#then i want to kill florentino

[juneberrie]

i don't want you like a best friend - cato hadley

₊˚ʚ 🌱 ₊˚✧ ﾟ. cato hadley x fem!reader

author's note — ꩜ oooooh my first cato fic!! i hope you guys like it ♡

word count — ☆ 1.2k

warnings — ✦ooc clove probably, cato calling reader "shortstack"

the world stopped when his name was called. my lungs seem to shrink in my chest and my surroundings start to spin. he can't go, he can't go into the games. he can't leave me.

cato steps up to the stage, weaving through the crowd of people. he stands there as some capitol person rifled through the other glass bowl, searching for some poor girls name. he locks eyes with me and shakes his head ever so slightly.

"clove kentwell," the announcer says. a young girl starts to walk forward but before she even made it three feet i scream.

"i volunteer! i volunteer!" i push forward, risking a glance at the girl, clove, who glares at me before realizing why i volunteered. she sighs and gestures for me to proceed.

on wobbly feet, i step up to the stage next to cato. he doesn't even listen to the announcer's speech about the honor we'll bring to our district and what not. he turns to me with a look that says i'm going to kill you and thank you at the same time.

we're ushered into the building and corralled into separate rooms. cato looks back at me with an unreadable expression before the peacekeepers shove us both behind doors.

two minutes pass, but nobody comes in to say goodbye to me. i sigh and turn to the window before hearing the door open. through the reflection in the window, i see clove standing there, flanked by peacekeepers.

i turn to face her and we size each other up before she says something. "so, you and cato?"

immediately i feel my face heat up. "no- i mean, we're friends, is all. nothin' else."

she laughs and takes a step towards me. "sure. anyways, i wanted to wish you luck."

"you're not... mad? that i volunteered for you?" her name clicks and suddenly i register who she is. clove kentwell, one of the academy's top fighters. she's on track to volunteer and become a victor before she's even 17, and she would've become one of the youngest victors if i hadn't volunteered.

"i mean, i'm kind of pissed, but i get more training. better odds of winning next year," she states. one of the peacekeepers informs us that her time is up, and as she walks out of the room, she calls over her shoulder, "may the odds be ever in your favor, lovergirl."

after a while, the peacekeepers escort me and cato into the train station, where his family and clove stand at the front of the crowd. as the train pulls out of the station, cato's little sister screams his name, waving her arms wildly at her brother, and he waves back with a giddy smile. clove catches my eye and winks, and i roll my eyes and turn away from the window.

enobaria stands behind us, along with the announcer, whos name i learn is florentino. she quickly explains what will happen when we get to the capitol; the parade, the training, the interviews. she tells us to start thinking of ideas for angles we could use in the interviews, then instructs us to get something to eat and rest before we arrive.

she and florentino disappear behind a door, leaving me and cato alone.

i make a beeline to the mini-buffet laid out on the table and grab some sort of roll, which when i bite into it, is actually a cheese stick wrapped in fried bread theres a little label beside the plate that says "tequeños". these are the best things i've ever tasted in my life. i moan as i bite into another one, letting the flavor explode in my mouth.

i hear cato laugh behind me and reach to grab one. "are these really that good?" i nod fervently, grabbing a glass of water.

we eat in silence for a few minutes before i get up, announcing that we might as well try to sleep. cato agrees, but he doesn't move.

"hey, uh." i turn back, my hand on the door handle.

"yeah, cato?" something in his face changes when i say his name, but its gone before i can register what it is.

"don't let the bedbugs bite, shortstack," he says with a smirk. he follows me to the hallway where enobaria told us our rooms would be. our rooms are right across from each other.

i step into the room and shut the door behind me. then, i jump face first onto the big soft bed. it feels like heaven on earth, with its silk sheets and fluffy pillows. i kick my shoes off and rummage around in a drawer, finding a pair of silk pajamas to change into before i burrow under the covers. just as im drifting off to sleep, someone knocks at my door.

i groan and get up to open it.

cato's standing there, shirtless and wearing a pair of grey sweatpants. "hi shortstack."

"cato," i grumble. "its like, 2 am. what do you want?"

he looks around before stepping into my room. "just wanted to talk."

"and it couldn't wait until morning?" he shakes his head and sits down on my bed. i join him and flop onto my back. i almost fall asleep with the silence stretching between us until he clears his throat.

"the rooms are nice, huh?" he says. filler talk. "way better than the dorms at the academy." the dorms we have in the academy are standard issue, with a twin size bed, a window, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe. nothing like the opulent gilded queen size bed and dresser with an en-suite bathroom the train has.

"yeah," i yawn. "they are pretty great." i close my eyes. i feel cato put an arm around me.

"sorry for waking you up," he offers, letting me curl up into his side. i throw an arm over his chest and make a sound of assent. "y'know, you didn't have to volunteer."

"i wanted to," i defend. "its not like i was going to let you go into the arena alone, cato."

"i would've preferred that," cato snaps. he sits up and rubs a hand over his face. "i don't want you to.."

"to what, cato? to leave my best friend?" i retort, opening my eyes and shooting up. the words pain me to say; i know thats all i am to him. a best friend. "i thought you would've been glad that i volunteered. the games are all we've talked about since we were ten. and what better alliance than best friends?"

"exactly! i don't want you like a best friend," he yells. he stands up and starts pacing. "you're much too special and kind and pretty and strong to be my 'best friend,' n/n. i don't want to see you get hurt. how would i be able to live with myself if you got hurt in the games, huh? how could i call myself a victor and be happy if the one person who actually made me happy wasn't with me?"

we stare at each other for a few moments. his heavy breathing and my short sniffles are the only sounds in the room. slowly, i stand up and take tentative steps towards him.

we stand face to face, chests almost touching but feeling miles apart. my hand brushes against his for the barest moment and he grabs it, locking our fingers together.

"you mean it?" i whisper, looking up at him.

"i mean every word when it comes to you," he breathes.

[mariascolombialitblog]

Reflections on a Year of Reading Colombia Literature 

Titles read

No One Writes to the Colonel

Chronicle of A Death Foretold

Love in the Time of Cholera

When I had the time to pick my country, I picked Colombia. I thought it would be different but still similar to the country where I come from Guatemala. I wanted to learn more about a country I had heard so many good things about and expand my knowledge about a different culture. After reading my second book, Chronicle of A Death Foretold, by Gabriel Garcia, Marquez I realized that Colombian literature is about the tragic events that happen in daily life.  No One Writes to the Colonel made me think things through about the way Spanish governments handle stuff and how they take advantage of genuine people. I learned about Colombia’s politics by only reading half of a book, that’s how much a book can teach you. Every detail in the books also shows the beauty Colombia brings and the way people handle issues. Picking Colombia was the right choice for me because it gave me the right idea of how their culture is and how Gabriel portrays it. 

What I learned from reading Colombia literature is that we’re so blinded by the beautiful colors the country shows us that we never get to think about what people actually go through behind those beautiful walls. I also learned how good Gabriel Gracia’s literature is at explaining what a person struggles with especially their love lives. In the book, Love in the Time of Cholera, Marquez talks about Florentino and his struggle in his love life. All the wars he had to go through just to find Fermina again. Just to find out that an illness was going to keep them together for the rest of their lives. From that book, I learn that if it’s meant to be then it’ll come back to you. 

Chronicle of A Death Foretold was my favorite book. It explains the struggle of a ma, Santiago,  who was only trying to find love but found it at the wrong time and at the wrong spot which cost him his life. He only wanted love towards Angela, never hate, so he never expected to be killed by his genuine intentions. Everyone in the town that he lived in knew he was going to get killed but him. I learn from this book to be careful who you trust and who you’re vulnerable with. 

No one writes to the Colonel was a book I didn’t get to finish but taught me enough about the Colombian government. A colonel who served time for the Colombian government was promised a check which he never received and caused him to be into poverty along with his wife. His struggles to be heard and to receive what he deserved showed how good of a man he was. He still tried to find ways to gain money back and get himself and his wife out of poverty. This book taught me to never give up and always keep trying but to watch who you trust.

During this time of reading, I learn that in every reading the image that the author provides brings you to a scene as if you were part of the story as well and that’s what persuades the reader. I realized how good reading is to understand other people’s personalities and the way they deal with things. Reading made me expand my knowledge and create an open mind for myself. Taking that time out of my day to also expand my vocabulary has helped me in my personal world. I also learned how to be open-minded about learning about other cultures because it’s not always what you think it is.

[salinascolombianlitblog]

Reflection on a Year of Reading Colombian Literature 

Books read during the project include:

The Fruit Palace by Charles Nicholl 

Pablo Escobar: My father by Sebastián Marroquín

The story of a death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez

Love in the Time of Cholera Gabriel García Márquez

For my independent reading this year, I decided to read books that were about Colombia or were written by Colombian authors. I did know a little about Colombian culture but I got to learn about all different aspects of Colombia through these books. First and foremost, I was so fascinated by how in almost every book multiple rivers were mentioned and how it helped people in different ways to help within their journey. For example, how rivers like the Magdela River, and San Juan, were used for drug dealings including Pablo Escobar and Charles Nicholl when he went to Colombia to write about the cocaine underworld. “The Story Of a Death Foretold” also talks about how the “Bishop was floating right by the town in his big paddleboat” to go around the city and give blessings. 

In addition to that, I also had the chance to dive a little deeper into the history of cocaine in Colombia since my two books were heavily based on cocaine. In “The Fruit Palace” Charles Nicholl mentioned how in the 1970s after a massive herbicide campaign wiped out the majority of Mexican plantations what didn’t get destroyed rapidly lost its market value turning the smokers towards Colombia where “Colombian cocaine reigned supreme.” In “Pablo Escobar: My Father” Pablo’s son mentioned how the most wanted drug dealer in Colombia his father announced “the war against the government would resume” after being deceived by the government on March 30, 1990. I thought it was cool how the book also mentioned that on June 23, 1993, Colombia was knocked out of the World Cup by Cameroon. 

Throughout the book, I learned that family life is very important in Colombian culture. I believe it can be seen in the book “Pablo Escobar: My Father” where the whole family always stuck together no matter what the situation was. For example, during all of Pablo’s hideouts with the government and the wars between him and his enemies, his whole family was inseparable. Along with the love between the family, I also kind of found out that the children always do what their parents want them to do regardless if they want it or not. In “Love in Time Of Cholera” Fermina marries Dr.Urbino for her father even though she has no desire to and Pablo Escobar’s son also did everything according to his father.  

I learned so much about everything throughout the books that I’ve read. From “The Fruit Palace” I learned that in order to follow your passion you have to take a risk. Charles Nicholl wanted to write about the cocaine underworld and for that, he took the risk to actually go to Colombia and participate in a cocaine deal. In “Pablo Escobar: My Father”, I learned that you should not put your and your loved ones' lives at risk for money. Pablo Escobar put his whole family’s life in danger in order to get rich but ended up putting all of their lives at a huge risk. In “The Story of a Death Foretold”, I learned that “Your actions have consequences” because Santiago Nasar took Angela Vicario’s virginity and was killed by her twin brothers. At last “Love in Time of Cholera”, I learned that you don’t always have to be with somebody that you love but you can love them from afar. In this book, Florentino Ariza waited fifty-one years, nine months, and four days for Fermina Daza even though she was married to another man. 

I’ve always loved reading books but I’ve only read a certain genre and I did stop reading a while ago because I felt like I didn’t have enough time. But by doing this project I feel like I got the chance to read something new and a got to explore a new genre.  But most importantly, this project gave me the motivation to read every day and get back on track. I really do feel very achieved knowing that I read four books this school year and now when I think about it I feel like I always have the time to read ten pages a day and from now on I will try my best to read every day because reading actually feels great. 

(Word Count - 705)

[skywalker-luke]

I’m not dealing well with Cristiano not being in Real Madrid

[the-portrait-of-seraph]

August’s Review...

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Hey everyone, sorry for not be active as per usual ehe. I’ve been juggling junior year for only a few weeks now and I absolutely can’t stand it haha

The Fountainhead: Rand, Ayn

I liked the book, but didn't like the person behind it. Now, I don't hate a lot of authors in particular, but Ayn Rand was just so wrong on so many levels? She was extremely critical of any philosophy that collided with her's/just didn't like, and that's not exactly the best approach for a scholar to have-

You have the non-conforming architect Howard Roark and he's up against the entire world and their idea of the standard/ideal building; it's drama-filled with Roark fighting tooth and nail against his enemies and his lover/future wife, Dominique.

About Dominique, she reminds me a lot of Nastasya Fillipovna from The Idiot. She can be so loving, but so manipulative and drive dozens of men to their demise (and we love her for that). I felt like she was more of a plot device than an actual three-dimensional character, which makes me very sad. I did feel that her marriage to Roark in the ending was a little disappointing, because I felt like it was expected to happen.

If I had to choose who was my "favorite", I think I would say it was Roark, only because his problems were so similar to mine, other than that, most of the characters didn't stand out to me that much. If you want drama and struggle, I would recommend it.

I did like Rand's writing style though, everything else was debatable.

Love in the Time of Cholera: Marquez Garcia, Gabriel

One of my new personal faves! I love Fermina and she did not deserve her in-laws. I feel like it was surprisingly realistic as to how it portrayed married life between Urbino and Fermina, with happy and unhappy years, but I believe that Fermina was definitely a prisoner in a house that her husband was not. I don't know about everyone else, but one of my worst fears was marrying into the wrong household (if you know, you know) and here I was, watching Fermina live my worst nightmare.

Florentino and Urbino… Are not exactly the greatest characters haha. Florentino had had countless affairs over the years but never told Fermina about them and practically said that despite all these affairs, his heart had belonged to Fermina Daza (someone died because of him!!!!) Urbino also admitted to having an affair with a woman (and even let her death haunt him???), but he was a nice husband, like all the rest.

I found Urbino's death be ironic because it wasn't the cholera he faced on a daily basis that killed him, but falling from a ladder, but at least it allowed for plot development; it had let Florentino finally make his appearance in over 50 years, coming to declare his love for Fermina once more.

It's a love story, but it's also a documentation on the realities of human life/marriage in a matter that doesn't shy away from all the nitty-gritty, unpretty details that follow along with life.

Three Short Japanese Short Stories

If you've been here with me for sometime, you know that I love, love, LOVE Japanese literature. I love Mishima, Dazai, Kawabata, and a truckton of others haha. So the book itself is super thin and tiny, so it's great if you don't know where to start with Japanese literature. You'll get three stories from Nagai, , and Akutagawa, all unique in their own way, and so you get a wholesome mix of everything, from an epistolary story to a history lesson!

The stories themselves are super simple, so I won't go into too much detail about them.

The Book of Disquiet: Pessoa, Fernando

Amazing, show-stopping, 10/10 would recommend

This book is for all of you No Longer Human fans out there, it’s a diary-like novel about a book keeper and his view on life, and surprising it is very, very real. I don’t want to give away most of the story, but I can just say that Fernando Pessoa is a genius, there are so many hard hitting quotes in the book that really get you thinking. I was hooked from the first line, if you want to read it, check this out here!

It is so well pieced together for a novel that is meant to be in disarray and Pessoa is an amazing writer, I would love to read more of his works.

The Plague: Camus Albert

A deadly plague, a town of people, who will win?

Turns out, nobody and everybody. The ending was a bit of a flat-line for me, but other than that, the story of the plague in Oran is neatly put together mixed in with Camus’ philosophy. I’m still not over Dr. Rieux’s wife dying, I don’t know why but that really got to me.

I don’t really like Camus, but I’m trying my best to like him

[vampiresuns]

Aelius Anatole Radošević De Silva

Anatole has changed a bit as a character since i was around the first time, so he’s getting re introduced. His open to make friends.

art by @elizastarkart​

Name: Aelius Anatole Radoševic De Silva. He has two surnames because his mother is latina. He is a mixed Latine-Slav, with family that is all latine, vesuvian, and slavic. People he’s friend’s with call him Anatole (russian/greek pronunciation, he doesn’t acknowledge the French one). Only people he has a strictly professional relationship with, and his uncle call him Aelius.

‘Aelius’ means sun, while ‘Anatole’ means sunrise. He’s fully aware of this, he chose his name himself.

His nicknames are:

‘Nana’ is the most common nickname, and the one most people use.

His mother calls him Lilito, Nana, Nanito, Toly, Tolito, Tortolito.

His father calls him Lily or Lilu.

Toly, Tolytoly or Tolito are nicknames used by his maternal grandmother, his aunt, and his Vesuvian family.

He will not mind if you want to call him Toly, but you cannot call him Lily/Lilu if you’re not his father.

Asra came up with Nanatole, which he doesn’t like but lets Asra call him anyway. Asra also came up with Nana Banana and that is absolutely forbidden.

Family: on his father’s side both the Radošević, who are slavic (yugoslavic, specifically), and the Cassano, a prominent Vesuvian family who has had a hold of the Consulship for years.

On his mother side, the De Silva.

His father’s name is Vladislav, but everyone calls him Vlad, he’s an alchemist, a polymath, and works in what is most similar to biochemical engineering. He has one bother, named Valeriy, who you, however, might now as Valerius. Vlad’s biggest personality trait is being head over heels in love with his wife, and adoring his son more than he thought it was humanly possible to care about someone.

His mother’s name is Louisa De Silva (if you want to add her mother’s surname, it’s Lascal). The L-o-u spelling was a registry mistake she never changed. She moved half across the world while her native country suffer a military-civilian dictatorship to study Medicine. She swore never to go back as long as vestiges of said dictatorship remained in the country. She has two sisters: Paris, who lives in Vesuvia, and Alma, who remained with her parents out of her own choosing. Her medical experience include having been a volunteer war doctor. She didn’t change her surname when she got married.

The Radošević (pronounced Radozheveech) and the Cassano have been entangled families by friendship for generations upon generations, with some marriages between them. Notoriously: Vlad and Val’s father married a Cassano, Matilda, and his bother Mircea, Anatole’s great uncle, also married a Cassano: Florentino. Mircea’s brother and Matilda Cassano died when Vlad and Val were children still, so him and Florentino brought them up.

The Radošević are an overall eccentric family (think the european Addams family), whom are noted for: one, their self-sufficiency/self-preservation, which comes out in a very ‘eccentric people of the world unite’ manner. They appreciate people with character. Two, their leanings towards trades/professions, they do not conceive not doing anything (work hard to play hard). The Cassano, while sharing the quirk, they add the zest for life. It’s like they grabbed the Radošević and told them “you have forgotten how to live and we will remind you how.” Both of them are ridden with racially ambiguous bastard you cannot kill in any way that matters. They simply refuse to. Someone (either the courtiers or Lucio) compared them to roaches, they took it as a compliment.

This will tell you a lot about Anatole’s character.

On a last note, Anatole’s an only child. He has a good relationship with his parents, albeit marked by a sense of distance, solely because he was privately tutored from age 15 and on, which required him to travel a fair share. He was an argumentative teenager, but always cherished whenever he could see his parents. The older he gets, the closer they all become.

Favourite Food: Cake

Favourite drink: Coffee, in general.

Favourite Flower: Iris

Birthday: Nov 1st

Age: 29 (I calculate his age as if he had been born in 1991)

Zodiac:

Sun: Scorpio

Moon: Virgo

Rising: Libra

Mercury & Mars: Scorpio

Venus: Virgo

Patron arcana: Strength & Ace of Swords

Strength

Upright: inner strength, bravery, compassion, focus, Reversed: self doubt, weakness, insecurity      

Ace of Swords

Upright: breakthrough, clarity, sharp mind, Reversed: confusion, brutality, chaos

MBTI Type: INTJ-A

Gender: Transmasculine, but Nonbinary. Uses He/Him pronouns only

Orientation: Identifies as NBLM.

LIs: Julian, Muriel, @ilyamatic​‘s Andrico, @thelazaretmakesmesad​‘s Vishal.

“The sun-like strategist with a solution for everything, and a whole lot of hope in the future.”

More details under the cut!

Physical appearance:

art by @lesbianarcana​

5′4. As you can see in the sprite down below, while he’s slim but with muscle, out of doing a moderate to high level of physical activity. The man has a nice waist and inherited his mother’s hips, which he’s very proud of. He likes his legs and his butt the most about himself

Dark brown eyes, long eyelashes. His hair is naturally black, but he dyes it blond.

Has a mole over his right eyebrow, on the left side of the bridge of his nose, and on his left jaw. He has freckles.

An horizontal scar on his nose, which he got by getting hit with a wooden scaffold square in the face. His nose wasn’t broken out of sheer dumb luck. He has a smaller cut on his cheekbone, which was done by a fencing sabre which lacked the proper tip protection/button. It was done onto him by someone else.

The nose scar is how he met Julian before the plague, as he was the doctor which cured his face.

He has several tattoos:

Right arm: A rapier on his inner forearm. Over his elbow he has a black work band, and over it the words ‘THE SUN IS MY UNDOING’ in all caps, circling his arm.

Left arm: a snake wrapped around his forearm, near to the wrist. The Odyssey quote ‘let’s have a toast to the incompetence of our enemies’ under the inner crook of his elbow, and a floral half sleeve.

Chest and Torso: AMOR OMNIA VINCIT over where his heart is supposed to be. He has laurel leaves on the base of his waist.

Legs: ‘o serpent heart hid with a flowering face‘ in his upper, inner thigh, like really up his left inner thigh. A floral anklet on his right ankle.

Languages Spoken: Too many. He speaks nine languages.

Magic Specialities: His magic is connected to both light and languages (it is a play on words with ‘logos’) so he is both adept in photokinesis — he is able to create and manipulate sources of light — and language related magic — which includes incantation and language manipulation. He learns languages as a faster rate than most people, and while he cannot speak or literally understand a language unless he learns it, his magic allows him to intuitively grasp the meaning of words that are being spoken to him.

This capacity also makes him very good at recognising hidden intentions in people. This is not an ability that he broadcasts having, and when he later succeeds Valerius as the Consul, it is something which aids his diplomatic work but he keeps private.

His words tend to carry more weight sometimes because of his magic, something which he can’t always control — it depends on many factors — so he tries to choose his words carefully and with consideration.

His familiar is a Raccoon, named Antu.

Occupation: While he did study magic and is in touch with his magic, he studied politics, diplomacy and international relations. By trade, and out of will to help people, he is a political analyst and, later in life, a Statesman.

Personality/Trivia:

Willpower or Stubbornness? Depends how you look at it. Passionate, generally devoted, hopeful, independent and sometimes defiant. He is a people-oriented introvert. Competitive, but not aggressively so.

Smarter than he gives himself credit for. Overall charming, even debonair.

Curious by nature, hates having his decisions taken for him.

He is proper, sometimes even distinguished, but he is feral. A firm believer in being kind and compassionate with people, until you cross him one too many times, then nothing will make him taint his vindictive wrath.

Is he humble? For the most part. His humbleness comes from knowing his own limits and knowing he’s not infallible. He does have, however, a good deal of pride in himself and trust in what he can do, and he doesn’t like being underestimated.

He’s not particularly loud, though when the chatterbox is on, then it is on, specially if he’s nervous. He is often never still. 

He’s known he has ADHD since he was seventeen.

Likes dancing.

He fences, almost every Radošević fences/sword fights, and he will let you know at the slightest chance. Which can be either him simply being hyper-fixated in fencing, him flirting, or him letting you know that if the occasion rises, he’s armed.

Friend shaped, lover shaped if you’re daring enough.

He wrinkles his nose when he doesn’t like something.

Speaking of which: he doesn’t like abuse of power, the Court, injustice, supremacists of any kind, unkind, hurtful and selfish people in general; he doesn’t like red meat (he says it tastes like metal or dirt), narrow minded people, incompetence, specially when displayed by people in positions of power, and purposeful apathy.

A mastermind archetype, but he draws his power from connection. He does not conceive a life not lived with others.

A bit of a bastard, he enjoys a good laugh.

He plays the piano and the harp, he sings, he cannot draw, he’s a lightweight when it comes to alcohol (which doesn’t really stop him), he likes the opera because he likes watching other people’s drama without being dragged into it, and his favourite season is winter. Also likes playing chess, reading, coffee, flowers, a well tailored outfit, learning, languages, the sea, mysteries, winter, a well laid argument, collecting quills, music, winning, knowing he loves and is loved in return.

When he was 7 he bribed his dad for more dessert, and he ate so much he vomited. His sweet tooth hasn’t gone anywhere, it is alive and well.

Perceptive little bastard, will knife cat you for the sake of it. He has a way more present sense of humour than what he comes across.

Would call himself a ‘trans masculine Mary Poppins’.

He is closest to his parents, his uncle, my other ocs Leonore, Medea and Sabine, his cousins Amparo Cassano and Milenko Radošević, Natiqa, Asra, Portia and Nadia.

If he liked women, he would be paired with Nadia. The possibility both terrifies and fascinates me.

@ilyamatic​, @viviae​, @gaybirdwrites​, @arcanaprentiss​ @apprenticeofcups​

[melaniscolombianlitblog]

Week 1 Blog

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 

Pages: 1-40

Word Count: 490 

Summary:

Dr. Juvenal Urbino, the City of the Viceroy's most esteemed doctor, is sent to examine the body of his close friend and finest competitor at chess, Jeremiah Saint-Amour, who has killed himself at the age of sixty so that he will not grow old. The Doctor returns home and discovers that his pet parrot has escaped from his cage to the top of the mango tree outside. Dr. Urbino climbs a ladder to the branch on which the parrot sits, but just as he grasps the parrot, the Doctor falls to his death. Florentino Ariza professes, for a second time, his "eternal fidelity and everlasting love" to the Doctor and his wife, Fermina Daza. Fermina is horrified by such an insensitive display, and, for the first time, realizes the magnitude of the "drama" she had provoked at the age of eighteen.

Critical Analysis:

In the novel “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, it emphasizes the art of love and lost as a process which containing different phases “After so many years of familiarity with death, after battling it for so long, after so much turning inside out and upside down, it was as if he had dared to look death for the first time, and it had looked back at him. It was not the fear of death” describes an conflict in which all protagonist have to deal in different sides. In one aspect there’s Jeremiah de Saint-Amour who always represented the “no wanting the be old” or the fear of the older generation to reach this point where the only option left is to pass away in a hospital bed; so he commits suicide for a chance of eternal youth and not having to worry about getting older throughout the years past , Meanwhile Dr. Juvenal Urbino tries to identify the reasons behind Saint-Amour actions, although he fails because as a medical worker his job is to always protect the patient at any cost.

Personal Response:

To be honest, at the beginning of the story many theories came to my mind; like this was going to be the typical of love story in which both protagonist are desperate to look for real love, but it surprise me how this also started to point different situations in life, it questions your moral and values and it teaches you to expand your knowledge in which relationships whether romantically or friendly are categorize as "the perfect combination”. If you pay attention carefully it also gives life advices about your integrity and personal advance in terms of humanity and how to treat of others. Of course has romance involve, but I loved how it is not mentioned as referring sincere love can only be accomplished by being with your person, it also shows real suffer and sacrifices which many could identify in the romantic aspect and how not all can be as you expect in the first chance.

[michellscolombianlitblog]

Reflections on a Year of Reading Colombian Literature

Tittles Read: Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, News of a kidnapping by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 

I made Colombia my first choice when picking countries because all my family including me were born there but I only learned so much before coming to America so reading some books could teach me more about it or help me remember a few things I had forgotten about it. During my reading I got to learn more about the criminal side of it and about Pablo Escobar and what he did during the time when drugs were extremely high in Colombia. In all of the 4 books i read they all have a similar geography like some parts they talked about the poor side and how hard it was but then it would also talk about parts of the city in Medellin that are extremely beautiful it talked about the mountains and that brings us to the culture in the book “ News of a kidnapping” had the most accurate kind of culture like it talked about the food a lot and the music like in “ Dark bride” it has a lot to do with clubs at the beginning of the book and the different types of dances etc. Most of the books talked about love and the crime of it.

In “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I learned to not trust everyone. Santiago Nasal was in love with Angela but everything changed when Santiago was accused of dishonoring Angela the day before her wedding with Bayardo San Roman. After Angela was returned back to her family by Bayardo after finding out Angela’s secret, her brothers immediately looked for Santiago to kill him but the issue was the amount of people that knew about it and not a single person warned him about it.

In “News of a Kidnapping” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, it talked about a few things like Pablo Escobar which he was a big thing in Colombia but it also brought light to the kidnappings that were happening in Bogota,Colombia. On august 30th Maruja and Beatriz were both kidnapped and during that time they weren’t allowed to talk with their normal voice they had to whisper and were always being watched but during this time they met a few people and saw them leave and unfortunately announced dead days later. The President promised some things to Pablo so he can release them but the day just kept on changing but finally Beatriz was released on February 9th but kept Maruja much longer and negotiating more Pablo finally released her on May 9th.

Last but not least In “ Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a theme you see a lot in book is love and you see it when Florentino first lays his eyes on Fermina and can’t stop watching her also always goes to the park to watch Fermina and her aunt read under the tree, not only is he watching her Fermino writers her letters in a notebook everyday

As for myself, I learned that I can actually enjoy reading especially when I pick the right book but it has been so long since I read a book so doing this assignment helped me realize how much i did enjoy reading and i wish i would get into it more but i always prioritize other things more than a book. I started my fourth book but didn’t get too far to finishing up so i want to actually finish it even if it’s not due for an assignment.

Word Count: 581

[andrcv]

fresh off a plane from rome, italy it’s andrea florentino. they’re a junior majoring in biochemistry and biophysics at collège alpin, awarded a scholarship because of scholar achievement. the 22 year old aquarius bears a strange resemblance to logan lerman. i wonder how the other students will react to the resident studious. it helps that they’re very responsable and  smart, but they’ve been known to be bossy and distrustful. you’ll recognize them in the halls by books, glasses and hoodies . listen out for livin’ on a prayer by bon jovi playing in their room. [ dorcas, 22, gmt5] * alpha omega delta treasurer + national honors society

dorcas again hehe, i’ll repeat the thing: english isn’t my first language be patient with me :(

full name: andrea lorenzo florentino

bday: january 28th.

yes, logan lerman is old but i’ll try to use gifs from a younger age, don’t kill me (or maybe i just change the fc but want to give him a chance).

so... andrea! he’s an italian nerd boy who wants to be a doctor, so that’s why he’s always with the nose between the books and keep his extracurricular agenda linked with a worthy neat med profile.

he was adopted when he was five years old, and he was very happy because of that. his parents are a musician couple who could not have children by natural ways. they’re a-listers at italy, but they aren’t that wealthy just to pay an exclusive college like alpin, soo... that’s why andrea have a scholarship.

he’s only on alpin because he wants to make a good image in his medschool applications.

he’s the new treasurer of alpha omega delta, he’s on the frat maybe because when he was freshman the president (in that time) thought that andrea’s parents could help the frat with a concert for charity something like that, but he really is kind of a lone wolf.

i’m looking for a nerd friend for him, another one who’s always want him just to relax and party, an ex in bad terms. 

[collectorscorner]

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[austennerdita2533]

Have you read love in the time of cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marques? If yes, what did you think? It was a pretty dense book for me at first but the writing was so exquisite, that it became almost effortless to read. Sometimes I paused just to admire how he constructed a sentence. And I thought he could make ordinary and even tragic things so amusing, I was on awe at some of the things he made me laugh about.

Yes, I have! I read it many years ago (perhaps 7-9 years ago?), in the summer between college semesters.

Love In The Time Of Cholera is one of my favorite works of his (I’d love to read it again someday in Spanish, tbh) and I often rec it out to people because I think it’s a book worth reading just as much as I think Márquez is an author worth exploring. I’ve read quite a few of his short stories as well, and what always strikes me about him is the unique, sometimes paradoxical way, he combines or connects things that are seemingly unrelated. And also how he subverts common tropes by turning them on their heads in ways readers wouldn’t readily expect. I don’t know how else to explain it, but I love how his words come at you in a double-pronged fashion: blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. (Jorge Luis Borges, another Spanish writer, does this as well but in more of a labyrinth-y way.) I’ve found most, if not all, of Márquez’s works to be pretty dense in language myself, but once you dive into his prose it’s impossible not to be struck by his exquisitely crafted words and meanings. They sit with you long after you close the book. Resonating somewhere deep. 

Like this quote for me: “Amputees suffer pains, cramps, itches in the leg that is no longer there. That is how she felt without him, feeling his presence where he no longer was.” Just gah! The solitude and loneliness Márquez hits on again and again in his work kills me.

It’s so true that he makes even tragic or appalling things amusing, though, isn’t it? Whenever I think about Love In The Time Of Cholera, I immediately remember how one of the first things we learn about Florentino as readers is that he suffers from insomnia and chronic constipation. Like--Márquez spends a sufficient amount of time and words talking about this character’s physical sufferings, the different remedies he’s tried in an effort to appease the pain over the years. And the funny (okay - ironic)  thing about this plot point is how it carries over into a larger theme of Florentino’s “constipated” love for Fermina. How he’s basically “stuck” in it and waiting for her to return it his whole life. Even while she’s married to another man. Hiding the fact, of course, that even though he promises her his heart’s fidelity, he’s bodily promiscuous with many, many other females. (A prime example of how Márquez marries purity with taint. He’s such a lover of paradox--but I digress!)

Oh! And how about how Dr. Urbino dies trying to get his beloved pet parrot out of the mango tree? Like what a ridiculous way to die. (Especially when it’s pointed out beforehand how all he wants is to nap, “enjoy the smell of his own urine,” and read a book.) It’s horrifying yet kind of hilarious at the same time. 

Márquez is such a unique and gifted writer. I legit cried when he passed away in 2014 before, unsurprisingly, going on a virulent rereading binge of his stuff in both English and Spanish haha.

[livinginlandmarketing]

Christina Martinez Adame was driving south on the 405 Freeway near Seal Beach Boulevard on April 27 when she heard a loud boom. She said she believes her rear window was shot out.

“You had glass coming into the car, the power of the wind going through. I felt like our car was caving in,” Adame, 49, said.

Another motorist’s window shattered that day in the same area at about the same time, and these aren’t the only reports of similar incidents.

“Every day, somebody is telling me, ‘This happened to so-and-so.’ ‘It happened to me.’ ‘It happened to another parent,’ ” said Adame, who lives in Los Alamitos.

These accounts have reached investigators at California Highway Patrol offices, who are comparing notes with one another across Southern California in an effort to determine who — or what — is responsible for the damage.

CHP officials say they are hesitant to alert the public about the existence of a serial shooter because while some of the damage shows tell-tale signs of bullets or BB pellets, they say there’s little evidence that those confirmed attacks are related. And in many other cases, the officials say, it’s unclear whether the damage is attributable to gunfire or simply road junk.

Investigators are continuing to look for answers.

“They definitely have been in contact with surrounding areas. They have been using every resource necessary to get things sorted out,” said Officer Dan Olivas, a spokesman for the CHP’s Inland Division.

That can’t come soon enough for Lisa Sanford, 55, a Corona resident who was driving south on the 15 Freeway in Norco just north of the 91 Freeway in March when one of the windows on her SUV exploded.

“I kept hearing ‘crack, crack, crack, crack, crack.’ I was in shock. I was freaking out,” Sanford said.

When she examined the SUV, she found eight strikes from what appeared to have been ammunition from a BB or pellet gun fired at close range from another motorist.

There have been a number of other similar incidents this spring in the Inland Empire.

“It’s well above what you would consider normal,” Olivas said.

So far, he said, no one has been able to link them.

That’s also the case in Orange County.

Adame said one of the CHP officers who examined her car told her, “Oh, wow, that looks like all the other shootings” — a dozen of them in the county in the past week, Adame said she was told.

Officer Mitch Smith, a spokesman for the CHP’s Westminster office, which is investigating Adame’s incident, said investigators there are looking into “approximately five” similar reports spanning April 19 to Tuesday morning, May 4.

“We have no reason to believe they are related. But to call them freeway shootings or similarincidents, it’s unclear at this point,” Smith said.

Green ink marks the places on Lisa Sanford’s SUV where she says gunfire struck her vehicle on the 15 Freeway in Norco. The California Highway Patrol is investigating numerous reports of damage to vehicles from possible freeway shootings in Southern California in recent weeks. (Courtesy of R.D. Walker)

Deadly gunfire

In addition to the April 27 window blowouts on the 405, there certainly have been enough other headline-grabbing incidents to rattle motorists:

• On Aug. 29, a man driving a car on the 405 in Seal Beach was shot to death. Smith said that while he could not elaborate, the circumstances of that incident are far different than others being reported.

• On Dec. 14, the driver of a pickup was killed on the 15 Freeway in Ontario in a shooting that the CHP said it believes might have been a road-rage incident.

• In the early morning hours of April 27, a gunman wounded a driver near USC and killed two others in separate vehicles nearby. He was chased by police and fired on a vehicle on the 10 Freeway in Los Angeles until coming to a stop on the 91 Freeway in Fullerton. There, he and officers exchanged gunfire before he was fatally shot.

• On May 2, a man driving on the 60 Freeway in Industry was shot and injured by someone passing by in another car, according to the CHP.

Adame and Sanford, victims of the window blowouts, said they wonder whether there were more freeway shootings that the CHP hasn’t reported in order to prevent the public from panicking.

But if investigators were to determine there was a serial shooter, said Officer Florentino Olivera, a spokesman for the CHP’s Santa Ana office, which patrols most of OC’s freeways, “We would be calling a press conference here.”

Olivera cautioned that windows can also be smashed by car parts and other trash kicked up by traffic. He knows that first hand after a tire tread crashed through the windshield of his personal car. He urged motorists not to be distracted while driving so they can be on the lookout for road junk.

“Sometimes you can’t prevent it,” Olivera said. “There’s debris all over the roadway.”

If it happens to you

CHP officials say drivers should weigh a number of factors if a window should suddenly break.

If you don’t see a threat, the Inland Division’s Olivas said, pull over right away, particularly if your view of the freeway is impaired.

“If you can exit the freeway safely, even better,” he said.

Call 911 immediately after safely pulling over, Olivas said.

It’s important to provide your exact location to dispatchers so officers can canvass the area for shooters, said Officer Mary Bailey, a spokeswoman for the CHP’s Border Division, which patrols Orange County, southern Riverside County and San Diego County.

And, Bailey said, “We are going to want to see your vehicle. We’re going to want to take pictures and see if we have any evidence. There might be a round in there.”

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-on May 04, 2021 at 09:46AM by Brian Rokos

[vampiresuns]

The Radošević-Cassano | Lore & Palazzo Inspiration

Some lore for the untitled geese family of Vesuvian High Society. As per usual, the family tree is here. With a quick run down on mostly everyone.

✴︎ General Headcanons

I call them the Radošević-Cassano because I keep Anatole in the centre of the family tree, and much of the Arcana lore I have revolves around him. This isn’t because everything is about him, but because he is the original OC, and hence the place all of this lore comes from.

In reality the Cassano of Vesuvia (how they’re actually known as) are an old Vesuvian family.

They hold no nobility titles, they’re just old, ingrained with the City, and simply have money. The surname Cassano isn’t that old, they’ve probably been the Cassano for less than what they’ve held the Consulship for, only having been known in this way since the last 300 to 250 years, give or take.

They’ve had a hold of the Consulship for a little longer than that. No one actually knows how they ended up with the Consul’s office.

Not even the Cassano themselves. There’s many rumours and the story itself is kind of a local legend at this point. No one remembers because sometimes stories are just oral tradition. Sometimes they just get lost. That’s how it is.

The Cassano surname comes from... a first name actually. Consul Cassano ruled Vesuvia in lieu of the Count they were Consul for, while said Count’s children grew up, becoming old enough to rule themselves.

They are a multicultural, multiethnic family. Different branches have different cultural backgrounds.

Yet their unity steams from 1. being the Addams Family of Vesuvia 2. The Consulship. A way for them to protect themselves versus other Courtiers down for their own power-grabs, or nobility which do not like that these respected and well known family have no titles made them create a network (inside and outside of the family) that allows them to protect themselves and their political position.

For a Cassano, it is not social standing which matters. It is political standing.

They’ve been friends with the Radošević family (less remarkable and less old) for around six or seven generations. The Radošević are the Addams Family of Balkovia. Fish, Water.

Both families favour cultivating a career, craft or academic pursuit. It doesn’t matter what at least you pursue it honestly.

Speaking of honest pursuits, one of their secrets for enduring is rejecting arranged marriages. Convenience marriages are one thing, if mutually consented by the future spouses, arranged marriages however are a recipe for owing other families favours. It helps get rid of families who simply want to marry with them solely because they’re interested in the political position.

Important things for both these families are: authenticity, professionalism (they do not conceive not working, hoarding land, property and wealth aren’t actual jobs), ambition, creativity, survival, fraternity and resourcefulness. Both of the families are very communal between each other, acting as extensions of each other way before they married between them.

They follow three principles: 1. Whatever happened to you, whatever life shot at you, you survived. A Cassano-Radošević is nothing if not enduring 2. Sometimes conventional problems needed to be solved through unconventional means. They are nothing if not resourceful. 3. What happens to one of us, happens to all of us. They are nothing if not community driven.

This sometimes made them out of touch with other parts of Vesuvian High-Society, especially certain kind of Noble families. I hc that the Consul is the link between the Count and the City, and is meant to represent the City in front of the Count. The Cassano have a very tightly knit relationship with the City, and while their position of privilege is undeniable they are more aware of the social condition and estate of the City than others of their same social circles.

Their tendency to work for the City in a usually self-less manner (which is encouraged), using their position to help others instead of stepping over them, coined the underlying belief that the Cassano are protectors of Vesuvia. They are the last line between something which wishes to harm the City and the people of Vesuvia. This is something which Anatole specially takes very seriously.

Other sayings or beliefs around them are: “Good Counts make their Consuls their friends, while Good Consuls have a Happy Marriage in their beds.” Given how long they’ve hold the Consul’s office, it is better for Vesuvian Counts (regardless of their origin) to befriend them rather than go against them. The second part stems from the Cassano tendency to marry for love, not out of arranged marriages.

“Nothing mortal can kill a Cassano” this began as a joke, simply because they’re a really sturdy family. While they were very close to disappearing in more than one occasion, they simply keep on living. They’re very petty about their vitality. This belief gets reaffirmed during any of the apprentice timelines, but also because of Valerian Cassano’s (Anatole’s great grandfather) longevity.

Few of them believe in the Arcana as a belief system, though a bunch of them are familiar with tarot. There’s a tendency to generate Death and Hierophant beneficiaries the most. The Radošević while not following the Arcana at all, and most of them being unfamiliar with them, have a tendency to generate beneficiaries of The Lovers, Strength and Magicians.

“When Death marries a Star nothing will bring that marriage down” comes from the most notorious Cassano marriages being between Death and Star beneficiaries, with the Star beneficiaries usually being foreign. Examples of this are Amparo Mediavilla (Star) and Vitale Cassano, former Consul (Death), Stelarius Cassano (former Consul, Death) and spouse (Star), and recently Amparo Cassano (Death) and Portia Devorakova (Star).

Magic in the family, manifesting in given individuals is rare, but not unseen. The Cassano seem to be coated by a halo of magical energy but not display magical abilities themselves for the most part. Some exceptions are Amparo Mediavilla, Lucenzo Cassano, Valerian Cassano, one of Florentino’s (Anatole’s grandfather) brothers – Nemesi Cassano, Amparo Cassano, Vlad Radošević (son of a Cassano, and Anatole’s father), Aelius Anatole Radošević, and Artemisia Cassano, sibling of Amparo.

People with magical abilities in the family tend to keep it reserved from the general public. The reasons vary. 

While the Cassano Personality is strong and produces an inter-generational imprint, the Cassano genes are not that strong. No one is entirely sure what a ‘Cassano face’ looks like because of their multicultural background, but apparently they all have expressive eyebrows.

However, most of the Cassano stand in the same way (the way Valerius stands). Valerius, Anatole, his father, Florentino, Amparo, Artemisia, Cassiopeia, and others all stand in the same way.

✴︎ The Radošević

They’re not that different from the Cassano. Can be described as a “A family of survivors, eccentrics, patrons of the arts, inventors and scientists. A family of academics full of anxieties about the world surrounding them, whose sorrows were scars they rarely showed. Private yet with an extensive, and international, circle of acquaintances who deemed them all charmingly strange on their best days; prideful, analytic, often with a drink in hand.”

The Cassano can be described in a similar way, they’re different manifestations of the same core after all. Other than them being the Addams family of the fantasy Balkans, there’s no much to add to them besides what I’ve already said.

While the most distinctive Cassano trait is probably spite, the most notorious Radošević trait is rage. Rage is easier than grief and they’ve all had complicated relationships with life. They are not violent or toxic as a family, however. While they are not perfect, it seems of little use to them to mistreat those who are in the same boat as you, going through the same hardships.

Probably the some of the most interesting people in this family are Elysian Radošević, Anatole’s great grandmother, a partisan, Neuma Radošević a famous painter, and well, Valeriy “Valerius” Radošević. This is my personal HC in the julesverse, but Valerius has more of a Radošević personality than a Cassano personality.

Anatole would be a nice mix of both of them, which is catalysed by his mother, Louisa De Silva.

As an aside, Anatole has his father’s and uncle’s brows, his father’s eyes, and while his face bone structure is a toss up, he has his mother’s lips and nose. He also has his mother’s hips and legs.

The Radošević have a vineyard in fantasy Istria. No, it’s not Valerius’ vineyard.

One of the reasons why Anatole would refuse all kind of title (and so would his uncle, actually, despite the way he acts) is because having a nobility title is one of the few reasons for your Balkovian citizenship to be revoked. Nobility has been abolished in Balkovia for decades, and it’s not making a comeback.

✴︎ The Palazzo

The Palazzo Cassano is where the star mark is. It is 12 minutes away from the Palace, and 18 minutes way from Goldgrave. It is one of the few properties the family has, and probably the most important.

For years, it has been open to the Vesuvian Public who, with previous appointment, might need its resources, such as the music room or the Cassano Library. Like I said before, the Cassano do not think owning things is a job, and like I said before they encourage finding an actual occupation, whatever it might be. Other properties tied to the Cassano, including the Radošević-Cassano, are: Mircea’s and Florentino’s house in Balkovia (Anatole’s grandfather’s), the Radošević Vineyard, Valerius’ vineyard, Blasio’s house (Milenko’s grandfather), Milenko’s apartment, Vlad’s and Louisa’s townhouse in Balkovia, where Anatole grew up, and Paris’ shop + apartment, as she leaves it to Amparo, Milenko and Anatole. 

The Palazzo holds a series of invaluable collections, from books, artefacts, painting, sculptures, swords and others. They are long standing patron of the arts, who sustain themselves on social connectivity, so it is not unheard of them sustaining balls for these purposes every now and then. The Palazzo is meant to be able to house the majority of the family in somewhat comfortable terms. It’s most famous room, is it’s winter garden, which is open to the Public on certain days.

The Palazzo does not have permanent staff. It’s an oddity. The only permanent positions are the one of personal secretary of the Consul — not a valet, not a servant — and the Chef. Most of the staff is divided in shifts.

The Palazzo doesn’t have a housekeeper, only a housekeeper assistant. The Palazzo housekeepers are Batiste Cassano (sister of Florentino, Anatole’s grandfather), Iris Ravella (Amparo’s parent), and post-game Valerius.

Some of the OC families they’re related to are the Ventura, the family of two high-priests in one of Vesuvia’s temples, the Valperga (Valerian’s family), a number of Venterrean family’s, the Radošević (obviously), and the Ravella, among others. All these families are part of the julesverse.

Canon families they are related to include the Devoraks, the Satrinava (Milenko, while not a Cassano by blood is a Cassano by upbringing, and the Cassano include all the Radošević as their own), and the Alnazar. 

As an addition, when @apprenticealec​ and I merge worlds, they are also related to the Parsa D’Orias, as they are to the El-Saieh, but they belong to @ilyamatic​.

The story of how they ended up with the Palazzo stirs as much rumours as how they ended up with the Consulship, but the truth is way less exciting. It came with the position, and they deliberately altered the papers so from Grant of the Count, became their own. It was finders keepers. The Palazzo is inspired by different buildings in different parts of the world, but primarily, it’s outside is inspired by the Palazzo Papadopoli, in Venice, Italy, the Palazzo Ca d’Oro, and Ca Dario

Here are some pictures of different things it takes inspiration from:

The Palazzo has a back door, which leads to a minor street — the lovers and close friends door — inspired by the Palazzo Bembo- Boldù. The only way to open this door is from the inside. To ring it, you have to turn the knob three times to the right.

Thank you for reading these untitled geese family lore ❤️

[biofunmy]

Why is the world’s largest rain forest burning?

CLOSE

The Amazon rainforest is burning at a record rate. The fires are no accident, and we need to face it. How does this affect our planet? Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

The Amazon is burning at an alarming rate as tens of thousands of fires lay waste to the world’s largest tropical rainforest. 

There have been more than 74,000 wildfires across Brazil this year, up 85% over the same period in 2018, and about 40,000 of them are burning in the Amazon, according to the country’s National Institute of Space Research. 

The Amazon is often called “the lungs of the world,” absorbing greenhouse gases that would otherwise harm the planet. It also is home to a number of indigenous people who rely on the forest’s resources. 

Here’s why it’s on fire and why it has become such a big problem.

Raging fires worldwide: July was the hottest month ever on Earth. Now massive wildfires are burning across the globe.

Why is the Amazon on fire? 

People who want to clear land in the Amazon for business prospects are cutting down portions of the forest, leaving them out to dry and setting them on fire. With the trees out of the way, they have room to grow crops or raise cattle.

This practice is illegal but is not being monitored by Brazil’s government, said Nigel Sizer, chief program officer of Rainforest Alliance. Not only is the government turning the other way, President Jair Bolsonaro is encouraging the practice, Sizer said. 

“With confidence, we can say that a lot of that is illegal and is happening because the government has given the nod to illegal clearing and burning across the Amazon,” Sizer said. “The president has even encouraged the invasion of indigenous territories and areas that the previous administrations have really been working hard to protect.”

In this Aug. 20, 2019, drone photo released by the Corpo de Bombeiros de Mato Grosso, brush fires burn in Guaranta do Norte municipality, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, a federal agency monitoring deforestation and wildfires, said the country has seen a record number of wildfires this year. (Photo: Corpo de Bombeiros de Mato Grosso, AP)

Bolsonaro has blamed environmental nonprofits for acting as obstacles in his mission to further develop Brazil’s economy. His administration has eased protections of areas such as the Amazon, making way for people to damage the rainforest. 

In response to the staggering increase in wildfires this year, Bolsonaro suggested nongovernmental organizations could be starting them to make his administration look bad. He took office Jan. 1 of this year. 

“Maybe – I am not affirming it – these (NGO people) are carrying out some criminal actions to draw attention against me, against the government of Brazil,” Bolsonaro told reporters.

When asked to provide evidence, he gave none. 

“There is a war going on in the world against Brazil, an information war,” Bolsonaro said.

Sizer said previous Brazilian administrations have been environmentally conscious and decreased the rate of deforestation. With this president, though, he said he is worried about what’s to come. 

“It takes a while for people to react and respond, and what we’re seeing now is the first wave of that,” Sizer said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if these numbers get a lot of worse if the government does not change course.”

An aerial view Aug. 20, 2019, of an area of land that has been scorched by fire in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. According to media reports, the Brazilian Amazon region is suffering a record amount of fires, with an 84% increase on the same period last year. (Photo: ROGERIO FLORENTINO, EPA-EFE)

Amazon fires: Burning and smoke from the fires can be seen from space

Green New Deal follow-up: Bernie Sanders releases $16 trillion climate plan

Are fires in the Amazon normal? 

The Amazon holds a lot of moisture – massive fires aren’t a natural occurrence there. Sizer said that if it’s a dry season and you set a fire in the undergrowth it may spread a little, but it peters out quickly. But once you start clearing forest and let the trees dry, fires can cause more damage, he said. 

“The forest shifts from being a fire-resistant ecosystem to a fire-prone ecosystem,” Sizer said.

The trees, plants and animals in the Amazon are not adaptive to fire, and so they are easily killed. That is different from forests in North America, which have adapted to wildfires and can survive them, Sizer said.

Sizer said putting out wildfires in the Amazon is “basically impossible.” They’ll run their course until they run out of chopped-down trees to burn. The best way to stop a crisis like this is for the government to strictly protect the land, said Adrian Forsyth, co-founder of Amazon Conservation Association.

“If you had an enlightened president in Brazil, they would put a stop to illegal deforestation in Brazil, just in the way that they prevent robbery and murder,” Forsyth said.

A view Aug. 20, 2019, of an area that has been scorched by fire in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. (Photo: ROGERIO FLORENTINO, EPA-EFE)

How will the Amazon’s fires affect people?

“The Amazon is a rain factory,” Forsyth said, describing the Amazon’s role in people’s lives. 

Forsyth said the Amazon generates rain that helps crops grow across the Americas, which affects basic food supplies. Additionally, without the Amazon’s carbon absorption, damage to the climate becomes increasingly unavoidable, Forsyth said.

“The Amazon is the biggest storer of tropical carbon in the world, and if that goes up into the sky it’s going to be impossible to meet the climate goals that we’re trying to establish,” Forsyth said. 

Moira Birss, finance campaign director of nonprofit Amazon Watch, said the indigenous people and others who live in or near the forest face the most immediate harm.

“The fires specifically for folks who are living in that are extremely harmful, the air they’re breathing, the ability to live their daily lives, and in some cases, it’s affecting people’s land,” Birss said.

Birss said many people have reached out to Amazon Watch asking about ways they can help. Ultimately, she said, it’s the government’s responsibility to put an end to illegal fire setting. Sizer said one way people can help, though, is by donating to Brazilian environmental groups. 

The #AmazonRainforest is a critical piece of the global climate solution. Without the largest rainforest in the world, we cannot keep the Earth’s warming in check. The Amazon needs more than prayers. So what can YOU do? (1/5) pic.twitter.com/U7mXL4K4yK

— Rainforest Alliance (@RnfrstAlliance) August 21, 2019

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Contributing: The Associated Press

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/08/22/amazon-fire-ngos-brazil-president-jair-bolsonaro-suggests-cause/2082066001/

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[markdavesworld-blog]

Book Review📚📖

On this book it is all about the revenge of Crisostomo Ibarra from the Noli me tangere that hide his self as simoun the rich jeweler. He want to hide his self and work for the government so that he can have some information that they needed for there revolutionary action.

Simoun wants to have his revenge to the spaniards who conquer and destroy the philippines. He want to continue his revolutionary action so that the persistence of the Spaniards in the Philippines will emediately stop and those cruelty and abusing that the Spaniards did to the Filipinos will permanently gone.

But when they do there revolutionary plan the bomb that they planted to kill all the Spaniards that work in the government and also the general that controls all the plans and activities in the government. But when all is done and there ready for the revolutionary action the bomb has been discovered and all of there plan was ruined. Simoun escaped from the soldiers but he was wounded. When he was dying he reveal all his secrets to padre florentino.

This book is one of the inspiring book that i ever read,

[michellscolombianlitblog]

Week 14 Blog

Love in the time of cholera 

By: Gabriel Garcia Marquez 

pages: 159 - 206

word count: 289

summary:

Florentino Ariza saw Fermina Daza while 6 months pregnant and despite the fact that she was expecting a child and was married to another man, Florentino still had feelings for Fermina which is when he decided that Fermina’s husband Dr. Juvenal Urbino had to die. After time passed Florentino met another girl Sara Noriega after they shared a moment when he kissed her so she feels confront but when he tried going for a second kiss she moved her body in a different direction and that’s when he noticed he had fallen in love with her and started a relationship but Florentino didn’t want it to be public mainly because Fermina was still in his mind and he didn’t want her to feel betrayed for moving on even though she’s married.

Critical Analysis:

This chapters just showed how he's afraid to move on without Fermina when it shows she has already moved on and is making a life for herself while Florentino seems to be stuck on trying to win back Fermina but during the process he met a new girl and he didn’t think that she would grab his attention so much. Florentino has shown that he is quick to fall in love with someone but not compared to how he feels for Fermina Daza.

Personal Response:

I want to find out if Florentino decides to kill Dr. Juvenal Urbino and if he’s going to win Fermina back because at the end of the day Fermina still loves Florentino but her father planned for her to marry the doctor and make her mom proud. Fermina is now pregnant with the child of Juvenal but doesn't seem to affect Florentino much but more of Fermina finding out he’s in love with someone else.