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daresplaining · 3 months ago

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Daredevil vol. 6 Annual #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Manuel Garcia, Chris Mooneyham, Rachelle Rosenberg, Le Beau Underwood, and Clayton Cowles

There's a part of me that says I should conserve the few Mike Murdock scenes that I haven't analyzed yet, because who knows when (or if...) we will get more? But it's also nuts to me that four years have gone by and I haven't posted about this scene yet, so screw it, I'm gonna talk about it now.

I've written a bit before about the way this issue emphasizes the concept of Mike barging into pre-existing spaces, observing things that had not been observed before by any pre-existing characters, and ultimately presenting a new path for readers to follow through Matt Murdock's life history. The creative team positions Mike not alongside his twin, but almost in opposition to him, through stark differences in their childhood experiences. Matt loved his father unconditionally, Mike's relationship with Jack was a bit more complicated. Matt tried to stay out of trouble in school, Mike beat up bullies without apology. And then we get this absolute bomb drop of a scene, in which Mike is present where no one was supposed to be, and as a result, is struck with a life-upending revelation that will not hit Matt until years later. This scene stunned me when I first read the issue, because no matter how much Real Boy Mike's story might have diverged from his brother's, I never expected him to have a different experience of this.

Daredevil vol. 1 #230 by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli, Christie "Max" Scheele, and Joe Rosen

In Daredevil volume 1 #230, Matt finds himself in a church basement being cared for by nuns after collapsing, near death, in the street. As he lies there, feverish and delirious, he eventually takes notice of a particular nun. Her presence, her smell, and the feel of the cross necklace she wears (which, as seen in the panels above, she ends up giving to Matt) conjure up a long-forgotten memory from the time of his accident. He recognizes this nun as a mysterious woman who visited him in the hospital, as he lay suffering from his newly acquired hypersenses.

Man Without Fear vol. 1 #1 by Frank Miller, John Romita Jr., Christie Scheele, Al Williamson, and Joe Rosen

It is an intimate moment, written almost like a dream; a calming presence in the middle of one of the most nightmarish experiences of his life. Adult Matt pieces together this sensory puzzle, the mystery of this nun, and eventually uncovers the truth: that she is his mother, who he had been raised to believe was dead. This revelation is the start of a long and winding journey through which Matt and Maggie carefully, nervously inch back into each other's lives and begin to build a relationship.

But in the 2020 Annual, this private little moment between Matt and the stranger he will one day come to know as his mother is private no more. It now has a witness, and we the readers have a new, messier perspective on this classic scene. Enter: the brother who wasn't supposed to be there.

In this new version of Daredevil history, Mike spends the night at the hospital, watching over Matt after Jack is forced to leave for work. As Daredevil fans, we have spent plenty of origin retellings and flashbacks inside that hospital room, but Mike stays on a bench out in the hallway, involved but still not fully immersed in what is happening-- an intruder, a spare (I love the detail that he and Matt are dressed exactly the same in this scene). Not once do we see Mike enter that room at any point. The closest he comes to it on-panel is standing uncomfortably in the doorway. And that is how he remains when Maggie arrives and makes her fateful visit: outside, unconnected. When Mike wakes up, she is already in the room with Matt. Maybe she took a moment, as she passed by, to reach out to her other son and he just wasn't awake to notice. We might never know, and neither will he. What matters is that Mike is forced to listen in, and by listening in, he reaches the same conclusion about Maggie that Matt won't until years later. And for Mike, it isn't a gentle, gradual, fever-softened understanding. It is a sudden, nightmarish jolt at the end of a long day filled with sudden, nightmarish jolts.

Mike bears this revelation alone and silently. He could have marched into that room and confronted Maggie. He could have gone in after she left, just to be closer to his brother in this moment of shock and uncertainty. Instead, he chooses to walk away. Later in the issue he reveals to Jack that he has found out the truth, but if the volume 1 continuity has remained intact, we can assume that he never tells Matt. Instead, he carries the burden of this secret knowledge himself, and allows his brother the freedom and peace of mind to not be hurt by the shattering of such a foundational lie.

#I've read this issue twenty-eight billion times and never before noticed that we don't ever see Mike actually go into the room to see Matt.#Hurts me. Oh Mike...#Daredevil vol. 6 #Daredevil #Mike Murdock #Sister Maggie #Matt Murdock #Commentary #Mike Murdockalypse #ID in alt text

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puffyducks · 9 days ago

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DCRC Week #31

Only 2 weeks into the semester and school is already beating my ass, but you know who always has my back? That's right baby. Paperinik. New. Adventures. Always there for me when nobody else is.

Anyways um today is PKNA #26: Time Flies which is a fun and normal adventure chapter with absolutely no existential commentary on the nature of art whatsoever.

GIANT ENEMY CRAB WHOOOO YEAH BABY THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT

umm ACTUALLY mysterious disembodied voice, Donald is a little bitch so write that down

Shoutout to Malva I think her design is really cool and we love a bald woman they slays. Shoutout to bald women actually, just like in general.

DUDE LOOK they're flying through time... just like the cover art

Shoutout to Malva AGAIN for this outfit. Yas bitch slay!!!

their faces are killing me

Since Malva and Vlad are already traveling everywhere with such little regard for the timestream they should go show a Victorian child an iPhone and see if he dies from shock

YEAHHHH BIG FUCKING ROBOT DRAGON FIGHT YEAAHHHH 🔥🔥🔥

No Vlad is right here, PK and Lyla are doing time travel all wrong. You're supposed to dress up in silly little outfits :/

The 4 of them are so fucking goofy I'm kind of living for this set of characters tbh

AW HELL NAW WE IN THE LAND BEFORE TIME

Enjoying this pair of random Evronian workers who seem to be about as rundown as the rest of us

Goofy asf panel they're just like D:

heh... well then, LET'S. GET. DANGEROU- no wait that's the other guy

LYLA WITH MESSY HAIR RRRAAAHHHHH I love her

WoOAoaoOAoahhh PLOT TWIST!!! Is that DUCKLAS STYVESANT??? Remember? Remember him from Portrait of the Young Hero-

THAT'S RIGHT, WHAT YOU JUST READ FOR THE LAST 60 PAGES WAS ACTUALLY A SERIES OF AI GENERATED SLOP FROM THE YEAR 2255!!! FUCK YOU

Oh.

OKAY SO. Obviously the biggest hit of this chapter comes at the very end, when it's revealed that the entire story we've been following wasn't actually real, and this whole time we've just been reading an episode of a TV show that was entirely computer-generated. Of course, this comic was still made by real artists, because the technology to AI generate photos didn't exist all the way back in 1999 (thank god).

Had I read this comic maybe 4, 5 years ago, I would've probably just been like "oh huh. that's neat." and moved on. But reading this story now, in the year 2025??? Holy shit dude. The accuracy with which they approach the topic of AI art in this story is lowkey terrifying. You're telling me that Ducklas fucking Styvesant can grasp the concept of why AI art would be wrong in the year 1999, and we somehow have people in MODERN DAY that can't grasp why people are against it? 😭

This is another one of those scenarios where you read sci-fi media from the past that's exploring some kind of existential threat, in this case the existence of entirely machine-generated "art", and it's explored as some kind of scary far off "what if" scenario, but yet again we're brought face to face with the fact that this is actually happening NOW. Like NOW now. This comic predicted that computer generated shows would be a newly emerging technology in 2255, that makes us almost 230 years ahead of schedule in the real world. AND I THINK THAT'S FUCKIN CRAZY!!!!

If we're gonna go the route of making all the sci-fi horrors of PKNA into real world things can we at least get an Uno first? I would much prefer him existing over the AI slop that's all over google images now, thanks xoxo.

Anyways to briefly wind down it's time for Lyla comic!!

Shoutout to Lyla for being in what I can only assume is robot therapy

BTW if my coworkers decided to invite themselves over to my house and expected ME to prepare a meal for them?? I'd literally kill everyone in that office.

I can't cook for shit and I even I knew that... also if Lyla wasn't a robot she would have severe burns all over her body right now so. Here's a quick PSA: don't microwave eggs, don't microwave water either, both will explode. Above all else, stay safe in the kitchen.

Anyways here are some shots of Lyla being cute because I think she looks great in this artstyle.

See you next week fellow book clubbers 🫡

#dcrc #dcrc week 31 #paperinik

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manic-maniac-man · 14 days ago

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Highly Rated Specialty Boutiques with Modern Gallery Atmosphere

Atelier New York

Brands

Carol Christian Poell, Ann Demeulemeester, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Julius, Damir Doma, m.a+, Label Under Construction, Attachment, Mihara Yasuhiro, The Viridi-anne, Undercover

"Since it opened in 2002, Ateller New York has forged a fanatical following among art and fashion world insiders with an original sense of style. Last year the store moved from Nolita to Hudson Street just outside SoHo, rebranding itself as a concept store of 180 square meter that fuses art and fashion.

The store was designed according to the vision of the owner and art dealer, Constantin von Hasften. The loft space with impressive cast iron pillars and window frames that was built in 1910 is decorated with art pieces like a gallery. A black and white painting by Richard Serra, a felt suit sculpture by Joseph Beuys, photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto and a metal chair designed by Rei Kawakubo in the fitting room are among the objects that reflect the owner's impeccable taste. The interior features custom-made display tables and hanger racks, giant three-sided mirrors and drawens built into the walls, all of which are put together with minimal, sophisticated taste Of particular note is the fact that sales grew 22% in 2009, the time when the recession was hitting the retail business hardest. "Any business is a challenge, whether in a recession or not, says co-owner and stylist Karlo Steel. This soring they created 17 items in collaboration with Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati. "Most of our customers liked it, but for some it was a shock because they could not see the intersection between YSL and Atelier. We are working on other designers exclusive lines, but for now they must remain secret," says Steel. Regarding the Autumn & Winter season, he commented"I thought it was elegant, dark and slightly sinister"." -gap PRESS

Dear: Rivington

Brands

Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Yves Saint Laurent

"Dear 55 was a small shop selling vintage and original accessories that opened on the Lower East Side in 2007. In July last year it moved to Rivington Street in the same neighborhood and changed its name to Dear: Rivington. The new store is spread over 230 square meter and the main floor is painted black and white where its line of original men's wear was launched. The second floor is a gallery space that features antique furniture and home furnishings as well as illustrations and etchings.

The clientele includes many designers, merchandisers, models, stylists and fashion Industry insiders. Apparently many of the vintage items of designer brands are purchased as design samples. I think it's because we do our own style instead of trendy stuff that makes our clients keep coming back," explains owner Moo Hi.

The store's interior is overseen by creative director Heyja Do, who also serves as the designer of the store's original merchandise. Racks found on the street, pushcarts, schien doors and other objects are painted black and white, with digits written as accents are especially eye-catching. Commodities are used to create visual merchandising with unique ideas and techniques. The bestselling original items are the handmade jewelry and antique lace accessories. The unisex pieces, especially jackets, pants and cut & sewn items are also very popular. "We are thinking that collaborating with other artists and making some interesting stuff, not only clothing, could become art installation projects" says Moo Hi of potential future endeavors." -gap PRESS

#my scans #fashion #avantgarde #2010s fashion #archive fashion #japanese fashion #atelier #carol christian poell #ann demeulemeester #comme des garçons #yohji yamamoto #julius #damir doma #undercover #dries van noten #yves saint laurent #mihara yasuhiro #boutique

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larkral · 10 months ago

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Oh, hi. Good news: I am not dead. Bad news: my spirit is perhaps just a little bit dead. Thanks @shrekgogurt and @hushed-chorus for the tags! And to everyone else who's been tagging me over the past while.

I've been too busy dealing with school's bullshit about my daughter's behavior for the past (checks watch) six weeks to have any energy to write. But! Last night I wrote 230 words for the epilogue of my Check Please fic!

Anyway, I've been feeling very much like the amalgamation of Natalie and Zadie in Finally, (already, always) that I'll be honest, I've always known I was writing them as. For a snippet of my life, please read the two following snippets from that WIP:

Natalie:

Simon's teachers call us up to say he's a nuisance in class, but they can never say what he's done. Is he loud? (No.) Does he throw things? (No.) Has he hit anyone? (No.) Does he speak out of turn? (No.) No, no, no. He's just a nuisance, Mrs. Stephenson-Shaw. (Ms. Shaw, actually.) He's disruptive. He has to go to the office. He's risking expulsion. He's seven. Just a boy. Thin shoulders, long back, freckles, blue eyes and a smile. A tumble of energy and adoration and enthusiasm. He's my Simon. He's stories by the window, and sitting on the floor next to his bed stroking his back as he falls asleep. He's chasing after ducks in the park, climbing trees, and an overwhelming enthusiasm for knights and dragons. I love him every way I can find. Every day I find more. I'm spilling over with love for him and aside from Zadie, no one seems to be able to see it: the things we love. The ways he's loveable.

Zadie:

I wonder if he might have seemed trustworthy. If he'd been subtle, if he'd been politic, would I have seen the monster as readily? "We will talk with Simon about it. And we can tour the school. And if he's interested, then we'll consider it." He purses his lips. "A tour will be difficult," he says. "It is impossible for a non-magical person to enter the gates of Watford." Of course. Well, it's as good a demand as any to finish the conversation with. "Well then, I suggest that you find a way to let prospective and current students' parents visit the school, or the answer will definitely be no." I stand up and start towards the door. Nat stands and starts down the stairs. We fall in together, present a united front as I usher to David Cadwallader out of our home. "I'll be in touch ," he says.

<3 to everyone and tags under the cut

@stitchyqueer @thewholelemon @confused-bi-queer @raenestee @facewithoutheart @cutestkilla @hushed-chorus @sillyunicorn @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @basiltonbutliketheherb @ileadacharmedlife @asocialpessimist @bookish-bogwitch @aristocratic-otter @captain-aralias @petedavidsonscock @takitalks @artsyunderstudy @yeonjunenby @carryonvisinata @takenabackbytuesdays @martsonmars @nausikaaa @nightimedreamersghost @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ionlydrinkhotwater @that-disabled-princess @shrekgogurt @forabeatofadrum @palimpsessed @fatalfangirl @blackberrysummerblog @valeffelees @imagineacoolusername @orange-peony @j-nipper-95 @whogaveyoupermission @wellbelesbian @rimeswithpurple @youarenevertooold @emeryhall @mooncello @monbons @run-for-chamo-miles

#finally (already always)#simon snow #simon's two mums #carry on #parent shit #pedantic shit #lawyer shit

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littlequeenies · 2 months ago

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Mary Werbelow biography part 1 (part 2)

Early years and relationship with Jim Morrison

Mary Werbelow was born in July 1944 and she came from a very strict Catholic family.

[Mary when she was 12 years old. Ebay]

In Summer 1962 she was just finishing her junior year at Clearwater High, when Mary and best friend Mary Wilkin spread their beach blanket near Pier 60, she was 17, and met Jim Morrison, who had been sent here by his father, then a Navy captain, after he blew off his high school graduation ceremony in Virginia. He had just finished the year at St. Petersburg Junior College and lived with his grandparents.

Mary was on the high school homecoming court. Her friends did cotillion dances at the Jack Tar Harrison Hotel, hit Brown Brothers dairy store for burgers and malts, and shopped Mertz's records for Ben E. King, Del Shannon and Elvis Presley.

Jim read his poetry at the avant-garde Beaux Arts coffeehouse in Pinellas Park and visited St. Pete's only live burlesque show, at the Sun Art Theater on Ninth Street.

Friends who thought they knew Mary couldn't fathom why she would want to hang out with Jim Morrison. What they didn't know was how out of place Mary felt in her social circle. Jim talked like no one she had met. "We connected on a level where speaking was almost unnecessary. We'd look at each other and know what we were thinking." He recited long poems from memory.

[L-R: Andy - Jim's younger brother - Mary and Jim pictured in Summer 1962. The Doors by The Doors & Ben Fong Torres]

She liked her alone time, in her bedroom, dancing and drawing. Jim liked his alone time, in his bedroom, reading. They skipped dances and football games and hung out, at her house or at his grandparents' house.

When Jim drove, Mary kept a notebook at the ready. "Write this!" he'd say, dictating an observation. Or he'd pull over and scribble himself. "He was a genius," Mary says. "He was incredible."

Mary says he rarely drank in her presence. "It was out of respect for me. We were in love, and he didn't want to do things that I didn't like."

At fall, Jim transferred to Florida State. Most weekends, rain or shine, he hitchhiked back to Clearwater, 230 miles down U.S. 19. Most days in between, letters postmarked Tallahassee arrived at the Werbelow mailbox on Nursery Road.

Mary's father intercepted one, read the page about sex and never got to the part that made clear Jim was writing about a class. Furious at her father's snooping, she burned all Jim's letters, a move she came to regret, deeply.

At Jim's direction, she wrote once a week and included the number of a public telephone in Clearwater and a time he should call. On his end, Jim would put in a dime for the first two minutes. They would talk for hours. On her end, Mary would loiter by the phone at the appointed hour.

[Mary early modelling shots, 1963. Ebay, tumblr ank links below]

On March 30, 1963 the Jaycees called to recruit Mary for the Miss Clearwater competition, Mary's mother answered the phone."Oh, yeah," she said, as Mary recalled "she'll be happy to do it." although Mary herself would have declined.

The third and final night of competition, more than 1,000 people packed Clearwater Municipal Auditorium. Five finalists matched "beauty, personality and poise." Mary was looking good, not that Jim was thrilled. If she won, it was on to Miss Florida. Mary performed body twirls. She did the bossa nova. Time for her big question: "If your husband grew a beard, what would you do?" she answered: "I'd let him grow it. Whether he would kiss me or not would be another matter."

She got first runner-up.

As Mary's father banned Jim from the Werbelow house, she followed him to Tallahassee for a semester, although her parents objected. in 1964, When he started film school at UCLA and Mary announced she was following him to Los Angeles, her parents were devastated.

Mary says Jim asked her to wear "something floaty" when she arrived in Los Angeles. "He wanted me to look like an angel coming off the plane." Instead, she drove out a week early and surprised him.

Together again, in an exciting, intimidating city, they kept separate apartments. By November 1964 Mary got her first real job, in the office of a hospital X-ray department. Later, she donned a fringe skirt and boots as a go-go dancer at Gazzari's on the Sunset Strip although Jim didn't like the idea. Later that month, she went to Celebrate Thanksgiving with Jim and his parents.

[Mary as a go-go dancer at Gazzari's on the Sunset Strip, 1964. Ebay]

Jim studied film. At the end of the year, a handful from among hundreds of student films were selected for public showing. Jim's was not among them. Shortly after, Mary says, he told her he was humiliated, considered his formal education over and needed to forget everything. He built a fire in his back yard and incinerated many of his precious Florida notebooks.

Mary says he started doubting her commitment. "You're going to leave me," he would tell her. "No, I'm not. How can you say that? I'm in love with you."

After one fight, Jim went out with another woman. He wasn't home the next morning. Mary went to the woman's house, but she said Jim wasn't there. Mary called: "Come out wherever you are!" Jim slinked forward, a hand towel around him. Mary bolted and, in a blur, hit the woman's fence as she sped off. "That was the beginning of the end."

He was drinking hard and taking psychedelic drugs. The darkness she had always seen seemed to be overtaking him, and she didn't want to watch him explore his self-destructive bent. And she felt he had swallowed her identity. Whatever he liked, she liked. "I had to go out and see what parts of that were me. I just knew I had to be away from him. I needed to be by myself, to find my own identity."

She enrolled in art school. The day Jim helped her move to a new apartment, she told him she needed a break. "He clammed up after that. I really hurt him. It hurts me to say that. I really hurt him."

They split up in the summer of 1965.

A few months later, Jim got together with a film school buddy, Ray Manzarek, who says he wanted to combine his keyboards with Jim's poetry. They started the band that became the Doors. "He didn't sit around and sing," Mary says, laughing. "Jim, no, he was a poet. He wrote poetry."

By phone from his home in Northern California, Manzarek says all the guys in film school were in love with Mary. She was gorgeous, and sweet on top of that. "She was Jim's first love. She held a deep place in his soul."

[Ray, Mary and Jim in a film from 1964/early 1965 when Ray & Jim were students at UCLA, from thedoorsareopened tiktok]

The Doors' 11-minute ballad The End, Manzarek says, originally was "a short goodbye love song to Mary." Doors drummer John Densmore stated: "Jim wrote The Crystal Ship for Mary Werbelow, a girlfriend with whom he was breaking up. . . . The song was a goodbye love song."

Jim Morrison took up with other women, notably with longtime companion Pam, but Mary says she and Jim kept up with each other. She says she was his anchor to the times before things got crazy. "I'd see him when he really needed to talk to someone."

She thought they were too young. She worried they might grow apart. She needed more time to explore her own identity, so by late 1968 to early-mid 1969, Mary moved to India to study meditation, while there, she wrote several letters to her parents. She never saw Jim again.

[several Mary's letters and photos from her early life, notice the rare photo she took of Jim when they were together. Ebay]

Sources:

Mary & Jim to the End

Romantic Relationships, Jim Morrison's girlfriends

Door's Jim Morrison girlfriend Mary Werbelow dead at 79

Ebay, very special thanks to S who shared all the links at Pam Courson facebook page !!

#Mary Werbelow #Jim Morrison #Ray anzarek #model #artist #dancer #drawer #pencil artist #oil paint artist #portraits artist #1962 Mary W #1963 Mary W #1964 Mary W #1965 Mary W #collaboration

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justinspoliticalcorner · 4 months ago

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Oliver Milman at The Guardian:

A slew of falsehoods about Hurricane Helene, including claims of funds diverted from storm survivors to migrants and even that Democrats somehow directed the hurricane itself, have hampered the response to one of the deadliest hurricanes to ever hit the US, the nation’s top emergency official has warned.

Misinformation spread by Donald Trump, his supporters and others about the hurricane has shrouded the recovery effort for communities shattered by Helene, which tore through five states causing at least 230 deaths and tens of billions of dollars of damage. Many places, such as in western North Carolina, are still without a water supply, electricity, navigable roads or vital supplies. “It’s frankly disappointing we are having to deal with this narrative, the fact there are a few leaders having a hard time telling the difference between fact and fiction is creating an impedance to our ability to actually get people the help they need,” Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), told MSNBC on Monday. Trump has accused Joe Biden’s administration of “abandoning” people to the crisis and, baselessly, of being short of disaster relief funds due to money spent on undocumented migrants. Such claims are “frankly ridiculous” and creating a “truly dangerous narrative that is creating this fear” among affected people, Criswell said.

In multiple rallies in the past week, Trump has accused Biden and Kamala Harris of favoring migrants over disaster-hit areas. “They stole the Fema money, just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them this season,” Trump has said. “Kamala spent all her Fema money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal immigrants.” Trump added the places worst hit are “largely a Republican area so some people say they did it for that reason”.

JD Vance, Trump’s Republican running mate, echoed this theme on Monday, telling Fox News that Fema’s focus on migrants is “going to distract focus from their core job of helping American citizens in their time of need”. Last week, Stephen Miller, a far-right Trump adviser, said that “Kamala Harris turned Fema into an illegal alien resettlement agency”. Fema does, in fact, have a housing program that offers shelter to migrants leaving detention but this is separate from its disaster relief program. “No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. None,” the White House has stated. In remarks on Monday after speaking to Criswell by phone, Harris urged politicians to stop “playing games” with lives at stake. According to the White House pool, the vice-president said: “There’s a lot of misinformation being pushed out there by the former president about what is available, particularly for the survivors of Helene. First of all, it’s extraordinarily irresponsible. It’s about him, it’s not about you. The reality is Fema has so many resources that are available to those who desperately need them.” Congress recently provided an extra $20bn for disaster relief but Biden has warned that more funding will be needed to help the long-term recovery of places increasingly assailed by powerful storms fueled by global heating.

Other conspiracy theories and erroneous claims have swirled online and in areas affected by Helene, such as the assertion that Fema will give only $750 to individuals as a loan (it is, in fact, a grant, and can be followed by further claims for more than $40,000) or that the agency is seizing people’s land. Fema has, unusually, put up a web page to counter these claims, with a spokesman saying the misinformation is “extremely damaging” to response efforts as it deters people from seeking assistance. “We are going to continue to message aggressively so everyone understands what the facts are,” he said regarding the looming Hurricane Milton, which is set to hit Florida. Some social media posts spreading misinformation about the hurricanes called for militias to be formed to confront Fema workers, while other posts contained antisemitic hatred aimed at figures such as Esther Manheimer, mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, a city badly affected by the storm.

[...] So far, Biden has declared the federal government will pay for the entire cost of activities such as debris removal, search and rescue and food supplies for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The president has also already approved disaster help for Florida ahead of Milton’s arrival. This approach has garnered some rare praise for Biden from Republican governors of affected states, with some Republican lawmakers calling for the conspiracy theories to abate. “Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods,” Kevin Corbin, a Republican state senator for western North Carolina, posted on Facebook last week. “Please don’t let these crazy stories consume you or have you continually contact your elected officials to see if they are true.”

FEMA Chief Deanne Criswell calls out the dangerous misinformation about Hurricane Helene peddled by Donald Trump and right-wing media pundits. FEMA

#Hurricane Helene #Misinformation #FEMA #Deanne Criswell #Donald Trump #Disaster Relief #Hurricanes

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bratshaws · 1 year ago

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through the hourglass 260. brb x oc

a/n: GUESS WHO'S BDAY IS COMING UP!!!! (comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

/210/211/212/213/214/215/216/217/218/219/220/221/222/223/224

/225/226/227/228/229/230/231/232/233/234/235/236/237/238

/239/240/241/242/243/244/245/246/247/248/249/250/251/252

/253/254/255/256/257/258/259

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix @lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @louisahale @leobabbyyy @booklover2sblog @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @fanboyswhore9 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva @kmc1989 @enchantingharmonyalpaca

“Roos!”

Her smile is so big once she sees the Bronco parked in front of the bar that she almost forgets her bag. If it wasn’t for Penny calling her and letting her know about it, Beatrice would’ve left it there until the next day. Her husband is waiting outside the car, arms crossed and his mouth quirked in a little smirk.

He opens his arms immediately when Bea is within reach, letting her hug his torso and press her cheek to his shirt. He leans down to kiss her temple, nuzzling the brown hair that touches his nose, “Hmmm. You are touchy today.”

“I missed you.” she replies but then immediately turns her attention to Nicole who’s looking right back at her from the little booster seat, “And I missed Nikki!Hi baby!” Rooster lets her walk over to the passenger door, sitting down next to Nikki and cooing to her as her boss comes closer.

“Here.” Penny smirks, handing Rooster Beatrice’s gray bag, the xenomorph keychain was turning white because of age but it was still the same stuff she had when they first started dating, “You two are just too precious.” she says, “But that’s to be expected.”

As Penny's teasing remark hung in the air, Beatrice couldn't help but chuckle inside the car.

Rooster leaned against the car door, a glint in his eyes as he watched Beatrice and Nikki interact.”Yeah,well…can you blame me?”

Penny rolled her eyes while walking back to the bar, “I guess not.”she waves at them, “Good night you two,drive safely.” she points to the sky, “There’s a storm coming so I wouldn’t stall here for too long!”.

Beatrice’s head popped out of the car before her body did, “Will you be alright?” she calls, seeing her boss walk back inside and smirk at her.

“Yep,I will. You two go home.” and she points at them again, “Don’t make me force you two into the car.”

As Penny disappeared into the dimly lit bar, Beatrice settled into the car seat beside Rooster, while Nikki was now giggling and reaching out for her mother's finger. Rooster watched them with a warm smile, before he closed the door himself.

The evening sky was slowly darkening, and the first drops of rain splattered against the windshield followed by the howling of winds. Beatrice glanced up at the ominous clouds, furrowing her brows. "We should hurry, Roos. Penny's right; that storm looks like it's going to be a doozy."

Rooster hummed, clicking on his seatbelt before checking the way the trees moved because of the air around them, “We have…ten minutes before it hits.” he says, “The drive back home is around twenty- twenty five depending on traffic. We’ll get it either way but we’ll be alright.” The Bronco roars awake when he puts the key in the ignition. “I can choose a different route either way.”

The engine's growl filled the air as Rooster expertly maneuvered the Bronco out of the parking lot and onto the dimly lit street. Beatrice sighs quietly,while leaning back on her seat as she looks back at Rooster.

Her husband just smiles at her, “What?”

“Nothing.” she says, “I missed you.”

“As did we,gorgeous.” Rooster stole a glance at the rearview mirror, his expression softening as he watched the way Nicole appeared to be paying the utmost attention to their conversation "She kept looking at your pictures. I had to tell her she had to wait for mama to come back…anyway, how was the bar? Packed I imagine.”

"It was busier than I remembered," Beatrice replied, her voice carrying a hint of weariness. "Penny had some music tonight, and it drew quite a crowd. But it was fun, you know? It's been a while since I've been tired like that. I mean,I don’t know if our babies are just saints but they don't leave me so tired? I mean, the twins are at the NICU still but…you know what I mean.”

“Yeah,gorgeous.I know.” he smiles, keeping an eye on the sky and relaxing when he notices the raindrops were slow and spaced, they still had time, “And the fake Sinatra guy? Did he leave or did he still make a scene?”

"He finally called it a night after a dramatic rendition of 'My Way.' I think Penny had to practically drag him off the bar. You should've seen it, Roos; it was like watching a soap opera. Shells probably has a video on her phone and Jessie was too horrified to do anything."

Rooster chuckled, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel. "Well, I'm sorry I missed the show,I can always ask Shells to send me the video though."

Beatrice nodded, her gaze drifting to the road ahead as she leaned back further in her seat. "She definitely will, you know how she is…she also said ‘I wouldn’t be a good best friend if I didn’t record this so I could share with you later.’"

“Sounds like her.”

The raindrops began to fall more steadily as Rooster and Beatrice continued their journey home. The windshield wipers swayed rhythmically, creating a squeaky pattern against the glass. Nikki, nestled in her booster seat, seemed entranced by the motion, her little fingers occasionally reaching out to point the droplets on the window.

Rooster stole a glance at his daughter through the rearview mirror and couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Looks like someone's enjoying the rain."

Beatrice turned her attention to Nikki, a smile gracing her lips. "Yeah, she probably likes how it shines." she goes back to the former position and sighs, tapping her fingers together, “...man I’m spent.” she yawns, “And a bit sore.I might need a bath.”

Rooster's lips pursed, he had to go through the shortcut because the storm was right behind them, “Yeah,I know gorgeous. I can draw a bath for you.”

“Yeah?”

“Always,baby,” he smirks, “What sort of husband would I be?”

Beatrice smiles with a happy hum leaving her lips, then she looks back at the window with her eyes soft, “...how was your Call of Duty session with Jake and Coyote? Fun?”

Rooster nodded, keeping his eyes on the rain-soaked road as he navigated the winding path through the rain, the rain that now was getting stronger. "Yeah, it was a blast. Jake and Coyote were in rare form tonight. We even managed to pull off a few victories, despite Coyote's insistence on going for those risky sniper shots."

Beatrice chuckled, her fingers idly tracing patterns on her thigh. "I can only imagine the chaos."

"Hey, it's a great way to unwind," Rooster defended with a grin. "Besides, it's not like we get to do it every night. But it's always good to catch up with them...and win, of course."

As they continued to drive through the rain-soaked night, the view of their house finally appeared within sight and both sighed in relief. The sound of raindrops on the car's roof sounded more like gunshots than actual rain with how heavy it was.

And the rain showed no signs of letting up.

Rooster's headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the wet road ahead as he presses the button to open the garage up. Beatrice yawned again, her exhaustion becoming more apparent.

"You really do need that bath," Rooster remarked, touching her thigh with his free hand.

Beatrice chuckled tiredly. "Yeah, I won't argue with that. And maybe some cocoa after…"

"Consider it done," he replied, his tone soft, “With little marshmallows, just for you.”

“Aw, you are so sweet.” she giggles, holding her back to her chest as she watches the Bronco slowly roll inside the garage, the sound of rain muffled on the outside. She sighs, closing her eyes as she lets the car’s vibration soothe her a bit.

Rooster looked back at her with his hands on his thighs, “You okay?”

“Mhm.”

Rooster watched his wife with a fond smile, the dim garage lights casting a soft glow on her face. She looked peaceful, even in her exhaustion. He knew how hard she worked, with everything, even if she didn’t say it. She deserved all the rest and pampering he could provide.

Gently, Rooster leaned over and planted a tender kiss on Beatrice's forehead. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she smiled up at him, her tiredness momentarily forgotten. "You always know how to make me feel better," she whispered.

He winked at her. "It's my superpower."

“So you are my hero then.”

One thing he adored about sleepy Beatrice was that she was just like drunk Beatrice. She was more open, she said things that made his heart flutter happily and that sentence was enough to make his cheeks hot. He laughs softly, dropping his head only to lift it back up,kissing her forehead, “Come on, time to go inside. I can get Nikki.”

Rooster's Bronco was now safely tucked away in the garage, shielded from the relentless downpour that had intensified during their drive home. Beatrice stretched her arms and legs, feeling the stiffness of the long car ride dissipate as she stepped out of the vehicle. Rooster was quick to open the passenger door for her, offering a hand to help her out.

As she stood beside the car, blushing a bit as she waited for him to grab Nikki. She couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over her. Despite the heavy rain outside, she loved hearing it hit the sidewalk and the roof above their heads.

The dogs, well Eleanor, started huffing and shuffling against the door that led to the inside. “Baby,” he calls and she turns to him, “You can go inside.”

But Beatrice shook her head gently, “No,I can wait for you two. No worries.”

“Alright.” he says as he opens the passenger door to unbuckle Nicole from her seat, their daughter babbling happily as her dad brought her up to his chest, locking the Bronco with his key and finally meeting Beatrice by the door, “Okay,done.”

“Mhm.” his wife replies and even in her tired state,she couldn’t help but pick Nicole from his hold and bury her nose in her golden brown hair, hugging the almost one year old close to her chest, “I’ll wait until you open…careful because Eleanor might come bustling out.”

“Yeah.” he mutters, “Are we sure she’s not just a rocket instead of a pitbull-akita mix?”

"Sometimes I wonder if she has a secret stash of energy hidden somewhere," Beatrice replied with a grin. "Could happen."

“Meanwhile her brother and mother are the chillest dogs I know.”

With that, he turned to the door leading inside their home and carefully opened it, peeking inside to ensure that Eleanor wasn't waiting to make a run for it. She was sitting close by…then immediately darted towards the garage to run in circles around the blue Bronco and Beatrice’s red jeep.

Rooster sighs, “...you know what, the garage is closed, it’s all good. I’ll draw your bath,gorgeous.”

“Madam.”

She chuckles, opening one eyelid as she watches her husband enter the room after she’s done with her bath. She stops rubbing lotion on her skin to see him holding her Ponyo mug with the hot chocolate steaming out of it at the door, turning her body a little bit on the bed to see him better “Your beverage of choice,madam. With extra marshmallows.”

Rooster offers a warm smile as he approaches the bed, presenting the mug to her as if it were a treasured relic. "I figured you could use a little warmth this evening."

Her eyes dance with delight as she accepts the mug, inhaling the rich aroma of the hot chocolate. The scent alone is enough to envelop her in a cozy embrace. "You know me too well, Roos." She takes a careful sip, savoring the creamy, chocolatey goodness. The marshmallows on top add a delightful touch of sweetness.

And they were colorful too.

"Well, after all these years, I'd hope I've picked up a few things."

She grins, setting the mug on the nightstand before patting the empty space beside her. "Come join me."

He gladly complies, sitting down and leaning back against the headboard. The room is dimly lit, with the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting a warm atmosphere, meanwhile the storm raged on the outside, “How is the hot chocolate,ma’am? Is it to your taste?”

She takes another sip of the hot chocolate, reveling in the velvety texture and the perfect balance of sweetness. "It's absolutely perfect, Roos," she replies, a contented sigh escaping her nose . "You really outdid yourself with those marshmallows."

Rooster chuckles, "I'm glad you like it," he says, his voice filled with genuine satisfaction. "I've been perfecting my hot chocolate recipe, just for you."

“N’aw.” she gently touches his cheek, “You are so sweet.”

He sighs as he gets comfortable on the bed, crossing his arms, the fabric of his shirt around his biceps curls up when he does so, “Nikki is fast asleep.” he checks on her only to see she had her eyes closed, savoring the hot beverage, “Checked on her a few minutes ago, she passed out when you were bathing.”

“I thought so, she got very quiet after.”

“Yeah…”

Beatrice looked back at him, her brows furrowed just a tiny bit, ‘...you ready to tell me what’s been bothering you?” she smiles knowingly and he chuckles, because of course she knew.

He rubs his eyebrow and then sighs, dropping his hands on top of his legs. “...Mark has been annoying the recruits to the point they think we are friends.”

“...huh?”

‘Yeah,same.” he says dryly, “I don’t get it. The only thing we have in common is we are both pilots in the Navy and we’re from Virginia. I don’t know what the hell he wants…at least he hasn’t bothered me ever since the dinner…has Miranda shown up here?”

“No.” she answers, frowning, “If she did I’d tell her to leave.”

Rooster let out a dry laugh. "Talking to them would be like talking to a brick wall. Jesus. I just hope we’re not…deployed together." he pauses, “But now I think I jinxed and we are going to be there together,ugh.”

She reached out and gently squeezed his hand, rubbing his knuckles . "I know you’ll do a good job, even with him there." she replied softly. "You know why?”

“Why?”

She set the cocoa aside, then propped her chin on his shoulder, “Because you are the better man in this.”

Those big green eyes staring back at him were always his goddamn weakness. His own gaze softened and he gently brushed her cheek with his thumb, “...damn pretty girl, you got the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.” that made her smile more but he sighed, “Nah, you are right. It’s just this whole thing with him and Miranda…I dunno,kinda tiring.”

Beatrice shifted slightly, her chin still resting on Rooster's shoulder. Her fingers absentmindedly traced patterns on his shirt as she continued, her voice soft and soothing. "Yeah,I agree. Weird people, those two."

Rooster pondered her words, his gaze fixed on the raindrops hitting the glass pane. "Yeah, like he's trying to one-up me at every turn."

Beatrice chuckled, the sound like a gentle breeze in the midst of the storm,literally. "Well, you can handle a little competition, can't you? After all, you are the best pilot in the Navy, and you've got a heart of gold."

He couldn't help but smile at her words, her words managing to lift his spirits. "You are too cute." he coos, kissing the tip of her nose, “Wanna marry me?”

Beatrice nodded, her cheeks going red." Yes. Always.” and she kisses his lips once, ‘Oh!By the way!” she pulls out her phone from the nightstand’s drawer, “Since you are leaving after your birthday I’ve decided something.”

“Oh?”

“I just wanna ask you something,” she holds the phone to her chest, not letting him see what she was looking at, “Red or purple?”

Rooster raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Beatrice's sudden change of topic. "Red or purple for what?" he asked, trying to see what she was hiding.

“All I can say is that it’s a surprise for your birthday so,” she smiles more, “Red or purple?”

Rooster tsked, his eyes still locked on her as he tried to pry the secret out of Beatrice. "Come on, you can't just drop a question like that and not give me any hints. Red or purple for what? Is it a gift?"

Beatrice chuckled, her shoulders going up in a shrug. "No hints, mister. Just pick one."

Rooster pretended to ponder for a moment, tapping his chin in a mock-serious manner. "Hmm, let's see. Red or purple? Well, I think... I'll go with purple."

Beatrice grinned and nodded. "Purple it is. You have good taste, my dear." She tapped a few things on her phone and then locked it again, tucking it away in the nightstand's drawer.

"Now you've got me even more curious. What's the deal with this red or purple thing?"

Beatrice winked at him. "You'll find out on your birthday. It's going to be a surprise, remember?"

He hummed, dropping his eyes down her body for a brief second. "Alright,I'll be patient. But you do know how terrible I am at waiting for surprises, right?"

She laughed softly and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I know, but I also know you'll love it." and she placed her phone away to cup his face in her hands, “I promise you.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x named reader #tgm oc #tgm fic #tgm fanfiction

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nordleuchten · 2 years ago

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georges was really badly wounded during his military time, what was the injury??

Dear Anon,

Georges was indeed wounded during the first Battle of the Mincio River, also known as the Battle of Pozzolo on December 25 and 26, 1800. He was hit by three bullets and while this at first seems like grievous injuries, they really were not. La Fayette said so himself and he was not in the habit of making light of his children’s health. He wrote in a letter to his friend Joseph Masclet on February 17, 1801:

I have not this long while heard from you, my Masclet: sure I am, nevertheless, that you do not your friend, and that you have been pleased with George’s good fortune on the Mincio. He was in the wing, and under the general who fought and won the action. The eleventh regiment of hussars was the most distinguished. My son had for his share three bullets, but slight wounds. General Dupont tells me he had named him in the account of the battle. George insisted on the suppression of the mention made of him, unless the same was done in favour of his wounded comrades. His wounds would have been sooner cured, had he not remained with the regiment as long as there was something to do, which caused an inflammation and a dépôt in his arm. But when the eleventh hussars made the blockade of the forts of Verona, which put them out of the way of danger, George got into the city, where he was very well taken care of. When General Dupont saw him last he was in good train of recovery, although he yet wore a scarf. His side was still less damaged than the arm So that the danger of the battle, which has been great, being over we have had nothing to fear. and much to rejoice at. I give you those details as I know you will enjoy them. Here is a good, honourable, solid peace.

Jules Germain Cloquet, Recollections of the Private Life of General Lafayette, Baldwin and Cradock, London, 1835, pp. 229-230.

Georges had injuries to his arm and side, followed by an inflammation and swelling – nothing too pleasant but also nothing that put him in great danger. There is no mentioning of any permanent damage to his arm or upper body.

I hope I could help you and I hope you have/had a great day!

#ask me anything #anon #georges de la fayette #marquis de lafayette #la fayette #french history #napoleonic wars #sixth coalition #1800 #1801 #letter #joseph masclet #battle of minico #battle of pozzolo #jules germain cloquet #general dupont

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democracyunderground · 1 year ago

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Hundreds of targets have been hit in Gaza by Israel following the Saturday incursion from Hamas terrorists, the group that controls the Palestinian territory of Gaza. More than 200 targets were struck in Gaza by Israeli forces in just one day, according to authorities.

In Gaza, at least 900 people have died -- among them 260 children and 230 women -- and another 4,500 have been wounded since Saturday, according to the latest numbers from Palestinian officials.

In Israel, at least 900 people have been killed and 2,600 others injured.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip say they are living in fear as Israel retaliates for the actions of the militant terrorist group, with nowhere for them go.

There are no bomb shelters for Palestinians to hide from airstrikes.

An Israeli airstrike hit nearby the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Tuesday for the second time in two days, according to the the interior ministry in Gaza said.

"Gaza is a closed zone. There's nowhere people can evacuate to -- there's no shelters," said Laila El-Haddad, 45, a Palestinian-American living in Maryland whose family is currently in Gaza.

She continued, "The borders are all controlled and shut and the one border bordering Egypt was bombed earlier today. You know, unless they plan to swim out -- but there's a naval blockade -- they really have nowhere to go."

For many, crossing into Israel amid the attacks is not an option.

"Even during normal times, we're not allowed to leave," said Jason Shawa, 55, a Palestinian currently living in Gaza with his wife and two daughters. "Very, very, very few people in Gaza that have permission to leave."

Hundreds of apartments and homes have been destroyed in the Gaza Strip, including refugee camps, leaving more than 123,000 people displaced, according to the United Nations.

More than 73,000 people are sheltering in schools, while hospitals struggle to cope with the numbers of injured.

Shawa lives just miles from the city center where much of the shelling by Israeli forces is occurring. He has taken five other families into his home, which he said is safer than most because his house has a basement to shelter from the airstrikes.

"No one feels safe," said Shawa. "It happens everywhere, anytime. No warnings contrary to what we hear from Israel. My wife and I -- our major concerns are our two daughters ... They're very scared. Very, very scared."

Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that all food, fuel, electricity, and other necessities will be blocked from entering the Gaza Strip.

"Every single thing we eat, or drink or consume in terms of medicines, food or drink is strictly controlled by the Israeli military," said Shawa. "We have no control over that. So, as a result of their stringent control of Gaza, life has become literally unbearable. In Gaza, conditions are beyond horrible, and we have shortages in everything."

The land, sea and air blockade placed by Israel and Egypt restricts who and what is allowed in and out of the Gaza Strip under Hamas' rule, according to the United Nations.

The longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been ongoing, spurred by centuries-old disputes over land ownership in the region.

El-Haddad's childhood home in the city-center neighborhood of Remal was leveled Monday by Israeli-force bombings.

Much of her family still lives in Gaza and she was communicating with them to get first-hand accounts of the conflict in Gaza’s densely populated city center.

"Gaza is truly a pressure cooker and people are pushed into a corner," said El-Haddad. "No human being will be able to tolerate such conditions."

She continued, "When you understand the conditions that Palestinians are enduring, one might be left to ask not why this has happened, but why something like this has not happened sooner? And that is not to justify -- the loss of human life in any way, shape, or form is tragic. That is the question people should be asking: How can any human tolerate such conditions?"

#FreePALESTINE #2StateSolution

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bookaddict24-7 · 1 year ago

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REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2023!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

___

229. Nectar of the Wicked by Ella Fields--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was me when I finished NECTAR OF THE WICKED and realized how in love I was.

Trust me, when I went into Fields's book, I was never expecting it to hit me in this way. I was aching for a dark fantasy that would capture me and hold me tight until it was time for me to let go. I was hoping for some cute moments and maybe some decent smut.

Yeah, I definitely got that and way more.

NECTAR OF THE WICKED is a dark fantasy romance with some intense smut scenes and a morally grey love interest. We have surprise identity reveals and a hunt for the truth. We get bickering and an intense enemies to wary lovers that leaves us on a tantalizing cliffhanger, our brains trying to decipher the truth from the lies and the idea that sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.

This poor MC goes on a journey full of anger, hatred, and a twisted sense of love.

I loved every moment of it and immediately bought a physical copy (thank you, KU, for existing.)

Read this if you want a love interest you love to hate and an MC who bites off more than she can chew.

Come for the smut and anger; stay for the character development and that sequel that comes out at the end of the year!

Also, I will say this put me in a mini-slump for audiobooks because I wanted to do nothing but keep reading off my Kindle. That is all.

___

230. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read November 2023

Yes! I am finally at the last book I read back in 2012, everything from here on is something fresh and new. Also, I'm happy to have finally come across one of the characters I was thinking about when I first started my re-read.

I liked this one because we got to see a new side of Sookie, including some revelations as to why she is so appealing to so many supes. She's also badass in this with her tiger sidekick. Also, I've totally been spoiled for who she ends up with and some of the events in this book intrigued me because we're still so far from that final decision.

Also, glad that we finally see the end of one arc that started with a really annoying character--even though I could wholly sympathize with the family.

Onto the next one!

___

231. Ignite by Melanie Harlow--⭐️⭐️⭐️

IGNITE had some of my all-time favourite tropes:

✓ single parent ✓ age gap ✓ adorable kids ✓ sassy best friend/siblings

I loved all of the above, especially when the MMC underestimates the FMC because of her age. They also had some great spicy moments full of chemistry and wit. I loved that we got to see the FMC through the MMC's perspective because she seems a lot more carefree and daring when we don't have her internal thoughts questioning and under-estimating herself. It was hot and I was 100% here for it.

The daughters were hilarious and such a great addition to story. It's always sad when single parent romances don't have kids who showcase their own little personalities. There's so much opportunity there and Harlow definitely did her best to showcase this in IGNITE!

This is clearly a part of a longer series, which I have not read, and I can only imagine how long and extensive the stories are. I saw how woven into this story those backstories are, including that of the FMC's dad's similar romance story with her stepmom.

What I wasn't a huge fan of is how...instant the romance felt. One of my favourite single parent romances, MEET ME HALFWAY, is one of those single parent books that will forever set a standard for me. I love when couples take time to get to know each other and build that foundation. When the third act break-up happens, which is usually the case, sadly, I want to BELIEVE that there is enough of a reason for the FMC or the MMC to fight for that love they supposedly built up over the weeks. Why should I root for you two if you've only know each other for a short time? I know love grows in different ways, but that's always been my problem with insta-romance books. Especially when the MMC is so adamant on being single forever. It's gotta take more than a pretty neighbour being cute and adorable to break that ice, right?

And going off that, the lack of communication and self-sacrificing is always the bucket of cold water I never ask for when it comes to books like this one. It ruins the mood and sours a chunk of the book, tbh. I understand they're both jaded af, but the age difference is a lot smaller that it appears when they both are acting like children.

Anyway, I loved the tropes and the story overall, but those last few reasons are why I didn't rate this higher and why I didn't race out to buy the physical copy. I enjoyed myself for the most part, but I've read better. I do still recommend this, though, for fans of the tropes I mentioned earlier! Those sweet little girls give this book so much personality and I just want the world for them!

___

232. Egotistical Puckboy by Eden Finley & Saxon James--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sometimes I crave a really good hockey romance to take my mind off the world around me--or, to just be my gateway to spiralling into the deep, dark hole of romance that I usually fall into at least once a year. The moment October ended, I was immediately starting to crave something a lot lighter than the horror I'd been reading since late August.

EGOTISTICAL PUCKBOY scratched that itch I was getting and then some. First, I LOVE the trope of these two men absolutely hating each other, but secretly pining for one another. I am also a massive fan of the man who is relationshipphobic who is tamed by the one guy they never expected to like them or want them back. Add in hockey, hot smut, dirty talk, and a delicious tension and you've got a formula for something really, really fun and addicting.

The two MCs were different, but at the same time, they both dealt with similar hurdles to overcome. I loved that through time and proximity, they slowly started to figure each other out and not only survive as teammates, but also as something more. They helped each other out and grew together. There's something so enjoyable about two men just growing together and accepting that they're both worthy of love.

Eden Finley and Saxon James are two of the best when it comes to writing m/m hockey romances and whenever I see one of their books, I immediately fall in. This did not disappoint. And even though it wasn't my most favourite of their books, it was definitely a binge-able read.

___

233. Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley & Saxon James--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I ran straight to this book after reading the first in the series because I knew who this one would follow and I am the biggest, biggest sucker for books that feature a man so far in the closet that he doesn't know which way is out. I also love a man who is the biggest and most lovable himbo. We get this in IRRESPONSIBLE PUCKBOY. Plus, we also get a great friendship and so much angst and a quiet love that grows and grows as the story progresses.

I loved how these two characters took care of each other and how, despite the impending heartbreak, they couldn't leave each others' sides. I liked that this one touched on stereotypes and the messy side of having such a public romance--especially a non-hetero one.

Much like with the first book, I couldn't put this one down and I was smiling so much at how silly the one character was. Bless his heart.

___

234. Generation One by Pittacus Lore--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read in November 2023:

I went into this one with expectations because even though I remembered basically nothing about this book, I had this clear idea of what was going to happen. While it was definitely an adventure, it's wasn't as "whoa" as I remember it being. I just finished the original series, so naturally, I wanted to jump right into this one.

There was definitely some action and some very X-men type of powers. I enjoyed learning about the different abilities and how the world was being affected after the war. I just didn't feel that sense of urgency that I first felt with this series. I didn't have a "wow this is cool" moment.

It was weird not reading through the perspective of Four, but I also know that this new generation will have many adventures up ahead. While I did enjoy this for the most part, it didn't hold that same charm from the original series (for me) and I might postpone listening to the next book. We shall see!

I only took one start off to honour my initial review years ago.

___

235. Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I came across this book by chance at work and was immediately intrigued. Even though I did have that initial interest, I wasn't 100% sure how I would like STILL BEATING, considering how dark it was promising to be. Well, after binge reading the hell out of it, I can safely say that I loved it.

Years ago, I read a book called THE AIR HE BREATHES and while it dealt with vastly different themes, the level of emotional distress I felt while reading that book is the only one I think could be comparable to my experience reading STILL BEATING. Both books dealt with dark and taboo topics, and the guilt that comes from taking and accepting the only remedy for a destroyed heart.

One of the things I loved most about this book was how honest the characters were with each other when it came to finally coming to terms with what they needed to heal themselves. This isn't a cutesy read where the happy ending is straight forward--it's a book with characters who get a hard-fought-for HEA that carries a massive asterisk because even though they've survived, that PTSD and experience will always live with them.

I was recommending STILL BEATING to a coworker and I had to explain the massive trigger warnings for r@pe, because it IS something that happens. They are abducted by a monster who does horrifying things to the FMC. Though the scenes usually fade to black, or are alluded to, this can be incredibly triggering--so please, proceed with caution. There is no glorification of the attack. There is no glorification of the monster.

STILL BEATING is messy, dark, and frankly, terrifying with how surviving the nearly-impossible can still haunt you. As the characters often comment: you might have left the basement physically, but the basement will always be in your mind. While the taboo topic of this being a love story between the FMC and her sister's fiance is one of the big themes, it was their resilience, and their fight to survive that held my interest and love.

This isn't a book that will be begging a re-read any time soon, but it was definitely incredibly memorable. I look forward to reading another book by Hartmann in the future.

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236. Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi--⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the defence of this book, I read this after my craving for horror books had already passed. But that's the only defence I'll give BOYS IN THE VALLEY.

I went into this expecting something terrifying and don't get me wrong, there were definitely some super creepy moments, but while I can objectively see why this book is so popular, I don't fully 100% understand. First, I didn't realize it would be so religious-based. While I do believe in certain things, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of books the spout religious content at me. Although, in retrospect, that could very well be one of the themes meant to incite horror in the reader.

While I enjoyed this for what it was, it was kind of just meh? I think I zoned out a few times while listening to the audiobook and I was just not very connected. I will, again, admit that me not being in the mood for this genre most definitely affected my interest. But having that argument, I wonder if this book had been more compelling, would I have liked it more?

You might like this if you're a fan of things that go bump in the night (and proceed to kill you in said night), and if you're cool with religious horror.

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Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!

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Happy reading!

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xtruss · 2 years ago

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Exclusive: Imran Khan on His Plan to Return to Power

— By Charlie Campbell | April 3, 2023 | Time Magazine

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan sits for a portrait in his Lahore residence on March 28. Next to Khan are tear gas canisters he says were thrown at his house. Umar Nadeem for Time Magazine

Political leaders often boast of inner steel. Imran Khan can point to three bullets dug out of his right leg. It was in November that a lone gunman opened fire on Khan during a rally, wounding the 70-year-old as well as several supporters, one fatally. “One bullet damaged a nerve so my foot is still recovering,” says the former Pakistani Prime Minister and onetime cricket icon. “I have a problem walking for too long.”

If the wound has slowed Khan, he doesn’t show it in a late-March Zoom interview. There is the same bushy mane, the easy laugh, prayer beads wrapped nonchalantly around his left wrist. But in the five years since our last conversation, something has changed. Power—or perhaps its forfeiture—has left its imprint. Following his ouster in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, Khan has mobilized his diehard support base in a “jihad,” as he puts it, to demand snap elections, claiming he was unfairly toppled by a U.S.-sponsored plot. (The State Department has denied the allegations.)

The actual intrigue is purely Pakistani. Khan lost the backing of the country’s all-powerful military after he refused to endorse its choice to lead Pakistan’s intelligence services, known as ISI, because of his close relationship with the incumbent. When Khan belatedly greenlighted the new chief, the opposition sensed weakness and pounced with the no-confidence vote. Khan then took his outrage to the streets, with rallies crisscrossing the nation for months.

Photograph by Umar Nadeem for Time Magazine

“Imran Khan can communicate with all strata of society on their level,” says Shaheena Bhatti, 63, a professor of literature in Rawalpindi. “The other politicians are … not going to do anything for the country because they’re only in it for themselves.”

The November attack on Khan’s life only intensified the burning sense of injustice in members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, who have since clashed with police in escalating street battles involving slingshots and tear gas. Although an avowed religious fanatic was arrested for the shooting, Khan continues to accuse an assortment of rival politicians of pulling the strings: incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif—brother of Khan’s longtime nemesis, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif—as well as Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer. (All have denied the accusation.)

In addition to bullets, Khan has also been hit by charges—143 over the past 11 months, by his count, including corruption, sedition, blasphemy, and terrorism—which he claims have been concocted in an attempt to disqualify him from politics. After Sharif’s cabinet declared on March 20 that the PTI was “a gang of militants” whose “enmity against the state” could not be tolerated, police arrested hundreds of Khan supporters in raids.

“Either Imran Khan exists or we do,” Interior Minister Sanaullah said on March 26.

Pakistan sometimes seems to reside on a precipice. Its current political instability comes amid devastating floods, runaway inflation, and resurgent cross-border terrorist attacks from neighboring Afghanistan that together threaten the fabric of the nation of 230 million. It’s a country where rape and corruption are rife, and the economy hinges on unlocking a stalled IMF bailout, Pakistan’s 22nd since independence in 1947. Inflation soared in March to 47% year-over-year; the prices of staples such as onions rose by 228%, wheat by 120%, and cooking gas by 108%. Over the same period, the rupee has plummeted by 54%.

“Ten years ago, I earned 10,000 rupees a month [$100] and I wasn’t distressed,” says Muhammad Ghazanfer, a groundsman and gardener in Rawalpindi. “With this present wave of inflation, even though I now earn 25,000 [$90 today] I can’t make ends meet.” The world’s fifth most populous country has only $4.6 billion in foreign reserves—$20 per citizen. “If they default, and they can’t get oil, companies go bust, and people don’t have jobs, you would say this is a country ripe for a Bolshevik revolution,” says Cameron Munter, a former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan.

Police fired teargas to disperse the supporters of the former Prime Minister as they tried to arrest Khan in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 14. Hundreds of Tehrik-e-Insaf supporters clashed with riot police as they reached Khan's residence. Rahat Dar—EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“Our economy has gone into a tailspin,” says Khan. “We now have the worst economic indicators in our history.” The situation threatens to send the nuclear-armed country deeper into China’s orbit. Yet sympathy is slim in a West put off by Khan’s years of anti-American bluster and cozying up to autocrats and extremists, including the Taliban. He calls autocratic Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “my brother” and visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on the eve of the Ukraine invasion, remarking on “so much excitement.” Khan can both repeatedly declare Osama bin Laden a “martyr” and praise Beijing’s confinement of China’s Uighur Muslim minority. He has obsessed on Joe Biden’s failure to call him after entering the White House. “He’s someone that is imbued with this incredibly strong sense of grievance,” says Michael Kugelman, the deputy director of the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Yet Khan can legitimately claim to have democracy on his side, with poll numbers suggesting he is a shoo-in to return to power if the elections he demands happen. “His popularity has skyrocketed,” says Samina Yasmeen, director of the Centre for Muslim States and Societies at the University of Western Australia. “No matter what he says, even if it’s irrational, the reality is that people are angry and taken by his message.”

“Imran Khan is the best bet we have right now,” says Osama Rehman, 50, a telecommunications engineer in Islamabad. “If [he] is arrested or disqualified, people will come out onto the street.”

The state appears to flirt with the idea. Police raids on Khan’s home in the Punjab province capital of Lahore in early March left him choking on tear gas, he says, as supporters brandishing sticks battled police in riot gear before makeshift barricades of sandbags and iron rods. “This sort of crackdown has never taken place in Pakistan,” says Khan. “I don’t know even if it was as bad under martial law.”

After Khan left his compound to appear in court on March 18, traveling in an armored SUV strewn with flower petals and flanked by bodyguards, the police swooped in while his wife was home, he says, beating up servants and hauling the family cook off to jail. He claims another assassination attempt awaited inside the Islamabad Judicial Complex, which was “taken over by the intelligence agencies and paramilitary.”

Police arrested 61 supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan during a search operation near Khan’s residence, in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 18, 2023. K.M. Chaudary—AP

The confrontation could remain in the streets indefinitely. Prime Minister Sharif has rejected Khan’s demand for a snap election, saying polls would be held as scheduled in the fall. But “every narrative is being built up [for the government] to justify postponing the elections,” says Yasmeen. On March 22, Pakistan’s Election Commission delayed local balloting in Punjab, the country’s most populous province, from April 30 until Oct. 8.

“Political stability in Pakistan comes through elections,” Khan points out. “That is the starting point for economic recovery.” From the U.S. perspective, he may be far from the ideal choice to helm an impoverished, insurgency-racked Islamic state. But is he the only person that can hold the country together?

“Never has one man scared the establishment … as much as right now,” says Khan. “They worry about how to keep me out; the people how to get me back in.”

It’s indicative of Pakistan’s malaise that its most popular politician in decades sits barricaded at home. But the nation has always been beyond comparison—a wedge of South Asia that begins in the shimmering Arabian Gulf and ascends to its Himalayan heights. It’s the world’s largest Islamic state, though governed for half its history by men in olive-green uniforms, who continue to act as ultimate arbiters of power.

The only boy of five children, Khan was born Oct. 5, 1952 to an affluent Pashtun family in Lahore. He studied politics, philosophy, and economics at Oxford University, and it was in the U.K. that he first played cricket for Pakistan, at age 18. Britain’s sodden terrain also provided the backdrop to his political awakening.

“When I arrived in England our country had been ruled by a military dictator for 10 years; the powerful had one law, the others were basically not free human beings,” he says. “Rule of law actually liberates human beings, liberates potential. This was what I discovered.”

Khan in his Lahore residence on March 28. Umar Nadeem for Time Magazine

On the cricket pitch, Khan was a talisman who knitted together mercurial talents and journeymen into a cohesive whole, a team that overcame extraordinary odds to famously lift the Cricket World Cup in 1992. There were glimpses of these qualities when Khan rose to become Prime Minister: running on an anti-graft ticket, he fused a disparate band of students and workers, Islamic hard-liners, and the nation’s powerful military to derail the Sharif political juggernaut. His crowning achievement remains the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in Lahore, which he opened in 1994 in memory of his mother, who succumbed to the disease. It is the largest cancer hospital serving Pakistan’s impoverished, boosting Khan’s administrative credentials.

Khan spent 22 years in the political wilderness before his 2018 election triumph. But once in power, the self-styled bold reformer turned unnervingly divisive. Opposition is easier than government, and Khan found himself bereft of ideas and besieged by unsavory partners, even kowtowing to the now-banned far-right party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan despite its support for the extrajudicial killing of alleged blasphemers. There were some successes: Pakistan received praise for its handling of the pandemic, with deaths per capita just a third that of neighboring India. His “Ten Billion Tree Tsunami” reforestation drive was popular, as was the 2019 return of international test cricket, the most prestigious form of the game, following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team and a decade-long hiatus.

Khan’s private life has rarely been out of the headlines. His first wife was British journalist and society heiress Jemima Khan, née Goldsmith, a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales. She converted to Islam for their wedding, though the pair divorced in 2004 after nine years of marriage, and her family’s Jewish heritage was political dynamite. (The couple’s two sons live in London.) Khan’s second marriage to British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khan lasted nine months. According to a 1997 California court ruling, Khan also has one child, a daughter, born out of wedlock, and he’s struggled to quash gossip of several more. In 2018, six months before he took office, he married his current wife, Bushra Bibi Khan, a religious conservative who is believed to be the only Pakistan First Lady to wear the full-face niqab shawl in public.

Khan, left, lifts elder son Suleman while his ex-wife Jemima carries younger son Qasim during a march towards the U.N. offices in Islamabad in 1999. The Khans led some 100 demonstrators in an anti-Russian rally protesting against attacks in Chechnya. Reuters

It all fed Khan’s legend: the debonair playboy who grew devout; the privileged son who rails against the corrupt; the humanist who stands with the bloodthirsty. His youth was spent carousing with supermodels in London’s trendiest nightspots. But his politics has hardened as his handsome features have lined and leathered. He provoked outrage when in August 2021 he said the Taliban had “broken the shackles of slavery” by taking back power (he insists to TIME he was “taken out of context”) and has made various comments criticized as misogynistic. When asked about the drivers of sexual violence in Pakistan, he said, “If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they’re robots.” Khan has refused to condemn Putin’s invasion, insisting, like China, on remaining “neutral” and deflecting uncomfortable questions onto supposed double standards regarding India’s inroads into disputed Kashmir. “Morality in foreign policy is reserved for powerful countries,” he says with a shrug.

Khan in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Pakistan won under Khan's captaincy this year. Fairfax Media

At the same time, Khan’s ideological flexibility has not stretched to compromises with opponents. He claims it was the military’s unwillingness to go after Pakistan’s influential “two families”—those of Sharif and the Bhutto clan of former Prime Ministers Zulfikar and Benazir—for alleged corruption that caused his relationship with the generals to fray. “If the ruling elite plunders your country and siphons off money, and you cannot hold them accountable, then that means there is no rule of law,” he says.

Yet analysts say that it was Khan’s relentless taunting of the U.S. that torpedoed his relationship with the military, which remains much more interested in retaining good relations with Washington. To journalists and supporters, he has accused the U.S. of imposing a “master-slave” relationship on Pakistan and of using it like “tissue paper.” To TIME, he insists that “criticizing U.S. foreign policy does not make you anti-American.” Still, by 2022, the generals no longer had his back. The common perception among Pakistan watchers is that Khan’s fleeting political success was owed to a Faustian pact with the nation’s military and extremist groups that shepherded his election victory and he is now reaping the whirlwind.

Cricket captain turned politician Imran Khan shakes hands with supporters during a rally in October 2002 in Shadi Khal, Pakistan. Paula Bronstein—Getty Images

He appears to relish in the perceived injustice, the walls closing in. On March 25, Khan addressed thousands of supporters in central Lahore from a bulletproof box above a green-and-red flag with the initials of his PTI emblazoned on a cricket bat—once Khan’s weapon of choice, though now he wields words with similar potency.

“I know you have decided you wouldn’t allow Imran Khan back in power,” he said. “That’s fine with me. But do you have a plan or know how to get the country out of the current crisis?”

If Pakistan’s economic woes are reaching a new nadir, the trajectory was established during Khan’s term. A revolving door of Finance Ministers was compounded by bowing to hardliners. (After appointing renowned Princeton economist Atif Mian as an adviser, Khan fired him just days later owing to a backlash from Islamists because Mian is an Ahmadi, a sect of Islam they consider heretics.) In 2018, Khan pledged not to follow previous administrations’ “begging bowl” tactics of foreign borrowing, in order to end Pakistan’s cycle of debt. But less than a year later, he struck a deal with the IMF to cut social and development spending while raising taxes in exchange for a $6 billion loan. Mismanagement exacerbated global headwinds from the pandemic and soaring oil prices.

Meanwhile, little was done to address Pakistan’s fundamental structural issues: few people pay tax, least of all the feudal landowners who control traditional low-added-value industries like sugar farms, textile mills, and agricultural interests while wielding huge political-patronage networks stemming from their workers’ votes. In 2021, only 2.5 million Pakistanis filed tax returns—less than 1% of the adult population. “People don’t pay tax, especially the rich elite,” says Khan. “They just siphon out money and launder it abroad.”

Instead, Pakistan has relied on foreign money to balance a budget and provide government services. The U.S. funneled nearly $78.3 billion to Pakistan from 1948 to 2016. But in 2018, President Trump ended the $300 million security assistance that the U.S. provided annually. Now Pakistan must shop around for new benefactors—chiefly Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China. When Khan visited Putin last February, it was to arrange cheap oil and wheat imports and discuss the $2.5 billion Pakistan Stream gas pipeline, which Moscow wants to build between Karachi and Kasur. More recently, China has stepped in. In early March, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China approved a $1.3 billion loan rollover—a fiscal bandaid for a gaping wound.

Khan in his Lahore residence on March 28. Umar Nadeem for Time Magazine

But if Khan recognized the problem, he did little to solve it. After his election in 2018, he was in an uncommonly strong position with the backing of the military and progressives, as well as the tolerance of the Islamists. Now, with all the bad blood and open warfare among these factions, even if he claws his way back, “he’ll be in a weaker position to actually effect any reforms,” says Munter, the former U.S. ambassador, “if he had any reforms to begin with.”

When asked for his step-by-step plan to get Pakistan back on track, Khan is light on details. After elections, he says that a “completely new social contract” is required to enshrine power in political institutions, rather than the military. If the army chief “didn’t think corruption was that big a deal, then nothing happened,” Khan complains. “I was helpless.” But the path to this utopia remains murky. Asked how he plans to turn his much trumpeted Islamic Welfare State ideal into a reality, Khan talks about Medina under the Prophet and the social conscience of Northern Europeans. “Scandinavia is probably far closer to the Islamic ideal than any of the Muslim countries.”

But the military looms large in Pakistan partly because national security is a perennial issue. Many assumed that the newly returned Taliban would stamp out all cross-border attacks from Afghanistan. But Pakistan recorded the second largest increase in terrorism-related deaths worldwide in 2022, up 120% year-over-year. “It was Khan who was pushing for talks with [the Taliban] at all costs,” says Kugelman, of the Woodrow Wilson Center. “That embrace is now experiencing significant levels of blowback.”

That Pakistan is moving away from the U.S. and closer to Russia and China is a moot point; the bigger question is who actually wins from embracing Pakistan. The $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was supposed to be the crown jewel in President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, linking China via roads, rail and pipeline to the Arabian Sea. But Gwadar Port is rusting and suicide bombers are taking aim at buses filled with Chinese workers. Loans are more regularly defaulted than paid. Today, even Iran looks like a more stable partner.

Ultimately, competition with Beijing defines American foreign policy today, meaning Washington prioritizes relations with Pakistan’s archnemesis India, which is a key partner in the Biden Administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy to contain China. Toward that imperative, the White House turns a blind eye even to New Delhi’s continued close relationship with Putin. The U.S. kinship with India may mean Pakistan was always destined to move closer to China. But after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan, Pakistan is not the strategic lynchpin it once claimed to be—and memories are hardly fond; Pakistan secretly invested heavily in the Taliban. “Lots of Americans in Washington say we lost the war in Afghanistan because the Pakistanis stabbed us in the back,” says Munter.

What happens next? Many in Khan’s PTI suspect the current government may declare their party a terrorist organization or otherwise ban it from politics. Others believe that Pakistan’s escalating economic, political, and security turmoil may be used as grounds to postpone October’s general election. Ultimately, all sides are using the tools at their disposal to prevent their own demise: Khan wields popular protest and the banner of democracy; the government has the courts and security apparatus. Caught between the two, the people flounder. “There are no heroes here,” says Kugelman. “The entire political class and the military are to blame for the very troubled state the country finds itself in now.”

It’s a crisis that Khan still claims can be solved by elections, despite his broken relationship with the military. “The same people who tried to kill me are still sitting in power,” he says. “And they are petrified that if I got back [in] they would be held accountable. So they’re more dangerous.”

—With reporting by Hasan Ali/Islamabad

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darkmaga-returns · 2 months ago

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This is a tough message to write, because we’ve all heard so much about this topic, and it’s nearly impossible to get a straight answer from government officials or internet searches. I’m talking about the devastation in Appalachia from Hurricane Helene.

(Article by Rob Pue republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

I’ve followed this story from the beginning and put together a file of information that I?found to be valid and confirmed. So, what I’m about to share with you is what we know, and much of this comes directly from people who are, or have been, in the area — either residents of the area or those from other parts who have participated in rescue, cleanup and directly helping survivors.

Hurricane Helene was a huge, catastrophic tropical cyclone that made landfall on September 26 in Northwestern Florida. It then moved inland, causing devastation in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Three hours after striking central Georgia, the storm abruptly turned northwest and hit the Appalachian Mountains with 180-mile-per-hour winds. This, after dumping huge amounts of rainfall on the area for approximately three days prior. Rainfall in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina ranged from one foot to over three feet in three days, causing unprecedented flooding and landslides.

At this time, I?cannot get an accurate death count. It’s unlikely we ever will. Government agencies are simply stating it was more than 230 people killed in total — in four states. Locals in North Carolina, however, report the number in that state alone is in the thousands, perhaps in the tens of thousands. Many, if not most of the bodies of those killed will never be recovered, buried under 30 feet of mud from landslides, after being torn apart and washed away.

Mainstream news media outlets have called this a storm of “Biblical proportions,” and indeed, it was — far worse than the storm of July 1916 that killed 80 people there. Residents of the area were used to heavy rainfall in the past, but nothing like this. Hurricanes just don’t happen there. Of course, official sources are conveniently blaming “Climate Change” for this disaster. But what’s the real truth?

Understand, I’m not claiming this storm was deliberately “steered” to intentionally destroy Appalachia. But others believe it was, and have provided dramatic and alarming evidence that this scenario is not only possible and plausible, but also probable. Let’s discuss that first.

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vgckwb · 5 months ago

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P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 230: Camisado

As Akechi was following Makoto on her way to her destination, he managed to keep a safe distance. This is my only chance. If things go belly up here, that bastard might be out of the game for good. As much as I loathe that man, I need him alive. He continued on.

As Makoto arrived at the courthouse, Akechi found a spot to keep hidden away as he looked over to see who The Phantom Thieves really were. Let’s see. Obviously, there’s Makoto. Ren’s there too, just as I suspected. Sumire’s there too. I guess it makes sense. They are dating. There’s that Yusuke fellow. And Jose’s there too. Hmmm. Haru Okumura is here. And there’s Futaba Sakura. There’s Ryuji, and Ann, and… He went pale. …Lena?

Akechi was stunned. Before he could collect himself and approach them, The Phantom Thieves disappeared into thin air. “Huh. That’s…new…” He walked over to where they were. He outstretched his hand at the point they disappeared. His arm was still there. “How peculiar.” He pondered this for a second before returning to his original thought. “So…Lena is a Phantom Thief, huh. What do I do?”

He started pondering the streets. “On the one hand, The Phantom Thieves are the only thing standing in the way of me and my revenge. On the other hand, I wanted Lena at my side as I ushered in this golden age of mine.” He smiled ever so slightly. “It will be glorious. But alas, things have just gotten even more complicated.”

As he kept walking, he overheard two cops having a conversation. “So, the idea is that we’re going to go to Director Ono’s house, find him dead, and arrest Sae Niijima for his murder?”

Akechi hid himself. Shido’s men!

“Yeah, that’s the gist,” the other officer said.

The first officer sighed. “Well, I’m just glad we don’t have to kill anyone this time.”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now?” the other officer said.

“No no,” the first officer replied. “There’s just a lot to deal with when we have to make someone disappear. Pleading family members, snooping investigators, it’s just a headache.”

“Well we won’t have to deal with that for long,” the other officer said. “We gotta hold out till the election. And even then, the only person we’ll have to kill is that Akechi kid. Shido says he doesn’t have any family, and he’s so famous he doesn’t have much of a social life either.”

“Heh,” the first officer chuckled. “I can’t wait. That little upstart thinks he’s so much better than us. If I pay for dinner that night, will you let me do the honors?”

“Just one dinner?” the other officer said. “Don’t you think I’m chomping at the bit too?”

“Fine fine,” the first officer said. “I’ll pay for dinner for one week.”

“NOW you’re talkin’!” the other officer said.

As the officers continued on their way, Akechi stood there in stunned silence. He then cracked a smile. He started laughing. “Of course. Of course! Of COURSE he had a contingency for me! That fool doesn’t trust ANYONE who he can’t control! Well, like father, like son, I suppose. It’s actually kind of refreshing to know he’s worried about me. Ah HA HA! Hooo boy. Well, I guess this is what it means to be caught between a rock and a hard place.”

“Want an escape?” Eris said, appearing behind him.

“Gah!” Akechi said, turning to face her. He quickly became curious. “Who are you?”

“My name is Eris,” she said, introducing herself. “I have a habit of getting people out from between rocks and hard places.”

“Well, my name is Akechi,” he reciprocated.

“Oh, I’m aware,” Eris informed him. “I know all about you. I know you’ve been at odds with The Phantom Thieves for quite some time now. I know you’re out for revenge against your pathetic excuse for a father. And I know you’ve just been hit with some alarming revelations.”

Akechi was impressed. “Well, I’ve never liked small talk all that much anyways. So, what’s you’re ‘out’?”

Eris took out her apple. “I can give you the power to solve all your problems. The Phantom Thieves. That horrid man. All you have to do is take a bite.”

Akechi looked at the apple. “What’s in it for you?”

“Well, for starters, I don’t like Shido either. He’s just a dreadful person,” Eris informed him. “Giving you the power to fight him will be the easiest decision I’ve had to make yet. Besides, we’ve both got a bone to pick with The Phantom Thieves."

Akechi realized something. “By chance, are you the person who corrupts the other people that are mentioned in The Phantom Thieves’ calling cards?”

Eris giggled. “Do you know everything about me as well?”

Akechi shook his head. “That was just a deduction on my part.”

“Ah well,” Eris shrugged. “Does that mean you’re not interested? Because I don’t have to tell you, but there is no shortage of people who despise Shido, and thus people I could give this power to.”

“No no, I’m interested,” Akechi said. “But I don’t wish to kill him yet.”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Eris said. “I’m just giving you the tools to claim victory over him and The Phantom Thieves. How you do it is up to you.”

Akechi was normally a cautious man. However, nothing about tonight was normal. He found out his girlfriend was lying to him, The Phantom Thieves possessed supernatural powers, and that he was on the precipice of getting backstabbed before he could backstab and exact his vengeance. His goal was in sight. He was so close he could almost taste it.

He grabbed the apple, and took a bite. Once he swallowed, his inhibitions were released, and he was ready to fight The Phantom Thieves and Shido for the sake of the future he wished to build. “I gotta say,” Akechi said, “I can understand why people buy into this.”

Eris chuckled. “Glad you like it. Well, I’d hate to keep you waiting.” She vanished.

Akechi smirked. He headed over to the Diet building. He knew Shido would still be in his office, so it was the perfect time to negotiate the terms of their contract. Once he reached the door to Shido’s office, the guard outside stopped him. “Woah woah! It’s WAY past Representative Shido’s open hours.”

“It’s alright,” Akechi assured him. “I have urgent news for him.”

The guard was skeptical. “He’s…having a rough night so far.”

Akechi was curious. What’s going on? Still, he tried bluffing. “It’s about that! I came as soon as I heard!”

“You know you could just call or text him,” the guard said.

“Well, this is so important,” Akechi reasoned. “I couldn’t risk this going over the phone.” The guard was still not convinced. He started reaching for his gun. However, Akechi drew his gun. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The guard raised his hands in the air. “Hm. You know, it didn’t have to be like this. You could have just let me in. Speaking of, be a dear…” The guard opened the door. “Thank you.” Akechi walked in.

Shido was on the phone. “What do you MEAN you can’t find her?!”

“It’s just as I said,” the person on the other line said. “There seems to be no trace of her!”

“Keep LOOKING!” Shido demanded. “She couldn’t have gotten far!”

“Yes sir!” the person said. They hung up.

Shido sighed. Akechi approached his desk. Shido looked up. “I didn’t summon you here.”

“I came on my own volition,” Akechi informed him.

“I don’t need this,” Shido said. “That Niijima woman slipped through our grasp. I don’t need any more trouble.”

“Well too bad,” Akechi said. “Because trouble is what you’re GETTING!”

Shido was stunned by Akechi’s fervor. “I beg your pardon?”

“Hm hm hm,” Akechi chuckled. “I overheard two cops talking. You know what they said? They were discussing killing me after the election.” Shido grew alarmed. “As you can imagine, I’m not taking that well.”

Shido grimaced. “Those blabbermouths…”

“I have to say though,” Akechi said, “you were right to be weary. I was using you from the start.”

Shido was confused. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I just need you to know where you are at this moment,” Akechi said. “See, I don’t like you. I’ve hated you for as long as I’ve been alive. And right now, I’m getting my revenge.”

“What’s stopping me from killing you here and now?” Shido demanded.

“Hm. Nothing,” Akechi said. “Go ahead. Try.”

Shido knew something was up. “What is your angle?”

Akechi chuckled. “I knew you weren’t THAT stupid. Are you familiar with the concept of a dead man’s switch? See, I know a LOT of secrets you keep. And I have a message that goes out to some people that details EVERYTHING I know. It’s scheduled to go out every day, but I postpone it. And if you kill me, all of that becomes public.”

Shido sneered. “We’ll intercept it before it goes public! We control everything!”

“ALMOST everything,” Akechi said. “I don’t think anyone else knows who The Phantom Thieves are.”

Shido grew alarmed. “You KNOW who The Phantom Thieves are?!”

“Well, until tonight, it was just a guess, but yeah,” Akechi answered. “And if I hadn’t overheard those cops, I might have given you that information, but, well, here we are.”

“Hm,” Shido huffed. “What’s in it for you?”

“Quick on the uptake,” Akechi said. “I need you alive to exact my revenge. Once you get elected, it won’t be you making the decisions, but rather me. You know, unless you want me to go public with everything. Oh, and as for those Phantom Thieves? I’ll take care of them for you, you son of a bitch.”

“How dare you!” Shido protested. “My mother was killed!”

“Well guess what?!” Akechi said. He slammed his hand on Shido’s desk. “So was MINE! BY YOU!” After a tense staredown, Akechi let go of Shido’s desk. “Don’t invite me to your pity party, unless you like being upstaged.” He stretched. “Well, I guess this conversation is over. I’ll see you around, I suppose. Oh, and don’t forget, you’re my little puppet now.” Akechi walked out.

Shido flopped in his chair. He stared at the door Akechi just left through. “I’m not down and out yet. I just need to figure out how to deal with HIM on top of all of this.”

Meanwhile, The Phantom Thieves just finished up eating dinner. “Boy that was good!” Ryuji said.

“Thanks for the meal Boss!” Ann said.

“Delightful, as always,” Haru remarked.

“I must agree,” Yusuke said. “Tonight’s meal tasted even sweeter than before!”

“Yeah!” Futaba said. “You really knocked it out of the park this time, Sojiro!”

“It was really delicious!” Lena said. “I might want a copy of the recipe. But this is a business, so I doubt I can get it…”

“Maybe you could be a guest teacher for the cooking students at Kosei,” Jose remarked. “It was really good!”

“Hm hm,” Sumire giggled. “I’m used to fine cooking, but you really outdid yourself tonight Boss!”

“It was really good,” Makoto said. “But I think we should get going.”

“Wait,” Sae said. “Are…are you going to be OK?”

“Well, I’ll have Eiko,” Makoto said. “But it will feel different without you. But we can always come visit.”

Riko grew determined. “If you don’t mind,” she said, “I can stay over. You know, if it’ll put your mind at ease.”

Sae smiled. “Thanks Riko. I appreciate it.”

Riko giggled. “It’s the least I could do.”

Makoto nodded. “Well then, I guess we’ll be on our way. Goodnight!”

“Goodnight!” Sojiro called out. People started leaving.

Morgana walked up to Ren who picked him up. “Man, Sojiro knows how to pick his fancy tuna!”

Ren looked up. “Morgana loved his food as well.”

“What about you?” Sojiro asked.

“I have to agree,” Ren said. “The food was excellent.”

Sojiro smirked. “Well, I gotta clean up a little.”

“I…can take care of that,” Sae offered.

Sojiro was surprised. “Really?”

Sae nodded. “I mean, you’re letting me live here. I should pay you back somehow.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Sojio said. “I can handle it.”

“Are you sure?” Sae said.

“Positive,” Sojiro replied.

“Very well,” Sae said. As she was about to head up, she remembered the envelope she had. “Oh, uh, Amamiya!” Ren looked back. Sae came over and gave it to her. “This was addressed to you. I found it taped to the bottom side of the counter.”

Ren took the envelope. “Huh. That’s weird.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say it looks like Akechi’s handwriting,” Sae said.

“Could be,” Ren replied. “He comes here from time to time. Alright, I’ll check it out. Goodnight!”

“Goodnight!” Sae responded. Ren left. Sae turned around and headed upstairs. As she got up there, she looked at the room. It was small, rustic, and plain, but serviceable. “I guess I’m calling this home for a while.” She headed over to the bed, laid down, and went to sleep.”

Meanwhile, as Ren entered her room, she went to her desk and opened the envelope. Inside was a letter. When she read it, she was perplexed.

“Dear Ren, If you are reading this letter, I assume you’ve gotten my death text. At the time of writing this, I am only 85% certain you are a Phantom Thief, but even if you aren’t I’m sure you can get it to them. The reason I’m writing this letter is not just to reiterate that you guys should take on Shido, that should be self-explanatory. You have all of his misdeeds in my message, which should be more than enough. The reason I’m writing this is to say that even though I’m no longer here, I appreciated your friendship a lot. I don’t get many genuine people to cross my path, so honestly, it was nice talking to you about everything and nothing. I’ll honestly miss that until it’s your time to join me. But if you manage to take down Masayoshi Shido, then I can say I have lived without regrets. -Goro Akechi”

Ren was stunned. “What?"

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the-firebird69 · 7 months ago

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There are a few things going on and yes I'm speaking it's Thor and we are she says and Freya.

-there's a few people in the neighborhood who are very upset and they don't know what to do some of them are walking around yelling yeah and you just heard someone he just heard someone. They're bringing more up another 400 million the warlock Holst 400 million today and part of early this morning a total of about 800 million before this additional group. And they don't think it will work and their leadership is down to about 17.5% and the warlock lost 300 million and called 400 million and there are better fighters they're down to 33% globally. Same thing happens elsewhere.

-the pseudo empire is being attacked in the Western hemisphere above grounds and below the Eastern hemisphere below ground most basis are still being attacked over there. They have incurred some damage they have increased by twice plus another 30%. So it is 230% of what it was yesterday. And they have reached several nothing huge to report only about five bunkers out of five clusters so one each I mean that's in Northern Midwest and part of the Midwest Tennessee belt and really overseas they haven't really done that. There's other news

-we are requesting that people not bother us and it's not being followed at all so we have to stop them somehow and we're trying to do that all the time it's not really helping these or others who are having them do it at all it is their plan

-we noticed that they're missing people here they went out into combat and they are women they're about 10 of them from 10 different houses and they wanted to try and do something. There were about 97 households and five of them are gone thus far tonight it's 92 households now and there are about five more of them and 10 more households with two to three people who have gone out and are still out there we expect half of all of them to not come back there's other areas that are having this soon occur and but the regions are here but generals are out there which is odds the regions should be in their areas and they're not working and not helping people and it's kind of just lying just to wait to hit themselves almost we had to ask what it was it's very bizarre and it was really quite wrong it's not much of an approach and it keeps coming up the rulers are stupid and they'd rather not go against them and they're making bad decisions.

-couple more things are occurring there are a hefty number of people who are we can threats and rude comments all the time about our son most of these two idiots here we're going to have to pull them out tonight they are bloodthirsty for their own people and not trustworthy to do anything right in any way. I'm sending the orders now everyone check into it please if you don't get the orders or if you want to see if it's enough.

-Jason is watching the storm and that's why they're getting uppity here it is starting to head this way almost the whole thing no it's going to be from the edge of the eye about 15 miles away but the storm is about 40 miles wide so we'll be on the outer edge of the whole thing it's not that bad but it's not that great and the tide will be coming in shortly that's how it gets here by the time it gets here but the rain is going to be minimal and it's kind of needed however

-her son and daughter pointed out that the water is very warm in the water lines and people are not using as much water and it's sitting there getting warm which is kind of dangerous and they're flushing lines all the time down here and sending things down the line back antibacterial they are going to increase doing that mostly it never gets to the households so we're watching that and the temperature is warm he says it's very warm he's trying to turn it down and he's had this experience before during the summer but he doesn't think it's this warm and people say it's it's really actually a lot warmer and the water is warming and it's coming off the ocean warm from the Sun and the ships and the Earth is warming and it's going downwards and it's causing the fecal matter to rot and quickly and a lot of it and in the harbor water river water and estuaries in the canals it's heated up and it is becoming a cesspool it is dangerous and the water is toxic I was going to be washed out to degree very soon this morning a little bit. And tomorrow afternoon these things will happen shortly in other news

-we have run out of time tonight but these articles need to be released

Thor Freya

Olympus

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