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laerrynseelie · 3 years

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shadowgast in "cowboy like me"

hello and welcome to another episode of Coco projects all of her issues onto Caleb Widogast and also cries about the Other Gay Purple Wizard™. this episode is sponsored by severe sleep deprivation and being in the airport at 6am, which is where I wrote most of this. but this is also something I've been yelling about for weeks, primarily at @theravenkingscourt and @dinah-lance, sponsored by taylor swift and emotions.

I will begin this dissertation with the song "cowboy like me" by Taylor Swift, from the album "evermore." those overlapping in the taylor swift and critical role fandoms have spent a long while yelling about how cowboy like me was MADE for shadowgast, and it is. here is my most recent annotation of the song lyrics (spoilers, obvs):

cowboy like me has many lines that have a direct, literal line to shadowgast, such as "the old men that I've swindled" == Ikithon, etc. but the things I want to highlight here are the themes it presents, and why I hold these boys so near and dear to my heart, and maybe why you do too. (also cc: @shadowgastweek)

many lines repeat but can have various, literal and metaphorical meanings. "eyes full of stars" can be about Rosohna, the dumancy floor of the tower, or ambition and power and desire. the fun thing about this is that they all connect together into a wonderful constellation of pain :) without Essek's ambition, the beacons wouldn't have gotten to the Cerberus Assembly, and they may have never met. without Caleb's ambition, he may have never been at the Solstryce Academy, ended up with a beacon, in Rosohna, or met Essek, or learned dunamancy, or have the floor of endless possibility. and much of this is put aside for the Nein and each other. "never thought I'd meet you here" indeed.

the bridge and third stanza of this song go SO. HARD. I have spent MONTHS yelling about the hanging gardens of babylon and no I will not stop. first of all, it's just a great fucking line. "now you hang from my lips / like the gardens of babylon" bitch are you FUCKING kidding me. the story of the gardens is that the queen missed her homeland, which had sprawling greenery, and so the king made her a garden that went around the palace and over roofs. (hey hey hey, gravity, xhorhaus, tower, you get it.) and I want to focus on the question on if the gardens actually exist. there are no surviving babylonian texts that mention the gardens, and no archaeological evidence that it ever existed. so it is a story that no one can confirm, or something completely obliterated by time and society. (or misattributed and was actually a different garden but shh it doesn't fit as well) for me, that's a strong allegory for the queer experience, and looking back at history and relationships. moreover, let's think about Caleb and Essek's interactions, and the fear of showing affection == being outed. studying together, talking close, forehead kisses. something that is not confirmed, or will be obliterated by their circumstances.

a theme that stands out from "cowboy like me" is this idea of wanting love. as a queer asian immigrant kid and a sociology student, the conditions of unconditional love is a concept that fascinates me. societally, unconditional love is talked about a lot, especially in relation to families, which we know if not always the case, and we fear it constantly. it’s hiding bad grades from your parents, or feeling like you need to prove yourself to earn love. it’s going to a pride parade and removing the stickers and face paint on the train home. it’s the fear of abandonment, of what if this is what makes it too much to love me. there was a post floating around (hehe, floating) about how both caleb and essek skirted around the ACTUAL worst things that they've done when asked about it. throughout the campaign, something that Caleb and Essek have gone through, not just with each other but the rest of the Nein, is hiding the unforgiveable things they’ve done because they think that will make them leave. and they take every unforgiveable thing, and they love them anyway. these things still happened, and that’s not okay, and they don’t dismiss it, and maybe, just maybe, if people can love them despite every unforgiveable thing, maybe they can let themselves be loved. maybe they can love themselves. and maybe, they can love, too.

the fear of love not being enough is also threaded through the song. in the case of shadowgast, it's the question of country, of war, political positions, familial desires, friends, location. (it's the question of if matthew mercer will let shadowgast be endgame goddammit.) in caleb's words, it's complicated. the Nein have defeated a lot "with the power of friendship," but what if it's not enough? what if they don't get Molly back, or they're corrupted by the eyes, or they can't get Veth back to her family? what if Trent gets Essek, or Caleb, or the Dynasty finds out, or Astrid and Eadwulf betray them, or they find their way back to old paths of power and ambition. what if love isn't enough?

"and the skeletons in both our closets / plotted hard to fuck this up" hurts me. taylor swift's bridges never miss. first of all, in closets, gay, obligatory pun, yada yada yada. it's also all the unforgiveable things they've done, war and Caleb's family, "important" but "not good" intentions, and all the people who threaten them now, ex. cerberus assembly, bisexual maelstrom, and the fact that Essek worked with the very people who abused and manipulated Caleb. all these previous fears are present in this line.

and when we see someone who is healing, who is loved, doesn't that give us hope? and isn't that present throughout critical role's history? we get to see full grown adults still enjoy a hobby, with a solid group of friends, tell us stories about growth. tell us healing is possible. Liam is Caleb and the Nein, showing this to us, Essek.

I will leave you with this. there is a theory that every relationship we have is a reflection of our relationship with our parents. every relationship is us trying to get that first relationship right, this time. this is fascinating to look at for each of the M9 (Beau and her aggression and strength and standing up against authority; Jester and her positivity and kindness and acceptance; Fjord needing to be strong and taking control), but of course I'm going to talk about Caleb. think of Caleb and Ikithon. think of Caleb and Veth. think of Caleb's need to prove he is good enough, not just in power and intelligence and ambition, but that he is good. that he is good enough. think of how his intelligence is his armor and his weapons, both literally and figuratively. at making sure Veth gets back to her family. of showing off for Essek, believing in Essek and in Essek's goodness. Essek being Caleb's foil is beautiful, but what if this is Caleb, making sure that this time, they survive.

#shadowgast #essek thelyss #caleb widogast #critical role spoilers #critical role #cr spoilers #cr #shadowgast week #i just have a lot of feelings about them and i project all my issues onto caleb #am i caleb or do i just want to date essek #both. both is good #maybe one day i'll talk about why 'tis the damn season is about the blumentrio #I have 7 songs currently in my shadowgast playlist

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spectralscathath · 4 years

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R.O.S.E-6???

oh god okay so this one is a long one. But basically: Ruby is the robot built by Atlas to save the world and harness the power of the Silver Eyes, on Summer’s request. Tai and Yang are designated to be her family, so that she can feel the right amount of love in order to awaken the Silver Eyes. James does his best to support them, Ruby gets the best training with the Ace Operatives, the best equipment, and plenty of time to spend with her family. (Qrow, in an inverse to his canon self, dotes on Yang. She is by far the favourite niece. He really hates Ruby as well. Unfortunate!)

Ruby 6.0 gets to go to the Vytal Festival in Beacon, it should be a safe, low-stakes, risk-free test against some other Huntsmen, she can see the world, experience new things, and really get a chance to see what it’s like to be human.

Penny, for her part, grew up in Patch as the daughter of famed inventor and doctor, Pietro Polendina. Having lost her family to Grimm when she was too young to remember it, Penny is a prodigy fighter who built her weapons, Heartstrings, together with her father, who implanted the neural chip she uses to fight with them. Good enough to get into Beacon two years ahead of schedule, Pietro asked his live-in apprentice Ciel to go with Penny, just to make sure she didn’t get herself in trouble.

They get teamed up with Winter Schnee, the proud middle child of the Schnee family and the spare to her elder sister Weiss’s heir, and Sienna Khan, a faunus runaway who has a bone to pick with everyone. Things go... predictably poorly.

Because this is kinda long, I’ll actually be putting the snippet under the cut, along with some character sheets! I’m not sure if I’ll ever write this but if I ever get round to it it’ll probably be more of a collection of oneshots with a vague plot, but I do like the idea

~~~~~~~~~~

PROJECT R.O.S.E SUBJECT: RUBY 6.0 TESTING: COMBAT CAPABILITIES OVERSEEN BY: GENERAL J. IRONWOOD NOTES TAKEN BY: DR V. SHELL

Ruby stood in the simulation room, facing across from Captain Ebi and Lieutenant Ederne. Captain Ebi smiled at her, Lieutenant Ederne doing the same with a massive grin that invoked similar feelings of warmth as Yang’s smile.

“You ready, kiddo?” Captain Ebi rested his weapon on his shoulder, Ruby’s silver eyes flicking to it as her databanks ran schematics in her head.

[Kingfisher: Huntsman-class weapon. Fishing pole with razor wire line, melee form. Hook can be used for mobility. Harpoon function stored in back of hilt. No gun format; razor wire provides ranged attack]

She raised her right arm, the black metal of her forearm shifting and altering so her wrist cannon emerged, ready for combat. “Yes sir.”

“Ruby, you don’t have to call me ‘sir’,” Captain Ebi reminded her, Lieutenant Ederne giving her a thumbs up beside him as she hefted her weapon in one hand.

[Timber: Huntsman class weapon. Two-handed warhammer, Ederne’s strength makes her capable of wielding one-handed. Thrusters can be activated to maximise attack output. Rocket launcher for ranged format- AVOID AT ALL COSTS]

The last words had been added to the databanks after Ruby 4.0 had been broken in a training session. Lieutenant Ederne had been very apologetic, Specialist Bree had told Ruby that Ederne had been driven to the point of tears by what she had done.

Ruby hadn’t really been bothered by it, after all, she could easily be rebuilt. Even better, Mr Ironwood had her databanks wiped of the actual recordings of her deaths whenever she was rebuilt. It felt like it happened to a Ruby that wasn’t her. In a way, it did. She was never the same between incarnations, but she watched the audio-visual data of her previous models so she could learn from them and do better.

She was built to save the world, after all. That was her job. She was built to be a hero.

Ruby blinked up at General Ironwood, overseeing this test with a smile. She would not disappoint him, nor her father. She wanted to test her strength in the Vytal Tournament, and see more of the world.

She turned her cheerful smile to Captain Ebi and saluted playfully. “Yes sir!”

~~~~

“Sienna Khan. Penny Polendina. Ciel Soleil. Winter Schnee. The four of you retrieved the white queen pieces, and from this day on, you’ll be known as team PSCS.” Ozpin smiled at Penny, who felt her heart metaphorically swell with pride and joy. “Led by Penny Polendina.”

“Thank you, Mr Ozpin!” Penny beamed at him, the neural implant on her forehead gleaming silver under the spotlights.

Ciel patted her shoulder, a faint smile crossing her features before she hid it behind her usual professionalism. “Good job, Penny.”

“I can’t believe I’m stuck with some riffraff faunus,” Winter scoffed, her white hair pulled back in a severe bun as she stood tall, glaring down at their fourth teammate.

Sienna snarled back, tiger ears pinned flat to her head and inked stripes lining her bare arms. “Oh you better keep your eyes open, Schnee,” she said it with all the venom of a slur, “cause the moment you drop your guard I’m taking that gaudy sword of yours and skewering you on it.”

“I’d like to see you try, beast.” Winter hissed back, the air around the two fraught with violent intent.

Penny blinked and looked at Ciel. “They’ll be best friends once we begin to do friendship things,” she affirmed.

“If you say so.” Ciel didn’t look convinced.

~~~~

ROSE 6.0 (Robotic Optical Silver-light Emitter) Codename: Ruby Rose Species: Synthetic Soldier Family: James Ironwood (project sponsor), Taiyang Xiao Long (assigned father), Yang Xiao Long (assigned sister) Age: 2 years, 7 months without malfunction for current model Weaponry: Moonlight’s Cull, scythe blade stored in her left arm that she can form for attacks. Wrist-mounted blaster in right arm. Abilities: latent possibility of Silver Eyes.

Penny Polendina Age: 15 Semblance: Visual Data, allows Penny to remember everything she sees, scan people to obtain information, see through dark/fog, and replay data she saw back on her scroll for others to see Weapon: Heartstrings, a set of foldable blades Penny can control through a neural implant Partner: Winter Schnee

Ciel Soleil Age: 17 Semblance: Last Minute, allows her to pause time for her perception of a minute Weapon: Precision, a sniper rifle stored in her watch, half-mechanical, half-hard light dust Partner: Sienna Khan

Winter Schnee Age: 17 Semblance: Glyphs, summon specialties: Beowulf, Nevermore, Manticore Weapon: Kalte Iridacea, a set of swords that can combine into one blade. No dust capabilities Partner: Penny Polendina

Sienna Khan Age: 17 Semblance: Camouflage, she can absorb the materials around her and take on their properties. The stripes on her arms visibly take on the visual properties of them Weapon: Primal Wrath, a three-pronged chain whip that she later adds dust to Partner: Ceil Soleil

#asks #my writings #penny polendina #ruby rose #OH GOD RUBY I'M SO SORRY #ALSO TO TAI AND YANG #ROSE 6

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sclczcr · 4 years

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( jon kortajarena, cis male, he/him, thirty ) ** ♔ announcing ANDER SALAZAR, the KNIGHT from SPAIN ! upon closer look, they resemble JON KORTAJARENA. it is a miracle that HE survived the last five years, considering they are CYNICAL, RESILIENT, and INDUSTRIOUS. i hope the plague has not changed them. they are FOR working together with the other kingdoms.

BASICS

GIVEN NAME: Ander Salazar AGE: 30 DATE OF BIRTH: April 13th PLACE OF BIRTH: Salazar Valley, Navarre GENDER: Male PRONOUNS: he/him SEXUALITY: bisexual, demiromantic RELIGION: lapsed Catholic OCCUPATION: knight

PHYSICAL TRAITS:

HEIGHT: 6’5’’ BODY TYPE: lean, built for agility HAIR COLOR: brown EYE COLOR: brown BIRTHMARKS/SCARS: no birthmarks, plenty of scars, none of them particularly serious looking NOTABLE TRAITS: jaw that could cut glass RIGHT HANDED OR LEFT HANDED?: ambidextrous, originally left-handed

PERSONALITY

FIVE TRAITS: diligent, adaptable, charming, dishonest, impetuous MORAL ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil MBTI TYPE: ESTP-A ( the Entrepreneur ) STAR SIGN: Aries PHOBIAS/FEARS: failure, being judged for his birth (or lack thereof) BEST QUALITY: doesn’t quit, really difficult to offend WORST QUALITY: liar, occasionally resentful ELEMENT: Fire

BIOGRAPHY

Ander doesn’t remember much from his childhood, other than being an orphan handed off to the church. One day, a man came riding in on a black stallion and took him away from the monks without so much as a grunt in his direction. His memories of the journey are hazy – he couldn’t have been more than four or five, and he hadn’t understood much at the time, or for a long while after.

He was raised in the duke Sotomayor’s holding, training to become a household guard, which for years only meant he got the most menial and unpleasant jobs, in between bouts of brutal training. Mocking the charity case was a favorite pastime of the younger lordlings and he’d ignored them at first, playing dumb, biding his time until he was strong enough to toss them on their finely clad arses.

He took his time, waited to catch each alone, and it worked for a while, until they teamed up and ambushed him. The beating that followed had been so terrible he was certain he was going to die right then and there – and he’s still convinced he would have, had the lord of the manor not walked in at an opportune moment. To Ander’s surprise, he actually seemed furious with his grandchildren and his punishment lasted for months. He even called a physician for Ander, to make sure the damage would heal right. It was more of a kindness than he’d expected out of the world, and particularly out of the man who’d barely said more than two words to him since he took him from the church orphanage all those years ago, but he hid his surprise, no matter how tinged with skepticism, when expressing his gratitude for the generosity. He realized the old man was cannier than he’d given him credit for when his only response was a scoff of amusement.

It seemed the lord had a better grasp on Ander’s character, than he did on his. Because while he was nothing but an orphan, abandoned on the steps of a church when he was just a babe, he had his pride, and even some ambitions. There was a reason he worked so hard at being a squire, and why he wouldn’t complain even during the most backbreaking of tasks – he wanted to make sure he had it in his to succeed and make something more of his life. His attempts to ingratiate himself to the lord of the castle had a lot more to do with that, than with any genuine esteem he held for the man – while not ungrateful, Ander harbored no uplifting sentiments for the one who plucked him out of a life of prayer and humility. He only wanted the chance to prove himself.

So he put himself forward, doing his best to make an impression, working even harder to ensure he would be noticed. His efforts were fruitful, at first, the old man seemed to develop a soft spot for the orphan boy, and would include him in hunting parties organized in the area. He became his squire and found himself in the presence of other noble families with increasing frequency.

He became a favorite in the household, gaining the reputation of being quick-witted and capable, and while he was no longer a child, he was still years away from adulthood, and thus given some lenience, so that he could experience how enjoyable life could be.

He got his first taste of romance during those days – some of the last good days he’d have in a good long while – and while their interactions had been brief and quite innocent, they both became quite evidently besotted with each other, drawing the attention of the household. She was one of the duke’s many grandchildren, but for a brief, shining moment, Ander was convinced they could be together, the old man must surely have gotten soft in his old age, and he’d figure out a way to sway him in their favor, but before he even had the chance to begin his machinations in earnest, the duke coldly informed him he was banished.

The second home he’d had – the only one he remembered, and he was forced to leave it in short order, barely given enough time to wrap his head around it. He was put on a horse, a satchel and sword thrown at him and was unceremoniously escorted out of the castle, the gates shutting firmly behind him.

The first day he wandered aimlessly, mind wiped of all thought, but when night came and he found himself without shelter, he forced himself out of his daze and struggled to come up with a plan. They’d given him a good steed and decent equipment, and even some coin – just not enough to settle somewhere. He joined the army, figuring that was what his training prepared him for, anyway and then spent years fighting other people’s battles, distinguishing himself as a natural solider, but lacking the name, or the family to help him raise within the ranks, bound to always keep to the fringes of power.

He was making friends with important people, at least, and close to power was still better than out there in the camp, so he took the little he could and held on to it. One of those friends proved quite important indeed, and Ander suddenly found himself orbiting around a member of the royal family. During a skirmish, he succeeded in saving his life and turning the battle around just at its most hopeless, and this time, the rewards were more than empty words and scraps. He was invested as a royal guard, part of the royal retinue and now in between fighting, he found himself in the safest place in the kingdom, patrolling the corridors of the palace. He was still only a solider, but now, finally, a comfortable one. Still on the fringes of power, at least now he’s closest to the greatest one. And when the plague came, and then the fires, at least he found himself on the right side of the wall separating those who have from the have nots.

He might have spent the last five years with his nerves drawn taught as a wire, but at least he was removed from the immediate danger, and living in relative comfort. Nonetheless, he is eager to put the confinement behind him, ready to deal with danger head on, rather than drive himself mad waiting for it every shadow to become an assassin, or hearing the distant shouts, but unable to see his enemies. Anything that would make things return to normal sooner, is at least worth a try, in his eyes.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

Basically, this guy is ready to start living again - so partners in mischief and adventure are eagerly awaited: friends, frenemies, rivals (for whatever reason: they think he cheated at cards/dice (he probably did, but good luck proving it), an unfortunate pub brawl, etc.)

someone from the Spanish court he saved in battle. they would have meet on the front before the whole plague thing, struck up a friendship in their downtime and then during a fight gone terribly wrong, Ander stepped in and saved their life. It would have to be a member of the higher echelon nobility, or please, please, please ( !!! ) someone from the royal family.

he’s a bastard from a Spanish noble family - his mother was unwed and she died in childbirth. I imagine that in private this was quite a big scandal and put a lot of pressure on the family, especially when his grandfather (feeling guilty and regretting his attitude towards his daughter since she died) took him back from the monastery they abandoned him at and raised him in his household for a little over a decade. So...any trueborn family members who feel some kind of way about all of this - Ander didn’t realize who his sponsor was until after he’d already left the castle, when he heard the rumors about the family from outsiders.

these are the only somewhat crystalized ideas I have for him, but if anyone else comes up with anything, please drop me an IM! I’m always, always up for plotting!

#1642hqintro #ABOUT || it’s better to burn than to fade away; it’s better to leave than to be replaced

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border-spam · 5 years

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Twins Prompt 9: Socialite

Thanks to @lazulizard and @nikyri-art for egging me on with this one. I thrive off comments, if you have any for this fic, absolutely throw them in the replies!

“Oh wait till you see them, it’s hilaaaarious.”

Katagawa Jr drawled, rolling his eyes for emphasis as his crowd of admirers drank in the theatrics. Basking in the attention of the audience of suits gathered around him and hanging off the young tycoon’s every word, he twirled his now empty martini glass between his fingers with a smirk.

This gala was going well so far, if he said so himself.. and he did, it was his after all, every guest carefully selected from his roster of corporate aristocracy, business glitterati, sycophants… all eyes on him, exactly as he deserved. He was the star of the show.

Every guest that was, bar the targets of his current mockery, who were more of a required invite based on their current relationship than people he actually had any interest in socialising with.

“They call themselves the -haha-, the “Twin Gods”, can you imagine.“ He wheezed, raising a dramatic hand to his chest in mock pain as his audience laughed in response, muttering amused agreement under their breath.

Snatching a new cocktail from the waiter who’d finally noticed he was running dry (and who he’d make sure wouldn’t have a job by the end of the night), he smirked into the glass as he sipped, enjoying the atmosphere. The polite tittering chatter of the social elite that filled the beautifully dressed room was sweeter music to his ears than the ambient harp being played by the marble arched entrance to the event, and infinitely more interesting.

“Shameful, honestly. Pair of filth-encrused bandits with notions of grandeur. Barely capable of dressing themselves, wouldn’t know a fitted piece of clothing if it bit them. The first time I met them -sip- good lord…”

Refined chuckles from the group around him, eager to get on the Maliwan execs good side. Playing them like that harp, in complete control and relishing it.

He was the most powerful man here, he’d made sure of that when planning the guest list, and the knowledge he was the golden calf in the room? That all eyes were on him, that everyone wanted a piece? It was worth the 8 digit price tag for this event.

It was worth every cent.

“Troy, that’s the -haha-, the “man” of the pair, scrawny freak that he is, his pants were an inch from falling off the entire meeting, didn’t know how to properly fasten them. Scum has never heard of a shirt either. Everything on display. Ufff -sips - Nothing left to the imagination, but what do you expect from Pandoran filth?“

More laughing, another wave of satisfied pride through his chest, another 4 billion in acquisitions as he won his crowd over to Maliwan’s side, one by one.

“And the woman, Tyreen… -ugh- if you could call that thing a woman, rough. Vulgar, body like a twelve year old boy. -sips- You’ve seen the type. All mouth, you know? No skill with it.. ahahah.”

Less laughter this time, odd, because he had been sure that last line was going to land well..

“ -ahem- Honestly, at least they’ll put on a show once they arrive. Good entertainment is so hard to find, I’m sure you all can agree..”

He was losing them, and he felt a quick jolt of self doubt pang through his stomach. Eyes over his shoulders and not on him, mustachioed older men shuffling to the side in their overly tight suits to look past him. They were meant to be looking at him, this was his gala, who the hell dared to distract th-

“Katagawa…” That rolling, smooth voice he loathed, and it was coming from justbehind him.

Fantastic. They were here. Now it was time for the show to start at their expense, he smiled to himself, feeling a thrill of cruel excitement.

Letting out a long, exaggerated sigh, he grimaced. Pouted as he brushed his silken lapels with a huff, making it as clear as possible to his audience that what he was about to do was an unwanted chore, then, finally, turned to “greet” the Calypsos…

Only to choke into a wide eyed cough as his eyes landed on the stunning man standing behind him, vitriol he’d readied to spew at them catching in his throat.

That.. that was a custom Auscher suit, he’d not seen one since he was last on Dionysus for that board merger with his father. How much had this filthbag paid to get a fitted Auscher?

Black, flawless cut, hanging off Troy’s lithe frame in a way that somehow emphasised the curve of every muscle and breadth of his shoulders. Deep scarlet Athenian silk shirt ( goddamn he’d been bidding on one of those for 6 months now ), matching Auscher black tie, perfectly planned in its casual looseness to draw the eye up his formidable height, past the glinting golden points in that wide, confident grin, and up to the glowing siren markings that curved around his devilish blue eye, thick crest of inky hair swept back in a loose waxed upstyle.

Katagawa coughed into his fist again, spilling his martini with each jolt as he blushed furiously, this was not how this was meant to go, how the hell was the Calypso scum dressed better than he was.

Laughter from his audience, but at him now as he continued to choke, and more again when the bandit filth clapped a heavy black metal gauntlet down on his shoulder. Hard, knocking the wind out of his lungs and stifling the cough.

A wave of expertly selected cologne flowed off Troy as he subtly twisted the clawed hand, spiced wood, citrus notes, gun oil.

Katagawa’s cheeks were on fire, barely managing to contain how furious he was to be showed up like this. At his own gala, by Pandoran scum, smiling at him like he was the focus of the event… how dare he, who the hell does he think he is.

He awkwardly shifted with the claw as it moved him, scarlet light peeking between the mirror black joints as the glowing red talons pierced the cloth of his suit, turning him to face the crowd and resting still on his shoulder in a mock gesture of friendship as the pompous asshole towered behind him.

“…so kind of you to invite us, we’ve been looking forward to this all month.”

Razor sharp claws dragged into the shoulder of his tailored suit jacket, ruining it tear by tear as the crowd watched on and laughed at his expense, enthralled by the show he’d promised them would be enjoyable earlier. All eyes on the beautifully finished man looming behind him, and he seethed as Troy continued in that sensual, mocking voice.

“My sister and I are delighted to get closer to your, hmm… deliciously distinguished guests… she’s actually already making her introductions, so you’ll have to excuse her.” Troy purred with a sultry wink, the prosthetic fist’s pressure increasing on Katagawa’s shoulder as he leaned down on the smaller man, completely aware of the rage boiling under his skin.

“I on the other hand… couldn’t resist coming to greet my dear friend, Junior.”

-You FUCKER what did you just call me in front of these people-

Another wave of laughter and some raised glasses to Troy’s humor, his teeth were grinding so hard he was shaking. If this was anywhere else the scum’s brains would be splattered across the floor behind him by now, but he could do nothing, not in front of the socialites.

“…Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

-… Don’t react, you can do this, he’s trying to play you. He wants you to lose composure. Remember, you’re in control, not him.-

“This.. is.. -deep breath- Troy Calypso, head of COV med-”

“Title.”

Troy’s teeth were so close to his ear he could feel the minted breath on his cheek as he was so a skillfully interrupted, another wave of tittering from the crowd. Katagawa felt his stomach lurch. How the hell was this happening.

“… excuse me?” He hissed, layer of carefully curated social politeness starting to crack away.

This was.. his.. gala.. how was he being upstaged this easily, how was he losing control to this echonet celebrity.

“My title, Katagawa.”

He’d kill him. He’d kill him this smarmy asshole as soon as this event was over, he’d wipe him off the face of the shithole planet he crawled out of.

“Of course… this is God King Calypso, head of the COV media department, one of the…”

It caught in his dry mouth.

“…one of the “Twin Gods”.“

A hard slap to his shoulder jolted more of his cocktail over the lapels of his suit, and Troy’s raucous laugh filled the air as he stepped in front of him and moved to join the crowd eager to converse with the new star of the event.

“Thanks! Glad to be here, it really is an honor, but I best get to know these fine people more intimately, talk later, Junior!”

Katagawa’s hand shook so hard the glass fully emptied, too lost in fury to register the dampness down his chest. He glared murder into that beautifully fitted coat back as Troy was engulfed by the clamoring crowd, and retreated to the pillars near the buffet table to try and consider HOW this had just happened.

- Hours later -

Scum. SCUM. Floating around the gala, dropping naturally into conversations he shouldn’t have any understanding of and leaving each with new private echonumbers, new acquisitions, new sponsors. Where did he learn this? The ease of it, like he was a damn natural.

How dare he be here like this. He was invited as a joke, he was invited to be made fun of, an idiot bandit who got lucky, someone who’d not pick up on the subtle mockery of the elite who would surround him, someone to enjoy treating like filth for the evening.

Finally, he was coming this way at last, eyeing up the gourmet feast spread across the massive tables like the disgusting scavenger he was.

Katagawa’s knife edge focus stayed on him as he hurriedly fixed his hair, pulled at his suit front to neaten up in preparation for the encounter. He’d had enough. This asshole was going to listen to him, it was his gala. His money. HIS GUESTS that this filth had hogged most of the night, no one even glancing at Katagawa since he’d arrived. He’d pay for this.

He waited for Troy to get within reach, then grabbed his forearm with as much force as he could, hoping to bruise the solid muscle in his fist as he awkwardly pulled the much larger man out of sight of the crowd and into the shadows behind the pillar.

Troy’s calm demeanor only fueled the hatred he felt at this moment, still pushing a Hors d'oeuvre into his mouth as the Executive shook in rage in front of him, fingers digging into his flesh arm.

“Are you TRYING to show me up, you scum.” Katagawa hissed up into his face, while Troy chewed open mouthed.

“This isn’t funny, swanning around like you.. like you belong here. Do you have any idea how important half of these people are. Do you have any idea what they even do? Of the power they have, while you flounce around them like some little slut desperate for their attention?”

No response, stunning blue eyes still lazily gazing down at him as he swallowed, raising a bladed finger to idly scratch at his jawbone.

“Oh.. am I boring you?“

That enraging grin again, followed by an eager nod, the cleverly crafted warning in Katagawa’s question completely disarmed without any real effort.

He snapped, this was too much. It was all too much, he was an intensely power man, he was Katagawa Jr, Maliwan exec, this slob was nothing. Nothing. He pulled him down with all his strength, rage overflowing as Troy barely moved in response.

“You… y… y-you’re disgusting. You’re disgusting, you hideous freak!”

Spittle shot from between Katagawa’s teeth as he panted in rage, and Troy sighed, raising the taloned gauntlet to carefully pry the weakening fingers from around his arm.

“Awww, little buddy. Envy does not suit you.”

That shit eating grin, that smug, suave, beautiful face, looking down at him like he was some petulant child as he returned Katagawa’s fist to his side.

“Maybe you should have done a little foot work researching us instead of making assumptions about how tonight would go, huh?”

That fucking smile, too many teeth, the hairs raised on the back of Katagawa’s neck. He’d.. he’d misjudged this hadn’t he.

“I know who every person in this room is. I know their statistics, their roles. Their portfolios.”

“I know what they want, and I know how to give it to them. I know how to be better than you, at being you.”

Cold sweat broke out across his back, it was getting hard to breath under this looming, terrifying visage, bearing down on him, icy blue and glowing red in the shadows he’d dragged them both into.

“That, Katagawa.. is my job. And I am very, very good at my job..”

He laughed quietly, canines glinting gold in the dim light.

“You.. you know I’m a Siren, right?”

“You know what Sirens are good at? You know what we do so well?”

He reached up with those talons, dim scarlet glow lighting the underneath of his face as he carefully straightened Katagawa’s tie for him.

“We lure.”

“… We seduce, we tempt, it’s what we’re built for. We call out across the dark tides of space and we bring what we hunger for to us, and once we have what we want from you…”

A sudden biting pressure around his neck, and he was lifted as he choked. Troy’s nose nearly touching his, breath struggling in his ribs as his eyes frantically flickered in panic around the room. No one paying attention. No one seeing the monstrous thing in a stunning suit he’d been so eager to confront moments ago as it held him off the ground by the throat, talons pricking into his skin as he struggled against the clawed prosthetic holding him up so effortlessly.

Troy waited, savoring the moment. Enjoying his prey feebly clawing at the prosthetic so easily crushing its windpipe, eyes wild in terror, staring up into that wolfish, wide smile.

He lowered his head, lips brushing the terrified man’s cheekbone, and whispered:

“… we’ll dash your corpse on the fucking rocks.”

Katagawa gasped in a shaking breath as he was dropped, and stumbling backwards to the ground, holding his bloodied neck in pain as he wheezed in painful lungfuls of air and stared in terror at the man still standing so relaxed above him.

He flinched nervously as Troy suddenly clapped his hands together, shifting persona with practised ease.

“…honestly though, great party bro, su-perb shit. The food, WOW. I’ll make sure to give you a call out next stream, yeah?”

God King Calypso turned on his heel and sauntered back into the crowd, all too eager to part and welcome the real star of the show.

Job done.

And he was very, very good at his job.

#troy calypso #katagawa #borderlands #borderlands3 #bl3 #my writing #my hcs #calypso twins

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simmonslex · 5 years

Text

╰ ♡ MUSE 38, TATI GABRIELLE, DEMIGIRL ┊ have you seen ALEXANDRA "LEX" SIMMONS around hillston? the 24 year old is said to be a GAS STATION CASHIER. the neighbours would say that they’re DISORGANIZED and SNARKY, but they’re actually DETERMINED and CARING. SHE often reminds people of worn out combat boots, parties stretching through the night into the morning & bitter coffee laden with sugar and creamer. watch out, though. you wouldn’t believe that SHE MET HER BIRTH MOTHER AND HAS BEEN SENDING HER MONEY.

stats. pinterest. google doc.

full name: alexandra katherine simmons nicknames: lex, lexi, alex age: twenty-four gender identity: demi-girl pronouns: she/they birthday: march 17 @ 9:19am sun sign: pisces moon sign: pisces ascendant sign: aries

trivia.

is toying with the idea of going back to school --- not because she really wants to, but because she knows it’s what her parents want for her. and for all that she isn’t willing to give up her bad habits for them, she would destroy herself to make them proud.

discovered that she identifies as non-binary while at a pride party turned bender, it was something that she immediately accepted but it wasn’t something that she’s never felt the need to declare on a widescale basis. most people outside of her family don’t know and that’s the way that she wants it.

works at a 7-11 on the edge of town, can usually be found either standing behind the counter with a slurpee in hand or behind the store taking one of her way too frequent smoke breaks.

attends AA meetings and has a sponsor despite her lack of resolution to remain sober, using their support to keep from slipping too far off the path while still completely cheating --- has no qualms about gathering chips that she hasn’t earned because as she sees it this is still an improvement.

backstory.

[ tw alcoholism / drug use / violent crime ]

born to parents who had recently lost their jobs, alexandra was six months old when she was pulled into the system after her father was busted for armed robbery. it took another five years for her mother to agree to an adoption, the young child watching repeatedly as her mother struggled to keep custody of her. the day that she met the simmons family was far from picturesque, the six year old lashing out at the people that she believed were responsible for taking her away from the only person that she knew with certainty had loved her.

happily ever after seemed to come after a year, though their parents made the decision to keep lex in therapy, just in case. slowly but surely, she adjusted to her siblings and to the constant moving that the family did and she found happiness in the chaos. maybe that’s where it all started to go wrong, but nobody saw it yet.

she was fifteen when she smoked for the first time, a blunt raised to her lips by a boy that she barely knew but was certain that she loved. everything seemed to crumble from there, in hindsight at least ---- the truth is more complex than that. the truth is, that while alexandra continued to seek out the party scene at every new school, and continued to fall into all of the wrong crowds, it was the stress of college that broke the metaphorical camel’s back.

college seemed like a dream come true --- finally somewhere that she could grow roots and study what she loved ( music ) and with legendary parties to top it all off. lex found herself growing oddly optimistic, powering through her courses with the help of caffeine and other substances. and then the end of the third year arrived, bringing with it the stress of exams and the allure of four months of parties and the ever present knowledge that she was going to graduate next year. and she slipped, descending further into the blooming addiction and subsequently disappearing.

her family caught up with her two weeks after her senior year would have started, nearly five months after they filed a missing persons report. she smelled of sweat and cigarettes and booze; there was glitter engrained in her hair and skin, sparkling across what appeared to be bloodstains. and yet, even at this new, all-too-visible rock bottom she was smiling. the next day she disappeared into the night again, beginning a cycle of hurt and defiance that would continue for eighteen months.

lex didn’t choose rehab and she doesn’t believe that it chose her --- rather a judge declared that as this was a first offence, she should attend a 90-day inpatient treatment and get clean. she did, though even now she refuses to admit that she has a problem, struggles to put in the work that keeping entirely clean requires --- instead she hides it away from her family, sneaking hits and sips and smokes and pretending that they don’t know what’s going on.

connections.

platonic.

don’t want no one to come rescue me. [ open to all genders ]

mentor / sponsor. open to multiple interpretations of this but; they are bonded by the fact that they serve as an inspiration for lex --- they’re someone outside of the family that she feels comfortable turning to for guidance and in truth, they probably know more about what is going on in her life then half of her family at any given time. they encourage her to be better and even though she doesn’t always listen in the way that they hope, it is leading her in the right direction. as for what they get out of the relationship, that’s up for discussion.

am i kidding myself blaming somebody else. [ open to all genders, multiple slots ]

awkward friends. lex surrounds herself with tall walls, to stop her from being vulnerable --- and anyone who tries to get to know her on a deeper level is at serious risk of snark. she will and has doubtlessly lashed out at people, before awkwardly acknowledging that it wasn’t fair for her to do so ( if she addresses it at all and that’s a 50/50 chance ). friendships can only survive so much, especially when they aren’t that strong in the first place, so they’re almost certainly awkward around each other.

champagne thoughts running through my head. [ open to all genders, multiple slots ]

party friends / bad influences. you would think that someone who’s trying to get quasi-sober would be avoiding the party scene and yet, lex can’t help but fall into bad habits. making new friends has never been easy, but it’s a lot easier when everyone is having a drink ( or more ); even if the harsh reality is they likely never talk outside of the parties they see each other at. sharing hangovers and hangover tips has always been easier for lex than sharing secrets.

inimical.

you’re not forgiven for what you did. [ open to all genders ]

frenemies. somehow lex did this person wrong, and yet because of mutual friends there’s a silent agreement of civility. that doesn’t stop them from exchanging jabs and glares when nobody is watching however, lex slipping into both roles equally well. they’re frequently annoyed with the other for seemingly no reason but whenever anyone asks, they just wave it away with a smile.

you left me scored - i drew the five of swords. [ open to all genders, multiple slots ]

unaware enemies. at some point lex perceived them ( or people that look like them ) as having been rude --- or maybe your character ( or their doppleganger ) threw a fit because the station was out of something, but it’s stuck with lex beyond what it should have. she’ll acknowledge them but they receive harsher treatment from her than others, she’s abrupt and rude and obviously careless. there’s a lack of respect that doesn’t line up with the reality of the incident.

#hillston.intro

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tabloidtoc · 4 years

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National Enquirer, September 21

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Prince Andrew silences Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell

Page 2: Aubrey O’Day is unrecognizable in new photos of the apparently ballooning reality star walking her dogs and letting it all hang out -- the only way to identify the bulky body is from the dogs she’s walking and her signature neck and midriff tattoos

Page 3: Reese Witherspoon has been dragged into a bizarre divorce drama involving her mom and her accused bigamist dad and his second wife -- Reese has been helping her parents untangle the nightmare as they try to freeze out her dad’s ex

Page 4: Jilted Jennifer Aniston feels stabbed in the back by Brad Pitt’s hot new romance with a married model less than half his age and now she’s banned him from her life for good -- Jen was completely sandbagged by Brad jetting off to France with Nicole Poturalski after she’s spent months supporting Brad through his divorce and custody battle with Angelina Jolie during secret meetings at both of their homes, Julia Roberts has moved her family to San Francisco but first she burned her bridges in Los Angeles by cutting ties with old pals

Page 5: Justin and Hailey Bieber bought their dream house for $25.8 million in the Beverly Park area of L.A. but their new neighbors are calling their arrival a nightmare -- residents including Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington and Sylvester Stallone are less than thrilled with the new kids next door because this is an old-school crowd that prides itself on privacy and Justin’s clashes with previous neighbors and party-hearty reputation aren’t exactly a selling point and nobody wants to deal with his adolescent drama

Page 6: Brave Chadwick Boseman married longtime girlfriend Taylor Simone Ledward mere months before he lost his four-year battle with colon cancer to seal their love and ensure she’d be provided for when he was gone -- Chadwick was worth an estimated $12 million and was deeply grateful to Simone for staying by his side as he fought for his life -- Chadwick and Simone had an intimate ceremony witnessed by family at his home after he realized his personal fight was unwinnable

Page 7: Gwen Stefani has reined in country stallion Blake Shelton and his buddies are complaining his new life has broke up the old gang -- Blake was once a fixture on the Nashville bar scene where he owns his honky-tonk Ole Red but Gwen has tightened the leash on her former fun-loving guy and he’s cut back big time -- Blake is trying to show Gwen he can be a responsible person and a good husband and stepfather to her kids, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore are planning to reunite as co-stars on Broadway -- Bruce has been speaking to producers about finding a project on the Great White Way and he’s been pushing for ex-wife Demi to join him

Page 8: Prison-bound Lori Loughlin may serve time in a California town so ravaged by drugs it’s been dubbed Methville -- the convicted college admissions scammer has requested to do her two-month stint at the Federal Correctional Institution in Victorville where the drug scene could have been ripped straight out of Breaking Bad, Hollywood Hookups -- Liam Payne and Maya Henry are engaged, Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen split, Trevor Noah and Minka Kelly are dating

Page 9: Justin Hartley’s reality star ex Chrishell Stause is hell-bent on ditching any memories of their time together so she dumped his prized belongings in the trash -- because of Justin’s hasty departure Chrishell was left with many of his belongings including watches and clothes and CDs and books and other items of sentimental value and he wanted them dropped off or mailed back to him but Chrishell demanded he meet her in person for a face-to-face drop-off where they could clear up some lingering issues but Justin never showed and she decided to treat his stuff like they said he treated her and she tossed it out

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Kristen Taekman exercising in Malibu, Jason Momoa at a Hollywood juice bar, Rob Schneider performed at a drive-in show in Ventura, Brian Austin Green got an eyeful of cheeky galpal Tina Louise

Page 11: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will launch their megabucks production deal with a tribute to his beloved mother Princess Diana -- Harry doesn’t want Diana’s memory to fade and wants to create a definitive work to honor her and he’d be able to share the intimate memories only he knows in a way that’s never before been seen -- Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles are sure to be devastated by this; they’re happy for Harry to forge a new path and live his own life as long as he leaves them out of it

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Bradley Cooper on the set of Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film (picture), Jennifer Lopez is the hardest working person in show business and expects the same work ethic from fiance Alex Rodriguez and wants him to get out of the house and get a job, Ellen DeGeneres wants her talk show to be more diverse and give lesser-known celebrities exposure plus the show will have more regular guests such as ordinary people doing extraordinary things especially in communities of color and guests will no longer be encouraged to flatter Ellen’s ego, Madonna celebrated her 62nd birthday with her 26-year-old boyfriend Ahlamalik Williams and they’re talking marriage

Page 13: Rihanna said she’s forgiven her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown for brutally attacking her and that she still truly loves him

Page 14: Crime -- gruesome unsolved murders and mysterious suicides and head-scratching accidents contributed to a staggering 142 deaths in just four years at the U.S. Army’s Fort Hood in Texas

Page 16: American Life -- my night of terror with Hurricane Laura

Page 17: Ailing rocker Ozzy Osbourne swears he’ll have to be carried offstage before he retires, country legend Loretta Lynn set some tongues wagging when she announced she had tied the knot with Kid Rock but it was just a joke while they were both attending the vow renewal ceremony of Loretta’s son and his wife

Page 18: Jason Aldean’s Nashville watering hole is a hotbed of brutal brawling that left one man with a permanently maimed mug according to accusations in court documents -- in 2020 alone a whopping five lawsuits seeking up to $5.55 million in total damages have been filed against Jason Aldean’s Kitchen and Rooftop Bar

Page 19: Carrie Underwood’s happy home life may be on thin ice as husband Mike Fisher is eyeing a return to the hockey rink -- after being holed up during the pandemic in Tennessee and driven crazy by Carrie’s obsessive-compulsive ways Mike is considering a coaching gig and has even entertained offers from his native Canada

Page 22: Tyler Perry who was once penniless and homeless is officially a billionaire according to Forbes magazine -- Tyler overcame some of life’s greatest hardships and is a great example of how determination and hard work can lead to success

Page 24: Carol Burnett was named temporary guardian of her teenage grandson after alleging that his mom is a hopeless drug addict -- the 87-year-old comedy legend and her third husband Brian Miller will have custody of 14-year-old Dylan through January 8, 2021

Page 28: Cover Story -- Sex pervert Jeffrey Epstein’s accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell is spilling her guts to prosecutors about some of the world’s most powerful men but she won’t rat out Britain’s Prince Andrew and that could torpedo the feds’ attempts to grill the prince about his friendship with the billionaire pedophile -- she’s petrified that if she talks the all-powerful royal family will have her murdered because she’s convinced the royals ordered a prison hit on Epstein

Page 32: Disgraced chef Paula Deen has been tightening her belt since the collapse of her multimillion-dollar empire -- 7 years after cooking her own goose by making racist comments and condoning porn in the workplace the loss of her Food Network show along with several corporate sponsors has pushed Paula to pull in the purse strings, Shania Twain wants to celebrate her upcoming tenth wedding anniversary with husband Frederic Thiebaud by renewing their vows -- the couple hopes pandemic restrictions are relaxed in time for their January 1 anniversary as they plan to invite close friends and family to a bash in the Bahamas

Page 36: Bloated brothers-in-law Rob Kardashian and Kanye West are bonding over blubber and the portly pals have committed to work together in their battle against the bulge -- Kanye is impressed with Rob’s recent 30-pound drop and has begged him for weight-loss advice -- Kanye hopes that cutting the fat will prove to his wife that he’s committed to self-improvement, Brooks Laich is trying to swing another round on the dance floor with his estranged wife Julianne Hough by offering her an open marriage and Julianne seems very open to the idea -- they’ve been a lot happier lately and more relaxed and the sparks seem to be back between them

Page 38: Health

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Elizabeth Debicki

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Joy Bauer

Page 47: Odd List -- the mayor of Danbury in Connecticut jokingly renamed the sewage plant after John Oliver

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bountyofbeads · 5 years

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Nancy Pelosi: Elijah Cummings was our North Star

By Nancy Pelosi | Published October 18 at 4:56 PM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 18, 2019 |

Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, is speaker of the House of Representatives.

This week, the people of Baltimore, the Congress and the United States lost a voice of unsurpassed moral clarity and truth: our beloved Chairman Elijah E. Cummings.

In the House, Elijah was our North Star. He was a leader of towering character and integrity, who pushed the Congress and country always to rise to a higher purpose, reminding us why we are here. As he said whenever he saw that we were not living up to our Founders’ vision for America and meeting the needs of our children for the future: “We are better than this.”

Elijah’s story was the story of the United States: A son of sharecroppers who became Baptist preachers, he dedicated his life to advancing justice, liberty, fairness and human dignity. He believed in the promise of America because he had lived it. As chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, he used his gavel to restore integrity, accountability and honesty to Washington so that government would be a force for good for working people, ensuring that all could experience the American Dream as he did.

Firm in his principles, Elijah was also a peacemaker and a bridge-builder: passionate about what he believed in, dispassionate in his judgments about how to proceed. His clarion voice would cut through conflict, calming the waters and reaching out across the aisle, no matter how rough-and-tumble the debate.

He was a generous leader. He always shared credit and took the time to mentor younger members, both on his committee and throughout our caucus. This year, during the first weeks of the new Congress, when members were being added to his highly coveted committee, he said to me, “Send me as many freshmen as you can.” He wanted to help them succeed — and he wanted to learn from them, too.

He was a fighter for U.S. families in many respects, including lowering health-care costs. That was why members decided on the day of his passing to name our prescription drug price legislation H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act. He was always touched by the stories he heard in his community about the toll that high health-care costs took on families’ economic security and well-being. He also saw this challenge through the prism of his own personal health challenges. Elijah recognized that he had a responsibility to make a difference for others. He understood that to whom much is given, much is expected.

We all saw the great pride he took in representing the Baltimore area. He was truly of Baltimore. As a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he was always fighting for his district and the state of Maryland, and was a powerful voice for building the infrastructure of the United States to create good-paying jobs. As a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors, he took great pride in Maryland’s role in our national security.

Elijah knew that life was fleeting and precious; it was imperative for him to make the most of his time on Earth. Earlier this year, he proclaimed, “When we’re dancing with the angels, the question will be asked: In 2019, what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact?”

Elijah’s leadership truly strengthened America, and his life and legacy will continue to inspire us all to go forth in a way that is worthy of the oath of office that we take to the Constitution, worthy of the vision of our Founders and worthy of the aspirations of our children. For, as he often said, “Children are the living messengers we send to the future we will never see.”

In Congress, we will miss his wisdom, his warm friendship and his great humanity. In Baltimore, we will miss our champion. May it be a comfort to his wife, Maya, his three children and his entire family that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.

God truly blessed the United States with the life and leadership of Elijah Cummings.

********

Elijah Cummings was the keeper of the nation’s conscience

By Colbert I. King | Published October 17 at 8:18 PM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 18, 2019 |

It’s hard to measure the enormity of the loss of Elijah Cummings to the nation, to his beloved Baltimore and to African Americans all across the country. His passing just breaks my heart.

The plaudits pouring in are correct. Democratic Rep. Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland’s 7th Congressional District was indeed, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said , “a leader of towering character and integrity.”

Touchstone phrases being tossed around about him — “a common touch,” “a calm but firm hand,” “a sense of duty and steady strength,” “commanding presence in a man with such a gentle spirit,” “principled leader,” “man of conviction,” “enormous political gravity and moral dignity” — are accurate.

But the Elijah Cummings I got to know was more than a dedicated and skilled public servant. He was, for me, the keeper of the nation’s conscience.

Cummings spoke what was on the minds of many: things on our minds that we either didn’t quite know how — or lacked the courage — to express.

He didn’t hesitate, not for a nanosecond, to call out injustices, to point out unfairness, to demand equality for his district, his state and his people. He stood up to a disgusting Trump administration as it strived to put down immigrants and denigrate people who don’t resemble President Trump’s overwhelmingly white White House staff.

My wife, Gwen, and I had the chance to observe Cummings in the act of empowering people, through his two years of service as holder of a chair in public policy that we are privileged to endow at Howard University, our alma mater and his.

To watch Cummings was to gain insight into how an exemplar of justice and protector of democracy went about his daily business when the cameras and microphones were busy elsewhere.

His passion for preparing future generations to carry the torch was on display from 2014 to 2016, during months of presentations, lectures and panels that he organized for the benefit of Howard students.

In an opening event aired by Howard’s television station, WHUT, he told students that “you don’t have a right not to be the best that you can be, because so many people have paid the price.” And he encouraged the audience to “go out there and get blessed, so that you can be a blessing.”

What a blessing he was.

In April 2015, Cummings assembled at Howard some key advocates of criminal-justice reform legislation that no one thought would see the light of day on Capitol Hill.

On the dais sat an unlikely alliance — liberal Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), sharing a panel with now-former congressman and Freedom Caucus member Raúl R. Labrador (R-Idaho), in addition to a Koch Foundation representative — promoting an unprecedented progressive change in an unjust and corrosive justice system. Cummings, by all measures, helped steer that bill out of darkness into law.

Which galled some of us to see Trump shamelessly take credit for an initiative that was underway and advanced months before he took office.

Some of us gagged.

But not Cummings.

When I cited Trump’s behavior to the congressman before his appearance at an April 2019 lecture sponsored by current chair holder Donna Brazile — exactly four years after his criminal-justice reform initiative at Howard — he just shook his head and smiled wistfully.

The day stays with me.

A noticeably ailing Cummings, using a walker and aided by his daughter, took the stage with staff help. Asked by Brazile about the just-released Mueller report, Cummings warned students about the constitutionally dangerous behavior of the Trump administration, and the urgent need to prepare themselves academically and intellectually for what was to come.

Cummings, in hindsight, may have known the battle down the road would be fought without him.

Trump, an attack dog from Day One, wouldn’t leave Cummings alone.

Enraged at the way Cummings, as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, had questioned an administration witness who deserved criticism, Trump tweeted that Cummings’ congressional district was “a rat and rodent infested mess.”

The president sneeringly asked: “Why is so much money sent to the Elijah Cummings district when it is considered the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States. No human being would want to live there. Where is all this money going? How much is stolen? Investigate this corrupt mess immediately!”

Cummings wisely let Trump’s racism speak for itself, as hosts of people across the spectrum rose to the defense of Cummings and Baltimore.

But, Cummings, even with a declining body, took not one step back from his constitutional duty to conduct executive branch oversight or to fight for his constituents.

And it was a good fight.

His course is finished. Every step along the way, he kept the faith.

*********

Elijah Cummings did more than serve Baltimore. He gave hope to the hopeless.

By Joe Scarborough | Published

October 17 at 5:35 PM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 18, 2019 |

Elijah Cummings was a good man, a great leader and a dear friend of mine. We worked closely together in Congress, and my wife, Mika, and I were deeply honored when he agreed to officiate our wedding. And although I considered the Baltimore congressman a member of our extended family, there were parts of his remarkable life that I knew little about until President Trump attacked him and the city he loved.

The president called Baltimore “rat and rodent infested” and criticized Cummings for not spending more time at home. The former reality-TV host’s clumsy attempt at stirring racial divisions proved only how ignorant he was about the target of his attacks. Unlike other members of Congress, Cummings returned home to his district every night, working each day in the community he proudly served. While there, he worked tirelessly to empower minority-owned businesses, assist inner-city educators, partner with faith leaders and deliver life-sustaining services to seniors in need.

But Cummings, who died Thursday at the age of 68, did more than excel at constituent services; he provided hope to the hopeless. In May 2008, Cummings pulled up to a gas station where a botched robbery had left a man, who was taking his pregnant wife to the hospital, stabbed and struggling for life. Instead of fleeing danger, Cummings got down on his knees and aided that dying father in the last moments of his life.

Cummings held the man’s head in his arms and tried to stop the bleeding as the father-to-be struggled to make sure his wife and unborn son were safe. As they waited for the ambulances to arrive, Cummings prayed over the victim. He recalled that although the dying man did not speak English well, he gently squeezed his hand when he heard the name “Jesus.” Cummings would later say that while kneeling down in that gas station parking lot, he witnessed “a struggle for life so intense that I felt my own breath taken away.”

Cummings endured the pain of gun violence, too. His nephew was shot and killed by someone who broke into his house while the young man was attending college in 2011. But that tragedy only strengthened his resolve, as did the Baltimore riots following the death of Freddie Gray. He took to the streets with a bullhorn, bravely standing beside his constituents. It was yet another example of how the congressman never ran away from service; instead, he ran fearlessly toward it.

What a stark contrast from a president who avoided service in Vietnam to golf and play tennis at an Ivy League school and who now abandons allies to die on the battlefield without a second thought. Sadly, Cummings once confessed that he spent much of his time comforting citizens in his district who grew frightened of the increasingly racially charged atmosphere created by the president’s words and tweets.

In the final years of his life, Cummings dedicated himself to upholding this country’s enduring promise that in the United States, no man is above the law. He was among the first to demand answers surrounding the possible crimes of Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, he conducted a series of significant hearings on the misdeeds committed by this corrupt White House.

Cummings led those inquiries with uncommon grace and compassion. At one point, he went out of his way to defend the honor of Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), leader of the conservative Freedom Caucus. At another, he delivered such a stirring message of mercy that former Trump fixer Michael Cohen was moved to tears.

As it was with John McCain’s passing, Elijah Cummings’s death leaves America with a void. We can only hope that others in his committee and throughout Congress will be moved to action by the example of Baltimore’s most powerful advocate and by the life of a man who provided a spiritual center to a city in desperate need of revival.

*********

As long as he had breath, Elijah Cummings spoke out

By Editorial Board | Published October 17 at 7:58 PM ET | Washington Post |

Posted October 18, 2019 |

REP. ELIJAH E. Cummings thought about running for the U.S. Senate in 2016 when fellow Democrat Barbara A. Mikulski decided to retire. Most politicians would jump at the chance for higher office, and Mr. Cummings — an enormously popular Maryland leader who was nationally known and respected — would have had a good chance of winning the open seat. But Mr. Cummings was not like most politicians. He decided that Baltimore, his beloved city that had been torn apart by riots after the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, still needed him. So he set ambition aside.

Putting the interests of the people first was the hallmark of this fine man and his extraordinary life. A 23-year veteran of the House and a key figure in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, Mr. Cummings died early Thursday morning in a hospice center in Baltimore from what his office said were “complications concerning long-standing health challenges.” He was 68, and his death hit hard.

“An irreplaceable void,” said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). “People throughout the world have lost a powerful voice and one of the strongest and most gifted crusaders for social justice,” said Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. Young (D). “He lived the American dream and he wanted it for everyone else,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), calling him “the North Star” of the House. Praise and condolences also came from Republicans who had sparred politically with Mr. Cummings but held him in genuine and high regard. “My heart is broken,” former GOP congresswoman Mia Love of Utah wrote on Twitter. “One of the most powerful, beautiful & compelling voices in American politics,” wrote former congressman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), who famously battled with Mr. Cummings when he preceded him as chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

Most heartfelt were the remembrances of Baltimore residents. They recalled how as a state representative he led the fight to remove alcohol and tobacco billboards, how he stood on street corners during anti-drug vigils, fearlessly took to the streets during the city’s riots to urge calm, and continued to make his home in the inner city. The son of a sharecropper who battled for civil rights and broke barriers — including integrating his childhood neighborhood pool and serving as the first African American speaker pro tem of the Maryland House of Delegates — Mr. Cummings couldn’t countenance those who stood by in the face of wrong.

“When we’re dancing with the angels,” he said during a congressional hearing involving former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, “the question will be asked, in 2019, what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact? Did we stand on the sidelines and say nothing?” As long as he had breath, Mr. Cummings spoke out. He will be sorely missed.

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Elijah Cummings was a giant among legislators

By Donna F. Edwards

October 17 at 4:52 PM ET

Few members of Congress command respect across the aisle and across the chambers. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) was one. In the House and Senate, he was a sought-after legislative partner — a seal of approval. Members refer to one another as gentlemen and gentlewomen, but Elijah Cummings was truly the Gentleman from Maryland.

When he spoke, you listened. He was a peacemaker; he put that into action by building friendships and relationships across untraditional lines. He could silence a critic with scripture and rev up a crowd with his booming voice. At get-out-the-vote rallies, he would remind us to “Bring Lottie, Dottie and everybody.” The crowd would roar.

When I was first elected to Congress in a special election, it was Elijah who welcomed me. As I sat in his office, I remember the moment when my nerves turned to gratitude. We didn’t talk about politics or about Congress. We talked about family, about roots and about community. He adored his mother, and he asked about mine. He let me know that I belonged.

Elijah will be remembered as a giant among legislators. But at his core, he never forgot for what and whom he fought and why. Families. The kid on the corner. Low-cost prescription drugs. Affordable housing. Children’s dental care. In almost every public speech or private conversation, he would remind us of our responsibility to be a voice for the voiceless. At the height of the foreclosure crisis that hit my district and Elijah’s harder than anywhere else in Maryland, Elijah and I forged a partnership on the bank bailout legislation known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). It was because of his leadership that we were able to hold out until concessions were made to guarantee some of that $700 billion would help homeowners who were harmed.

Maryland is a small state, but its regions can seem far apart. Elijah Cummings was Baltimore, but he was known, respected and beloved across our state. He lived in his community, and he was proud of his neighbors. In the aftermath of the tragic death of Freddie Gray, his words and presence in his community were what helped to bring calm to the streets.

I hope we can keep Elijah’s voice whispering to us that the work of public servants is for “generations yet unborn.”

*********

A white mob attacked Elijah Cummings for integrating a swimming pool. He was 11.

By Gillian Brockell | Published October 17 at 10:56 AM ET | Washington Post |

Posted October 18, 2019 |

“Miss Mitchell” told the boys there was a better pool they could swim in, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings remembered later.

He was 11 years old, and he and his friends were getting too big for the small, shallow public pool where they had been spending the summer of 1962.

“As a matter of fact, it was so small, we had to wait turns to get in,” the Maryland Democrat, who died Thursday at 68, told the Baltimore Sun in July.

But there was another pool, Miss Mitchell said. Riverside Park Pool in South Baltimore was Olympic-size, with a deep end. And it was open to the public — theoretically. In practice, it had yet to be integrated.

Over several days that August, Cummings and a group of two dozen African American boys marched to the swimming pool and jumped in.

Crowds of angry white residents, sometimes numbering 1,000, according to Sun coverage at the time, surrounded them. They held signs saying “Keep Our Pool Germ Free” and “White People Have Rights Too.”

“And these were adults,” Cummings remembered. They “called us every name you can imagine, everything but a child of God.”

They also shouted, “Go back to where you came from” — something Cummings recalled last summer as President Trump attacked him, attacked Baltimore and attacked freshman congresswomen of color with a similar “go back” expression.

The mob surrounded the pool, held back by a line of police with K-9 dogs, while the kids tried to splash and play. Then, over the police officers’ heads, the mob threw rocks and bottles. One of them hit Cummings in the face, cutting his eyebrow and leaving a scar he carried all his life.

“The injured child, who received a face cut during a brief scuffle at the Riverside Park pool, was driven from the scene in a police cruiser,” the Associated Press reported.

On another day of the swimming pool demonstration/playtime, the flying objects hit Miss Mitchell.

“Miss Mitchell was bleeding,” Cummings said. “And she grabbed all of us kids, and I remember the blood dripping on my face. I will never forget that as long as I live.”

After they had succeeded in integrating the pool, the young boy asked the others, “Who was that lady?”

She was Juanita Jackson Mitchell, a legendary civil rights lawyer with the NAACP.

“And at 11 years old, I declared in that moment that I was going to become a lawyer,” Cummings said.

Cummings was the son of South Carolina sharecroppers who had followed the Great Migration north to factory jobs in Baltimore. His parents struggled to feed their seven kids but still canned fruit for others in need. By the end of high school, the proprietor of a neighborhood drugstore paid the fee for Cummings’s application to Howard University. He was accepted and enrolled, later becoming student body president and earning his bachelor’s degree. A law degree from the University of Maryland followed.

Three decades after integrating the pool, when Cummings was campaigning for Congress, he recalled that a man came up to him after an event and apologized.

Cummings asked him why he was apologizing.

“ ‘I was one of them people back then in 1962 who was throwing the bottles and the rocks and the stones. And I’m sorry’ ” he said the man told him.

“And I said, ‘Apology accepted,’ ” Cummings said.

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#elijah cummings #u. s. politics #u.s. news #u.s. politics #politics #us politics #politics and government #nancy pelosi #democrats #justice democrats #democratic party #in memoriam #house of representatives #In memorandum #rip #civil liberties #civil rights

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spainwealth89-blog · 6 years

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Where They Burn Books: A Writer Pays the Price for Honesty

DECEMBER 8, 2018

IN 2012, Akram Aylisli (born Akram Najaf oglu Naibov, 1937), one of Azerbaijan’s most prominent and respected writers, who turned 81 on December 6, published his novella Stone Dreams in the Russian literary magazine Druzhba narodov (Friendship of Peoples). He was not sure what to expect. Aylisli originally hadn’t intended to publish the novella at all. He changed his mind, however, after witnessing the unexpected hero’s welcome in Azerbaijan of army officer Ramil Safarov after his release from a Hungarian prison, where he had been serving a life sentence for the 2004 ax-murder of Armenian army lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan during a NATO-sponsored training exercise in Budapest.

Stone Dreams, set on the eve of the real-life January 1990 pogrom against Armenians in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, explores the limits of one man’s ability to live a moral life amid conditions of sociopolitical upheaval, ethnic cleansing, and petty professional intrigue. The novella is also a love letter to Aylisli’s native mountain village of Aylis, an ancient Armenian town in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. The majority of the Armenian inhabitants of Aylis had been slaughtered in 1919, an event witnessed by Aylisli’s mother and briefly depicted in the novella.

The publication of Stone Dreams set off a firestorm in Azerbaijan. Many perceived the work as unpatriotic, or worse. Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, stripped Aylisli of the title of “People’s Writer” and his presidential pension. Aylisli’s books were burned, his son and wife were fired from their jobs, and he received death threats. A bounty was announced for anyone who would cut off the writer’s ear. Aylisli’s case has been chronicled by the Washington Post, The Independent, the Guardian, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Index on Censorship, and many others, and championed by human rights organizations including PEN International and Human Rights Watch. In 2014, supporters in Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere nominated Aylisli for the Nobel Peace Prize. He currently lives under de facto house arrest in Azerbaijan.

Stone Dreams is the second in a trilogy of novellas. The complete trilogy, Farewell, Aylis: A Non-Traditional Novel in Three Works, translated by Katherine E. Young and from Academic Studies Press, is followed by Aylisli’s essay — from which this excerpt is adapted — on the furor surrounding his novellas and his current situation as a prisoner of conscience in Azerbaijan.

February 9, 2013, turned out to be the most terrible day of my life, as well as an unexpected turning point in my fate: on that day, in my native village, they burned my books!!!

In Aylis, February is reckoned to be the coldest month, with a great deal of snow. However, in the video I watched on the internet, there was no snow visible. But I saw a great number of people, the majority of whom came from Ordubad itself, the district capital. Many people from neighboring villages were gathered there. Also in that crowd were several of my fellow villagers — 15 to 20 people. And from the way they were dressed, I understood that February temperatures there were below freezing.

The action occurred in the place called the bazaar, which formerly really was a bazaar. Located on high ground, the main market square of Aylis had once had the good fortune to be one of the lively points on the Great Silk Road. Camel caravans arrived from many countries, and carriages stopped from Tabriz, Ardabil, Isfahan, Izmir, Tiflis, Yerevan … There they sold excellent Iranian rice, Iraqi dates, Indian and Moroccan spices, and, it goes without saying, the fruits of Aylis itself: walnuts, almonds, dried mulberries and apricots, and the renowned Aylis silk valued more highly than gold. And it was right there one summer that one-eyed Farhad, the brother of the butcher Mamedaga, shot the son (who had studied in Paris) of the landowner Arakel — Arakel who himself had completed the pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and received the religious title of mugdisi.

Now the administrative center of Aylis was located there: the executive committee; post office; first aid station; and the pompous, two-story House of Culture whose doors opened only occasionally when meetings were conducted and regularly scheduled elections took place.

The House of Culture didn’t appear in the video. But I easily imagined the people collected right in front of it, people who’d come from all corners of the district for this “historic event.” Under the feet of those people I saw not just gray asphalt but the sandstone and stones — now hidden under asphalt — that my bare feet had once touched. A little way off stood the mighty, aged plane tree — the beauty and pride of the former Aylis bazaar. No one knew how old it was, just as they didn’t know the age of the bridge nearby. And a little below that bridge once stood the luxurious, three-story mansion of Mugdisi Arakel that had now turned into a melancholy ruin.

That day, looking at the people who’d crowded into the square, I saw all those places where the Aylis churches once rose, and all the flower and vegetable gardens established there now to hide that fact and deceive history. I saw my own home, built with my own hands all of 25 years ago, and every tree and bush I’d planted.

Among those people on the square, was there even one person who knew why he’d come there? If all that brouhaha were indeed connected to Stone Dreams, wouldn’t it have been possible to organize it just a little more plausibly? You know, my book still hadn’t even been published in Azeri. And the journal Druzhba narodov in which Stone Dreams had been published in Russian was arriving in Azerbaijan in just two copies at that point. So, that meant no one cared what Stone Dreams was about or why it had been written; one part of the crowd appeared there for the free spectacle, the other part hoped to find something to their own benefit from that spectacle.

It is real torture for a writer when a people turns into a mob literally before his eyes. And having blended into the mob, a person immediately becomes not just faceless and soulless but horribly corrupt. You see, just 10 days before this “rally” practically all of them had been proud of me as their famous writer and distinguished [parliamentary] deputy; their children knew me from their schoolbooks. And now, having turned into a mob, they’d already forgotten all that. For them, I no longer existed as a creative person. And, believe me, Stone Dreams interested them no more than any of my other books collected from all the city and village libraries of Nakhchivan so they could burn them right there in Aylis itself. Not one of them had read a single phrase of Stone Dreams. If they had read it, it would have made absolutely no difference. You see, the most active participants in that mob were people of approximately my own age. They certainly knew everything I’d written in Stone Dreams.

All of them knew that there had once been a number of churches in Aylis, thanks to which the town was known not only in Nakhchivan and Yerevan but in many countries of both the Christian and Muslim world; there was a time when Aylis was called Little Istanbul.

How could those people so quickly forget the massive destruction of churches and cemeteries that had begun in Nakhchivan all of 10 to 15 years previously? And is it really possible that people born into and living in the Ordubad district hadn’t heard at least once about the Armenian pogrom that took place at one time in Aylis? Consequently, they’d come there to “execute” me for the fact that in my novel I proclaimed a certain truth that was well known to them all. “Akram is an Armenian! Akram is a traitor to his motherland! Death to Akram!” — on that day they were courageous in their curses addressed to me, as if the demon of aggression had awakened in them.

I knew the faces of practically all of those who’d gathered on the market square in Aylis. I’d seen them many times at meetings I held in 2005 at the time of my election campaign when I ran for deputy.

One pot-bellied hulk, a person I’d often met on the main street of Ordubad, conducted himself particularly aggressively. He was shouting in full voice, shaking his fists, demonstrating his unprecedented bureaucratic zeal to the higher-ups. Earlier that person had been a police inspector, and now he’d become the director of the local history museum. And every time I’d met him, I heard the exact same phrase from him, pronounced in a typical Ordubad accent: “And when are we going to get together and drink a shot of vodka?” Apparently, the thirst for that shot he’d once promised me now compelled him to howl so savagely …

Well, among those who came to the rally from the district center were many men and women who clearly enjoyed participating in such an important event: petty officials fed with crumbs from the state budget. It was simplest of all for me to understand them because I knew very well what the main responsibility of a state official consisted of in the prevailing moral-psychological atmosphere of Nakhchivan, where the authorities did anything they wanted and compelled everyone to dance to their tune. If you dance, you’re with them. If not, good luck finding yourself a place under the sky. And under what sky can a person find a place if even the sky belongs to them, the powers-that-be? And if behind them stands all the might of the governmental machine ably constructed in its time by that leading builder of an authoritarian regime [former Azerbaijani president] Heydar Aliyev?

State officials, and not only they, now had to behave themselves much more obediently than in even the worst times of the all-encompassing Soviet ideological yoke. It was as if history were moving backward to the times of moral-ethical genocide. No other path was left to a person than to constantly demonstrate his own devotion to the leadership. And many rally participants were proud and happy precisely because on that “important” day for the whole country the authorities hadn’t forgotten about them, hadn’t overlooked them. Instructions came from the very top, from [current Azerbaijani president] Ilham Aliyev himself.

I wanted to shriek, to tell them, “I’m not any sort of Armenian, and every one of you knows it! I don’t extol Armenians but simply write the truth. And writing the truth is my responsibility because I’m a writer. And I love you and don’t want you to be deceived and cheated by the authorities above, for whom a lie is the only correct truth. Wake up, understand who I am: I’m not any kind of traitor but simply a victim of the same shameless regime that’s made you so pitiful and weak-willed…”

I can’t remember how I slept that night or what I dreamed. But waking up the next morning, I felt such calmness and ease in myself that those feelings will always stay in my soul and memory. That was a condition of spirit greater than happiness itself. And I understood that something had taken place in my life that was more important than anything in all the preceding time of my existence under God’s heaven.

For the first time in my life I understood clearly that my fate stands behind me. It’s mine, only mine, and no power of any kind over it has been given to anyone besides me.

For the first time in my life I was convinced that if a person retains the ability to be greater than his own suffering, it’s impossible to deny him all joy. And thanks to that same Aylis that long ago gave me my first bitter lessons in life, I’ve turned out to be quite patient and hardy.

How old was Aylis that morning? I was 75. And all my life, wherever I was, Aylis was always with me: in my student years in Baku and Moscow and in numerous creative business trips to the various corners of the Big Country.

In Germany, England, Norway, Turkey, Mongolia, Poland, Hungary, the United States, Yemen, everywhere, in all the countries where I’ve had the good fortune to be, I looked for a little piece of Aylis, and I always found it. I’ve lived a long creative life, and in all my stories and novels Aylis is unfailingly present: its rocky mountains laughing under the sun, the stony earth groaning from the intense summer heat and thirsting for moisture, and the people worn out from the heat. The inexhaustible spiritual energy of Aylis coursed without stopping through my veins, helping me defend myself in the face of violence and injustice.

And now, look: Aylis was no longer mine. And would never be mine again. Lord, why was I rejoicing, then?!

Suddenly, the blessed weight of the Aylis mountains that I’d always felt in my chest disappeared, evaporated. It seemed to me as if Aylis had never existed at all. As if no one else besides me had ever seen the Aylis that I carried in my soul all my life like an ache, like hope, like warmth and light.

Perhaps I experienced such relief because the Aylis taken away from me that day by the potent hand of the authorities hadn’t been my Aylis for a long time already. It was their Aylis: without God and without Memory, without History, and without a Biography.

That morning I was inspired with the hope that even if their Aylis lasts a hundred years, my Aylis, which God created especially for me, entrusting its joy and sorrow only to me, will also exist in the world. For the Almighty decided, evidently, to also entrust to me alone the sacred mission to tell people about that Aylis. I’ve spent almost all the years of my life telling people about my Aylis, and it seems that I’ve been able to do that colorfully and attractively enough in my writing in the bright searchlight of my dreamy, supersensitive childhood. How wonderful that my labors haven’t fallen by the wayside! My books have found a place on bookshelves in hundreds of thousands of libraries in many countries far and near.

Let some in my motherland think I’m not a writer: so be it. I don’t need honor or glory in a country where they burn books and a killer with an ax is elevated to the rank of hero.

Translated by Katherine E. Young

Akram Aylisli is an Azerbaijani writer, playwright, novelist, and editor, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in connection with his novella Stone Dreams. He currently lives under de facto house arrest in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Katherine E. Young is the author of Day of the Border Guards and former poet laureate of Arlington, Virginia. She is the recipient of a 2017 Translation Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts for the translation of Farewell, Aylis.

Source: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/where-they-burn-books-a-writer-pays-the-price-for-honesty/

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todaynewsstories · 6 years

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Senator John McCain, ex-POW and political maverick, dead at 81

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam who ran unsuccessfully for president as a self-styled maverick Republican in 2008 and became a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, died on Saturday, his office said. He was 81.

McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona for over three decades, had been battling glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, discovered by his doctors in July 2017, and had not been at the U.S. Capitol in 2018. He also had surgery for an intestinal infection in April of this year.

His family had announced on Friday that McCain was discontinuing further cancer treatment.

A statement from his office said: “Senator John Sidney McCain III died at 4:28 p.m. on August 25, 2018. With the senator when he passed were his wife Cindy and their family. At his death, he had served the United States of America faithfully for sixty years.”

No further details were immediately provided.

“My heart is broken. I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years,” Cindy McCain wrote on Twitter. “He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the place he loved best.”

Alternatively affable and cantankerous, McCain had been in the public eye since the 1960s, when as a naval aviator he was shot down during the Vietnam War and tortured by his North Vietnamese communist captors during 5-1/2 years as a prisoner.

He was edged out by George W. Bush for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, but became his party’s White House candidate eight years later. After gambling on political neophyte Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, McCain lost in 2008 to Democrat Barack Obama, who became the first black U.S. president.

McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was a frequent critic as well as a target of his fellow Republican, Trump, who was elected president in November 2016.

McCain denounced Trump for among other things his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders the senator described as foreign “tyrants.”

“Flattery secures his friendship, criticism his enmity,” McCain said of Trump in his memoir, “The Restless Wave,” which was released in May.

McCain in July had castigated Trump for his summit with Putin, issuing a statement that called their joint news conference in Helsinki “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.” He said Trump was “not only unable but unwilling to stand up to Putin.”

Sources close to McCain have said Trump would not be invited to the funeral.

Shortly after McCain’s death was announced, Trump tweeted: My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain.”

McCain, a foreign policy hawk with a traditional Republican view of world affairs, was admired in both parties for championing civility and compromise during an era of acrid partisanship in U.S. politics. But he also had a famous temper and rarely shied away from a fight. He had several with Trump.

THUMBS-DOWN

He was the central figure in one of the most dramatic moments in Congress of Trump’s presidency when he returned to Washington shortly after his brain cancer diagnosis for a middle-of-the-night Senate vote in July 2017.

Still bearing a black eye and scar from surgery, McCain gave a thumbs-down signal in a vote to scuttle a Trump-backed bill that would have repealed the Obamacare healthcare law and increased the number of Americans without health insurance by millions.

Trump was furious about McCain’s vote and frequently referred to it at rallies, but without mentioning McCain by name.

After Trump in 2015 launched his presidential campaign, McCain condemned his hard-line rhetoric on illegal immigration and said Trump had “fired up the crazies.” Trump retorted that McCain was “not a war hero,” adding: “I like people who weren’t captured.”

After Trump became president, McCain blasted what he called the president’s attempts to undermine the free press and rule of law, and lamented the “half-baked, spurious nationalism” of the Trump era.

McCain denounced Trump’s performance at a summit meeting with Putin in July as “a tragic mistake,” adding, “The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naivete, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate.”

MCCAIN VS OBAMA

McCain, the son and grandson of U.S. Navy admirals, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982 after more than two decades of Navy service.

He served four years in the House before Arizona voters elected him to the Senate in 1986 to replace Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican presidential nominee revered by conservatives.

In running for president in 2008, McCain tried to succeed an unpopular fellow Republican in Bush, who was leaving office with the country mired in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and stuck in a financial crisis.

It was a stark contrast between McCain, then a 72-year-old veteran of the Washington establishment, and the 47-year-old Obama, who was offering a “Yes, we can” message of change.

McCain tried to inject some youth and enthusiasm into his campaign with his selection of Palin, Alaska’s governor, as his running mate. But the choice backfired as her political inexperience and shaky performances in media interviews raised concerns about her qualifications.

In his new book, McCain voiced regret for not choosing then-Senator Joe Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent, as his running mate.

McCain wrote that he had originally settled on Lieberman, Democrat Al Gore’s running mate in the 2000 election, but was warned by Republican leaders that Lieberman’s views on social issues, including support for abortion rights, would “fatally divide” the party.

“It was sound advice that I could reason for myself,” McCain wrote. “But my gut told me to ignore it and I wish I had.”

FILE PHOTO – Republican presidential hopeful John McCain points to his head during his Carolina kickoff rally at Presbyterian College February 2, 2000. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Obama won 53 percent of the vote to McCain’s 45.6 percent.

WAR INJURIES

During the Vietnam War, McCain flew attack planes off aircraft carriers. He was preparing for a bombing run in 1967 when a missile inadvertently fired from another plane hit his fuel tanks, triggering a fatal explosion and fire. He suffered shrapnel wounds.

A few months later on Oct. 26, 1967, McCain’s A-4 Skyhawk was shot down on a bombing mission over North Vietnam’s capital and he suffered two broken arms and a broken leg in the crash. A mob then dragged him from a lake, broke his shoulder and stabbed him.

Held at the notorious “Hanoi Hilton” prison and other sites, McCain was beaten and tortured, suffering broken bones and dysentery. He was released on March 14, 1973, but was left with permanent infirmities.

In Congress, McCain built a generally conservative record, opposing abortion and advocating higher defense spending. He supported Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq and criticized Obama for not doing more to intervene in Syria’s civil war.

Still, he prided himself on his reputation as a maverick and had a history of working across party lines on immigration, climate change and campaign finance reform.

He also spoke out against the Bush administration’s use of waterboarding, a torture technique that simulates drowning, and other harsh interrogation tactics on detainees in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

He urged the closure of the prison for foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and also sponsored an anti-torture measure that passed Congress in 2005.

In a 2002 memoir, McCain wrote, “I’m an independent-minded, well-informed public servant to some. And to others, I’m a self-styled, self-righteous maverick pain in the ass.”

John Sidney McCain III was born on Aug. 29, 1936, at an American naval installation in the Panama Canal Zone – U.S. territory at the time – when his father was stationed there.

He conceded he was a “smart ass” during his years at the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated fifth from the bottom of his class.

McCain divorced his wife Carol after 15 years of marriage in 1980 and weeks later married the former Cindy Henley, daughter of a wealthy beer distributor in Arizona.

A dark period for McCain came as one of the “Keating Five” group of senators accused of improperly intervening with federal regulators to help political contributor and bank executive Charles Keating, whose Lincoln Savings and Loan failed in 1989 at a cost to taxpayers of $3.4 billion.

McCain was cleared of wrongdoing in 1991, but the Senate Ethics Committee rebuked him for poor judgment.

On July 25, 2017, McCain delivered a Senate floor speech not long after his cancer diagnosis that was widely seen as his farewell address. It included a call to fellow Republicans to stand up to Trump and for all lawmakers to work together to keep America as a “beacon of liberty” in the world.

Slideshow (14 Images)

“That is the cause that binds us and is so much more powerful and worthy than the small differences that divide us,” McCain said.

Additional reporing by Jason Lange, Maria Caspani, Paul Grant, Patricia Zengerle and Bill Trott; editing by Diane Craft and G Crosse

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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demitgibbs · 6 years

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Gay Sports Leagues in South Florida

Being the annual Sports Edition, I thought I would put together a list of the Gay Sports Leagues in South Florida. For those of you who know me, you know I am definitely not a sports aficionado, so I have done my best, but if I forgot a league I apologize in advance and please let me know at [email protected].

Softball

The South Florida Amateur Athletic Association

The South Florida Amateur Athletic Association (SFAAA) is located in Fort Lauderdale, and is an LGBT softball league committed to providing an opportunity for both gay and non-gay participants to compete in an environment welcoming and open to the gay community.

Founded in 1994 as the South Florida Softball League, they emerged as the premiere softball league for gay and lesbian athletes with over twenty-five teams and almost four hundred members. Two seasons are held annually, one beginning in late February and the second at the beginning of September. A draft and tryout clinic is held prior to each season to help new members find teams on which to play. Four competitive levels afford the opportunity for anyone to play, regardless of their athletic ability or skill level.

On a broader level, the SFAAA is affiliated with the North America Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) and plays in accordance with the playing rules established by the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA). In maintaining these affiliations, SFAAA is afforded the opportunity to compete on a national and international level with other slow pitch softball leagues across the country and around the world. sfaaasoftball.com

The SFAAA puts on the annual Hurricane Showdown, which will draw hundreds of LGBT softball players to the Fort Lauderdale area over Thanksgiving weekend. The tournament places the teams into three divisions: B Division, C Division and D Division. All teams play three round-robin games to determine seeding for the double-elimination tournament. Trophies will be awarded to the top teams in all three divisions. For more information on the Hurricane Showdown, go to: HurricaneShowdown.net.

Flag Football

The South Florida Flag Football League (SFFFL), and members of the National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) and the International Women’s Flag Football Association (IWFFA), have grown from a handful of individuals tossing a ball around in 2007, to a league with over 100 active members and multiple national touring teams. Through the promotion of diversity, inclusion, competition and friendship, they have built a family of footballers from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. They are an LGBTQA organization that encourages players of all skill levels to participate, while also testing their elite athletes on the national stage. They strive to put on a competitive, but always fun league that stresses camaraderie and personal growth. They welcome all skills, shapes, and sizes, so don’t be shy. Your football family awaits you! sfffl.org.

Bowling

The South Florida tournament is called F.L.I.R.T. and is affiliated with the International Gay Bowling Organization (IGBO), and is a LGBTQ and invitational bowling tournament that welcomes all bowlers which is held on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in sunny Fort Lauderdale, FL. They will be guaranteeing $500 to all first-place finishers.

F.L.I.R.T. has sold out for 11 consecutive years and they are expecting F.L.I.R.T. 2019 to do the same, so make sure you register by November if you don’t want to be left behind. FLIRTbowl.com.

Tennis

Miami Mavericks Tennis Club

The South Florida Tennis Club, also known as SFTC, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 to develop and coordinate tennis activities for the GLBT community and friends in the South Florida area. SFTC is dedicated to supporting competitive and social tennis activities. Membership is open to players of all skill levels. The SFTC also contributes to charities within the South Florida community each year.

They offer a competitive spring and fall Tennis Ladder for singles and doubles, team tennis, tennis socials, regional tournaments and two annual GLTA sanctioned tennis tournaments. SFTC’s annual Clay Court Classic will be held over President’s day weekend at the Tennis Club of Fort Lauderdale. Even if you are not playing, come out and watch all the great tennis and welcome all players from around the globe to our signature event of the year. sftc.us

Miami Mavericks Tennis Club is a not-for-profit organization promoting tennis and a healthy lifestyle for the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian community. Established in 1989 by John Rubi (RIP), Miami Mavericks Tennis Club (MMTC) was founded on the principle of creating a safe and fun outlet for GLBT tennis enthusiasts in Miami-Dade County. It has evolved to become a great social outlet as well as providing ample opportunities for competitive tennis at all levels. They realize that their organization is judged not by the quantity of members they enroll, but by the quality each individual experiences as a member.

Whether it be recreational tennis, social tennis, competitive tennis, team tennis, or beginning tennis, there is no shortage of events in which to participate. Some of their events include: Miami Art Deco Open – is played over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend which also coincides with the Art Deco weekend in Miami Beach. The courts are the famed Crandon Park Tennis Center on Key Biscayne, also home to the Miami Open (formerly known as the Sony Open). The tournament attracts GLTA (Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance) players from all over the globe. It’s a weekend of top-notch tennis, Arts, sun, beach, and fun. Miami Flamingo Open – is their newest tournament jewel, and will be played at South Beach’s Flamingo Park over Memorial Day holiday weekend. This three day tournament will be held in conjunction with other sporting events. Tennis players, softball players, swimmers, and other GLBTQ athletes will descend on South Beach for a weekend of sports, and fun in the sun. miamimaverickstennis.com

Polo

GPL Polo Club is a 501©(3) that promotes the sport of polo as a means to provide equality, pride, inclusion and confidence for those individuals who face discrimination simply due to identifying themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, gay or other non-traditional sexual or gender identities. GPL Polo Club works to create an atmosphere that affirms and supports the understanding and acceptance of all individuals regardless of race, sex or sexual identity and works to promotes goodwill and camaraderie in the community. They represent a wide range of ages, backgrounds and skill levels – in fact, some of them had never been on a horse before joining. They actively train and compete in mainstream matches and events to test their skills, share their enthusiasm for the sport, and change perceptions about our community. Polo is a sport rich with history, tradition, speed and skill – they encourage you to join them and GPL’s 10th Annual Land Rover Palm Beach International Gay Polo Tournament will return to the Wanderers Club and International Polo Club on April 4, 5, 6, and 7, 2019. This being a huge milestone for them, they are planning on making the event even bigger, better and more powerful than it has been! gaypolo.com.

Swimming

Nadadores Swim Team of south Florida is a team consisting of members who are Gay, Straight, Young, Old, Male, Female, Aspiring Olympian or Just Learning. Coached practices, Beginning and Intermediate Lessons, Ocean Open Swims and Meet Support – they do it all, and they have a good time doing it. Whether you’re trying to lower your 100 meter time or just trying to get to the end of the pool, go join them!

Affiliated with U.S.M.S. (United States Masters Swimming) and I.G.L.A. (International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics), they hold coached pool practice three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), offer swimming lessons every Saturday, and sponsor a weekly Sunday ocean swim.

New to South Florida or just passing through? They welcome short term visitors to join in as their guests. Your first three practices are free! And join them for brunch or dinner after practice – a great way to get to know some like-minded, water loving locals!

The Nadadores Swim Team of South Florida is a Miami-based not for profit 501©3 corporation managed by a volunteer Board of Directors including our Captain Luis Comulada and his Co-Captain Juan Lopez. nadadoresswimteam.org/

Hammerhead – Beginning in 2004, with just five members in its initial year, Hammerhead Masters Swimming has grown to over 100 full-time members. Under the direction of founder and head coach John Grzeszczak, their Masters Swim Team competes at the highest level and has won seven IGLA (International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics) World Championships. The first title came in 2007 in Paris, France and was quickly followed up by a championship performance at the World Out Games in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009. The third crown came at the 2011 IGLA Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Hammerheads also captured titles in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2012, again at the 2013 World Out Games in Antwerp, Belgium. Most recently captured the IGLA title at 2015 Eurogames in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2012, Hammerhead Aquatics, was one of only three USMS Masters clubs to put a swimmer in the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. hammerheadaquatics.com

Running

Front Runners & Walkers Fort Lauderdale is a group of people who enjoy running and walking. The group creates a positive atmosphere through planned activities where gays and lesbians can be themselves.

Front Runners & Walkers Fort Lauderdale still has some of their original members from 1989. They have 3 weekly runs…2 at Holiday Park on Wed and Sun evenings, and the Saturday morning run at the Pride Center. After all the runs they go out to eat and socialize. They also have a social every month, which have included kayaking, bar romps, and joint socials with other sports clubs. They also produce a banquet every year.

Front Runners & Walker Fort Lauderdale is a proud member of Road Runners Club of America and is a 501©(3) corporation. For more information on the club visit: Frontrunnersfortlauderdale.org.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/08/09/gay-sports-leagues-in-south-florida/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/176808723755

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jenmeyers · 6 years

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My trip to Israel in April for Israel’s 70th

I was asked to write about my Israel trip in April for Israel Bonds website for their Reflections on 70 section. It took a few weeks but here's my entry for the newsletter. This morning I woke up and felt inspired so I just started writing. I'm beyond grateful and mesmorized by Israel and our trip with Israel Bonds for Israel's 70th. Here's what I wrote from my heart about the trip!! So grateful and blessed I got to go!! ❤️ When I was 17 I went to Israel on Alexander Muss High School in 1994, and Israel has been in my heart ever since. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Israel is so magical and after living there for 2 1/2 months in 1994 & seeing the country with 120 other Americans; some are still my lifetime friends; Israel impacted me forever. When I returned to America, The Jewish Federation in Rockville asked me to speak about my experience living in Israel & Alexander Muss High School in Israel at The Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC.I said yes and spoke at The Embassy with great pride!! I spoke from my heart and had the crowd of 1,000 people all in tears the director of the Jewish Federation told me. I would love to see a video of that now!! If only they recorded my speech! When you are in Israel you just feel this magic that quite frankly I've never experienced anywhere else in my life. After 24 long years I finally went back with Israel Bonds for Israel's 70th. I kept saying the timing will be right and I will go back, and every year passed and 24 years later here it was Israel's 70th Anniversary & here I was finally going back! The timing was right & it could not of been more perfect that I was finally going back to celebrate Israel's 70th! As you can imagine I was beyond estatic. I went with no expectations. I was just excited to go back to Israel. It was EPIC!! I was beyond memorized with what Israel has done and the growth I saw when I was there in April. 4 years ago when Los Angeles started the New Leadership I got involved as a committee member not knowing where this would lead me. I'm proud to say I was nominated to represent LA New Leadership on this trip of a lifetime to go back to Israel for Israel's 70th with Israel Bonds. I would of never had these experiences just going to Israel on my own. The places we went and events we had to celebrate Israel's 70th, Yom Ha'atzmaut; Israel's Independence Day, also remembering the fallen soldiers on Yom Hazikaron , Israel's Memorial Day, was so touching & emotional especially when a siren goes off and the entire country stops for a minute of silence to honor the fallen soldiers. Meeting 200 people from all over the world was incredible & I made friendships that will last a lifetime. Jews from all over the world come to Israel and it's so important we have Israel as our homeland. I have heard so many stories of Jews having to leave their countries & touching down in Israel and kissing the ground. It gives me the chills and makes me so passionate about Israel that we have a place to go. If only we had Israel our fellow brothers and sisters would of been able to go to Israel and we would of not lost 10 Million Jews in the Holocaust. Thank GD we have Israel ❤️ I feel so blessed I was able to go on this trip. Some of the highlights for me on the trip was visiting Haifa University & seeing the Marine biology & research being done there, visiting tech companies in Haifa; we went to Amazon & heard from a top executive. It's so impressive a country 70 years young & the size of New Jersey, that Israel has the most start up tech companies in the world. Going to the navy base & the port was amazing, seeing the new train station that will run from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, eating lunch on the Dan River & eating the divine food in Israel, celebrating Israel's 70th in Tel Aviv and seeing the air show from the rooftop of the Hilton in Tel Aviv, listening to Danny Dahan & other ambassadors he brought to speak at the air show event was so inspiring. Ambassador of Samao touched me when he said we are a small country of 200,000 people but we all stand for Israel & he said, "We came, We saw, We love Israel!"I met the Ambassador of Jamaica who lived in Israel when he was 6 years old because his father got a scholarship to Hebrew University. He spoke to me about his love for Israel and that he's been back 20 plus times. Israel Bonds had a parade and we got locals involved and handed out Israeli flags. It was amazing & the locals loved it! The people in Israel are so proud! It's truly inspiring to see everyone so proud to live in Israel, no matter what they are doing if it's working at the pool at The Hilton in Tel Aviv to waiters & waitresses in Israel to our tour guide Dolev who lead us on our 3 hour walk tour in Jerusalem which was beyond amazing! Walking through Jerusalem hearing all the history. I said to Dolev you are remarkable & so knowledgeable with the history, and he said Jennifer this is my job with so much pride!!! Another highlight for me was going back to Alexander Muss High School in Israel & getting a lovely VIP tour of the campus by the CEO Leor Sinai with my friend Gina who is also an alumni of HSI. It brought back many incredible memories when I lived there when I was 17! We got to sit in a classroom and meet students from all over the world; Canada, Australia, Seattle, Los Angeles, Maryland, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Florida to name a few. It's truly a life changing experience and these students will be impacted forever like myself & my friend who have life long friends. We got to speak to them and they asked us questions & it was a blast from the past walking down memory lane. We both went back to our dorms and remembered our rooms from when I was there in 1994 & my friend was there in 1992.Truly remarkable experience. I highly recommend going!!!! Buying an Israel Bond is an important investment, it's a win win, supporting Israel & helping the country & when the bond matures you make your money back with interest. Take it a step further and buy the bond in a charities name and get the double mitzvah. Then when the bond matures that organization you put the bond in gets the money with interest. I tell everyone this and people that love Israel and want to support Israel love this!!! This summer I will be one of the sponsors of The Jewish National Fund golf tournament at The Riviera Country Club and I will be buying an Israel Bond in Jewish National Fund's name & doing the double mitzvah. I've told so many people about this and they are going to do the double mitzvah and some already have!!! Israel is truly a remarkable country & has done & continues to do so much for the world on a daily basis. I can't wait to go back!!! Thank you Israel Bonds for the trip of a lifetime!!! I feel so blessed I got to go and to meet the wonderful people I met from all around the world from Mexico City, to London, Germany, Brazil, Canada, Miami, Texas, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Maryland & Los Angeles to name a few. I got to put approximately 40 notes in the wall in Jerusalem for family & friends which was a huge honor with their dreams, prayers & wishes. I have been told some of the notes I put in the wall have come true including a few of mine. Jerusalem is such a powerful, spiritual place & especially that we were at the Western Wall on Shabbat!!! We had Shabbat dinner at a synagogue overlooking the city of Jerusalem all lite up at night. It didn't even look real, it was breathtaking beautiful!!!! So magical! Here’s the published article on the Israel Bond’s website: http://israelbonds.com/News-Events/Reflections-on-70/Jennifer-Meyers-Israel-Impacted-Me-Forever.aspx -Reflections on Israel's 70th by Jennifer Meyers

#IsraelBonds Israel Israels70th JenniferMeyers Epic Travel

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todaynewsstories · 6 years

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U.S. Senator John McCain, ex-POW and political maverick, dead at 81

His family had announced on Friday that McCain was discontinuing further cancer treatment.

No further details were immediately provided.

McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was a frequent critic as well as a target of his fellow Republican, Trump, who was elected president in November 2016.

McCain denounced Trump for among other things his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders the senator described as foreign “tyrants.”

“Flattery secures his friendship, criticism his enmity,” McCain said of Trump in his memoir, “The Restless Wave,” which was released in May.

Sources close to McCain have said Trump would not be invited to the funeral.

Shortly after McCain’s death was announced, Trump tweeted: My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain.”

THUMBS-DOWN

Trump was furious about McCain’s vote and frequently referred to it at rallies, but without mentioning McCain by name.

MCCAIN VS OBAMA

McCain, the son and grandson of U.S. Navy admirals, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982 after more than two decades of Navy service.

He served four years in the House before Arizona voters elected him to the Senate in 1986 to replace Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican presidential nominee revered by conservatives.

It was a stark contrast between McCain, then a 72-year-old veteran of the Washington establishment, and the 47-year-old Obama, who was offering a “Yes, we can” message of change.

In his new book, McCain voiced regret for not choosing then-Senator Joe Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent, as his running mate.

“It was sound advice that I could reason for myself,” McCain wrote. “But my gut told me to ignore it and I wish I had.”

FILE PHOTO – Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) speaks at a press conference about the National Defense Authorization Act in Washington, U.S., October 25, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo

Obama won 53 percent of the vote to McCain’s 45.6 percent.

WAR INJURIES

In Congress, McCain built a generally conservative record, opposing abortion and advocating higher defence spending. He supported Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq and criticized Obama for not doing more to intervene in Syria’s civil war.

Still, he prided himself on his reputation as a maverick and had a history of working across party lines on immigration, climate change and campaign finance reform.

He urged the closure of the prison for foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and also sponsored an anti-torture measure that passed Congress in 2005.

In a 2002 memoir, McCain wrote, “I’m an independent-minded, well-informed public servant to some. And to others, I’m a self-styled, self-righteous maverick pain in the ass.”

John Sidney McCain III was born on Aug. 29, 1936, at an American naval installation in the Panama Canal Zone – U.S. territory at the time – when his father was stationed there.

He conceded he was a “smart ass” during his years at the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated fifth from the bottom of his class.

McCain divorced his wife Carol after 15 years of marriage in 1980 and weeks later married the former Cindy Henley, daughter of a wealthy beer distributor in Arizona.

McCain was cleared of wrongdoing in 1991, but the Senate Ethics Committee rebuked him for poor judgment.

Slideshow (13 Images)

“That is the cause that binds us and is so much more powerful and worthy than the small differences that divide us,” McCain said.

Additional reporing by Jason Lange, Maria Caspani, Paul Grant, Patricia Zengerle and Bill Trott; editing by Diane Craft and G Crosse

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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