malware which steals customers’ statistics from financial packages. thru 0.33-party programs the malware downloads onto the victim’s device and masquerades as a valid application. it's far designed to goal over 2 hundred exclusive financial programs along with banking programs, cash transfers and wallets Over 7 million facts of BHIM UPI app customers were breached, together with scans of Aadhaar cards, caste certificate, evidence of residence, PAN playing cards, expert certificates and stages July 2020: Small and Medium organizations which currently moved to the web world are more vulnerable to cyber protection attacks for the reason that they do now not have the necessary software equipment to thwart such assaults. Hyperlocal delivery platform Dunzo’s database with users’ phone numbers and e-mail addresses was breached by way of an attacker, even though the employer says that  database had no charge statistics consisting of credit score card numbers August 2020: CERT-IN issues an alert about a credit card skimmer that goals Microsoft ASP.net web sites. This skimmer is designed to extract credit score card numbers and passwords CERT-IN troubles a caution approximately a new banking malware called BlackRock. The malware mimics Google updates and asks the person for for extended machine privileges and evades antivirus programs Ticketing and travel website RailYatri has suffered a huge statistics breach, exposing private info of an estimated seven-hundred,000 individuals September 2020: the us’ department of Justice charged 5 chinese nationals for hacking institutions in India and overseas. The attackers have allegedly e installed ‘Cobalt Strike Malware’ on Indian government networks and feature compromised the web sites of numerous authorities agency and  stolen software program information and enterprise intelligence November 2020: facts of over 2 crore BigBasket users, including their names, electronic mailemail IDs, password hashes, pin, and get in touch with numbers, among others, turned into leaked and is being bought on the darkish internet December 2020: consistent with Crowdstrike’s ‘2020 international CyberSecurity mindset Survey, ransomware assaults have had a good sized impact on Indian corporations over the last year, with a couple of-third of groups paying the attackers among $ 1 million to $ 2.five million to recover their information and regain system get right of entry to sensitive card facts belonging thousands and thousands of Indians has been compromised and leaked at the dark net due to a security comprise at a server used by Juspay strategies utilized by cyber criminals targeting individuals fake web sites and illegitimate vendor debts on e-trade web sites marketing healthcare and pharmaceutical products Phishing techniques to get clients to pay a price to avail the loan moratorium fake UPI IDs had been created in order that customers ship cash to the incorrect account Fraudsters create faux web sites and use phishing tries to promote insurance guidelines at In light of those growing incidents of frauds, in June remaining 12 months the RBI issued a notification to charge device operators to enhance public focus about frauds and use multi-lingual messages to teach clients. “In Spite of those tasks, occurrence of frauds maintain to bedevil virtual customers, regularly the use of the identical modus operandi users have been suggested about, together with luring them to reveal essential price records, swapping sim playing cards, opening links received in messages and e mails, and many others. There are also cases of customers being tricked into downloading spurious apps that get admission to essential facts stored on gadgets. it is, consequently, critical that each one charge structures operators and participants – banks and non-banks – hold and improve efforts to spread focus approximately virtual protection,” it stated. Pan Card Apply Online

[bbcbreakingnews]

Odisha asks Centre to compulsory retire Indian Forest Service officer for graft

BHUBANESWAR/DELHI: The Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha has recommended to the Centre the compulsory retirement of suspended Indian Forest Service officer Abhay Kant Pathak on grounds of alleged corruption. The officer was recently arrested along with his son Akash for amassing assets beyond his known sources of income, an official source said. “Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has cleared the move to recommend to the Centre compulsory retirement of the very corrupt and high-flying officer. The state forest and environment department will write to the Union ministry of environment and forest (the cadre-controlling authority of IFS officers) in this regard,” a senior government officer said. This is the first time Odisha is recommending the compulsory retirement of an all-India services officer on grounds of graft. The state vigilance officers had on November 27 arrested the father-son duo for allegedly amassing assets worth Rs 20 crore “as recovered till now,” said an officer. Both are currently in jail. A government servant can be retired “in public interest” under Central Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1965, as a penalty for possession of assets disproportionate to known source of income or for accepting gratification as a reward for doing or forbearing to do an official act. A vigilance source said Abhay, a 1987-batch IFS officer, would make cash deposits of his ill-gotten wealth in his son’s bank accounts. He also helped Akash fraudulently pass himself off as MD of Tata Motors, and dupe vulnerable persons by promising them jobs in the company upon payment of huge cash. Akash faces charges of forgery, cheating and duping unemployed youths. A case against him has been registered by the state Crime Branch, in the case based on an FIR lodged by Tata Motors. Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy has been arrested in the same case for allegedly colluding with Akash. Police said that, during the lockdown, the Pathaks flew across India in chartered planes and stayed in five-star and seven-star hotels in Delhi and Mumbai, among other places. They spent around Rs 3 crore on charter flights during the lockdown, and would also use ‘bouncers’ to show off their wealth. In a country-wide search, properties belonging to the Pathaks were found in Patna, Pune and different parts of Odisha. Abhay last worked as additional PCCF of afforestation and planning, a post he held since June 2018 till he was suspended following his arrest. The afforestation programme had a budget running into crores, including funds from the centre-sponsored Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (Campa). Last year, the Centre had released more than Rs 5,900 crore in CAMPA funds to the state.

source https://bbcbreakingnews.com/2020/12/18/odisha-asks-centre-to-compulsory-retire-indian-forest-service-officer-for-graft/

[clairebeauchampfan]

As a proud  Anglo-Scot, married to another Anglo-Scot, I’d beg Americans not to be duped by Scottish Nationalist propaganda, riddled as it is with distortions of history, fraudulent claims of the benefits of independence, and at times a downright racist aversion to English people (’I can assure you Sassenach is not used as a polite term for ‘Outlander’) .  I would beg Americans not to be carried away by sentimental romances like  Braveheart, Outlander and the whole Bonnie Prince Charlie, Culloden and the Highland Clearances mytholoogy.

Scottish Kings and Queens  and their linial descendants   have ruled Britain as one Kingdom since 1603; the parliaments were united in 1707 under the Act of Union, three hundred years ago. The history of this Union is entirely different from that of Ireland, for which so many Americans have a sentimental attachment fired in part by their own struggle for Independence, not against England , but against Britain (remember that British Premier in 1776 was Lord Bute....a Scot!) 

Scotland benefited hugely from being United with England and Wales. Eight, if not ten Prime Ministers were Scottish; there’s a good argument for rechristening the British Empire as the Scottish Empire , so dominant were the Scots as traders, merchants, industrialists, ship owners, engineers,bankers military chiefs and colonial adminstrators. Hardly a people oppressed by wicked British Imperialists. (Did you know, by the way, that 1/3 of the plantations in Jamaica were owned by Scots, and that Scottish national poet Robbie Burns applied for a job as a slave  overseer on a sugar plantation?)

Surely the world has had enough of centuries old grievances, real and imagined, being dredged up by Nationalists exploiting ancient rivalries for personal and political gain . How many times did the Scots invade England? How many times did the English invade Scotland? Should anyone care? It’s like the Serbs constantly harking back  to the Battle of Kosovo in 1389; how much bloodshed has resulted from Serbian nationalism and revanchism? Do we really want a return to the endless squabbling between England and Scotland that marked the seven hundred years before the Act of Union? 

The SNP, who used to be rabidly anti EU,  makes great play now of how the Scots were’ dragged’ out of the European Union ‘against the will of the Scottish people’., yet a clear majority voted ‘No’ to Scottish independence in the 2014 Independence Referendum that the SNP agreed was ‘once in a generation’. Will those people be dragged out of the United Kingdom against their will? What of the 800,000 Scots (15% of the total Scottish population) currently resident in England and Wales who will be denied a vote in a second referendum, and who stand to lose their citizenship, nationality and livelihood if Scoitland becomes independent? What of the hundreds of thousands of Anglo-Scots, like me, who will be amputated from their spiritual homeland?  

And what of the Scottish economy.? How many hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on an open border between England and Scotland, a border more open by far between Canada and the United States, and which will become a HARD border indeed if Scotland rejoins the EU. Just 18% of Scotland’s exports gop to the EU, 60% to the rest of the UK. There might have been a case for Scottish independence during the oil boom, but as we’ve seen, the price of oil ( a commodity on the way out) can plunge rapidly. Of a workforce of 2.5 million in Scotland, 560,000 (22%) depend on Rest of UK for their employment.

The fact is, an independent Scotland, reliant as it is on the Rest of UK’s economy, will face a desperate struggle for economic survival , possibly even national bankruptcy, if the Nationalists dream is ever realised. Bang goes the UK subsidy, bang goes the currency, bang goes the free university places, the free health system. Every major Scottish bank was bankrupted in the crash of 2008 and was rescued by the Bank of England. Who would  rescue them next time  if they leave the UK? The EU? On ‘Greek terms’? The Russians? 

Sensible Americans wouldn’t want ‘The South' to rise agaiin, as an independent confederacy,  just because you’d watched Gone With The Wind and mourned the gallant boys in Grey. Why would you mourn the boys in Tartan? (no, of course I’m not saying that morally Scotland can be compared to the South, it’s just the mawkish, distorted view of history that I loathe; that and the jelly-bellied flag waggers, whether they are waving the Stars and Bars, the Saltire or, for that matter , the flag of St. George, the singers of Republican  anti-English hate songs in Irish bars, the whole nationalist sentiment that relies on stirring up old hatreds and grievances that should stay firmly in the past) Why be so blinded by mawkish sentimentality and a distorted, Hollywood  history of Anglo-Scottish relations,  to wish poverty and isolation  upon Scotland and to bitterly divide families and friends. Wasn’t it bad enough with Brexit?  No one will benefit., save  the placeholders angling for government contracts and juicy ambassadorships, and the floggers of yet more Bonnie Prince Charlie mugs and tartan gee-gaws to the gullible. 

this is the biggest mood

[tipco613]

New Post has been published on http://cryptonewsuniverse.com/waterloo-residents-have-lost-430k-to-crypto-scams-this-year/

Waterloo residents have lost 430K to crypto scams this year

Bitcoin scammers have thus far proven to be unstoppable in Canada.

Waterloo, Ontario is the first Canadian city to issue a general warning after 78 residents were duped by crypto scammers in 2020.

According to Global News, Waterloo residents have lost more than $430,000 so far this year, with 29 of the 78 falling victim in July alone.

As previously reported, fraudsters have been impersonating government officials, asking victims to deposit money in various Bitcoin (BTC) ATMs under the threat of legal ramifications.

Scammers told one resident that more than 25 bank accounts had been opened under his name, and then used to launder money. He was instructed to deposit over CAD $10,000 in various BTC cash machines to resolve a fake legal warning related to the supposed allegations.

The increasing number of cases encouraged the Waterloo Regional Police Service to launch a “Fraud Awareness” campaign in an effort to prevent people from falling victim to these scams.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Center also released figures related to Bitcoin-related telephone scams, seemingly confirming the authorities findings. In the first seven months of 2020, the center received 23,655 reports of fraudsters calling victims to ask for Bitcoin payments.

Jeff Thomson, senior intelligence analyst of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told Global News:

“We did see a dip in these calls through April and May, but as things have come back online, we’ve seen a great increase in scam calls.”

However, he clarified that not all the people who reported such scam calls had lost money. Some were prevented from engaging with the scammers by the authorities, though no figures relating to prevention were provided.

Thomson also said that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is working to trace the calls performed by the scammers.

  written by Felipo Erazo

https://cointelegraph.com/news/waterloo-residents-have-lost-430k-to-crypto-scams-this-year