#like their interference with other nations is very clearly just like... once the US fully destabilizes and collapses

[eruhamster]

i wish political discussions abt china werent so absolutely loaded with propaganda bullshit and tankie discourse. would be so great to see someone talk about their foreign policy on a given country without them audibly sucking every drop of cum from pooh bear or without sounding like it came out the mouth of senator joseph mccarthy

considering that the majority of the conversations i'm thinking of come from americans, you'd think we'd be able to have a reasonable discussion about the growing empire that's following in our footsteps and has already shown interest in colonization both economically and militaristically, but here we are

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The White House Has Erected A Blockade Stopping States and Hospitals From Getting Coronavirus PPE

By David Wallace-Wells

Whenever you start to think that the federal government under Donald Trump has hit a moral bottom, it finds a new way to shock and horrify.

Over the last few weeks, it has started to appear as though, in addition to abandoning the states to their own devices in a time of national emergency, the federal government has effectively erected a blockade — like that which the Union used to choke off the supply chains of the Confederacy during the Civil War — to prevent delivery of critical medical equipment to states desperately in need. At the very least, federal authorities have made governors and hospital executives all around the country operate in fear that shipments of necessary supplies will be seized along the way. In a time of pandemic, having evacuated federal responsibility, the White House is functionally waging a war against state leadership and the initiative of local hospitals to secure what they need to provide sufficient treatment.

Yesterday, a letter published by the New England Journal of Medicine highlighted the extraordinary measures that had to be taken to secure the delivery into Massachusetts of equipment that had been bought and paid for. The NEJM, which featured the letter in its COVID-19 Notes series, is far from a platform of partisan alarm or hysteria — it is among the most sober and high-minded professional journals in the country. It’s worth reading the correspondence, written by an executive running a small health system, at some length:

“Our supply-chain group has worked around the clock to secure gowns, gloves, face masks, goggles, face shields, and N95 respirators. These employees have adapted to a new normal, exploring every lead, no matter how unusual. Deals, some bizarre and convoluted, and many involving large sums of money, have dissolved at the last minute when we were outbid or outmuscled, sometimes by the federal government. Then we got lucky, but getting the supplies was not easy.

A lead came from an acquaintance of a friend of a team member. After several hours of vetting, we grew confident of the broker’s professional pedigree and the potential to secure a large shipment of three-ply face masks and N95 respirators. The latter were KN95 respirators, N95s that were made in China. We received samples to confirm that they could be successfully fit-tested. Despite having cleared this hurdle, we remained concerned that the samples might not be representative of the bulk of the products that we would be buying. Having acquired the requisite funds — more than five times the amount we would normally pay for a similar shipment, but still less than what was being requested by other brokers — we set the plan in motion. Three members of the supply-chain team and a fit tester were flown to a small airport near an industrial warehouse in the mid-Atlantic region. I arrived by car to make the final call on whether to execute the deal. Two semi-trailer trucks, cleverly marked as food-service vehicles, met us at the warehouse. When fully loaded, the trucks would take two distinct routes back to Massachusetts to minimize the chances that their contents would be detained or redirected.

Hours before our planned departure, we were told to expect only a quarter of our original order. We went anyway, since we desperately needed any supplies we could get. Upon arrival, we were jubilant to see pallets of KN95 respirators and face masks being unloaded. We opened several boxes, examined their contents, and hoped that this random sample would be representative of the entire shipment. Before we could send the funds by wire transfer, two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrived, showed their badges, and started questioning me. No, this shipment was not headed for resale or the black market. The agents checked my credentials, and I tried to convince them that the shipment of PPE was bound for hospitals. After receiving my assurances and hearing about our health system’s urgent needs, the agents let the boxes of equipment be released and loaded into the trucks. But I was soon shocked to learn that the Department of Homeland Security was still considering redirecting our PPE. Only some quick calls leading to intervention by our congressional representative prevented its seizure. I remained nervous and worried on the long drive back, feelings that did not abate until midnight, when I received the call that the PPE shipment was secured at our warehouse.”

In this instance, the executive managed to secure the supplies, but what is most horrifying about his account is that this experience was not all that surprising to him — he expected interference from federal officials, and did everything he could (including staging the shipment in food-service trucks to avoid detection) to get around that interference.

Those measures do not seem unusual, horrifyingly enough. Last month, 3 million masks ordered by the state of Massachusetts were seized by the federal government. Last week, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, was arranging secret chartered flights of supplies as a way of outmaneuvering federal interference. “The governor has clearly outlined the challenges this administration has faced as we’ve worked around the clock to purchase PPE for our health-care workers and first responders,” a spokesperson for the governor told the paper. “The supply chain has been likened to the Wild West, and once you have purchased supplies, ensuring they get to the state is another Herculean feat,” he continued. “These flights are carrying millions of masks and gloves our workers need. They’re scheduled to land in Illinois in the coming weeks and the state is working to ensure these much-needed supplies are protected and ready for distribution around the state.” A source “knowledgeable about the flights” told the paper that the governor didn’t want to be more open about the shipments “because we’ve heard reports of Trump trying to take PPE in China and when it gets to the United States.”

This is not just the federal government telling states they are on their own, as it has done repeatedly over the last few weeks — a sign that the president, often thought to harbor authoritarian impulses, will invariably choose to unburden himself of responsibility even when seizing it would offer remarkable new powers, and itself an moral outrage demonstrating incredible political sadism, given that states lack the resources of the federal government to pay for this stuff. That’s in part because, in many cases, states are legally barred from deficit spending, which means in times of crisis, especially those producing huge budget shortfalls through collapsing tax revenue, they are functionally unable to respond at all. In such situations, the federal government is designed to serve as a backstop, but over and over again throughout this crisis, the White House has said states will get little to no help — that they are entirely on their own. (The federal medical stockpile isn’t meant for the states, as Jared Kushner has said, as though the country is anything more than its states.)

On top of that outrage, the Feds are bidding against states who are trying to buy their own supplies, and refusing to interfere in those auctions between states, which have driven prices up by ten times or more. But while you might think that was as bad as federal management of this crisis could be, it is not. This new outrage is deeper: Even those states that are trying to manage their own resources, buying equipment themselves with incredibly scarce resources to aid in a time of crisis, are being stopped, and those resources seized on the way to delivery.

You could call this piracy. You could call it sanctions. The federal government is choking supply chains to states like it chokes supply chains to Iran and North Korea. These blockades aren’t as complete as those surrounding sanctioned regimes, of course, and some amount of the disruption may be honest confusion in a time of crisis. But the disruption is being brought about by federal interference, and unlike the kind of disruptions you’d want to engineer against antagonistic states, the purpose seems completely unclear — indeed the policy is inexplicable and indefensible.

Which may be one reason why no explanation has been given. We don’t know where these supplies are going. We don’t know on what grounds they are being seized, or threatened with seizure. What business do the DHS and FEMA have with ventilators and PPE purchases by governors and local hospitals? “This is like a story out of the last days of the Soviet Union,” David Frum wrote on Twitter, of the NEJM letter. “This is what it means to be a failed state,” wrote the essayist Umair Haque, echoing him. In the absence of an explanation, it is hard to come to any conclusion other than that this is simply mafia government, exerting control for the sake of control, not in spite of but because of the crisis-led demand, and squeezing the American people, as they die in hospital beds and attend — with inadequate protection — to the sick and scared.

[alexsmitposts]

US and coronavirus: three awkward questions Let's ask the question: what in reality can stand behind the words of the us under Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Philip Ricker, who directly declared our country to be conducting a campaign to "spread disinformation" about the fact that the United States is involved in the emergence and spread of the 2019-nCoV infection in China? There is no doubt that this demarche is, first of all, an "anti-Russian throw-in", as it was quite rightly assessed by the Russian foreign Ministry. But, at the same time, in accordance with the well-known Russian proverb, what is happening is extremely similar to the situation with the spontaneous combustion of a headdress on someone who has just sincerely felt through other people's pockets. There was a lot of excitement in Washington about this. Why would that be? I'm not going to press any charges. As well as saying anything to try to convince you that the outbreak of the coronavirus that threatens the planet today is directly related to the deliberate and deliberate actions of certain organizations, structures or individuals from the United States of America. I just suggest that you look for answers to just three blocks of questions set out below. What conclusions you come to in the end is your own business. However, we all clearly have something to think about. 1. Why so many "coincidences"? I will make a reservation at once – in any story that affects the interests of more than a couple of individuals and assumes financial consequences for an amount exceeding a hundred or two rubles (or dollars), I consider it categorically unacceptable to operate with categories like "coincidence" and "accident". This doesn't happen. And when" at stake " are the lives of millions and economic interests, numbering in the tens and hundreds of billions-even more so. In a situation with a coronavirus, too many details are not what they say, but just a shout that there is no "coincidence" to talk about here. First of all, it is about the simplest parameters: place and time. The epidemic" for some reason " breaks out on the eve of the Chinese new year, which more than 100% guarantees the maximum defeat of people with the virus and its maximum spread due to the seasonal migration flows inherent in China. Usually, during this period (according to official Chinese data), rail transport transports a little less than half a billion passengers around the country, and about 100 thousand of its residents travel by plane. If Beijing had shown a little less speed, determination and concentration in imposing quarantine and restricting freedom of movement, the whole of China would have been covered by a severe epidemic today. And this leads us to the question of the place where everything, in fact, began. If we assume that someone chose the ideal point of attack, then it should have been Wuhan. At least due to the fact that there is a us diplomatic mission there, which allows American citizens who have immunity and, let's say, a certain official affiliation to be in the city. But it's not just that. The largest transport hub in China, which has an equal distance from Shanghai and Hong Kong (about 800 km) - these are the cities whose defeat by the disease would be extremely unprofitable for the United States. In the first of them, there are too many representative offices of American corporations that employ US citizens – people who are not the lowest level in management. In the second, mass riots have been going on for a long time, and the Americans have already invested a lot of effort, money, and resources in fomenting them. But the production facilities of the Apple group, the company that Donald trump so wanted to "bring home", and which "rested" on this issue longer and more persistently than others, are almost half closer to the epicenter of the disease. And today, as you might guess, they are completely stopped. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, the world may soon be left without new iPhones at all... Whatever it was, the emergence of the 2019-nCoV epidemic occurred precisely at the moment of the tipping phase of the" trade war " between Washington and Beijing, almost coinciding with the signing of the first phase of the deal, which can become either a short-term truce, after which the fight will continue with a poorly predictable result, or... The beginning of the forced surrender of the Chinese comrades, who at all times preferred to sacrifice little in order not to lose everything. That's what it looks like. "War on two fronts" – and with American duties, and with the coronavirus, China may survive. The only question is-at what cost? The current situation clearly gives the United States a clear advantage in all further disputes and conflicts with the PRC. In any case, for the near future. 2. Why is 2019-nCoV so similar to an artificial ethnovirus? Conspiracy, you say? There are no diseases that can selectively affect representatives of only one nation, race, or ethnic group, there has never been, and cannot exist in principle?! Well, what about a lot of serious documentary evidence that work on this topic was started at least several decades ago and continues to this day? At the end of the 70s of the last century, South Africa had a top-secret project "Coast", the purpose of which was to create a bioweapon capable of hitting only people with black skin. And that's when (also a coincidence?) The USSR sent proposals to the UN to conclude a new international agreement prohibiting the development and creation of new types of WMD, including "ethnic weapons". Soviet military intelligence was working on its conscience... Theoretically, there are methods of genetic engineering, the same RNA interference, the creators of which received very real "Nobel prizes" for their development, allowing you to develop viruses that will infect and kill very clearly and differentiated. Yes, in the scientific world, this idea is considered extremely difficult to implement in practice, but if you take into account the huge amounts that are invested in military development by the Pentagon, we can not say that it is completely impossible. I really want to get an answer to the question: why do almost all the most deadly infectious diseases on the planet recently have their epicenter, the vast majority of them, in South-East Asia? "SARS", "swine" and "avian" flus, now 2019-nCoV... Let's write off everything out of habit as a "combination of circumstances" or think: is someone trying to find an "absolute weapon" against a particular ethnic group by trial and error? Today, scientists from all over the world are vying to claim a lot of "oddities" regarding the disease that struck China. An increasing number of them are beginning to assume its completely artificial nature. This conclusion was reached, for example, by scientists from the Delhi state University. Jawaharlal Nehru, who stated that 2019-nCoV is a tricky "build" of two different types of coronavirus that are characteristic of animals, with the addition of some "inserts" that are most similar in nature... AIDS! The fact that this virus is almost 80% similar to "SARS" or SARS, being its "augmented" and "improved" version, has already been fully proven. So: that SARS in any case could not occur naturally (for example, as a result of mutation), God knows when wrote such publications as the Lancet, Science and the New England Journal of Medicine. It is not "yellow journalism", ladies and gentlemen! It is, accordingly, one of the most authoritative medical journals in the United States, as well as the official print bodies of the American Association for the advancement of science and the medical society of Massachusetts. To the credit of Russian scientists, it is worth adding that the clearly artificial origin of "atypical pneumonia" was stated in 2003 by a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, geneticist Sergey Kolesnikov. He, by the way, pointed out that it affects mainly Asians, representatives of the Mongoloid race. And, by the way, what about our statistics on deaths from 2019-nCoV? As of the time of writing this article – out of 2,400-plus deaths-only 20 outside of China (and not the fact that they also died not from there). As far as we know, the so-called "input cell" of the coronavirus, called ACE2 by geneticists, has already been isolated. According to their statement, this is usually only available for Asian men. Not an "ethnic virus"? 3. Why does the US behave as if it knew and prepared?                                                  We must pay tribute to the Americans-from the very beginning of the epidemic, they act extremely cynically, rejecting even the usual hypocrisy for themselves. The Consulate General in Wuhan was evacuated by them super-operatively. At the same time, a couple of days later, a statement by Chinese foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying was published on the website of the Xinhua news Agency, describing the actions of the United States as "more than untimely, ungenerous and extremely unfavorable". It was, it seems,about the ban on travel to China and the hysteria about the coronavirus, which is being fanned by the American media. But is it only about them? Exercises to conduct large-scale events in conditions of biological contamination are conducted by the Pentagon on a large scale and very regularly. The last time such maneuvers, which involved not only the military, but also representatives of many other state services and divisions, were held there just last year. One of the legends was "ensuring the transportation of biological material that is highly dangerous", and consisted of loading and unloading super-protected containers from aircraft... samples of the virus? Infected people? Such details were not shared with the media. By the way, what is interesting is that the us military and the South Korean army are working out the "joint response to biological threats of natural or artificial origin" with special punctuality. Asia Again... This has been happening every year since 2011. A lot has already been written about us biological laboratories, which have well-founded suspicions about their participation in the development of biological weapons. And yet... Hundreds of such highly classified objects exist almost all over the world. However, for some reason, a particularly large number of them are located along the borders of Russia and China. The development of "selective" bioweapons requires extreme accuracy and consideration of all local parameters without exception. These are not ordinary bombs. Now let's talk about another interesting American organization, which would be an unforgivable mistake not to recall in the context we are discussing. This is about the Johns Hopkins health safety Center. Employees of this Center regularly conduct extremely interesting simulations, which are, in fact, something like command and staff exercises, only in case of a global epidemic, not a war. The first such simulation, codenamed "Dark winter", took place in the summer of 2001. The last, "Event 201" (the fourth in a row) - in November 2019. In both cases, the "legend" was a massive pandemic. In the "Event 201" process, the coronavirus was clearly indicated as the cause. Both "staff games" directly preceded the time of outbreaks in China – in the first case, SARS, in the second – 2019-nCoV. What explanation do you have for this? Well, for the "snack" - a few more not so large-scale, but more than eloquent details. Wuhan became the first place in China where a real 5G network was launched. the US is absolutely ready to prevent the "penetration into the world" of this technology in the Chinese version at any cost. As it became known, Washington refused to evacuate its citizens from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where 330 Americans are located, despite the willingness of the Japanese authorities to let them go home. At the same time, 14 US citizens – passengers of the liner, whose presence of 2019-nCoV was confirmed, were removed from its Board and allegedly returned to their homeland with placement in the strictest isolation. More than a strange logic of action, don't you think? By the way, the Pentagon has been very active in all matters related to the coronavirus from the very beginning. Quiet work and business activity-as if he knows exactly what he is dealing with. In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the United States of America has already carried out at least once, almost completely, the genocide of an entire huge ethnic group, using, in fact, "selective bioweapons". Yes, Yes-we are talking about the indigenous population of the United States, North American Indians, which the ancestors of those who today hold senior positions in the White House, and the state Department, the CIA and the Pentagon, sitting in Congress, quite calmly poisoned with smallpox-infected blankets. In Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence, this is called "precedent"...

[aswithasunbeam]

An Elusive Peace, Chapter 2

Chapter 1 | [Read on AO3]

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: For Hamilton and Eliza, peace was supposed to mark the end to their separation and the beginning of domestic bliss. But Hamilton’s ambition and the challenges facing the new nation quickly interfere. Happily ever after may not be as easy to attain as they once hoped.

A Hamliza romance

[Chapter Warning: Major Character Death]

September 1782

Hamilton frowned down at the second volume of Blackstone, his lips moving silently as he tried to commit the definition of estoppel by deed to memory. Although the committee reviewing his examination in July had given him very complimentary feedback, he still thought he could have improved on some of his answers to the property questions. He wanted to understand every nuance before being admitted to argue cases before the court in October.

Through the closed door to his cramped office, he heard Eliza speaking to one of the two servant girls they’d hired to help care for the little cottage they were renting. He’d badly wanted a place to call his own as soon as Philip was born. As warm and welcoming as the Schuyler family had been in opening their home, he felt like a failure as a provider the longer they stayed at the Pastures. With his combined income from the army and the position as Receiver of Continental Taxes, and with a good bargain from Mr. Van Rensselaer, who happened to be one of Eliza’s relatives, by last June he finally had enough to rent the little cottage. In the end, he had to admit, it had been something of a waste of resources, as Eliza still favored spending time with her family at the Pastures, and they slept there more nights than not. Even so, he didn’t regret the independence his own home provided.

“Honey?” Eliza’s voice floated through the door, accompanied by a swift knock.

“Yes, darling?”

Eliza opened the door and peeked her head inside the office. “Are you still working?”

He gave the open book in front of him a significant glance, then looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. She knew very well that he was, but that never seemed to stop her from interrupting. Not that he really minded. He smiled fondly and asked, “Is there something you want, my dearest?”

“Philip just went down for his nap, and it’s a beautiful day outside. I thought you might accompany me on a walk,” she suggested.

“What sort of walk?” he asked warily.

She gave him a knowing smirk even as she asked, “What do you mean?”

He’d learned from experience that his wife’s idea of an easy ramble often included leaping fences and clambering up steep, treacherous hillsides. “Your idea of a walk often feels more like one of Von Steuben’s training drills. Only with less profanity.” 

She laughed. “From me, maybe.”

He stuck his tongue out at her. She responded in kind.

“We’ll just go around the gardens and out towards the river. Nothing too strenuous, I promise.” When he glanced down at his book again, she pressed, “Please? A little time away from your desk will do you good.”

He sighed, utterly unable to resist her. Snapping the book shut, he rose from his desk and took her outstretched hand in his. She leaned in for a quick kiss before leading him out of the dark office into the front room.

The parlor wasn’t particularly well furnished, but Eliza had done wonders with the little they had, he noted, not for the first time, as they passed through. She’d sewn new covers for the cushions on the chairs, new curtains with a lighter fabric to let more sunlight in through their front window, and crafted an elaborate frame for the miniature portrait he’d gifted her for the wedding, which she’d mounted on the wall above their fireplace. Their sofa and chairs were arranged close together to encourage intimate conversation when friends or relations visited.

“Will I need a coat?” he asked. The summer heat had begun to fade in the past week or so, yielding to a refreshing fall chill, though more so in the mornings and evenings.

Eliza shook her head as she fastened her bonnet. “I don’t think so. It’s very mild. And if you feel chilled, I’ll happily keep you warm.”

He grinned at her and donned his hat from the rack before pulling open the front door. Two birds were chirping merrily back and forth from the tree outside the door as they set off down the stone path, forking left to head back towards the garden. The leaves had just begun to turn, with shocks and red and yellow dotting the green treescape along the North River. Eliza’s hand curled around his again as they plodded along down the path.

“Have you thought about whether we should keep the cottage when I go to Philadelphia?” he asked. He’d be leaving in less than six weeks, and he’d have to make arrangements with Mr. Van Rensselaer if Eliza wanted to move back to the Pastures permanently in his absence.

Her gaze flickered over to the guest quarters which they’d let out to the widowed Mrs. Sims. “Would giving it up mean forcing Mrs. Sims to leave as well?”

He shook his head. “I could make arrangements for her to remain, even we cut our lease short.”

She bit her lip and glanced sidelong at him, hesitating. She didn’t want to disappoint him, he sensed, but she didn’t want to stay, either. He squeezed her hand.

“All I want is for you to be happy, my angel.”

A small smile curved the corners of her lips. “I just think I’d be lonely here without you.”

“Well, I would never want that,” he assured her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I’ll write to Mr. Van Rensselaer and let him know we’ll be leaving.”

She nodded, and leaned closer, so that their shoulders bumped as they walked. They lapsed into a comfortable quiet as they made their way towards the river. White fluffy clouds drifted through the blue sky above them. The sun felt wonderfully warm in the cool breeze, shining down on them like a warm embrace. He smiled as he turned his face up towards it and sighed contentedly.

The war was officially winding down, with no more active combat predicted. Before he left for Philadelphia, he would be a fully qualified attorney. One year of government service to do his bit to help the new nation onto her feet, and then he’d be done. Hopefully by that time, the British would have evacuated New York, and he and Eliza could move to the city where he could start his practice in earnest. After five long years of fighting, he could finally enjoy the fruits of peace with his little family.

**

“Hold your son,” Eliza directed, plopping Pip into his lap later that night. “He refuses to fall asleep, and I’d like to take a bath at some point tonight.”

He closed the book he’d been reading and placed it beside him on the sofa to focus his attention on his son. Pip’s eyelids looked heavy, but he was also wearing an expression of stubborn determination. “Mama’s so unreasonable, wanting time to herself to bath,” he cooed at the baby.

“I can still hear you,” Eliza interjected.

He wrinkled his face into a silly expression, which made Pip smile. Two of his bottom teeth had just recently cut through his gums, the little white spots visible in his open mouth grin. The new teeth were likely the reason for him being ornery the past few weeks. Repositioning the baby onto his knee, he bounced his leg lightly. Pip bounced his weight along with the motion as he always did, enjoying the ride.

Eliza’s heels clacked lightly on the wooden floor as she made her way back towards him, approaching from behind. A stack of mail landed on the side table, and he felt her press a kiss to the crown of his head. He tipped his head back against the sofa to look up at her.

“You need to go through that. Your letters are starting to pile up,” she ordered.

“Yes, dear,” he agreed. She patted at his cheek gently, and stretched forward to tickle Pip lightly before she set off for her bath.

After several minutes of bouncing, Pip’s head began to droop. Hamilton cuddled the boy against him, easing the bouncing to a stop as he slowly rubbed Pip’s back. Pip snuggled against his chest, rubbing his forehead against his father’s collarbone. Hamilton’s eyes closed, a powerful wave of affection for his little child washing over him.

“Shh,” he soothed, when Pip’s head popped back up as he rose from the sofa. He rubbed Pip’s back again and gently rocked his weight side to side to lull the boy back to sleep. Humming the lullaby he remembered his mother singing to him, he continued rocking until Pip had dozed off. The baby’s mouth had fallen open as he slept, and drool leaked out the corner of his lip onto Hamilton’s white shirt. His little fist clenched around the material of the shirt when Hamilton bent to lower his son into the nearby cradle.

When Pip had been successfully transferred into his cradle, Hamilton relaxed back on the sofa, keeping his foot on the rocker so he could continue the gentle motion until Pip was more deeply asleep. Sighing, he turned his attention to the stack of mail beside him. Most were official business having to do with his post as tax collector, he noted as he thumbed through the pile: one from Robert Benson and another from Robert Morris. Towards the bottom of the stack, however, he noticed an envelope with a South Carolina address. Someone must be forwarding him a letter from Jack, he thought with a smile, tearing into that letter first.

He’d been waiting for a response to his last letter, where he’d reported that he was taking Jack’s advice and going to Congress. Of course, Jack had hoped he’d use that office as a stepping stone to be named Minister plenipotentiary for peace. “I hope it is too late,” he’d written. “We have great reason to flatter ourselves peace on our own terms is upon the carpet.” And with peace so clearly on the horizon, he’d ended with a plea of his own to his dearest friend. “Quit your sword my friend, put on the toga, come to Congress. We know each others sentiments, our views are the same: we have fought side by side to make America free, let us hand in hand struggle to make her happy.”*

When he finished tearing the seal and unfolded the letter, he frowned. No enclosed letter from Jack had tumbled out. His eyes fell onto the looping script. Words and phrases leapt out at him, fragments without context. Regret to inform. Combahee River. A credit to the nation. Hero.

His hands were shaking.

He didn’t understand. He kept reading, over and over, trying to make sense of the words. The fighting was over, he wanted to argue. They were daily expecting news of a peace agreement. Jack was going to join him in Congress. Jack was going to help him decide what to do to ensure the future prosperity of the nation. 

The inked words remained unchanged.

He was trembling all over.

It didn’t make sense.

It didn’t make sense.

“Sweetheart?” He smelled Eliza’s rose soap as she sat beside him, her weight causing the sofa cushion to shift. One of her hands traced over his  shoulder. “Is everything all right?”

He swallowed. Words tumbled from his mouth in a confused jumble. “I don’t…Jack, he…there was…I don’t…I don’t understand.”

Eliza’s hand rested over his to steady it, and he heard her inhale sharply as she read the letter.

He shook his head stubbornly. “No. No. The war’s over.”

“Honey,” she whispered.

“It’s over,” he insisted. He looked over to see her face crumpled with sympathetic grief. Tears welled in his eyes, making everything around him blurry. “Why?”

“I don’t know.”

A sob tore out of his chest, painful in its intensity. The letter fluttered to the floor as he clutched his hands into fists against the overwhelming agony as the realization finally sank in.

Jack was gone.

“Why?” he repeated brokenly.

Eliza guided him to her, so that his head rested against her shoulder. He clutched onto her. Tears soaked into the delicate material of her dressing gown. She rubbed his back and rocked him gently.

“It’s not fair,” he heard himself moaning, over and over.

“I know, sweetheart,” Eliza repeated back to him, patient and perfect as she held him through the pain. “I know it’s not.”

No amount of comforting could ease this heartbreak. He cried himself sick, and when Eliza managed to get him to bed, he turned his face into his pillow and cried even more. His dearest friend, his closest companion, had been stolen away. And for no reason he could comprehend.  

This wasn’t right. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not to Jack.

The war was supposed to be over.

But what sort of peace was this?

*Alexander Hamilton to John Laurens, 15 August 1782

[theblackeagle]

Day 4 - History:

Pairing: Ruspru  Russia/Prussia

The setting is 1953 after the nationwide protests in the GDR in 1953. Pru is the GDR in this fic. Warnings for emotional manipulation. 

He came in battered and bruised, though one large wound wasn’t from the beating he had received, but rather from the people killed at the protests in this year of 1953. 

Although he was in the Volkspolezi, East Germany, who was once known as Prussia, had not taken down and arrested his people as he was commended. Instead he did nothing and had simply been swept up in the crowd. His superiors noticed this and once everything was over carted him off to the government higher-ups who proceeded to take him to Moscow once Russia and his boss were notified.

Hours passed and he was still sitting in the small windowless room with only a few furnishings including two chairs. He was tired and his very soul seemed to ache, but Prussia refused to let his guard  down. Finally, the door opened. It was Russia, though Prussia had been expecting that. The large nation sat down in the chair right in front of the one Prussia was sitting in and sighed, seeming almost disappointed. “Well you certainly look a mess and do you know who’s fault that is?” Prussia spat out blood, though not at Russia, simply at the ground and said, “No fucking kidding, and yeah your-” “Ah,” Russia interrupted. “I believe you are mistaken little DDR. The fault lies with you.” Prussia narrowed his eyes and stared at Russia, feeling rather confused. It didn’t help his head ached and he had been hit several times as well. “What the fuck are you talking about? My people have had enough cause of these new fucked up economic policies. Even my boss said it was a mistake so how is it my fault?”

“They may have said that but we’ve already eased the policies since Stalin’s death and told you and your government to do so as well. In addition that I’ve been one of the few nations to actually consider you worthy of attention and appreciation as a state. Many of the others, especially those in the west, have ignored you or treated you as if one dead, which you clearly aren’t. I helped save you from certain death and secured a place for you in the world. I even approved of your government placing you in the police force and this is the thanks I get? It truly is a pity you’re so ungrateful for all I’ve done for your sake. It almost saddens me.” While there was some truth in Russia’s words they were anything but sincere. Prussia in his slightly addled and already embittered stated didn’t catch this though and was silent. “I mean I guess you have a point but…but a lot of people died? Like..shit I dunno how much. You think I’m gonna take that crap lying down?”

“Isn’t something you brought upon yourself? There was no need for things to escalate to this level, the original demands were met and like ungrateful children once that happened they requested more and more. Even for your government to resign. Do you truly want to be reunified with your  brother? The man who betrayed you. To no longer have a state and a home but to go back to the man who blamed you for Hitler’s rise when it was all of his own doing?” Russia said as he looked Prussia in the eye. Prussia looked away, “He…he’s not my brother and I told you years ago I don’t want shit to do with him. That still stands.” He let out a few hacking coughs once he finished speaking which Russia ignored.

“Besides little DDR, we have evidence of some interference.” “Interference?” Prussia asked, wondering what Russia even meant. Russia sighed again and said, “Your leadership has informed me that while the original agitators and many of those caught up in the protests were your people, the truth is is that they were instigated and exacerbated by western agents. Which honestly does explain how rapidly the protests spread. I’m almost surprised it didn’t make you suspicious, you’re more astute and intelligent than that.” “Western interference? Like..like America?” Prussia asked with some dismay. Russia made a rather disgusted face. “Yes him, who else could it be but that capitalist pig. The situation is clear, from what they’ve told me. While the original policy was extreme they were lessened as requested. Then Western agents and traitors among your people took the instability as an opportunity to continue to destabilize you and cause harm to your people, your state and you. Remember he doesn’t even see you as something that has a right to exist or live. Remember how he wanted you dead along with all the others.”

Prussia was quiet once more, Russia had a point. The protests had spread rapidly, to the point that even he was confused and the demands had risen quickly even after everything had been satisfied. He also knew America did want him gone and had essentially tried to kill him in 1947 along with the other allied powers. Meanwhile, (and he had never forgotten this, even with all the resentments he had), Russia was the only one who had protested the decision and was the only one who was really keeping him alive and seeing him as some kind of legitimate state. Yes it was annoying he wasn’t fully sovereign, but this was better than death. He was alive, his lungs were breathing, and while that was true there was always the promise of a better tomorrow, of things improving for him and his people, and rising up to be a more powerful or at least a acknowledged nation. America did none of this for him, only paying attention and manipulating the man who also aided in his fall.

At the thought of all this Prussia burned with anger and bitterness, however there was also another emotion within him. One that was long suppressed since 1914 but was beginning to bud again ever so slowly. It confused him somewhat but at the same time he found that it oddly wasn’t unwelcome in some aspect. “So what, they did that shit to fuck me up and try to get my government to resign and have me end up dead for good?” Russia nodded, “Exactly. I knew you weren’t stupid and would see reason. It really makes a good deal of sense when one looks at it. The original offers were reasonable and fulfilled, but for it to escalate so fast raised suspicions and they were apparently confirmed. Regrettably  this means you’ll also have to reside here for the time being.” “What? How come?” Prussia asked, feeling rather taken aback. “The first reason is for your own security. Since foreign western agents were able to act and attempt to sabotage you we’ll be forced to keep you here to keep you safe from them. The second,” he added after a pause, “is because even if the entire situation wasn’t your fault some of your people did end up betraying us. Therefore of course you’ll have to be punished in some way. It’s only fair. However,” Russia added once Prussia began frowning, “If you behave and conduct yourself in a reasonable manner you might be released sooner than later.”

“So..not three years like last time I had to stay in your place?” Russia smiled, “Surely not that long, but it is up to you.” Prussia was annoyed, and it showed in his face. “Whatever, just…are you fucking sure that it was Western agents trying to destabilize me?” Russia nodded once more and leaned closer, Prussia didn’t lean away. “That and ungrateful elements in your people. Listen to me, we’ve tried to help you, tried to get you back up on your feet and given you another chance. Meanwhile they’ve wanted you dead, actually tried to kill you, and would of been content to let your corpse rot in the dirt and would of most likely attempted to scrub any trace of your existence off the face of the planet. At least under a new name you have a new chance to make a new start. Why wouldn’t they try to destabilize you in order to cut that short?”

Prussia knew for a fact most of that at least was true. Back in 1947 England’s spearheading of his establishment had been backed by all except for Russia and Russia had pulled him out of the shadows and put him back into the light. Russia had given him life and air to breathe and given him another chance, a chance that others wanted to deny to him, a chance that others still refused to acknowledge. He was so angry too, that they refused to recognize his existence, that they wanted to pretend he was dead and gone for good, just like his land and his people. It enraged him then and did so now too, his heart was still swimming in grief at all these things and beings long gone and unattainable now.

Prussia was so deep in his sea of thought and feelings that he didn’t notice Russia reaching towards him, and by the time he figured out what was happening the other nation had already grabbed his chin with those cold fingers. At that moment there were two emotions co-current in Prussia, one was revulsion and the other was a odd sort of thrill at the seat of his stomach making his heart race and palms sweat. Once more this feeling was half unwelcome and half pleasant. The gesture was innocent however, if intrusive, since Russia merely looked over Prussia’s bloodied lip and blackened eye, as well as the forming bruise under his chin and then let go. Prussia found himself somewhat disappointed, much to his own annoyance.

Russia meanwhile wanted to cut things short and let his words seep into Prussia’s mind. “I reiterate you’re still a mess and your bruises are beginning to swell. I’ll take you to your room and give you something to help with the swelling. The rest shall heal in it’s own time.” Prussia was about to say part of that was because he had just been personally beaten by Soviet agents, but at the same time he was tired and a bed and ice sounded too nice to resist. He was also trying to stubbornly ignore his residual feelings from earlier. Russia did as promised, bringing him to a spartan looking room along with some ice and then left. Prussia lay there wordlessly in the dark, not really caring to think much but rather stewing in his anger and confused emotions as he held the cold ice to his face. He fell asleep like that and ended up waking up with a bag of water on his face in the morning.

The months passed relatively uneventfully. Prussia was given work to do, both hard labor and mindless desk work depending on Russia’s mood, and with some grumbling and complaints in order to be difficult he fulfilled his tasks. In his free time Prussia made sure to keep his distance from the Soviet states in Russia’s house, especially Lithuania. As a result of this he was either alone or spending most of his time with Russia, and given he was attention starved and desperate for some kind of interaction after too much solitude he sometimes even ended up seeking him out. Russia mostly tolerated this, feeling at once both annoyed and amused. In a way it made him feel rather nostalgic as well for times before the  first world war, but he knew as well that such times and ways would never come again. Neither of them were the same either, nor would they ever be. The old Russia of the empire was gone, and the old Prussia was gone too. He was no longer even Prussia anymore and was reduced drastically. Sometimes Russia looked at him and felt a sense of strange pity, what a sad pathetic state he was in. However this was their lives now. Russia had surpassed the empire and he kept telling himself he was all the better for it. Prussia had fallen and now was under his influence, albeit not under his control. Russia intended to take full advantage of this when he could.

The things they did together were mostly mundane, but things they both found they enjoyed. Playing chess, discussing books and current events, walking around the grounds, and playing music. The past was never spoken of, however, it hung amidst them like a solitary ghost, invisible and silent but all too present despite their attempts to ignore it. This was just one of the reasons Prussia felt uneasy in Russia’s company, but there was no one else he could turn to. He was adrift in his very existence and lost amidst the shifting sands of time. So he grasped hold onto whatever he could, and at the moment in this period of his life that was Russia. At least he gave him attention and some semblance of respect.

One evening as they were playing chess, Prussia with black and Russia with white, Russia paused before making his move, looked Prussia in the eye and said, “How long have you been here DDR?” Then he moved his piece. “Prussia quickly made his own move and said, “…Almost a year, why?” Russia made another move, putting Prussia at a rather bad position. “Fuck,” he said under his breath. This made Russia chuckle and then he said, “It’s simply that I was looking at your behavior and the situation back in your home. Things have calmed down somewhat and you’ve made little  trouble. In fact you’ve been diligent and done your share of tasks, even if you’ve been somewhat aggravating and slow.” There was some bite in that, but he was being truthful at least.

“At least I get shit done…but what’s your point.” “My point is, given all these factors my boss has allowed you to go home now. Your time here is up, and in addition to that we’ve decided to make a sincere show of friendship by granting your state full sovereignty and disbanding the Soviet control commission in Berlin.” Prussia’s turn was all but forgotten as he stared dumbfounded at Russia. “Your move,” Russia said. “Yeah yeah, in a minute…but are you serious? Like really seriously serious?” Russia snorted, “ DDR please, of course I am. I could be teasing, but I would of given such a thing away by now. In addition to this,” he paused as Prussia made a rather reckless move. “If after some time things continue in the manner they have once you’re back in Berlin additional things shall be granted to you.” Prussia was filled with curiosity, and despite himself excitement. “…Like what?” “That’s for the future,” Russia said. “Since it depends on what happens. Some are in the air and not fully planned yet as well, we’ll have to see.”

Despite this it sounded promising to Prussia. He was free to finally go back home and not only that but he was his own fully fledged nation, at least to Russia and his allies. The western world of course, continued to deny him his rights and continued to treat him like dirt and this continued to enrage him. As he made another rash move he though angrily of his brother West Germany, of England, and of America as well. All of them were responsible for his hardships in Prussia’s mind. While things with Russia weren’t perfect, and while he both creeper Prussia out and made him feel oddly nice feelings he would rather not feel conned to Russia (which continued to distress him) Russia was the one who kept him alive, who helped him, who now was letting him go on home after he had proved him self and gave him full sovereignty. Perhaps even more would come if the future played out well. Suddenly it seemed to Prussia as if a world of possibilities and chances had opened before his very eyes. He almost felt happy. Yes it was clear to him, Russia respected him, Russia treated him as a equal, and gave him some consideration. That was what he so desperately thirsted after and longed for. “Checkmate” Prussia looked up at Russia’s slightly smiling face. He had won the game

[abakersquest]

CHAPTER NINE – THE WHEEL OF CREATION

In what could be called an entirely meaningless act when speaking to what must be an eleven foot tall tree person; Wally straightened up in an effort to seem slightly taller. He felt he had to do something in that moment to live up to his new proudly spoken title, subconsciously disregarding the fact he’d just saved a whole city. Really that fact had yet to fully impact on the wallaby as he wore his best ‘shop face’ and fumed at himself internally for once again being rendered speechless before someone so important.

“Well…” Wally began slowly, unconsciously rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t really know, Cinera said we’d come here and talk to you. But she never really told us about what. We’ve sort’ve just been playing it by ear ‘til just now.”

“A fine way to live a life, with moments as they come. Planning is all well and good, but can grow quite dull in the long run.” Ygg looked around for a moment, reacted to something in the distance and made his way over to scoop it up. To Wally, Hector, and Rozzi it seemed to be just a very large branch, and they would’ve kept thinking that if they hadn’t seen its golden leaves. Ygg shook the leafy end of this branch in a quick circle and behind him formed an enormous shrub in the shape of a large chair. With a loud series of wooden creaks and groans he leaned back into the chair an exhaled with relief. “Aaaah, haven’t been off my roots in days… This siege took a lot out of me. Why, I haven’t been this tired since the war. Speaking of, it’s rather fascinating.” He leaned forward in his mystically summoned chair and looked to Hector. “You’re Hammond’s boy, aren’t you?”

He perked up. “Yes sir, my name-”

“Hector. Yes he talked about you and your letters, said he’d never be able to tell you just how beautiful he found Arborledan. You know, he was the first person from your country to ever see past our walls? And now here you are, his spitting image, even standing where he was the day he showed me the Flare…” Ygg smiled nostalgically before quickly snapping out of it and looking around. “No, wait, sorry. It was over there… It’s kind of hard to tell with it all dark like this.”  He swept the branch slowly from right to left and the low light of the luminescent moss increased tenfold, like a curtain pulled away from a window on a sunny day.

All around them they could see Planaetian artistry and craftsmanship. The Temple of the Wellspring was a perfect dome, with a spiral of depictions beginning on a far wall and snaking upward from there, and much room left for more frames of history to be added later. Wally’s eyes fixed on what was clearly an illustration of Sir Hammond the Only, holding the Stellar Flare before Ygg.

“Sir,” Wally began, eyes still fixated on the image. “What can you tell us about the Flare?”

Ygg hummed thoughtfully, he seemed to stare at Wally before Wally realized he was looking at the Flare’s crossguard over his shoulder. “May I see it?

Wally nodded and carefully unsheathed it, he held it up as if to present it to Ygg who made no motion to take it, he simply inspected it.

“It… Well it shrank when I picked it up if that’s what you’re noticing,” Wally said.

“Yes… Hammond said it changed size for him when he first found it. I suppose it does that to best suit the user’s size. And you are rather a little fellow, eh?” He laughed slightly before he reached out and tapped the blade several times. “Mmm, but that’s not what I was noticing… The symbols are missing.”

Wally lowered the sword to look it over. “What symbols?”

“When Hammond showed me the blade, it bore icons from the Wheel of Creation along the fuller that glowed bright blue at all times. If I don’t miss my guess… It seems the Flare’s been weakened since then.”

Wistea gasped quite loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. “Oh… Um… Apologies. It is… Well the passage on it in our library is very limited. But if it indeed bore markings of the Wheel then that must mean...”

“Yes,” Ygg calmly interrupted. “That blade was not forged by mortal hands alone. In fact, I was but a sprout when I first saw it fall from the sky. That is, after all, why it’s called ‘The Stellar Flare’. It streaked across the night sky and shone like a star where it landed. I dare say any eyes watching the sky that night would’ve seen it.”

“A Sprout?” Wistea said confused. “But Elder, that cannot be, you are well over a thousand years old!”

Rozzi recoiled. “Blimey, that whole ‘elder’ thing ain’t just for show then, eh?”

Wistea glared at her and was about to begin a lecture on her manners before Wally spoke up.

“But… If it’s weaker… We won’t stand a chance against Kota… Elder Ygg is there a way we can fix this? Is there a way to make the Stellar Flare the sword it was when Hammond ended the war?”

Ygg rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It stands to reason that something once powerful could be made that way again. Whatever it lost still exist somewhere in the world. Everything comes in cycles, the day into the night and back again. The dead tree becoming soil to its successor. Nothing leaves, it simply transitions. Thus is the nature of the Wheel.”

Wally looked to Hector and Rozzi, silently asking them a question.

“The Wheel of Creation,” Rozzi began. “Is this thing that Planae scholars figured out about Mondia. Has to do with the gods that made everything and how it all fits together… And we all exhibit the traits of those things in our daily lives, right?” She slyly shot a smug look toward Wistea.

The Planaetian scholar furrowed her brow at Rozzi. “Yes… Even if your description was far too glib. In the beginning, all the elements of our world existed separately, a cloud of noise and chaos. The eight gods sprang from the din and brought forth a chorus of order, so that everything that was could cooperate to form all that is…”

“Funnily enough,” Ygg commented. “There’s a perfect example of the nature of the Wheel standing right before us.”

The assembled audience looked around at each other confused.

“Tell me, ‘Wally’ was it? How did you come to meet Wistea?”

“Oh!” Wistea exclaimed. “I was wondering how it was you came crashing through a stained glass window thirty feet off the ground. Did you jump over the wall?” her voice bore a tinge of excitement. After seeing Wally’s feat of strength earlier, she could hardly contain her curiosity.

“Thrown,” Wally answered flatly. “I was thrown over the wall. By Hector.” As if to better punctuate his displeasure, Wally slid the Flare back into its sheath.

Hector laughed amiably. “Be fair Wally, I was more applying trajectory, all the power came from you.”

Wally was about to begin an argument before he stopped himself from starting a fight he couldn’t win. Instead he made a small frustrated noise at the fact Hector was right.

“Storm brings Fire to the Forest,” said Ygg with an air of reverence. “Wistea, I’ve never known you to be so brave or defiant. Before, you were quite content with the order to stay in the library during this crisis. But now, here you are, fighting alongside strangers for the sake of your people. Fire clears away the old growth, renewing the Forest.”

Wistea puzzled over the elder’s comment for as long as she could, had simply meeting Wally changed her so much?

Ygg turned to Rozzi. “Was that your first time using magic, young miss?”

Rozzi nodded, still wrapping her head around the old tree’s suppositions.

“And it was Air magic at that, fascinating that you should be in the company of those bearing the attributes of Storm and Fire. Were you present the first time the Flarebearer used his magic?”

Wally and Rozzi looked to each other, both remembering the incident with the Ragged Rogue.

“Ahh, seems I’m right then. Air strengthens Fire, Fire and Storm encourage Air. You find these revelations everywhere if you know to look for them.”

“Y’make it sound like we’re all predestined to meet…” Rozzi said with some hesitation.

“Nonsense, the future is as it is due to choices. You may see something coming from a great ways off, but you can still decide how you choose to deal with that ‘foresight’. The Wheel of Creation is simply a tool to understand the underpinnings, the threads that can connect us all to the world around us. They can be knit together, or left loose at will.”

“So… ” Wally began to mentally catalog everything he’d just learned. “There’s Fire, Air, Storm, and Forest, I can guess that’s a god to each one so there’s four more?”

Ygg made a contented hum. “Earth, Sea, Light and Dark, yes.”

“Huh… ” Wally scratched the back of his head, something his brother said he did whenever there was something he wanted to say but couldn’t find a good enough reason to say it. “Now, I may not be the smartest wallaby on two legs. But I think something as important sounding as all this would’ve gotten around even to me.”

“I’m as in the dark on this as you,” Hector said.

“Planaetians are not so crass as to foist our beliefs and philosophies onto others,” Wistea quickly declared. “In fact, it was Elder Ygg who deigned we interfere in the development of the other nations as little as possible.”

“We were well into building our own kingdom when the others began.” Ygg stated.  “Some said that as the oldest and wisest, we should see to it you all developed the same way. But to oversee life like that, to erase all of your potential and demand conformity from all? How cruel an act that would truly be. So we built the walls to keep us apart and allowed you to grow as you saw fit.”

Wally stood and considered everything he’d heard calmly. He closed his eyes, and rubbed his chin. “I suppose that makes sense… Except for one thing…”

“Mmm? What’s that?”

“How are we speaking the same language? I mean when I was translating that Planaetian book I had, I figured out the way the letters matched up in both languages and after that it was a matter of just matching characters… I thought it was odd, but paid it no real mind ‘til now. Do you really speak the same language as us, or is that just for our benefit, or is it some kind of magic?”

“No young Animani, your language is the same as ours, and the same as the other nations of this world. Though we are all separate, somehow we share the same mother tongue.”

Wally’s ears twitched at the truly strange revelation, yet all he could manage to say about it was, “How?”

He chuckled softly. “When you find that out, you’ll certainly be wiser than I am.”

“Some other time, perhaps,” Wally reasoned. “Right now we have to find a way to recharge the Flare and fast…. Does anyone have any idea how to do that?”

At that exact moment a soft chime danced into the space of silence left by Wally’s question. Everyone tried to follow the sound before they all realized it was coming from Wally’s pocket. Slowly he reached in and pulled out his Farsight stone which shone and chimed every few seconds. “…Oh!” Wally fumbled with it for a moment before setting it to spin on its end on the floor. Once more an emerald hued visage of Cinera was painted on the air above the stone.

“As it happens, I have an idea.” She said with her typical contented gaze before turning toward Rozzi who was about to speak, “Because while the far future is ever changing, immediate events are more exact.” She then turned to Hector, “No, I still don’t know exactly what Kota’s up to; in fact I can’t even see your next step.” She looked over to Wally, “Because Kota knows I’m looking now, and that’s making everything even hazier.”

The three Animani wore resigned expressions, they knew better than to question a potent fortune teller.

Cinera spun to face Wistea. “You wanna give it a try beanstalk? I promise it’s more entertaining than you think.”

Wistea quickly shook off her confusion and found her sense of pride rising to the occasion. An insult followed by a challenge of her wit and intellect were things she could hardly ignore so she rapidly assembled a strategy only to be cut off as she inhaled to speak.

“I don’t know what you have to do exactly to recharge the Stellar Flare, but I do know who you could ask.”

Wistea exhaled a frustrated grunt.

Cinera giggled. “Thinking one question and then asking another only works for mind reading dear. I’m looking at the immediate future, totally different kind of magic. Right! That’s my fun for today, back on track. You lot are gonna have to make your way to the Northern port of Planae; you’ll need to find someone to take you to Galaga Island because that’s where the best sailors in the Icthy Isles live. You’ll need the best, because you’re sailing to Sauro.”

“SAURO?!” shouted everyone aside from Ygg the Elder.

Cinera giggled, having joined in the surprised shout. “Sorry, I wanted in on that moment, couldn’t resist. Yes, Sauro. But then, not really. See Sauro’s surrounded on all sides by an enormous wall of rocky mountains, you’ll be headed to a single part of the southern coastline. You’ll be able to see it on approach, an enormous red tower with a single light. It’s not a lighthouse; it’s a prison with only one occupant.”

“Guessing that’s who we need to talk to?” Said Wally.

“Of course,” they said in unison.

“Ooh look at you getting into the fun, I like that about you Wally.”

Wally shrugged, the pan-universal sign for, ‘I guess so?’

“His name is Tetsudin, of all the teachers I had over the course of my life, he was the greatest. Under his tutelage I was able to unlock my full potential. His imprisonment’s more of a self imposed exile. After the war he blamed himself for many of the atrocities committed by his people and retreated to a prison he built for himself.”

“Right, hang on…” Rozzi spoke up. “You’re askin’ Wally t’just go right to the front yard of the one person in the world who wants him dead more than anyone else, on a blind hunch?”

“I’d’ve said ‘educated hunch’ myself, but yes. Besides, I know for a fact Ol’ Tetsu will sense you coming and shield you from Kota’s sight once you’re close enough… You just have to get close enough.”

Hector rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But she’d still know we were near, from what I’ve heard of the Witch’s might, she could easily strike us down with just the vaguest idea of our position.”

“That’s just it. She would’ve done that by now if she could. Worst she’s done is send the Rogue out after you. Granted the risk she’d just up and smite you is greater once you’re near, but that you’re all still standing means she may very well be in a weakened state. If that’s the case you absolutely have to go see Tetsudin now before it’s too late.”

“Madam Seer…” hesitation and doubt shook Wistea’s words as she joined the conversation. “If I am to understand correctly, the only course of action is for Wally and his companions to travel the length of the known world to see a person who may not even possess the knowledge they need. All the while dodging attacks from the most terrifying group of warriors to ever be formed?”

Cinera tilted her head back and forth as if to mull over her words. “‘Bout the size of it, yeah.”

“And…” Wistea turned to scan their expressions. “And you are all going through with that?”

A very slim smile formed on Wally’s face. “You know, I’m actually getting quite tired of people asking me that question. I’ve been keenly aware of the danger ahead of me since I began, I haven’t backed out yet and I certainly don’t plan to.”

Hector clasped a hand onto Wally shoulder. “We are knights of Animana; we face danger head on and fight together to the last!”

“And Someone’s gotta make sure these two keep standing. Left to their own devices they’re liable t’ fall of the edge of the world, or somethin’ even stupider.” Rozzi amiably tapped Wally’s arm with her fist.

Wally looked to her eyes and silently asked for confirmation. Rozzi smiled and winked to seal that particular quiet deal. She wasn’t sure exactly when she threw herself into this adventure fully, but she knew in that moment she was committed to see its ending.

“Plus, gotta keep my eye on this one.” She wrapped her arm around Wally’s. “Good fella’s hard to find in a world like this, y’know.”

Wally sighed and shook his head slightly.

Wistea openly stared at the three people standing before her for a few moments before finally looking toward General Mycete still dead asleep on the floor. They’d saved Arborledan. These three people who might as well have been from another world entirely, charged into danger for the sake of strangers and saved countless lives while she spent most of that time either standing to the side barely participating or unconscious. It was embarrassing, shameful, and far from what she wanted. It set her heart ablaze to think that she could do what she felt was almost nothing in the face of this threat, and if not for them the whole of Planae may have fallen. Could she stomach being a bystander in another great conflict for the world? She clenched her fist tightly and secured her resolve.

“Elder Ygg,” she spoke, her voice strong and confident. “With your permission I wish to aid the Flarebearer! I might not be the strongest of the forest mages, but my knowledge of the world from the library’s many collected tomes will no doubt prove useful in his endeavors!”

The elder barely moved, in fact the only indication he was moving at all was the occasional creak and groan of his well aged wooden body. Everyone watched him carefully, awaiting what would no doubt be a profound and well reasoned response.

They stopped waiting around the time he began to snore.

“WAKE UP Y’ OLD TWIG!” Shouted Cinera.

The sound and sight of the giant Planaetian suddenly rocketing to an upright position in his chair was something that no one in the room would ever be able to describe or forget. He cleared his throat as if that somehow annulled embarrassment and proceeded to look around the room. “Sorry about that, been a bit since I napped, what did I miss?”

Wistea wasn’t sure what wilting felt like, but this must’ve been ten times worse. She’d even allowed Elder Ygg to be insulted.

Cinera pointed to Wistea. “One of your string beans wants to leave and needs your blessing, you sorry excuse for driftwood.”

Shaken from her deflation, she snapped at the image of Cinera. “Madam Seer! You! You cannot address-”

“Well alright then,” replied Ygg plainly.

“… What?”

Ygg rose from his self-made chair which dissolved into a flickering shower of emerald light and tapped the leafless end of his branch staff against the floor of the temple three times. Beneath their feet, the temple floor began to rotate and sink lower into the body of the tree, not unlike a screw being drilled into wood. As the descent slowed bright yellow light began to emerge from the center of the temple’s floor. There, welling up into specially carved grooves was something only a few eyes in the room could readily identify.

“So the Wellspring is tree sap…” Wally said with some reverence.

“We don’t call it ‘The First Tree’ for nothing, young Flarebearer.” Ygg reached up his hands and gestured toward the artistry of the tree’s interior. “It is from this tree all Planaetians are born. The tree bore fruit but once, and from them arose the first Planaetians. Since then, we’ve used its sap to bring new ones like Wistea and her brother into the world. Would-be parents approach the roots of the tree with a seed and its blessing either is or is not bestowed to create a brand new being.”

Ygg reached his down into the pool of gleaming sap, spooning some up in his hand and clasping the other over it. All present saw the tremendous force and discharge of power that occurred between the gaps of his hands before revealing the sap had been turned to amber in the shape of a water drop. “Wistea, youngest of the Faboi clan, chief librarian and scholar to the nation of Planae, I present to you a tear of the First Tree, may its power aid you and your new companions on your quest to save Mondia from its most dire enemy.” Ygg gently extended his hand to Wistea, presenting the freshly made charm to her.

Wistea was speechless in the face of what she’d just witnessed, and impossibly more so when she lifted the amber into her hands and felt the undeniable power that lied within. Without a second thought she loosened the top of her robe and placed the mystic charm against her bared chest. The light from it was nearly blinding as the charm sank into her body. As it finally vanished into her, she wrapped her arms around herself, both to feel more secure and to cherish the warmth the act had made, before it dispersed through the whole of her being and faded.

“Do not take this gift lightly, Wistea,” Ygg said with the clear tone of fatherly caution. “It is the embodiment of a promise to not only these brave warriors, but to the whole of Mondia. The lives of countless beings now rest on your back as much as it does your newfound companions. You will face unnameable challenges and unheard of forces in your journey and you must grow to meet them, as a newly risen sprout rises to find the light.”

Wistea collected herself and stood tall before bowing gracefully to all assembled. “I shall, great elder!” When she rose again, and looked to see what she could of everyone’s response she found herself looking at Wally a bit longer than anyone else. His smile was a warm and encouraging thing to be sure, but it was more than that. The timid little voice in the back of her mind grew slightly bolder that day, if only to say, ‘Well if a baker could do it, so could a librarian!’

Just then from off to the right of them all, Mycete began to stir. He struggled to his feet, groaning painfully as he did, shaking with clear signs of exhaustion. “P-… Please…” His voice was weak, like that of someone dying of thirst. “I… Was awake… The whole time… Under her sway…” When he finally lifted his face to the gathered, clear desperation and sorrow is what they found. “The Silent Marsh… She… She wants the marsh… I… Distraction… Please” He barely stepped forward, his hand outstretched toward Wally. “T-the Marsh… You… Must save…” Whatever strength he had, left him like a breeze of wind. He collapsed heavily, arm still reaching toward Wally before he finally fell back into unconsciousness.

<[Chapter 08]–[Index]–[Chapter 10]>

[jerrytackettca]

Discover the Health Benefits of Darjeeling Tea

Table of Contents

What Is Darjeeling Tea?

6 Darjeeling Tea Health Benefits

Is There Caffeine in Darjeeling Tea?

How to Brew and Serve Darjeeling Tea

How to Store Darjeeling Tea

Darjeeling Tea Side Effects

The Dark Side of Darjeeling Tea Production

Darjeeling Tea FAQs

For years, India has been hailed as one of the world's largest tea-producing countries. In fact, a 2015 report of the Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations stated that India is the world's second largest tea-producing country, right behind China. This can be attributed to a statistic from two years before — the country's tea production reaching a whopping 1.2 million tons in 2013.1

One of India's most-prized exports is Darjeeling tea. This type of tea fetches a high price around the world because of its impeccable flavor. If you want to know more about what Darjeeling tea is, why it's special and what it can offer for your health, then keep reading this article.

What Is Darjeeling Tea?

Darjeeling tea is a kind of black tea grown in a town of the same name, located in the state of West Bengal in India right below foothills of the Himalayan mountains.2,3 Darjeeling tea leaves are often derived from the upper leaves of the Chinese variety of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis,4 and cannot be grown or manufactured anywhere else in the world.

Darjeeling tea, frequently called the "champagne of teas," has musky-sweet tasting notes that are similar to Muscat wine, although the tea may also exhibit delicate vegetal, mossy, fruity and citrus flavors.5

6 Darjeeling Tea Health Benefits

Darjeeling tea may offer health benefits that may improve your body's health and overall well-being:6

1. Provides antioxidant capabilities — Darjeeling tea contains two complex antioxidants called theaflavins and thearubigins. These antioxidants help neutralize harmful free radicals, and potentially reduce free radical damage that can target cell membranes and DNA, and raise your risk for chronic illness.

2. May help maintain cardiovascular health — Results from a 2014 PLOS One study revealed that consumption of four to five cups of black tea daily may assist in reducing blood pressure levels and cardiovascular disease risk.7

3. May help reduce risk of obesity and promote weight loss — Drinking black tea may promote development of microbial metabolites that may assist in regulating energy metabolism. The tea may also promote weight loss and lower obesity risk.

4. May help improve gut health — Research indicated that black tea may stimulate the proliferation of various good gut bacteria8 and lessen the risk for bacterial infection.9

5. May help address gastric ulcers — A 2014 Journal of Natural Medicines study highlighted that L-theanine, an amino acid in Darjeeling tea, possessed protective effects toward an NSAID-induced gastric ulcer.10

6. May help lower diabetes risk — Various studies confirmed that consumption of black tea (which Darjeeling tea falls under) resulted in a decreased diabetes risk.11,12,13

Is There Caffeine in Darjeeling Tea?

Yes there is, just like a cup of coffee. There are roughly 50 milligrams of caffeine in darjeeling tea, although this amount may vary depending on the strength of the tea.14 However, remember that there are consequences linked to consuming excess amounts of caffeine (more on this to come later).

Learn How to Brew and Serve Darjeeling Tea

Harvesting of Darjeeling tea leaves runs from mid-March through November. Darjeeling leaves are freshly plucked, withered overnight, rolled and fermented or oxidized before being fired. The tea bushes progress through four seasons called "flushes," with each flush offering a distinct flavor: first flush, second flush (summer), monsoon flush and autumn flush.

As such, Darjeeling tea is often sold not only by single estate, but also by flush.15 Darjeeling tea may also be classified according to the size of the leaves, namely:16

Whole Leaf Darjeeling Tea — Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (SFTGFOP) and Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGFOP)

Broken Leaf — Fine Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe (FTGBOP), Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe (TGBOP), Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (FBOP) and Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP)

Fannings — Golden Flowery Orange Fannings (GFOF) and Golden Orange Fannings (GOF)

Dust (D) — Generally used in traditional teabags, but isn't the best quality

To brew your own cup of Darjeeling tea at home, grab some tea leaves and follow this recipe:17

Quick Darjeeling Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces high-quality filtered water

• Darjeeling tea leaves

Procedure:

1. Heat your water to a boil, or just below a boil. You can inspect how oxidized your tea is first, Reduce the heat more for darker teas, and lower, to around 185 degrees Fahrenheit, for less-oxidized or earlier-season teas.

2. Preheat the vessel or kettle and rinse with a little hot water. Add a tablespoon of Darjeeling tea leaves per 8 ounces of water.

3. Steep the tea for three to five minutes depending on your taste. Try tasting it to check if you are satisfied with the flavor.

You can add grass fed milk or sweeteners like raw honey, stevia or Luo Han to taste. While Darjeeling tea is best without milk, some people prefer drinking milk with the tea, and especially when tasting Autumn flush.18 Just remember that dairy may diminish the potency of some of the antioxidants in the tea.

How to Store Darjeeling Tea

In order to prolong the shelf life of your Darjeeling tea, take note of these reminders:19

Store in an airtight container — This helps make the tea last longer, maintains the optimal moisture content of the tea leaves, inhibits dust contamination and prevents spoilage by exposure to excess moisture caused by oxygen and other elements in the air.

Keep Darjeeling tea away from direct sunlight and warm temperatures — Increased exposure to heat sources may affect the tea chemically and physically. This can give the tea a more bitter flavor or degrade its flavor. Place the tea in a cool and dark cupboard or drawer, and ensure that this spot isn't close to the oven, grill or any appliance that emits heat.

Avoid mixing with any strong odors — Tea is susceptible to contamination when exposed to foods that emit strong odors such as cheese, garlic, onions and spices. Tea leaves are porous, and once they absorb odors, the flavor can be affected.

Separate your blends — It's highly recommended to not keep one type of tea close to another, especially those with strong flavors. Storing the leaves in a sealed container can inhibit cross-contamination. Plus, clearly label your jars so you do not mistakenly combine tea blends.

Darjeeling Tea Side Effects

There have been some side effects linked to Darjeeling tea. Caffeine present in Darjeeling tea can cause the following:

Sleeping difficulties

Feelings of nervousness

Increased or irregular heart rate

Worsened gastrointestinal conditions

Headaches

Irritability

Confusion

Heartburn

Tremors in extremities

Convulsions (possible)

Excess caffeine consumption may also:20

Trigger digestive tract problems by increasing acid in the stomach, potentially leading to an upset stomach

Promote diuretic effects by eliminating more fluids via the urine, which can cause dehydration

Stimulate muscles that may push waste throughout the digestive tract that can cause diarrhea

Contribute to physical and psychological dependence on the beverage

Lead to hypokalemia or low blood potassium levels in the elderly

When taken in excess, tannins in black tea, which contribute to the drink's slightly bitter flavor,21 can lead to an upset stomach or trigger nausea and vomiting.22 It has also been said that tannins may interfere with iron absorption of non-heme iron, although more research is needed to fully determine this link.23

However, an article published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that drinking tea isn't linked to an iron deficiency unless you're already anemic or at a high risk for a deficiency.24

Before drinking Darjeeling tea, talk to your doctor to check if you can drink this beverage without triggering side effects. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, limit your intake of caffeine from drinks like Darjeeling tea as much as possible.25

The Dark Side of Darjeeling Tea Production

Although this tea is highly valued and fetches a hefty price tag, the profits aren't felt in Darjeeling, India. Most workers earn as little as 1.70 euros or $1.98 a day, which is barely enough to cover basic expenses. They live in slums at the city center, where unemployment and poverty rates are alarmingly high.

Furthermore, picking tea leaves is a labor-intensive and literally backbreaking process. Workers begin their day as early as 7 a.m., harvesting leaves and gathering them into a basket suspended from their forehead and placed across their back. As heartbreaking as this sounds, this is the reality for some of the people responsible for this type of tea. Learn more about the harrowing state of tea production in Darjeeling by reading "The Dark Side of the Global Tea Industry."

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Darjeeling Tea

Q: What does Darjeeling tea do?

A: Because of its links to various health benefits, Darjeeling tea can be good for you. Darjeeling tea was shown to help:

• Promote cardiovascular health

• Reduce obesity risk

• Alleviate gastric ulcers

• Aid in combating diabetes

Q: Is Darjeeling tea caffeinated?

A: Yes. Darjeeling tea contains caffeine. An 8-ounce serving usually has 40 to 70 milligrams of caffeine, although the amount may change depending on the strength of the tea.

Q: Where can you buy Darjeeling tea?

A: If you're fortunate to go on a trip to India, you can try going to the town of Darjeeling itself to buy authentic Darjeeling tea, which is considered a very prized souvenir.26 However, if this is not possible, try looking for a reputable website online that sells good-quality Darjeeling tea.

from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/12/22/xdjm18-teas-18mcsa-darjeeling-tea.aspx

source http://niapurenaturecom.weebly.com/blog/discover-the-health-benefits-of-darjeeling-tea

[jakehglover]

Discover the Health Benefits of Darjeeling Tea

Table of Contents

What Is Darjeeling Tea?

6 Darjeeling Tea Health Benefits

Is There Caffeine in Darjeeling Tea?

How to Brew and Serve Darjeeling Tea

How to Store Darjeeling Tea

Darjeeling Tea Side Effects

The Dark Side of Darjeeling Tea Production

Darjeeling Tea FAQs

For years, India has been hailed as one of the world's largest tea-producing countries. In fact, a 2015 report of the Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations stated that India is the world's second largest tea-producing country, right behind China. This can be attributed to a statistic from two years before — the country's tea production reaching a whopping 1.2 million tons in 2013.1

One of India's most-prized exports is Darjeeling tea. This type of tea fetches a high price around the world because of its impeccable flavor. If you want to know more about what Darjeeling tea is, why it's special and what it can offer for your health, then keep reading this article.

What Is Darjeeling Tea?

Darjeeling tea is a kind of black tea grown in a town of the same name, located in the state of West Bengal in India right below foothills of the Himalayan mountains.2,3 Darjeeling tea leaves are often derived from the upper leaves of the Chinese variety of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis,4 and cannot be grown or manufactured anywhere else in the world.

Darjeeling tea, frequently called the "champagne of teas," has musky-sweet tasting notes that are similar to Muscat wine, although the tea may also exhibit delicate vegetal, mossy, fruity and citrus flavors.5

6 Darjeeling Tea Health Benefits

Darjeeling tea may offer health benefits that may improve your body's health and overall well-being:6

1. Provides antioxidant capabilities — Darjeeling tea contains two complex antioxidants called theaflavins and thearubigins. These antioxidants help neutralize harmful free radicals, and potentially reduce free radical damage that can target cell membranes and DNA, and raise your risk for chronic illness.

2. May help maintain cardiovascular health — Results from a 2014 PLOS One study revealed that consumption of four to five cups of black tea daily may assist in reducing blood pressure levels and cardiovascular disease risk.7

3. May help reduce risk of obesity and promote weight loss — Drinking black tea may promote development of microbial metabolites that may assist in regulating energy metabolism. The tea may also promote weight loss and lower obesity risk.

4. May help improve gut health — Research indicated that black tea may stimulate the proliferation of various good gut bacteria8 and lessen the risk for bacterial infection.9

5. May help address gastric ulcers — A 2014 Journal of Natural Medicines study highlighted that L-theanine, an amino acid in Darjeeling tea, possessed protective effects toward an NSAID-induced gastric ulcer.10

6. May help lower diabetes risk — Various studies confirmed that consumption of black tea (which Darjeeling tea falls under) resulted in a decreased diabetes risk.11,12,13

Is There Caffeine in Darjeeling Tea?

Yes there is, just like a cup of coffee. There are roughly 50 milligrams of caffeine in darjeeling tea, although this amount may vary depending on the strength of the tea.14 However, remember that there are consequences linked to consuming excess amounts of caffeine (more on this to come later).

Learn How to Brew and Serve Darjeeling Tea

Harvesting of Darjeeling tea leaves runs from mid-March through November. Darjeeling leaves are freshly plucked, withered overnight, rolled and fermented or oxidized before being fired. The tea bushes progress through four seasons called "flushes," with each flush offering a distinct flavor: first flush, second flush (summer), monsoon flush and autumn flush.

As such, Darjeeling tea is often sold not only by single estate, but also by flush.15 Darjeeling tea may also be classified according to the size of the leaves, namely:16

Whole Leaf Darjeeling Tea — Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (SFTGFOP) and Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGFOP)

Broken Leaf — Fine Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe (FTGBOP), Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe (TGBOP), Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (FBOP) and Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP)

Fannings — Golden Flowery Orange Fannings (GFOF) and Golden Orange Fannings (GOF)

Dust (D) — Generally used in traditional teabags, but isn't the best quality

To brew your own cup of Darjeeling tea at home, grab some tea leaves and follow this recipe:17

Quick Darjeeling Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces high-quality filtered water

• Darjeeling tea leaves

Procedure:

1. Heat your water to a boil, or just below a boil. You can inspect how oxidized your tea is first, Reduce the heat more for darker teas, and lower, to around 185 degrees Fahrenheit, for less-oxidized or earlier-season teas.

2. Preheat the vessel or kettle and rinse with a little hot water. Add a tablespoon of Darjeeling tea leaves per 8 ounces of water.

3. Steep the tea for three to five minutes depending on your taste. Try tasting it to check if you are satisfied with the flavor.

You can add grass fed milk or sweeteners like raw honey, stevia or Luo Han to taste. While Darjeeling tea is best without milk, some people prefer drinking milk with the tea, and especially when tasting Autumn flush.18 Just remember that dairy may diminish the potency of some of the antioxidants in the tea.

How to Store Darjeeling Tea

In order to prolong the shelf life of your Darjeeling tea, take note of these reminders:19

Store in an airtight container — This helps make the tea last longer, maintains the optimal moisture content of the tea leaves, inhibits dust contamination and prevents spoilage by exposure to excess moisture caused by oxygen and other elements in the air.

Keep Darjeeling tea away from direct sunlight and warm temperatures — Increased exposure to heat sources may affect the tea chemically and physically. This can give the tea a more bitter flavor or degrade its flavor. Place the tea in a cool and dark cupboard or drawer, and ensure that this spot isn't close to the oven, grill or any appliance that emits heat.

Avoid mixing with any strong odors — Tea is susceptible to contamination when exposed to foods that emit strong odors such as cheese, garlic, onions and spices. Tea leaves are porous, and once they absorb odors, the flavor can be affected.

Separate your blends — It's highly recommended to not keep one type of tea close to another, especially those with strong flavors. Storing the leaves in a sealed container can inhibit cross-contamination. Plus, clearly label your jars so you do not mistakenly combine tea blends.

Darjeeling Tea Side Effects

There have been some side effects linked to Darjeeling tea. Caffeine present in Darjeeling tea can cause the following:

Sleeping difficulties

Feelings of nervousness

Increased or irregular heart rate

Worsened gastrointestinal conditions

Headaches

Irritability

Confusion

Heartburn

Tremors in extremities

Convulsions (possible)

Excess caffeine consumption may also:20

Trigger digestive tract problems by increasing acid in the stomach, potentially leading to an upset stomach

Promote diuretic effects by eliminating more fluids via the urine, which can cause dehydration

Stimulate muscles that may push waste throughout the digestive tract that can cause diarrhea

Contribute to physical and psychological dependence on the beverage

Lead to hypokalemia or low blood potassium levels in the elderly

When taken in excess, tannins in black tea, which contribute to the drink's slightly bitter flavor,21 can lead to an upset stomach or trigger nausea and vomiting.22 It has also been said that tannins may interfere with iron absorption of non-heme iron, although more research is needed to fully determine this link.23

However, an article published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that drinking tea isn't linked to an iron deficiency unless you're already anemic or at a high risk for a deficiency.24

Before drinking Darjeeling tea, talk to your doctor to check if you can drink this beverage without triggering side effects. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, limit your intake of caffeine from drinks like Darjeeling tea as much as possible.25

The Dark Side of Darjeeling Tea Production

Although this tea is highly valued and fetches a hefty price tag, the profits aren't felt in Darjeeling, India. Most workers earn as little as 1.70 euros or $1.98 a day, which is barely enough to cover basic expenses. They live in slums at the city center, where unemployment and poverty rates are alarmingly high.

Furthermore, picking tea leaves is a labor-intensive and literally backbreaking process. Workers begin their day as early as 7 a.m., harvesting leaves and gathering them into a basket suspended from their forehead and placed across their back. As heartbreaking as this sounds, this is the reality for some of the people responsible for this type of tea. Learn more about the harrowing state of tea production in Darjeeling by reading "The Dark Side of the Global Tea Industry."

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Darjeeling Tea

Q: What does Darjeeling tea do?

A: Because of its links to various health benefits, Darjeeling tea can be good for you. Darjeeling tea was shown to help:

• Promote cardiovascular health

• Reduce obesity risk

• Alleviate gastric ulcers

• Aid in combating diabetes

Q: Is Darjeeling tea caffeinated?

A: Yes. Darjeeling tea contains caffeine. An 8-ounce serving usually has 40 to 70 milligrams of caffeine, although the amount may change depending on the strength of the tea.

Q: Where can you buy Darjeeling tea?

A: If you're fortunate to go on a trip to India, you can try going to the town of Darjeeling itself to buy authentic Darjeeling tea, which is considered a very prized souvenir.26 However, if this is not possible, try looking for a reputable website online that sells good-quality Darjeeling tea.

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/12/22/xdjm18-teas-18mcsa-darjeeling-tea.aspx

[punalavaflow]

Lava inundates PGV well site

A production well at Puna Geothermal Venture in Puna was covered by lava late Sunday afternoon, Hawaii County Civil Defense reported.

The agency said the lava came from fissures No. 21 and No. 7, which at 7:45 p.m. Sunday evening was described by Civil Defense as “fast moving” and a threat to more structures in Leilani Estates.

The well, KS-6, along with a second well about 100 yards away, have been “successfully plugged” and “are stable and secured, and are being monitored,” according to Civil Defense. Neither well is expected to release any hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas used in the wells, the agency said.

At an afternoon media briefing in Hilo, Gov. David Ige said, “The Puna Geothermal Venture site is safe. We believe we have mitigated any risk to the community.”

Ige said PGV employees and a task force assembled by the governor remain on site and are working to eliminate or minimize any hazards.

Tom Travis, director of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and the head of the task force, said the four wells on one of the power plant’s pads — production wells KS-5, KS-6 and KS-14, plus injection well KS-3 — “are presenting minimum interference to the lava. They’re all close to the ground and covered, so the lava should go right over them.” All are in the lava’s path, he confirmed.

Travis said KS-5 and KS-6 have been quenched and plugged with large master valves, and cinder has been put into the well cylinders as a buffer between the lava and the valves.

Mike Kaleikini, PGV’s senior director of Hawaii affairs, said KS-14, which didn’t respond to efforts to quench it, was plugged with a clay-like substance called barite, and cinder also was installed over the barite.

“From my perspective … we’ve got a sufficient plug that’s in there. We would like to have put in the metal plug, but we’re confident that the plug will maintain its mechanical integrity,” Kaleikini said.

Concern has previously been expressed about the potential release of hydrogen sulfide from lava reaching PGV’s production wells. The power plant has been taken offline, but KS-14 is still considered active. Travis said it would be “difficult … to imagine” a hydrogen sulfide leak “as a result of the intrusion of the lava.”

“That doesn’t mean that there may not be a case that I haven’t anticipated. (But) I can give you no example of how that might happen right now,” he said.

Ige noted the county’s standard for evacuation of workers and nearby residents due to hydrogen sulfide occurs at 25 parts per billion. He said that is “a thousand times” stricter than the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s standard for workplace exposure. He said constant readings have shown a hydrogen sulfide emission level of zero at the site, but acknowledged the release of the gas into the air “is a possibility.”

“But we believe the PGV site is safe …” Ige said. “So, we feel, at this point in time, that the facility is stable and secure, and we don’t anticipate that there would be any issue with the PGV site.”

Kaleikini said there are two other well pads that are at a higher elevation than the pad covered by lava on Sunday, and another well, KS-9, still displays activity “at a lower pressure” than KS-14.

“We’ve got a pretty good handle on that. We’re getting ready to put a plug in that, also,” he said. “… I just want to emphasize … that we don’t anticipate any compromise of the wells’ mechanical integrity. We don’t anticipate any emissions of hydrogen sulfide from our geothermal wells.

“… I think the peace of mind will come once the lava crosses over the well and we can tell you guys that the well is fine, which is what we fully anticipate.”

The governor also said two Marine Corps CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters, due to return to Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Oahu after a seven-day Big Island deployment, will remain “as long as we believe there is the possibility of a mass evacuation.”

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported Sunday that a new fissure, No. 24, is active in Leilani Estates subdivision between Nohea and Kupono streets.

HVO geophysicist Jim Kauahikaua said fissures 8 and 16 reactivated, 22 and 13 are still the main southbound channels going into the two ocean entries, but No. 7 is the biggest producer, with lava fountains almost 200 feet high.

“It’s been very dramatic,” Kauahikaua said. “We can actually see that fountaining very clearly on one of our East Rift Zone cams, that’s called the PGV cam.

“From vent 7, there are two main channels. The north channel goes toward PGV property, and the south channel will … go south, possibly creating a new ocean entry sometime in the next day or two, if it continues.”

Kauahikaua said there that about noon on Sunday, there was an ash plume at the summit of Kilauea which rose 10,000-feet above sea level, and the summit area of Kilauea “is still deflating.”

“The Lower East Rift Zone is quite stable, in terms of expansion and earthquakes. Gas emission rates are quite high in both areas,” he said.

Steve Brantley, HVO deputy scientist-in-charge, said the lava lake in the overlook crater inside Kilauea’s caldera has grown from about 12 acres on May 5 to between 90 and 94 acres on Saturday “as a result of rockfalls peeling away from the overlook crater walls and falling into the deepening conduit.”

Ian Morrison, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Honolulu, said the moderate tradewinds of the past several days, which has blown the ash and volcanic emissions to the southwest, are forecast to weaken today and shift to a more easterly, and perhaps southeasterly, direction.

“That’s gonna push some of the volcanic emissions more toward over the Puna area and possibly into the Hilo area by (this) evening,” Morrison said.

He said Puna and Hilo should experience vog, at least into Tuesday, when the trades are expected to “reinvigorate and strengthen, bringing a more east-northeast flow, and pushing the emissions down toward the coastline towards the southwest.”

Morrison said there also will be increased rain-shower activity in East Hawaii.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

The post Lava inundates PGV well site appeared first on Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2L0Qqsv

[babymilkaction]

IBFAN at the 142nd WHO Executive Board Meeting

142nd session of the Executive Board

22–27 January 2018, Geneva, Switzerland

CLICK HERE for the webcasts of all the meetings.

  Elizabeth Sterken, IBFAN Dr Tredos Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, Maryse Arendt, IBFAN/ILCA and Patti Rundall, Thursday 25th January.

This has been a hectic week once more at the WHO  Executive Board (EB)- and we have needed to give interventions every day on one topic or another.  Our major concern, as always, alongside the protection of breastfeeding, is to protect WHO’s integrity, trustworthy  and independence so that it  carries out its constitutional Mandate as the world’s highest health policy setting body.

This year is a reporting year on Infant and Young Child Feeding so there was much to do and it was good to have a small but  strong IBFAN team.   But there were also many related and cross cutting Agenda items: Climate Change,  the Prevention on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs); Health Emergencies, WHO’s  Framework for Engagement with Non State Actors (FENSA),  the draft proposals to address Conflicts of Interest in Nutrition and the General Program of Work 2019-2013 (GPW).  We made interventions on all these items – see  below.

One good thing – two references to breastfeeding were  inserted into the GPW- a result of advocacy by IBFAN, other NGOs and Member States. However, the clear differences of opinion between Member States led to some very worrying developments.

All documentation

Click here to watch the live webcast for 142nd WHO Executive Board

Click here for statements from Non State Actors

Elisabeth Sterken, Maryse Arendt, Patti Rundall and Alessia Bigi. IBFAN and ILCA team

IBFAN Interventions

Agenda Item 142/3.1 Draft 13th General Programme of Work 2019-2023 (GPW) 

The WHO website has one link CLICK HERE  for all 6 days of the EB – so to see the webcast you need to navigate to each agenda item on the correct day.

I delivered the GPW statement during the morning session 23rd January        

CLICK HERE for PDF

As one of WHO’s longest-standing public interest partners, IBFAN places great value on WHO’s Core constitutional norm-setting functions and its independence, integrity and trustworthiness.

We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the latest draft of the GWP. While some of the concerns we and others raised in the consultation have been partially addressed, omissions remain, for example the importance of sound nutrition and especially laws to protect breastfeeding. However, most importantly, the plan fails to fully identify the risks of engagement and partnership with the private sector and the threat this poses to WHOs lead role in proposing and building the international Rule of Law.

In relation to undue influence, the GPW relies on the protection afforded by FENSA. Yet FENSA, like the SUN Initiative, uses a faulty concept of Conflict of Interest that needs to be corrected. It confuses conflicts of interest within an institution or person with conflicts between actors who have diverging or fiduciary duties. WHO’s internal conflict between its mandate and prime functions and its secondary interest to be adequately funded should not be ignored. Paragraph 129 recognises that the ‘quality of funds’ is more important than their ‘quantity’ and calls Member states to un-earmark their funding and increase assessed contributions. However the GPW call for private sector funding is clear.

The notion that funding and engagement with the private sector will speed up action in areas such as NCDs is not supported by evidence – indeed such engagement is more likely to slow things down – especially when it comes to regulation. Voluntary promises attract much publicity, but unless backed up by regulation can be little more than diversionary public relations – here today and gone tomorrow. WHO must not allow itself to be used as a cover for corporations whose practices damage health and the environment. The world’s poorest people are the ones who pick up the costs of misleading marketing, deforestation, mono-cropping, land and sea grabbing and risky technologies.

Agenda Item EB 3.3  (142/9)  WHO’s work in health emergencies.

I delivered this statement on Health Emergencies in the morning session of Wednesday 24th January Move to 12.38.00    CLICK HERE for PDF

As a global network that protects breastfeeding, IBFAN is pleased to comment on this important topic.

Breastfeeding is a lifeline in emergencies. Babies are born with an undeveloped immune system and are at greatest risk of water-related diseases – with diarrhoeal disease the second biggest killer of under-fives.  Breastfeeding provides both food, care and immune support, and protects babies from the worst of emergency conditions.

Despite this, all too often emergency responses are characterized by unsolicited donations of all manner of baby feeding products. Public appeals for funds often make this worse – with starving babies shown alongside the myths used by the baby food industry – that women can’t breastfeed because of stress or malnourishment.   Rarely do appeals highlight the resilience of breastfeeding or that artificially fed babies face many more risks to survival.

IBFAN’s World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative assessment of policies and programmes on Infant feeding during emergencies show that implementation of UN recommendations on this is dismal.

WHO can play a key role in reversing this situation by promoting emergency preparedness protocols that protect breastfeeding and improve food security.  The new updated Operational Guidance for Emergency Relief Staff and Programme Managers  is designed to give all those working in emergencies concise, practical guidance on appropriate infant and young child feeding and ensure that when breastmilk substitutes are required they are purchased, distributed and used according to the UN’s agreed strict criteria.

Emergencies are prime opportunities for commercial exploitation and the Business of Malnutrition is thriving. While the speedy delivery of products can be essential, over-emphasis on fortified products and quick-fix treatments of malnutrition – often traded globally and containing  25% sugar ­– can undermine breastfeeding and sustainable, local, bio-diverse foods that are more culturally appropriate.

We look forward to working with WHO to ensure that families in emergencies have the support and protection they need.

With Dr Tedros – after breastfeeding was inserted into the General Work Plan – note the Conflict of Interest Coalition statement in my hand.

Agenda Item: 3.5 Health, environment and climate change

IBFAN Chair Elisabeth Sterken delivering the Climate Change intervention

  Elisabeth Sterken delivered the IBFAN intervention on Climate Change on Wednesday 24th January

 Click here for the PDF

Breastfeeding and Human milk’s contribution to environment sustainability and food security year-round should be considered in climate-smart development goals at national and global level. The promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding has significant impact on mitigating harm to the environment. When women breastfeed their contribution to the reduction of Green House Gasses (GHG) and water conservation is substantial and an unacknowledged contribution that women make to reduce the impacts of climate change.

Breastmilk is a natural, renewable food, environmentally safe and produced and delivered without pollution, unnecessary packaging or waste.Breastmilk substitutes leave a major ecological footprint. Breastmilk substitutes (BMS) need energy to manufacture, materials for packaging, fuel for transport distribution and water, fuel and cleaning agents for daily preparation and use. More than 4000 liters of water are estimated to be needed along the production pathway to produce just 1kg of BMS powder. In the US alone, 550 million cans, 86000 tons of metal and 364000 tons of paper are used annually to package the product, that ends up in landfills. Furthermore, the methane gas emanating from dairy herds is a potent form of GHG.

These effects are all mitigated when women and babies are supported for optimal feeding. Breastfeeding is especially important and protective with the increasing food insecurity and extreme weather conditions that the world’s most vulnerable women and their children face. Policies and practices that implement the International Code and resolutions and support women to breastfeed are unique ways to contribute to meaningful approaches to mitigate the impact of climate change and a cornerstone to global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG13 )  on climate change. IBFAN’s study of the impact of infant formula production on GHG emissions can be found  HERE :ibfan.org/docs/Carbon-Footprints-Due-to-Milk-Formula.pdf

Agenda Item EB 3.8.  Preparation for the third High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, to be held in 2018 (EB142/15); Preliminary evaluation of the GCM (EB142/15 Add.1)

I delivered this statement on NCDs (ag 3.8 ) on  Thursday 25th  January (afternoon /evening)

CLICK HERE FOR PDF

IBFAN has supported WHO’s leadership role in the control of NCDs. We attended the 1st UN General Assembly on NCDs launching the Conflict of Interest Coalition, demonstrating the concern of161 NGOs to keep policy setting free from commercial influence.

Table 5 lists contradictory obstacles to the implementation of WHO’s Best Buys. Section 5 clearly points to industry interference in policymaking while No 3, makes sweeping assumptions that developing countries have no ‘policy backbone…and lack the capacity to find common ground between policy-makers and private sector.”  Suggesting partnerships with the private sector as the best way forward, with no evidence of efficacy.

If governments are to be in the drivers seat they need a clear assessment of the national situation based on hard data, with goals, a clear strategy (hopefully including good laws to protect breastfeeding)  and careful consideration of whether and what role private sector should play in its implementation. Finding ‘Common ground’ with the private sector – especially on regulatory issues – seems unlikely to us.

Since bad diets are one of the biggest causes of death and disease, WHO should remind Member States there is no time to waste. Incremental changes, self-regulation and monitoring according to industry’s criteria will be simply inadequate.

The power exerted by rich producer nations when global trading standards are set at Codex is evident. Developing countries advocating WHO recommendations are overlooked and WHO is increasingly called on to defend their integration.

Not surprisingly the analysis of WHO’s Global Coordinating Mechanism  “finds the effectiveness of the activities and outputs.. to be MODEST.”  Similarly, after over 10 years, the European Commission’s Platform for Action on Diet Physical Activity and Health shows no evidence of real effect. Meetings are now reduced from 4 to 2 per year. Is this a   sign of disenchantment with multi-stakeholder initiatives involving corporations?  Surely better to work with with town planners, small farmers and public health experts.

  Agenda Item: 4.6.1 Comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition: biennial report  CLICK HERE for PDF

Implementing supports for breastfeeding is vital for progress in carrying out the comprehensive plan. Progress remains slow with only 40% of infants under 6 mo exclusively breastfed. Thus 60% are not meeting the recommendations of the WHO GS for IYCF. Additionally we are concerned that sustained breastfeeding to 2 y or beyond is not included in the global target. IBFAN’s World Breastfeedin Trends Initiative which tracks policies and practices in over 84 countries to date reports an average rate of breastfeeding initiation within the 1st hour at just above 50%. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months to be 38%, and the median duration of breastfeeding to be 15.5 months. On policies that are needed to support mothers, IBFAN’s monitoring found that only 21 out of 84 countries have a policy that includes infant feeding in emergencies yet this need is increasing. Of 84 countries only 10% provide more than 26 weeks of maternity leave. Women in the informal sector, which form 90% of the world’s working women, have no maternity protection. Only 46 countries reported having some breastfeeding and child care facilities at work. For the elimination of commercial interference in IYCF through the implementation of the International Code, IBFAN since 2015 has worked with 77 countries on implementing some or all of its provisions and of 2016, 40 countries have implemented most of the Code. We are pleased to have worked with recent entrants – Armenia, Bolivia, Kosovo, Kuwait and Vietnam and have witnessed the opposition from baby food industries in their struggle to achieve this. Additionally another 31 have partially implemented the Code and 56 others, including EU members only some aspects as regulations, while 12 have voluntary measures. IBFAN does have concerns regarding the proposed revisions to the BFHI, however we are pleased that WHO has increased work on Code implementation through NETCODE and to make significant contributions to its independent monitoring work.

Agenda Item EB 4.6 Safeguarding against possible conflicts of interest in nutrition programmes (EB142/23) CLICK HERE for PDF

Since the first WHA resolution on CoI in 1996, IBFAN has worked on preventing and managing conflicts of interest in the nutrition arena.

We maintain that WHO’s CoI guidance is problematic because it is not based on legal definitions of conflicts of interest which refer to conflicts within a person or an institution, between their OBLIGATIONS (e.g. WHO constitutional mandate, roles and functions), and secondary interests (e.g. gaining access to funding). They are NOT conflicts between actors who have diverging interests.  If WHO does not correct this definition the institution’s integrity, independence and trustworthiness will be endangered.

The approach also introduces a problematic engagement typology, and folds “integrity” into a cost-benefit analysis. Any concern about integrity is thus likely to be overwhelmed by arguments about potential benefits.

The implementation of the proposed Approach will lead to a harmful redefinition of CoI at national level, an increase of financial CoI, and a weakening of any existing national safeguards. It will promote the development of measures that increase rather than reduce risks of conflicts of interest and undue influences, in particular by commercial corporate actors and venture philanthropies, on policy decisions and programme implementation. It will add to the confusion created by FENSA and the Scaling up Nutrition’s CoI guidance, and undermine government’s efforts to build effective CoI safeguards in the area of nutrition.

IBFAN calls on the EB to request WHO to:

correct the CoI concept, the ‘engagement’ typology and clearly distinguish between CoI assessment and risk assessment;

undertake a thorough review of this Approach by Legal CoI experts and public discussion of the findings;

Finally, IBFAN hopes that the EB will not simply note the Draft Approach

Agenda Item EB 28/29 Engagement with non-State actors (FENSA)

Alessia Bigi reading the IBFAN statement on FENSA at 19.40 Friday 26th January

This is an important agenda item – quite short – so worth listening to the whole thing. – webcast on the debate on Non State Actors  (move to 35.00.00)    Dr Tedros’ concluding remarks – (move to 35 minutes)  mirror the US position that being ‘risk averse’ is dangerous for WHO and that it is better to  just manage COI. However he also  talks about the need to regulate.   The US intervention   is at  19.14.00  – urging  neither a “risk averse nor cavalier approach”   The intervention from   India is at 20.00.00. IBFAN  at  22.55.00  followed by Medicus Mundi/People’s Health Movement and ThirdWorld Network.

This statement was delivered by Alessia Bigi at the very end of Friday 26th move to 22.50.00    CLICK HERE

IBFAN and many other public interest NGOs have consistently expressed concerns about the unresolved conceptual problems of FENSA, whose COI definitions mirror the flaws in Sun’s Guidance on Conflicts of Interest. SUN confuses conflicts of interest with disagreements and differences, depending on Trust and Collaboration rather than caution.

Not wanting to repeat concerns expressed in other agenda items, we look forward to FENSA being opened up to public and expert input and scrutiny in the initial evaluation due in 2019.

FENSA follows decades – long debates about how WHO should appropriately approach its engagements with the private sector, and in particular with public-private hybrid entities. OECD COI Guidelines describe sponsorships and lobbying as particular “at risk areas” for conflicts of interest – yet these issues are woefully absent.

As we feared, the Non-State Actors (NSA) terminology is creating many problems, as is the lack of due diligence in the approval of NSA Official Relations applications.

Providing different colour badges for NSA types would be at least one step towards transparency. Similarly, all participants, including those with public badges, should be listed. In what appears to be a growing trend, Senior members of ISDI – an NSA that lost its Official Relations status in 2013 – are attending this EB. At the Codex meeting in December – dozens of industry representatives (far more than in the official ISDI delegation) attended with Public Badges and were not listed. We urge Member States to ensure their delegations to WHO and Codex are free from commercial influence.

We welcome the assurances given by Dr Tedros and Dr Axelrod that WHOwill be safeguarded. In order to achieve this, we urgently suggest that WHO enlists COI experts to correct the wrong COi conceptualization in FENSA. If a corrected version could be ready by the forthcoming WHA, MS would then more safely proceed with COI in nutrition.

Statement from Medicus Mundi/People’s Health Movement and Third World Network

Thank you Chair, MMI appreciates this opportunity to speak on agenda 5.5. The statement is supported by TWN and PHM.

We thank the Secretariat for the reports. We would like to underline the importance of making available reports that are both comprehensive and detailed, to facilitate an informed discussion regarding implementation of FENSA. We thank the Secretariat for expanding the amount of information being provided. Nonetheless there is still scope for enhancing the quality of information provided. There is an urgent need to provide detailed information in areas such as the number of engagement in each category of engagements; and the details of secondments — including the rank and position of personnel seconded from NSAs to WHO.

We want to express the concern that Para 13 of FENSA which deals with the identification of NSAs which are not at arm’s length with the private sector, is yet to be implemented. Further, a perusal of the Guide on FENSA developed for WHO staff indicates that a comprehensive policy on Conflict of Interest is yet to be developed by WHO. We call upon the Secretariat to develop a comprehensive COI policy, which is crucial for implementation of FENSA.

Finally, we wish to express our concern on the participation of entities linked to the alcohol industry at WHO’s Global Conference on NCDs in October 2017. Further, we also wish to express similar concerns regarding links to industry, related to the co-chair of the civil society Working Group for the third High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on NCDs in 2018. We call upon the Secretariat to take steps to protect WHO’s integrity and credibility.

  IBFAN at the 142nd WHO Executive Board Meeting was originally published on Baby Milk Action

[restate30201]

Flynn Seeks Sanctuary From Russia Interference Scandal In Hometown Surf

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (AP) — Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, at the center of multiple probes into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, seeks sanctuary from the swirling eddy of news coverage in the beach town where he grew up surfing and skateboarding, one of nine siblings crammed into a 1,200-square foot house.

Middletown is his refuge and the ocean is his therapy, and he’s spent recent weeks here surfing and figuring out his path forward, according to friends and family members. They say the man they have known since his childhood here in the 1960s and 1970s — the student body president who rose from a start in Army ROTC to the rank of lieutenant general — isn’t the same man they see portrayed in news reports.

“Have you seen that in the news? They talk about Mike as a traitor? The thought of that is absolutely insane to me,” said older brother Jack.

Forced from government service into retirement in 2014 by the Obama administration, Flynn went on to set up a company that accepted speaking fees from Russian entities and later did consulting work for a Turkish-owned business. He joined the Trump campaign and then the administration, but the Trump White House ousted him after saying he mischaracterized conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. A wide range of his actions — including foreign contracts and payments, and whether he lied to officials — are under scrutiny by investigators.

Thomas A. Heaney Jr., a retired Army colonel who has known Flynn since they were 9 years old, said Flynn has been doing well and has begun work again as a consultant after shutting down his old firm.

“He knows that most of the allegations in terms of the way they were presented were sensationalized and are not true,” said Heaney, who lives in the area and has seen Flynn several times this summer, most recently at Fourth of July parties. “He’s got his head up. He knows he’s a good servant. He’s a patriot and he didn’t deserve to be treated the way he’s being treated, but he’s not letting that overwhelm him.”

Middletown could even become his permanent base, Heaney said. Flynn and his wife, Lori, who started dating as high school sophomores, grew up here and have deep family ties in the area.

Michael Flynn, the sixth of Helen and Charlie Flynn’s nine children, was born at Fort Meade, in Maryland, where his father was posted with the U.S. Army. Charlie eventually retired as a master sergeant after a 20-year career, then started a banking career in Newport, an island community with a strong military presence and reputation as a rich people’s playground.

They packed the family into the tiny seaside cottage once owned by Michael’s grandmother in blue-collar Middletown. Flynn writes in his book, “The Field of Fight,” of the “never-ending revolving search to nab one of a few fold-up cots or a bunk bed that was open.”

Allen Corcoran grew up as best friends with Flynn’s youngest brother, Charlie, now an Army major general, who’s second-in-command over Army forces in the Pacific. Corcoran recalled one night during a sleepover at the Flynn household when he fell asleep in a bed and woke up on a couch. An older Flynn wanted the bed and moved him.

“It was like a bunkhouse really. That’s how Helen ran it,” Jack Flynn said.

Helen Flynn was deeply involved in Democratic politics, from local to gubernatorial campaigns, even the presidential campaign of George McGovern. She had given up her scholarship spot at Brown University to get married and raise a family, but once the children were older, she taught at a secretarial school, went back to school to get economics and law degrees, and became a real estate agent.

Michael’s younger brother Joe said there was constant discussion in the house of what was going on in the world, and a constant swapping of opinions.

“We were encouraged to speak our mind. We were encouraged to study the world. We were encouraged to be up-to-speed on political affairs going on around the country,” Joe Flynn said. “Clearly, you grow up in that kind of household, you know your life is going to be still involved in that as you get older.”

Growing up so close to the ocean, the Flynns became strong swimmers and surfers. Sid Abbruzzi, a celebrated surfer who ran a surf shop on the beach about 200 yards from the Flynn house, remembers a raucous environment at their house, where siblings would squabble about who took whose wetsuit.

“Those guys had shaggy hair, and rock ‘n’ roll, and riding the waves, and skate boarding and playing sports too. … The family surf-skate connection is blood,” he said. “It is sort of ’70s, loosey-goosey style, and Mike grew up in that culture.”

The cottage had a clear view of Ruggles, a well-known surfing spot that breaks below Newport’s famous Gilded Age mansion, The Breakers.

“People would call us all the time and say, ‘What’s the surf like at Ruggles?'” Joe Flynn said. “My mother would give them the surf check.”

Michael became known for his skateboarding style and boldness in the water.

“He would surf tough spots in the middle of December. He’d go out in circumstances where others wouldn’t do it,” Corcoran said.

Friends remember him as a leader, someone who inspired others. At age 13, Michael made the front page of the local newspaper when he saved two toddlers playing in the path of a runaway car that was rolling downhill.

“He treated everybody the same, no matter what neighborhood you grew up in, you had a shot with Mike,” Corcoran said. “If some kid was being neglected or wasn’t very popular, Mike would take him under his wing and kind of help the kid along. He was kind of one of those guys.”

He was also popular: Flynn was Middletown High School’s student body president, co-captain of the football team and voted “best looking” in his high school yearbook.

There were also hard times. Michael was in elementary school when his oldest sister, Lennie, was in a car crash while driving home from college in Providence. She spent 80 days in a coma before passing away.

“It was just a terrible, terrible time. And it left a big mark on the family for a while, actually forever. Forever, right? It doesn’t really go away,” Joe Flynn said.

Another turning point came when Michael, then a teenager, ran into trouble that landed him in a night of juvenile detention and a year of probation. In his book, Flynn describes himself as “one of those nasty tough kids, hell-bent on breaking rules for the adrenaline rush and hardwired just enough to not care about the consequences.”

Flynn wrote that his “misguided mindset” led to his arrest — he doesn’t say what he did — and that the sentence was “no comparison to the punishment at home.”

“The light switch went on in his head,” Joe Flynn said. “It also helped him be who he is. It humbled him.”

After an academically bad start at the University of Rhode Island, Flynn entered the ROTC program there, something Joe called “the greatest thing that ever happened to him.” He entered the Army as an intelligence officer after graduating.

Flynn had planned to return to the private sector after the presidential campaign, his brothers said. Instead, President Donald Trump asked him to be national security adviser, a job he reluctantly accepted, they said.

“I know for sure that he at first said no. ‘I don’t want to accept that position.’ And he said to me, ‘It’s a tough one to say no to when you’re pressed. When you’ve gone that far. So I said OK.’ Finally, he said OK,” Jack Flynn said.

Jack Flynn said he doesn’t know whether his brother regrets that decision. “I don’t think he expected his life to get blown up like this,” said Joe Flynn.

These days, Michael is in “recuperation mode.” The same week that former FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate’s intelligence committee, Joe said, Michael was surfing with his sister at a beach near the house he built here years ago, in the same neighborhood where they grew up.

Jack Flynn, who lives in the area, said people come up to his brother all the time to express support. In his view, Michael’s silence is driving people in Washington crazy.

“And I hope he waits till the moment comes for him to talk. I’m so glad he’s doing exactly what he’s doing for himself, which is staying mentally healthy and physically fit and taking care of the things that really matter to him and his life right now,” Jack Flynn said.

Heaney said he’s confident Flynn will be fully exonerated and will move on with his life. Flynn, he said, has a positive outlook, and knows he is welcome in Middletown.

“He feels at home here and he knows he has a base of support here,” Heaney said. “People here, they know the mettle of Mike Flynn.”

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2v9CtkQ

[realestate63141]

Flynn Seeks Sanctuary From Russia Interference Scandal In Hometown Surf

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (AP) — Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, at the center of multiple probes into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, seeks sanctuary from the swirling eddy of news coverage in the beach town where he grew up surfing and skateboarding, one of nine siblings crammed into a 1,200-square foot house.

Middletown is his refuge and the ocean is his therapy, and he’s spent recent weeks here surfing and figuring out his path forward, according to friends and family members. They say the man they have known since his childhood here in the 1960s and 1970s — the student body president who rose from a start in Army ROTC to the rank of lieutenant general — isn’t the same man they see portrayed in news reports.

“Have you seen that in the news? They talk about Mike as a traitor? The thought of that is absolutely insane to me,” said older brother Jack.

Forced from government service into retirement in 2014 by the Obama administration, Flynn went on to set up a company that accepted speaking fees from Russian entities and later did consulting work for a Turkish-owned business. He joined the Trump campaign and then the administration, but the Trump White House ousted him after saying he mischaracterized conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. A wide range of his actions — including foreign contracts and payments, and whether he lied to officials — are under scrutiny by investigators.

Thomas A. Heaney Jr., a retired Army colonel who has known Flynn since they were 9 years old, said Flynn has been doing well and has begun work again as a consultant after shutting down his old firm.

“He knows that most of the allegations in terms of the way they were presented were sensationalized and are not true,” said Heaney, who lives in the area and has seen Flynn several times this summer, most recently at Fourth of July parties. “He’s got his head up. He knows he’s a good servant. He’s a patriot and he didn’t deserve to be treated the way he’s being treated, but he’s not letting that overwhelm him.”

Middletown could even become his permanent base, Heaney said. Flynn and his wife, Lori, who started dating as high school sophomores, grew up here and have deep family ties in the area.

Michael Flynn, the sixth of Helen and Charlie Flynn’s nine children, was born at Fort Meade, in Maryland, where his father was posted with the U.S. Army. Charlie eventually retired as a master sergeant after a 20-year career, then started a banking career in Newport, an island community with a strong military presence and reputation as a rich people’s playground.

They packed the family into the tiny seaside cottage once owned by Michael’s grandmother in blue-collar Middletown. Flynn writes in his book, “The Field of Fight,” of the “never-ending revolving search to nab one of a few fold-up cots or a bunk bed that was open.”

Allen Corcoran grew up as best friends with Flynn’s youngest brother, Charlie, now an Army major general, who’s second-in-command over Army forces in the Pacific. Corcoran recalled one night during a sleepover at the Flynn household when he fell asleep in a bed and woke up on a couch. An older Flynn wanted the bed and moved him.

“It was like a bunkhouse really. That’s how Helen ran it,” Jack Flynn said.

Helen Flynn was deeply involved in Democratic politics, from local to gubernatorial campaigns, even the presidential campaign of George McGovern. She had given up her scholarship spot at Brown University to get married and raise a family, but once the children were older, she taught at a secretarial school, went back to school to get economics and law degrees, and became a real estate agent.

Michael’s younger brother Joe said there was constant discussion in the house of what was going on in the world, and a constant swapping of opinions.

“We were encouraged to speak our mind. We were encouraged to study the world. We were encouraged to be up-to-speed on political affairs going on around the country,” Joe Flynn said. “Clearly, you grow up in that kind of household, you know your life is going to be still involved in that as you get older.”

Growing up so close to the ocean, the Flynns became strong swimmers and surfers. Sid Abbruzzi, a celebrated surfer who ran a surf shop on the beach about 200 yards from the Flynn house, remembers a raucous environment at their house, where siblings would squabble about who took whose wetsuit.

“Those guys had shaggy hair, and rock ‘n’ roll, and riding the waves, and skate boarding and playing sports too. … The family surf-skate connection is blood,” he said. “It is sort of ’70s, loosey-goosey style, and Mike grew up in that culture.”

The cottage had a clear view of Ruggles, a well-known surfing spot that breaks below Newport’s famous Gilded Age mansion, The Breakers.

“People would call us all the time and say, ‘What’s the surf like at Ruggles?'” Joe Flynn said. “My mother would give them the surf check.”

Michael became known for his skateboarding style and boldness in the water.

“He would surf tough spots in the middle of December. He’d go out in circumstances where others wouldn’t do it,” Corcoran said.

Friends remember him as a leader, someone who inspired others. At age 13, Michael made the front page of the local newspaper when he saved two toddlers playing in the path of a runaway car that was rolling downhill.

“He treated everybody the same, no matter what neighborhood you grew up in, you had a shot with Mike,” Corcoran said. “If some kid was being neglected or wasn’t very popular, Mike would take him under his wing and kind of help the kid along. He was kind of one of those guys.”

He was also popular: Flynn was Middletown High School’s student body president, co-captain of the football team and voted “best looking” in his high school yearbook.

There were also hard times. Michael was in elementary school when his oldest sister, Lennie, was in a car crash while driving home from college in Providence. She spent 80 days in a coma before passing away.

“It was just a terrible, terrible time. And it left a big mark on the family for a while, actually forever. Forever, right? It doesn’t really go away,” Joe Flynn said.

Another turning point came when Michael, then a teenager, ran into trouble that landed him in a night of juvenile detention and a year of probation. In his book, Flynn describes himself as “one of those nasty tough kids, hell-bent on breaking rules for the adrenaline rush and hardwired just enough to not care about the consequences.”

Flynn wrote that his “misguided mindset” led to his arrest — he doesn’t say what he did — and that the sentence was “no comparison to the punishment at home.”

“The light switch went on in his head,” Joe Flynn said. “It also helped him be who he is. It humbled him.”

After an academically bad start at the University of Rhode Island, Flynn entered the ROTC program there, something Joe called “the greatest thing that ever happened to him.” He entered the Army as an intelligence officer after graduating.

Flynn had planned to return to the private sector after the presidential campaign, his brothers said. Instead, President Donald Trump asked him to be national security adviser, a job he reluctantly accepted, they said.

“I know for sure that he at first said no. ‘I don’t want to accept that position.’ And he said to me, ‘It’s a tough one to say no to when you’re pressed. When you’ve gone that far. So I said OK.’ Finally, he said OK,” Jack Flynn said.

Jack Flynn said he doesn’t know whether his brother regrets that decision. “I don’t think he expected his life to get blown up like this,” said Joe Flynn.

These days, Michael is in “recuperation mode.” The same week that former FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate’s intelligence committee, Joe said, Michael was surfing with his sister at a beach near the house he built here years ago, in the same neighborhood where they grew up.

Jack Flynn, who lives in the area, said people come up to his brother all the time to express support. In his view, Michael’s silence is driving people in Washington crazy.

“And I hope he waits till the moment comes for him to talk. I’m so glad he’s doing exactly what he’s doing for himself, which is staying mentally healthy and physically fit and taking care of the things that really matter to him and his life right now,” Jack Flynn said.

Heaney said he’s confident Flynn will be fully exonerated and will move on with his life. Flynn, he said, has a positive outlook, and knows he is welcome in Middletown.

“He feels at home here and he knows he has a base of support here,” Heaney said. “People here, they know the mettle of Mike Flynn.”

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2v9CtkQ

[grimurfjeldsted-blog]

Quick Guide to Digital Tech - The Internet of Things

Introduction

The second article in my series "quick guide to digital tech", this time about the Internet of Things. In this series I aim to give a quick and simple overview of a technology or term, with examples readers will be able to relate to. In the end I give a short comment on the current state of the technology as well as an outlook what a near and far future might bring.

Part two: The Internet of Things (IoT)

Overview

The traditional internet as we know it, is mostly about people. Products of people (text, images, video, commerce, services etc.), created by people, serving and shared by people. The Internet of Things is like the wording clearly indicates about connecting things to the internet, adding the ability to sense, communicate, touch and control.

Things can interact and collaborate with other things, much like we as humans do. When machines interact and collaborate without the interference of humans, we also use the term machine-to-machine (M2M).

The concept "The Internet of Everything" (IoE) takes this concept even further, by adding people, data, things, and processes (how to manage the way people, data and things work together) together in a world of billions of sensor enabled objects. IoE is expected to create the entirely new capabilities for experiences, as well as economic opportunities for individuals, businesses and nations.

So why is the Internet of Things such a buzzword and why is the development within IoT skyrocketing? Let us look at some factors that make it possible:

Inexpensive sensors - that simulate human senses. E.g. your smartphones ambient light sensor, that automatically adjusts brightness of your screen retails for below 3$.

Wireless networks - everywhere.

Cloud computing - where large amounts of data can be processed (without having the device doing it).

Development in Artificial Intelligence (read about AI in the first edition of this series) and Big Data.

Peoples increased digital need.

Examples

The uses cases for the Internet of Things are endless. Basically anything with an on/off switch could be connected to the internet. Usually IoT is categorised in ecosystems they appear in:

Smart cities:

Ever been to Barcelona by car? The city has implemented a system, that directs you to the next available parking space, by embedding sensors in the asphalt. Besides smart parking, the city also offers smart lighting that enhance the efficiency of lampposts, and smart gardening controlling park irrigation.

Smart home:

Nest: internet connected thermostats that adjust the heating system in the house based on peoples personal preferences.

Connected coffee machines and fridges: are some of the most used examples of home appliances connected to the internet. So if you do not already own one, I will leave you with some official commercials to see what the deal is: Nespresso Prodigio, and Samsung Family Hub.

Philips Hue: a smart lightning system, allowing users to control ambient light and motion sensors for automation and energy efficiency.

Transportation:

Connected vehicles: self-driving cars that connect to cloud based traffic and navigation systems, but in the future also to pedestrians, smart cities (e.g. smart parking, see above). Connected vehicles give an outlook into the Internet of Everything, where cars, people, processes and data come together for a fully automised experience.

Healthcare:

Phillips: offers several connected personal health care products, like body scales, thermometers and even a smart connected toothbrush, that reveals your brushing habits and coaches you not to miss the troubled areas. These devices usually are not directly connected to the internet, but offer bluetooth connections to smartphones, that then transmit the data to cloud services. The company also offers several far more advanced solutions for hospitals and health care professionals.

Wearables:

Smart watches & activity trackers: Apple, Pebble, TAG Heuer, Samsung, Garmin, Fitbit and others. Fitbit, the well known wristband, tracks your activity and sleep patterns. Smartwatch apps allows users to control other IoT enabled devices like Philips Hue and Nest.

Under Armour: connected smart shoes that track and analyse your running metrics.

Microsoft Hololens, a truly remarkable device that brings holograms to life by mixing and blending digital and real elements. I have been lucky to try it out a few times, but see for yourself in this video [https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us].

Embeddable implants: devices and microchips that go under your skin for a full cyborg experience.

Consumer goods:

Hello Barbie: a Wi-Fi connected barbie doll, that listens to children and uses cloud based voice recognition to understand them and talk back. Hello Barbie came to fame, because she could easily be hacked, listening into conversation without the user noticing it. This raises the question of the Internet of Things most fragile challenge - privacy and security.

Samsung: is already this year aiming to have 90% of their entire consumer product catalogue connected to the internet, with 100% in 2020.

Industrial/agricultural:

John Deere: is deploying sensors, wireless communications, and autonomous driving technology on farm systems for a future of data driven farming. The company creates information sharing networks between farming machines, on-ground sensors, satellites, and farmers for tracking and interpreting information generated at each point. Imagine the amount of data created in these application, a topic covered in the next article in this series about Big Data.

Industrial IoT (IIoT): sometimes also called Industry 4.0 (favourite word of the german chancellor) would be worth a "quick guide" on its own. I recommend this article that describes the concept pretty well, in the case it should grab your attention. [https://goo.gl/JbQWMX]

In a more lighthearted matter, the example section would not be complete without introducing you to the concept of the "Internet of Sheep". [https://goo.gl/wftfYr]

State of the technology and future outlook

The concept of the Internet of Things is not new. Many of us already have several internet enabled devices, that communicate with other devices, sense the surroundings or human health conditions and allows us to control our environment. But is does not stop here. Once the phone was not very "smart", and today we can not imagine a world without it. This will happen to most other devices as well, bringing us closer to the Internet of Everything.

In a future perspective, scientists are experimenting with smart dust, internet connected dust particles that holds lenses and digital sensors like those we use in cameras, that can be injected into the brain or used in miniature drones and robots. Welcome to the cyborg age - Big Data and the Internet of Things gone wild!

But before that we have a major challenges when it comes to IoT. Security, privacy and legal nightmares are a major challenge we need to solve. When cars, your smart home and your kids favourite doll become connected, they become victims of hackers, criminals and megalomaniac corporations. And who wants your insurance company to access the bacterial flora of your mouth?

Some opportunistic futurists proclaim, that we in 2025 will have 11 trillion devices as part of the internet of things. Yes, that was trillions - your phone, watch and coffeemaker are just the beginning.