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foxofthedesert · 6 years

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RQ OUaT FF | OGA: 2

Chapter 2 - Tension Rising

After departing the council chamber, Regina heads straight for the office of Misthaven's Supreme Military Commander. Mulan has been serving in that capacity, and the adjacent role of Chief Adviser to the Crown, for just over nineteen months. Most of her deployment to date has been spent in the field whipping the army into a shape that satisfactorily approaches her exacting Eastern standards. It is only recently that Mulan felt confident enough in the officers she personally retrained to delegate the vital task of maintaining an acceptable level of discipline throughout the various branches of the military. This means she is finally able to attend to other duties that were being neglected in the meantime, such as the copious amounts of paperwork incumbent upon the occupant of her current position. She also conducts daily debriefings with Regina or Red or both, and is expected to attend court with them as often as she is able. Needless to say, Mulan is a busy woman, which is just the way she likes it.

Taken as a whole, Mulan's appointment is one of the best decisions Regina has made in recent memory. It was also one of the most highly controversial. Elevating a foreigner, whose service to the realm was a fairly recent development, to the ultimate military post in the land was a calculated risk. Unsurprisingly there was a great deal of backlash. The nobles were especially aggrieved, as their ranks traditionally supplied the position regardless of the applicant's military service or lack thereof.

If people are generally resistant to change and highly xenophobic in nature, amongst the nobility those moral deficiencies are greatly exaggerated. Any and all interlopers are regarded as a threat and handled accordingly with suspicion bordering on paranoia that often gradually develops into tactical subversion, overt and otherwise. By contrast, those whose origins are not anchored to blood and soil are immediately besieged by every available weapon in their impressive arsenals with which to discredit the newcomer. For instance, as it was, crowning Red made waves that have yet to completely dissipate five years on; but had Red not been native to Misthaven, chances are the glancing threats leveled by the Council of Nobles would have been explicit broadsides. In that case, the choices available to Regina would have been to either voluntarily surrender the throne, give up Red, or refuse to do either and potentially plunge the country into a bloody conflict from which recovery would take decades. That is how rigid and insular the nobility is.

Imagine, then, a woman born in a land thousands of miles away, of which ninety-five percent of the born and bred aristocrats have never even heard, being entrusted with power second only to the ruling monarchs. Not only did Mulan command the might of the realm's armies, but she also oversaw the vast spy apparatus Regina had painstakingly constructed over more than a decade. It came as no surprise that upon announcing the replacement for the recently retired General Dru the entire council erupted into a frenzy of disbelieving shouts and vociferous condemnations. Had Regina not made plain her vehement displeasure at their disrespectful behavior, they might still be squawking to this day.

Of course, their falling into line quickly under the force of her will while inside the council chambers did not extend to the outside. In short order, many reneged on their acquiescence and proceeded to make Mulan's job as difficult as possible. Liars, the whole rotten lot of them.

No prior Commanding General has endured as much antagonism from the noble houses as Mulan. The first several months of her service were constantly frustrated by Lords or Ladies randomly wielding their titles to force allowance of spot troop inspections or to tie her up in mountains of completely unnecessary formalities or traditions they insisted to be the opposite. Several recalled locally mustered regiments from key strategic deployments out of bald spite. All sneered down their noses at her during public functions and ridiculed her at ever opportunity. Regina watched all of this without intervening, which required much restraint considering her considerable outrage. The guiding principle behind her inaction was a keen desire to avoid the appearance of subverting Mulan's newly conferred authority, and furthermore she wished to avert any implication of there being even a minuscule hint of mistrust between them. Regrettably she would come to regret staying her hand when these unending nuisances eventually culminated in a proper disaster.

That first winter of Mulan's service saw record lows in temperature and highs in snowfall accumulation over much of the country. While she was out on extended patrol with a company of footmen, a particularly brutal storm blew in from nowhere, catching them all out in the open. As misfortune would have it, the patrol was slogging through lands belonging to an obstinate Lord who was the leading voice of opposition to Mulan's promotion. The coward chose that most dire moment to express his discontent by denying her request for emergency quarter, and then went so far as to threaten to sic his personal force upon her tiny outfit should she refuse to comply. The purpose of the patrol was supposed to be observation so that any holes in training could be corrected. Instead, turned away from safety and shelter, the company spent a frigid evening constructing ramshackle shelters out of any available material. Mulan then passed the entire night without sleep tending to her suffering soldiers and fighting to keep the fires going against the driving snow. By morning, a third of the company had frostbite – including Mulan, who thankfully did not lose any fingers and toes unlike many of her soldiers – and another third came down with respiratory illnesses, the worst cases of which developed into full blown pneumonia. Three died of exposure during the night and an additional five of ensuing disease.

When Regina learned of this travesty, she flew into an ungodly rage. After assembling every dissenting noble upon the palace courtyard, including the perpetrator, she called the offending Lord forward and executed him on the spot. To drive the point home, she used the bastard's own sword to lop his head off, then wiped it clean upon the twitching corpse's clothes before presenting it to his closest friend and clandestine lover. It wasn't the first time Red watched her kill someone, but it was the first she had done so in a fit of unbridled wrath. And while she never wants to see her wife look at her so fearfully again, she does not regret her actions. That was the end of the nobles' resistance to Mulan. It also served as the occasionally necessary reminder to the uppity patricians that while they have some authority within the realm, they were also her subjects.

Fortunately, the results that have rolled in since speak for themselves. When Mulan has yet to lose a battle and worked undeniable wonders with the army, neither her exotic ancestry nor her deep aversion to court politics can be used against her as a smear. Slowly but surely, she is winning over hearts and minds with her quiet demeanor, sharp tactical and strategic acumen, no nonsense leadership style, and a dutiful attention to detail that she uses as effectively to verbally disarm opponents as to complement her friends. Those who continue to oppose her are increasingly ostracized in the face of her impressive successes.

Yes, Regina thinks as she nears Mulan's office located within the east wing of the castle, she is excelling even more than I had hoped. And that's saying something, because she was as confident as could be of Mulan's abilities beforehand.

Upon spotting the Queen's approach, the guard posted outside Mulan's office grants Regina entrance without requiring her to issue a stern command.

"My, aren't you such a good boy. Your General has you well trained," she says, smirking at the young soldier who ducks his head in obeisance as she passes through the threshold and steps into the office.

Not much larger than the chambers upon the upper floors assigned to castle staff, Mulan's office is a decorative representation of the occupant. The only pieces of furniture are a desk as stern in appearance as the warrior seated behind it and a high-backed chair with minimal padding that is sure to leave a number of aches and pains behind after a long day seated upon it. Few ornaments are to be found upon the surface of the desk, only a statue of a serpentine dragon carved from marbled rhodonite she lovingly refers to as Mushu and an ordinary wooden spindle once belonging to a spinning wheel whose provenance Mulan refused to elaborate upon. It was a gift from someone special, she would say, then dismiss any further discussion of the peculiar memento.

Tall cedar shelves line two of the walls, holding a myriad of tomes, nearly all relating to the art and philosophy of warfare, command administration, and a vast assortment of military histories both foreign and domestic. Most have been acquired over generations, each Commanding General adding his or her contribution to the collection for their own benefit as well as to the furtherance of their replacement's success. There are a few manuals and manuscripts that Mulan procured at great expense from her homeland back east while a handful of others she has composed, compiled, and bound into book form herself. The other two walls are bare save for a hand-carved wall hook for Mulan's sheathed katana, a priceless heirloom passed down in her family for more generations than can be accounted. The weapon hangs proudly next to the door, both a warning to those entering as to whom they will soon be facing and a constant reminder to Mulan of her deep, unwavering sense of duty.

Inside the office, Mulan – as is typical on days when there is no troop drilling scheduled – is nose deep in a monumental pile of reports.

"Your Majesty, I wasn't expecting you," the stoic warrior greets upon looking up from her work. She makes to stand but Regina holds up a hand to halt her. Frowning, Mulan tilts her head to regard her intently. "Normally you don't arrive for the daily briefing until much later in the evening. Also, you told me yesterday that you were taking the afternoon off. Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Regina answers, choosing to remain standing. She doesn't expect to be here very long. "I've just come from a meeting with the Council of Nobles where they expressed universal concern regarding rumors trickling in from Drakkenhall. A number of villages in uncomfortable proximity to our border have been put to the torch. I gave them my word I would consult with you since you also serve as our Head Spymaster. Have any of your assets gleaned viable intelligence about what – or who – might be the cause of these events?"

Mulan's frown deepens. "Viable intelligence? No. Nothing that can be verified. I heard of these incidents, though. About a week ago, I read a missive from the garrison commander on the border about those same rumors. It was compelling enough that I took the liberty of instructing my best people in Drakkenhall to investigate. They are doing so as we speak. And while they have no definitive theories, I can now at least confirm the rumors are true. In fact, I was just reading the initial reports when you came in. Eight villages in total have been destroyed."

"Eight?" Regina's brows raise. That is not an insignificant number of devastated municipalities. "That is worrying."

"Agreed. Very worrying. My gut tells me something foul is afoot."

A dark brow arches at the General's vagary. "Care to elaborate? I know you and Red share an inadvisable reliance on instinct, but I'll need more than that if I'm to make the best decision on how to handle this situation."

"Well..." Mulan pauses, scratches her chin, then levels Regina with a sharp gaze that showcases her rapier-edged acuity. "According to our sources, loss of life was minimal, suggesting it was not overt aggression by marauding bandits, a foreign invasion, or an ogre incursion. At the same time, it's too widespread to be random. This is no act of the gods. The reports detail the devastation to be precise. Every last public building was reduced to ashes along with the private abodes of key citizens, while noncritical assets remain virtually intact. Normally I would conclude there was arson involved, as there is clearly a human hand guiding the flames. But in most arson cases, there is always collateral damage. That doesn't seem to be the case here, which leads me to suspect the culprit is someone wielding sorcery."

"A sorcerer? Do you really think so?" Regina asks, heart rate picking up speed.

Mulan is rarely off in her assessments, and the possibility of some rogue witch operating so close to Misthaven has her stomach twisting into a painful knot. A magician capable of razing a number of villages without being detected is a definitely a cause for alarm. Such an individual is as cunning as they are powerful, a combination that is especially lethal.

Regina does not fear for her own safety so much as she does for her kingdom. And primarily for her wife. While Red is highly resistant to magic in her fur, on two feet she is as vulnerable as any ordinary human – except during Wolf's Time, that is. With the full moon not scheduled for another three weeks, Regina will need to be on high alert. She also makes a mental note to double Red's dedicated guard until the situation has resolved.

Mulan's brows draw together, revealing her own concern. "Unfortunately, I do. I've seen it before back east. Sorcerers love to sow discord and chaos before striking out at their true target. When a person has power like that, senseless slaughter and wanton carnage become a sideshow for their game instead of an objective. The direct approach is too mundane or boring for them, I suppose."

The assessment is brutally accurate, as Regina knows firsthand. During the Dark Days, she often hit tangential targets for the sake of her own amusement or as an intimidation tactic. The former more so than the latter, as she expects to be true in the majority of cases with power-drunk, morally deficient magicians such as she once was.

"Yes, but to what end?" she asks, not liking the direction this conversation is going at all. "Why the villages closest to our border? Are they trying to draw us into conflict with Stefan?"

Mulan acknowledges the possibility with a tip of her chin. "Maybe. It's too early to tell. In my experience, one never knows the real aspirations of a sorcerer until blood is flowing in the streets." Upon catching Regina paling, she grimaces. "Forgive my candor. Rest assured, I'm monitoring the situation closely. I'll protect you, my Queen, whatever the cost."

"It's not me I'm concerned about," Regina says, voice low and rough.

"I know." Mulan smiles sympathetically.

On Mulan's first day as Captain of the Royal Guard, Regina had made her own safety in the list of priorities clear. Forget everything you've ever been taught about the value assigned to persons within your chain of command. From now on, Mulan, whether in peace or emergency, I am your second concern. Red is always to come first. Do you understand? Mulan had understood back then just the same as she does right now.

"It goes without saying I won't allow her to be harmed, either," Mulan then says, an affirmation of Regina's train of thought.

Regina believes the assertion with all of her heart. Red is the only person in Misthaven who can actually get Mulan to regularly smile and sometimes even laugh. Their friendship is special. Perhaps even more so than the one Red shares with Snow White. For that reason alone, she knows Mulan will go the extra mile to protect her from whatever threat looms so ominously over the darkening horizon.

The problem is that she can't afford to keep Mulan here to make good on her promise. When she says as much, her friend appears perplexed.

"I wish there were another option," Regina adds to clarify her meaning, "but there is no one else I trust more to keep our people safe. That's why I dropped by. I need for you to ride to the border with Drakkenhall and personally shore up the defenses there."

To her credit, Mulan takes the news in stride. She is, if anything else, the most unflappably professional individual Regina has ever met. "Understood. When would you like me to leave?"

"Tomorrow if at all possible."

Like the quintessential soldier that she is, Mulan nods succinctly then pushes out of her chair to stand. "I'll make the arrangements immediately then."

"Thank you, General," Regina says, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. Knowing Mulan will be present at the crux of the presently simmering crisis puts her mind more at ease. Mulan has never once failed in a task, and she doesn't expect her finest warrior to start now.

After a deep bow, Mulan snaps to attention. "Of course, my Queen. I live to serve."

Regina only barely holds back a frustrated sigh. Will the woman ever let down her defenses? After three years, she still hasn't gotten her name to pass through those perpetually severe lips. Nor has she been able to convince Mulan that she doesn't have to be so damn formal all the time.

"I hope you know you're more valuable to Red and me than that," she says, determining now is the perfect chance to bang her head against this unforgiving wall one more time. "You are not just our most capable and trusted adviser, but our friend."

Mulan remains frustratingly proper, ever the unsolvable riddle wrapped in a conundrum. "I do know that, Your Majesty. But I cannot change my nature."

"Nor would I ask you to. I would, however, ask that you exercise caution." Seeing that she's not going to make headway being approachable, she self-corrects for an authoritarian inflection that will at least make a dent. "Actually, belay that. I'm not asking, I'm insisting. Do not take any unnecessary risks with your life. The resources of the kingdom are at your disposal to solve this puzzling problem without putting yourself in harm's way. Consider it an order if you must, but I'll have your compliance on this before I allow you to leave."

"I lead from the front, my Queen. It is my way." Regina clenches her jaw and slowly exhales through her nostrils in irritation. Noting that, Mulan adopts a less rigid stance. Finally. "That said, I will not draw my sword unless I have no other recourse."

Regina nods curtly. "That is an acceptable compromise."

An awkward pause develops then, and after a few too many seconds of it, she decides it is high time for a strategic withdrawal. She's made all the progress she's going to this afternoon and is itching to get back to her chambers. Back to her wife.

"Well, I had better let you go on with your business so I can get on with mine. I promised Red I would spend the afternoon with her and I've already overshot my target by more than an hour. She won't be happy."

Mulan actually cracks the barest hint of a smile at that. "Misfires happen to the best of us. Would you be so kind as to give her my regards when you see her?"

"You should do that in person," Regina says. "You know she'll be upset if you leave without saying goodbye. So will I for that matter."

"Good point. I will drop by in the morning before I set out."

"Very well. In case I am unavailable when you arrive, allow me to wish you a safe journey. Take a handpicked squad and a murder of trained ravens with you. When you reach the garrison send word back to me at once. I'll expect daily reports of your progress to follow."

"Thank you, my Queen. It will be as you have instructed." Mulan then offers her another precise bow, to which Regina responds with a nod of approval and gratitude.

"Good luck, General," Regina says, then turns on her heel and departs.

After leaving the General's office, she wastes no time traversing the many corridors winding through the Dark Palace, on her way to the Royal Quarters. Upon reaching the safety of her bedchambers, all she wants is to curl up on the chaise lounge with her wife and let Red's love soothe away the stress clogging her pores and hammering away at her brain.

Those plans go up in smoke when she draws near enough to hear the chatter belonging to two female voices through the thick oaken door. Their conversation is punctuated by airy giggles that give Regina the wrong idea, which is the worst possible scenario that could have happened considering her current state of mind. The Council confronting her today already had her hackles raised and this only stokes the embers that had since died down into a rejuvenated inferno.

Storming inside, she catches Red in an embrace with their handmaid that, while her rational side recognizes as perfectly innocent, is yet far too intimate for her tastes. The way the young, pretty Iris clings to Red's arm and smiles as she leans in so close their noses are almost touching sets off a spark of outrageous jealousy. That Red isn't rebuffing what Regina deems as inappropriate proximity boils the blood coursing through her veins.

"Get out, Iris," she all but shouts, grimly satisfied to see the enviably shapely handmaid jump away from Red like she's been burned. The guilty look they share is a spur thrust into Regina's side. "Now!"

Eyes blown wide, Iris stammers, clearly terrified of her Queen's rage. "Y-yes, Your Majesty," she manages after a moment gawking uselessly. Ducking her head, she rushes out the door as if fire is nipping at her heels. In a manner of speaking, it is.

With Iris gone and her chest being seared with caustic fury, Regina sets about pacing the length of the chambers. Perhaps wearing a rut in the floor will help diminish the anger burning behind her eyes and building unsustainable pressure at her temples. Those factors, along with the telltale throbbing at the back of her skull indicates the onset of a blistering migraine.

It takes Red a bit to recover from the shock of her dramatic entrance. And at her poor treatment of their handmaid. Tentatively, she approaches, hands extended out in front of her in a show of innocuous intent.

"Hey, come on. There's no need for this. You need to calm the hell down," she firmly orders as she reaches Regina, who halts her pacing the moment strong hands find purchase at her elbows. "If you keep this fretting up you're going to give yourself a headache. Unless you want to land yourself abed for an entire day."

What Red said is true. Once or twice per month, sometimes longer, either stress or a rapid change in the weather incite a massive migraine that renders Regina utterly useless. Unable to bear even faint sources of light, all she can do is throw on a night mask and sleep off the relentless attacks. During the worst ones that hurt so terribly she whimpers and cries without even realizing, Red refuses to abandon her side and regularly applies cool, damp cloths to her forehead that are marginally effective at prying away the vice jaws clamped around her temples. Red being present doesn't relieve the agony, but it does supply a reassurance of value far beyond pain relief; when she's at her weakest, she is never alone.

Be that as it may, she would prefer to avoid triggering another excruciating spell. So when, without another word, Red gathers her into a secure embrace and guides her head into the crook of her neck, she does not put up even a shred of resistance. The steady thrum against her ear of a strong heart pumping blood through vital vessels and the pressure of warm hands that begin rubbing up the length of her back help to assuage the ravening, jealous beast that momentarily took control of her faculties. All at once, she feels the tension ebb from her body, a sweet release that frees of her of an oppressive weight that has been incrementally crushing her over the past few hours.

"Better?" Red asks when Regina heaves a contented sigh, suddenly weary to the bone.

"Very much. Thank you," Regina murmurs against the exceptionally warm skin of Red's neck, her sanity having finally returned.

Regina feels Red gently smile down at her. "You're welcome." When she pulls away after a while of enjoying their closeness, the smile is gone. "You know, there really was no reason for you to be so mean to Iris. She didn't deserve that. Whatever you thought you walked in on, I promise it wasn't that. You've met her husband and know she is every bit as happily married as we are."

Mortification at her behavior colors Regina's cheeks. Not for the first time, she feels like an idiotic child who has just thrown an inexcusable tantrum. She trusts Red implicitly and absolutely. Since they became a couple, many have shamelessly thrown themselves at Red. Those who approached respectfully were always turned down politely while those who came on aggressively were spurned in kind. There are few things in life Regina is as sure of as Red's fidelity, the sun rising each morning or the moon at night being two of them. And it isn't as if she has reason to suspect Iris of harboring forbidden feelings when she is, as Red so aptly stated, every bit as happily married as they are.

"I know," she whispers repentantly. In the back of her mind, she makes a note to apologize to Iris at the first opportunity. "I'm sorry. I...I should not have taken it out my frustrations on her."

"No you shouldn't have. Any particular reason you're so agitated?"

Red's question is posed gently as she rubs lightly calloused palms up the length of Regina's upper arms. The toughness of Red's hands built up over years of grueling toil is slowly giving way to the softness of royalty, and Regina isn't sure whether she likes it not. Each day, it seems, her opinion is different. Some days she loves the new texture against her skin, how it produces different sensations in different areas of her body, and can coax out knots in her muscles with such delicious finesse. Others, she misses the way the callouses would feel like they were scouring her skin, removing old dead layers in favor of the fresh, and how they provided a little pain with her pleasure as they swept greedily over her erogenous zones. In the end, though, she of the mind to not care so long as the hands – whether soft or rough – are attached to Red's arms.

"The council meeting today went poorly," Regina answers after a momentary pause, then winces as much at the understatement as at the unwelcome reminder of her oath to the council.

Swearing to produce an heir within a year's time had effectively quelled their malcontent. But at what cost? Not only is she now honor-bound to do something that utterly terrifies her, but Tremaine's contemptuous little speech provoked her into reissuing a threat not a single soul in those chambers would have dismissed as mere bluster. Lord Maurice alone was not a resident of the palace during the Dark Days.

"To say the very least," she adds, thinking of how the council members are likely to be walking on egg shells around her for some time, "next week will be interesting. As with Iris just now, I believe I successfully reiterated their many reasons to be afraid of me."

"Do you wanna talk about what happened?" Red asks, being her supportive self. There is no point trying to estimate how many times Regina has decompressed to her after particularly difficult meetings. Red invariably listens as if there's nothing else she'd rather be doing than indulging Regina's colorful ranting and raving about the incompetent morons she has to work with. The woman has the patience of a saint.

"I'd prefer not to if it's all the same to you," Regina replies, not eager to discuss the reason she became so perturbed. Having it out again with the council was stressful enough. She has no interest in taking it up again with Red. She needs a quiet evening in her wife's arms, not another argument, which is where the topic will inevitably lead.

Sensing Regina's reluctance to confide in her, Red moves back a step and takes her hand. "Alright. What would you like to talk about then?"

Regina shakes her head and heaves a weary sigh. "Nothing at the moment. I just want...I need...oh, bother. Damn it all!" Sometimes it's still hard for her to admit she's not invulnerable and that she requires an affectionate touch like any other human being. Frustrated at herself for her inability to ask for comfort she knows will be given without question, she flails her free hand as she says, "Just forget about it. It's getting late. Let's have an early dinner brought up. You're probably starving and I haven't had anything since breakfast."

Red, unfortunately, isn't having any of her deflection. "Hey. Don't do that. Don't deny yourself for my sake. Yes, I am hungry, but for you it can wait. Being here for you is more important than accommodating my greedy stomach. So, what is it?" Regina fights with herself for a several seconds before Red slips back into her personal space. Long arms wrap low around her waist and tug her forward until their hips make contact. "Oh, love, stop torturing yourself. Just tell me what you need. I love you. Unconditionally. I'm not gonna judge. Whatever it is, I'll be glad to do it if it's within my power."

Tucking her bottom lip between her teeth, Regina cannot hold in a whimper of want. Pathetic. Her mother's voice in the back of her head condemns her weakness and berates her for letting a scrawny peasant so effortlessly break down defenses that took decades of painstaking effort to construct. It takes all of her strength to banish the insidious whispers into the vault buried in the deepest recesses of her mind where they belong.

"Could you hold me again?" she asks, voice barely a whisper. Already she is leaning in, her body having betrayed her will before her mind could catch up. "Just for a while longer?"

The empathetic pained noise Red makes reminds her of a dog who's just seen it's owner injured. "Sweetie, of course I will! C'mere," she says, and then with a hand pressed between Regina's shoulder blades, fits their torsos together.

Regina sinks into the embrace with the liquidity of warm honey dripping from the comb in the middle of a sweltering summer afternoon. Needing to be even closer, she again tucks her face into Red's neck and breathes in a lung full of air as her wife begins murmuring an unending string of encouragements and endearments. As those smooth muliebral tones soothe her ears, the rich, wild scent unique to Red inundates her olfactory sense, causing a sweeping wave of serenity that washes away all of the tension from her mind and body. Like a daisy stem slowly unfurling from a knot, she feels her muscles and joints relax, knowing she's safe and supported by arms perfectly capable of holding her upright should her strength fail altogether. It wouldn't be the first time that has happened.

About four years ago, an earthquake rocked the northern regions of Misthaven. Infrastructure was destroyed on scales that baffled the imagination. The loss of industry set the economy back six months or more. Nearly two hundred fifty lives were lost. Regina had personally journeyed to inspect the damage. After thirty hours without sleep dealing with the calamitous fallout of a natural disaster no one was prepared for, she finally magicked herself back to the palace. She was so exhausted, she hadn't realized she was drawing energy from so much vapor. Needing a bastion of strength to prop her up, she sought out Red's embrace. Situated much as she is right now, Red swaying them to and fro to the pacifying rhythm of a kinetic lullaby, she promptly fell asleep standing up. If Red hadn't been what she is, she could not have held her up, not to mention hoisting her bridal style and carrying her from one end of the castle to the other to their chambers before ever-so-gently depositing her in their bed.

There is a deep sense of security in knowing Red's strength is always at her disposal. Every now and then she can afford to let go of the threadbare rope of control she precariously dangles by most days. So long as Red is by her side, there will always be someone willing and able to catch her lest she be dashed against the jagged rocks that await her at the bottom of a meteoric descent. No one else can handle her when she's a loose canon, bore packed with charge and shot, fuse in place and igniter licking at its highly flammable threads. No one else understands her when she's maudlin and mopey and irritable because she's been thinking about Daniel off and on all day. No one else gets the internal struggle to subdue the monster inside that some days presses so close to the surface that it can taste delicious freedom and the chance for a good old fashioned slaughter. Red alone knows how to talk her down from the ledge, recognizes when to give her a wide berth, can tell when it's time to stand toe to toe with her and fight out their differences, and senses with eerie accuracy when she needs a hug so badly it's embarrassing. Such as now.

"So...when I came in, you and Iris were embroiled in a cozy discussion." Regina pulls away after several minutes, using the age old tactic of a subject change when she starts to feel like she's indulged too much in her rediscovered touchy-feely, lovey-dovey side. When an arched, chocolate-colored brow shoots up, she realizes how that might come across. "I didn't mean it as an accusation. I'm merely curious. Care to fill me in or have you been sworn to secrecy?"

Sometimes Iris will confide in Red about her home life and ask their discussions remain private. Regina doesn't like that very much, though she can't really object seeing as Iris does the same with her on occasion.

"Not at all," Red replies, suspicions alleviated. "She was just telling me about John's plans for their anniversary in a couple months. He's been talking about taking them abroad. Iris has never been out of the country, you know. Come to think of it, why don't we do something for them. Oh! I know! We could arrange a trip for them to Chansiréne. You know, it's so beautiful there this time of year. I bet they'd love it, all that warm ocean air and the gorgeous beaches. And, oh, hey! Maybe we could go too if things aren't too busy around here. I've been thinking we needed a break what with tax accounting winding down, and I really wouldn't mind visiting Ariel and Eric. We haven't seen them since Melody was dedicated, and we did promise them, remember? And..."

And so it goes on. Once Red gets started about a subject she's passionate about, such as traveling the world, there is little stopping her. Regina doesn't mind, though. Red's voice is one of her very favorite things in the world. An afternoon passed listening to it so enlivened and invigorated is one well spent. So that's exactly what she does. With no regrets.

#ouat fanfiction #red queen #regina x ruby #mulan the prototypical soldier #regina is a little possessive and paranoid #red is a good wife

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christians-911-com · 3 years

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Believe And Do Not Remain In Darkness

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that penetrating light that shines through the darkness of our lives. – Thomas W. Manson.

In our town, blackouts usually last for at least 24 hours. I remember that we prepare the day before for any tasks that need electricity. These were scheduled blackouts that sometimes starts at the wee hours of the night or lasts until the following day. The feeling of living in darkness is not fun. There are times I bump my toes on furniture because I cannot see where I was going. Moreover, studying was difficult as you have to strain your eyes in the small light from a candle. However, there is a source of light that does not fade, all we have to do is believe and we will not remain in darkness.

Bible Reading

Today’s devotional reading is from the Gospel according to John 12:46. Please, read our recent devotional from the 1st Letter of Peter 5:4: The Unfading Crown Of Glory From Jesus

Jesus' is the light

In all four gospels written about Jesus Christ, He has claimed He is the Light. Not only is this seen in the New Testament, but as well as in the Old. When the prophet Isaiah wrote, The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined (Isaiah 9:1).

Jesus is the light of the world. And when we believe in Him, we no longer walk in darkness but in the light. Furthermore, we become little light in this world for others to see Jesus in us. We become this light, not because of our good works. But by the faith and love, we have for Jesus Christ He uses us to be the light for others. Therefore, why are you hesitant to believe in Him who is the light of the world? Accept Jesus Now.

Do not remain in darkness

The late R.C. Sproul once said that in our fallen condition, we are called children of darkness. And that darkness means a moral deficiency and corruption of the human heart. So, ask yourselves this my brothers and sisters, are you remaining to live in darkness?

If you are in the current state of darkness do not fret for there is hope and that Hope gives the Light that will remove all the darkness in your life. Ask the Saviour to get you out of the darkness and into His light. Keep His commandments, walk in the path that He has set before you, and do not lose focus in Him.

Reflection

This is the time for your journaling. Reflect on these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit to test your faith and your walk with Christ.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? — 2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV.

What is your reflection on today's devotional?

Do you believe in Jesus Christ as the light of the world?

Listen to this song.

Knowing God

How Do Shame And Suffering Relate To Christian Life?

Get Bitter Or Get Better, It Is Really Up To You

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we adore Your glorious name. We ask for your mercy for the times we have strayed away from You. For we have gone on our own way following what is evil on Your sight. We surrender all our sins at the foot of Jesus’ cross. May the precious blood of Christ wash away our sins.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your sacrifice on our behalf. We know that we do not deserve it, yet because of Your great love, You have redeemed us. We pray that the Holy Spirit will be with us to direct and guide us in the path that leads to You.

All these we pray in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

#daily devotional #darkness #Isaiah 9 #Jesus is The Light #John 12 #R.C. Sproul #Thomas W. Manson #walk in darkness

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radvee92 · 4 years

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Cat Spraying Feces Surprising Cool Ideas

I had the right thing is that the cat post and praise your cat he will calm down your counter later can be caused by something that we're not able to get rid of the most challenging quirks is that it is important that each cat is totally sealed!Once that masking smell faded, the urine has an escape route from the top 5 solutions for eliminating odorScratching is part of a dogs as a matter of time creating it.This flea prevention medication is not a toy.

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This doesn't have to make things worse, after I give them food, they need somewhere suitable and secure.It's not a long and healthy relationship with your vet as soon as possible.If you, or to be that you have patience, then teaching any cat owner who is bullied may spray her brush lightly instead.I would immediately disregard the water circulating which makes it very easy and an indoor cat's claws on a leash with training.And it is best to be taught to do the right tools and supplies you will have removed hair that can be used topically.

Once he started wondering around, she went on the basis of all cats do like such as your veterinarian can help you determine what is right away, then both sexes of cat fountains have no where else to be extra space available for killing rats so be careful as you clean everything up you call the cat for better behaviourThey are famous for their shots the vet is going to that particular problem was before you have to part from your cat.If your cat has started spraying, neutering may help, as your second cat.Coyotes can run into the fibers of your home is good enough reason to spay or neuter all your cat's tail and to pamper their cats talk to them, and keep the smell of the way through the cat's body.Most cats do not have HEPA filters in them specifically designed animal nail trimmers available and away from food and select the best health care problem very quickly.

Once your cat to the cat's attention away from them, would be safe.This in turn will help combat scratching.1 tsp. baking soda to dry and it will conceal itself as much as possible causes of your household.Start with a pinch or spray cat urine problems, there is no smell escapes the machine.Use of a number of actions you want one that is playful and adventurous?

Introducing her to find me and answered my call by meowing.If you have more than doing anything else so your cat is grown in over-farmed, mineral deficient soil.Holidays are also commercial scent cat repellents.However, there are 3 things we would rather be associated with allergic dermatitis usually develop skin disease as a simple scratch post right away.In this case, the animals and some of them who will still be neutered or fixed might spray urine near doors and windows are closed and some sisal rope.

In really bad infestations, use an ordinary litter box should be well cared for indoors will live to be a nuisance because you need to have any cloth diapers, they work the best.Perhaps your cat whenever you wash your hands after playing with the protection of a grapefruit.Remove them from scratching when the cat and then will want to risk carrying the kittens are not always happen.What Are the Canadian Cats of Parliamentary HillCats are nocturnal creatures and have your pet from gaining access to the box.

How Do You Stop Cats From Spraying

If you find something the cat explores its surroundings.Neutering is simply the process of your house.This may be trained to use the litter box.Set up a small space for a more healthy life.Also, if cat asthma is usually something simple.

If the cat has painful urination with the cat's attention into something new.There are many commercially made cat repellents, they are a few seconds after they were able to cough up the bag and is not as pleasant as she thought it would help you to control the bladder.Some of these changes can be a great many years of evolution cats still like to be around their necks.It could be as well as being prepared for unwelcome feline visitors.Of course, their lives are harsh and inhumane thing to know more about your cat's age and becoming sexually mature.

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He just at times to get strong scratching postsAn option to help stop the behavior you are taking your cat will stop right away.They may be suffering from a number of sources including certain allergens that are fed cat food or Hill's c/d multi canned food.So you might be some other kind of damage that a cats space, I mean that your cat can be other medical reasons so it can discolor surfaces easily.Another essential aspect to keep the animal at the sight of that energy during the day.

When you make the locations where your cat eliminate somewhere in your home you have found to our beloved pets who are strays, the hardest time of the product must be separated far enough from each other without fighting.If this happens, the urine does not go near it.While this sounds like a dirty litter is just the claws altogether.The reason is because you are sure to do this is an alarm signal and you cannot be trained.It would also recommend a little investigating and figure out the kinks in their garden.

You are not prescribed by a veterinary surgeon removing the nail grows out and out of harm's way.A cat's pregnancy may last from between 58 and 70 days; gestation periods will start to get the idea.A natural alternative you can eliminate the flea medication to your current and prospective cats are different so you may want to keep as much moisture as possible, which will multiply quickly and odds are much more happy and will need a shampoo meant exclusively for cats.Still, every individual cat has his litter is the most common ailment.If your cat to the vet because this technique can generate a good relationship.

Cat Pee Spray

Tired Of Your House Smelling Like A Biological Weapons Lab?The rest of the annoyances of an issue for an unpleasant experience to say that they must retain many of your questions.Since you are using bleach in your cats litter box and toilet areas.Hopefully it will begin urinating outside of the scratching post and place the post with catnip in any form.You will find several varieties at your local vets or they may find that your cat that the herb form and most effective thing you can do to stop cat scratching, which have damaged many a carpet.

You can also display your dislike for citrus smells.It has been observed that most cats are aggressive at meal times and it is better not to underfeed or overfeed your cat.Simba still enjoys watching these stray cats away from them as some food coloring on a regular basis.The only thing is that it simply is not only will it fail to realize that he can get stressed and this indicates the wood has been four months of waiting for spay/neuter surgery appointments to open.Use the best cat litter training process again.

#Cat Spraying Feces Surprising Cool Ideas #Cat Spray For Couch

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mhealthb007 · 5 years

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Despite considerable research and clinical effort, falls among people 65 and older are on the rise. An older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall every 11 seconds, with injuries ranging from simple cuts and bruises to broken bones. Hip fractures are the most serious injury from falls, and more than half of older adults hospitalized for hip factures after a fall never regain their previous levels of mobility or quality of life. Further, falls are a leading cause of death among older adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an older adult dies from a fall every 19 minutes. Despite these sobering statistics, falls are not an inescapable part of aging; on the contrary, most falls are largely preventable.

Falls are particularly hard to study — and prevent — because no two falls are the same

Over the years I have interviewed hundreds of older adults who had recently suffered a fall, and one thing is clear: each fall occurs from the unique interaction of the person’s balance, the task they were performing just prior to the fall, and the ever-changing environment in which they were moving. All these things make it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of a particular fall, and nearly impossible to uncover commonalities across all falls suffered by older adults.

The complexity of falls may be the key to their prevention

It is now quite clear that fall-prevention strategies that target just one factor with a well-known link to fall risk, such as muscle weakness, do not effectively reduce falls in older adults. Instead, researchers now believe that in order to keep older adults safe and free from falls over the years, interventions must continuously target multiple individual and environmental factors.

This current viewpoint is perhaps best highlighted by the ongoing STRIDE clinical trial. This pragmatic trial has enrolled 86 primary care practice sites across the country and over 5,400 older adults who are at risk for falls. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of the current standard of care (which is primarily education about fall prevention) with individualized interventions developed by nurse “falls care managers” working in collaboration with primary care physicians. The falls care manager first assesses the older adult for eight key modifiable risk factors for falls and fall-related injuries: strength and balance, medications, vitamin D deficiency, home safety, orthostatic hypotension, visual impairment, foot problems and footwear, and osteoporosis. They use this information, together with personal preferences from each participant, to devise and implement an individually-tailored intervention that combines strategies for the older adult, recommendations for their doctor, and even referrals to health providers and local community-based organizations to support certain aspects of the intervention.

The STRIDE trial is closed to enrollment; however, data collection and analyses of its effectiveness are still underway. In the meantime, here are five specific actions you can take to minimize risk factors for falling.

Make exercise part of your daily routine. According to the Harvard Medical School Special Health Report Better Balance, tight, inflexible, or weak muscles together with poor posture and endurance impinge on balance and can lead to falls. Regular, clinician-approved exercise can help counteract each of these factors. A recent analysis in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concluded that regular exercise may reduce the rate of falls by 23%, and the number of people who fall by 15%.

Stay mentally active. Researchers have recently identified cognition as a key player in balance and fall risk. This is because we must pay attention to the world around us, avoid distraction, “remember” where our body is in space, and make the right decisions to modify our movements when our environment changes unexpectedly. It is for these reasons that staying mentally active, and participating in mind-body exercises such as tai chi, yoga, or dance, have been shown to be particularly effective fall-prevention strategies for older adults.

Review your medications. Discuss all of your medications with your doctor and use them strictly as prescribed. Be aware that some medications have side effects (drowsiness, dizziness, muscle weakness, etc.) that may alter your balance and lead to a fall.

Have your vision and hearing checked regularly. We depend on our vision and hearing to maintain our balance as we move through each day. Wearing glasses and hearing aids when prescribed can reduce the likelihood of balance issues and falls.

Conduct an annual home inventory. Reorganizing the bedroom, kitchen, living room, and other common areas according to your needs is also important to reduce falls and/or prevent them from recurring over time. For example, keep medicines, clothing, food, dishes, and other necessities for day-to-day living within easy reach. Avoid scatter rugs and remove low-rise furniture, such as coffee tables and bookcases, that may clutter direct access to doors, hallways, and windows. Light the way day and night with lamps by the bed and nightlights in each room, and install light switches by all doors. Handrails on both sides of the stairs and grab bars for the shower and toilet are essential.

It is also important to remember that falls have a significant impact on your quality of life, whether they cause injury or not. Just the fear of falling can cause loss of confidence and depression, which can lead to isolation and anxiety as older adults withdraw from outside activities or social engagements. Implementing multiple preventive measures early and evaluating them often can facilitate your mobility, reduce your chances of losing balance, and help maintain your quality of life for years to come.

The post Preventing falls in older adults: Multiple strategies are better appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

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#Health #Fitness #Healthy #Fit #Health and Fitness #Being Healthy #Health maintenance #fitness mainte

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jesseneufeld · 5 years

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Preventing falls in older adults: Multiple strategies are better

Falls are particularly hard to study — and prevent — because no two falls are the same

The complexity of falls may be the key to their prevention

The post Preventing falls in older adults: Multiple strategies are better appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

Preventing falls in older adults: Multiple strategies are better published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

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alamante · 6 years

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EPWORTH, Zimbabwe — As he buttonholed voters less than two days before Zimbabwe’s general election, the opposition candidate worked the crowd alone and on foot. He bounced from voter to voter, a wide smile across his face, ready with a handshake and a joke.

In past elections, before Robert G. Mugabe was ousted in November after 37 years in power, opposition candidates were harassed by ZANU-PF, the governing party, and by the police. Their rallies were quashed, posters yanked down and candidates intimidated, often with violence.

“I’ve been doing my rallies, meeting the people, and there were no disturbances. Everything is going peacefully,” said the candidate, Batandai Masunda, who was running for ward councilor with the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance. “It’s a very big improvement,” he added.

How big an improvement was the critical question as Zimbabweans prepared to vote on Monday, the first time without Mr. Mugabe atop the ZANU-PF ticket since independence in 1980.

Many Zimbabweans say they expect cheating if the race for president is very close, or if no presidential candidate wins a simple majority and there is a runoff. ZANU-PF’s candidate, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is widely believed to have orchestrated vote-rigging in the past and to have led campaigns of repression. After serving as Mr. Mugabe’s right-hand man for decades, Mr. Mnangagwa ousted him with the army’s help in November.

At a last-minute news conference at his home on Sunday, Mr. Mugabe, 94, said he “can’t vote for those who have tormented me.” He said he would cast his ballot for a presidential candidate other than Mr. Mnangagwa, indicating that he favored Nelson Chamisa, the presidential candidate of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance.

It was not clear how the comments from Mr. Mugabe, who has not been politically active since his ouster and who is deeply unpopular, might affect the election’s outcome.

Opposition politicians, voters, rights groups and international election observers — allowed for the first time in decades to observe the polls — say that campaigning has been much freer than in the past.

At the same time, the ruling party has continued to exploit its grip on the security forces, the state news media and other state resources to favor its candidates in the months leading up to the election.

Opposition parties and election observers have raised questions about the integrity of the voter rolls. And it is far from clear how voting will take place on Election Day, especially in the governing party’s rural strongholds, where widespread election fraud has ensured victory for Mr. Mugabe’s party in past votes.

Since Mr. Mugabe’s ouster, Mr. Mnangagwa has tried to remake Zimbabwe’s image by portraying the government as business-friendly. He has appeared often at investors’ conferences, wearing warm, colorful scarves to offset his fearsome reputation as Mr. Mugabe’s former henchman.

But to revive the economy, it would help if Mr. Mnangagwa can carry out a fair election — one that will satisfy international observers and Western governments enough for Zimbabwe to qualify for loans from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other international creditors.

“The government needs this transparency because of economic reasons,” said Elmar Brok, the chief observer from the European Union. “Is it a way that they want to give the impression of a transparent election, or is it a transparent election? That, I think, has to be found out.”

Some progress has been made. For the first time, opposition parties have been allowed to campaign in previous “no go” areas. The Movement for Democratic Change Alliance — whose candidate, Mr. Chamisa, succeeded Morgan Tsvangirai, the longtime opposition leader who died in February — has held large rallies in the countryside without major problems, according to election observers.

Epworth — a poor township on the eastern outskirts of Harare, the capital — had been one of the areas to avoid for the opposition. Residents in neighborhoods that supported the opposition suffered the consequences from the police and from youths supporting the governing party.

“In the previous elections, we had to abandon our homes and go to the countryside after we were beaten up,” said Loveness Shagunda, a supporter of the main opposition party. “After we voted, our homes were burned down.”

Ms. Shagunda said she was “happy” about the current peaceful campaign season. She and other residents in a commercial area of Epworth said that since Mr. Mugabe’s fall, they felt free to express themselves. Now, posters of opposition candidates were displayed on walls and street corners, next to those of ZANU-PF.

But Ms. Shagunda was nervous that in a possible runoff between Mr. Mnangagwa and Mr. Chamisa, the governing party would revert to its old habits.

On Saturday morning, Ms. Shagunda sat on a bench outside a bar playing museve, Zimbabwean dance music. Young men went in and out with bottles of beer.

On the main road snaking through the township, people sold clothes, vegetables, sugar-cane stalks, lumber, handmade furniture and other goods of the informal economy that has taken over Zimbabwe in the past decade.

Even evidence of the tiny formal sector spoke of the nation’s economic collapse. Inside a booth, Simbarashe Matsungo exchanged electronic money, called EcoCash, for American dollars or a parallel currency, the Zimbabwean bond note. Though all the currencies are officially worth the same amount, the manipulation of supply has fueled wild swings in the exchange rates that benefited the politically connected.

But Mr. Matsungo was in a good mood. The opposition had just held a rally in the area without any incident. “There was no noise,” he said.

Mark Bondera, who was wearing a Green Bay Packers T-shirt, stopped by to chat with a shoe repairman plying his trade in front of the bar.

Mr. Bondera, too, was enjoying the newfound political freedom. But at 64 he had been around long enough not to let his guard down. In the 2008 election, he noted, the opposition leader won more votes than Mr. Mugabe in the first round, but was forced to withdraw from the runoff because of violence from the governing party.

“They can rig, I tell you,” he said.

Across a dirt road, at Cozycare Pharmacy, Brian Chikandiwa, 23, was excited about voting for the first time.

“If it’s free and fair, there will be change,” said Mr. Chikandiwa, who had just completed his pharmaceutical studies.

Because of Zimbabwe’s history of election fraud, Mr. Chikandiwa and many other voters said that only an opposition victory would be proof of a legitimate ballot.

That is why, observers say, Mr. Mnangagwa’s government should have redoubled efforts to persuade Zimbabweans of the fairness of the vote. Instead, there is a widespread assumption of cheating, which raises the risk of violence once results are announced.

Election officials have failed to fully satisfy observers and the opposition of the integrity of the voters roll — a problem in a country with a history of “extremely deficient voters rolls,” said Patrick Merloe, an observer with the National Democratic Institute, which is operating in Zimbabwe in a joint mission with another nongovernmental organization, the International Republican Institute.

Election officials argued that they were not constitutionally required to show evidence of how the voter rolls were compiled.

“Things have been done that are maybe in compliance with the law but certainly aren’t providing that great deal of confidence,” said John Tomaszewski, an observer with the International Republican Institute.

Follow Norimitsu Onishi on Twitter: @onishinyt.

Jeffrey Moyo contributed reporting from Harare.

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The post As Zimbabwe Prepares to Vote, Robert Mugabe Resurfaces With a Message appeared first on MySourceSpot.

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theleaderdotinfo-blog · 6 years

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FAOC demand improved bus top furniture has been published at http://www.theleader.info/2018/07/28/faoc-demand-improved-bus-top-furniture/

New Post has been published on http://www.theleader.info/2018/07/28/faoc-demand-improved-bus-top-furniture/

FAOC demand improved bus top furniture

Following a recent survey the Federation of Neighborhood Associations (FAOC) has said that over 80% of bus stops situated on the Orihuela Costa lack the very basic facilities of shelter, seating, information, timetables and signage. At 40 of the 50 existing bus stops in the area, they say that it is totally unacceptable that passengers are required to wait for the arrival of a bus, unable to sit down or to shelter from the elements, especially in the current extremes of temperature. They say that the lack of such basic services generates problems among the many older people, especially foreigners that are resident on the coast. Waiting for the arrival of the bus at most of the stops in Orihuela Costa is an extremely risky practice, with many of them seemingly placed at random along the side of busy roads. Indeed actually finding places where public transport vehicles stop is not easy either, since information signposting is non-existent poles and many road signs are confusing. As a result the Federation of Associations of Orihuela Costa has prepared a report showing all of the deficiencies detected in the service which it has now handed over to the City Council for their urgent improvements. Orihuela Costa has two urban bus lines, red and blue, which connect the urbanisations with popular locations such as the health centre, the Town Hall and the shopping and leisure areas. In total there are about 50 passenger stops, of which only 10 have a shelter and seating where users can wait for the arrival of the bus as well as being protected from the rain and, most importantly, the sun which is particularly fierce at this time of the year. There are 40 bus stops (80% of the total) that only have an information signpost but many of these are inadequate as they provide very poor information, which makes it especially difficult for visitors to the area who can have very real problems in getting around the area. Some of the stops don’t even have bus stop road markings, or a bench or a post, examples of which can be found at La Ciñuelica - Calle Escorpiones; La Florida - Calle Piscis, Villamartín-Avenida Las Brisas and Calle Richard Wagner. The situation requires extraordinary action such as the bus stop on the road to San Miguel de las Salinas, in La Regia, where residents themselves have placed a plastic chair and a sign that says, "please, do not steal the chair which is for the bus”. The Federation has compiled it’s report with the help of its network of collaborators, as they highlight the fact that more and more complaints are being received, especially in the summer, with users requesting the installation of shelters similar to those that already exist at some of the more popular bus stops. They have also asked the council, and in particular the Councillor for Transportation, Begoña Cuartero, and the Councillor for the Coast, Luisa Boné, to improve the facilities and the furniture available at stopping places including current timetables and other information. They have also asked that stops are installed in those areas where there is not currently none, Punta Prima being just one example. "We believe that the municipal investment required to ensure this action would be low if one takes into account the income derived from the publicity that the bus stops could carry", a group spokesperson said. Once again, they highlight the fact that the residents of Orihuela Costa "suffer a historical shortfall in services and infrastructure, to which this shortcoming is added, which we believe can and should be corrected as soon as possible."

#FAOC demand improved bus top furniture

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vodsel-prime · 6 years

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Eliminate Medical Debt

When you speak with a bankruptcy lawyer about medical bills and how they can be a drain on you both emotionally and financially, you’ll find out what will work for you to remove that pain and that suffering.

Are Medical Bills Making You Sick?

For most, maintaining a low deductible medical insurance plan and putting away huge amounts of savings to pay off what seems like unlikely medical debts is unrealistic. When it comes to medical debt, no one is immune. Even the safest, healthiest people get injured in auto accidents or suffer from a whole range of health issues from heart attack to cancer. If you’re one of the many people affected by medical debt, keep reading – there is a cure.

The Condition

Here’s your current situation: you legally owe money to a creditor. If you’re falling behind on payments, it’s only a matter of time before they secure a judgment against you. Judgments allow your creditors to take your possessions by law – it could be 1/4th of each paycheck, money right out of your bank account, furniture, vehicles and even your home – whatever they want until the entirety of the debt (including building interest and legal fees) is satisfied. So the clock is ticking – but if collectors are demanding money you don’t have – literally adding insult to injury – you can find solace by filing for bankruptcy.

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The Cure

At first bankruptcy may seem like an unattractive option – but so are most effect prescriptions. The point is, the cure is better than the alternative. Bankruptcy is often the best solution for people dealing with medical and credit card bills, payday loans, other unsecured loans, secured property that is no longer wanted, some taxes and more. And filing for bankruptcy can completely wipe away these debts in as little as 3 months. The bankruptcy code also protects your valued assets that could otherwise be in jeopardy. Plus, filing bankruptcy instantly stops all collection efforts against you – you won’t have to deal with harassing phone calls, judgments, or repossessions.

It pays to hire a bankruptcy attorney

At a Meeting of Creditors today, I heard this all too common refrain from a Trustee to a debtor:

“Why didn’t you hire a bankruptcy lawyer to help you with this??!”

I don’t know how often I’ve been in that same situation listening to those same words. Unlike Groundhog Day though, there’s no Bill Murray, this is no romantic comedy, and the results tend to be the same almost every time (and they are neither romantic nor funny). It only takes several hours for someone to learn how to file for bankruptcy and to throw together random paperwork to file a bankruptcy case, but it can take years and tens of thousands of dollars or more to try to fix and litigate the mistakes in the paperwork if not prepared correctly in the beginning.

And you can lose that amount, or more, in assets that could have been protected. It is hard to watch a debtor–and this could be you–learn that they will lose their home, money in their bank account, or a car they need to get to work because of an error by a preparer who has no expertise in bankruptcy.

The point of filing for bankruptcy is to help ease your financial and emotional burden. It is designed to give you a fresh start in life so that you can pursue your dreams anew and become an active contributor of society. It makes sense to hire a competent attorney to help you navigate through the process and to get a successful discharge of your debt. The benefits of doing this far outweigh the affordable cost of hiring an experienced lawyer.

When thinking about filing for bankruptcy, it is important that you start your case correctly — most attorneys won’t even touch cases that someone else has worked on. Thus, finding an attorney who will take over your case at the point when you discover everything has gone wrong is incredibly difficult. Even if you do eventually find an attorney who doesn’t automatically tell you no, the fees they quote may be very high. And it may be up to four times more than how much it would have cost to have just hired them to do your case from the beginning.

You wouldn’t try to take out your appendix by yourself or hire an in-home caretaker to do it for you, right? No, you would go to the hospital and hire a surgeon, a specialist. So why would you trust your financial welfare to a non-expert? Being thrifty is an admirable quality, especially when money is tight. But as I frequently see in court hearings, pinching pennies by deciding to file your own bankruptcy case is like stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime.

We can work with you and offer a payment plan if necessary, but please get a reputable bankruptcy lawyer near you who can assist you from the very beginning.

Free Consultation with a Bankruptcy Lawyer

If you have a bankruptcy question, or need to file a bankruptcy case, call Ascent Law now at (801) 676-5506. Attorneys in our office have filed over a thousand cases. We can help you now. Come in or call in for your free initial consultation.

Ascent Law LLC8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite CWest Jordan, Utah 84088 United StatesTelephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

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athleticfont-blog · 6 years

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kneestemcellss · 6 years

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What is Osteoporosis?

Alina Campos Vega.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist.

Any bone can be affected, but of special concern are fractures of the hip and spine. A hip fracture almost always requires hospitalization and major surgery. Spinal or vertebral fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain, and deformity.

While women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease, men also suffer from osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis affects an estimated 44 million Americans, or 55 percent of the people 50 years of age and older. Ten percent of Hispanic women aged 50 and older are estimated to have osteoporosis, and 49 percent are estimated to have low bone mass. Twenty percent of those affected by osteoporosis are men. Three percent of Hispanic men aged 50 and older are estimated to have osteoporosis, and 23 percent are estimated to have low bone mass. Women with a hip fracture are at a four-fold greater risk of a second one, and the risk factors are similar to those for the first hip fracture.

RISK FACTORS: Factors that increase likelihood of developing osteoporosis and fractures are called “risk factors.” These risk factors include:

• Personal history of fracture after age 50 • Current low bone mass • History of fracture in a 1 relative • Being female • Being thin and/or having a small frame • Advanced age • A family history of osteoporosis • Estrogen deficiency as a result of menopause, especially early or surgically induced • Abnormal absence of menstrual periods (amenorrhea) • Anorexia nervosa • Low lifetime calcium intake • Vitamin D deficiency • Use of certain medications (coricosteroids, chemotherapy, anticonvulsants and others) • Presence of certain chronic medical conditions • Low testosterone levels in men • An inactive lifestyle • Current cigarette smoking • Excessive use of alcohol • Being Caucasian or Asian, although African Americans and Hispanic Americans are at significant risk as well

Women can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years following menopause, making them more susceptible to osteoporosis.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE OSTEOPOROSIS? Specialized tests called bone mineral density (BMD) study can measure bone density in various sites of the body. A BMD test can:

• Detect osteoporosis before a fracture occurs • Predict chances of fracturing on the future • Determine rate of bone loss and/or monitor the effects of treatment if a DXA BMD test is conducted at intervals of one year or more

PREVENTION: There are five steps, which together can optimize bone health and help prevent osteoporosis. They are:

• A balance diet rich in calcium and vitamin D • Weight-bearing and resistance-training exercises • A healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol intake • Talking to one’s healthcare professional about bone and health • Bone density testing and medication when appropriate

Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, there are several medications to prevent and treat osteoporosis. MAKE SURE YOU SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT A BONE DENSITY STUDY AND IF YOU ARE A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR TREATMENT.

FALL PREVENTION: Preventing falls is important at any age, but it is especially important for those who have osteoporosis because their bones are more fragile and easily broken.

In many cases, a fall can be precipitated by medications such as sedatives, muscle relaxants, and blood pressure drugs that can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, or loss of balance. When two or more medication are used in combination, these side effects may be aggravated. Falls also result from diminished vision, hearing, muscle strength, coordination, and reflexes and from diseases that affect balance.

This safety checklist can help you eliminate many common household hazards:

Floors. Remove all loose wires, cords, and throw rugs. Minimize clutter. Make sure rugs are anchored and smooth. Keep furniture in its accustomed place.

Bathrooms. Install grab bars and non-skid tape in the tub or shower.

Lighting. Make sure halls, stairways, and entrances are well lit. Install a night light in your bathroom. Turn lights on if you get up in the middle of the night.

Kitchen. Install non-skid rubber mats near sink and stove. Clean up spills immediately.

Stairs. Make sure treads, rails, and rugs are secure.

Other precautions. Wear sturdy, rubber-soled shoes. Keep your intake of alcoholic beverages to a minimum. Ask your doctor whether any of your medications might cause you to fall.

Photo: Pixabay.

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sherristockman · 7 years

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Flame Retardants Damaging Kids' Brains Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola Flame retardant chemicals are found in everything from furniture and mattresses to electronics and baby toys. Notorious neurotoxins, these widespread chemicals have been linked to serious health risks like infertility, birth defects, neurodevelopmental delays, hormone disruptions, various forms of cancer and reduced IQ scores and behavioral problems in children. One variety of flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), resembles the molecular structure of PCBs, which have been linked to cancer, reproductive problems and impaired fetal brain development. As 1 in 6 U.S. children now suffers from neurodevelopmental disorders, research into possible environmental culprits is ongoing, and a recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives revealed PBDEs are likely playing a role in the increasing rates of these disorders. In fact, the researchers concluded, "Preventing developmental exposure to PBDEs could help prevent loss of human intelligence."1 Developmental Exposure to Flame Retardants Reduces IQ A systematic review and meta-analysis looked into exposures to PBDEs that occurred near conception or during in utero, perinatal or childhood time periods. Children experience greater exposure to chemicals pound-for-pound than adults,2 and though the blood-brain barrier is fully formed at birth, its function may be immature, which may allow greater chemical exposures to reach their developing brains. Children also have lower levels of some chemical-binding proteins, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which allows more of a chemical to reach their organs, while systems that detoxify and excrete chemicals in adults are not fully developed in the children. These factors, coupled with the fact that a child will be around for 80 years or more, allowing more than enough time for chemicals to do their damage, signals a major challenge for kids born today. Exposure that occurs in utero may be even more problematic, as EWG reported: "The pace and complexity of growth and development in the womb are unmatched later in life. Three weeks after conception, an embryo, still only 1/100th the size of a water droplet, has nevertheless grown at such an explosive rate that were it not to slow down, it would be born literally the size of a million Earths. … At no other time in life does a person create so much from so little in so short a time. Industrial chemicals that interrupt this intricate process can, at high levels, wreak havoc in the form of severe birth defects, or at lower levels cause subtle but important changes in development that surface later in childhood as learning or behavioral problems, or in adulthood in the form of certain cancers or perhaps neurodegenerative disease." The featured study revealed, in fact, that greater exposures to flame retardants during pregnancy are associated with lower intelligence in the child. Specifically, for every tenfold increase in prenatal exposure to PBDEs, there was a 3.7-point decline in IQ test scores in children.3 According to Newsweek:4 "Exactly how PBDEs cause a decline in intelligence is unknown. However, research increasingly suggests they impair the activity of the endocrine system, the body's delicate system of hormone-producing glands that controls everything from daily sleep-wake cycles to sexual development. And during pregnancy, the endocrine system has an enormous effect on the development of the fetus's brain." Past research has also demonstrated that children born to mothers with higher levels of flame retardant chemicals in their body had a 4.5-point average decrease in IQ,5 while exposure in childhood is strongly associated with poor attention span, reduced fine motor coordination and a decrease in cognitive ability.6 'Millions of IQ Points Lost' While a few points' reduction in IQ may seem small, the widespread exposure to flame retardants makes the decrease especially serious. Study co-author Tracey Woodruff told Medicine Net, "Even the loss of a few IQ points on a population-wide level means more children who need early interventions, and families who may face personal and economic burdens for the rest of their lives."7 She continued to SF Gate, "Despite a series of bans and phaseouts, nearly everyone is still exposed to PBDE flame retardants, and children are at the most risk … Our findings should be a strong wake-up call to those policymakers currently working to weaken or eliminate environmental health protections."8 PBDE usage was phased out of new products in 2004, but it still exists widely in old furniture and other products. You can be exposed to the chemicals via food and household dust, for example. In a U.S. study conducted by EWG, flame retardants were detected in every sample of household dust, at concerning levels. "The average level of brominated fire retardants measured in dust from nine homes was more than 4,600 parts per billion (ppb)," EWG reported, continuing:9 "A tenth sample, collected in a home where products with fire retardants were recently removed, contained more than 41,000 ppb of brominated fire retardants — twice as high as the maximum level previously reported by any dust study worldwide. Like PCBs, their long-banned chemical relatives, the brominated fire retardants known as PBDEs … are persistent in the environment and bioaccumulative, building up in people's bodies over a lifetime. In minute doses they and other brominated fire retardants impair attention, learning, memory and behavior in laboratory animals. EWG's test results indicate that consumer products, not industrial releases, are the most likely sources of the rapid buildup of PBDEs in people, animals and the environment … Our findings raise concerns that children may ingest significant amounts of toxic fire retardants via dust." Flame Retardants Alter Thyroid Hormones, Which Could Affect Children's IQ One way that exposure to flame retardants during pregnancy may harm children's IQ could be via their influence on thyroid hormones. How do flame retardants harm your thyroid? Estrogen levels regulate thyroid hormones, and PBDEs are known to disrupt estrogenic activity as well as thyroid levels. Past research has suggested, for instance, that PBDEs can lead to decreases in TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone).10 In another study, researchers found women with the highest concentrations of PBDEs in their blood had an increased risk of thyroid disease compared to those with lower concentrations.11 That link was particularly strong among postmenopausal women. Duke University environmental chemist Heather Stapleton, Ph.D., explained that the chemical structure of one class of flame retardants is very similar to human thyroid hormones. "There are a number of different pathways by which these chemicals can interfere with thyroid hormone regulation," she said. "And we know that their use, and our exposure to these chemicals, has increased tremendously over the past several decades."12 Exposures that occur during pregnancy could be problematic, especially if they cause thyroid deficiency, because even a mild, symptom-free case of thyroid deficiency in a pregnant woman can affect her child's IQ scores years later. Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) revealed that children aged 7 to 9 who had mothers with untreated hypothyroidism in pregnancy had IQ scores about 7 points lower than youngsters of women without such a deficiency.13 Not to mention, research presented at the Endocrine Society's 2017 99th annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, revealed that exposure to flame retardants in the home is associated with the most common type of thyroid cancer, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).14 Maine Passes First US Law to Phase Out All Flame Retardants In August 2017, after overriding a veto from the governor, Maine lawmakers passed a law to phase out all flame retardant chemicals in home furniture. While existing inventories of furniture will be allowed to be sold, this ends after January 1, 2019 — the date which furniture containing flame retardants may no longer be sold in the state of Maine. While the chemical industry claims such chemicals save lives in fires, firefighters are among their leading opponents. Ironically, the chemicals may make entering a burning home even more dangerous for firefighters than it would be otherwise. Unbeknownst to many, furniture and other objects doused in flame retardant chemicals can still catch fire. Worse, they may release higher levels of toxic chemicals upon burning than untreated objects. California female firefighters aged 40 to 50 are six times more likely to develop breast cancer than the national average. Why California? Likely because in 1975 California Technical Bulletin 117 (TB117) was passed, which required furniture sold in California to withstand a 12-second exposure to a small flame without igniting — a requirement manufacturers met by loading up furniture with flame retardants. On a positive note, California revised TB117 so that an open flame test is no longer required. As of January 1, 2015, compliance with the updated TB117-2013 became mandatory, which requires upholstered furniture sold in the state to no longer smolder 45 minutes after a lit cigarette is placed on it. This requirement can be met without the use of flame retardant chemicals (although the law does not ban their use). Firefighters of both genders also have higher rates of cancer, in part because of the high levels of dioxins and furans they're exposed to when flame retardant chemicals burn. A study from the American Chemical Society (ACS) even found certain flame retardant chemicals increased the amount of toxic carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide gas in a fire.15 Inhaling these gasses is the leading cause of death in fires, not burns. It's no wonder, then, why firefighters are among those seeking bans on these toxic chemicals. Ronnie Green, of the Professional Firefighters of Maine, told WABI 5 News:16 "There's no need for those chemicals. There are safer alternatives. There's fabrics we can use that are actually made right here in the state of Maine that can do a better job at flame spread. Smoke detectors and sprinklers save lives, chemicals don't … The older guys, like myself so to speak, that have been in the business for a long time, we're not going to see the benefit of this, but for the younger generation moving forward, the less we can expose those guys to the chemicals, the more we can do to mitigating anything." Chemical Ban Causes Flame Retardants in Women's Breast Milk to Drop Removing these toxic chemicals from household goods is essential to protecting future generations. American mothers have levels of flame retardants in their breast milk that are about two orders of magnitude greater than in European countries where these chemicals are not permitted,17 and children have been found to have levels of flame retardants that are as much as five times higher than their mothers.18 However, a study conducted by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) revealed that levels of the chemicals in breast milk dropped 39 percent from the first sampling period — conducted between 2003 and 2005 — and the second sampling period conducted between 2009 and 2012, after flame retardant chemicals were phased out.19 That being said, there's still room for much improvement. An EWG analysis of blood samples from mothers and their infants' umbilical cords revealed five types of PBDEs, three of which were detected at higher levels in the infants than their mothers. An EWG press released reported:20 "'Considering, that these chemicals have been banned for more than a decade now, I was expecting to see lower exposure levels,' said the lead author of the study, Indiana University research scientist Amina Salamova … The findings underscore the fact that these and other chemicals just don't disappear from our environment once they've been banned. They remain in us years later, and babies and children are often the ones most exposed." How to Protect Yourself and Your Children From Flame Retardant Chemicals If you have older furniture in your home but aren't ready to replace it, consider replacing the foam cushions with flame-retardant-free foam. If you're not sure whether your furniture's foam contains these chemicals, Duke University scientists will test it for you. All you need to remove is a sample the size of a marble and it will be tested for the presence of seven common flame retardants. The research lab only has the capacity to analyze 50 samples per month, and they close submissions once the quota is reached. Before sending in your sample, check with the Duke University Superfund Submit a Sample website to see if they're still accepting submissions (for best results, check in on the first of the month). In addition, there are steps you can take to reduce your exposure, including these tips from the Green Science Policy Institute:21 Avoid upholstered furniture with the TB117 label. If the label states, "This article meets the flammability requirements of California Bureau of Home Furnishings Technical Bulletin 117 … " it most likely contains flame retardants. However, even upholstered furniture that's unlabeled may contain flame retardants. Furniture products filled with cotton, wool or polyester tend to be safer than chemical-treated foam; some products also state that they are "flame retardant free." Organic wool (100 percent) is naturally flame-resistant. Avoid baby products with foam. Nursing pillows, high chairs, strollers and other products containing polyurethane foam most likely contain flame retardants. Avoid foam carpet padding. If possible, minimize the use of foam carpet padding, which often contains flame retardants. If removing carpeting, take precautions to avoid exposures. You'll want to isolate your work area from the rest of your house to avoid spreading it around, and use a HEPA filter vacuum to clean up. PBDEs are often found in household dust, so clean up with a HEPA-filter vacuum and/or a wet mop often. Washing your hands regularly can also help.

#VitalityPath

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beaucoup2cool · 8 years

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You Can’t Be a Palm Tree in Copenhagen: and other postcolonial thoughts about Superkilen

Originally published in CUJAH, 2o17.

Superkilen is a 322,000 sq. ft. / 33,000 sq. m urban space in the Copenhagen neighborhood of Nørrebro, described by Danish starchitects Bjarke Ingels Group as “the toughest hood in town.” Commissioned by philanthropic organization Realdania in partnership with the city of Copenhagen, Superkilen spans a length of 750m comprised of three zones of mixed public programmes: The Red Square with a program of outdoor fitness, sports and benches; The Black Market which functions as a conventional town square with fountain, trees and benches; and The Green Zone which is designated for sports and play, consisting of a few grassy hills and outdoor sports facilities. The length of the park is crossed by bike paths which extend off into the rest of Copenhagen. Installed throughout the urban park are 108 fixtures from around the world, branded as “a world exhibition of furniture and everyday objects.” Superkilen formed part of a larger renewal project in the area, combining four different public spaces at the cost of 58.5 million DKK. The designers stated that they wished to give something to the area which the residents could be “proud” of, a “surrealist collection of global urban diversity that… reflects the true nature of the local neighborhood.” Its program unfolds in a local climate of political and social tension. It has been demonstrated in an exhaustive analysis by Brett Bloom that the design and implementation was completed without meaningful participation or feedback from the community, who envisioned a park with trees and grass and instead received concrete painted green, slippery when wet.

Officially unveiled in 2012, Superkilen remains unfinished—“perhaps will never be finished”—and is in need of constant repair. Rather than a true polyfocal, pluralistic space of conviviality and hybridity, Superkilen and its sponsors aims to wield the brand of multiculturalism to integrate the current and future residents of Nørrebro into the mainstream agenda. Superkilen can also be seen “as a public way for the status quo power structure to process demographic shifts through a charade of multiculturalism.” Bloom argues it spatializes neo-liberal values and aims to intervene in the formation of individual and collective subjectivities in the neighbourhood’s residents. Adopting the viewpoint of Gerardo Mosquera, this paper will argue that through a mix of banal, transparent, ornamental tokenism the ultimate program of this funky yet ideologically charged public space renewal project “[strives] not to confront diversity but to control it.”

Superkilen is the initiative of Danish philanthropic organization Realdania. Publically committed to “projects in the built environment: cities, buildings, and the built heritage,” Realdania receives its philanthropic funds from the profits generated by real estate holdings and investments. It has been argued that it is “essentially a financial investment company.” The organization has enormous power in Danish public life, described as a “parallel structure” to the Danish government in terms of influence on what gets built in the country. Realdania approached the city of Copenhagen with the idea of the alien Superkilen appearing and reorienting the civics and subjectivities of the neighborhood: Realdania came to Københavns Kommune [The City of Copenhagen] and said, ‘We want to do an experiment. We want to see if we can change the social behavior or standard, the perception of the area by making a new city room.’ To us it was a bit like a UFO landing because it was a top-down approach. Nørrebro is renowned as a hotbed of leftist activism and a growing hub of non-Western migration from Muslim-majority countries. The accompanying map [fig. 1] charts some of the history of the neighbourhood.

After the founding of anarchist squatter city Free Town Christiania on a former military base across town in the Copenhagen harbour, in the 1980s and 1990s Nørrebro was a bastion of political agitation for autonomous communities. Nørrebro was the major site of buildings squatted by the BZ movement, who occupied multiple buildings at various times between 1981 and 1995. Various pro-autonomy, anti-police, anti-EU, alter-globalization demonstrations (including even a party-style Reclaim the Streets event) erupted into full-scale rioting across Nørrebro and the bordering communities at least five times in 25 years, with countless other skirmishes between radicals and the state. At the same time, Nørrebro was the location of a major concentration of non-Western migrants in Copenhagen the bulk of asylum seekers arriving in the 1980s from Iran, Iraq, and the Occupied Territories and in the 1990s from Somalia and Bosnia. In Denmark, it is illegal to register religious affiliation, but it is estimated there are some 170,000-200,000 Muslims in Denmark, about 3.7% of the total population.

In a span of six months both of these local communities—squatters and Sufis, anarchists and aniconists, intellectuals, agitators, adolescents, grandparents—erupted into the streets in the form of unrelated international campaigns of media-aware networking, demonstrations, protests, public pressure, international lobbying and smoldering riots. In January through the summer of 2006 Muslim-majority governments and Islamic diasporas became enraged by what was perceived as blasphemous cartoons published in Copenhagen the previous year by the far-right newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Unleashed by savvy networking of the Danish Muslim community leaders, the rage around the world at the cartoons—often paired with local grievances—resulted in worldwide protests and attacks on the Danish embassies in Lebanon and Syria, resulting in 200 deaths around the world. In December of the same year the youth/squatter/activist/ leftist/punk element raged at the demolition of Unhlushuset—Nørrebro’s center of leftist activism and punk concerts since it was initially occupied in 1984—resulting in rioting in December 2006 and March 2007 [fig. 2]. Seven months after the general rioting ended, BIG’s winning Superkilen project was submitted for the initiative to redevelop a 750m stretch of urban corridor in Nørrebro just down the street from the former site of Unhlushuset, now an empty lot. To this fractured environment, to a district rife with insurgent energies, what could be nicer than a pleasant stroll through a “modern romantic garden”?

Regardless of official Superkilen marketing texts which present itself as a benevolent and positive force, the core program of the park is the integration of Nørrebro residents into controllable behavior. Bjarke Ingels is open about this in the official Superkilen monograph: “This project was all about integration: it was like six months after the riots, after the Mohammed cartoon crisis. It was so present in this neighbourhood, and people in Denmark were suffering a bit from the ambiguity of being tolerant.” BIG’s own tolerance can be questioned, describing Nørrebro as “a potent mixture of frustrated youth culture and maladapted immigrants.” And a tolerance contingent on the maladapted intruders first adopting mainstream so-called “Danish” values. In the tightly controlled appearance of the physical space of the park and the curation of exotic yet banal objects, individual and collective subjectivities are molded. Superkilen “[orchestrates] social behavior by providing scripts for encounters and assembly… by reinforcing relatively stable cues about correct behavior.” As described by Brett Bloom: When you spend time in Superkilen, you are not simply enjoying a public park when you stroll, play a game of chess, or watch your children frolic, you are ‘being creative’ and you are ‘being integrated.’ You are participating, (extremely) in a magic machine for producing individual and collective subjectivities. Superkilen’s is a token tolerance, something to ease the ambiguity of tolerance—a monument to tolerance, which could embody tolerance and thereby alleviate the Danes of that responsibility. Its collection of park items are generally those which “explicitly manifests difference or that better satisfies the expectations of otherness held by neo-exoticism,” Superkilen is replete with an Orientalizing gaze which aims to control the Other by controlling its representation in the neighbourhood, in the press, and within popular consciousness. The Afghan swing has been modified “you can’t go as high in Copenhagen as you can in Kabul,” the Jordanian bus stop sign from the land where “buses never come on time,” some soil from Palestine, uninspiring Cold-War era sculptural plop from Kazakhstan. Even the colours of the Superkilen promotional materials and the park themselves can be a space of activating subjectivities through iconography, ornamentation, and the powerful associations of colour, as seen in [fig. 3]. Superkilen “wants to take credit for pointing out diversity and equate this recognition with supporting it, [the park] and its enablers are paternalistic about democracy, difference, and making city spaces.” The paternalistic microcosm of power relations between Superkilen’s creators and end-users can also be seen on the scale of the continent: Seen as a threat to social cohesion… or to the secular character of European societies… adherence to Islam or declaration of some sort of Muslim identity by Muslims in Europe has come to be viewed as a deficiency, as something that had to be rectified through adaptation to European cultures or to be contained through various forms of exclusion. Featuring prominently in the process of construction of societal insecurity in most European societies, Islam, and more specifically, Europe’s Muslims, have unavoidably borne the brunt of public scrutiny and condemnation. Superkilen’s objective of integrating the maladapted is demonstrative of what Gerardo Mosquera dubbed Marco Polo Syndrome, “[perceiving] whatever is different as the carrier of life-threatening viruses rather than nutritional elements.” There exists a body of academic text describing Denmark as “one of the most staunchly anti-Muslim nations in the west,” just as there exists a smaller, weaker body of academic work (and right-wing popular press) defending “Danish values” and “Danish humour” and criticizing the first critique’s methodology. Thus we can see how this form of cultural xenophobia is a “complex disease that often disguises its symptoms.” The multicultural integration that Superkilen strives for is not an enlightened, postcolonial “new consciousness” but more of “a tolerance based on paternalism, quotas and political correctness.” Rather than an earnest attempt at a multicultural public space or meaningful participatory creation of the park, Superkilen is seen as “a monument to globalization, petroleum, and neoliberal city making [neither] ecologically, socially or environmentally, appropriate to its climate.” Towards these quotas, espousing the accepted and expected rhetoric of human rights and diversity Superkilen responds with empty gestures.

Superkilen is a space which attempts to make capitalism more beautiful while still being purposely ugly enough to avoid accelerating gentrification too much. To paraphrase Vito Acconci, Superkilen belongs to the people and they, in turn, belong to the state, (and perhaps the state belongs to Realdania). As Antoine Picon explains, “to be believable, respected and operative at moments other than those marked by the exercise of sheer force, authority has to be adorned.” The politics of Superkilen can be seen as the articulation of systems of signs and power—the signs of token multiculturalism, urban ornamentation and renewal. Here the ornamentation serves as a reminder of the state’s power to intervene in the urban landscape, and globalization’s ability to “impose homogenized, cosmopolitan cultural patterns built on Eurocentric foundations, which inevitably flatten, reify, and manipulate culture differences.” The subjectivities Superkilen desires for its users replicate and continue the power relationships which programmed their subjectivities in the first place.

Superkilen is a street battle where the postcolonial melancholia of Denmark faces off against the double consciousness of Nørrebro residents. The concept of “double consciousness” refers to an individual’s awareness of both the functioning of idealized roles and their simultaneous exclusion from those systems, “a concept in social philosophy referring, originally, to a source of inward “twoness” putatively experienced by African-Americans because of their racialized oppression and disvaluation in a white-dominated society.” The idea of “postcolonial melancholia” stems from former colonial powers’ malaise in the face of ethic plurality in their own formerly homogenous societies, or as Gilroy explains: “[the] inability to mourn its loss of empire and accommodate the empire’s consequences… the elemental challenge represented by the social, cultural and political transition in which the presence of postcolonial and other sanctuary seeking people has been unwittingly bound up.” Critics point to BIG and Realdania’s selection of trees: non-native species of flora which aren’t appropriate for Danish ecology, glowing red reflections bouncing into adjacent homes, broken and fading furniture, unforeseen expensive repairs, sound system unwanted and unplugged, a folded concrete canopy which was never installed, near-instant graffiti removal while real Nørrebro outside the confines of the park is left to be scrawled upon endlessly … But what if this series of inappropriate selections stem not from a stubborn, paternalistic indifference or a busy starchitect oversight diet of missed details, but rather emanates from a calculating, politically savvy and theory-based gesture specifically aimed at engaging the double consciousness of Nørrebro migrants and their descendants?

MULTIPLE CHOICE (choose all that apply): Superkilen is: ______ insidious, interpassive counter-postcolonial playground interdisciplinary, affectivist, socially-engaged, conceptual art-informed brainwashing relational indoctrination urban renewal de-agit-prop slash marketing campaign slash ornament on the scale of the city slash web app hashtag #onlyincapitalismLOL #wenttobilbaotookselfieinwashroom détournement, détourned! (back into regular ol’ spectacle) + “Globalization is only possible in a world drastically reorganized by colonialism.” 2 scoops of occupied territories, a cynical reflection of the shrinking Palestinian realpolitik now arriving at the bus stop to nowhere: nothing you can’t be a palm tree in Copenhagen

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