#firearm mortality rate

[bits-and-babs]

✰ 𝐊𝐎𝐖𝐓𝐎𝐖 — 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐎𝐍 ‘𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓’ 𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐘

↳ summary: prompt: “on your knees” — A ‘basics’ training course enforced on Task Force 141 after a failed mission causes Simon Riley to lose his cool.

↳ pairing: Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x f!Reader (Delta)

↳ [1k] content: mentions of injury and violence, oral (m receiving), exhibitionism, rough oral, hair pulling (so inevitably mentions of hair, length not specified), Dacryphilia, swallowing. Ghost is a big massive slut and so am I.

ghost masterlist [coming soon] I| main masterlist |I join taglist

Attempting to get a prolific and deadly team of elite soldiers to engage in a ‘basic self-defence’ training course must have been the most perilous and mortal task Laswell had undertaken in her twenty-year career. You have no doubt that she had already prepped for the uproar it would cause amongst Task Force 414; ‘you’re actin’ like we’re amateurs, Laswell,’ and ‘It’s not as though we’ve stopped missiles or anything.’

The grumbles of the men behind you indicate that they’d been unsuccessful in convincing Laswell that the training program was gratuitous, all looking as though Captain Price dragged them by their ears. 

“Ghost, Delta. You’re up first,” he grumbles, his lack of enthusiasm almost comical. Despite the complaints, you couldn’t exactly condemn Laswell for her enforcement. Alejandro’s ribs had cracked wide open when thrown off the roof of a building, caught off guard by a narco he hadn’t seen obscured by the shadows. Ribs L3 to L8 had snapped, L5 managing to pierce through the soft flesh of the Colonel’s lung and rendering him utterly defenceless as the mission descended into chaos.

It goes without saying that Laswell had dressed the unit down to your socks when you returned, Ghost hauling the wheezing Alejandro over his shoulders and into the rendezvous vehicle. 

The insulting level of competence that the demonstration requires notwithstanding, Simon steps forward into the makeshift ring, the virtually impossible size of his soles barely making a sound as he walks across the floor. Under Price’s watchful gaze, you’re hot on Ghost’s heels. 

It’s a simple task. Simon just has to dispatch you. 

Ominously fixed on your face, the skull mask’s obsidian eyes do little to obscure the amber of Simon’s irises in the daylight. He’s gazing fixedly at you, readying himself and widening his stance for the demonstration. The prop pistol in his hand is near comical given the brutality those giant hands had enacted; though, you can’t help but think that someone as savagely efficient as Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley would still, somehow, find a way to annihilate you with the plastic munitions. 

“On your knees!” Ghost barks out, his booming, gritty voice startling you despite your anticipation. You barely have time to react to the onslaught of motion, your temporary enemy pressing the barrel of his makeshift firearm into your temple with a bruising force. 

Per Price’s instructions, you sink slowly to your knees, hands raised and palms flat to show your lack of armament. The barrel of the plastic G18 lets up against the pulpy skin of your temple, an aching sensation settling into the flesh it had compressed. When you lift your eyes to Ghost, however, you feel as though he’s pistol-whipped you across the face. 

Lieutenant Riley’s honey eyes ooze with arousal, something dangerous flitting through the black pools of his pupils. Blown wide, they bore down at you, betraying his stoic composure.

Battering against your ribcage, your heart rate picks up under his stare. Blood rushes to your face, heating it as you gaze up at your captor through your lashes. 

You hear Ghost’s shaky exhale from his nose rattle against the plastic of his mask. 

                                        ✰

Dragging his fingers through your hair, Ghost’s gloves fingerprints massage your scalp as you kneel perfectly still, his hot, ridiculously large cock balanced on the flat of your tongue. His chest heaves quietly, winding strands of your hair around his digits before curling them upwards into a tight fist. 

“Deep breath, love,” he rumbles before pushing his hips forward. He clasps your chin with his free hand, keeping your mouth wide open for him as he drags the length of his throbbing cock across your tongue and down your throat. 

It’s impossible not to— you gag around him, eyes watering slightly as the blunt head of his cock notches at your throat walls. His nostrils flare, golden eyes beaming in the fluorescent lighting of the hallway.

You barely get a chance to inhale as he’d ordered, using his grip on your hair to yank your head forward onto his dick. You moan loudly, warning a tight squeeze of your strands that cause your hair follicles to strain under the pressure— a warning. 

Ghost’s breathing falters slightly as he sets a brutal, punishing rhythm. However, it doesn’t take you long to establish a breathing pattern of your own against his rapid strokes, inhaling every time he slips out of the confines of your fluttering throat. 

“Fuckk~” he groans, eyes settled on you like a cross-hair as you make an effort to hollow your cheekbones around his ridiculous girth, eyelashes wet with tears. “You belong on your knees. Looking at me like th—shit — like that in front of the whole unit.”

You’d like to ask him what he means, but he rocks forwards again with a significant snap of his hips that bumps the back of your throat in a bruising collision. Retches threaten to spill from your lips, but his width fills your throat, and Ghost relishes in the constriction around his cock with a growl. 

“Yes,” he urges, teeth clenched behind the midnight black balaclava, “Yes, just like that, Christ!”

Ignoring all urges from your body to expel his intrusion in your throat, you swallow around him. It shakes a loud groan from his lungs, the lecherous sound ricocheting off the walls like he’d just shot a pistol. 

“You naughty fuckin’ girl,” he chastises you, punishing you by amping up the impossible pace of his rocking hips until tears begin to spill down your cheeks. It only appears to spur him further, a loud, rumbling groan drenching his words, “They’re gonna fuckin’ hear us—“

Moaning in agreement, you nod your head. It’s only slight; you can’t manage much more than a subtle tip forward of your chin. The vibrations seem to rock down his length to his balls because they pull up tight suddenly, and he’s wheezing out a haggard “Delta!’”

He spurts down your throat, coats the insides of your cheek, dribbles down your chin and drips to the floor. There’s so much of him, and you swallow down as much as you can as he leans back against the wall, winded as though an assailant had just punched him in the gut. 

Basics lesson number one: Ghost likes you on your knees. 

join the taglist here:

@mortallyuniquepeach @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @crybaby-blue-blog @heart-atttack @pansa-1-san

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

Report suggests potential excess mortality in the general population of up to 3% for the US by 2033 and 2.5% in the UK, the longest period of elevated peacetime excess mortality in the US Key driver of excess mortality is the lingering impact of COVID-19; both as a direct cause of death, and as a contributor to cardiovascular mortality

Reducing the impact of COVID-19 on elderly and vulnerable populations will be key to excess mortality returning to zero Zurich, 16 September 2024 – Four years after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries are still reporting elevated all-cause excess mortality compared with pre-pandemic levels. According to Swiss Re Institute's report The future of excess mortality after COVID-19, if the ongoing impact of the disease is not curtailed, excess mortality rates in the general population may remain up to 3% higher than pre-pandemic levels in the US and 2.5% in the UK by 2033.

Paul Murray, CEO L&H Reinsurance at Swiss Re says: "COVID-19 is far from over. The US reported an average of 1500 COVID-19 deaths a week for 2023 – comparable to fentanyl or firearm deaths.[1] If this continues, our analysis suggests a potential scenario of elevated excess mortality extending over the next decade. However, excess mortality can return to pre-pandemic levels much sooner. The first step is to get COVID under control, with measures such as vaccinations for the vulnerable. Over the longer term, medical advancements, a return to regular healthcare services, and the adoption of healthier lifestyle choices will be key."

Excess mortality is a measure of the number of deaths above an expected level in a given population. Typically, all-cause excess mortality should be around zero, as the major causes of death remain relatively stable over the long-term baseline assumption.

Fluctuations in excess mortality tend to be short-term, reflecting developments such as a large-scale medical breakthrough or the negative impact of a large epidemic. However, as society absorbs these events, excess mortality should revert to the baseline.

With COVID-19 this has not been the case and all-cause excess mortality is still above the pre-pandemic baseline. In 2021, excess mortality spiked to 23% above the 2019 baseline in the US, and 11% in the UK[2]. As Swiss Re Institute's report estimates, in 2023, it remained significantly elevated in the range of 3–7% for the US, and 5–8% for the UK.

If the underlying drivers of current excess mortality continue, Swiss Re Institute's analysis estimates that excess mortality may remain as high as 3% for the US and 2.5% for the UK by 2033.

The primary driving factor of both current and future excess mortality is respiratory disease (including COVID-19 and influenza), with other causes including cardiovascular disease, cancer and metabolic illnesses. The cause of death split varies by a country's reporting mechanism.

Optimistic scenarios require healthcare and medical advancements

Swiss Re's report examines an optimistic scenario where excess mortality rates return to pre-pandemic levels as early as 2028. In this scenario, medical advances, such as weight loss injectables and cancer developments such as personalised mRNA vaccines, combine with a drop in the impact of COVID-19 and healthier lifestyle choices. Indirect impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality

The interplay between COVID-19 and cardiovascular death rates is significant for excess mortality. The virus itself has a direct impact because it contributes to causes of death such as heart failure. Further, COVID-19 has had an indirect impact via the disruption to healthcare systems – a factor which emerged in the pandemic years. This disruption has led to a backlog of essential cardiac tests and surgeries, meaning that conditions such as hypertension have been underdiagnosed and therefore not treated. Implications for insurers

Excess mortality in the general population is an important indicator for insurers, as shifts in the major causes of death may require a reassessment of additional risk in their mortality portfolios. The current levels of excess mortality are of concern. However, there are a range of tools available for insurers and reinsurers to manage this trend. Specific actions include adapting the underwriting philosophy, risk appetite, and mortality assumptions in pricing and reserving. Insurers can be proactive in targeting prevention programmes for policyholders, helping them in the joint effort to support longer, healthier lives.

How to order this study:

The future of excess mortality after COVID-19 is available in electronic format from Swissre.com.

[maypearlss]

𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : 𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝

i realized i've talked about this wip on here before, but i haven't actually made any sort of intro to it before now? so that's what this is! the plot is extremely bare bones right now so there's not a lot of detail to get into there but i still wanted to share because i've been thinking a lot about this story recently, so here it is!

𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ⋆｡°✩

genres: weird western, supernatural, romance

target length: novel

setting: fantasy frontier called tallakeen, a place widely known as the land "where the dead don't stay that way"

rating + content warnings: like most of my other works, "adriana & the undead" is intended for mature/adult audiences. content warnings include graphic violence, gore, cannibalism, zombie-related horror, death, parricide, references to mariticide, sexual content, language, hallucinations, and likely others that i'm either not remembering or will think of in the future.

summary: after achieving immortality in order to escape the results of the famous bite of the tallakeeno undead, ranch hand adriana montero is left a dead woman walking, and what seems at first to be her savior quickly becomes her condemnation. now stuck in the centuries-long cycle of eternal life, the only interest in her stagnant existence is her rivalry with death himself—or, the marshal, as she calls him. that is, until a charming, yet somehow repulsive stranger approaches her at the saloon with a perplexing proposition, one that sets her on a quest for the key to mortality with death at her side.

𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 ⋆｡°✩

adriana montero — the immortal

⋆ main character ⋆ she/her ⋆ former ranch hand, now a loan ranger who roams tallakeen ⋆ very reckless, does dangerous things for the sake of it because there will never be any real consequences for her ⋆ sees and experiences things that aren't real from time to time as a result of the wound that should have killed her, can come off as detached from reality at times

the marshal — death

⋆ love interest to adriana ⋆ he/him ⋆ supernatural entity with the task of taking dead souls to the afterlife ⋆ cannot actually enter the afterlife, meaning he is perpetually stuck between the world of the living and the world of the dead ⋆ kind and gentle by nature, but he and adriana antagonize each other so intensely that he can seem downright cruel and malicious at times

vince cooley — the villain

⋆ main antagonist ⋆ he/him ⋆ the only other immortal adriana has ever encountered ⋆ quoted in my notes as being a "hot, sexy scumbag" ⋆ has a very attractive and charming persona, but is really just a cruel, entirely self-serving person beneath his sugarcoated and suave facade

lucy cannon — the outlaw

⋆ secondary antagonist ⋆ she/her ⋆ outlaw and bandit with a proficiency with firearms ⋆ allies and has a troublesome and perplexing temporary relationship with vince—she reminds him of someone from his past, and they are both using each other as means to an end, just with a little more than they bargained for on the side

an abbreviated version of this wip's playlist can also be found here!

there's the crash course, hope yall like the sound of it :)

[odinsblog]

DeSantis tried (and failed) to pivot to blaming COVID for Florida’s high firearm mortality rate, but remember, he repeatedly said that coronavirus wasn’t a serious medical problem, remember? Oh, and remember too how DeSantis manipulated his state’s data and just lied about the number of coronavirus deaths to make himself look good? Deaths from coronavirus were and are still bad in Florida.

There has got to be a clear statistical link between Florida allowing permitless concealed carry for anyone + the increased gun violence in Florida and other red states. Oh, wait. There are.

AND, the fact that Desantis is lying about the firearm mortality rate in Florida isn’t at all surprising (he is a Republican, after all), but you would think that lying Ron telling these bald faced lies on the same weekend that 20 people were shot in Ybor City would have him be slightly embarrassed or at least prepare more believable lies.

[cast-you-dxwn]

Standard equipment of the 778th Legion

The 778th Legion of the Heavenly Host is an auxiliary unit of the Heavenly Legions, entirely comprised of mortal souls. Saved who are unsatisfied with simply enjoying Heavens existence, taking up arms to fight with the rest of the Legions upon Creation.

As they are not Trueborn Angels, they lack the unmatched strength, speed, reflexes, and inborn martial prowess of their peers. Therefore they are equipped with the most technologically advanced equipment that Heavens forges can produce, to bring their physical performance up to par with their faithful fire.

Armor: The armor of the 778th is a semi-modular suit of interlocking angelic steel and blessed ceramic armor plating over an exoskeleton powered by the sun-fire of holy light. 

The base suit is referred to as a ‘Harbinger’ Model Powered Combat Suit, and can be modified to serve a variety of battlefield purposes, examples given being overclocked power plants in the arms and reinforced gorget and vambraces for heavy melee combat, and extensive helmet sensor suites and targeting modules for snipers. The armor greatly augments the wearers strength, overland speed, and reflexes, allowing the Legionnaire to do battle against foes that would normally far outstrip a mortal soul, such as more powerful sinner-entities. Earlier models weight complicated flight, but downsizing of the power source and distribution system have made this a non-issue.

Standard Ammunition: The Legions firearms utilize a standardized round in many different calibers: Sanctified Mass-Reactive Banishment (SMRB) ammunition. Each projectile is lovingly and masterfully crafted, an angelic steel jacket surrounding a blessed silver core and a small explosive charge meant to activate upon striking a target. There are standard variations, including armor-piercing rounds utilizing a hardened angelic steel penetrator, hollow points for use against soft targets, etc.

Sidearm: The Model 277 ‘Judith’ is a semi-automatic pistol chambered to accept 12.7×41mm SMRB ammunition, standard issue to all members of the 778th Legion.

The ‘Judith’ is unique amongst handguns in that it utilizes a side-loading magazine, deemed necessary to maintain an acceptable ammunition capacity in the face of the necessarily large caliber it is chambered in, ten total, plus one in the chamber. The weapon comes in both left and right-hand dominant configurations, depending on the users preference.

This weapon has seen comparatively few updates since its conception, most of them revolving around ergonomics and minute adjustments to the Legions deployment zones, an instant and long-lasting hit with the 778th, so much so that Trueborn members of other Legions and certain members of the Guardian Conclaves have begun to carry them as well.

Standard rifle: The Model 3577 ‘Mercy’ Battle Rifle is a select-fire shoulder arm chambered for 7.62×63mm SMRB ammunition. It can cycle between semi-automatic fire, burst-fire, and fully automatic fire via a selector switch mounted on the trigger guard, with a cyclic fire rate of 650 RPM. 

It is a highly modular rifle, capable of a great deal of personalization as well as customization for various battlefield roles, easily converted from a short-barreled carbine for Close Quarters Battle to a full-length Designated Marksman Rifle, depending on a Legionnaires deployment zone and particular battlefield role.

Long-distance engagement: The Model 137 ‘Jericho’ Anti-Materiel rifle is a long-barreled semi-automatic shoulder arm chambered in 20mm SMRB fed from a 3-round magazine, designed to engage particularly large or heavily armored targets from extreme distances. 

A sharpshooters weapon, it is large, bulky, and unwieldy in close quarters, with an overall length of almost 8 feet and weighing almost 75 pounds, making it solely suited to engaging targets from a distance or from pre-established firing positions. 

That being said, enterprising Legionnaires have described the weapons effects on targets in closer quarters to be ‘magnificent.’

Close Quarters Engagement: The Model 93 ‘Simon’ is a pump-action shotgun chambered to accept 8 gauge shells, with a capacity of 5 rounds in an internal tube magazine, plus one in the chamber. These rounds can be interchanged for a wide variety of purposes for example: Angelic Steel Buckshot and slugs, silver-tipped flechettes, blessed magnesium incendiary rounds, and cryogenically stable holy-water pellets. Less-than-lethal options exist, such as beanbag rounds and flash-bang shells.

The weapon is the workhorse of many anti-cultist operations, proving effectiveness in the often cramped space and limited maneuverability of the compounds such groups tend to prefer to nest in. It has also proven its knockdown power against various demonic entities, proven capable on multiple occasions of putting more powerful sinner-entities on their back with a solid shot center-mass.

Squad level fire support: The Model 115 ‘Retribution’ Squad Automatic Weapon system is a fully-automatic shoulder arm chambered in 7.62×63mm SMRB fed by disintegrating-link ammunition belts from a 200 round box magazine, with a cyclic fire rate of 850 RPM, fitted with a quick-change barrel system.

It is a superlative weapon for suppressing fire on covered targets, as well as engagement of groups of enemies. There is generally one issued to each Contubernia, a suitable solution for the Legions need for more robust mobile fire support.

Heavy Machine Gun: The Model 19 ‘Diligence’ Machine Gun is an air-cooled heavy support weapons platform chambered in 12.7x108mm SMRB ammunition, with a cyclic fire rate of up to 600 RPM, fed by disintegrating-link ammunition belts fed from a 110 round ammunition can.

The Model 19 has been a reliable workhorse against lightly-armored vehicles and large abominations for many years, imparting significant kinetic transfer and wound-channeling to its targets, often tearing human and human-adjacent targets limb from limb. While normally mounted in emplacements (such as those guarding the Heaven Embassy in Hells Pride Ring) or braces, a Legionnaires standard Harbinger combat suit allows a Model 19 to be carried and fired from the hip, albeit with significant drop in accuracy. Some Legionnaires have fitted their armor with advanced and specialized targeting systems to allow them to effectively utilize the weapon in this manner.

Anti-Armor: The Model 6 ‘Perdition’ personal missile system is a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon firing a 127mm missile which can be fitted for anti-personnel airburst, anti-armor, or anti-air configurations. It features an automatic infrared ‘fire and forget’ tracking system, enabling the user to immediately seek cover after firing, unlike wire-guided systems, which leave the user exposed to enemy counter-fire whilst guiding the projectile.

Its anti-personnel munitions are tuned for airburst detonation, detonating above enemy positions, riddling the target area with angelic-steel shrapnel, blessed magnesium incendiary munitions, or silver-tipped flechettes. Its anti-armor munitions feature a dual-warhead system intended to defeat the reactive armor systems of tanks, but the technology has been found useful in breaching the carapaces of more heavily armored abominations as well.

[azspot]

The U.S. Has By Far the Highest Child and Teen Firearm Mortality Rate Among Similarly Large and Wealthy OECD Nations

[mapsontheweb]

Firearm Mortality Rate by US State, 2020.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz proposed a solution to school shootings: Stationing as many armed police officers in schools as there are in banks. Less than two weeks later, a shooter in Kentucky opened fire at a bank, killing at least five people and injuring eight others.

"You know, when you go to the bank, and you deposit money in the bank, there are armed police officers at the bank. Why? Because we want to protect the money we save. Why on earth do we protect a stupid deposit more than our children?" Cruz said on March 30.

"We have an opportunity right now to double the police officers on campus and keep kids safe," Cruz added.

He reiterated the sentiment in a tweet on March 31.

Cruz's proposed bill on school safety, which he has been pushing for months, was blocked in the Senate on March 30.

The Senator's insistence that banks are a paragon of safety and security came just days before a 25-year-old bank employee opened fire on his colleagues.

Cruz has, in the past, made widely panned suggestions on how to stop gun violence.

After the Uvalde school shooting, where a shooter killed 21 people, Cruz floated a bizarre idea for preventing school shootings: Having a "single point of entry" in schools.

"Fire exits should only open out. At that single point of entry, we should have multiple armed police officers or, if need be, military veterans trained to provide security and keep our children safe," Cruz said in an interview with Fox News, published on May 27.

Cruz was also booed at a September festival in Austin after his comments on gun legislation. At the festival, Cruz suggested that violence "is actually the only thing" that helps stop violence — a common, right-wing talking point often trotted out by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Cruz is also an NRA-friendly GOP politician. Days after the Uvalde shooting, Cruz refused to cancel his appearance at the organization's leadership conference in Houston. Justifying his decision, he told CBS News that the NRA "stands up for your rights, stands up for my rights, and stands up for the rights of every American."

Texas has the highest firearm mortality rate of any state — 4,164 firearm-related deaths in 2020 — per statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Representatives for Cruz did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

[ladylilithprime]

You Labeled Me, I'll Label You

Series: Fluffy Faerie Tales

Fandom: Supernatural

Pairing: Sastimmy/Jamstiel (Jimmy Novak/Sam Winchester/Castiel), background Maryjohn (Mary Campbell/John Winchester)

Rating: Teen and Up

Tags/Warnings: Half-Fae Sam Winchester, Half-Fae Adam Milligan Winchester, Faerie Princess Mary Winchester, Jimmy and Castiel Are Twins, Selkie Jack Kline, Sam Winchester Is Jack Kline's Adopted Father, Brief Allusions to Canon-Typical Violence, Supportive Gabriel, Faerie Politics

Summary: Just because Sam understands why Dean completely overreacted to his getting hurt in the alicorn attack, that doesn't mean his older brother will be forgiven until he actually apologizes to Cas and Jimmy. His mother and younger brother agree.

For: @fluffyfebruary challenge!

Prompt: Day 14: Free Space (Mom)

Read on AO3

THERE WEREN'T VERY many things anymore that could really, truly get under the skin of a half-human faerie prince who was over fourteen hundred years of age by his own reckoning and whose early life had been spent navigating the frequently lethal politics of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. In a cut-throat political arena amongst a species whose ability to double- and triple-speak had been honed to a razor sharp art form due to an inability to outright lie, one learned very early on to keep a firm hold of one's temper even if only by the skin of one's teeth, and to measure which insults truly merited a response. Because if one wasn't powerful enough to retaliate swiftly and effectively against someone who offended, then one must either grit one's teeth into a smile and pretend it didn't matter or one didn't survive very long. And when one had a human father, the insults were frequently plentiful from those who assumed all humans were fragile creatures, easily bewitched and even more easily broken.

Those who made such assumptions tended to forget that the Cerulean Princess of the Summer Court was not prone to admiring weakness and so would never choose someone truly fragile, human or otherwise, to be her Consort. They scoffed at the one they called Sion and assumed the title of Cerulean Knight was ceremonial rather than earned in blood and battle along with his immortality. They assumed that his blood brought weakness to the children his Princess bore despite their number and good health, and bestowed the sneering titles of Iron Prince, Steel Prince, and Chrome Prince on the three brothers.

They learned to their chagrin that those mocking titles were a bit too aptly chosen.

The Iron Prince was a charmer with a silver tongue, frequently able to talk his way into beds and out of trouble without a single falsehood. His military service was impeccable with command resting on his shoulders with the ease of a favored cloak. While skilled with a sword, he had an uncanny knack for crossbows and, as the invention became common among mortals, firearms. He played at unconcern over any insult directed his way, but woe to anyone who cast aspersions on his mother or threatened his brothers.

Close in age by about a hundred years, the Steel Prince seemed to have a spine made from his titled metal. More studious and scholarly than his elder brother, his words when offered were thoughtful and carefully chosen, calm and analytical as his elder brother's right hand, wielding his battle magic with as much skill and finesse as he did his many, many blades. He rarely responded directly to insult, preferring to prove his detractors wrong through his actions, but his ire when roused was so sharp and cold he might have been mistaken for one of the Winter Court.

In contrast to his older brothers, the Chrome Prince was as bright and playful as sunlight skittering along the shiny metal of his title. Several hundred years younger than his brothers, he tended to model his attitude after his next eldest brother more than the eldest, presenting a calm and studious face to his tutors as he learned the delicate art of healing magics while dodging the efforts of his fellow students to entrap him into their thorough scrutiny of his condition. Young though he was, he kept his temper well banked under a shield of stony indifference, only rarely erupting with the force of a pyroclastic blast to the detriment of the one who so foolishly provoked him.

He had also been quick to go and see his next eldest brother in the mortal realms under the escort of his mother when the two of them learned of the alicorn attack. Transition between the realms was much less temporally finicky than it was in ages past, but between the mirror call their mother had sent and the actual arrival there was still a three week delay. Therefore, by the time they arrived in Avalon, New Jersey, not only had Dean been and gone in spectacularly explosive fashion, but Sam was already back up and at work again, albeit with more frequent breaks than before due to the still-healing wound in his side.

"Do I get to take a look at your side and see if I can boost the healing for you?" were the first words out of Adam's mouth when he and Mary entered the cafe and spotted Sam behind the counter.

"Are you going to lecture me on fighting six alicorns while impaled by the horn of the seventh?" Sam asked flatly, folding his arms over his chest. "Or cast blame for the incident where it doesn't belong?"

"Who do you think I am, Dean?" Adam scoffed, crossing to the counter and vaulting over it like he was still a kid climbing trees. "You never start a fight but you also never leave a fight unfinished. Shirt."

"I'm at work, Adam!"

"Oh, we don't mind in the slightest!" Gabriel called out with an exaggerated wink, licking the end of the candy-striped straw tucked into his Trickster Special.

"Still taken!" Sam called back with a roll of his eyes, though he stopped fending off Adam's insistent fingers tugging at his shirt. Gabriel was the only other customer in the cafe at the moment.

"Speaking of those boys of yours," Mary chimed in, leaning on the counter rather than hopping over it like her youngest, "are they both doing alright?"

"Mostly recovering, thankfully," Sam sighed, shifting his stance to both give Adam more room and give himself a better vantage to look back into the kitchen. Cas had his earbuds in and was scooping out three-quarter-inch balls of purple and blue cookie dough before rolling them in a mix of silver sanding sugar and powdered alicorn horn. It was an experiment he had wanted to try after the success of dusting the whipped cream topping on the Unicorn Berry Latte with the powdered alicorn horn, and Sam had seen no reason to refuse, especially if it helped his lover to process and cope with the attack. "Cas internalizes more than Jimmy does, but they're getting there. Not that Dean helped at all, going off on them like he did. Ow!"

"Sorry," Adam hummed absently, shifting his fingers away from the spot that had elicited the exclamation. "You're further along in healing than I expected with just human medicine to help."

"One of my regulars here is both an ER nurse and an Asian Dragon," Sam explained. "She got to me right after the end of the battle and did most of the work patching me up while lecturing me about fighting injured."

"No wonder you wanted to be spared more of that," Adam snorted, letting Sam's shirt fall back into place. "Now what exactly did Dean do and how much do you want him to suffer for it?"

"Adam," Sam started tiredly.

"Nope," Adam broke in, shaking his head. "You're talking to your younger brother now, and it's part of my job to team up with you to get revenge on our older brother when he's been an ass, even if all we end up doing is tattling to Mom."

"And conveniently," Mary interjected wryly, "you also happen to have Mom right here, ready to be tattled to. I know you said in our call that he was being unfair, but you mention placing blame where it didn't belong?"

Sam sighed, glanced back towards the kitchen again to make sure Cas was still thoroughly occupied with his personal work time happy place, and gave in. "The alicorn that got in its lucky shot at me had Jimmy and Cas pinned down and was seconds away from running its horn through Cas's heart when I put myself in the way. The horn went straight through my side and tore his coat but mercifully didn't get him or Jimmy. Unfortunately, my beloveds are the types to feel responsible for my getting injured while protecting them, so when Dean started ranting and yelling and actively blaming them for everything from my injury to the alicorn incursion itself--"

"What in the Forge Fires of the First Stars?!" Adam blurted out, incredulous.

"They're virgins?" Mary guessed, eyes soft. Sam shrugged, nodded, and made a seesaw gesture with his hand.

"Technically speaking, at least as far as an alicorn would count it," he admitted. "And they've been touched by both fae magic and divinity--" He shot a look at Gabriel, who held up his hands in a "don't shoot" motion. "--so it's not really a surprise that the alicorns beelined straight for them over the other several dozen underage virgins in town, which did make it easier for the nearby Army Reserve and the local volunteer fire department to kill and contain the herd."

"Sounds like it was a good thing for the town that they were there," Mary remarked gently.

Sam made a face. "Much as I hate to admit it, because they were still in very grave danger, but yes, it was. Saying that it was somehow their fault the alicorns came through the rift is beyond ludicrous, though. One of those things pops up around an easily accessible semi-rural population center every fifty or so years and it was just bad luck that this one opened on this section of Seven Mile Island. Rowena, Tasha, and I all checked thoroughly."

"Crowley and I checked, too," Gabriel chimed in. "Complete happenstance. Dean-o was way over the line."

"He was," Mary agreed grimly. "Not even your father at his highest temper would blame a civilian for a soldier being wounded in battle, even when the soldier is his son."

"To be completely fair, I am technically a civilian now," Sam sighed. "I'm not saying that excuses him being a complete ass, especially not to Cas and Jimmy, but he did have reason to believe that I might not be on the battle lines here so my injury caught him off guard."

"Not sure why, even I know you wouldn't just sit on the sidelines with people in danger, especially since your kid was at risk, too," Gabriel huffed. "You know, Samalam, I still owe you that favor from back in thirteen-sixty-nine...."

"And I'm not calling that in for something like this, angeldust," Sam told him with a shake of his head. "He's an ass, but he's still my brother. I just..." he trailed off and sighed. "He hurt them. And you know what he's like, every time he's an ass to me or Adam he waits a few weeks or months until he thinks we've had enough time to cool down and then breezes in like nothing's wrong. Cas and Jimmy deserve better than that, and not just because they're mortal. They deserve a real, proper apology from him, and I don't want Dean setting foot within my territory until he's ready to do that."

"Done," Mary said, clicking her fingers as her summer sky blue eyes flashed green. "I'll leave it up to you if you wish to warn him of his now conditional welcome in your cafe or apartment. In the meantime...."

"Your exchange?" Sam guessed, knowing fully well where this was going.

"Let me and Adam take you, Jack, and your boys out for dinner," she said with a glittering smile. "I believe I need to properly meet the mortals you're diving in front of a charging alicorn for and get to know them better!"

[leviathangourmet]

For decades, advances in healthcare and safety steadily drove down death rates among American children. In an alarming reversal, rates have now risen to the highest level in nearly 15 years, particularly driven by homicides, drug overdoses, car accidents and suicides. The uptick among younger Americans accelerated in 2020. Though Covid-19 itself wasn’t a major cause of death for young people, researchers say social disruption caused by the pandemic exacerbated public-health problems, including worsening anxiety and depression. Greater access to firearms, dangerous driving and more lethal narcotics also helped push up death rates. Between 2019 and 2020, the overall mortality rate for ages 1 to 19 rose by 10.7%, and increased by an additional 8.3% the following year, according to an analysis of federal death statistics led by Steven Woolf, director emeritus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, published in JAMA in March. That’s the highest increase for two consecutive years in the half-century that the government has publicly tracked such figures, according to Woolf’s analysis.

The increases in suicides and homicides among young people went largely unnoticed at first because overall child and adolescent mortality rates still declined most years.  Penicillin and other antibiotics drove down deaths from bacterial infections in the years following World War II, and vaccines controlled lethal viruses such as polio and influenza. Safer automobiles, seat belts and car seats made driving less deadly. Bicycle helmets, smoke detectors and swimming lessons reduced fatal accidents and drownings. Medical advancements that save premature babies and treat leukemia and other cancers helped more children survive once-lethal diagnoses. “All of those gains are now being offset by essentially four causes of death,” Woolf said.  When the pandemic started, deaths of young people due to suicide and homicide climbed higher. Deaths caused by drug overdoses and transportation fatalities—mainly motor-vehicle accidents—rose significantly, too. Covid, which surged to America’s No. 3 cause of death during the pandemic, accounted for just one-tenth of the rise in mortality among young people in 2020, and one-fifth of it in 2021, according to the research led by Woolf, which uses data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Joshua Gillihan was 11 years old when the pandemic closed his suburban Houston middle school in March 2020. He’d grown up confident with lots of friends, and played baseball and rode his dirt bike in their upper-middle-class neighborhood in Cypress, Texas, said his mother, Kim Gillihan. The shutdowns turned a temporary break from organized sports into an indefinite hiatus. Kim Gillihan watched as Joshua’s typical adolescent hangups about having to wear glasses and his appearance gave way to more worrisome levels of anxiety.  “When the Covid hit, our child that was never depressed became depressed,” she said. 

[thegear]

THE KLOKATEERS, WHAT ARE THEY?

⠀⠀⠀THE ORDER.⠀the klokateers are a massive gang of henchman theorized to outnumber the british army, or more than 150,000 heads. the klokateers are generic in form and unnamed, recognizable by their uniform's startling black executioner's hood. they serve as brutal overseers of dethklok's various affairs, doing everything from spray painting the castle's lawns black to attending the backlog of legal battles against the band, and even function as their army, fighting with weaponry ranging from the medieval to state of the art firearms. they are quick to beat or kill people, with or without orders, especially if they are in proximity to dethklok.

⠀⠀⠀THE RECRUITMENT.⠀it is rumored that becoming a klokateer is harder than becoming an astronaut or an FBI agent, the budget that is put towards klokateer recruiting dwarfs that of the american army, and they can be seen taking applications at shopping malls, grocery stores, movie theaters, and of course at dethklok concerts. if applicants pass a background check, they are brought inside mordhaus, where their endurance is tested:

⠀⠀⠀THE TRIALS.⠀these tests including being starved, sleep deprived, and ultimately broken mentally & braindwashed. even before they are officially hired, they are quite likely to die, as the entrance exam alone has a mortality rate of fifty percent, as the participants are required to pair up and fight each other to the death with their bare fists.

⠀⠀⠀THE PERMANENT REWARD.⠀upon completion of these tests, the newly accepted klokateer has their nape christened with a firebrand of the order's gear symbol, depicted above, and from then on don the HOOD.

⠀⠀⠀THE MASTERS.⠀as devoted fans of the band first and foremost, and dethklok employees second, the klokateers obey dethklok ( and by extension, the band's CFO ) without question, no matter how outrageous the band's demands may be and even at the expense of their lives, which are often forfeit. dethklok is unbothered by the high mortality rate of its employees, but the gears are eager to do their bidding.

⠀⠀⠀THE ESTATE.⠀mordhaus is the name of the brutally designed castle-citadel, reminisct of a viking longboat, in which dethklok, company, and the klokateers reside. it is under the watchful protection of high-powered sniper rifle towers, can fly and make land at will. it houses the vehicle arsenal, hot tubs, in-haus recording studio, a high-tech hospital, dethklok employee branding room, saunas and much more. for the klokateers, however, the living conditions are said to be so horrible that their corpses are stuffing the sewer system. death is so common in mordhaus, they have a inappropriately chipper solution:

"Death is an everyday part of the workplace. So when you see a dead body, dont freak out - just ring your death bell!"

⠀⠀⠀THE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.⠀to be added / edited. topics: hierarchy, klokateer culture, mental health maintenance & regression, the "WORD THAT CANNOT BE SAID" curse (the word is assistant)

[automatismoateo]

Tennessee taxes will be giving "houses of worship" free money to arm their churches via /r/atheism

Tennessee taxes will be giving "houses of worship" free money to arm their churches https://www.actionnews5.com/2024/06/22/tennessee-department-safety-homeland-security-opens-applications-houses-worship-security-grant/ I know people are dismissing the Project 2025 stuff (you really shouldn't) but this is curious isn't it? It's not like we have many "houses of worship" that aren't Christian. They claim it's because churches lately have experienced hate crimes. Which they haven't. They have had mostly vandalism, mostly kids messing around. So our government has decided the best course of action is to give churches free money to either buy firearms and train parishioners themselves or hire armed security. Am I overreacting here? Is this not disturbing given the political climate these days? We are supposedly too poor to pay teachers a comparable wage. We have the highest maternal mortality rate. We have shamefully low standardized test scores and we can't provide health coverage for low wage workers unless they get knocked up. But we can give money to churches to protect them from outsiders. Weird times. Submitted June 26, 2024 at 05:43AM by CyndiIsOnReddit (From Reddit https://ift.tt/5FZBjOI)

[hyperfixatinglove]

🍋

I could go rambling a while about literally miles long past-crushes list & I've done that few times on this blog.

But since I can't find anything other than slight mention of him:

John Bradford from XCOM 2

I mentioned XCOM the sequel, but he does make appearance in Enemy Within and it's remake Enemy Unknown. The problem is, there he has no personality and I cannot work self ship universe without any bread crumbs of content & lore. Therefore I can only work with him in the sequel.

Bradford is like the command center, he's the one that everyone else answer to, minus player aka Commander who's the highest pinnacle of authority in XCOM. Making him second-in-command. He's grizzled alcoholic after leading XCOM alone for whopping 20 years because Commander got captured by aliens.

Yeah, they fighting aliens in XCOM. Expect in the sequel the aliens won, they've ruled the Earth past twenty years. Because Commander got captured in Enemy Unknown if you fail particular Base Defense mission & that leads to this sequel where I have crush on this dude. Yay alternative universes.

In sequel he actually does at least two mission with the field squads. He's personally there to save Commander & is present when you meet the Viper King, so he can and will kick ass. He's actually Ranger which means he's both firearm expert and sword one. Yeah this game has swords, like Halo-type hologram ones.

He can be sarcastic, jaded & cynical but he truly cares for humanity & everyone's survival. He's particularly concerned for the soldiers and resistance members & can be often seen hanging around with soldiers in base. So I'm convinced he has heart of gold & lot's of hidden depths.

And being voiced by Brian Bloom in sequel is honestly one reason why I have such a crush on him. He already voiced Blazkowicz and does lend his voice to another mini crush of mine Alex Shepherd from SH Homecoming. Not to mention he fits my ''older men who are traumatized'' criteria with interesting source for storylines.

Like how would I fit into mostly military effort of retaking back Earth? Hastily teached medic in infirmary? One of the resistance around the world saved by XCOM operatives & then remain on ship? I'm not making myself handle aliens on the field lmao, especially with such high mortality rate.

In nutshell, he's neat, the game & storyline is neat and the only reason I haven't FOd him is because I like my list short & don't feel overwhelmingly strong love for him as I do for my official FOs.

[infinitemonkeytheory]

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in 2020, so did another grim reality: For the first time, guns became the leading cause of death for American children and teenagers, surpassing car accidents, the long-standing leader.

In 2021, youth firearm death rates did not fall to pre-pandemic levels as hoped, but instead continued a sharp rise to hit a new record high. That's according to a recent study led by researchers in New York and published in the journal Pediatrics. The study was based on national mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nationwide, there were 4,752 firearm deaths of American children and teens (ages 0 to 19) in 2021, translating to a rate of 5.8 gun deaths per 100,000 people. The deaths represent a nearly 9 percent increase from 2020 (4,368 or 5.4 deaths per 100,000).

[texasprelawland-blog]

Gun Laws In The State of Texas

By Alexa Tierrafria, University of North Texas Class of 2022

May 22, 2023

On September 1, 2021, the “Firearm Carry Act” or “Firearm Carry Act of 2021” took place after Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 1927. The act specifies that individuals aged 21 years or older can carry firearms/handguns without a license in public places that do not prohibit firearms/handguns. For the approximately 37% of gun owners (and 17 million licensed gun owners) in Texas, this means they will be able to carry firearms/handguns freely and unlicensed, concealed or out in public in holsters.

FIREARM/HANDGUN INCIDENT STATISTICS

The modification in Texas guns laws comes as a result of various gun incidents. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported at least 15.6 deaths per 100,000 individuals, or a total of 4,613 deaths from firearms in Texas [1]. Compared to the previous year, 2020, the firearm mortality rate has slightly increased 1.4 deaths per 100,000 individuals, or 449 for the total deaths. Although this rate is quite slight, gun violence has cost Texas about $16.6 billion annually [1].

THE CARRY OF FIREARMS/HANDGUNS

While there is no limitation to the number of firearms/handguns that an individual can openly carry, there is a limitation to the places they can be carried. Section 46.03 of the Texas Penal Code outlines the places that prohibits weapons.

Places Prohibiting Weapons

Places that prohibit open carry of firearms/handguns or weapons are secured airport areas, courthouses, polling places, schools, businesses portraying signs that prohibit firearms/handguns, businesses that sell alcohol permitted by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC); high schools, colleges, interscholastic, or professional sporting events that do not require the use of weapons; correctional facilities, civil commitment facilities, hospitals, nursing facilities, or mental hospitals; amusement parks, and rooms with active government meetings [2].

When mentioning open carry near businesses, private property, and educational institutions, individuals must be aware that owners and institutions can decide if they want to allow these weapons. Owners and institutions should make decisions clear by placing signs, indicating their allowance or prohibition. Furthermore, individuals who fail to follow these rules will be subject to “either a third-degree felony or a Class A misdemeanor, depending on their location” [4].

Places Allowing Weapons

Places that allow open carry of firearms/handguns or weapons include public city facilities (libraries and recreation centers), the Texas State Capitol, the outside public, concealment on an individual’s body, the carry of a handgun in a shoulder holster or a belt holster, and businesses that do not portray signs of firearm or handgun prohibition [2].  

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR A LICENSE TO CARRY

As per Texas Law, individuals can carry firearms/handguns without a permit if they are at least 21 years of age and are not prohibited under the firearms prohibitions law.

Individuals who wish to obtain a license to carry, or CCW permit, can do so by following the eligibility requirements. Applicants must be:

-          Legal residents of Texas (at least 6 months prior to their application date or meet special requirements);

-          At least 21 years of age;

-          Fully qualified to purchase a firearm/handgun;

-          Free of convictions (Class A or Class B misdemeanors, disorderly conduct offenses, or felonies);

-          Not considered a fugitive for justice;

-          Without chemical dependency;

-          Free of court-ordered restrictions;

-          “Capable of exercising sound judgment with respect to proper use and storage” of a firearm/handgun;

-          Without a final determination in child support payments, tax pay payments, or other form of payments;

-          Free of adjudication from felonious delinquent conduct;

-          Without “material misrepresentation” or have failed “to disclose any material fact” during the application of a license/permit. [3]

In addition to these requirements, an extended background check is required. Applicants will also have to complete a handgun course of four to six hours (available in classroom and online), covering the subjects of weapons laws and deadly force, “handgun use and safety…, non-violent dispute resolution,” and “proper storage practices for handguns” [3]. Range instruction of the course will further demonstrate the applicant’s knowledge of handgun safety and proficiency through a written and physical exam.

______________________________________________________________

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, February 24). Texas. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/texas/tx.htm

[2] City of Austin. (2021, February 24). Open Carry. austintexas.gov. https://www.austintexas.gov/department/open-carry

[3] Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. (2023, January 3). Concealed Carry in Texas. Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/concealed-carry-in-texas/

[4] Gjelten, E. A. (2021, July 19). Texas Gun Laws on Open and Concealed Carry. Criminal Defense Lawyer. https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/open-and-concealed-gun-carry-laws-texas.htm