#if I was a country I’d be yemen

[captainrayzizuniverse]

You feel such relief to know that Motaz evacuated Gaza but you’re conflicted because he’s saying bye to his friends and fellow journalists who are still stuck there and you can see it’s difficult for him because he doesn’t know when he’ll be back. So I am relieved but also extremely sad. And then there’s the entire population who are still there and can’t leave and are currently besieged in Khan Younis with tanks surrounding the area. There’s also the important fact that they don’t want to leave because it’s their home their country their land and that’s exactly what the Zionists want. It’s the same feeling when Plestia and Wael evacuated you just feel so happy for their safety but then remember that bisan is there and Wissam and hind and the many other journalists who aren’t as known because maybe they don’t report in English so they kind of get forgotten. Akh ya rab. I’m just rambling but basically seeing Motaz escape to safety evoked two very very strong contradicting feelings in me but first and foremost I’m angry which has been the most consistent one so far.

Anyways I can always count on Yemen to make the day better

#if I was a country I’d be yemen #being a little shit with a backbone the size of the universe #by being a little shit I mean disrupting the entire trade system and costing them billions of dollars

[myysweeterplace]

Ruin The Friendship

Summary : When your best friend Austin Butler comes back into town after shooting for Elvis for almost two years, you plan a big night of catching up for the both of you. But the night takes a wild turn as alcohol makes suppressed feelings of attraction bubble up to the surface during a game of ‘truth or dare’.

Pairing : Austin Butler x reader

Warning(s) : fluff, kissing, ice-play (?), alcohol consumption, besties to lovers, suggestive language, mention of 18+ activities, this is pretty tame tbh, might make a part 2 (?)

Featuring : Ashley Tisdale, mentions of Elvis Presley

Author’s note : the reader is intended to be neutral, not of any specific race or colour, or size. Future stories I write may not have that distinction, always check at the top before proceeding to read. Thanks :)

•*’~•~’*’~•~’*’~•’*•

“Aus! I missed you!” I leapt towards my best friend of ten years after not seeing him for nearly two years. His work ethic has got him where he is today, but sometimes it was a real pain. I couldn’t believe I’d survived nearly 20 consecutive months without seeing my best friend in real time — face time and phone calls could only do so much!

“Have you gotten shorter?” He chuckled against my shoulder, still lifting me up by my thighs as I remained latched onto him. I laughed at his stupid joke. I missed his stupid jokes.

“I swear, you’re tinier everytime I see you,”

“It’s not my fault you’re a tree,” I giggled, as he put me down.

“What’ve you planned for me tonight?”

“Lots of drinking,” I began listing, “of course,” he retorted, “lots of talking,” I continued, “and lots of food,” I slung my arm around his shoulder, carrying his bag up to my apartment with the other, “sounds perfect,” he chuckled.

Once Austin and I had freshened up, and Austin had taken a not-very long but much-needed nap (after me nagging him to rest and him declining before eventually giving in), we finally set out all of Austin’s favourite “American” food and sat down to feast and just be in each other’s company.

“You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed these,” he mumbled between large bites, moaning at the taste of a cheese burger. I laughed, “you went to Australia, not Yemen,” I said, referencing the most random and far-away country I could think of off the top of my head. “Every fast food aficionado knows that not all cheese burgers taste the same,”

“Close your mouth when you chew,” I giggled, using a napkin to dab his mouth, that was covered in sauce and chopped up lettuce. He was such a child sometimes.

“What else did you miss?” I asked.

“You,” he said with no hesitation and I felt a little flutter in my tummy, a bit unfamiliar but not entirely out of the realm of possibility with the two of us. Our families were convinced that we were dating despite how many times we told them ‘no way, ew’, and our friends all placed bets on how long it would take for us to realize we’re in love with each other. We’d laugh and they’d laugh and we’d move on from it like it never happened. And we liked it that way. I wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of how close Austin and I are. Despite the heat that rose to my cheeks every time he stared me down and gave me his undivided attention. Despite the butterflies in my core every time he said my name a little too softly. And despite the confusing feelings that have only grown in all this time away from him.

“And my family, of course, Ash, Dad, Calum, my nieces, other Ashley,” he chuckled, “I missed being able to order Chinese food at 3 in the morning, and taking the subway to see plays any day of the week, I even missed seeing garbage everywhere at one point,” I laughed, but then he went quiet. “I just got so alone,” he whispered at last, and I felt my stomach sink.

I couldn’t begin to fathom what Austin had been through. There were countless nights when I’d wake up to a call with Austin in tears or his voice broken with how exhausted he was. He put so much pressure on himself to embody Elvis Presley, and completely put his own life on pause for three years in the process. He poured his heart, soul, and body into being Elvis, and the world would soon get to see just how hard he worked.

I placed my hand on his, brushing it slightly with my thumb, “I’m glad you’re back Aus,”

Neither of us realized when the party transitioned from fast food and heavy talks to drinking and dancing but neither of us complained. Austin was singing along to Polk Salad Annie while twirling me around and I was giggling at the sounds coming from Austin. Many people believed Austin changed who he is to be Elvis, but he’d always been an old soul, and that combined with his newly found confidence was just a sight to behold. He was glowing. I was so happy for him.

“What’re you smiling at?”

“Nothing,” I giggled.

“C’mon, tell me,”

“It’s nothing,” I said defensively, and Austin stopped dancing abruptly, pulling me towards himself. His eyes were mischievous and I knew what he was up to.

“I know how to get it out of you,” he rasped, teasingly, and I struggled to get out of his grasp.

“Austin, don’t!”

“I’m not doing anything,” he chuckled, “yet,” he added, grinning.

“Austin, please, it’s so stupid, we’re grown now!” I said, my voice getting higher the closer he got. Austin gripped my waist in his hands, and began tickling me gently, and I squirmed in his hold, my body on fire.

“Austin! Stop, please!” I laughed. He laughed too, “tell me what you were smiling about,”

“It’s-ahaha-it’s not that serious!”

“Then you shouldn’t have a problem telling me,”

“Aus!” I giggled, “I hate you!”

“Oh, yeah?” He feigned being offended, only tickling me harder and I walked backwards to get away from him, until my back hit the cold wall, and I had nowhere to escape. I pushed against his chest and he grabbed my wrists, halting all my movements. We stopped grinning, and it went silent, the atmosphere changing within seconds.

“You don’t hate me,” he whispered, pinning my wrists against the wall, beside my head.

“I couldn’t,” I said, just as quietly, no longer struggling against his hold.

He swallowed thickly, eyeing me up and down, and I realized the alcohol was getting too strong for the both of us.

I gently pulled my wrists from his grasp, and he let me, loosening his strong hold to let me walk past him whilst avoiding his gaze.

It became a little quiet after the little incident. Austin and I continued drinking, but we weren’t talking as much, and the silence was killing me. “Aus,” I called, “I’m bored,”

Austin leaned his head back against the couch, “what d’you wanna do?”

I thought about it for a moment, “how about 20 questions?”

“Oh yeah, sure,” he grinned cheekily, “I didn’t realize we were 12,” he retorted. I lightly punched his arm, “fine! You pick something,”

“How about truth or dare?”

“Cause that’s for grown ups, right?” I teased. Austin rolled his eyes, “c’mon, truth or dare?”

“Hm...truth,”

“Okay,” he gave it some thought before asking, “What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve done while drunk?”

I buried my face in my hands, “oh god. Freshman year of college, I was fooling around with one of my best friends and I tripped while we were kissing and fell face first on my bed and the door was open so everyone out in the hall saw,”

“Oh, lord have mercy, that’s brutal,” he chuckled. “Which best friend?”

“Nu-uh, you only get one truth. Truth or dare?”

“Truth,”

“Ugh, bore,” I giggled, “have you ever kissed a guy?”

Austin smirked, “do you want a simple ‘yes or no’ or a list of names?”

My eyes widened, “Austin Robert Butler!”

He chuckled, “it was college, we were drunk every other weekend, and straight guys that are secure in themselves will literally kiss anyone,” he explained. I bit my lip and laughed out loud despite my attempts to hold back. “That’s amazing,”

“Anyway,” he chuckled sheepishly, turning slightly red, “truth or dare?”

“Dare,”

“Ooh, wrong move,” he smirked, “I dare you to perform your most sexy choreography in front of me,”

“No way,” I said right away, a song coming to mind already.

“C’mon, don’t be such a baby,”

“Oh, so you think I’m a baby?” I said, standing up, and queueing up Expectations by Lauren Jauregui. Austin stared up at me in amusement and surprise, and I swayed my hips side to side as the music played. And I didn’t know where it came from, this confidence in me to dance exactly like Lauren had done in the guitar bridge of the song, but I did it, and I did it well. I went on my knees and crawled towards him; I twisted and turned along to the beat; and I flicked my hair in all the right directions. All while Austin gaped at me, his mouth parted and breathing heavy as he watched me silently. When the song ended, I was standing directly in front of Austin, and he rose up from his seat on the couch, looking at me with an unfamiliar look. “What?” I asked, slightly embarrassed now that it became silent. He simply shook his head, “you’re amazing,” he whispered. My cheeks were heated and I didn’t know where to look, so I went back to my seat on the couch, “truth or dare, Austin?”

“Fuck it, dare,”

“Right after giving me that? You’re asking for a tough one,” Austin blushed, bringing his hands to cover his face in that adorable way he often does. And I saw a peak at Austin’s lower stomach with his white shirt risen and wrinkled. I averted my gaze to the table before us and my eyes met my bucket of ice cubes. My impulses were getting the best of me, and I knew I shouldn’t have taken that last shot, but we were too drunk to remember any of this tomorrow anyway, so I said the first thing that came to me. “I dare you to ... let me melt an ice cube anywhere on your body.”

Austin blushed more, shaking his head, “that’s enough tequila for you,”

“Don’t be such a baby,” I reiterated, grinning.

Austin bit his bottom lip, “fine, do it,”

“You serious?”

“Mh-hm, melt an ice cube...” he smirked suggestively, “on my abdomen,”.

I’d once walked in on Austin working out in his basement without a shirt, and despite my attempts to not, my eyes lingered on his abdomen longer than I’d intended. I was curious whether he’d noticed. I was curious whether he’d seen me eyeing him just moments, and if whether that’s why he wanted me to do it on that specific body part.

I didn’t back down though, the liquid courage was making both of us frisky, but neither of us payed any mind to it. I grabbed the bucket and knelt before him, and he sucked in a sharp breath, lifting his shirt. I audibly gasped. It wasn’t as if I would see Austin without his shirt regularly before he began shooting for Elvis, but even through his clothing I could tell he wasn’t the bulkiest guy back then — but now! I figure from all the training and weight-gaining required to become Elvis, he must’ve gained several pounds and much more muscle. And he looks absolutely delicious. Austin smirked at my nervousness, “what’s wrong? Regretting your own dare?”

“No way! Are you?”

He shook his head, but then threw it back as I placed the ice cube on his stomach without warning, wanting to catch him off guard.

Austin bit his bottom lip, eyeing me as I rubbed the cube in small circles. But when I brought it lower, Austin’s eyes rendered closed, and I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down. He looked so good from this angle, with me practically on my knees between his legs, and his head thrown back in pleasure. When the ice melted on his warm skin, I nearly moaned at having to withdraw from him, but I knew we were walking a scary tightrope right now, and I couldn’t risk him knowing the kind of thoughts I was having.

I stood up from my previous, very suggestive position, and Austin looked up at me with hooded eyes. Austin had very expressive eyes, I think it is what made us so close. I value honesty and kindness in the people close to me, and all of his just poured out through his eyes. He could never lie to me. And I knew in this moment, he felt something for me too. He was looking up at me with these puppy eyes, so vulnerable, almost submissive, and I bit my lip to refrain from moaning again.

“Truth or dare, Y/N?” he said, a little out of breath, his voice a little more raspy than before.

“Truth,” I said quietly, sitting back down next to him, but keeping a considerate distance, afraid of what I’ll do if I’m within close proximity to him.

“What is your biggest kink?”

“Austin!” I slapped his chest.

“What so you can melt an ice cube on me and I can’t ask you a simple question?”

“That’s completely different!” I defended.

“It’s not actually, but answering a question is no where near as impossible as staying still while you touch me,” he said, all too casually, and my mouth fell open. He chuckled.

“Okay we’re drinking too much” I said, reaching for Austin’s drink as he raised the glass to his lips.

“Answer the questions, babe,”

My breathing escalated at the nickname and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “overstimulation,”

Austin stopping drinking. Raised a brow. And then bit his bottom lip. So aggressively, I thought he might draw blood.

“Really?” He swallowed. I nodded shyly.

“Why?” He rasped, and when I didn’t answer him, he brought his forefinger and thumb down to my chin and lifted my face up to meet his. Alcohol was bringing out a whole new side to him, and we were crossing all the lines that we’re not supposed to. I swallowed before answering, quietly, “I don’t know, I guess I-“ I took a breath, “just the idea of someone making me come multiple times, I mean my ex boyfriends could barely —“ I bit my lip.

“Go on,” Austin urged, still holding my face in his large hand, brushing his thumb against my cheek.

“Most guys tend to think about themselves,” I said, filtering my very blatant answer, “so the idea of someone taking pleasure in pleasing me so persistently is very intriguing.”

The atmosphere was incredibly heavy. The tension, palpable. I saw Austin’s Adam’s apple bob up and down as he registered my words. I even saw him subtly adjust himself, fixing his now-tightening trousers while staring me down.

I couldn’t sit still under his heated gaze anymore so I took another shot. “Hey, woah, slow down, you’ve had enough,”

“Clearly not enough,”

“Not enough for what?”

I bit my lip. And then I poured myself another shot, chugging it down before Austin could stop me. I couldn’t possibly let it slip that I wasn’t nearly drunk enough to accept my feelings. I was clearly attracted to Austin. But it wasn’t just attraction anymore. I wanted him. I loved him.

“Truth or dare, Austie?”

Austin shook his head angrily, “c’mon”, I poked his arm.

“Fine, dare,”

“I’m so tempted to make you regret that,” Austin finally cracked a smile.

“I dare you to call Ashley and tell her you slept with her sister,”

“Wait—what?!”

“Not your sister Ashley! Ashley Tisdale,”

Austin let out a breath of relief, “okay, ‘cause that sounded—“

“Like incest?”

“Yeah!” We giggled and for a second, we were ‘’us’ again. Austin pulled out his phone and called Ashley, “hey Ash!” Austin was slurring through his speech and I was sure Ashley would figure it out sooner or later that Austin was drunk. “I’m good, I’m good, I just-I just need to make a confession,” Austin placed the phone on his leg, putting it on speaker. “What did you do now Austin?” I heard Ashley. Ever since she became a mom, she’s always got that reprimanding tone in her voice and it was absolutely adorable.

“I, uh, I slept with your sister,” he pretended to sound guilty and I shook my head in disbelief, surprised that he actually was going through with the dare. Only Austin truly knew how angry this would make Ash.

“WHAT?!”

“I’m sorry, Ash, I know I shouldn’t have—“

“How?! WHEN?” She screamed.

“Last night,”

“LAST NIGHT?!—last night? How is that even-she’s not even in New York, Austin,”

Austin stared at me, confused, “what?”

“She flew to London last week,”

Austin palmed his face, and laughed, “okay, you got me, this was a dare,”

“Are you serious?” Ashley sounded so relieved, it was adorable.

“Yes I’m serious, I would never do that to — to you,” Austin stuttered, avoiding my gaze suddenly.

“I was ready to murder you and hide the body Aus, don’t ever do that again!”

“I’m sorry! Blame it all on Y/N,” he chuckled.

“Is she there?”

“Yep, right next to me,”

“Have you told her yet?” I looked at Austin confused, and he snatched the phone off of his leg before I could ask Ashley what she was referring to. “Hey so, uh, I gotta go, talk later,”

I couldn’t hear the other end of the line because Austin put it off speaker, but they shared goodbyes and ended the call.

“What was she talking about?”

“Oh, nothing, don’t worry about it,”

“Austin are you hiding something from me?”

I was never one to pry, but that was simply because Austin told me everything himself. I didn’t want to, but I felt hurt.

“I promise you, it’s nothing, it’s probably something I’ve already told you and can’t recall,”

I simply nodded. I didn’t want to push him.

“Truth or dare?” He asked, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.

“Dare,”

“I dare you to kiss me,”

“Austin!” I punched his arm again, harder this time and he threw his head back in laughter. “Okay, um, I dare you—“

I didn’t know how and I didn’t know why, but before he could finish the thought, I leaned into him, looking him in the eyes as I sat up on my knees to hover over him.

“What’re you doing, Y/N?”

“I’m doing my dare,”

Austin opened his mouth and then closed it, taken aback. I placed my hand on his cheek and despite the look of shock on his face, he leaned into it, and before either of us knew what was happening, I placed my lips on his. And we melted into it. His lips were softer than I could have ever imagined them to be. I was slightly taller than him in this position, and it gave me a false sense of power, but before I could revel in it, Austin began claiming my lips, grabbing my face in his large hands and bringing me down to kiss me deeper than I’ve ever been kissed. I gasped, not expecting it, and the sound stirred something within Austin and he moaned against my mouth, pulling me flush against him. I was nearly sat upon Austin and completely out of breath, but neither of us dared to end it. Only when the urge to breathe became too exhausting and the power in our lungs gave out, did we move away, breathing loudly against each other, with his arms still wrapped around me. I bit my lip, not knowing what comes next. Austin grabbed my chin in his forefinger and thumb and brought me closer to himself, “I love you,” he breathed. “That’s what Ashley wanted me to tell you. That’s the reason I’m here, with you, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, Y/N,” he said softly, and I believed every word that came out of his mouth.

I felt so overwhelmed. From the kiss. From his words. His voice. His face. His eyes. Him.

“Austin,” I hushed, and the words that came out of me next were both the most surprising and the most truthful words I’d ever spoken to him, “I love you too.”

#austinbutler #austin butler #austin butler drabble #austin butler one shot #austin butler is so goddamn fine #austin butler elvis #austin butler x fem!reader #austin butler smut #austin butler imagine #austin butler angst #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler fic #austin butler fluff #austin butler fandom #austin butler headcanons

[studycafee]

Ukrainian and Muslim?

So okay I’m currently really pissed off , I mean I had been so since last February but I’m so done now with this comparation bulls*it . As I mentioned in the title I’m ukrainian and muslim and VERY proud to be both , but a huge amount of fellow muslims are now like “happy” because a european country is in war , like I remember coming to school the first day after the Russian invasion started and I have spent hours that night on a video call with my relatives in Ukraine and I was woried as hell for them , I received a bunch of curious questions and then like a classmate said “well good for them they so they know what muslims in many countries are feeling” .And whenever I enter some news in arabic there will be hateful coments saying that you’re only reflecting in Ukraine and forgeting Palestine Siria Iraq Yemen . Like before you even start writig such stuff can’t you get in your mind that Ukraine’s whole history is a fight for freedom , and as a muslim I literally never had any negative experiences with Ukrainians , they were all warm and welcoming , my father who’s arab studied there for years and he loves the country again because of the nice people and there are basically thousands of immigrant muslims in adition to reverts and muslim born tatars,so really just stop because yes it’s considered rasism and Islam never taught us to enjoy the suffering of others or to wish harm for them . And finally I’d like to say: Slava Ukraini and Free Palestine :)

#ukraine #slava ukraini #ukraine war #palestine #freepalastine🇵🇸

[cainightfics]

wow, you have an interesting perspective on the future of humanity. it's somewhat uplifting and relieving. all problems seem insignificant. i had similar thoughts about the future of my country. but i never thought about global destruction. thanks for sharing this information, i want to look deeper and maybe recognize some imminent signs of global doom lol

haha "interesting" is one word for it i guess. dont even get me started or ill go on forever but yeah im 100% a collapsenik doomer. if you want some overviews of the basics of this stuff you could check out the podcast "breaking down: collapse" or "it could happen here." unfortunately a lot of the discussion surrounding these issues is america-centric, and ignores a lot of very big global issues that are clear harbingers of collapse. the famine in yemen, for example, or last years hunga tonga–hunga haʻapai volcano eruption, which was more powerful than any nuclear bomb and released enough vapour into the atmosphere to speed up global warming exponentially. like i say, its not just one issue. its thousands of issues, happening everywhere all the time, creating feedback loops which exponentially spiral out of control. We Are Fucked lol.

to put things into perspective, even if all of global production stopped right now and we found a way to hit climate goals of 2C warming (which we won't, and depending on how far back you measure the baseline, we've already gone past 2C warming since the pre-industrial era), the feedback loops of climate change will nonetheless create such high concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that by 2100 every human on earth will experience such low oxygen levels that they will all be mentally disabled.

there is nothing that can stop the upcoming shitstorm. theres too many problems, and even if we all worked together to solve one, the others will kill us anyway. i'd say once oil production begins to halt (which is estimated to be around 2040) collapse will really hit us full-force. we NEED petrochemical fertilizers to grow enough food to support our current population, it's nonnegotiable. our civilization is dependent on oil down to our most basic of needs. once the oil is gone, there will be unprecedented amounts of death. and there is no replacement for oil. it took millions of years of dinosaur remains decaying in the earth to create it. even if human civilization survives, in small pockets somewhere, the current world as we know it will be dead forever. we will never get it back, for better or for worse.

i think the current state of society is denial, cluelessness, and panic. everyone knows its bad, but very few know how bad it really is. just the thought of the impending doom in our collective future is enough to drive loads of people to suicide, addiction, or mindless consumption as a self-soothing mechanism. the fact is, its over. we have a few decades left before everything before us is just a glittering memory of our self-indulgent past. on the one hand, it will mark the end of capitalism, and thus the end of the cycle of exploitation and consumption that has caused so much human suffering. on the other hand, the suffering of the future will perhaps be even greater.

anyways ill stop myself before i go rambling on (remember earlier when i said i can rant about this forever?). i’d be happy to chat about it more with anyone whos interested, but its not exactly light nice stuff to have show up on your dash on a sunday, so im sorry to anyone who read this and is now freaked out. but all of this is just the beginning of why i am an alcoholic lol

[the-life-support-system]

I posted 5,675 times in 2022

That's 3,922 more posts than 2021!

41 posts created (1%)

5,634 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@salemruinseverything

@the-ghost-in-your-attic

@friendofthecrows

@felipe-kuso

@deadandphilgames

I tagged 254 of my posts in 2022

#save - 23 posts

#thenightingalesystem - 12 posts

#our flag means death - 5 posts

#eurovision - 4 posts

#just giving - 4 posts

#art - 4 posts

#esc - 4 posts

#eurovision 2022 - 4 posts

#posts for ari - 4 posts

#but i want to spread the word as much as possible - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#ik it’s random but i’d love the dynamic between jonathan who wants to well and usually is and james who wants to do well but is also just h

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Guys my friend Noor is fundraising to feed a family of 5 during Ramadan as well as to sponsor an orphan for a year. The money will go to the 7 main countries that Human Appeal (the charity) help. These include Syria, Lebanon (Syrian and Palestinian refugees), Palestine, Yemen, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

I’d really appreciate it is you could donate if you can or spread the word, no pressure tho :)

I just think it’s a really good cause and I know it means a lot to them.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/maishaandaleenaarehereforeveryorphan

5 notes - Posted March 29, 2022

#4

i think there should be more appreciation for the single strip of wrapping paper that just says “happy birthday” on the phil cut out box.

just saying.

13 notes - Posted February 3, 2022

#3

intro post we probably should have done sooner:

hiii we’re the life support system. we’re a system of quite a few alters (no one knows)

we are diagnosed with dyspraxia and self diagnosed with osdd1-b autism and adhd

dni: exclusionary in any way (anti-endo, terf etc)

we don’t tag stuff but if you need us to tag triggers then ask <3

14 notes - Posted March 16, 2022

#2

me and my brother have discovered that if you google almost any word and then add “collins dictionary” you get a still from a pronunciation video. these stills are some of the most depressed looking people and are really hilarious if your sense of humour is broken.

Examples:

See the full post

18 notes - Posted June 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

idk how to feel. i don’t like it.

101 notes - Posted January 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #96% with no tags wow

[saintlewis]

Alright, let’s talk about this. I’m seeing a lot of preconceived notions about the Qatar GP and while I condemn it as much as everyone else, I’d just like to bring to light a few things:-

France: Discriminatory police identity checks targeting minority youth. Child protection authorities fail to provide unaccompanied migrant children appropriate care and services. Migrants and asylum seekers face inhuman and degrading living conditions, as well as police abuse and harassment. Increase in harassment and attacks against minorities, including ethnic, religious, national, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) minorities.

United States: The disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on Black, brown, and Native people, connected to longstanding disparities in health, education, and economic status as a result of the impact of past overtly racist laws and policies, which continue to impede equality. Police brutality and aggressive policing of poor and marginalised communities. Limited access to women’s health care. Flouting international human rights law while partnering with abusive governments.

United Kingdom: The government’s response to Brexit and the public health and economic challenges of Covid-19 highlighted their willingness to set aside human rights for the sake of political expediency. Black and Asian people were disproportionately impacted by Covid-19, while growing numbers depended on food banks to get by. The UK has been hesitant to use its influence to press for stronger action at the Human Rights Council on the matters of Sri Lanka and at the Security Council on matter of Myanmar and Yemen.

These are just a few examples. This is not to minimise the violations committed in Middle Eastern countries, but to instead acknowledge and highlight the infringements committed around the globe, some even in places we would rather ignore. The reason why Middle Eastern countries get the brunt of it is because they’re the ones that are often placed in the spotlight, while other nations (predominantly the Western ones) are put on the backburner.

What should also be taken into consideration is that Formula 1 is a global money-grabbing corporation. They don’t care where they’re racing, as long as they’re making money. Lewis is right, cash is king. And any campaign, any initiative, any social media postings done in the name of diversity and inclusion, is just performative activism.

Here are my references if y’all wanna fact check me:

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/france

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/united-states

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/united-kingdom

#sorry for the essay i had things to say #qatar gp 2021 #france gp 2021 #us gp 2021 #british gp 2021 #lewis hamilton #fia #f1 #formula 1 #f1 2021

[thedancingwalrus-blog]

I’ve been sitting on a rather odd realisation for a couple of months now. 

It started with annoyance at an assumption I saw a lot online in fantasy and sci fi spaces. That you get to a point and cultural/temporal viewpoints become Too Different. That it would be impossible for us to understand the life and world of an ancient Babylonian, or a Neanderthal, or someone from 4000 AD. 

It irked me. It felt somehow personally insulting. And when I pressed someone on it a little they started using life styles as examples. You couldn’t possibly understand a hunter gatherer society or that of a nomadic herder. 

The problem was I *could*. I’d gone to school with kids whose parents or grandparents had lived like that. I’d met adults whose parents or grandparents had lived like that.

And I was struck by something strangely disconcerting.

You see I grew up in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. A society that is, literally, legally segregated by sex. Where it is/was *literally*, illegal to socialise outside your family in a lot of settings, especially if you’re designated female. People live/d in gated communities. Some of them literally had tanks outside the gates.

And yet I grew up with a greater variety of people then most people who grew up in the West. 

I remembered a conversation I’d had years and years ago with a well meaning Canadian who was trying to explain the theory that growing up in a monoethnic area increased prejudice. And I rejected the idea out of hand because that wasn’t what I’d seen in people from (and I can’t stress this enough) a society that’s legally segregated. 

I never stopped to look up the figures and realise that roughly half of the people in the triplet cities are foreign nationals. 

I never really stopped to realise that most Westerners don’t grow up surrounded by people from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Yemen, China, Egypt. I never really stopped to think that most Westerners who are raised Christian never hear the call to prayer. Or make friends with Farsi kids or feel the rhythm of things stopping for Ramadan. I never really appreciated that most English speakers didn’t grow up hearing Arabic, Urdu, Greek, Hindi, Tamil, as a matter of course.

Or rather, I didn’t appreciate what all that means. 

I’m still not sure I do. Ironically I’m not sure I can relate to a life steeped in one culture, one religion, one point of view.

But it’s funny isn’t it? How these countries without visible walls, without such obvious legal barriers, have managed to erect much more impassible structures all the same.

[gifted-burnout-archive]

Let’s Go to War

Requested?: Jack Ryan, Season One, Episode One, the army base scene. Lotta angst, basically.

Word Count: 6.7K+

Author’s Note: First, I’ve tagged a few people that might enjoy, just a one off thing. I have missed writing angst, and I think this is exactly what I needed. Had a think about how I wanted to do this, and thought ex-lovers added some extra spice. Get out the tissues, put on some sad music if you wanna. (DOD = Department of Defense)

Warning: Death, discussion of terrorism, gory detail, angsty.

--

Jack never thought he’d see her face again, but, fucking hell, was he pleased to.

As the helicopter flew over Joe Mueller’s estate and landed on his back lawn, Jack was drawn from a conversation to look over in shock. Why had the coastguard landed in his old boss’ country house yard? A part of him speculated for a moment that maybe this was some kind of arrest, or raid, that someone at the party was in some deep shit, but those thoughts quickly disappeared when a young woman emerged from the transport with a team of the coastguard’s finest.

She was beautiful, the sort of woman that left an imprint anywhere she went. She wore heels and a pant suit that complimented her skin tone, a black blouse underneath that left just enough to the imagination, and held a file in between her manicured fingers. The rotors of the helicopter, still spinning as if about to leave again, did little to disturb the bun in her hair, the wind that was causing teary eyes around him didn’t seem to touch her features.

Her eyes were still as bright as he remembered, even if it had been years.

“Doctor Ryan?” Her voice rang out over the sound of the chopper, and Jack raised his hand to indicate his whereabouts. Officers ran towards him, decked out in gear that would suggest a sea search and rescue mission rather than interrupting a birthday party.

“Doctor Ryan, I’m Petty Officer Second Class Dillard with the United States Coast Guard. I need you to come with me.” The first officer, a man, explained to Jack, who leaned his head forward just a touch to see if he had heard him right. Come with them? With her? What for?

“Sir, I need your keys.” The second officer, a younger woman, held out her hand, and Jack sat down his beer.

“For what?” Jack asked, now a little worried he had done something wrong. He wouldn’t put it past Greer to send the Coast Guard to arrest him after he froze the Suleiman account… That guy kept proving himself to be an asshole.

“I have orders to drive your car back to your apartment.” She said simply, like Jack was meant to know what was happening. He handed over his keys quickly, Officer Dillard taking him by the arm and leading him towards the aircraft, the pair a few steps behind the woman Jack just couldn’t quite believe was there.

She walked back onto the helicopter without changing her posture, unafraid of the spinning blades above her, and sat herself down in the back, fastening herself in like she hadn’t just crashed a party with the Coast Guard.

“Keep your head down sir.” Dillard instructed, Jack bowing his head and clambering into the transport with Dillard at his heels, the pair fastening up as the heli lifted off the ground and flew back the way it came.

“Well, you sure look nice, Ryan.” The voice came over the headphones, and after sorting himself out, Jack looked up at the woman across from him, who watched his actions with a smirk on her lips. “You started rowing again, I can see. You’ve put on muscle. It suits you.” The words didn’t throw Jack off-guard like her presence had, he remembered the tone, the pronunciation, hearing them again was like second nature, like they never really left.

“You are the last person I expected to see today.” He admitted, taking a second to glance out the window as they flew towards, Jack was quite sure, the Langley airstrip.

“Reminds you of old times, doesn’t it?” She asked, and Jack nodded instinctively, knowing she was right. Sitting in a helicopter with her was far too familiar, the trip reminding him of the first time the two had met. “You’ve garnered attention with Yemen, and I’ve been tasked with accompanying you. Don’t ask why, I really don’t have a clue why they need me here, but I follow orders.” She continued, handing him over the manila folder that was stamped with a bloody red ‘TOP SECRET’ on the cover. Before Jack opened it, he looked back at her, a small smile on his face.

“It’s good to see you too, Y/N.”

--

The helicopter landed on the airstrip about thirty minutes later, Y/N taking it upon herself to slide open the door once they hit ground and make her way towards a jet sat on the strip. Jack hurried out with Dillard after her, and once he was clear of the rotors and any immediate danger he bid adieu to the coast guard officer and headed after Y/N. She gestured with a quick wave to a set of awaiting cars, Jim Greer sat in one of them avoiding the rain for as long as possible. Jack and Greer fell into step behind Y/N, who was now chatting on her phone as she entered the jet.

“What’s the matter? Don’t like flying?” The older man welcomed Jim to the airfield with a smirk, a young officer hurrying past them to take bags of some sort onto the plane.

“What the hell is going on?” Jim replied, visibly confused. The manila folder had only explained a little to him, and he had actually laughed audibly when he saw how much was blacked out. Y/N told him Greer would tell him the rest of what he needed, and their conversation on the flight over ended there. By the look on Greer’s face though, Y/N was right: Jack was about to get the rundown.

“That account you froze: S.A.D and Yemeni PSO picked up somebody.” Greer explained, the pair coming at a stop by the plane steps. Jack glanced up in surprise.

“Suleiman?” He asked, a little too optimistic for a season CIA officer, but Greer liked his enthusiasm.

“No, a couple of couriers, they think.” Greer quickly set Jack’s expectations in check, the taller of the pair pausing.

“Wait, you said S.A.D but I didn’t order any surveillance.” What Jack made was more a statement than a question, but Greer was happy to answer it anyway.

“I did.”

“I thought you said I wasn’t there yet.” The revelation was certainly not what Jack expected, but he had spent the day being surprised by people.

“You weren’t, but that doesn’t mean you were wrong.”

“Well, how come you couldn’t have said that instead of throwing me out your office?” Jack continued his questioning, a scornful laugh mixing into his speech. The rain had begun to pick up, the shoulders of Jack’s blazer now a dark grey from water.

“Because I don’t know you. And I don’t answer to you.” Greer stated quite simply, and put a foot onto the staircase. “Now, S.A.D and the Yemenis are gonna run the interrogation. But you’re the one that knows all this financial shit, so I need you there to make sure they know what questions to ask.” Jack’s eyes widened; his throat went dry. Had he heard Greer right? Yemen?

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What? N-no. I… I can’t go to Yemen.” He refused quickly, taking a step back.

“Why not?” a new voice entered the conversation, Y/N stood at the top of the plane steps with her arms folded, an eyebrow raised at Jack’s reluctance.

“I’m an analyst. I don’t interrogate people, I write reports.” Jack tried to reason with the pair, Greer and Y/N both sharing the same look of disbelief at Jack’s adamance that he should not be on the plane.

“Wow… It’s like you were never in the Marines, Ryan…” Y/N said with a breezy laugh, rolling her eyes and turning her back to the pair. “Get on the fucking plane.” She ordered, walking back into the jet’s warm interior, her words earning a slight chuckle from Greer.

“I’d listen to her.” He suggested to Jack, though it seemed the analyst had come to the same conclusion, letting out a heavy sigh before following Greer up the plane steps, into the unknown.

--

The plane and subsequent helicopter ride wasn’t particularly interesting for Greer, who slept most of the way, but for Jack and Y/N it was a reunion, a catch up over case files and coffee. Each was aware the other’s company made travelling easier, the casual back and forth they shared made it feel like they hadn’t parted ways all those years ago. There was no tension, no awkward moments: they were adults and, to the passer-by, friends. And Jack wasn’t blind to the beauty of her either, it looked like she had barely aged a day, and yet held the air of someone with authority and class.

Her eyes shone in the cabin light, like stars in the cosmos, and Jack couldn’t help but be mesmerised by her despite the job that was clearly more important than his daydreams.

The landing and transporting of Jack, Greer, and Y/N to the US Army black site named ‘Cobalt’ in the Yemen Sarawat Mountains was far from comfortable, the chopper that flew them in lacking any sort of shielding from the sand the wind and blades had picked up, but once the three were on the ground everything became slightly more bearable. Apart from the heat, both Jack and Greer had sweat through the clothes on their backs, the sun shining down like its only mission was to burn Yemen to a crisp. Greer took lead, approaching a scruffy haired soldier adorned by a scarf and sunglasses: Jack made a note that the sand draft here was worse than most places.

“Jim. Good to see you brother.” The man welcomed Greer with a smirk and a handshake, Greer quickly moving aside for his co-workers to meet.

“Matice, this is Dr Ryan.” Greer said with a nod, Jack quickly shaking hands with the solider, greeting him with a quick ‘how you doing?’ before Y/N stepped forward and nudged Jack.

“Not going to introduce?” She teased, and the solider, now known to be Matice, chuckled. Like Greer, it seemed that Y/N was friendly with the base.

“Why have they dragged you out of DOD?” Matice asked, and Y/N shrugged, sending a smile back at Jack as she walked across camp like she ran the place. Jack realised there was a possibility she could, in their catch up on the flight he had never found out exactly what she did at the Department of Defence.

“What you a doctor of?” Matice turned the conversation back to Jack, whose eyes quickly averted themselves from Y/N and back to the men around him.

“Economics.” Matice and Greer shared a look.

“Cool.” The former replied, turning to lead them in the direction Y/N had left for. “Man, I thought you were in Pakistan.” Jack walked alongside as Greer and Matice struck up their own reunion, his boss sighing at the thought of his old posting.

“No. Back at Langley.” He replied, and Jack found himself looking around at the impressive size of the camp. Turrets at all corners, tents and barracks set up around a clearing large enough to land a helicopter, their helicopter. Before them, flat top buildings came closer with each step, and Jack’s subconscious hope for air-con was quickly foiled.

“What about you? What’s your story, Doctor?” Jack tuned back into the conversation after a moment, taking the time to find his words and he fidgeted with the blazer in his arms.

“Oh, I’m an analyst.” Jack said quickly, making it very clear he wasn’t meant to be in a war zone.

“No shit? What do you analyse?” Matice seemed intrigued, and Jack licked his lips to ready himself for explaining his work, though not much needed said. Every breath here seemed to leave one parched.

“Global markets, mostly. Financial aberrations, stuff like that.” He managed to say through the heat, each syllable becoming easier as he acclimatised.

“You got any tips?” Matice questioned, and when looking over to find Jack confused, he continued. “Stocks and shit. Trying to expand my portfolio.” Jack thought for a moment, not quite sure how to explain that he hadn’t worked with stocks since his time on Wall Street, but luckily he didn’t need to. Their walking came to a stop as Matice stood outside a doorway, gesturing to the soldier in front of him. “Gentleman, this is Captain Ackhmed. He’ll be leading the interrogation.” He said, Jack and Greer taking turns to shake hands with the Captain before all of the entered the building.

Y/N stood on the door’s other side, her quick departure earlier seeming to have been a chance to change into lighter, more environment suited clothes. Her heels had been swapped out for a pair of black boots, her pant suit for linen trousers, her black blouse for a white top. Around her head sat a scarf, covering most of her hair and shoulders. Despite the change of clothes, she still looked professional, like her presence in the building was important. Maybe it was, Jack was still to find out.

With a nod shared between Y/N and Matice, the formed group walked down the dusty corridors, stopping only for Privates to open doors and locks, each one passed through bringing them closer and closer to the sounds of what could only be described as American country music. Jack found his eyes wandering around the space the second time they stopped, unable to block out the amount of panicked noise that seemed to be coming from his left. His gaze fell down, a pair of bare feet visible from under the door.

“Matice, you go ahead. I need to speak to Dr Ryan for a second, run through protocol.” Y/N spoke up, dragging Jack’s eyes from the floor. She had been watching him as codes were entered onto keypads and keys were fumbled through to match locks. Greer gave Jack a pat on the shoulder before going ahead, the door closing behind the rest of the team to the sound Matice offering Fanta over the din of Toby Keith.

“We did protocol on the plane, Y/N.” Jak said once they were alone, unsure of why she had kept him back.

“Stop thinking it.” She said, arms folded over her chest like she disapproved of him. Jack didn’t quite understand what he had done wrong exactly. “This isn’t home… This isn’t the Marines we were in. This is a war zone and you leave your merit badges at the door.” She explained, and Jack smirked at her scolding of him. “I’m serious Jack. This place isn’t friendly territory. I don’t want you underestimating people and getting hurt for being nice.”

“I thought you liked my boyish charm, Y/N.” Jack managed to crack a joke back, shoving his hands in his trouser pockets. “You seem to have a lot of experience in places like this. If you can manage, I’ll be just fine.”

“Jack.” She warned again.

“Y/N, I’ll be fine. Why are you pressing this?” He asked, and Y/N took a step forward, straightening out his collar. It flashed him back years, the action so reminiscent of a time he had started to forget. Her hands rested on his chest for a moment, a smile on her face.

“I’d like to take you out for drinks back home with you in one piece.” She explained with a smile, and Jack felt himself nodding in agreement.

“Drinks sound great.” He agreed, and Y/N gestured towards the doorway, where Matice and Greer had gone through, where their couriers waited.

“You have a job to do, I have a base commander to speak with.”

“You’re that high up, huh?” He quizzed, and she rolled her eyes playfully at him as she headed the opposite directions.

“I’ll tell you all about my job on our date, Doctor.” It was a promise that spurred Jack into the room, eager to find out the information that they needed to get this whole thing over with. He didn’t particularly like being in Yemen anyway, but now he had a reason to get himself home as quickly as possible.

--

“You know, if you keep this up Ryan, you’ll be late to your own party.” The voice called from out in the hall, the voice warm and cheerful and no doubt already a drink or two into the night. Jack glanced at himself once more in his tiny New York apartment’s bathroom mirror, straightening his bow tie and letting out a held breath: it was hard to believe that it was happening, that he had had really managed to do it.

“Just a minute.” He called back, dabbing on a spot of cologne and running a hand through his hair, messing up the hairdo he had perfected, but it made him feel better. With one last sigh, he grabbed the dinner jacket from the back of the door and exited the bathroom into the one bedroom, stopping dead in his tracks once he caught sight of her. “Wow…”

There she stood, a smile as warm as the sunset outside and eyes just as bright. Her hair was up in a bun, a few curls falling down to frame her face, a sleek black dress to match his own suit hugging her figure tight, the satin fabric accentuating all the features he had spent the past eighteen months memorising. In her hands, delicate despite what they had been through over a four year tour, held a gift box, decorated with a white ribbon and note card.

“You look amazing, Jack.” She rushed forward, catching him in a kiss before he had a chance to respond. Their lips together were gentle, sweet, strong, and his hands landed on her waist as his nose was filled with the perfume he had bought her for their anniversary.

“This old thing? I’m nothing compared to you.” He smiled as they broke away, pressing another kiss to her forehead for good measure. “I thought I told you not to get me anything.” He feigned reprimand, but the grin on her face was too contagious, and his façade broke quickly.

“It’s not every day you become a doctor, Jack… Dr Jack Ryan…” She let the words sit on her tongue for a moment before handing over the gift, and marching back him in her heels to fetch her jacket and open the front door. “Open it in the car, you can wear it tonight if you like it, but we’re already late to your party.” She urged with a laugh, Jack nodding and following after her, stopping to press a kiss to her cheek, and whisper in her ear.

“You know, I like the sound of it too… Dr Jack and Mrs Y/N Ryan doesn’t sound like a bad pairing, does it?” He said with a cocky smirk, the type that made her blush red and playfully slap his arm to counteract the swelling of her heart.

In that moment, the words rang true.  

--

The hours passed, and despite not speaking very much Arabic, Jack was growing bored of the repetitiveness of the interrogation.

They had moved the bodyguard to another room to wait, focused one their young businessman with the phone, but he seemed quite confident he knew nothing. In fact, Jack was sure the soldiers around him might have been tempted to use more… frown upon methods, had he and Greer not been present, had Y/N not been on base. From what he could gather, she was somewhat high up in the DOD now, what with the way the comrades on base treated her like she was the Command in Chief.

He stood from his chair after he registered the same words being used for the sixth time now, another time that question would go unanswered, and made his way to the door. He wiped a layer of sweat from his brow, the dust and heat doing him and his shirt no major favours.

“Where you going?” Greer asked in a low tone, the closest thing the man could manage to a whisper.

“I’ve been at this for hours.” Jack said with a sigh, stopping before he knocked on the door to be let out. “I need some air.” He added, rapping his fist twice on the metal and letting his shoulders slump a little. He didn’t wait for Greer to hold him back or say something to stop him, stepping out as Captain Ackhmed started shouting again.

The door closed with a slam, Jack taking a breath and running a hand through his hair to focus himself. He glanced up, a private waiting by the door, the outside world just seconds away. He thought for a moment about possibly finding Y/N, though she was no doubt busy with something Jack didn’t need to know or care about. That’s when his gaze shifted to look down the hall, at the room that hosted their bodyguard… The bodyguard who looked up when he mentioned the transfers hours ago.

“Can I help you with something, sir?” The private asked, and Jack nodded, a plan forming in his head.

“Where do I get something to eat?” He asked, the private giving him the directions to set off into the evening heat across the base, collecting two meals and starting his route back to the bunker building, with the intent of sharing a meal with one of their captured.

As Jack made his way for the bodyguard’s cell, Y/N finished up a meeting on the far side of the black site with the Base Commander, pleased with the information given to her to pass on. A part of her felt bad for not being completely truthful with Jack; of course, that was their work, not everything could be shared. He didn’t need to know she was there to collect information on possible locations for drone strikes by the US, and she didn’t need to know the ins and outs of his terrorist theory.

She made he way across the sand with conviction, her few bags stored in the barracks for safety, a manila folder in hand and ideas of home in her head. She wondered where she might take Jack once they got back: perhaps the bar on F Street, or the seafood place on 17th. What would she wear if it was clear this was a date rather than a reunion? A chance to talk as more than friends than just… whatever they were now.

The thoughts took her straight to her bags in the barracks, and right back out into the dark night after she had dropped the file in her locked briefcase, the cold of the night suddenly hitting her. She had forgotten how quickly the temperature in the mountains could change, how you could go from sweating through clothes to clambering for the extra layers.

Her mind now set on warmth, she begun her way to the mess hall, hoping to grab something warm to eat before having to catch up with Greer on their interrogation progress before she had to question Jack on how sure he was about this new terror plot against the free world.

The first rumble occurred on her way into the mess hall, a few off-duty soldiers saluting as she entered, quick to serve herself some cold meats and bread before taking a seat alone, sipping away at a bottle of water. It was weak, it sent a ripple through the bottle on her table, nothing more. Had she an all-seeing eye, Y/N would have known the rumble was the car bomb approaching the entrance gate, to the right of where she sat, through only a single layer of concrete.

The second sound was not a rumble, it was an explosion.

The first sensation Y/N felt was not the falling, nor the taste of dust in her mouth from the wall that had fallen to her right; instead, it was the ringing in her ears that remained her of the thud chopper blades made. It was whirring more than white noise, the same consistent thud that made her close her eyes to block out the light, made her breath in and promptly cough out the debris surrounding her.

“… move out now. Ma’am? Ma’am!” Through the thudding came a voice, deep and urgent in it’s pleas. It took Y/N a moment to come around, already being pulled to her feet by some of the soldiers who had been dining nearby, one pouring something cold over her face to allow her the privilege of sight once more.

Through the haze, she managed to make out two soldiers, both a dust covered as she was, urging her towards the south exit of the mess hall. She let her feet followed without complaint or resistance, still not quite sure what was happening, but more focused on managing the pain covering the right side of her face and temple.

“What… What happened?” She managed to ask once the three of them had exited the mess hall, now surrounded by the black night and the carnage of battle behind them: even from a distance, Y/N could feel the heat of explosions, the ringing in her ears did little to reduce the echoing gunfire.

“It seems we’re at war…” The second officer replied. Amidst the chaos, they were severely low on weapons or protective equipment, and as her vision and focus finally came back to working levels, Y/N quickly realised they were headed for the armoury.

“Won’t they attack there first?” She hissed, slowing as they came to a corner. Another loud bang forced her to cover her mouth and watch the incineration of one of the watchtowers. “Good-” Her blasphemy was cut off by a different noise: the sound of close gunshots.

She turned to the soldiers, hoping for backup, and instead met the barrel of a gun. At the man’s feet lay the pair who had tried to help her.

“Move.” He ordered, gesturing towards the interrogation bunker, and Y/N simply nodded, trying her best not to focus on the putrid smell of dead flesh sticking to the blood-soaked man.

Her steps were solid and quick, lucky she hadn’t hurt a limb in the explosion, much to the content of her captor. The last thing he needed was a damaged hostage, regardless of how important they looked. It wasn’t often you found women on bases, he was betting he had struck gold with grabbing her when he could.

By the look of worry on the first private’s face, he decided she was, and promptly shot him dead. Before the private had hit the floor, Y/N was being pulled along by her captor now, one hand gripping her shirt at the shoulder, the other aiming the gun into her side.

“Take me to him.” The captor demanded of the second private, who turned to find the face of a DOD representative. His eyes quickly travelled down to the gun in her side. “Now.” The captor demanded again, and the private nodded quickly, much to Y/N’s relief. The three started down a hallway, stopping at a door that the private quickly unbolted and opened for them, coming face to face with the businessman who had been brought in a few hours ago.

Bang.

“The other one.” Her captor demanded, prompting the private and Y/N to share a glance of confusion, then realisation: perhaps their team had been interrogating the wrong person.

--

With the gunshots close by, Jack shot to his feet and rushed to the door of the room he had been instructed to stay inside, taking a moment to listen for movement, and with the sound of footsteps approaching, he pressed himself to the wall behind the door, taking a deep breath and holding it.

The noise of it swinging open sounded more like a creaky garden gate than a cell door in a war zone, and for a moment Jack as hopeful to see uniform, to see linen…

“Run!” The soldier shouted as the bodyguard warned someone Jack couldn’t see in Arabic, prompting two gunshots to be fired as Jack came from behind the door and started to wrestle the gun off the attacker: a man who looked quite like the bodyguard, despite the blood that covered him.

Jack managed to throw the gun across the room, but his opponent had the advantage of the door, using it to throw Jack into the wall as the two hostages fell to the floor: the soldier in the centre of the room dead, the second tucked into the opposite corner, holding her hands over a growing patch of red as her eyes fluttered closed.

Jack was a trained marine by nature, quickly throwing punches into his opponent’s side from below as the other man tried to tackle him to the floor. He succeeded: he and Jack fell to the ground with a loud thud as the brawl continued, the bodyguard inching round the table as punches were thrown to try and reach for the gun with his foot, his hands still cuffed to the table’s central bar. The attacker managed to get on top of Jack, the CIA officer taking punch after punch to the face with little display of pain shown: he had been trained well enough to know never to show weakness.

Jack let his eyes lose focus for a moment, convincing the attacker he was out for the count, and let the man stand to reach for the gun before grabbing his leg and pulling him back down to the ground atop the soldier. It allowed Jack to get on his feet, ready for a second round, when a flash of silver and a sudden searing pain in his side sent him stumbling into the wall.

His opponent had taken the soldier’s knife, and Jack had been slashed.

When he had managed to process the situation, Jack’s opponent was already hot on him with knife in hand, this time aiming for Jack’s neck. He was quick to block, the pair battling over strength, over whether Jack died or escaped: but Jack had height and weight on the attacker, and after a moment of struggled, he had pushed him to the side, the knife falling to the ground, and then proceeded to bash his head against the wall twice.

“قام!!” The bodyguard shouted as Jack stumbled his way towards the gun, towards a sure win in this battle. Just as he leaned down to grab it, his opponent was back and tackling him onto the metal table, placing Jack in a fight of two against one.

The bodyguard and Jack’s opponent held him down, doing their best to get a grip on his neck, to choke him out and end it there, but Jack was a stubborn fighter, and seemed quite set on staying alive. He writhed and pushed, every time he was almost away they grabbed him once more.

Until, silence.

For a moment, everything stopped, and Y/N let her eyes flutter open to watch, to figure out just what was happening. The two attackers, the bodyguard and his rescuer, they were frozen by something in Jack’s hand she couldn’t quite make out despite the close distance and harsh lighting overhead.

“He’s bluffing.” She heard the rescuer, who held a gun pointed at Jack, say to his brother in Arabic. It seemed like she wasn’t the only one who knew a spattering of the language, because Jack responded instead of the bodyguard, lifting his opposite hand as he spoke, a ring of metal that looked like a key dangling from a finger. It didn’t take the ex-combat soldier very long to piece it together.

A grenade.

“No, I’m not.” Jack replied, Y/N’s eyes dropping shut at the words. The attackers shared a glance, the bodyguard giving a sigh.

“Don’t shoot.” He ordered in Arabic. “Get the keys from the soldier.” It was quick, a few seconds at most, but as the pair unlocked the bodyguard and Jack held that grenade in the air, he could’ve sworn an hour had passed. The gun was still trained on him, the pair moving to the door as the bodyguard finally switched to English. “I thought you were an analyst.” He remarked to Jack, who kept his grip firm and his gaze steady on the ground.

“I thought you were a bodyguard…” He replied, and took the moment for the men to reach the door to figure it all out. To piece it all together. “It’s you…” He said with a grimace, prompting him and the bodyguard to lock eyes. “Suleiman…”

No further words were exchanged, but the look he received told Jack he was right on the money: he had faced off against the man he had been following ghost stories of for weeks. No more words, just Suleiman and his saviour closing the door on Jack in that tiny interrogation room.

It was only once the door had swung shut that Jack could collect himself, letting out a slow and shaky exhale as he slotted the pin back into the grenade, his whole body collapsing after the fact. It took him a second to remember he wasn’t alone, to remember what had happened only a few minutes before.

Y/N.

He managed to scramble over, abandoning his own pain to focus on the sight before him, his hands immediately clamping down over Y/N’s stomach and causing her eyes to flutter open again.

“Hey, hey.” She croaked, a weak smile on her lips as her left hand, soaked in her blood that had pooled to the floor around her, coming up to rest on the firm grip Jack had on her intestines. “Jack…” She spoke again, and was met with the frantic eyes of a scared man.

The wound was bad, the blood loss was worse: and they both knew it.

Jack couldn’t help but notice the grey that had already settled into her skin, her lips losing colour. Her clothes, those brown linen pants and the white blouse to compliment were now deep shades of red, some of the blood already beginning to dry it had left her system so long ago. The bruises she arrived with, no doubt from the explosion that had rocked the ground beneath their feet ten minutes ago, had begun to show colour, turning her cheek into a mixture of browns and blues and purples and greys.

“You know,” She began again, pulling Jack’s attention away from her injuries. “It’s a real shame we won’t get that date. I was hoping to pay you back.” She let out a laugh, followed swiftly by a groan of pain that had Jack shushing her.

“Don’t… Don’t talk. You need to save your strength.” He said decidedly. “Medics will be here soon; they’ll sort you out and then you can take me out. To the bar on 19th in D.C, you used to love that one.” Jack smiled at the thought, looking back at the door. “MEDIC!” He called out. “WE NEED A MEDIC!!” He yelled the second time, a hand gripping his forearm in response.

“Stop.” Y/N begged, the smile never leaving her lips. “This is ok. Just us… This is alright…” Her hand moved from his arm to his chest, over his heart, and Jack couldn’t stop his lip trembling, his body shaking.

“Y/N please…”

“You know that girl from the party was really gorgeous.” Y/N cut him off, taking a laboured breath before continuing, “You should ask her out, take her to 19th Street for me.” She suggested, and Jack shook his head quickly.

“Why would I take her when I’m taking you? I’m not going to ruin a chance with you again by dating someone else Y/N.” He was stubborn, glancing around the room for something to stem the bleeding for just a little longer. “MEDIC?!” He called out once more, the desperation in his voice more than evident, and prompted another action from the woman he was trying to save.

“Hold my hand, Jack…” Y/N asked, the tears welling up in her eyes as she watched his frantic pleas. “I don’t want to die without you holding my hand.”

“You’re not going to die, Y/N!” Jack called through his frustration, tears of his own hitting against her linen trouser leg. He couldn’t believe what she was asking of him, how she could ask it of him, but that smile told him everything he didn’t want to think about, didn’t want to know. Y/N hands slipped over his own, lifting them slowly away from her abdomen, and bringing him closer to her as the blood flowed freely once more.

“I feel better already…” Y/N breathed out, a cold laugh coming from the man by her side, gripping her hands like it was the most important task in history: maybe it was. “Do you remember the first time we met? The helicopter flight out?” The word’s evoked memories to flash in front of Jack’s eyes: his nerves had got the better of him that day, and when the chopper took off he had gone to grab the seat edge. Instead, he had grabbed onto Y/N’s knee. Her laugh had echoed in his head for days after the event.

“You, you can’t talk like that, Y/N. You’re not…” He lost his words, the blood was now staining everything withing a metre of the pair, the white Y/N had chosen to battle the heat now completely red, Jack’s trousers bearing patterns from the liquid.

“I am, Jack…” Y/N corrected him, the tears now freely streaming down her cheeks, the smile she had feigned turning to a grimace of pain. “I shouldn’t have left New York… I’m so sorry I did… That I broke us off.” She admitted, letting out a gasp of pain, or relief, Jack couldn’t tell, after she let the confession slip.

“Hey, hey… You don’t need to apologise for anything…” Jack countered, and she let out a little laugh, strained and tired: but it was still hers.

“It’s my fault though… The past few years, I… I should have held on tighter to you.” A red hand came up to wipe away tears, decorating her cheeks with the blood. Jack leaned forward, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a napkin he had stored in there and wiped away the mess from her cheeks, a lump clumping in his throat.

“Y/N, please… If you just hold on for me now, we can get another shot.” He whispered, clasping her hands back in his and pressing his lips to her knuckles. Y/N giggled at that, the words brining a light to her eyes and a smile back to her face, though it was quickly interrupted by a cough. Blood edged the corners of her mouth. “Hold on for me…” She shook her head, and Jack let out a sob, unable to hold it back any longer.

“When they told us to go to war, I was ready to die for my country, Jack… I… I guess I’m lucky. I got more time than some, and I got to see you again.” She whispered, followed by another cough. “I’m so, so lucky Jack… We’re lucky. We got this… Didn’t we?” she asked, Jack looking back up at her with tear-stained cheeks.

“Please… Please I just got you back…”

“Promise that when you get those bastards, you’ll kill them. Shoot them dead for me.” She gripped onto his hands tighter. “It’s… It’s numb now… I…” She paused, letting the tears subside. “You did good Jack; you’ve always been so good…” Another cough, another wheeze. “You’ll have a drink for me when you get the chance, yeah?” The words were heavily laboured over, Y/N working past a film of blood that coated her mouth, against the pain that had turned to numbness. Jack pressed his lips to her forehead, her hands still enclosed in his own, trying to stop the tears that flowed so freely onto her linen trousers.

“I didn’t stop loving you Y/N, I never stopped.” The words, the truth, finally left him, and he looked up to see a smile on Y/N’s face, as weak as it was.

“Neither did I.” The words were more a whisper, but he heard them. What followed was a gasping breath, shaky and jarring amongst the quiet that had settled in the absence of gunfire. Her eyes dimmed, losing that brightness that Jack had always managed to catch sight of, had always adored.

Her eyes dimmed, and Jack knew she was dead.

--

Tags: @lullabieswrappedinlies @hiqhways @professorkrasinski @gingeraleluke  @im-a-writer-right​ @random-thoughts-003​

#jack ryan #tom clancy's jack ryan #jack ryan x reader #jack ryan x y/n #fanfiction #angst #fanfic #death

[tenduw]

How not to make a terrible Hetalia OC

Hi y’all, I feel like this really needs to be said, cause I was looking at different hetalia OCs the other day, and ngl many of them were, well, terrible.

First off, before I begin with my guide to making a decent oc, can I just say that any one of us can create an oc, in fact I would encourage people to. One problem with the hetalia fandom is that other than Scotland, Yugotalia and South America (somewhat) we haven’t really done our research when it comes to creating ocs and it really shows.

1)      Research – I do feel like some of you spend too much time looking at stereotypes of different countries and not enough time doing actual research. I am going to show you 2 different pictures here (Example 1 and 2 are below.) Notice the difference? Someone clearly researched into the issues faced by South Africa and decided on a way to come to a neutral outcome, whilst someone else didn’t do any research and decided that a White person was the best way to represent an entire population in Africa. Please research into the culture and history of the country when deciding to create the OC as if anything that would help you to try and understand the character you are attempting to draw or write. Also look at the hetalia tumblr or Instagram tag for the character as there might be an OC that you really like! I did so, and found really cool ocs by @disaster-fruit and @portu-cale! Then if this happens, there's already an oc you can see as the country! Just make sure to contact and credit the artist in any art you may produce.

2)      Ask -  Also remember that research doesn’t just apply to the internet! If you have a friend or some of your family members are from that country and have been there, then ask them about the culture! Not only that, but I’d suggest you also check out the country’s reddit, as there is a bunch of stuff you can find there which helps to gain a general understanding about what might actually be offensive and what won’t be. Also, I’d check out the tumblr tag for the country as well – really interesting facts about the country tend to come up.

3)      What you are creating the oc for – Are you creating an OC for a fanfiction or fanart? Depending on which one you are looking at then your research differs. Fanart requires you to be respectful towards the country, and obviously this is where most people in the fandom fall short – as you are literally drawing a representation of the country. Fanfiction in contrast tends to be more about characterisation, so rather than just make up a personality for the country, I would suggest that you read the history and facts about the country before creating a character for them. The thing about personified nations is that none of them are good or bad – they’re morally grey, so it’s important to do your research when deciding how exactly they are in this category. Patient Harmony on Fanfiction.net actually does this really well, and if you’re over 16 and are into the darker side of the fandom, I’d suggest checking them out!

4)      Think – Please think about what you are creating. This is most important when it comes to two areas – Colouring and Controversy. I’ll cover those in the next two points. Just remember to think before you create – what countries should I draw cutesy fanart for and which ones should I not draw it for? Also, think about the human names for the countries. You do have to look at names from the country you are creating an oc for – why the hell would Wales’ name be Victoria or Israel’s name Tal Haviv? Giving a oc of a nation an anglicised or Americanised name or making up a name because it sounds like the nation’s capital is just plain disrespectful. Also, please do research whatever name you do end up using as for example if Mexico was called Porfirio, you might not realise the problem with the name, but most Mexican fans of the show would. So do think about what you’re coming up with – And if something doesn’t feel right, then research it!

5)      Colouring – What skin tone are they? This seems to be the hardest thing for the hetalia fandom to comprehend and I can empathise to an extent. Of course, if the country is particularly diverse, such as Uganda then it will be somewhat challenging to come up with a skin tone for them. However completely whitewashing the country, like an ungodly amount of people have done with aph Mexico is ridiculous. Not everyone is white, in fact most people aren’t white – Just because you and your neighbourhood may be doesn’t mean that the entire world is! If you think that everyone is one skin tone then you need to get the hell out of whatever special rock you were living under. There are hundreds if not thousands of skin tones out there, and people do not either look like this: (is below) Or this: (is below) So if the OC you’re going to create is black, you don’t need to paint them the darkest shade of brown that you have. You also should avoid making them orange – If someone is from Africa, they are not orange! Likewise if someone is from Native America then don’t make their skin yellow! One thing in general that might help y’all out is if when creating your oc, you search on google images ‘X country people’ and see the results. JUST DON’T MAKE THE CHARACTER WHITE CAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

Also, I don't know why someone created an entire south America oc, nor do I understand why people keep making statetalia ocs

6)      Controversy – Now this one is going to be kind of long, but it really needs to be addressed. Just because you’re creating ocs for hetalia doesn’t mean that ALL stereotypes about the country need to be the main thing about the oc. Stereotypes about Italians loving pasta or the English loving tea are NOT the same as Mexicans being fence hoppers or the entire continent of Africa being malnourished. Like I’ve said many times already, do your research. An important thing to note, is that most of these stereotypes were made by 1st world countries and so naturally the most offensive ones are about the ethnicities that struggle to get any form of positive representation in the media. Another thing that needs to be addressed – Would you make fanart about any recent terror attacks? No? Then don’t make ocs that would have solely come about as a result of a disastrous event (e.g. Chernobyl). Also, you have to be reaaalllly careful when it comes to quite a few nations. Like Yemen and Palestine. It just feels really insensitive to draw cutesy fanart when their people are being targeted and insensitivity already is a major problem with the fandom. It’s 2020, not 2010 and it’s important to remember that!

7)      Try – Another problem with the hetalia fandom is that most people just stray away from non-european countries. On google, it says there are 196 countries in the world and if you add all of the micronations, you easily have more than 200 ‘nations’. The thing is, the countries that we keep missing out all have their own histories and cultures – this is a constant. I personally see hetalia as a series which serves to show that not all history is depressing and gory – it can be funny and amusing too! And it’s not just Europe that has amusing aspects to it’s history and culture. Where’s the jollof rice war between Nigeria and Ghana? Or the confusion surrounding how many islands Indonesia has? Creating ocs for the world’s countries literally means that what you draw doesn’t need to be as limited – You can have a BRICS meeting, or have a meeting between the African Union. Hetalia literally has a worldwide fanbase and wouldn’t it be interesting if we could spread more countries to the fans outside of the canon countries in the show? Shouldn’t it be our goal as fans of a show about different nations and cultures to introduce people to as many cultures as possible? So I encourage you guys to try with hetalia OCs – Just maybe run it by other people before making it public and MAKE SURE YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH.

It isn’t hard to create an OC, in fact I’d say it’s a bit easier for hetalia because we have access to everything we need to make one.

I hope this helps ^^

#hetalia #hetalia oc #fandom #hetalia axis powers #aph ocs #aph south africa #aph israel #aph wales

[bustedbernie]

So how do you feel about US foreign policy, specifically accusations that we're straight up imperialists? I ask bc it seems a lot of our actions in the MENA region seem specifically designed to, well, steal their oil reserves, particularly in places like Iraq and Libya. Do you think that at least, will change under the Biden Administration?

It’s a complicated question, isn’t it? I don’t think the USA is traditionally imperialist. It does not function as an empire or do what traditional empires have done. But that’s also part of its power. Some theorists talk about “new imperialism” or other words to describe the phenomenon. But leaving these definitions aside, the most agreed upon idea is that the USA is definitely the most powerful hegemon on the planet currently. 

That hegemonic influence is also hard to define. Some are saying the EU (along with Russia and China) make up the other powerful players, while others put the EU under the American umbrella through NATO. This distinction is hard, though I’d say that they are separate but often work together so often that it’s a non-starter. But it is sure that the USA uses its power to advance interests of itself and its allies and generally does so more or less effectively. And the use of military bases globally is used by both supporters and opponents of the idea of American imperialism. Traditionally imperialist countries extract from a nation, set up proconsuls or some form of official position, etc. The US pays a lot to have bases everywhere, many countries benefit both economically and strategically from their presence, and in some places, the US ends up providing much of the defense for some nations, even if its only in appearance. It definitely uses these bases to ensure stability for itself and its allies as well as to maintain markets for its consumers. That will be an important point below. 

MENA is complicated, too. The region found itself affected by that traditional imperialism (France, Britain, Spain, Italy, Ottomans, etc). I often see the partition of the Ottoman Empire and the imposition of borders that weren’t necessarily “good,” but a lot of the base for the current political arrangement seems to date to this era. The USA was more or less isolationist at this point, though definitely becoming more involved in the aftermaths of both the Spanish-American War and the First World War. Anyway, the more explicit imperialist things also seem to come from this era. BP involvement in Iran, Suez Canal, etc. 

Long story short, the USA isn’t a traditional imperialist, but in the post-world war II period, it definitely took on the role of super power. And with the specter of the Soviet Union as a rival Hegemon, MENA became another unfortunate front in their proxy wars and fights for advantages. A lot of the writers on the topic of new hegemonic power, particularly in Europe and the USA, state that the fact that their leaders are answerable to the electorates of their countries and that their citizens demand stability and easy access to goods has created a dynamic where leaders do whatever they can to maintain a certain global access. For Iraq, from what I’ve read, the motive wasn’t to “steal oil,” but to ensure that that oil remained within a supply chain that privileged the United States and its allies. I guess it then becomes a pedantic argument. And Donald Trump has made statements that sound traditionally imperialist (why don’t we just take all the oil?). A lot of folks write off those statements as a symptom of his stupidity, but i tend to believe he’s evil and doesn’t care about fracturing other regions for his own gain or perceived gain. 

Despite Trump, I think the trend line is still ticking down in terms of direct, forceful US involvement. There still remains a sticky ideological and economic battle in the region between the US and Russia that will continue to cause issues for years to come, but in general, the Obama administration began to really divert resources from heavy engagement and began putting them into soft-power. Using our influence, money and infrastructural know-how to instead invest in countries. And if Bush wanted to truly create US allies from the ground up in Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama was willing to help those nations along but was also willing to cut losses and acknowledge that a lot of this power wrangling wasn’t worth it, without even getting into the deep ideological battles. 

I’d imagine Biden won’t just discontinue traditional American policy. But, I think we could see an acceleration of the use of soft-power against the use of hard-power, particularly as Americans ourselves have become far more supportive of a less heavy-handed approach. In terms of MENA, it will be very interesting to see the Bidan approach to Saudi Arabia. His platform even talked about taking a hard-line against the country for their role in Yemen and he’s long been open to taking severe measures against human rights abuses abroad. I think we’ll see him use that approach to influence countries to adopt a more soft approach in womens and queer rights issues (he was in favor of trade sanctions against countries that execute gay people i believe) and he definitely believes in working with the European bloc to use our economic power to make those changes. In any case, I’d say as he takes office to watch how he handles Saudi Arabia in particular for clues on where he will take policy in the region. For many years, backing Saudi Arabia to maintain power dynamics, stability and trade in the region has trumped a lot of other goals. He also intends to “Hold Russia Accountable,” and given Russia’s desire for a foothold in the region, it’ll also be important to watch that dynamic. 

Long story short, the US isn’t traditionally imperialistic but we shouldn’t let wording get too in the way of acknowledging the fact that the US has an incredibly large influence. And I think the Biden admin will represent a shift. The question I don’t know how to answer is how massive or minuscule the shift will be. 

#andthroughbrooklyn

[crwatters]

2020 Recap

In true 2020 fashion, I started this in October and meant to post it in November, but never finished it. However, I put a lot of time into it and I think we deserve some levity right now, so please read and have a laugh at the bullshit that was the first 5 months of 2020.

Since the season finale of the horror drama show 2020 is nearly upon us, I thought I’d go ahead and list out everything that’s happened so far, in chronological order for once, so y’all can be sure you didn’t miss anything that could possibly be dragged up in the finale.

January/February

Austrailia declared state of disaster due to the massive bushfires 

Persian Gulf Crisis (US and Iran almost went to war) (the US arranged a peace negotiation on Iraqi soil, requesting the leader of Iraq to mediate, then when the Iranian general that was supposed to meet US representatives was en route, the US President ordered a drone strike assassination)

Cue WW3 memes

Prince Harry and Megan Markle step down from the royal family and go to Canada

First recorded coronavirus death in China

The Sultan of Oman dies

Iran launches missiles at US military base, but then things just kind of fizzle out

Volcanic eruption in Luzon

Ukrainian flight crashes in Iran

US presidential impeachment trial begins

Wuhan, China, goes under an unprecedented lockdown, the first of many covid lockdowns

Mr. Peanut dies

President Trump in the US attempts to replace NAFTA

Kobe Bryant and family die in helicopter crash

Brexit actually happened

Covid-19 declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO

Covid-19 is then named Covid-19 by the WHO

Malaysia’s government collapsed and then was remade

Stock market crashes

The Boy Scouts of America file for bankruptcy

US begins withdrawing troops from Afghanistan for the like, thousandth time

US first responders attacked by a swarm of 40,000 bees; this results in a wave of memes that lasts one day and then is quickly forgotten

Harvey Weinstein found guilty

March

International Criminal Court proceeds with an inquiry of Afghanistan war crimes, and for the first time investigates US citizens

Covid-19 comes after Italy

Locust swarms in East Africa on a biblical scale

Italy becomes the first country to have a nation-wide lockdown

Tom Hanks gets covid

The news that murder hornets had been spotted in Washington state become widespread

NBA cancels rest of basketball season

Stock market falls again (clumsy ass bitch)

Oil prices fall, causing gasoline prices to be the lowest in ~20 years, depending on where you live

Covid-19 is declared a pandemic

Global stock markets go into free fall (with or without parachutes?)

The EU closes external borders

March

The Toilet Paper Crisis

US states start going into lockdown (well, most of them)

Spring Break Extended Version

Eurovision canceled

India goes into lockdown

We learn what Zoom is

China declares it has covid-19 under control

Tiger King airs

Summer Olympics get suspended until 2021

Everyone bakes bread

People spread the (unfortunately misconstrued) story of dolphins “returning” to the Venice canals

March

#wearethevirus; people have to be educated on what ecofascism is

Philippines, Syria, Yemen, and Libya agree to the UN’s call for a ceasefire

North Macedonia joins NATO

People start irresponsibly adopting pets like crazy

Sarah Palin appears on “The Masked Singer”

Memes about quarantine get out of control

Oil prices drop again

Wearing masks becomes political

Hand sanitizer starts being sold in liquor bottles

US states enter into a bidding war over PPE because the national government refuses to handle the distribution

April?

People declare they’re going to be high for the whole month #420

Global cases surpass one million

Joe Biden becomes the presumptive Democrat nominee in the US presidential race

The “Horny for Cuomo Movement” happens, in which people decide the Governor of New York is hot and debate whether or not he has pierced nipples

Wuhan lockdown lifted

The US state of New York has more coronavirus cases than any country in the world

Asymptomatic cases are discovered

Countries start “compassionate” releases of prisoners considered to be at risk

Plandemic conspiracy video(s) circulate and your crazy uncle on Facebook won’t shut up about it

The US for the first time designates a white supremacy group a terrorist organization

The death toll surpasses 100k globally

Stimulus/Loan/Financial aide packages start being negotiated in various countries’ governments

The 8th episode of Tiger King airs

The Pope livestreams Easter

Some OPEC oil deal happens, idk

Global economy is predicted to retract the most since the Great Depression

April??

US President Trump decides to cut off funding to the WHO during a global public health crisis nightmare

The Tour de France is delayed until August

Confirmed global covid cases surpass 2 million

China revises the coronavirus death toll in Wuhan (causing the Plandemic people to be extra obnoxious)

The deadliest massacre in (modern, white people) Canadian history happens, claiming the lives of 23 people in Nova Scotia

Unrest breaks out in major cities around the world as people get tired of lockdown

West Texas Intermediate oil prices go into the negatives (how??? someone who understands economy bullshit please explain)

Facebook removes “pseudoscience” and “conspiracy theory” as options for targeted ads

STC announces a self-rule administration in southern Yemen; this is rejected by local governments and organizations 

Kim Jong Un is speculated to have died and people begin stanning his sister before realizing she’s probably actually worse

US formally releases the previously leaked videos of “unidentified aerial phenomena”

The number of confirmed cases globally passes 3 million with the US making up a solid third of that

A fast-radio burst is for the first time detected within our galaxy

The tin-foil hat people who don’t understand what that actually means lose their gourds about aliens

An asteroid comes “near” (6.3 million km) earth; this obviously means we’re all going to die

NASA decides it wants to try and get the first woman on the moon by 2024

Armed protestors p.o.’d about not being able to get hair cuts storm Michigan’s state capital

May, somehow

Kim Jong Un is alive, actually, making a public appearance for the first time in a while

Attempted coup in Venezuela

Scientists discover a fungi that prevents mosquitos from carrying malaria

Murder hornets spotted in the US state of Washington

Grimes has a baby and her and Elon Musk decide on the name  X Æ A-12, sparking a whirlwind of memes we all forgot about a week later

UK coronavirus death toll surpasses Italy to become the highest in Europe

Styrene gas leak in India kills 11 people and causes over 5,000 to become ill

More than 4 million cases world wide

Wuhan reports first case in over a month

In two separate incidents in Afghanistan, gunmen storm a maternity hospital and kill 24 people; and then at a funeral a suicide bomber kills 32 people

UN issues a warning about a mental health crisis as a result of the virus, economy, and lockdowns (we been knew sweetie)

A millipede fossil is declared the oldest known land animal

A Rwandan businessman who supported the Rwandan genocide is finally arrested after 26 years on the run

The World Health Assembly is appropriately held via video conference

Palestine terminates all agreements with Israel and the US

Cyclone Amphan makes landfall in India and Bangladesh, killing at least 100 and forcing the evacuation of 4 million people, and becomes the costliest cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean

US declares its intent to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty

A Pakistan flight crashes, killing 97 of the 99 people aboard

Brazil overtakes Russia to become the country with the second-highest number of covid cases

Police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota kill George Floyd, sparking Black Lives Matter protests around the world

Costa Rica legalizes gay marriage

LATAM (Latin America Airlines) files for bankruptcy

China passes some laws giving itself permission to take even more extreme measures against the people in Hong Kong

US death toll passes 100,000; killing more US citizens than in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined

Covid cases pass 6 million globally

#2020 #year in review #my ramblings

[suhyla]

Many muslims consider voting to be haram because voting means you stand for everything that politician will do when they have power and with every bad they do you're responsible for it, and those muslims dont accept that it's an opinion and voting is up to interpretation (whether you should or shouldnt vote, islamically speaking). I know you dont agree with this (neither do i), so can you dismantle this opinion? Because you have more islamic knowledge than i do. May Allah reward you

Salam, I don't have more knowledge at all so please don't mistake me for a scholar. I will only give my opinion. I haven't heard that voting is haram, although I can see how one may make that argument.

I, as you may have guessed, disagree. I don't believe voting is haram. I'd actually strongly urge people to go vote (voting is more than just for a president by the way, there are local offices and referendums as well that we should actively be involved in as we have a responsibility to our communities. That being said, it's important that our work only begins with voting and does not end there. When Muslims start voting in America for example, their demands are heard more because each politician begins to see that as a base that they can win/lose. It's very 3ajeeb because as a child in this country, I was made to feel like I'd never be a full citizen, and suddenly officials are coming into our mosques and promising to build shelters and provide funding that our community has the right to because of our taxes, but for some reason have never claimed (I'd imagine it has to do with the 2nd class citizen feeling). As many Muslims who previously couldn't vote, begin to register - we receive more attention from candidates. Since the 2016 election, we've recieved many more opportunities to improve our community and build projects that we used to protect vulnerable people at home & abroad and spread dawah. Policies affect real people. They're not just fancy headlines.

Furthermore, many people assume that someone like Trump cares so much about Israel and that's why he's been vocal about them, or any other topic. But in reality, that's not the case. Trump doesn't care about Israel, but his voter base (Evangelical Christians) does. Likewise, Obama wanted to be the first US president to mediate between Palestine and Israel. However, Bibi didn't care much. This created tensions between them but Obama was keen not to do anything largely anti-Israel when he was seeking re-election because that would prompt voter outrage. But in his second term, Obama (now that he doesn't need to think of voters) for the first time did not veto the UN's condemnation of the settlements, and thus the resolution was passed. That's why Bibi is worried about a Biden presidency (even though I personally don't think Biden - much less Harris - will speak as much against the settlements but if there's enough outrage he just might.). Politicians try to avoid decisions that will threaten their re-election prospects or popular approval.

I find that our views as a community are not respected because we fail to show up as a strong, active voter base. So when something like the war in Yemen happens, America knows there will be little vocal admonition, especially as there aren't any American troops on the ground. So essentially, what I'm saying is here in America Muslims don't usually have high turnout rates at elections, so our issues aren't at the forefront of the debates. When we vote more, we have more sway over the issues being discussed and politicians are keen not to take actions that will threaten our support.

Of course, there will never be a perfect candidate. In fact, most are far from it, but inaction is also an action. If we all chose to sit out and Trump was re-elected with his known disregard for minorities, people with disabilities, and his brazen attitude to get what he wants (especially considering he'd be less constrained 2nd term) then that also has consequences. We become non-actors, and get even more pushed to the side. Like it or not, these are the rules of the game here. And until there is an alternative, this is how we claim (or lose) attention. Everything we do or don't do has consequences.

#this took up way too much time to write than i anticipated lol #feel free to disagree as always #but this is my take kn it #i live in a very politically active area so naturally my views are shaped by this #full disclosure haha #also the idea that we shouldn't vote bc of the fear that we will be held responsible for every action of the candidate is kinda laughable #like what if they do good #what if the other candidate would do more evil #wouldnt we then be responsible for not voting? #by that logic #we might as well not have kids #well be responsible for every bad action they do as well

[critical-thinking-is-mandatory]

See, I want to write rich characters who redistribute their wealth (and donate to charities they DON'T already own) and actually give a shit about people who aren't as privileged as they are, but at the same time, I'm scared of writing propaganda for the rich...

that’s a bit of a pickle anon.

for one thing i’d probably skip the charity part because we’re already heavily conditioned to the ~philanthropist~ charity donations we see irl so i’d probably have them like just directly walking down the street and giving people a wad of cash, or like going through and paying people’s bail, or paying people’s cashapps past what’s been requested or just like idk. walking into a hospital and paying every single person’s owed bill. or like buying houses for homeless people idk. 

really like, i suppose really exaggerate the rich character’s actions. like you see those posts where like x billionaire could end world hunger and stop the war in yemen and buy every single individual in x country a house at x price? do that. really make the disparity between your rich character and the idolised rich people/characters really really obvious.

make people go ‘holy shit. they’re actually making a difference, imagine if rl rich people did this’. 

if it’s possible, i’d also adjust the rich characters’ background so that they come from a working class background and say, were adopted by a billionaire and then inherited a lot of that wealth, which they’re using to make everyone’s lives better.

also like, don’t have them live a ridiculous rich-filled, exotic animals as pets, solid gold toilet seats kind of life. that kind of lifestyle really contradicts a message of like. caring about other people in any way.

don’t be scared to have the rich character/s face genuine criticism, and the criticism can even be done in a very angry way, but they also need to inevitably accept that they were in the wrong too, and that they are not superior morally or otherwise simply for being rich.

oh actually as well, if the rich character happens to be white or white-passing, don’t treat them like a white saviour or anything for helping black or brown people financially. that’s not a great look. but for sure, if the rich character is black make race a talking point definitely.

#not ml #rich characters #asks #anon #i hope this makes sense #sorry this took a while anon #i wanted to make sure i had a good answer for you

[newstfionline]

Friday, February 5, 2021

Canada puts Proud Boys on terror list, cites active security threat (Reuters) Canada named the far-right Proud Boys a terrorist entity on Wednesday, saying it posed an active security threat and played a “pivotal role” in last month’s attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead. Although the Proud Boys have never mounted an attack in Canada, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said domestic intelligence forces had become increasingly worried about the group. The group’s assets can now be frozen by banks and financial institutions, and it is a crime for Canadians to knowingly deal with assets of a listed entity. Anyone belonging to the group can be blocked from entering Canada. The move underscored constitutional concerns about a Canadian government’s ability to designate a group as a terrorist entity, said Leah West, a national security professor at Ottawa’s Carleton University and former lawyer with the Canadian justice department. Designations are impossible to challenge beforehand and difficult to address afterward, especially given lawyers may be reluctant to provide counsel to members of a terrorist group, she said by phone.

US to cut off support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen amid humanitarian crisis (Guardian) The US has announced an end to its support for Saudi-led offensive operations in Yemen, citing the role the bombing campaign has had in creating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The announcement was made byJoe Biden during a visit to the state department, capping a whiplash fortnight of dramatic foreign policy changes since his 20 January inauguration. “This war has to end,” Biden said. “And to underscore our commitment, we’re ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales.” The distancing of Washington from Riyadh is one of the most conspicuous reversals of Donald Trump’s agenda, but it also marks a break with the policies pursued by Barack Obama, who had backed the Saudi offensive in Yemen, although he later sought to impose constraints on its air war. The US will also freeze arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and name a special envoy to Yemen, to put more pressure on the Saudis, Emiratis and the Houthi forces they are fighting, to make a lasting peace agreement.

Capt. Tom’s legacy lives on (AP) The legacy of Capt. Tom Moore, the super fundraiser who died Tuesday of COVID-19, lives on in others. Capt. Tom, a World War II veteran recovering from a broken hip, set out to raise 1,000 pounds ($1,400) by walking 100 laps of his back garden before his 100th birthday last April. Three weeks later, he had raised 33 million pounds ($45 million) for Britain’s NHS after his quest cheered a nation in lockdown and triggered donations from around the world. But he also made a broader impact as his simple challenge—to do whatever you can to help others—persuaded the young it’s never too soon to start, and the old that it’s never too late. Take Margaret Payne, 90, who walked up the stairs in her home 282 times to raise 416,000 pounds for the NHS. Payne, from Ardvar in the Scottish Highlands, calculated that the feat was the equivalent of climbing 731 meters (2,398 feet), or the height of Suilven, one of Scotland’s best known mountains that she scaled when she was 15. And then there’s Tony Hudgell, a 5-year-old who lost both legs after being abused as a baby, set out to walk 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and raise 500 pounds for the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. After completing the challenge in a series of daily walks he had attracted more than 1 million pounds of donations. “Captain Sir Tom inspired so many people to take on their own extraordinary challenges, from running marathons to swimming lakes, and he gave us all hope,” said Ellie Orton, chief executive of NHS Charities Together.

How a Bavarian supermarket is helping shoppers find love amid shutdown (The Local/Germany) Can you find love while shopping in Germany? For many, a supermarket may be just about the least likely place for a starry eyed encounter. An Edeka supermarket in the Bavarian town of Volkach, however, is trying to break through barriers amid the coronavirus crisis: every Friday evening has been set aside for “singles shopping.” Every Friday between 6 and 8pm, singles can grab a heart with a number on it at the entrance and stick it on their jacket. If they spot someone they fancy amid the shelves, they can opt to have that person’s number called out at the checkout. Those who are a bit more bashful can simply leave their phone number with a message. For this purpose, slips of paper are laid out on which the type of contact can be ticked off, such as: “I’d be happy to meet you for an orange juice in the fruit department.” “Nothing has taken off yet,” a butcher’s assistant told Bavarian news website Merkur amid a display of schnitzel and minced meat. “At least not here by the meat, but maybe in another department.”

Mountain heartbreak: Italy has deep snow, closed ski resorts (AP) The granite peaks that majestically encircle the northern Italian town of Cortina d’Ampezzo glimmer with one of the most prolific snowfalls in years, while the COVID-19 pandemic silences Italy’s winter resorts. Italy’s 2019-2020 ski season closed unexpectedly early last March, when the country became the first Western country pummeled by the pandemic. A new season has yet to launch, unlike in neighboring Switzerland, which in December allowed lifts to open with restrictions, or in Austria, where residents still can ski. France’s ski lifts remain closed at least through February. In Italy, the pandemic-related closures are a hit to an industry that generates 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in annual revenues and employs 5,000 permanent and 10,000 seasonal workers, according to the association of ski lift operators, ANEF. The association said last year’s early end to the season led to a 20% revenue decline and called the current season a total loss. Factoring in hotels, restaurants and other services, the ski industry generates 11 billion euros ( $13.2 billion) in annual revenues, but travel restrictions have kept activity near zero on top of the stilled lifts.

Twitter Unblocked Accounts That Criticized India’s Government. Now, Its Employees Are Being Threatened With Jail Time Unless It Blocks Them Again. (BuzzFeed News) India’s government has threatened to punish employees at Twitter with fines and jail terms of up to seven years for restoring hundreds of accounts it has ordered the company to block. Most accounts were critical of the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. On Monday, Twitter complied with the government’s order and prevented people in India from viewing more than 250 accounts belonging to activists, political commentators, a movie star, and the Caravan, an investigative news magazine. Most accounts had criticized Modi, India’s Hindu nationalist prime minister, and his government. But the company restored the accounts approximately six hours later after a Twitter lawyer met with IT ministry officials, and argued that the tweets and accounts constituted free speech and were newsworthy. India’s government disagreed. On Tuesday, the IT ministry sent a notice to Twitter, ordering it to block the accounts once again. It also threatened people who work at Twitter’s Indian arm with legal consequences, which could include a fine or a jail term of up to seven years. “This is really problematic,” said Nikhil Pahwa, editor of MediaNama, a technology policy website, and an internet activist. “I don’t see why the government of India should wade into this territory of trying to censor tweets when they have much bigger problems to deal with.”

Myanmar charges Suu Kyi, giving legal basis to detain her (AP) Police leveled their first formal charge against Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, her allies said Wednesday, accusing the ousted leader of possessing illegally imported walkie-talkies and giving the military authorities who staged a coup a legal reason to detain her for two weeks. The charge came to light two days after Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest and appeared to be an effort to lend a legal veneer to her detention, though the generals have previously kept her and others locked up for years. The military announced Monday that it would take power for one year—accusing Suu Kyi’s government of not investigating allegations of voter fraud in recent elections. Suu Kyi’s party swept that vote, and the military-backed party did poorly.

Myanmar blocks Facebook as resistance grows to coup (AP) Myanmar’s new military government has blocked access to Facebook as resistance to Monday’s coup surged amid calls for civil disobedience to protest the ousting of the elected civilian government and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Facebook is especially popular in Myanmar and the ousted government had commonly made public announcements on the social media site. Internet users said the disruption began late Wednesday night, and mobile service provider Telenor Myanmar confirmed in a statement that mobile operators and internet service providers in Myanmar had received a directive from the communications ministry to temporarily block Facebook. The political party ousted in Monday’s coup and other activists in Myanmar have called for a campaign of civil disobedience to oppose the takeover. In the vanguard are medical personnel, who have declared they won’t work for the military government and who are highly respected for their work during the coronavirus pandemic that is taxing the country’s dangerously inadequate health system. For a second night Wednesday, residents in Yangon engaged in “noise protests,” with people banging pots and pans and honking car horns under cover of darkness.

Japan’s population decline (Nikkei Asian Review) Japan’s population shrank by a record 420,000 people last year, government estimates show, as the coronavirus pandemic dealt a heavy blow to an influx of foreign workers that had helped offset the country’s ongoing natural population decline. The total fell for a 12th straight year, shattering the previous record of 329,000 set just a year earlier. The health ministry estimates Japan’s population at 125.57 million as of Jan. 1, based on confirmed data through July and estimates based on births, deaths and foreign arrival and departure data. The drop owes in large part to a 60% plunge in foreign arrivals that has kept the labor market tight even though the pandemic has slowed the economy and eliminated many jobs.

In Iraq’s ‘Dire’ Economy, Poverty Is Rising—And So Are Fears Of Instability (NPR) With the gold domes of the famed Kadhimiya shrine as a backdrop, nearby streets full of shops, markets and tea-sellers in Baghdad look bustling and vibrant, even at night. Tempting windows display sparkly clothes and cascades of candy in rainbow colors. But shopkeepers say no one has been buying much since Iraq devalued its dinar against the dollar last year. Around the world, economies have been crushed by the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund reported in October that most Mideast economies plunged into recession. But some places are especially vulnerable, among them Iraq. Its economy depends overwhelmingly on oil exports, and as travel halted and demand for fuel dwindled, government revenues tumbled along with oil prices. Government revenues plummeted by 47.5% in the first eight months of last year, the World Bank reports. With drastically less oil revenue, the government has been paying its salaries and pensions intermittently or not at all. Economists say Iraq’s poverty rate may have shot up from 20% in 2018 to 30% or more last year. To try to make it easier to pay those salaries, as well to encourage people to buy domestically instead of relying on imports, the government devalued the dinar against the dollar by about 20% in December. But as Iraq produces very little, people have little choice but to buy imported goods—which are only more expensive now. “Iraq’s economic situation can probably best be described as being dire,” says Ali al-Saffar of the International Energy Agency.

Beirut blast victims want the truth (AP) Days after a massive explosion ripped through Beirut’s port and disfigured the Lebanese capital, family members of some of the 211 people killed in the blast demanded an international probe. It was a swift vote of no confidence in the authorities’ ability to investigate one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and one of the nation’s most traumatic experiences. The skepticism was justified. Lebanon, a country wrought by political violence and assassinations, has a history of unfinished prosecutions and buried secrets. Six months after the Aug. 4 blast, the domestic investigation has been brought to a virtual halt by the same political and confessional rivalries that thwarted past attempts to uncover the truth in major crimes. Lebanon’s sectarian-based political factions have had a lock on power in the country for decades and have divvied up posts across the state among themselves. Though rivals, they have a common interest in preventing accountability. Aya Majzoub of Human Rights Watch said a U.N. fact-finding mission is needed. “We can’t rest our hope and faith on a broken system that has proven incredibly resilient. We can’t expect the very people who are implicated in these crimes and other big crimes in Lebanon to lead reform.”

In thrice-demolished village, a Mideast battle of wills (AP) It looks like the aftermath of a tornado. There are dirt plots where there used to be makeshift homes; tent poles stacked like firewood; fencing and scrap metal scattered across a desert valley greened by winter rain; a cold firepit and a pile of kitchen essentials where a cooking tent once stood. This is what remains of the herding community of Khirbet Humsu in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli forces demolished it for the third time in as many months. On Wednesday, just minutes after the army left, Palestinian residents were at work repairing their fences—hoping to gather their sheep before dark, knowing the army might return the next day. “We build it up and they tear it down,” said Waleed Abu al-Kbash as he stretched fencing between two posts. “Where am I supposed to go? I have a thousand head of sheep.” Khirbet Humsu, perched on the rolling highlands above the Jordan Valley, is part of the 60% of the West Bank known as Area C, which is under full Israeli military control as part of interim peace agreements from the 1990s. Israel planned to annex the Jordan Valley and other parts of the occupied West Bank last year after getting a green light from the Trump administration, but it put annexation on hold as part of a U.S.-brokered normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates. It still maintains complete control over the territory, leaving Bedouin communities like the one at Khirbet Humsu at constant risk of displacement. Shepherds who rely on seasonal rains and scattered springs are also at the mercy of an arbitrary cycle of demolition and rebuilding.

Innovation (Bloomberg) South Korea returned to first place in the latest Bloomberg Innovation Index, while the U.S. dropped out of a top 10 that features a cluster of European countries. Korea regained the crown from Germany, which dropped to fourth place. The Asian nation has now topped the index for seven of the nine years that it’s been published. Singapore and Switzerland each moved up one spot to rank second and third.

#headlines #news

[theanxiouslawstudent]

The Anxious Law Student contents master-post

Hello! I’m a 2nd year law student and suffer from Agoraphobia (a sort of anxiety/panic disorder) :) I made this website for 3 reasons: 

1. To post simplified summaries of various concepts of law, such that law students and non-law persons alike can comprehend them easily (and also be a form of my own revision). 

2. To connect with (and validate) other law students who may suffer from mental disorders and/or physical disabilities. 

3. To share my research, thereby document my academic prowess over the remaining 4 years of law school. 

Following is a list of contents you will find over at my website :) [I post fortnightly (ish), so I’ll keep updating this list]

Home: 

Sort of a Psych 101 as an intro to anxiety disorders- and breaking in the fact that law students, too, might suffer from them (as do I)

About Us: 

A little bit about Team TALS

Purpose: 

The primary aim of this website is to increase awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities- both, mental and physical. We firmly believe that no matter how many laws are passed or policies are formed, they will only remain words on a paper till every single person in a country fully comprehends and actively works on being more considerate and accepting of differences

Resources for Students: 

This is the page containing my never-ending list of free resources that I personally found useful as a 1L, as well as paid resources and resources for internships and competitions (for, you know, CV purposes)

Legal Concepts (for Dummies) 

This blog contains various concepts in law that I tried to make short and easy to understand summaries of. The individual pages under this folder are as follows:

Jurisprudence: What is jurisprudence? A big word, that's what. It sounded so complex when I'd first heard it but after a bit of clicking, I'd found it's a pretty basic concept. This synopsis is what I'd learnt- and I've provided links to the references.

Legal Systems: Another one of the very first concepts you learn at law school (even before, if you were a curious kid), I've made a compact synopsis of it, explaining 3 common legal systems for better understanding. 

What is a ‘MISTAKE’ in the legal sense: Mistake is said to be any unintentional act, omission or error arising from the subconscious, ignorance, forgetfulness or misplaced confidence. 

Academic Writing

Another blog, but this one is sorta special, bc its essays and articles I've written for coursework; all my basic research as a 1L

Mental disorder ‘doth excusat’ Criminal Liability: Severe mental disorders (or what law calls "insanity") is a strong defense from criminal liability. In this essay, I've covered the history and prominence of this defense to better understand it. 

Why Marital Rape is Normalized in India- and Not Criminalized (Hint: Patriarchy): Marital rape refers to the non-consensual sexual intercourse after the marriage of a heterosexual couple, with the female being over 18 years of age (the age clause recently amended in Independent Thought v. Union of India).

Human Rights

This folder contains topics and resources to spread awareness and to contribute to improving the living conditions of people around the world, who have been victims of human rights violations time and again- and that needs to change.

Why ‘Different’ is Perfect: As the name of the page suggests, I've tried to simplify for the denser population who've yet to comprehend that being different is never a bad thing, and that it does not warrant being ridiculed or discriminated against.

Black Lives Matter: This page is dedicated to the blm, and I've linked all resources like donations and petitions to sign (which had already been complied in a master carrd, which I've linked in the references)

Help Yemen: This page is dedicated to the Yemen crisis, I've linked all resources like donations and petitions to sign (which had already been complied in a master carrd, which I've linked in the references)

Disability Law

This folder comprises research and resources to understand and moreover try to include persons with disabilities into the world instead of excluding and secluding them. If they don't fit your standards of "human beings", it's your standards that need to change.

Human Rights and Reality- Rights of Persons With Disabilities: Human rights are technically still simply a Utopian concept for a vast majority of the world, and that majority is comprised of minority groups such as persons with disability.

Disability Law Resources: This page lists all the important documents and websites and PDFs and whatnot (its literally never-ending) that I've used during my research for disability law and disability rights.

Contact Us

Apart from this Tumblr, you can get in touch with us to share your experience or tips, or just say hi over on the following :):

LinkedIn

Email ‘[email protected]’

#law blog #law student #law school #studying law #lawblr #law studyblr #studyblr #agoraphobia #mental disorders #human rights #disability law #Resources #university #anxiety #panic disorder #research #article

[the-life-support-system]

Guys my friend Noor is fundraising to feed a family of 5 during Ramadan as well as to sponsor an orphan for a year. The money will go to the 7 main countries that Human Appeal (the charity) help. These include Syria, Lebanon (Syrian and Palestinian refugees), Palestine, Yemen, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

I’d really appreciate it is you could donate if you can or spread the word, no pressure tho :)

I just think it’s a really good cause and I know it means a lot to them.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/maishaandaleenaarehereforeveryorphan

#just giving #ramadan #feed a family #sponsor an orphan #Human appeal #idk who would look at these tags because if you want to donate money why look on tumblr #but i want to spread the word as much as possible