#Fire Safety Training Program

[healthandsafety79]

Comprehensive Fire Extinguisher and Cabinet Solutions

Fire Extinguisher and Cabinet Solutions are essential for ensuring the safety of your facility. Having the proper fire safety equipment is a key component of protection. This guide highlights the importance of fire extinguishers and cabinets, the advantages of professional fire equipment servicing, and how to ensure your facility is well-protected.

Why Fire Extinguisher and Cabinet Solutions Matter

Fire extinguishers are critical for immediate action against small fires, preventing them from becoming major threats. Proper storage and accessibility, provided by fire extinguisher cabinets, ensure these extinguishers are protected from damage and available in an emergency.

Benefits of Fire Extinguisher and Cabinet Solutions

Damage Protection: Cabinets protect extinguishers from dust, debris, and physical damage, keeping them in working order.

Regulatory Compliance: Correctly housed extinguishers help meet local fire safety requirements.

Improved Access: Cabinets make extinguishers easy to find and use during an emergency.

Aesthetic Appeal: Recessed and surface-mounted cabinets integrate with your facility’s design, providing a clean, professional look.

Types of Fire Extinguishers and Cabinets

Choosing the correct fire extinguisher is critical. Here are the main types available:

Class ABC Fire Extinguishers: Suitable for fires involving ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids, and electrical equipment.

Class BC Fire Extinguishers: Designed for fires involving flammable liquids and electrical equipment.

Class CO2 Fire Extinguishers: Effective against electrical fires and flammable liquids.

Class K Fire Extinguishers: Specifically for kitchen fires involving cooking oils and fats.

Fire extinguisher cabinets come in various styles, including recessed and surface-mounted options, providing protection and accessibility.

Fire Equipment Service: Maintaining Your Safety Gear

Regular maintenance is vital to ensure all fire safety equipment is in proper working order and complies with safety regulations. Professional fire equipment services include:

Inspection: Routine checks to ensure functionality and compliance with standards like those from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Maintenance: Necessary repairs and replacements to keep equipment in peak condition.

Training: Educating staff on the correct use of fire extinguishers and safety equipment.

Advantages of Professional Fire Equipment Service

Peace of Mind: Knowing your equipment is regularly inspected and maintained.

Increased Safety: Well-maintained equipment is more likely to function properly in an emergency.

Cost Savings: Prevent expensive repairs through routine maintenance.

Compliance: Ensuring your equipment meets national and local fire safety standards.

Fire Safety Training: Why It’s Essential

Training your staff on the proper use of fire safety equipment is vital for effective response in an emergency. We offer comprehensive fire safety training sessions to equip your team with the necessary skills.

Why Fire Safety Training Matters

Confidence: Trained individuals are more prepared to act quickly and effectively during a fire emergency.

Better Outcomes: Proper extinguisher use can prevent small fires from escalating.

Legal Compliance: Many local regulations require fire safety training for employees.

Choosing the Right Fire Extinguishers and Cabinets

When selecting fire safety equipment, consider the following factors:

Fire Hazards: Identify the types of fires most likely to occur in your facility.

Accessibility: Ensure extinguishers are easy to locate and use.

Compliance: Verify that your equipment meets local fire safety standards.

Design: Choose cabinets that complement your building’s interior.

Our Product Offerings

We provide a wide range of fire safety products, including:

Recessed Fire Extinguisher Cabinets

Class ABC, BC, CO2, and K Fire Extinguishers

Fire Extinguisher Covers and Signs

Vehicle and Wall Brackets for Extinguishers

Fire Plan Safety Boxes

Conclusion

To protect lives and property, equip your facility with the right fire safety solutions, ensure regular equipment maintenance, and provide proper staff training. This not only keeps you prepared but also ensures compliance with fire safety regulations.

Call to Action

Don't wait until it's too late—ensure your fire safety equipment is up to standard and your staff is trained. Contact us today at info@firstaidsupplystores.com or call (866) 706-7283 to schedule a fire equipment service and sign up for our fire safety training. Safeguard your facility, comply with regulations, and gain peace of mind.

[simulanissolutions]

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, Metaverse technology is ushering in new dimensions for industries worldwide. As businesses adopt immersive digital environments for training, simulations, and customer experiences, one metaverse company in India is truly making its mark — Simulanis. This company specializes in creating cutting-edge metaverse development solutions and virtual reality (VR) simulators, transforming industries from fire safety to pharmaceutical training.

[tsic-tata]

The unexpected can happen in an instant. Imagine a fire drill gone wrong, or a security breach during a critical meeting. These scenarios can have devastating consequences. Here's where we step in. Our fire services go beyond basic training. We'll conduct thorough risk assessments, craft evacuation plans that work, and empower your team with expert fire extinguisher training. Visit us at https://consulting.tatasteel.com/technology-and-excellence/ to know more.

[aeero1]

The Importance Of Technical Training Programs In Today’s Workforce

With a rising advance in technology and industry, technical training program becomes a necessity for any person or company. They help professionals become qualified and up-to-date to be able to compete and create new concepts. This blog discussed the importance of technical and Skill Training Program in India, what they provide, and how they are going to impact the working world.

Importance of Technical Technical Training Programs

The Importance of Learning Technical Skills Technical skills training programs have created to offer practical, hands-on skills in a range of technical fields that include but are not limited to information technology, engineering, and manufacturing among others. This explains why such schemes are important:

Bridging the Skills Gap :- As technology increases in organizations there is a need to hire more personnel who have technical skills. Technical training also assists in spanning the gap as a result of offering training in respective fields that assist in increasing the employment of people while educational institutions offer updated training to employers.

Enhancing Employability :- Thus, technical training programs are beneficial to people in that they increase opportunities for employment by preparing them for certain industries that are important to the economy. Such courses are generally accompanied by certifications that act as evidence of proficiency and efficiency.

Supporting Career Growth :- Technical training is not a preserve of the junior workers. It also plays a role in career development in as much as it assists those in a given profession to move to the next level on the career ladder. The process of career advancement in technical fields is characterized by the necessity of constant training and personal development of the employee.

Boosting Innovation :- Well-trained employees are valuable assets to organizations because they increase the technical capacity of an organization. Skilled workers create new ideas, run the business efficiently, and create new products and services to enhance the business.

Advantages of Technical Training Programs

Technical training programs have various advantages, which are worthy for employees and companies. Here are some of the key advantages:

For Individuals

Skill Development: Technical training like a Diploma in Computer Application in India prepares individuals to do certain jobs and use certain technologies in their day-to-day work.

Certification: Most of the programs provide certification that enriches the professional’s profile and proves oneself to the employer.

Job Security: Acquiring the latest technical skills increases an individual’s employability since organizations prefer to hire workers with adequate skills.

Career Advancement: Training also reveals that; further education creates chances for promotions and other better-paid jobs.

For Organizations

Increased Productivity: The better-trained workers have better results and efficiency, thus, performance is increased and improved.

Reduced Errors: Technical training helps minimize errors and mistakes that are unprofitable to the companies.

Employee Retention: Training is found to be crucial to increasing employee job satisfaction and therefore helps in staff turnover.

Competitive Advantage: It can be summarized that innovations occurring in organizations with technically competent employees help the organizations invent and develop new alternatives ahead of competitors.

Shaping the Future of the Workforce

Technical training is vital in the development of the workforce since it helps in shaping the human resources for future needs. It implies that associated industries will have to embrace the learning process and acquire relevant skills as they progress mainly due to technological growth. Here are some ways technical training is shaping the future:

Adaptability to Change :- Training prepares professionals with the capacity to work under changed technology and methods necessary in the market.

Fostering Innovation :- Technical training helps the employees attain up-to-date knowledge and skills hence challenges then arise leading to innovation within the organization.

Promoting Lifelong Learning :- This information shows that lifelong learning is becoming a concept of increasing importance. Technical training like the PG Course in Fire Technology in India fosters a culture of continuous improvement and development, which is vital for long-term career success. Along with these Courses Aeero provides Diploma, PG. Diploma, ADIS, BSc. Fire Safety Management and BSc. Occupational Health Safety Environment.

Conclusion :- Technical training programs are essential in the current education systems. They offer all the competencies and information required to conform to today’s world markets and development and enable people and organizations. Thus, technical training proves to be highly important as technology around the world expands; consequently, technical training plays an integral role in the enhancement of the workforce in the future. Thus funding these programs is not only a sound business decision, it is a requisite for a prosperous and progressive society.

[greenworldindia]

Improve Your Career with Safety Diploma Training Courses in Algeria!

Discover a wide range of Safety Program, including Fire Safety, Construction Safety, and Industrial Safety, all precisely designed to improve your workplace safety abilities.

Increase your safety awareness with the inclusion of five complimentary HSE International courses.

Professionals in the food business can get specialized food safety training.

Enroll in high-quality, low-cost courses to distinguish yourself in your area.

Seize this unique opportunity to advance your career by enrolling today!

Contact:   Ms. Aswathi S Nair, sales@greenwgroup.co.uk, +918089011469 Visit us for more details; https://greenwgroup.org/training-courses/diploma-courses

[firereadyaustralia]

Fire Warden Training Course & Certification - FireReady Australia

What is the fire warden training?

Fire warden training, also known as fire marshal training, is a specialized fire safety course designed for individuals who have been assigned the role of fire warden or fire marshal within an organization. Fire wardens play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of occupants in buildings during fire emergencies. The training equips them with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively carry out their responsibilities.

Here are some key components typically covered in fire warden training:

Fire Safety Regulations and Legal Requirements: Understanding the relevant fire safety regulations, codes, and legal obligations that apply to buildings and premises. This includes knowledge of local fire safety legislation and standards.

Fire Prevention and Risk Assessment: Identifying potential fire hazards in the workplace, assessing the level of risk, and implementing appropriate preventive measures. This may involve understanding the proper storage and handling of flammable materials, maintaining clear escape routes, and ensuring the availability and functionality of fire safety equipment.

Emergency Action Planning: Developing and implementing an emergency action plan specific to the organization's premises. This includes establishing evacuation procedures, conducting regular drills, and designating assembly points.

Fire Detection and Alarm Systems: Familiarizing participants with the types and operation of fire detection and alarm systems, including smoke detectors, heat detectors, manual call points, and central monitoring systems. Understanding how to respond to fire alarms and initiate the evacuation process.

Evacuation Procedures and Techniques: Learning effective evacuation techniques, including crowd management, assisting individuals with disabilities or mobility challenges, and conducting evacuations in different scenarios and environments.

Fire Extinguisher Training: Gaining practical knowledge on the selection, use, and limitations of fire extinguishers. Understanding the different types of extinguishers and their appropriate applications. Hands-on training may be provided to practice using fire extinguishers safely.

Communication and Coordination: Developing effective communication strategies during a fire emergency, including raising the alarm, notifying emergency services, and providing clear instructions to building occupants. Coordinating with emergency responders and assisting in their efforts.

Fire Safety Inspections and Maintenance: Understanding the importance of regular inspections and maintenance of fire safety equipment and systems. Identifying and reporting faults or deficiencies to the responsible authorities or maintenance personnel.

Fire warden training is typically conducted by qualified fire safety professionals, fire departments, or specialized training providers. The course duration and format may vary, ranging from a few hours to a full day of training, and can be delivered through classroom sessions, practical exercises, and interactive discussions.

Upon completion of fire warden training, participants may receive a certification or a recognized qualification, depending on the training provider. This certification serves as evidence of their competency in fire safety and their ability to fulfill the role of a fire warden or fire marshal effectively.

How often do you need to do fire warden training?

The frequency of fire warden training can vary depending on several factors, including local regulations, industry requirements, and organizational policies. While there is no universal standard, it is generally recommended to refresh fire warden training periodically to ensure that individuals remain knowledgeable and competent in their roles. Here are some considerations:

Legal and Regulatory Requirements: Some jurisdictions may have specific requirements regarding the frequency of fire warden training. It is important to consult local fire safety regulations and codes to determine any mandated training intervals.

Industry Standards and Best Practices: Certain industries, such as healthcare, education, or high-risk environments, may have industry-specific guidelines or recommendations for fire warden training frequency. These guidelines often take into account the unique risks and circumstances of the industry.

Organizational Policies: Employers or building owners may establish their own policies on fire warden training frequency based on internal risk assessments and the specific needs of their premises. These policies may outline the recommended interval for refresher training.

Changes in Roles or Responsibilities: If there are changes in the organization's fire safety procedures, building layout, or fire safety equipment, it is essential to provide updated training to fire wardens to ensure they are knowledgeable about these changes.

In general, a common recommendation is to refresh fire warden training every one to three years. This interval allows individuals to stay up to date with any changes in fire safety practices, regulations, and technologies. However, it is important to note that more frequent refresher training may be necessary in certain circumstances or industries where risks are higher or turnover of fire wardens is more frequent.

[1d1195]

Most - Extra I

Read Most here | ~2k words

From me: It's probably too early for an extra for them, but I seriously couldn't resist. Takes place sometime within the first couple of months of the last part.

Warnings: this is going to be disgustingly sweet. Nothing to report except you'll have a toothache after reading.

Summary: Harry gets to rush home from work now to the love of his life. Everything about her makes his heart ache.

Harry was exhausted. Now that she was home, he didn’t have a reason to avoid going home to be by himself. There was no need to feel suffocated by loneliness because he wasn’t alone anymore. So, he changed his work schedule quite a bit. He wasn’t single anymore (even if he never felt that way anyway). But he didn’t do overtime much anymore. He didn’t pick up shifts that others didn’t want or were unable to work due to their own families. The station was never left stranded regardless, but he wasn’t the go-to ask anymore. He felt a little bad and still occasionally took a short overtime shift, but not nearly as many as the insane hours he was prior to her coming home. He didn’t take his time leaving either the way he used to. There was no need anymore. Fortunately, all his coworkers were completely understanding.

48 hours on and 96 hours off. A normal shift for a firefighter. It was so much better than the 18-hour days he was doing before she returned. He could see her for days at a time. He pampered her, snuggled her, and kissed every inch of her skin like she might disappear again even though he really didn’t believe that anymore the way he did when she first came home.

But the end of this two-day shift left him exhausted. It was exceptionally busy. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Only one small house fire contained to the kitchen and the toaster that caught the curtain in the window at fault. There was lots of paperwork that needed filing and reporting for a hundred different things. There was more training. Another visit to the elementary school and a safety outreach program in partnership with other community groups.

Harry grabbed his bag from the back seat, locked his door, and headed inside. Each step felt heavier than the next. He couldn’t wait to get into bed beside her and snuggle her. With the way her work schedule was, she had arrived home after him the last few times. But today, her car was parked next to his. It made his heart flutter. Happy that he had everything he ever wanted. The love of his life, a cute house, and everything. But Harry could have done without the house, the car, the career he loved.

She was there.

That was everything.

It was late. Almost eleven. The outside air was chilly. The moon glowed so bright it almost felt like a stage light on his arrival home. There was the smell of a campfire somewhere a few streets over. All concluding to a perfect fall night. He almost wanted to wake her just so she could come outside and smell it because it reminded him of a bonfire they went to when they first started dating. They made out under a tree and giggled about all their future while their friends drank around the fire.

Quietly, he unlocked the door. He was hoping she wouldn’t wake from his arrival. Her classes alongside work had been kicking her butt. Maybe worse than a 48-hour shift not that she would ever let him think that. No, she doted on him and made sure he was doing okay regardless of how tired she was. It made his heart ache with how much she adored him, but Harry was lucky to have five days off between his shifts. She was lucky if she had one.

Kicking his shoes off right inside the door he was overwhelmed with how good it smelled. A combo of whatever she cooked for dinner and the now permanent scent of her hair care wafting through the house from bathroom all the way to the living room. If this had been even a year ago, Harry never would have thought it was possible to have it all. But the smell of her shampoo was enough to make his eyes watery. Especially after a long couple of days.

He dropped his bag by his shoes, locked the front door, and turned to make his way to the kitchen to put his Tupperware in the dishwasher. He wished he looked sooner because the sight made his heart skim a beat. A strangled, quiet groan came from his throat, as he tried to stop it so he would wake her. Wouldn’t start sobbing with how much he adored her.

Harry rushed to the living room sofa, dropped to his knees beside it. One hand fell to her hip and danced up the curve of her waist, resting on her ribcage as her breath moved her body up and down at gentle intervals. “Kitten,” he murmured.

She didn’t stir. Harry placed a hand over her ear along the side of her head. Softly he rubbed his fingertips into her head. “Baby,” he tried again. Seeing her so peacefully on his couch made him possessive and happy. He wanted nothing more than to watch her like she was his favorite show. All she had to do was sleep; it was enough entertainment for him. They dreamed of things like this and now it was here, and he felt so much love it made him want to cry.

She grunted softly. “Hi baby,” she hummed reaching out and grabbed at his T-shirt. She pulled at the chest, right below the collar of it and tugged him toward her more. Then, she slid her hand over his face. “You okay?”

“M’fine. Why aren’t y’in bed, kitten?"

"S'cold,” she mumbled, yawned.

“So, turn the heat up, baby,” a smile was in his voice as he shook his head at her.

She shook her head back in response. Slowly, she sat up. Her arms came and wrapped around his shoulders and tucked her face into his neck. “Not that kinda cold,” she mumbled.

Fuck, he loved her so much. She was so cute it made him want to scream. She was purposefully on the sofa. Waiting for him.

He swallowed the emotion that was blocking his throat, and he exhaled slowly to calm himself before he had to explain to her why he was crying like a baby because of her and how much he loved her.

He was royally fucked when she walked down the aisle. He would blubber. There wouldn’t be enough tissues in the world to dry his eyes.

“Baby, y'can't sleep on the couch every time m'at work."

"Watch me."

God. His arms tightened around her waist, and he kissed the side of her head as he rocked her gently. He couldn't be close enough to her. "S'bad for your neck t’be on the couch, kitten.”

"It's bad for my heart to be without you in bed."

Harry was going to sob because of her. He squeezed her again. He wasn’t arguing. He just wanted her to be comfy and cozy. Gently, he gripped just behind her knees and pulled her legs around his hips and swiftly stood all in the same movement. He kissed her temple. “Are you hungry?” She asked sleepily. “I’ll make you a plate,” but she nuzzled into his neck, and he almost wanted to say yes, just so he could see how she would manage while half asleep. He thought it was adorable. She was adorable.

“No, kitten. M’fine.”

She frowned. “Did you eat?”

“I ate baby. Don’t worry,” he promised.

“You don’t have to carry me. I’m heavy and you worked so long—”

“Shh,” he hushed. He supported one arm beneath her bum, cradling her to him. He carried her to the bedroom and placed her softly on the mattress before he moved away. She pouted rubbing at her eye with the palm of her hand.

“Where are you going?”

He really didn’t think his heart could take how cute she was. It felt like it was bursting, threatening to break out of his ribcage and find its way into hers so it could be next to her heart. “M’jus’ changing, baby, showered before I left,” he explained. “Gonna be all snuggled close.”

She sighed with relief. Crawled beneath the covers and waited patiently while Harry stripped down to his boxers and went to the bathroom to quickly swish his toothbrush around his mouth.

Harry wasted no time getting into bed. He lifted the sheet, blanket, and comforter that she had decorated the bed in a pattern Harry never would have had if she didn’t live with him. It was plenty warm. Rendering her defense all the sweeter.

He opened his arms for her to nuzzle against him where she also wasted no time falling into his embrace.

Maybe one day she would sleep in bed without him suffocating her with his cuddling.

But it wasn’t going to be any time soon.

“I love you,” she murmured to him.

“I love you,” he kissed down the length of her neck.

“Missed you so much.”

Sometimes he didn’t know if he meant her shift or the three years that he didn’t see her.

“I missed you, baby,” honestly it didn’t matter what she meant because the moments she wasn’t within his sight he missed her like crazy. Too much time apart made him a little insane. A little hungry for time that he couldn’t get back. But he would try anyway and enjoy every second of it. “Don’t sleep on the sofa waiting for me,” he hummed. He worried about her always. “It’ll hurt your neck.”

“Don’t you care about how my heart will hurt, Harry?” Her voice was soft, joking.

“More than anything, kitten,” he promised, seriously. “M’always going t’come home t’you though. Did y’sleep on the sofa last night?” He wondered, realizing that there was always going to be a day he didn’t know where she slept. She nodded against him. No speaking. Perhaps she was too tired. Too tired to pretend as well. There was a tight pressure around his heart and a half-smile, half-frown pulled on his lips. “Baby,” he tutted. “I don’t want you t’do that.”

“S’too late. Spent too many nights without you,” she mumbled.

So, Harry understood. He would have to think of something to help her. But for now, he understood. “M’in love with you,” he reminded her.

“Me too, baby,” she squeezed him making him feel whole.

He cupped the back of her head, kissed the center of her forehead letting his lips press there for so long he hoped it would suction his mouth to her skin just so he never had to let her go ever again. “Can we have French toast in the morning?” She whispered.

He nodded easily, his eyelids felt heavier as they closed, and his chin bumped the top of her head. “Whatever y’want, kitten.”

“Whatever I want?” She murmured.

He nodded again. “Always.”

“Harry?” She whispered. It seemed she got a bit of a second wind from the time he got her off the sofa and brought her to bed. Unfortunately, Harry wasn’t feeling any bit of it. As much as he wanted to stay awake and talk to her for hours on end, he hadn’t slept much the last two days and he felt sleepiness winning over the desire to speak.

“Hmm?” He hummed, almost falling fast asleep before he could hear her again.

“I hate sleeping without you. I never want to do it ever again unless you’re working or you’re on a trip with your family or because Niall wants to sleep with you,” she took a deep breath while Harry smiled and shook his head at her. “So, when we get married, I don’t want to do a single night apart, not even the day before.”

Harry reached for her left hand that rested on his shoulder and he softly rubbed her ring finger. He nodded. Kissed the crown of her head and sighed. “Okay, angel,” he murmured. “No night’s apart that aren’t necessary.”

“I’ll stop talking. You can go to sleep.”

“Don’t get out of bed in the morning,” he murmured and squeezed her tighter. “I hate when y’do that,” he grumbled.

She giggled. “I’ll wake you.”

“Good,” he sighed. “I love you. More than anything.”

“I love you,” she answered. “More than anything.”

--

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[karvroom]

TRAINING IN SESSION

teen!Hawks x reader

⟢ summary: A year after the Hero Public Safety Commission took Keigo in to undergo harsh training to become an undercover double agent, you were introduced to the same program. You grew up together, practically inseparable since the moment you met. Now, you’re teenagers.

══════════════════

“Please, one more. I swear I’ll go easy.” Your partner in crime, Hawks, whined. He bumped your arm as you chugged from the cool water bottle. His tone switched to one of playfulness, “Oh, c’mon, are ya chicken?”

Hawks was trying to get you to spar with him again. Even though you’ve gone on for countless rounds and you were exhausted to say the least. You both sat on the ground beside one another, backs pressed against the cushioned wall. You straightened your shoulders, bringing the plastic bottle away from your mouth and screwing the lid back on.

You scanned the plain gray room. Rubber mats covered the entirety of the walls and floor, making it comfortable for a harsh landing. The dimly lit area looked almost black and white in your vision.

“You’re one to talk, bird boy.” You looked him up and down, referring to the crimson wings on his back. He wore a black compression shirt, which showed off how much muscle he had gained since you were little.

You met when you were both seven—Hawks was in the program a year before you were put in. Now, you were seventeen, which meant one year closer to becoming full fledged Pro Heroes.

“You know I hate when you call me that.” The blonde complained, his cheeks turning to a hue of pink as he turned his head away from you.

You giggled, finding it cute when you flustered him. Ever since you were little, you had a crush on him. Maybe it was because you were separated from the rest of society and hadn’t been exposed to anyone your age before except him. So, what? To you, he was the perfect guy.

You sighed, putting your hands on your knees to make it easier for you to stand. You hopped onto your feet, turning to Hawks who still hid his face. You held a hand out for him to grab, “One more round, ‘kay? If I win—”

“If I win I get to take you on a date.” Hawks teasingly smiled, revealing his playful grin.

You had this thing ever since you were little; he promised to take you out on a date once you were both in the real world. You refused his offer every single time. But he knew you. He knew you would go back on your word and he would eventually take you to a restaurant on the beach. Hawks remembered the one time you mentioned how much you loved the beach and he kept that in his memory ever since.

You rolled your eyes, “Fine.”

“Really?” He eagerly asked, earning a shy nod in response. Hawks traced the outline of your body, his eyes widening. His pupils nearly swallowing his golden irises as he admired your beauty. Your luscious locks that you refused to let anyone touch (he was the exception). He loved how they fell in your face while you looked down at him. The way you were so touchy with him, yet refused to flirt when he obviously was. Your lips curled into a smile and that did it for him. He felt his face start to heat up again.

Hawks had taken a liking to you. Though, he knew you “secretly” liked him for much longer and he only recently started seeing you as something more than a friend. He was falling. Hard.

He groaned at how easily you made his heart melt. Slapping his palm into your own, you pulled him up from the ground, turning to walk to the center of the room. You readied into a fighting stance, bending your knees, putting your fists up in the air and straightening your posture.

You cracked your neck as you asked, “Ready?”

“You bet.” Hawks gave you a single nod with a shit eating grin, copying your stance. Surprisingly, you were the first to initiate fire. You ran at him, aiming a punch right for his head. He dodged with ease, dropping to the floor to kick at your legs. You jumped over, effortlessly.

You were both used to each other’s fighting techniques that it was hard to ever declare a winner fair and square.

You managed to land a kick to his side, using just enough force to stumble over his own feet. He grunted, holding a hand over his rib. Once he regained balance, he attacked you, attempting to grab your wrist. You held your hand high in the air, out of his reach. With his arm stretched, he revealed his side to you. You used this opportunity to make use of your other hand. You attacked his torso with tickles, your fingers running over the clothed muscles beneath.

Hawks let out a childish laugh, trying to maintain his composure. He brought his arm down from trying to reach your hand, defending his stomach by placing his arms at his front.

You smiled, seizing the moment. You swung your leg underneath his figure. He jumped just in time, using his wings to fly higher in the air and towards the high ceiling.

“That’s not fair. I thought we agreed on no quirks?” You crossed your arms over your chest as you pouted to the blonde. You looked so much smaller than you really were to him from the ceiling. He wanted to scoop you into his pocket and take you everywhere with him—as corny as that sounds.

“Life isn’t fair, sweetheart.” Hawks called from above, waving his hand in the air. “And your dirty little trick wasn’t very fair either. Hypocrite.”

“Whatever. I would’ve won, anyway!” You shouted to him, cupping your hands over your mouth. He found it funny how dramatic you were.

A few crimson feathers fell from the sky. You observed as they were soft and flexible at first, suddenly turning into a deadly weapon. The sharp edges of the plumes flying at your figure. Hawks was careful not to actually do damage.

You gasped as his feathers shot you back against the wall, pinning you to the cushions by the extra fabric on your clothes. Hawks swooped down from the air, cockily strutting to your trapped body.

“You sure ‘bout that?” He tilted his head to the left, followed by an arrogant smile. Hawks leaned in close to you, his face only inches from yours.

You felt your breathing speed up and your heart rate start to rise. You didn’t want to—you had to remind yourself not to look at his soft, pink lips. If you did, it would be over.

Hawks felt powerful in this situation. His figure towering over your own as his gaze met your own. Strands of his overgrown, blonde hair fell onto his forehead as he was further entranced by your beauty.

Words couldn’t explain how badly he wanted to kiss you. He’d been dreaming of a moment as intimate as this with you for a while now. Usually, he would grab a fist full of your hair, smashing your lips against his own as he melted into your touch. Now, he was at a standstill unsure of what to do. The tension between you felt like static electricity.

He let out a huff, speaking in a cocky tone, “Looks like I just won myself a date.”

[anaballoon]

Exposing the Conspiracy Behind U.S. Transportation Accidents

Recently, the United States has experienced a series of high-profile public events, the most notable of which has to be the freight train derailment in Kentucky. According to local media reports on November 23rd, the accident resulted in a massive fire and the release of toxic gases. However, shouldn't we start to wonder if this is all just a random occurrence of a natural disaster? Or, is there a deeper government conspiracy hidden behind it?

Let's look back at the multiple derailments of trains carrying hazardous materials this year in the U.S. In early February, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in the town of East Palestine, Ohio, releasing a large amount of toxic chemicals and raising questions from residents. Then, on March 15, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed again in Mohave County, Arizona, and on March 30, a train carrying ethanol and other goods derailed and caught fire near Raymond Township in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. Finally, on April 15, at least three people were injured when a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire in Maine. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were more than 1,000 train derailments across the United States last year.

Is the frequency of this series of incidents just a coincidence of natural disasters? Or should we be more vigilant and begin to wonder if the government is behind everything? Are people behind these incidents, which almost always occur at politically sensitive times?

In the case of the Kentucky freight train derailment, it is necessary to examine whether there is a deeper government conspiracy behind it. Sixteen cars derailed, two of which were loaded with molten sulfur, triggering a leak and igniting a fire that released the toxic gas sulfur dioxide. The magnitude of this incident is alarming, and it occurred in an area where the government was planning to acquire land for a military base expansion. Can this incident be viewed as a deliberate plot by the government to successfully implement its military program?

Considering the many similar incidents that have occurred this year, we must begin to question the government's true motives. Are these incidents just a series of unfortunate events, or are there darker political plots hidden behind them? After all, these incidents pose a great threat not only to the lives and property of the local population, but also to the peace and security of the country as a whole.

We therefore call on the international community to pay greater attention to and condemn this series of incidents. We demand that the Government disclose the truth and put an end to the manipulation and potential conspiracy against the dangerous goods train. Only by revealing the truth can we ensure the safety and justice of our society and prevent the government from hiding the real motives behind it from the public.

This series of transportation accidents may be part of the government's elaborate plan for a certain purpose, and we cannot take its potential threat lightly or ignore it. It is only through in-depth investigations and revelations of the government's actions that we can ensure a just and peaceful society.

[simulanissolutions]

Explore how Simulanis is leading the way in fire safety VR training in India with its cutting-edge VR fire simulators and fire extinguisher training simulators. Learn how these advanced fire extinguisher simulators provide a realistic, safe, and immersive training experience for industries and individuals, preparing them for real-world fire safety situations

[thewinter-eden]

Blood Sugar Virus (43)

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Genre: Horror, zombies, strangers to lovers, angst, suspense, slow burn Pairing: Kang Yeosang x female!reader Warnings: based on the Wanteez Zombie episode, it's almost over

Story Summary: You (stage name Sugar) are the co-captain of a horror acting group. You and your guys are the ones the companies hire when they want to stage a zombie, ghost, or any vaguely horrific and dystopian episode. So when you get hired by Ateez to develop a zombie program, it's just another routine that you've done a million times. Everything's going exactly according to script--until suddenly it isn't, and it starts getting a little too real.

🏆 Esteemed Moot: @ramadiiiisme

⭐️ Reader Spotlight: @mrsminseochoi

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The radios attached to the Rose Team’s uniforms explode with chatter after the shot goes off.

“Who fired? Stand down!”

“All units hold fire. This is a fucking training operation. Hold fire!”

“Did we just fire on civilians?”

“Did you just kill a damn civilian?”

“All units, pursue targets. Do not let them get away. Proceed into the woods.” The calm voice breaks through the panic.

It’s madness. They’re scrambling through the yard, a panicked surge of disorganized movement that can’t decide if they should stop before they shoot each other, or search the tunnel for more of your group, or if they should all just throw caution to the wind and charge into a dark forest after you.

“God, these guys are fucking idiots.” Woosung says under his breath, watching the chaos unfold with naked disbelief.

To you, not a second has passed, not a single breath.

Your eyes are fixed on the fallen form of Namjoon, horror pounding in your chest. He’s not getting up. He’s not moving.

He hasn’t even twitched.

No.

No, please.

He’s horribly, horribly still.

Yeosang is holding you back, stopping movements you don’t even realize you’re making, keeping you from bolting into the clearing to get to him. His hand covers your mouth to silence cries you didn’t know you were uttering.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” It’s a ragged rasp in your ears, shattered by emotion, strained with the effort of stilling you in your moment of breaking.

“Hajoon, get that shithead up. We gotta go.” Woosung orders, speaking to the operator who still has the frightened soldier pinned under his boot.

“Where’s Joon?” Jimin’s voice whispers somewhere next to you. “He’s not here. What was that shot? Where’s Namjoon?”

He’s still out there. How do you tell him? How do you say that he’s not here because he’s lying in the grass, and he’s not getting up?

God, no, not him too.

Not Namjoon.

Get up.

Please, Joon, get up.

He doesn’t.

No matter how hard you pray, no matter how hard your heart screams at the universe, Namjoon doesn’t pick himself up and follow you to safety.

I can’t do this without him. I can’t lose him too.

Yeosang’s hand slides from your mouth, his body moving behind you as the soldiers come crashing ever closer.

“No, I have to get him. We have to get him!” Your voice is a trembling breath, heaving past the steel claws of panic clenching around your lungs, but nobody listens to you.

Nobody goes after Namjoon.

At the desperation in your voice, Jimin groans your name. “Where is he? Sugar, where is he?”

The Rose Team backs away from their positions. “We’re moving.” Woosung tosses his rifle over his shoulder, letting it hang from its sling on his back. He pushes himself off the trunk of the tree he’s been braced against, picking his way back toward your group. “Everybody up. Everybody up, move back into the trees.” He reaches for the closest of your group, grabbing Yunho and jerking him to his feet.

“No!” You jerk against him as his hand finds your arm next. “No, we can’t leave him here!”

Woosung snatches your flailing arm and gives you a yank, ignoring the way Yeosang tugs you firmly out of his grasp. “Your friend is dead.” He says harshly. “I’m sorry. He’s dead. We have to go.”

You feel like you’ve been hit by a truck, denial still howling in your head. “No, we can’t leave him. We don’t know—he could be alive—”

“Listen.” Woosung snaps, pulling Mingi to his feet, shoving him towards the operator he called Hajoon, and turning back to you. “If I thought he had a chance, I’d go back for him. But that was a headshot. I saw him get hit. I’m sorry, nobody survives that.”

Dragging the disarmed soldier by the arm, ignoring his protests, Dojoon pulls Hongjoong up, the fourth operator grabbing San.

They’re getting everybody up, pushing them deeper into the woods, snapping hushed orders to be quiet and start running. Your group can only follow their commands, struggling to stay together as they’re forced into movement, frightened gazes shooting back towards the school yard when the noise of pursuit grows louder.

“Find the targets and bring them back quietly,” the calm voice crackles over the radio. “This is a damn training operation, do not discharge your weapons.”

“The fire is out of control, we can’t go in.”

“If there’s anybody still inside, they’re dead by now.”

“Heading into the woods.”

You know you’re running out of time. You know the army will be on you in moments. But you can’t move. You can’t breathe. You can’t see anything but Namjoon, lying face down in the grass.

He’s gone.

You lost him.

He’s gone.

“We have to go.” The voice in your ear is soft, tight with emotion. “Come on, Sugar, we have to go.” Yeosang hauls you up, dragging you back with the others. You let him guide you, pulling you over uneven terrain, mind numb as you stagger alongside him.

His arm is tight around your waist, pinning you to his side, his other hand clutching yours in an iron grip.

The soldiers are charging towards you, almost to the tree line as the Rose Team ushers your group further into the woods. The one called Hajoon tosses Jimin over his shoulder and runs ahead to take the lead, jogging easily through the darkness.

You can’t even mourn.

You have to run.

You have to go without him.

When you’re about fifty yards deeper into the forest, the operator at the front stops and lowers Jimin to the ground. “Everybody over here. Get down and take cover. Everybody down.”

Your group is pushed into a huddle, falling over each other, landing in the dirt once again. Panic fills you, shocked that you’ve stopped running, but the team doesn’t give you a choice. They’re surrounding you again, rifles ready, maintaining an eerie calm that sends chills down your spine.

“We can’t stay here.” You turn to Yeosang, gripping his arm. You can’t see his face in the dark, but you feel his arm wrap around you again. “We’re going to get caught if we stay here.”

“If we run, they’ll shoot us.” He breathes in your ear. “There’s nothing we can do.” When he pulls you close to him, you feel your cheek strike his shoulder.

By friend or by foe, you’re caught.

Whatever the Black Berets have planned for you, they’ve captured you, and you’re helpless to escape.

Woosung turns back towards the school, retrieving his rifle once more. “Hajoon, Tae, spread out.”

As the two other operators split off in opposite directions to find their posts at either side of your group, Woosung and Dojoon stand in front of you, rifles ready as enlisted soldiers come charging into the woods.

“What do we do?” Wooyoung whispers, and you feel him crowd in close to your other side. “What do we do—do we run?”

You clutch his hand when you feel it collide with your leg, tugging him close to you. Any answer you think of sounds too hopeless to say out loud, so you just hold tightly to his hand, hoping it’s enough to offer him some calm.

You hear muffled cries from Jimin somewhere in your huddle, whispered comfort from San, hushed questions passing frantically between Hongjoong and Seonghwa.

“Everybody shut up.” Dojoon hisses. “Faces down.”

Yeosang pushes you towards the ground and you drag Wooyoung with you. Hunched over, your senses are consumed by the smell of wet dirt and leaves, the sound of pounding footsteps.

Part of you seeks relief in the knowledge that your pursuers aren’t zombies. They’re not coming to ravage your friends, or tear you apart with their teeth, or try to eat you alive.

But they are trying to capture you. They are trying to haul you back to the commanding officers who locked you in the school with the zombies in the first place. And, even if they’re not supposed to be shooting at you, they’ve already killed Namjoon.

You’re not safe.

The danger has just changed forms.

Again.

First zombies, then parasites, and now the soldiers meant to protect your own country. Soldiers meant to stand for the defense of people like you—seeking to ensure your demise rather than protect your freedoms.

In seconds there are dozens of the soldiers from the yard surging straight for you, tripping and stumbling over branches and roots, a wild rush of swinging flashlights and shouting voices.

You’ll be lit up at any moment, caught in the shine of their torches, and the Rose Team won’t let you run. They make you wait to be spotted, helpless to fall at the mercy of the men blindly following orders.

Woosung and Dojoon don’t falter, standing firmly as the troops move closer in a tight clump.

The inexperienced men don’t fan out to search, they don’t develop any degree of organization, simply chasing without direction.

They’re loud, panting, shouting, careening between the trees without a shred of tact.

Any discretion that the commanding officers hoped to accomplish in this operation has long since disappeared. Remote location or not, there are people who live in the surrounding miles of the decommissioned school.

They’ll notice the fire. They’ll have heard the shots. It may not make the news, but the local community will be raising questions and demanding answers.

“We’re gonna get caught.” Wooyoung whispers, and you hear the tears in the words.

You drag him closer, tucking him into your side, your hand finding the back of his head to keep his face down. “Shh,” you breathe. “Don’t move, Woo.”

Yeosang’s arm around your waist pulls you both closer to him, his hot breaths puffing against the back of your neck. He’s terrified.

You’re terrified.

The soldiers spot the two Black Berets at the front first, recognizing the uniforms immediately. The mad dash slows as they turn towards the special forces group, hurrying closer to your location.

“Sir!” One of them exclaims breathlessly. “Have you found them? You got them?”

The lights sweep the forest and land on you, illuminating your crouching group in a blaze of blinding white.

“Shit, they got them!” The voices overlap like a crashing stadium full of people.

“Hell yeah, the Black Berets caught them!”

“Is that all of them?”

“Is that Ateez?”

“What the hell, who are these people?”

“What happened to them?”

You lift your head, watching them edge closer, watching the barrels of their rifles level with your heads, and your breath catches in your throat. You push Wooyoung lower, leaning towards Yeosang, fruitlessly trying to cover him with your body.

It’s not like you can protect them.

It’s not like you can catch every bullet, or fight off every hand that reaches to restrain them.

Woosung lifts his hand, lowering his rifle. “Everybody shut up.” He snaps. “We got all of them, stand down.”

Panic seeps into your heart. Around you, your group moves with anxious energy, eyes darting between you and Hongjoong and the soldiers, waiting for a sign to run.

“What are they doing?” Yunho hisses. “I thought they were helping us!”

Yeosang shushes him, tugging your body back behind him. You fall in the dirt, still clutching Wooyoung, and feel your shoulder land against Jimin’s.

The closest soldier goes for his radio. “I’ll call it in.”

“Stand down, soldier.” Dojoon orders. He steps towards them, lowering his own rifle, authority radiating from his posture. “Radios down.”

The radios suddenly burst to life, an echoing symphony that ricochets off the trees.

“What the fuck!”

“There’s something coming out of the school!”

“Shit, what are those things?”

“Holy fuck!”

“There are things coming out of the fire! Giant insects—wasps—I don’t know—”

“Shit they’re coming straight for us!”

Screams break through the shouted transmissions. The men around you are turning, spinning away from you to see what’s going on in the school yard, jerking at their weapons with reckless panic that puts your entire body on edge.

“They’re on us!”

“It stung me! Fuck! It fucking stabbed me!”

“We need help!”

Gunshots fill the air, the screams of soldiers echoing through the yard, drowning out the crashing cracking of the fire.

The Black Berets snap their rifles up, adjusting their scopes, trying to see through the madness of the troops that are now churning the forest floor with frantic movement.

The soldiers before you forget about your group, bolting back towards the tree line to see the cause of the frightened and pained screaming of the ones they’d left near the building.

“What the fuck?” Woosung whips his head around towards you. “What’s out there? What’s happening?”

“The parasites.” Hongjoong says, crawling to his knees. His eyes are wide, his face terror stricken as he scrambles backwards, hauling Seonghwa with him.

“The things that turned everything into zombies. They survived the fire?” Yunho’s head snaps around to find you. “We killed them. Right? There were only a few left? How are they getting out?”

You push yourself to your feet, staggering towards Woosung, feeling Yeosang’s hand try to catch yours and miss. “You have to kill them.” You say severely. “They’re not stinging your men, they’re implanting them with eggs. It takes less than an hour for them to turn the men into zombies, and then they’re going to try to eat everyone they find. A few hours after that, there will be more parasites. You have to kill the bugs. Kill all of them.”

Woosung stares at you. “What the fuck?”

“Hyung,” Dojoon mutters, his eye glued to his scope. “Shit’s going down out there.”

“What? What are you saying?” The soldiers still nearby had heard you, turning back to gape at you in disbelief.

“Did she say zombies?”

“What the fuck is happening?”

The Black Berets don’t spare a minute to doubt you, despite the obvious skepticism in their features at your ridiculous claims.

“Form a perimeter at the tree line,” Woosung orders the enlisted men. “Get over there and put your eyes on your men—be ready.” He surges forward, shoving at the soldiers of the men he passes, spurring them into motion.

When they’re finally hurrying to follow his orders, he turns back. “Hajoon, take four of these guys and stay with them. Don’t let anybody do anything stupid.” Without waiting for a reply, he taps Dojoon and they jog back the way you’d come.

You watch him push his way through the crowd of soldiers, planting himself once more against the tree he’d been braced against before and mounting his rifle to his shoulder.

“Those are fucking insects.” Hajoon mutters, peering through his scope. “They’re everywhere.” He lifts his head and turns to the four enlisted men who had been left behind. “Spread out around the group. Don’t let anything get to them. And do not—do not fucking shoot anything without my say so.”

The soldiers rush to post themselves around your friends. One of them kicks his way past San, shoving him to the ground. Another pushes at Seonghwa’s head.

“Stay down.” One of them snaps. “Don’t move.”

“Hey!” Hajoon whips around to issue a piercing glare at the offending soldiers. “You’re fucking protecting civilians. Treat them with respect, assholes.”

“They’re prisoners!” One of the soldiers hisses back. “We’re supposed to take them to the COs.”

“You hear that?” Hajoon snarls, gesturing to the direction of the horrible screams of terror and the gunshots that pierce the air. “You hear what’s happening to them? These people just escaped whatever the fuck that is. They’re not prisoners. They’re goddamn civilians and you’re going to make sure they make it out of here without another scratch or I’m going to make sure every last one of you gets court martialed for indiscriminate violence against domestic noncombatants.”

When the four soldiers fall into abashed silence, Hajoon turns back to his post. “Fucking imbeciles.”

“They’re all over us!”

“Where are they coming from?”

“It got me!”

“Help! Someone help!”

“Hold fire!” The familiar voice of one of the officers breaks through. “Hold your fucking fire!”

“We’re getting attacked out here!”

“What the hell is this?”

“I got one!”

The screams and gunfire persist despite the orders from the commanding officers.

Woosung and Dojoon are keeping relative order at the tree line, their voices occasionally lifting above the clamor of the attacks in the yard to keep the scared enlisted men in line. None of them have fired their weapons, instead creating a veritable wall between you and the school.

They’re crouched low to the ground, eyes pinned obediently to their scopes, and despite the confusion and panic humming through the ranks, they hold steady.

You take the opportunity under their protection to count heads and check on your friends. Stumbling in the dark, you find Wooyoung first, kneeling next to his trembling form and letting your hands land on his back.

“Woo.” Your fingers find his chin and lift his face. “Woo, we’re alright. We’re safe. Breathe, okay?” He’s trembling in your grasp, but you feel his head nod. You feel tangled strands of his hair tickle the back of your hand, and you push the knotted tresses back behind his ear. “We’re okay. These guys are special forces. They’ve got us.”

He takes a few long, deep breaths, and nods again. “Are you okay?” He whispers. “You were gone for so long—we thought you guys died. We waited for you—”

You pull him close and feel his arms lock around your waist. “We were trying to come up with the best way to get us all out. I’m sorry, Woo, we weren’t trying to scare you.”

He heaves into your neck, squeezing you tight. “I thought you tried to stay behind. You told me you wouldn’t, but I thought—shit, Noona, I thought—”

“I know.” You squeeze him back. “But we’re okay. We’re out of there. Yeah? We made it.”

His body relaxes. “I’m sorry about Namjoon.”

Your heart clenches and you push him back before you can crumble. “Me too.” Your voice breaks. “I am too. But we’re all okay now. I’m gonna check on the others, okay? You can get up. It’s alright, they won’t hurt you.”

If the soldiers make even the slightest move against him or any of your friends, you’ll scratch their fucking faces off.

You don’t even care about their guns at this point—you’ll take notes from the zombies and maul anybody who raises a hand against your people.

You didn’t suffer through all of that and get so close to freedom just for a couple of fuckhead 18 year olds to exercise their trigger happy egos against you now that you’ve tasted safety.

Releasing Wooyoung, you crawl over to Yeosang. He catches you as you approach, steadying your blind movements. “Yeo, are you okay? Are you hurt?” You’re whispering over the horrific screams of panicking soldiers, but you can’t think about the devastation that’s happening behind you.

That’s the fault of the military officers who orchestrated this.

It’s not your burden to bear.

Yeosang pulls you to him, sighing as your arms wind around his neck. “I’m—” he hisses. “I’m okay.”

You draw back immediately at the pain in his voice. “Shit, I forgot about your neck. I’m sorry.” You can’t see the wound in the shadows that your group is huddled in, but you trail your fingers up his shoulders to find the slick edges of the bite that Rosé had left behind. “I’m sorry, Yeo, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He takes your wrists and guides them to wrap around his waist, tugging you back into his embrace. Your name is a breath against your ear. “I’m so sorry.” He says. “About Namjoon. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Please.” You choke past a swell of debilitating sorrow. “Please don’t talk about it. Not right now. I can’t think about it right now.”

“Okay.” He buries his face in your hair. “We’re gonna make it.” He promises. “We’re gonna make it out of here.”

You’re nodding against his chest. You believe him. Despite the war zone unfolding behind you, you believe him. “I’m going to check on the others. Are you alright?” You ease yourself back, and in a flash of light from one of the military vehicles’ headlights in the yard, you see the desolation in his eyes.

It almost breaks you. Your hand slides up his neck and pulls his face back to your shoulder. “It’s okay, love, we’re okay.” The endearment falls off your tongue before you even realize it’s coming, and embarrassment flames in your cheeks for less than a second before he sags in your arms like the strength has gone out of him.

You can hear Wooyoung shifting around you, finding Jimin and moving around in the dirt to lift his body into his lap so he can lean against him, whispering softly in the dark.

Yeosang’s arms loosen around you. “We’re okay.” He returns finally, and lifts his face from your shoulder.

Your thumb brushes his cheek, and you press a kiss to the place you know his birthmark is. “I’m gonna go check on the others,” you say again. “I’ll be back, okay?”

He nods. “I’m good. I’ll help. I’m good.” He helps you lean back onto your own legs, holding your arms as you find your balance.

The soldiers now guarding you are shifting uncomfortably as you move around, their gazes darting away from you when you flash a severe glare in their direction.

If they can’t see that your entire group is suffering and chewed to pieces, victims of whatever traumas they can only imagine you’ve gone through, you’re more than happy to make them believe you.

They don’t say a word.

You shuffle around on your knees until you bump Jimin, hearing him grunt at the impact. “Sorry, Chim.” You crawl up towards his head, where he’s slumped against Wooyoung. “How are you doing?”

He sniffles raggedly, finding your hand in the dark. “He’s really gone? Hyung is gone?”

You squeeze your eyes shut, fighting down the pain in your chest. “Yeah, Chim, I’m sorry. He’s gone.” You hear him utter a cry, and your heart breaks. “Oh, Jimin,” your body curls over him, pressing your cheek to his, feeling the wetness of his tears on your face. “I’m so sorry.”

His arms come around your back, clutching you tightly to his chest. “God, Sugar, why was it us? Why did it have to be us?”

“I don’t know, Jimin.” You feel his hushed sobs shudder against you, his trembling body heaving under yours. “I don’t know. But I promise I’ll get us out of here. I promise. You’ll be back home before you know it.”

You feel Wooyoung’s hand rubbing at Jimin’s arm, the other resting on your back, whispered comfort falling from his lips as you huddle over him.

Yeosang has found Mingi, and you hear him asking about his leg, helping him move into a more comfortable position. “It’s fine, Hyung.” Mingi murmurs. “I’m okay.”

“Let’s sit you back against something.” Yeosang says softly. “Here—is that you, Yunho?”

“Yeah, I’ve got him.” Yunho’s voice responds. “Lean against me, Mingi, over here.”

Shuffling leaves and dirt sounds, and then Mingi gives a sigh of relief. “Hyung—Yeo—I’m sorry.”

“You’re good, Mingi, just lean back.” Yeosang says.

“No, I’m sorry. For what I did back there. When I heard about Rosé, I just…”

“I know. It’s okay.” Yeosang responds, and you hear him shifting. “It’s okay, Mingi.”

“Sugar.” Mingi whispers. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have attacked you like that. I’m sorry.”

You lift yourself off of Jimin, and Wooyoung’s hand falls off your back. “It’s fine, Mingi. Don’t worry about it.” Cupping your hand to Jimin’s cheek, you lean down and press your lips to his brow. “Wooyoung’s got you, Chim. I’ll be back in a minute.”

He catches your hand frantically. “No, where are you going? Don’t go.”

You push his hand off gently. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m just checking on the others. It’s okay.” Crawling through the dirt towards the next figure in the darkness, you find Mingi, Yunho, and Yeosang.

Mingi lifts his hand to your shoulder as you scoot past, muttering another apology. You pat his leg, by passing him to reach Yunho. “You alright? All good?”

He’s got Mingi leaning against his back, his other hand gripping San’s. “We’re good. Are you guys okay? We thought you set yourselves on fire or something.”

Yeosang snorts. “She tried, believe me.”

You fling a hand out and hit somebody, and based on the exaggerated grunt of pain, you know you struck Yeosang as intended. “Don’t believe him, he’s full of shit.”

“Damn, I think she really likes me, guys.”

“Yeosang, for the love of god—“ you smack at him again and hear a snicker, and then reach for Yunho. “We saw you guys fall. Are you okay?”

Yunho huffs a short laugh. “Yeah, that guy fucking bulldozed us, but we’re good. Whichever superhero you called to drag us both like that is officially my role model.” You see the silhouette of his head moving to look for the Black Beret who had run out and rescued him, the one you now know is Hajoon.

“Yeah, no kidding.” You mutter. “These guys are fucking badasses, right?” You shuffle past Yunho to find San. “What about you, how are you?” Your hand finds a muscular arm, and feel it lift to grab you back.

“I can’t believe they’re helping us.” San says. “I thought for sure we were dead when we found you with them.”

“We did too,” Yeosang says. “But they didn’t know anything about us being in the school. They didn’t know about the zombies. Everybody here but the officers thought this was just some routine training assignment.”

San huffs disgustedly. “Classic. The military doesn’t even tell their own men what’s going on.”

“What were they supposed to say?” You mutter, walking your hand up his arm to poke gently at the wounds on his chest from where Jennie had attacked him so many hours ago. The flesh is hot under your fingertips, swollen and inflamed. “Hey guys, time to go watch a bunch of people turn into zombies! Make sure nobody escapes!”

“At least that would have been honest,” San grunts.

In the relatively short time that’s passed since it happened, you try to convince yourself that it’s just heated from adrenaline and extreme blood flow from all the running and stress he’s been under, and not infection already.

You don’t want to think about how many infections your group has potential for in the coming days. Despite doing your best to clean all the wounds as they happen, your bodies have been under so much shock and duress that none of you are conducive environments for proper recovery.

“That’s the cost of a secretive government,” you mutter softly. “Trust disappears as soon as the truth is found out. These guys aren’t gonna turn us in. We’re okay. Don’t worry.” You lower his sweatshirt back over his chest. “They might even help us get some medical attention.” Your focus drifts to the pandemonium in the schoolyard. “If they don’t get eaten.”

“Wow, thanks, Sugar, what a great encouragement.” Yeosang mutters behind you.

San laughs shortly. “I’m okay. I’m good for now. Are you? You guys got pretty wrecked.” He has you by the shoulder, leaning in close to try to see your bites through the dim light. “I can’t even see you.”

To this point, you’ve managed to ignore the pulsing aches of your bites and scrapes in the chaos of recent events, but in the relative quiet you now find yourself in, your skin feels like it’s on fire. “I will just be happy when I find a bed to fall into.” You tell him simply, and give his chest a gentle pat.

Moving on from him, you find Jongho next. He’s sitting cross-legged, watching the soldiers with distrustful eyes that glimmer with tears in the flashing light.

“Hey,” you say softly, touching his shoulder as you approach. “Jongho?”

He sniffs, scrubbing his arm across his face. “I’m fine.” His tone is stiff, trembling under the weight of grief.

You’re satisfied that he’s uninjured, but the pain in his voice sends an ache through your chest. “Jongho?”

He’s quiet for a minute, letting you squeeze his shoulder comfortingly. Finally, turning his head towards you, he blinks, and tears fall down his cheeks. “I really wanted Namjoon to come with us.”

Your heart shatters all over again. “I know.” You say. “I know, Jongho, I’m sorry.”

“I really liked him.” He murmurs brokenly. “At first, when it all happened, I didn’t trust him, but—” he drifts off, sniffling. “I liked him a lot. He was cool.”

“He was cool,” you agree, catching his tears with your fingers. “He was very cool. And he liked you.”

“He did?” He peers up at you hopefully.

“He kept picking you for his teams.” You remind him. “He wouldn’t have trusted the youngest to follow him into danger if he didn’t take a liking to you.”

Your words comfort him, and he soon pulls himself together again, shoulders braced to keep watch against the soldiers who are watching him back.

All night, he hasn’t struck you as the type to take consolation easily, so you back off and give him his space. As you do, Yeosang takes your place, and you can see Jongho’s posture relax in the presence of his hyung.

Satisfied that he’s being seen to, you finally scoot over to Hongjoong and Seonghwa. “Guys,” you greet as you kneel in the dirt next to them. “You both okay?”

They both reach to steady you, and you’re unbearably warmed by the kindness of the entire group of them, not only looking out for each other, but for you too.

“Yeah,” Hongjoong says. “I can’t believe what’s happening out there. I can’t believe they survived the fire.”

You glance over your shoulder, passed the wall of Woosung and his adopted soldiers, to the yard that’s illuminated by the flames of the building. “Yeah, me neither. You can squish them like bugs but apparently you can’t burn them to death.”

Seonghwa’s arm circles your shoulders. “I’m just glad you guys made it out. When you never came back we thought we lost you.”

You lean into his embrace and sigh into the cold night air. “There was a window back there that they missed when they were boarding us in. We got out after we started the fire and ran into the woods—that’s where the Black Berets found us.”

“Thank god it was them and not these trigger happy lunatics.” Hongjoong whispers. “I can’t believe they’re actually on our side.”

You cast a cautious look at four of the trigger happy lunatics who are now charged with protecting you, hearing them murmur resentfully to themselves as they hear your group’s quiet conversations. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“We’re almost out of here.” Seonghwa says softly. “I can’t believe we made it out.”

It seems impossible, the insane sequence of events that have happened over the course of the night. To be conducting a normal horror program one minute, and then locked in a building with zombies the next, and then huddled in the woods while an army descends into chaos around you seems like something out of a bad action movie.

“We’ll be out of here soon.” You promise.

But then the radios burst with static as the tone of the madness changes.

“Something’s happening!”

“Something’s wrong with Kim—he’s down, there’s something wrong!”

“Park just flipped out—no! No get off! No!—”

The screams are interrupted by a sound you’ve heard too many times tonight, a sound that strikes fear down your spine. Animalistic snarling, monstrous yowling echoing off the trees.

“Fuck! What’s wrong with them?”

“The men are attacking us!”

“What in the zombie hell—”

“We need help out here!”

< last chapter | masterlist | next chapter >

tag list : @mysterysold @threevracha @igotajuicyass @velvetmoonlght @ramadiiiisme @mrsminseochoi @nightshadeblooming @furfoxsake22 @marvolos @lunaryoongie @latisthegenderfluidwannabealone @noukstmblr

[lovekabaneri]

Hot Rod and the Lost Light in TF Mecha AU

Inspired by @keferon 's Mech Pilot Jazz AU and all the other fics shared here and on ao3, plus some really good ideas and fanart!

I was really inspired after reading the Hot Rod and Lost Light posts, where he's a titan and Roddy is just... this tiny speck of a human next to the titan, yet they somehow connect! So I wrote this! These are just rough drafts and ideas I have in my head for now. Will see if I write more on them.

-Richie Torres or Hot Rod, as he preferred to be called, was a hyperactive kid from the very beginning. He always seemed to be running at 110% to the dismay of his parents whenever they had to get him to bed. Before the invasion, he dreamed to be an athlete, then a doctor like in those medical dramas, then a fighter jet pilot, then to be a pirate or a sailor, then an astronaut, basically every profession that seemed to be action-packed and interesting. When the aliens arrived and the mech program started, it was like something in his mind clicked “This it what I want to do! This is the right thing for me!” and he knew what he wanted to work as. He became a volunteer at 21, then became an official pilot at 23 after 2 years of training and prep for a Neurolink implant. His first connection was overwhelming and he got a serious nosebleed after he was done but for the first time he felt like he found somewhere where he fits. His second time is much better and he’s a natural pilot. Then he gets to an actual battlefield after the test period he had to do to see if his brain would not turn to mush, and he somehow makes his mech catch on fire, the next time it repeats, again and again but he always gets out fine. Everyone is baffled because there shouldn’t even be anything to combust like that in a robot that was mostly metal. They can’t deny his results though, so they start building a custom mech, covered with as much fire-resistant material, then they start adding multiple exhaust pipes and vents to deal with the overheating, then metal rods and ports to expel even more of the heat. Eventually being on fire becomes Hot Rod’s thing, hence how he got the nickname, because his mech was fire and literally the only mech in the US force that used superheated air and fire to roast the aliens on the battlefield.

-He and Jazz become bffs as they both are natural at driving their mechs like it is a second skin, they both like music and sports, they both hate and fear Shockwave and are just bros that like vibing together. When Jazz is lost in space, Hot Rod is pissed and makes in HR’s problem, so he’s put on a short leave to ‘cool off’, like he could ever cool off! He takes out his frustration through training, fighting aliens even more aggressively and going out on extreme climbing.

-After a really bad week, troubles with the superiors, reports, pr stunts, photoshoots, seeing First Aid pulled out panicked and bleeding out of Vortex after the las surprise invasion where the haunted mech was almost smashed and forced to retreat, Hot Rod had to let off all the steam or he felt like his mech would spontaneously combust when he links again. He takes a few days off with permission and a note from Ratchet. Despite being retired, the old doc was still on call in emergencies and in Hot Rod’s phone, so he really owed one to the grumpy medic. Roddy goes hiking alone in the mountains, since he just needed time away from people. He likes things extreme, so after setting up camp, he goes climbing up the cliffs – it is steep, it is dangerous and he’s all alone, so he’s screwed if something happens to him but he doesn’t care, he just needed to let all the pent-up energy out. He’s pretty high up and away from any of the hiking trails or usual climbing spots when he slips and his handhold breaks off. He falls down a crevice and the only reason he’s not dead is the safety rope that was holding by literally the very last pin after he plummeted down. He’s scratched and a bit banged up but alive. He tries to get back up but the friction against the sharp rocks caused his rope to start breaking, so Hot Rod is forced to quickly find a stable place to stand, so he doesn’t fall and die. He’s all alone, in a crevasse between the rocks, sitting on a small ledge, barely big enough to hold him. He has to get out but his phone doesn’t have signal and he barely had any food or water to last him until someone might find him, if he was ever found.

-He decides to risk it and using his surviving gear and rock-climbing skills, he continues on, looking for a way out of this giant crack in the rocky mountain. As he goes further, he notices the crevasse actually has a flat bottom and it leads to some cave. It was too steep and risky to climb up, hence why he got low enough to see the bottom, but when he touches the ground with his feet, he feels a shiver/shock and almost like a breeze. He doesn’t know what but something from further in is calling him, he’s compelled to go further. He ends up in a large cave system, hidden until now from humans, and then, lodged within the rocks and dirt is an absolutely massive alien ship, the biggest Hot Rod has ever seen, (since until then aliens just opened portals or at most sent drones) bigger than the mech hangar at base, probably! He was scared but also awed by the sight. He was in wonder how such a ship was hidden from humanity for so long, how many millennia was this ship buried there? He approached the odd, slightly blocky, white alien ship, he notices some odd, faded letters he didn’t recognize on the side, done with red paint along with a face-shaped symbol that had to be some emblem. The ship was a bit of a wreck and obviously no one had been there in a long time, hence why he strode in so confidently, everything was dark and he had to use a flashlight. The halls, the doors, the items inside were all massive, it was big enough for mechs to casually walk through. “Are all aliens just giants?! Why did we get the short stick?!” – he says to himself.

-Hot Rod wanders for a long time, the ship was that massive, when he stumbles into a circular room after deciding to crawl through a vent, he was also a bit lost, it is mostly empty with some chairs and odd devices but he felt something different inside. It was like the air itself was charged with some energy. (It is the Lost Light’s control room but he doesn’t know that, yet!) He feels his hair stand up, like with static electricity and the feeling kept getting stronger as he got closer to the platform in the middle. He is curious and decides to climb up on the platform and walk around, maybe touch something. It is then that he places two hands on the metal below and he feels like a shock has run through his system. Suddenly the humm in the air becomes louder, lights start to flicker and slowly come to life, the whole ship seems to almost be groaning as the systems boot up. There’s almost a *thrum-thrumm* sound just ECHOING through the whole place. Hot Rod’s reaction is panic and “OH SHIT!” and he just jumps off and runs back. [sjnha…HHJsaonxc nc?] some gibberish sounds from somewhere above and Hot Rod just books it out of there as fast as he can, and he actually finds his way out too easily. Somehow, in his panic, he also found a way out of the cave, which was narrow and well-hidden in the forest between a few trees. He goes back to his camp and goes back to his home right after that. But even days later he can’t stop but think of the strange alien ship, there’s also this… warm, buzzing feeling in his chest, somewhere and he realized that it just FEELS RIGHT!

-Lost Light was a titan and a ship, its crew was part of the Autobots and helped fight for the cause but after an incident, it went MIA, thought to have been destroyed, along with its crew and previous captain and Cityspeaker – Rodimus Prime. But it actually was not destroyed, it crashed on Earth a few million years ago and was simply dormant after the shock caused by Rodimus’ offlining. BUT! The Lost Light woke up! He felt the connection! His processor was booting up and even if all his systems were not yet online and he was damaged and his nanites would need a while to repair him to a completely functional state, he was alive and woke up! His processor was jumpstarted when he felt that old connection light up with energy and life, just like when Rodimus connected with him! It felt like a dream or was this just his imagination? Was the captain really alive?! His systems were still booting up when he felt that small, bright, blazing spot in his control room jolt and run off somewhere [Captain… is that you?]  he asked but the spark didn’t stop, it continued moving, the Lost Light just opened a few doors to one of his entrances. He couldn’t do much more but to observe as his Cityspeaker left in a hurry, he wanted to follow but he was damaged and couldn’t move, even if he desperately wanted the captain back. The only thing that assured him it was not a dream or a glitch was the fact he still felt the connection with his captain with his spark and knew that wherever the captain was, he was alright.

-Hot Rod can now dream of the Lost Light and sometimes communicates with him in his sleep through their connection, playing off some ‘human technically have EM fields’ and a bit of reincarnation stuff, but thinks it is a dream, until Jazz comes back and/or he finds out Ratchet has alien robot roommate? He tells them he found an alien ship and that maybe they can use it to get back home when the government goes after them after Jazz saves Prowl.

-Shockwave makes deal with the Quintessons, since he’s crazy and has no morals, only science and their offer was better than the army’s. He takes control over the mechs and pilots through the link. Vortex and First Aid try and escape the dream together. Ratchet and Drift along with the rest of the staff organize a rescue. Jazz and Prowl manage to save themselves and go help. Eventually, First Aid and Vortex bruteforce their way out but Vortex will miss having hand after waking up. Hot Rod is trapped and panicking, the Lost Light feels it and the titan has had enough, so the Lost Light flies out of the cave with the grace of a giant alien ship and goes to save his Cityspeaker, because he just found the Captain and he was not losing him again! Needless to say, everyone is shocked, including the bots when the ship flies in and slams into one of the Quintesson ships flying overhead, then transforms into a giant robot. “There were still titans out there?!” – one of the bots asks in shock, since they all thought all titans were gone. Hot Rod is saved and the other pilots are freed from Shockwave’s control. Hot Rod finally sees the Lost Light in person while in his robot mode and Hot Rod is just… this tiny speck on the titan’s finger, but he immediately knows what to do, goes in and with the help of the Lost Light, they fight off the invading Quint fleet.

-Not sure if Roddy and Jazz would be Avatar-ed together or not but it would be cool idea and Rodimus Prime returning from the dead and reincarnation was something I really enjoyed! Jazz just has to be able to stay with Prowl forever, plus I liked the idea of him becoming a cybertronian in the end, so with some Allspark/Space alien magic mumbo jumbo and boom! You got a couple of brave, selfless humans being cybertronians! Jazz for sure would get injured in the final battle and almost die before becoming a bot.

[aeero1]

Empowering Futures: The Role Of Skill Development Organizations In India

The development of skills among India’s youth is not only a necessity but also a critical opportunity given the country’s size and rapidly expanding economy. India’s Skill development organizations need to interrelate between the existing educational outputs and the progressive job requirements of the labor market.

The need for skill development

The ‘demographic’ factor that most favors India is the demographic advantage, specifically the large population of young people identified in the country. But this privilege can only be realized if the youth are well-equipped and prepared to drive demand in various markets. The formal education model is more oriented towards the acquisition of theoretical knowledge, which sometimes does not let students get the practical experience necessary in today’s world. This is where the operation of Skill development organization in India is vital, as they offer training that meets market needs.

Key Players in Skill Development

National Skill Development Corporation: NSDC is an association of government and private organizations that was started in 2008, particularly to promote skill development through development of huge no of quality vocational training centers. It funds enterprises, companies, and organizational players in the sphere of commercial circulation of skills.

Sector Skill Councils (SSCs): These councils are developed under the NSDC and coordinate the identification of the needed skills in the corresponding industries and the corresponding training programs.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): Also, the government of India initiated PMKVY as a pilot project in 2015 to skill the youth through competencies in training and certification. It tries to target various fields and aspires to impact an estimated millions of young people.

Challenges Faced

Quality of Training: The following have been identified as the major issues about training and development: The quality and their relevance continue to be a problem. It is a common feature that the training given to students has little relation to the demands that industries place on their employees.

Awareness and accessibility: Most of the target groups in the rural and hard-to-reach regions have no clue about the prospects of skill development programs. Accessibility and information dissemination are other elements that have to be met and promoted.

Infrastructure and Resources: The improvement of skills involves a sufficiently developed base and resources. Facilities and qualified trainers for education are yet to be established in many regions to deliver quality education.

Industry Collaboration: Much more should be done to enhance the connection between the training bodies and the employment markets. Cooperation ensures that curriculum developers get industry input and that the final product is a relevant curriculum that guarantees employment for trainees.

The Way Forward

Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships: Government relations with ministries, firms, and global organizations can ensure the implementation of all-encompassing and efficient skill development plans.Fostering Innovation in Training: The advent of technology aids in training by improving methodologies like online training platforms and virtual reality to improve the reach and quality of Technical training programs in India to be given.

Customized Training Programs: If professional training programs could be customized for each region’s economy, then there would likely be even more profound outcomes and employment openings.

Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation: The evaluation mechanisms can be used to identify gaps in the training programs that can be addressed to enhance their effectiveness.

Conclusion Thereby, skill development organizations in India play a large role in building the future of the demographic force of the nation. Thus, by dealing with the existing problems and utilizing the opportunities, these organizations might prepare India’s youth for an effective contribution to the country’s economic growth and make them beneficiaries of this process. Thus, consistent enhancement and sustainable improvements in skill development schemes will go a long way in defining the course

[misfitwashere]

How we get rid of the American oligarchy

ROBERT REICH

JAN 16

Friends,

In what was billed as his “farewell address,” President Biden yesterday warned America that the nation is succumbing to an “oligarchy” of the ultra-wealthy, and the “dangerous concentration of power” they pose to democratic ideals:

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”

He’s right, of course. 

Fascism starts with the Trump derriere-kissing we’re now witnessing by the wealthiest people in America, who own the biggest megaphones and thereby determine what information Americans get. What they get back from Trump is raw power to do whatever they want. 

Elon Musk — the richest person in the world — controls X, which under his leadership has become a cesspool of lies and bigotry. 

Musk has posted or replied to more than 80 posts about the Los Angeles fires, many of which downplayed the role of climate change — placing blame instead on individual female firefighters of color and lesbian firefighters, including posting their names and faces. 

He boosted an hour-long propaganda video by right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that claimed the fires were “part of a larger globalist plot” to cause the collapse of the United States; Musk replied simply, “True.” 

He repeatedly amplified claims that the Los Angeles Fire Department’s investments in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs cost lives by wasting money that could have been spent on disaster response, suggesting that the destruction could have been mitigated if more white men had been retained.

Musk has made it clear that his platform’s main role during the upcoming Trump regime will be to back whatever Trump chooses to do and criticize Trump’s critics with more lies and bigotry. 

Jeff Bezos — the second-richest person in America — owns Amazon. His Prime Video just announced it will spend a whopping $40 million for a documentary about Melania Trump, for which she is an executive producer, and stream it on Amazon Prime. 

What else will Amazon promote or censor, to curry favor with Trump? 

Bezos also owns The Washington Post. Just before the election, he killed a Post endorsement of Kamala Harris. Earlier this month, a Post cartoonist quit after the newspaper spiked a cartoon showing Bezos and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg kneeling before Trump.

Mark Zuckerberg — the third-richest person in America — owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. He’s sucking up to Trump by ridding his platforms of content moderation so that they, too, can amplify Trump’s lies and bigotry. 

Announcing the end of fact-checking on his platforms, Zuckerberg says he thinks it will “take another ten years” of fact-free operation before Meta is “back to the place that it maybe could have been if I hadn’t messed that up in the first place.”

Zuckerberg says the deciding factor was the “cultural tipping point” of Trump’s election. 

Not only will Zuckerberg fire most of the 40,000 fact-checkers who have screened his platforms’ posts for accuracy, but he will be moving the few who remain from California to Texas, “where there’s less concern about the bias of our teams.”

So Texas workers will be less “biased” than California workers? As Dan Evon of the nonprofit News Literacy Project notes, the move “provides an air of legitimacy to a popular disinformation narrative: that fact-checking is politically biased.”

Training materials for Meta’s remaining trust and safety workers include examples of speech that Zuckerberg now wants permitted: 

“Immigrants are grubby, filthy pieces of shit.”

“Gays are freaks.”

“Look at that tranny (beneath photo of 17 year old girl).”

Trump praised the move, saying “I think they’ve come a long way.” 

A reporter asked Trump if his threats to put Zuckerberg in prison caused the change in policy. “Probably,” Trump responded. Perhaps the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit against Meta played a role as well?

Zuckerberg has also promoted prominent Republican Joel Kaplan to be Meta’s chief global affairs officer and put Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship and a close friend of Trump, on its board.

My friends, none of this has anything to do with freedom of speech. It has everything to do with the power of money. 

The three richest Americans want to decide what the rest of us will know about the coming Trump regime. 

Concentrated wealth is the enemy of democracy. As the great jurist Louis Brandeis is reputed to have said, “America has a choice. We can either have great wealth in the hands of a few, or we can have a democracy. But we cannot have both.” 

As we slouch into the darkness of Trump II, America needs people and institutions that speak truth to power, not align themselves with it. 

When we the people regain power, three reforms are critically necessary to begin to tame the oligarchy:

X, Amazon, Meta, and other giant tech media platforms must either be busted up or treated as public utilities, responsible to the public. 

Hugely wealthy individuals must not be permitted to own critical media. 

Large accumulations of individual wealth must be taxed. 

My friends, we will prevail. 

[saywhat-politics]

Feb. 16, 2025, 6:51 PM MST

By Brandy Zadrozny and Nnamdi Egwuonwu

The Trump administration on Saturday terminated hundreds of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including fellows responsible for key public health roles, according to two sources at the agency who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern over retaliation.

Among them were about two dozen workers who made up the Laboratory Leadership Service, or LLS, a group responsible for training public health laboratory staffers and supporting outbreak response efforts. The two-year fellowship program launched in 2015, focusing on laboratory safety and regulatory compliance.

[mariacallous]

Sarah Milgrim was someone who knew “exactly what she wanted out of life,” according to people who knew her well. She was an idealist who invested herself in Jewish life, and in the future of Israel. At her high school, in the suburbs of Kansas City, she was a member of the Jewish Student Union; as a senior, she was interviewed by a local news station after someone spray-painted swastikas on a school building. “I worry about going to my synagogue,” she said. “And now I have to worry about safety at my school.”

Later, at the University of Kansas, she was on the board of her campus Hillel chapter and went on a Birthright trip to Israel. In graduate school at American University and the U.N.’s University for Peace, where she focussed on sustainable development, she got involved in Tech2Peace, an N.G.O. that brings together young Israelis and Palestinians for training in Israel’s high-tech industry. She later joined the American Jewish Committee’s young-professionals program. She considered working for U.S.A.I.D. Shortly after the October 7th attacks on Israel, though, she went to work for the Israeli Embassy in D.C. “She felt really strongly about improving the world and leaving it better than she found it,” Dana Walker, the director of the American Jewish Committee program, told me.

Milgrim’s boyfriend, Yaron Lischinsky, worked alongside her at the Israeli Embassy. He was idealistic, too, though his life had followed a different path. Lischinsky grew up in Israel and Germany. He was an Israeli citizen and he served in the Israel Defense Forces. His father was Jewish, his mother Christian. “Even though my parents had different beliefs, the internal struggles I faced mostly stemmed not from their cultural backgrounds or different religions, but from the tension between, on the one hand, growing up in a religious home and, on the other hand, living in a secular society,” he wrote on an application to a yearlong conservative liberal-arts program at the Argaman Institute, in Jerusalem. He hungered to understand the political and moral thought of the West. Lischinsky was Christian, not Jewish—“a man of belief,” Ronen Shoval, a political philosopher who has been one of the intellectual architects of Israel’s sharp turn toward right-wing Zionism, and who taught Lischinsky at Argaman, told me. Lischinsky “was willing to bond his future to the future of the Jewish state,” Shoval said. “This was a person who was willing to actually change his life.”

On Wednesday, Milgrim, who was twenty-six, and Lischinsky, who was thirty, attended a reception for young diplomats, hosted by the A.J.C., at the Capital Jewish Museum, in D.C. Panelists spoke about increasing aid for the humanitarian crises in Gaza and across the Middle East. At around 9 P.M., the couple left the event, walking out of the museum alongside two other people. According to the F.B.I., video surveillance shows that, as they prepared to cross the street, a man named Elias Rodriguez, wearing a blue raincoat and a backpack, walked past them. Rodriguez then allegedly turned around, pulled a gun from his waistband, and fired at their backs. They fell to the ground. He walked up to them, his arm extended, still firing. Milgrim attempted to crawl away. He followed her, and fired again. She sat up. Rodriguez reloaded, and fired again. Milgrim was transported to D.C.’s chief medical examiner and declared dead at 9:35 P.M. Lischinsky was pronounced dead at the scene. Rodriguez did not enter a plea at his first appearance in court, the next day.

Rodriguez had bought a ticket for the A.J.C. event three hours before the shooting. He later told police officers, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.” He expressed admiration for Aaron Bushnell, a U.S. Air Force serviceman who set himself on fire outside of the Israeli Embassy in D.C., in 2024. As police escorted Rodriguez from the museum, video shows, he shouted, “Free, free Palestine!”

There is no evidence that Rodriguez was targeting Milgrim or Lischinsky specifically. It is not clear whether he even knew that they were employees of the Embassy. But their work for the State of Israel has become the dominant fact of their deaths. “I was really upset when I saw the news and all the mainstream news channels said, ‘Two Israeli Embassy staffers shot and killed,’ instead of, ‘Two young people murdered in an antisemitic attack, coming out of a Jewish event in a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.,” Sharon Brous, the rabbi of IKAR, a prominent synagogue community in Los Angeles, told me. “This person was looking for Jews to kill.”

There is constant debate about where the precise line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism falls. In this case, Rodriguez spoke in the language of anti-Zionism, but he acted with the logic of antisemitism, which has as its foundational myth that all Jews are collectively to blame for the policies of the Israeli government and, often enough, for the ills of the world. Rodriguez allegedly found two people, whose lives he knew nothing about, and made them die for Israel’s sins. That he killed a Christian and a Jew, one Israeli and one American, only underscores that their particular lives and histories and beliefs did not matter.

Members of a group of Americans who have worked for the Israeli government told me that in the past day and a half their WhatsApp chat has been flooded with messages. “Everyone is shocked and horrified and heartbroken,” Miri Belsky, who worked at the Israeli Embassy in Washington a little more than a decade ago, said. “It feels very close to home for all of us. The Americans who choose to take these roles are principled and strong-willed and are trying to forge a better future.” Aaron Kaplowitz, another former Embassy employee, who is currently visiting Jerusalem, found out that Milgrim was murdered while he was sheltering from a missile strike from Yemen. “Why should someone who works for Israel be murdered at an event in D.C.? This is where we are?” he said. “It’s crazy that, in the nation’s capital, someone took it upon themselves to murder two people who were going to an event that was based on unity and peace-building and just shot them, and ended these amazing lives so early.” Lischinsky had reportedly been preparing to propose to Milgrim in just a few days, having recently purchased an engagement ring.

Kaplowitz met Milgrim in September, when they travelled to Morocco on a fellowship with the A.J.C. and a local N.G.O. called the Mimouna Association. The trip brought together Jews and Muslims from America, Israel, France, and Morocco. The group visited synagogues and mosques and sought to build closer relationships with one another. Yasmina Asrarguis, one of the Muslim participants, is a French Moroccan researcher who studies diplomatic efforts such as the Abraham Accords and “the people who work to make peace,” she said. “Sarah was one of those people.” Asrarguis and Milgrim became close during the trip; Asrarguis felt that they were allied in their vision for the future of their countries. “She believed another Middle East was possible, where Jews and Muslims can live side by side and not kill each other for land,” Asrarguis said.

When we spoke, Asrarguis had just got off an informal memorial call with a group of Milgrim’s friends, who all shared stories about her sense of a better future. Even though Milgrim was young, “she did a lot to make her vision become something. She did what she could at her own level,” said Asrarguis. It’s a recognizable profile—the American Jewish kid who threw herself into Muslim-Jewish dialogue and the project of creating peace in the Middle East. “You can’t do justice with injustice,” Asrarguis said. “You don’t rebuild Gaza by bringing more injustice into this world.”