#it couldn’t be a coincidence his grades and health were declining

[tanglepelt]

Dc x idea 124

Sam and Danny do a student exchange program. Danny was Volvontold to do it by mr.lancer who got his parents to agree. Sam’s parents were more then happy to force her to do it. The school she was being sent to had a Wayne.

Tucker would be staying back in amity to help Valarie with the ghosts.

The two amity Parker’s quickly caught attention at the transfer school. The two kept to themselves and wanted nothing to do with it. At one point they were caught bad mouthing the justice league. That caught attention especially from Damian Wayne.

Danny: it’s not that we don’t like hero’s

Sam: it’s that they claim to give a shit but don’t! That hotline is bs. Nothing comes from it.

Damian: they deal with world ending crisis not small time crime from a town in Illinois.

Danny: duh. Dude we don’t call when box ghost is stealing all the shoe boxes. Or when spectra did her hospital gig yet again. Then the time lunch lady decided it was mandatory meatloaf Monday and-

Sam: *elbowing Danny* we’ve only called with potential world ending threats. Like when the ghost king yoinked our town into the ghost zone and threatened to destroy earth without the return of his ring. Then the time undergrowth was going to feed our entire town to his plants then move on to the world.

Danny: don’t forget technus. Know how last month how phones, tvs and most electronics only were displaying a green face screaming of taking over the world. It only lasted like what 2 mins for you guys. But man that was a rough week for us.

Sam: Tucker got a hold of someone just for them to laugh In his face despite offering proof and video footage.

Sam/Danny: we’ll keep bad mouthing the justice league. Deal with it.

Sam: besides we have a much better heros then the justice league. Two of them who actually care.

#dcxdp #dpxdc #dpxdc prompt #dcxdp prompt #sam and Danny agreed to just bad mouth the justice league #someone was going to notice #this was prime hero area #maybe they could stage a mutiny with other teens #sam is going to mess with danny #talk up phantom #Damian is definitely informing Bruce of this #I’d like to say Giw is the ones blocking amity #there diverting calls to them #then making amity Parker’s think the leauge doesn’t care #so the leauge actually has no ideas #sam and danny don’t believe that #they have proof with emails and call logs #definitely showing that off to the students #mr lancer knew danny need to get away from amity #it couldn’t be a coincidence his grades and health were declining #with the appearance of ghosts #Danny will happily take help #he is a tired ghost boy #let it be someone else’s problem

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Mass Transit Faces Huge Service Cuts Across U.S. (NYT) In Boston, transit officials warned of ending weekend service on the commuter rail and shutting down the city’s ferries. In Washington, weekend and late-night metro service would be eliminated and 19 of the system’s 91 stations would close. In Atlanta, 70 of the city’s 110 bus routes have already been suspended, a move that could become permanent. And in New York City, home to the largest mass transportation system in North America, transit officials have unveiled a plan that could slash subway service by 40 percent and cut commuter rail service in half. Across the United States, public transportation systems are confronting an extraordinary financial crisis set off by the pandemic, which has starved transit agencies of huge amounts of revenue and threatens to cripple service for years. The financial collapse of transportation agencies would especially hurt minority and low-income riders who tend to be among the biggest users of subways and buses.

Some Colleges Plan to Bring Back More Students in the Spring (NYT) It was a tough fall semester for many American colleges and universities, with declining enrollment, canceled classes and sporting events, widespread Zoom fatigue and enough coronavirus-infected students nationwide to fill three and a half Rose Bowls. But many university officials say that lessons from the fall will allow them to do something many experts considered unthinkable a few months ago: bring even more students back onto campus in January and February, when classes resume for the spring. The University of California, San Diego, for instance, is making room for more than 11,000 students in campus housing—about 1,000 more than it housed in the fall. The University of Florida is planning to offer more face-to-face classes than it did before the pandemic. And Princeton University, which let only a few hundred students live on campus last semester, has offered space to thousands of undergraduates. The determination to bring back more students, even as the pandemic is surging in many states, partly reflects the financial imperative to have more students paying room and board, as well as the desire to provide something resembling a college experience. But there is also an emerging confidence among at least some college administrators that they have learned much about managing the pandemic on their campuses.

Schools confront ‘off the rails’ numbers of failing grades (AP) The first report cards of the school year are arriving with many more Fs than usual in a dismal sign of the struggles students are experiencing with distance learning. School districts from coast to coast have reported the number of students failing classes has risen by as many as two or three times—with English language learners and disabled and disadvantaged students suffering the most. “It was completely off the rails from what is normal for us, and that was obviously very alarming,” said Erik Jespersen, principal of Oregon’s McNary High School, where 38% of grades in late October were failing, compared with 8% in normal times. Educators see a number of factors at play: Students learning from home skip assignments—or school altogether. Internet access is limited or inconsistent, making it difficult to complete and upload assignments. And teachers who don’t see their students in person have fewer ways to pick up on who is falling behind, especially with many keeping their cameras off during Zoom sessions.

Congressional crunch time (Foreign Policy) The U.S. Congress heads into what Politico has described as “hell week” as lawmakers attempt to pass a coronavirus relief act, defense bill, and reach a government funding agreement before a Dec. 11 deadline. A $908 billion coronavirus relief bill, negotiated over the weekend by a bipartisan group, will include a $300 weekly federal unemployment benefit, but stops short of reissuing $1,200 checks, last seen in May. Congress is expected to pass a defense spending bill on Tuesday. However, since it does not repeal Section 230 of the Communications Act as President Trump has demanded, it may face a presidential veto.

Mexican president wants to restrict US agents in Mexico (AP) Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has tossed another hot potato to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden with a proposal that would restrict U.S. agents in Mexico and remove their diplomatic immunity. The proposal submitted quietly this week by López Obrador would require Drug Enforcement Administration agents to hand over all information they collect to the Mexican government, and require any Mexican officials they contact to submit a full report to Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department. “The proposal is that foreign agents will not have any immunity,” according to a summary of the president’s proposal to the Mexican Senate published Friday. In most countries, the chief DEA agent in the country often has full diplomatic immunity and other agents have some form of limited or technical immunity. “The proposal requires that foreign agents give Mexican authorities the information they gather,” according the proposed changes. Mike Vigil, the DEA’s former chief of international operations, said of the handover of all information, “That is not going to happen.”

Should a coronavirus vaccine be mandatory? In Brazil’s most populous state, it will be. (Washington Post) The words couldn’t have been any clearer. In the most populous state in Brazil, anchored by the largest city in the Americas, getting vaccinated against the coronavirus won’t be a question of personal volition. It will be mandatory. “I’ve guaranteed that the 45 million Brazilians here in São Paulo will be vaccinated, and the vaccine will be obligatory,” Gov. João Doria told reporters in a slow, deliberate cadence. “We will take legal measures if there are any setbacks in this regard.” As countries race to approve the first round of coronavirus vaccines—including Britain on Wednesday authorizing the Pfizer vaccine—governments, businesses and civil institutions are grappling with an increasingly urgent question: Should it be required? The prospect of forcing people to take it has proved to be a delicate matter, pitting individual rights against collective need, personal inclination against social responsibility. Some public health officials argue that mandatory vaccination is the only way to vanquish the coronavirus and—compared with lockdowns and travel restrictions—far less burdensome. Other experts—and the majority of government leaders—say the opposite: The vaccine can’t be mandatory. People need to make their own decisions.

EU weighs up sanctions against Turkey in east Med gas dispute (Reuters) European Union foreign ministers evaluated grounds on Monday for sanctions against Turkey over a Mediterranean gas dispute before the bloc’s leaders decide at a summit on Dec. 10-11 whether to make good on their threat to impose punitive measures. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his country would not “bow down to threats and blackmail” but repeated his call for negotiations over the conflicting claims to continental shelves and rights to potential energy resources. Tensions flared in August when Turkey—a NATO ally and candidate for EU membership—sent a survey vessel to map out energy drilling prospects in waters also claimed by Greece. EU leaders told Turkey in October to stop exploring in the disputed eastern Mediterranean waters or face consequences. France and the European Parliament, which formally called for sanctions on Nov. 26, say it is time to punish Turkey, which is seen in Brussels as fuelling the dispute for domestic political reasons.

Pope: ‘No pandemic can turn off the light of Christmas’ (Vatican News) There is no pandemic or crisis that can turn off the light of Christmas, Pope Francis affirmed, as he greeted the faithful present in St. Peter’s Square and following through the media during the Sunday Angelus. Noting that the Vatican’s Christmas tree has been erected in the Square and that the Nativity Scene will soon be unveiled, the Pope said that in many homes “these symbols of Christmas are being set up to the delight of children,” and also to the delight of those who no longer are children. “They are symbols, or signs of hope, especially during this difficult time,” he said, and he invited Christians not to stop at the symbols, but to go beyond and understand their meaning: “Jesus, the love of God, who was revealed to us to reach that goodness which has been poured out on the world.” And assuring us all that no pandemic or crisis can “turn off that light,” Pope Francis said: “Let us allow it to enter into our hearts and reach out toward those who are most in need.” Thus, he concluded: “God will once again be born in us and in our midst.”

India’s farming strike (Foreign Policy) Farmers in India called for a nationwide strike starting Tuesday, vowing to intensify protests against controversial new agriculture laws. The government argues that the new laws passed in September would allow farmers to sell produce directly to corporations, but farmers—the majority of whom are smallholders—fear that it will remove safeguards from exploitation. Protesting farmers blocked roads and railways in India’s north before converging on New Delhi last month. With some 60 percent of the Indian population dependent on agriculture, the backlash poses a real test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Talks aimed at resolving the standoff failed on Saturday, as protest leaders have rejected the government’s offer to amend the laws, calling instead for a complete repeal of the legislation.

Rules of engagement (Foreign Policy) A new report by Brown University’s Costs of War Project finds that a 2017 U.S. Department of Defense relaxation of rules of engagement in Afghanistan coincided with a 95 percent increase in the number of civilian deaths caused by U.S. and allied airstrikes compared to the previous ten years. The report also found that 700 Afghan civilians were killed by airstrikes in 2019, the most killed in any year since the war began in 2001.

New roads pave way for massive growth of Israeli settlements (AP) In the coming years, Israelis will be able to commute into Jerusalem and Tel Aviv from settlements deep inside the West Bank via highways, tunnels and overpasses that cut a wide berth around Palestinian towns. Rights groups say the new roads will set the stage for explosive settlement growth, even if the incoming U.S. administration somehow convinces Israel to curb housing construction. The costly infrastructure projects signal that Israel intends to keep large swaths of the occupied territory in any peace deal and would make it even harder to establish a viable Palestinian state. “This is not another hundred housing units there or here,” said Yehuda Shaul, an Israeli activist who has spent months researching and mapping out the new projects. “This is de facto annexation on steroids.”

Facing War, Virus and Locusts, Ethiopia’s Once-Golden Economy Loses Its Luster (WSJ) For the past decade Ethiopia has boasted of one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, welcoming billions of dollars in foreign direct investment from the U.S. and China and lifting more than 20 million people out of poverty. Now, a monthlong civil war, coronavirus lockdowns and historic locust infestations have left the once-golden economy stumbling, as it grapples with one of Africa’s most perilous debt loads, soaring inflation and the risk of a protracted insurgency. Fighting between government forces and the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front has paralyzed much of northern Ethiopia, shaking a nation of 110 million people long seen as a symbol of stability in a volatile region.

Earth just notched its warmest November, as 2020 closes in on record for hottest year (Washington Post) The planet just had its hottest November on record, and 2020 may end up beating 2016 for the ignominious title of the warmest calendar year. The numbers come from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, a program of the European Commission, which is the first of several temperature tracking agencies to report temperature data for November and the first 11 months of the year. According to Copernicus scientists, global average temperatures during November were 1.4 degrees (0.77 Celsius) above 1981-2010 levels, beating the previous warmest November by a large margin. Australia had its hottest November, which featured multiple severe heat waves, and persistently above-average temperatures continued in Siberia and the Arctic. Meanwhile, Norway, Sweden and England set national records for their hottest November. Cooler-than-average temperatures were seen in parts of Africa, Kazakhstan, Canada, West Antarctica and parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean, where a La Niña event is underway. The presence of La Niña tends to put a damper on global average surface temperatures, and the fact 2020 is headed toward a record or near-record finish anyway can be viewed as an indication of global warming’s increasingly overt influence.

#headlines #news

[0nho]

jongyu; pg-13; “BFF”

Not every friendship is meant for anything more, or anything less.

broken(?), bffs jinki/jonghyun (onho + jongtae in mention) // pg-13 // fluff // long drabble

Lee Jinki sighs, loosening a stuffy tie and taking another drag off his cigarette. He sits in an empty park, sun already set, waiting as people pass by; many off work and heading to restaurants to drink as co-workers. Jinki declined the--yet again--aggressive request to drink with his own co-workers. Truth be told, he rather drink alone, but he had an honest excuse this time. He's out meeting someone.

“You should really stop doing that.”

Kim Jonghyun, a small man and Jinki's junior, has returned from fetching drinks for the two. Jinki wishes it were alcohol, but since he's not buying he can't complain much. He takes the offered can of soda that's opened by his friend, other hand lifting his smoke. “This?”

Jonghyun nods, taking a tired seat beside Jinki, stretching short limbs. His friend, one he met before even first grade, has always been concerned about his health, which manifests in a manner that could be seen as a bully--to Jinki a senior--but the older man knows better. Jonghyun is simply an emotional person; from displays of frustrated anger to sobbing tears. Jinki has no desire to change Jonghyun.

Jonghyun plucks the cigarette from Jinki, holding it up and away, making Jinki show effort if he wants it back; Jinki does, nearly lunging for it. Jonghyun shakes his head with a breathy chuckle.

Eye contact can't be made as shame slithers up Jinki's spine a moment. He never was the healthiest kid; fat jokes thrown at him and sneaking around for a smoke underage. As a grown man now, Jinki thinks he's doing a lot better though.

“He tells me to stop, too,” Jinki says with a laugh, puffing smoke.

“Does he?”

The two sip drinks with a glance at each other. The meeting place they sit in, it's no coincidence. It's where the two first kissed.

It was each other's first kiss. Jonghyun initiated it, and Jonghyun was the most flustered by it. Jinki had simply stared with confusion. Sexuality was never something Jinki was knowledged in, so when Jonghyun said he liked him - had liked him for a long time, Jinki pondered it.

Jinki was the one to ask Jonghyun if he wanted to date. He still remembers the look on his face that day. Jinki thought, with how long they where friends, how deeply he cared for someone, it could translate into lovers. It could work. It made sense, mathematically, probably.

“Any habits he wants you to break?”

Jonghyun’s head is thrown back in a laugh. “He says I sleep with my eyes open and it freaks him out.”

Jinki snorts. “You do.”

“I do not.”

Jinki blows smoke, head shaking. “You have for years.”

Jonghyun slouches. “Well I guess you would know…”

Jinki knows a lot about Jonghyun. Like how music has always been his passion, even dropped out of high school for it, much to the disappointment of his divorcing parents. Music was there for him when family wasn't. Music wouldn't judge his sexuality. Jinki knows how Jonghyun secretly writes short stories he's too embarrassed to try and publish, how he got that scar on his knee when he was ten years old, how he cried when his mom said he couldn't pierce his ears in high school. Jinki knows how he tastes, where to touch him, and what he sounds like when he cums.

Likewise, Jonghyun knows as much about Jinki, and something special enough Jonghyun had thought he was in love with him. Possibly, it can be chalked up to confusion and sexuality. It's frightening feeling different from peers and alone. It was something to bring them together.

“Are you sad?”

“Huh?”

Jonghyun turns to Jinki, drink lowered. “That we didn't work out?”

Jinki gives it some thought. It's not quite saddens he feels. Somehow, the experience brought the two closer together, he thinks. Jinki flicks the cigarette to the ground and stomps it out. His head tilts with a crinkling-eyed smile as he says “No. I'm glad that no matter what, you are still my best friend.”

Jonghyun raises his drink to that, and Jinki follows for a cheer.

Under his breath, Jonghyun adds, “The sex was great, though…”

Jinki's cheeks are full as he glances at the shorter man. Jonghyun isn't wrong; the sex is quite memorable, after getting over the hurdles figuring it all out together, that is. How Jonghyun tried to sext him while Jinki was away on conscription, when he was stuck bunked surrounded by people. Privacy is foreign in the military.

Dwelling on those memories for too long can lead to unwanted arousal. Jinki gives a hard gulp.

“Now.. how old is your boyfriend again? Younger than me, huh?” Jonghyun grins.

Jinki doesn't miss a beat. “Not as young as yours, cradle robber.”

The younger man coughs, pulling his drink away.

“I thought a high schooler had gotten into the bar I had a gig at,” Jonghyun laughs.

“You ogled him, didn't you.”

“Don't make me feel anymore shame, hyung. He's really.. something and I like him.”

Jinki smirks with satisfaction. His phone buzzes with a ring, and digging it from his pocket, Jinki finds Minho, his boyfriend, sending a text. Jinki takes glasses out the pocket of his suit jacket, slipping them on to read it clearly.

“I know it's him. You even changed your ring tone for him?” Jonghyun cackles in amusement. “You must really like him then.”

Jinki doesn't deny it. Jonghyun really does know him well enough to figure him out. Reading the message, he finds Minho just wishing him a good night. His heart skips a beat whenever Minho says he loves him, even just through written words. He's a sweet and genuine young man who found Jinki because he showed interest first. That seems to be a theme with Jinki. He has to be chased to even consider someone.

Before Jinki can reply, Jonghyun nabs the phone, reading the message while Jinki tries to yank it back. Jinki is now the one left flustered, frowning at his phone returned to him and Jonghyun giggling.

“He's cute, hyung. Really, honestly, I'm happy for you.”

Jinki is taken aback by Jonghyun's sincerity. He's not sure how to respond, so he simply says “Thank you.”

“You are adorable when you're happy,” Jonghyun thinks out loud.

Jinki quickly sends a reply, assuring Minho they will get together again soon. He doesn't even realize he's smiling. Beings in love is something Jinki would like to put logic behind, but every time he tries, he meets a dead end.

“Taemin is begging singing lessons from me. He wants to be in the band. He's so cute I don't know what to do.” Jonghyun stomps feet in a cringing whine.

Jinki hasn't met Taemin very much, but knows he attends the same university as Minho. Jinki's been so busy with work and quite frankly, a needy boyfriend, that he hasn't seen Jonghyun as often. He misses his music. Really, he should take Minho to see Jonghyun play. He knows Minho would love it.

“Do what you think is right. You're good at that.”

Jonghyun watches Jinki, taking one hand of his to hold. He says with a sleepy grin. “I've missed you.”

Jinki squeezes his friend’s palm, smiling. “Me too.”

Jonghyun's cellphone buzzes noisily, and Jinki watches his friend’s expression fall staring at his phone.

“What is it?”

“Taemin says he's at my place and naked in my bed..”

Jinki sputters on his drink. He swipes his mouth, eyes wide.

“I gotta go,” Jonghyun says, standing and pocketing his cell.

“I would guess so,” Jinki laughs, not even sorry it's at the expense of his friend’s red face.

“Oh!” Jonghyun squints, head cradled a moment, “I'm playing this Saturday. Come watch. I'll call you later about the time and place, yeah?”

Jinki watches the other with a blank stare.

“Please!” Jonghyun claps hands together, begging.

Jinki cracks a smile, head shaking with a laugh. “I'll try.”

“I'll take it,” Jonghyun sighs. “You still make me beg you..”

Jinki bursts with laughter, shooing Jonghyun with a kick of his leg and false threat to throw his drink at him.

“I'll see ya.”

Jinki waves Jonghyun off, brows popped at finding his friend left the trash for him to get rid off. Jinki huffs.

It's not long before Jinki has his phone out again, Minho sending him a picture of himself eating ramen as late snack. Jinki is up, heading back to where he can hail a taxi for home, phone to his ear as he calls Minho. Just hearing his voice puts Jinki in a content mood.

“Yo Jinki yaaa!” Minho shouts, sounding like a ball of energy at this late hour, causing Jinki to hold the phone away from his ear a moment. “Are you home yet?”

Jinki laughs at the noise of slurping noodles on the other end of the line. “I'm getting a ride home now.”

“I want to see you tomorrow…”

Jinki waves for a cab along a busy sidewalk as he sighs and assures Minho they will meet tomorrow.

Still, Jinki glances back at the bench, quirk in his smile, special memories with him forever.

Sometimes friends are meant to stay just friends, and that's okay, because it doesn't mean they're any less a special and important existence in one's life.

#wow this is over a year old but i tried to finish it #jongyu #onjong #onho #jongtae #shinee #fic #drabble #fic: jongyu #fic: onho #fic: jongtae #just an idea i had some time ago #and get to work with my fav ships i guess #forgive my downhill quality in writing #jongyu bff verse