#so... may God also punish the people behind this senseless murder | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chiefnooniensingh · 4 years

Text

I Won’t Hesitate (for you) Epilogue

Epilogue: I thank the oceans (for giving me you)

In this chapter: Michael and Alex reflect on that fateful train ride.

A/n: I wasn't going to make you wait a full week for this epilogue! I can't believe it's over you guys, what a wonderful ride! I hope you guys enjoyed it. And if anyone has an au in mind that they want me to ride, hit me up! I'm looking for new inspiration!

As always, a special thanks to Aileen (@acomebackstory), Callie (@callieramics), @hm-arn, @royalshadowhunter, @ladymajavader and May (@eddiediazs) over on Tumblr for their continued support and cheerleading. I don't know if I would've finished it without you guys!

Last chapter hasn't been guessed yet, so give it a go! Can anyone guess this chapter's?

Also on: ao3

other chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

19th of October, 1945

The war was over. Paris had been liberated for over a year, but the war itself had only been over for 5 months. Michael and Alex had recently returned to their city, to find it miraculously undamaged and their flat only marginally ransacked. They’d never had much valuables anyway. They cleaned up their flat, settled back into their lives and it was almost as if the war hadn’t happened.

Alex and Michael had waited out the war in the countryside, living with a large farming family who treated them like their own. In the last year before the liberation, a young child who’d lost both her parents in the camps joined them, and Michael and Alex became her surrogate parents. When they returned to Paris, she came with them.

Alex was looking at her sleeping now, his darling girl, the beautiful and genius Mara. If he hadn’t known she wasn’t related to them, he would’ve sworn she was Michael’s kid. Cheeky, optimistic, chaotic and infinitely smarter than him. Alex loved her so much it ached to look at her now.

It was 4AM. The house was quiet and dark, the autumn chill already creeping in through the windows and the cracks. Alex shivered, gave his daughter one last look and returned to his own bedroom, to his husband in their bed. He crawled back under the covers and pressed himself against Michael, who was always warm and chased away the night chill. Michael jerked awake with a hiss. “Jesus Christ, Alex.”

“Sorry,” Alex muttered, buried his cold nose in Michael’s neck.

“You okay?” Michael asked softly, flipping over and wrapping his arms around Alex. “Why were you out of bed?”

“It’s been ten years.”

Michael looked at the clock on his nightstand and let out a long breath. “It has.”

Alex closed his eyes and curled into Michael’s chest. It was the reason he’d woken up so suddenly. His nightmares only rarely brought him back to that fateful train ride anymore, but tonight they’d come back with a vengeance. On the day Noah Bracken was murdered, setting events in motion that eventually led to Alex letting 8 people get away with murder. “Do you regret it?” It was a question they always asked each other around the 19th.

“No,” Michael said, his voice trembling a little. “Never. None of us,” Alex knew Michael meant the 8 passengers with whom he had committed the crime, “would’ve been able to move on if we hadn’t done it.” Alex nodded. “Do you regret letting us get away with it?”

“No,” Alex said, without hesitation. “Noah Bracken was a monster. He deserved punishment, and the system wouldn’t deliver. You did. It wasn’t just, but it was right.” He sighed, wrapping his arms around Michael and squeezing tightly. “But it’s something I will always have to live with.”

Michael nodded, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Yeah. Me, too.”

Alex looked up at his husband, his heart melting when their eyes met. The ten years since the Orient Express had been kind to him. The curls were still as wild as ever, Michael had even grown them out more, providing Alex with plenty of hair to run his hands through. His eyes were filled with warmth, love and laughter. There were small wrinkles in the corners of his eyes now, and those on his forehead reflected the worries and burdens he’d had to bear these past ten years.

They’d both grown up. Both seen and done stuff they carried with them forever. But they’d fought for their love and their life and they’d won. They’d survived the war and even managed to raise a child together.

“You know, when all is said and done, I’m grateful for that train ride,” Alex said, nudging Michael’s nose with his own.

“What do you mean?” Michael asked softly, nipping Alex’s lips with his.

Alex pressed a kiss to his husband’s mouth and smiled. “Because it brought us back together. Despite the terrible things that happened there, we found each other again. I never thought I’d see you again, and then I stepped on board that train and there you were. You were haunted by the ten years since we’d last seen each other, troubled by the horrible crime you were about to commit. But still beautiful. You were cold and distant, and yet I knew instantly I had never stopped loving you.”

Michael nodded. “I instantly knew that the plan was doomed, when I saw you. I knew I wouldn’t be able to lie to you for too long. For ten years, I loved you from afar and suddenly, there you were, in the most critical moment of my life.” He shook his head. “I’m still impressed with myself I lasted as long as I did.”

Alex laughed. “Well, you never actually told me anything. I figured most things out by myself.”

“You were scarily accurate, I was so proud.”

“The world is built on logic – ”

“ – one just needs to learn to see it,” Michael finished with a smile. “You are still insufferably modest.” Alex just shrugged and snuggled close to his husband again. “I love you, Alex Guerin.”

Alex’s stomach did a summersault, as it did every time Michael called him by his full name. He’d left the ‘Manes’-name behind long ago, but hearing his married name spoken with so much love and adoration that Michael always put into it, always made him giddy. “I love you, too, Michael Guerin.”

Michael leaned in for a kiss, the two of them entwined together in their bed. The kiss started out chaste and loving, but as Alex pulled Michael’s hips against his own, it turned hungry fast. Michael groaned, and Alex felt a burning longing to draw out more lovely sounds. With one swift movement, he pushed Michael on his back and climbed on top of him. Alex pinned Michael’s hands against the pillow beneath him and dove in for another hungry kiss. He pressed his hips down into Michael, drawing out another sweet moan from his throat. “Alex, please,” Michael whined when Alex broke their kiss to trail his lips down Michael’s throat. “Please, my love…”

“I like it when you beg,” Alex murmured, playfully biting at his husband’s earlobe.

“I like it when you get me off,” Michael growled, bucking his hips to cause some more friction between them. Alex gasped and Michael looked victorious. Alex sat up, his hands braced on Michael’s chest. Michael’s hands immediately found purchase on Alex’s hips.

They were both still fully clothed, and that was unacceptable. With a swift motion, Alex got rid of Michael’s shirt and then his own, letting his hands roam appreciatively over Michael’s chest. No matter how often Alex looked upon his naked husband, he never became any less attractive. “God, you’re gorgeous.”

“Yes, yes,” Michael said impatiently, arching off the bed when Alex playfully flicked a nipple. “Now, please, Alex!” He sounded absolutely wrecked, and Alex grinned. They hadn’t even started yet.

Alex bent down and trailed kisses from the hollow of Michael’s throat all the way down to the waistband of his pyjamas. “Don’t move, Michael. You know the drill.” Grabbing hold of the pants, he began, slowly, torturously, pulling the pants down, trailing kissing on newly exposed skin as he went. Michael was panting heavily, his hands fisted in the sheets as he tried to keep himself from grabbing Alex’s hair and kissing him senseless. Alex grinned against the inside of Michael’s thigh, lightly scraping his teeth against the sensitive skin there, causing Michael to shiver. He looked up to see Michael biting his lip to restrain himself, and Alex tutted, sitting up and pulling Michael’s lip from between his teeth. “None of that,” Alex chided, letting a single finger absentmindedly slide up Michael’s cock, with only the lightest of touches. “You know I want to hear you.”

“You fucker,” Michael growled, “God, please, I can’t take it, please, Alex, god damnit, fuck…”

Alex laughed, leaning over to the nightstand to grab the bottle of lube stashed there. He sat back up and moved to sit between Michael’s legs, who spread them eagerly. “Look at you,” Alex whispered. “So eager.”

“Fuck you,” Michael spat, his eyes half-closed with pleasure. Alex enjoyed Michael’s absolutely filthy mouth when Alex was toying with him like this. He knew Michael was enjoying this as much as Alex was.

“I think I’d rather fuck you today,” Alex said, coating two fingers in lube. He bent over Michael, pressed a small kiss to the tip of his weeping cock and then took him in his mouth. Michael let out a string of curses and threw his head back. While Alex was sucking him off, he spread his ass a little wider and gently pushed a single finger inside him. Michael groaned as he felt Alex enter him.

Alex watched his husband closely, watching the familiar and wildly attractive look of ecstasy come over his face. He gently began pushing his finger in and out, allowing Michael to adjust to the presence and waiting as long as needed before pushing the second finger inside as well. Michael let out a wrecked sob, music to Alex’s ears. He hollowed his cheeks around Michael’s cock, and Michael gave a strangled yell. “That’s it,” Alex whispered, letting Michael’s cock pop from his mouth, “let me hear you, my darling.”

“Alex,” Michael whined, looking absolutely wrecked as Alex pushed his fingers into Michael again and again. “Please, I’m ready, please, please, my love…” Michael’s face was flushed with pleasure and despair, Alex felt his own cock throb, desperate to fuck his husband. But he wasn’t going to do anything before he was sure Michael was well and truly ready. So he picked up the lube, dribbled more on his hand and then gently added a third. Michael sobbed. “I love you, I love you, I love you, please, Alex…” he babbled, his head thrashing against the pillow, and Alex knew he was ready.

He fished a condom out of the nightstand and hastened to put it on himself. “Alright, my darling,” Alex whispered, leaning over Michael to kiss him softly, “I got you.”

Michael raised his hips, his entire body begging for Alex to just fuck him already. Alex lined himself up and slowly pushed into Michael, allowing him time to adjust. Michael let out a long, drawn-out moan that made Alex nearly come on the spot. “Oh baby,” Michael croaked out, “Alex…please…move.” He jerked his hips and Alex hissed, pleasure shooting up his spine. Alex obeyed, pulling out and pushing back in, finding a rhythm they had perfected over the last decade, that he knew would unravel Michael faster than anything else. “Yes…” Michael moaned, reaching up to grab Alex’s head and pull him down. Their mouths crashed together, and they kissed sloppily, between moans and heavy breaths, as Alex sped up his movements gradually. “I love you,” Michael whispered, wrapping his arms around Alex and burying his face in Alex’s shoulder. Alex let his head drop against Michael’s shoulder in return, trying to hold off his own orgasm. But he was close. And he could tell Michael was as well.

“I love you,” Alex whispered. Michael’s hips jerked, sending a thrill of pleasure through Alex, making him gasp and bite down on Michael’s neck. Michael groaned. “Come on, baby,” Alex urged him. “Come for me, I want to feel you come for me.” He reached down and wrapped a hand around Michael’s cock. Michael jerked, his hands flying into Alex’s hair.

“So – so close,” he panted. His eyes were locked on Alex, and they looked at each other intently as they drove each other to the brink. Soft ah, ah, ah’s slowly turned to high-pitched whines and soon enough, Michael exploded underneath Alex’s expert ministration. Alex didn’t slow down, but fucked through Michael’s orgasm, now chasing his own. Michael let his hands roam down Alex’s back and grabbed his ass, pulling him even closer. Alex lost all control. Growling, he sped up, so close, wanting…needing. “Come for me, Alex Guerin,” Michael whispered, and that was that on that. For a second, everything went white as he came, shuddering, his arms giving out and falling, wrecked, on top of his husband, who caught him effortlessly.

They lay together, panting, for several minutes, Alex still inside of Michael, neither feeling any inclination to move. “God, that was amazing,” Michael finally said, drawing a laugh from Alex. “It’s like you get better every time.”

“You make me want to be better. Watching you come apart beneath me is…highly arousing.” Alex finally extracted himself from Michael’s embrace, pulling on his bathrobe and padding over to the bathroom to dispose of the condom and clean himself up. He returned with a warm, damp towel and he cleaned Michael best he could, despite the man’s genuine dislike of moving after sex. When they were both a semblance of clean, Alex fell into bed again, wrapping his arms around Michael and closing his eyes. There was light on the horizon, signalling that the day was about to start, but neither felt the need. Friday was their day off, and they wouldn’t have to move until Mara demanded breakfast.

The events of that one week ten years ago would always be a part of them. October would always be a difficult month. But they had each other, they had Mara, they’d made a life for themselves, as good, upstanding citizens. Life wasn’t always easy, but Alex felt that with his husband and his daughter there with him, he could handle anything.

So Alex snuggled closer to Michael and closed his eyes, knowing the nightmares wouldn’t come back today.

He fell asleep, content and happy, with Michael right there next to him. Side by side.

Where they belonged.

#malex #malex ff #rnm ff #malex fanfic #roswell new mexico #Alex Manes #Michael Guerin #a disaster bi and a chaotic gay #what could go wrong #otp:I Don't Look Away #my fanfics #my rnm ff #my malex ff #motoe au

21 notes · View notes

airmom · 7 years

Text

THE ASTEROIDS OF PAIN, LOSS AND ABUSE

- source

◊(5) ASTRAEA

Staying until the bitter end. While this may show someone with perseverance, the asteroid Astraea more often indicates someone who stays in a bad job/relationship/friendship far too long, or doesn’t know when to let go.

◊(6) HEBE

While asteroid Hebe normally indicates service-oriented work, such as clerks, waiters or administrative assistants, I’ve also known Hebe to show up in relationship readings where one of the partners was a slave to the other.

◊(18) MELPOMENE

Grief, loss, mourning. Next to any of the love asteroids (Amor, Eros, Psyche) this can make for disastrous or painful love affairs, and can even indicate death or loss of a partner.

◊(28) BELLONA

Bellona was the Roman Goddess of War. While not necessarily bad (it can stand for an assertive, power-house type of personality, particularly in women), Bellona strongly placed in charts can be extremely confrontational or willing to fight.

◊(55) PANDORA

Pandora is both an asteroid as well as a Moon to Saturn, here we only speak about the asteroid Pandora. Many of are familiar with ‘Pandora’s Box’; this asteroid is named after the very same lady who famously released evil energy into the world by opening a box sent to her by the Gods. Similar to the Christian myth, Pandora was the original woman, fashioned out of water and earth, and of course, everything wrong with humanity is her fault (eye roll).

Pandora’s themes include: curiosity, especially curiosity that ‘kills the cat’, initiating change through curiosity, unintended consequences, caught off-guard, restlessness, rebelliousness, meddling troublemaker.

◊(56) MELETE

Melete is connected to the Greek word for anxiety, and as such, can indicate anxiety disorders, panic attacks and other forms of mental anguish.

◊(60) ECHO

Echo was the fairy-like creäture that fell in love with Narcissus but was ignored and held in disdain by him. Eventually, she became such a shell of a being that all that was left of her was her echo.

When poorly afflicted, Echo individuals do not believe in themselves, copy others, have little original thought, have no self-esteem or self-worth or have a hard time valuing/defending them against narcissistic partners.

◊(71) NIOBE

Grief, sorrows. Niobe loses her entire family.

◊(73) KLYTIA

Jealousy, especially acts driven by jealousy that end poorl, a tattle-tale, a gossip. Desperate, senseless romances. Being in love but being ignored.

Klytia was in love Apollo (or Helios, the Sun God), but he had another lover. Dejected, Klytia told Apollo’s potential father-in-law, who killed his own daughter as a punishment for her actions. With Apollo’s love gone, Klytia hope’s to be snatched up by her paramour – but he once again ignores her, and she withers away on a rock, staring at him, until she dies.

◊(84) KLIO

Asteroid Klio is commonly associated with history, storytelling and writing, so is not a ‘bad’ asteroid per se. However, when asteroid Klio is poorly aspected in the chart, there can be an attachment to ‘history’ or to the story that keeps running in one’s mind, which leads to a type of neuroses about the event, person or situation.

◊(111) ATE

Goddess of blind folly, rashness, infatuation, and mischief. Ate was said to be behind the curse that started the Trojan War. Ate may show where one is likely to respond to real or imagined threats in an exaggerated fashion.

◊(128) NEMESIS

Nemesis, enemy, downfall, revenge.

◊(157) DEJANAIRA

Abuse, violation of physical boundaries, sexual abuse. I have seen asteroid Dejanaira come up time and time again as a reliable indicator of childhood abuse, especially sexual abuse.

See also: Nyctimene (2150)

◊(171) OPHELIA

Although asteroid Ophelia has many themes, many astrologers have noticed a link between this asteroid and accidental drownings.

◊(208) LACRIMOSA

“Weeping”, tears, grief, sadness.

◊(239) ADRASTAEIA

“Who does not flee”; “the inescapable one”. Asteroid Adrastaeia can show those who do not leave abusive situations, or, can show moments and traumas where we were unable to escape, as in the case of abusive childhoods. This asteroid can also talk about areas of wounding we cannot escape, such as alcoholism or drug abuse.

◊(248) LAMEIA

Grief at losing a child, sterility, sleeplessness, trauma, PTSD, intense jealousy from other women, ‘vampires’ (Lameia sucks the ‘lifeblood’ out of young men).

Lameia had affairs with Zeus, and many children from him. Hera killed all of her children as a punishment. She became overcome with grief, unable to sleep, and thereafter alternated between sucking the life out of young men, or murdering other people’s children.

◊(273) ATROPOS

Asteroid Atropos is one part of the “Moira” fates (in addition to Klotho & Lachesis). Atropos as a theme has a relationship to endings of all kinds: relationships, business, death, accidents, and illness.

◊(258) TYCHE

Tyche was the Greek Goddess of Fortune, so when afflicted can show poor fortune or luck.

◊(381) MYRRHA

Can indicate incest, sexual abuse or sexual relationships that go against ‘natural law’ (bestiality, incest, et. al.).

◊(399) PERSEPHONE

Persephone’s story is one of the great myths of Greece. I say great, but as we’ll see, it quickly turns into not so great.

Persephone (aka Proserpina) is attached to her mother Ceres – they are the best of friends and completely inseparable. Persephone is well-known for her beauty, but constantly rebuffs marriage proposals to stay as companion to her mother. One day Persephone is out picking flowers when the God of the Underworld Pluto (aka Hades) kidnaps her; he makes her the Queen of the Underworld. Nice having a title and all, but surely not one’s first choice. To protest, Persephone stopped eating when she was in the Underworld. Eventually, her mother finds her and negotiates a life where she will live above ground 6 months of the year, and below the other 6.

Persephone and Proserpina’s themes are: separation anxiety, separation from the parents, rape, retreating into fantasy after a trauma, loss of innocence, being ‘pulled into the underworld’, PTSD, addictions, abduction, food complexes and/or anorexia, relationships with ‘Plutonian’ partners.

Nota Bene: it’s possible this myth has been twisted, and many people note that in some versions of the myth Persephone willingly went into the Underworld with the dark and sexy Pluto.

Also look at: (26) Proserpina.

◊(407) ARACHNE

Weaving, woven items, weaving things together, jealousy of god-given talents, talents that lead to pain or persecution, arrogance, boastfulness.

Arachne was an incredibly talented weaver, and compared herself to the Gods (and actually, said she was better than them!). She unknowingly challenged a disguised Athena, Goddess of weaving, to a weaving duel. In the end, Arachne can’t go without diminishing the Gods, therefore royally pissing of Athena, who as punishment turns her into a spider.

◊(430) HYBRIS

“Hubris”, excessive pride, arrogance or foolishness that leads to an inevitable downfall. Over-confidence. Any behaviours that challenge the “gods” of your life (parents, partners, bosses).

◊(588) ACHILLES

The asteroid Achilles is one of my key tools, alongside (3811) Karma and (2060) Chiron. Achilles is incredible for highlighting potential areas of deep wounding, or the ‘achilles heel’ of the chart when prominently placed in the natal chart.

◊(638) MOIRA

Moira is derived from the Greek word ‘the fates’. Moira’s location by sign and house can indicate an area of life that is governed by fate or karma. Moira may show ‘negative’ karma in a chart or a very fated life.

◊(849) ARA

Asteroid Ara is only bad, per se, when poorly positioned or afflicted within a natal chart. Normally, asteroid Ara would show where and how one is likely to give aid or be aided by others. When opposed or squared by natal planets, Ara can stand for a lack of aid, care or support.

◊(896) SPHINX

Secrets, hidden things, mysteries. Bill Clinton had the asteroid Sphinx next to the asteroids ‘Paul’ and ‘Monica’. Need I say more?

◊(897) LYSISTRATA

Asteroid Lysistrata refers to the heroine of an infamous Greek comedy of the same name. The women of Greece, led by Lysistrata, led a protest of sexual abstinence against all men until they stopped the perpetual wars.

When badly afflicted, Lysistrata can talk about someone that uses sex as a tool of manipulation or power.

◊(1198) ATLANTIS

Related to the mythical, lost kingdom of Atlantis, asteroid Atlantis can also talk about excessive pride or hubris that leads to a downfall, as well as extinction, cultural snobbery, a sense of imminent doom, expiation; use of karma to rationalize events.

◊(1277) DOLORES

Pains, suffering. Can indicate illness and agony.

◊(1489) ATTILA

Named after Attila the Hun, the famous barbarian warrior. When afflicted, this asteroid can indicate a kind of ruthless, all-or-nothing brutality to winning or victory.

◊(1566) ICARUS

Accidents, excessive risk, gambles that don’t pay off, moving too fast, driving too fast, games of speed/risk. Muhammad Ali had Icarus next to his Sun – talk about speed!

◊(1685) TORO

Aggression, strength and power. Not bad unless afflicted in the chart. I don’t like it when Toro crops up around a personal planet like Venus, as it can sometimes indicate violent or intense and aggressive relationships.

◊(1808) BELLEROPHON

Overreaching, fatal crashes, being disabled or ‘crippled’ in some way.

◊(1866) SISYPHUS

Unending suffering and struggle. Being forced to do the same thing over and over. Draining monotony. Stuck in a vicious cycle of rebuilding.

Sisyphus was punished by being forced to roll a boulder up a mountain every day, only to awaken the next morning and find himself again at the bottom of the mountain. Groundhog Day, for Greeks. He was later freed by Heracles.

◊(1896) BEER

Just like it says on the tin: Beer is commonly found in strong positions in the chart of heavy drinkers, or those who have or have had issues with alcohol.

◊(1912) ANUBIS

Anubis is named after the jackal-headed Egyptian God of the Dead. Often, Anubis strongly placed in a chart means that death is more than a passing issue; death may become the focus or a recurrent theme in the individual’s life.

◊(2102) TANTALUS

‘Tantalus’ is closely related to our modern word, ‘tantalize’. Themes here include: always out of reach, never getting what you want, testing others, taunting others, nearly having it, temptation without satisfaction.

The myth of Tantalus is pretty full-on. Originally known for having stolen ambrosia from Mount Olympus and taking it down to humans (therefore revealing the secrets of the Gods to humans), he then served up his dead son’s body parts to the Gods of Olympus. As punishment, he was kept in a pool of water with branches of fruit above him. Whenever he was thirsty and tried to drink the water, it would evade him; when he felt hungry and reached for a piece of fruit, the branches would lift out of reach.

◊(2060) CHIRON

Chiron was the first centaur discovered and equally the most well-known of the mythical centaurs; arguably Chiron is the most important of all the centaurs. He was the son of Saturn and a sea-nymph. Early on, he is abandoned by his mother (his first ‘wounding’), who is horrified at his half-man, half-human form; he is soon taken to the Sun god Apollo, who teaches Chiron everything he knows about the healing arts. Chiron is later wounded by an arrow from Hercules. The wound never heals despite his healing knowledge, which explains Chiron’s well-known nickname as the “Wounded Healer”.

Chiron’s themes include: the “wounded healer” archetype, learning through suffering, compassion for others’ suffering, resistance to pain, “liminal” reality, pre-birth influences, ancestral influences, exile, healing, transformation.

◊(2150) NYCTIMENE

Nyctimene is a particularly painful asteroid. Nyctimene was the daughter of a prominent man, who is seduced by her father. She hides away in the forest out of shame, and is turned into an owl by Athena (note, that of course, owls are a nocturnal bird).

Nyctimene in a birth chart closely aspecting the Sun, Moon, Venus, or strongly placed in the 5th or 8th Houses has on several occasions indicated issues of incest, rape, and abuse by the father or father figure.

◊(2938) HOPI

This asteroid is named after the Hopi tribe of North America. Hope has astrological significance of ambush, attacks, prejudice, territorial disputes, Native Americans, minority experiences. Ambushes can be psychological as well as physical.

◊(3200) PHAETHON

Phaethon is generally associated with out of control, dangerous behaviour, people that get carried away, car crashes and accidents.

Phaethon was the son of the Sun God, Helios. He asked his father if he could drive the chariot of the sun – but when he took the reigns things span out of control rather quickly. The Sun chariot ended up scorching Africa, accounting for it’s desert areas; eventually Zeus struck him off the chariot to save the world and Phaethon died.

◊(3811) KARMA

Karma, like Achilles and Atropos, is one of my absolute go-to asteroids. Asteroid Karma stands for exactly what it should: Karmic connections, relationships, pain or circumstances that go back lifetimes. Sometimes in life we may feel that certain events were ‘fated’ or pre-told. Asteroid Karma is a great indicator of such energy within a birth chart.

◊(4451) GRIEVE

Grieve, grief, mourning, sorrow.

◊(5335) DAMOCLES

“The sword of Damocles” is quite well known as an expression: in short, it encapsulates the danger that rulers/leaders live with as a by-product of their power. Said another way – with great power comes great responsibility.

Generally in chart readings, I see Damocles in the chart of very powerful and successful people (investment bankers, military generals). On the other hand, their jobs/success/position stifle their ability to have a relationship, spend time with family, or have true friends. This is where asteroid Damocles can come in.

◊(6630) SKEPTICUS

Skepticus means skeptical, skepticism, doubting or discerning. This doesn’t have to be a bad asteroid whatsoever, as I’ve seen it prominently placed in the charts of journalists and researchers, as an example. However, when Skepticus is placed very near to asteroids like the Moon or Venus, the ‘skepticism’ carries over to emotions and/or love, creating an impossible situation.

◊(8690) SWINDLE

Lie, cheat, fraud, steal. Swindle has got it ALL. Would it surprise you if Swindle shows up prominently in the chart of the Donald?

No, no it would not.

◊(26955) LIE

Lies, liars, lying. Not much more to say than that – when you find this little dude in close aspect to someone, run. Especially potent when used to look at charts for business transactions and mergers.

◊(37117) NARCISSUS

I’m sure according to Narcissus, I’ve saved the best for last. Narcissus is naturally named after the infamous Narccissus, who loved himself so much that he became transfixed with his own image and committed suicide when he could not have the object of his desire.

Narcissus obviously talks about grandiose consideration for one’s self, disapproval or disinterest in others, self-obsession and the anger that comes from being spoiled, or not getting what you want.

#LONG POST #ASTEROIDS #ASTROLOGY #AYY #not mine tho mlsmfa;

1K notes · View notes

false-majesty · 7 years

Text

So I’ve seen this one certain meme floating around on my dash, and I thought I might respond to it in one big post and tag all the people who reblogged it (and a few who didn’t).

And so, without further adieu, here’s Aku’s reactions to the deaths of a few people he knows...

Cut for length, graphic violence, and disturbing content. I listened to x x and x while writing this. ;)

Ashi | @tigersteeth

He’d think he could have been there sooner and how he could have protected her; about how he knew Ashi hated him at the start but then eventually came to love him back. And most of all he would think about how she had been right to be wary of him; first he had bitten her, and then he had let her get killed.

And of course, with these thoughts he’d soon be filled with cold fury and determination to set things right. And naturally, with his logic, what else should that entail but a killing spree.

He’d kill the murderer’s loved ones methodically and slowly, and perhaps might even go so far as to present little ‘keepsakes’ of the loved ones—a body part or piece of jewelry, perhaps—for each one that he killed; pushing the murderer ever closer to the brink of insanity just to show them how it felt to lose someone important in their life. And depending on how successful he is at getting them to lose their mind, he might or might not kill them last, making sure they get to see the look in his eyes when he does it...

But when things have finally been paid for in blood, Aku would likely be very cold and professional for a while afterward--years even.

He would be more foul tempered, impatient, callous, and withdrawn; deliberately not letting anyone see how his daughter’s death has affected him. He’d pour his anger into conquering planets and broadening his empire, crushing innocents beneath his heel and curbing revolutions before they even have a chance to start.

To outsiders, this would appear to be something of a reawakening—like watching a dormant monster rise from its own ashes or perhaps a very long slumber only to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting world that had grown fat and sloven with peace.

But when he’s alone, when the nights are cold and long, Aku would probably catch himself thinking about her more often than he’d care to admit.

There would be a statue in her likeness erected alongside his own in the gardens of his citadel and in a few of his major cities.

Rick | @therealricksanchezpleasestandup

If Rick were to die at this particular moment in their canon relationship, when he and Aku are only just now starting to get close to one another:

He would be numb for all of a few seconds as he knelt beside the body and tried to grasp at the fact that Rick was really dead. He’d probably nudge him, trying to make him get up, would check all his vitals, and would yell at him. Anything to get him to wake up.

But when all that fails, he would stand slowly, agonizingly, and turn to face the murderer—madness and revenge burning hot and unmistakable in his eyes as he rounded upon them and would then utterly obliterate them in a tornado of fury—painting their gore on the walls, on the ceiling, and on himself, yet not stopping even when they were obviously dead.

After the fact, he would make suitable arrangements for Rick’s funeral in Aku’s dimension or would probably find some way to contact C-137 Earth to tell his family the news that Rick was dead. Might even be so considerate as to ask about Rick’s friends and deliver the news to them if he could.

But after that, Aku would likely back out of the proceedings; choosing instead to isolate himself—either in his quarters or some other scenic location where he might be able to think—so he could come to better terms with what had happened.

He would alternate between bouts of anger and grief in equal intensity for some time afterward; just thinking about how he not-so-secretly liked him—(could probably have come to love him, if they had been given more time together)—and how Rick was just starting to show signs that he was equally interested. Would probably think about their history as friends (and how Rick was the only real friend he’d probably ever had in his life) and all the time they had spent with one another...

...Would think about saving Rick from himself that one night he had found him on the brink of alcohol poisoning. Would think about sitting beside Rick on the couch watching tv and laughing. Would think about their first adventure when he had saved Rick from the falling rubble of a foreign empire they had worked to destroy...

And at that point he’d likely start to blame himself for Rick’s death and would start to think that his (Aku’s) being hated by the universe had somehow doomed his best friend to a premature death because of mere association. He’d reflect on the fact that bad things always seem to befall those who would get close to him. Especially those that he cares about.

Probably thinks to himself that he might have loved him after all.

He’d be numb and professional for a few years afterward. Not letting himself talk to anyone outside of a professional setting and definitely not letting himself EVER become fond of anyone else the way he had with Rick. He would probably even push away his own daughter for the most part, as he wouldn’t want her to see him so weak and he definitely doesn’t want her to befall the same fate as Rick. Hell, he might even push away Morty and Beth and Summer too if they should try and speak to him about all that happened.

After he’s had some time to come to terms with his grief, he’s probably only a shell of his former self. All kindness and light that knowing Rick had nurtured in him would be dulled so much it’s pretty much nonexistent. At which point he would resume his role as a tyrannical overlord with renewed fervor—conquering planets that had previously given him a hard time simply out of sheer blind frustration.

And why not? He has no other purpose. Nothing else to distract him from the cold reality of what happened.

Visitors to his citadel would ask around about the statue of the scientist erected in the courtyard alongside Aku’s own, and legends would begin to circulate that long ago the tyrant had once felt kindness and love for another...

If Rick were to die during our Fourth Wall Verse (a skype exclusive event, in which Rick and Aku react to the events of canon and love on each other behind the scenes—or are married already):

( We’ve already talked about what would happen, but I’ll pretty much recap a modified version of our conversation since the others don’t know. )

He would go on a blitzkrieg of worlds in his grief, probably annihilating over half of his quadrant before the other gods finally got tired of his senseless violence and would lock him away in the Godly equivalent of a padded room.

After a while of suffering with his memories of Rick, Aku would probably try to beg death from the other gods if only so he could see Rick again and tell him he loved him at least one last time. But the other gods would likely see a better punishment in keeping him alive, to let him think about what he’s done and to let him experience loss like the people who had lost their loved ones through Aku’s actions. However, this plan would backfire because Aku would probably sleep himself into oblivion rather than stay awake and deal with the presence and torment of the other Gods-- as he sees no other reason to be awake, yet alone alive.

At which point he’d have vivid nightmares of Rick’s death and how he hadn’t been there in time to save him; he would dream of Ashi and how she would die a mortal’s death without Aku there to augment her lifespan using his magic; and finally, he might even dream of the sword coming back from wherever it had been hidden and finishing its purpose killing him off.

But instead of shying away from this last dream, he would welcome it; because death would be preferable to living without Rick.

Other than that, he’d probably sleep himself until the end of time.

And why not? He doesn’t have a reason to be awake anymore.

Azura | @curioosity

At the news of her death he’d probably get really quiet, and would ask anyone in the room to leave. At which point he would take out that puppet that Azura gave him and he’d stare at it long and hard, trying to figure out what this strange feeling is that’s trying to creep into his mood (hint, it’s sadness) but he’d probably furrow his brow and incinerate the puppet then and there so he wouldn’t think about her anymore as he recognized the feeling as being something mortal and therefore malignant to his very nature.

He would then dismiss her and her memory from his mind—lest he should become fond of her in her absence--and life would continue as usual as if nothing had changed.

And for Aku? It’s true. Nothing changed at all.

Ryou | @sonxflight

He knows he should be relieved when he finally hears word of his prince’s death, for this not only explains the piercing pain he felt shooting through his chest out of the blue some hours ago-- Ryou’s presence and blood magic leaving him-- but this also means that he can safely go about destroying worlds and empires as he had been meaning to for centuries.

But instead all he feels is numb. He finds himself thinking that he misses him despite their many differences, and that Ryou was his only friend. The only one who understood what it was like to live for so long and watch the world turn around you while you remained unaffected.

Thus, long after the funeral is over and everyone else has moved on, the demon would find himself kneeling at the gravesite just staring at his beloved’s tombstone. Probably lays a hand on it and finally his restraint just snaps and he bows his head and weeps because yes he did love him in life, that although Ryou may have held him to mortal limitations by summoning him out of the darkness the way he had, but he was still his husband-- had still shown him love and compassion when no one else would...

And although he can safely allow Ryou’s empire to spiral into ruin, he keeps it safe anyway. In loving memory of his husband.

Jack | @alwaysfindaway

Before they come to have feelings for one another (ie. their relationship in canon):

Aku would make an example out of the samurai’s death. Posting video and picture evidence of it across all his social media regardless of what women or children might see it as he plastered graphic images of it on billboards and advertisements worldwide; leaving no doubt that this world is once more doomed to the jaws of the beast.

He’d be filled with a curious sense of peace, knowing he doesn’t have anything to worry about anymore as he (undoubtedly) would have hid the sword away in the core of some planet (or sun) whose location was known only to him.

Slowly, rebellion leaders would be picked off and assassinated without the samurai there to defend them, and uprisings would gradually trickle to a standstill while the demon’s scourge slowly siezed the cosmos in terror.

Every year on the anniversary of the samurai’s death--a national holiday--the world grieves for their fallen hero less and less as the years go by, until eventually his memory is regarded akin to a fairy tale.

And still the demon lives on, growing lazy and arrogant and careless as the world withers beneath his claws...

After they come to have feelings for one another:

For a while all he feels in confusion.

On the one hand, he knows he should be happy the samurai is dead, for this had been his goal for so long that to feel otherwise is simply alien. But on the other, he had come to have some marginal fondness for him while they had traveled together. Indeed, he had found his company pleasant and had found his presence soothing-- towards the later half of their time together, anyway.

He’d find himself recalling the nights they had slept beneath the stars, when Jack had not yet known his identity, and how it had felt to hold him as he had never held anyone before or would ever after...

But he’d push these thoughts aside and force himself through the motions of being cruel and victorious in the light of his death, and few would be the wiser for his somehow strained behavior.

After enough time passes, he would slowly come to push his memory aside-- in the hopes that he never fondly recalls the samurai again...

15 notes · View notes

newageislam-blog · 7 years

Text

Indian Muslims: Let us come out of denial

The disconnect is almost total. The police and the national media say one thing. The Muslim Press something entirely different. The national media is rejoicing that the culprits of terror bombings in Delhi, Rajasthan and Bombay have been caught and some killed in an encounter at Batla House in Delhi. Naturally if this is so it is a moment of joy; tinged with sorrow, of course, for the innocent victims of senseless terrorist attacks. But a moment of joy nevertheless, as there will be no more terrorist bombings and blasts taking lives and limbs of innocent people any more.

But the Muslim intelligentsia and Press don’t share this joy. Those caught and killed were Muslim. It is simply impossible for Muslims, practitioners of this great religion of peace, to have been involved in such dastardly acts. The police and the government are out to get our educated youth who are on an upward trajectory, seeking to make something of their lives. This reasoning is being proffered again and again throughout the Muslim Press, in different words and different idioms and different styles, but the story line is the same. The encounter was fake. The celebrated police officer killed was shot from behind, hence by other policemen themselves and not in a genuine encounter. The police story is entirely concocted, the media too is fabricating new stories everyday and they are all out to get us.

Now the police versions have proved wrong and fabricated on many occasions. The national media too, in its race for TRP ratings or circulation, doesn’t care too much for finding out the truth before putting it out. Alleged terrorists and killers are just terrorists and killers, even if they be fathers of murdered daughters, in the new milieu in which our media functions. So treating police-version-based media stories with a bucketful of salt is in order. No one is a terrorist or murderer until proven guilty in a court of law or indeed courts of law as there are superior courts too which sometimes overturn judgments of lower courts. Even in advanced countries of the West with better judicial and investigative systems, people have been found to be innocent, not only after convictions, but also after death sentences have already been carried out. So scepticism is in order and healthy.

But in the case of Indian Muslim intelligentsia and Press, one detects something more than simple, healthy scepticism. It is a state of total denial. One would have thought that with the world media in the last several years saturated with stories of Muslim brutality, of how Muslims are at each others’ and everybody else’s throats nearly everywhere in the world, particularly in the Muslim world, we would have become inured to the idea of Muslims being capable to extreme and senseless violence. But no, we are just victims; the world is out to get us.

We have even forgotten out history. We killed even the best of our Khalifas (successors to Prophet Mohammad PBUH), called Khulafa-e-Rashedeen. Then not long after the Prophet’s death, we killed his grand children and every member of their families, while torturing them with hunger and thirst first, and of course we continued to call ourselves Muslim and great believers in the religion that had been revealed by God to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Indeed half the world called the killers of Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) children Mohammedans until recently. Are we all killers of Prophet Mohammad’s family members? Yes, indeed, as long as we revere their killers, who were scions of the biggest enemies of Islam and the Prophet, and continue to accept their children and grand children as legitimate Khalifas. Indeed we not only killed prophet’s family but also allowed his system of complete equality of all human beings to be subverted. We accepted not only his killer to become his khalifa but also allowed him to set up a dynasty in compete violation of Islam’s basic rule of complete equality of all human beings and a rule by consultation (in short and in modern terminology, democracy). We also allowed the monarchy thus created to create a new institution of clergy, Mullahs and Maulanas, who then fabricated a lot of so-called Ahadees (plural of Hadees, Sayings of the Prophet), as they were unable to bring about changes in the Holy Quran to justify their un-Islamic rule over a so-called Muslim people.

Why is the narration of all this history relevant today? Well, it shows we are capable of total self-delusion. Most of us genuinely believe we are Muslims, while following the religious system created by the inveterate enemies of Islam. All the enemies of Islam joined Islam after Muslim victory over Mecca, following the age-old theory, ‘if you can’t beat them join them’. For once, the Prophet’s insight and intuition failed him. Unable to foresee what was going to be the consequence for Islam and for his own family, he forgave them and let them join the fold of Islam and become equal members of the Muslim society. As a prophet charged with the spreading of Islam he could have hardly refused to take them in his fold. But he could have easily got rid of them by punishing them as war criminals. These people had committed horrendous war crimes, something that is just not acceptable to Islam. They had even mutilated dead bodies of people very close and dear to the Prophet himself. What prophet did was perhaps the greatest act of generosity and forgiveness that history has seen. But the result has been disastrous for Islam. We Muslims have been following a religious system created by inveterate enemies of Islam, in the name of Islam.

This has made us capable of the greatest self-delusion. This attitude permeates all that we do or think. We just won’t accept facts. In the present case it is a fact that a section of Indian Muslims has for quite some time been radicalised enough to want to create an Islamic Khilafat in India and the world. This started, of course, with Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, the founder-ideologue of Jamaat-e-Islami. So this madness has been going on for over half a century. It first infected mostly elderly people but has now travelled down to the young, largely following the fashion in the West and financed by Wahhabi money coming from Saudi Arabia in unlimited quantities since the mid 1970s. Any particular young Muslim has been engaged in terrorism or not we cannot say until evidence against him is presented in the courts of law and a verdict is delivered. But the fact that a section of our youth, particularly the educated ones, have been thinking and expressing radical thoughts cannot be denied.

Is it a crime to think radical thoughts, one young man I was arguing with along these lines asked me the other day. No, I told him, it’s not a crime at all. But if you are known to be thinking and expressing those radical and indeed crazy thoughts, someone may be justified in suspecting you of radical acts and investigating your possible involvement. How does the society know that you have not started walking your talk? The peace and security of the society cannot be jeopardised for the interests of the individual. Some innocents also do and will suffer in the process. That is something the larger society cannot help. It would be best, of course, that we minimize what is known with that horrible term ‘collateral damage’. But the society’s primary interest lies in safeguarding the interests of the entire society.

Let us Muslims come out of our stupor and accept that there is a possibility that some of our youths may have been radicalised, partly out of Islamic fundamentalist propaganda and partly because we elders in the Muslim society, the intelligentsia and the leadership, have not apprised them of the facts of life. We have not given them the bigger picture. We have allowed them to become obsessed with victimhood. We turned the demolition of a disused mosque in 1992 as an issue of our identity. We reacted as if our very religious freedom was at stake. We failed to see and recognise and tell our youth that tens of thousands of mosques, madrasas and dargahs are functioning perfectly well and indeed we are opening new madrasas and building new mosques everyday. We behaved as if we were worshippers of the bricks the Babri mosque was built of and not namaziz who could pray in the wilderness, in the sea, in air, in moving trains, everywhere, for the God we worship is a universal energy, a universal intelligence, supreme wisdom, an abstract, not confined to space and time.

Similarly now we are behaving as if all Muslim youngsters going in for higher education have been rounded up and ‘encountered’. For all we know now, the national media and the police may be wrong and the Muslim Press right in this particular case. If we feel strongly about the innocence of these youths, let us fight their cases in courts of law and also courts of public opinion with all the vigour required. But let us not forget the blessings this country bestows on us. Let us not forget that millions of our youth are going about their business with perfect ease. Millions of us are engaged in the business of our choice. Scores of us have reached the top in the professions of their choice. Even in businesses like film-making and acting that depend for their success on the goodwill of millions of people, Muslims have reached the top. This country guarantees us constitutional equality and protection of the law. The implementation may be faulty, even occasionally prejudiced. Some guardians of law may not understand their constitutional duties and allow their personal prejudices to cloud their judgement. But let us not forget that the system we have is right. We only need to make sure that it performs well.

Think of the Muslim countries in our neighbourhood and beyond. What kind of constitutional rights do they give to their religious minorities? Can a Hindu become the President of Pakistan or Bangladesh? Can a Hindu even build a single temple in Saudi Arabia? Are Muslims, the majority community, fighting for their rights in these countries, as the Hindus, the majority community, fight for our rights here in India? Who brought the horrendous crimes perpetrated in Gujarat to the national and even international consciousness? Surely not the Muslim Press. It was the national and, if you like, the Hindu media that did it. Some Hindus, even at the cost of their patriotism being questioned, seek to fight our case.

And we, what do we do? It is our religious duty to fight for the rights of the oppressed, in a constitutional manner, of course, and within the ambit of the law. We could have at least articulated the grievances of these oppressed people in so-called Islamic lands. But not only we do nothing ourselves, we even condemn and excoriate the one lady who staked her life to highlight the plight of religious minorities in Bangladesh. She should have been our heroine. We should have garlanded her when she sought protection in our land. She has been doing what we should have been doing, fighting for the rights of religious minorities in Bangladesh. But we throw rotten eggs and chappals at her. In fact our elected representatives do that, shamelessly enough, and take pride in that affront.

The so-called Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid — a relic of the Mughal rule surviving on account of a strange fascination of our Hindu leaders with beards — has called for an all-Muslim parties meet on October 14 to discuss the situation arising out of the Batla House encounter. All the bearded fuddy-duddies have accepted and will be deliberating their next course of action. I hope they will remember that the security and future prosperity of the Muslim community depends not so much on the shape of the next government but on the amount of goodwill we have in the hearts of our neighbours from the majority community. It is this that we have been putting at stake by refusing to accept the very possibility of a few hotheads among us taking to the route of evil. We can continue to say that this particular individual is not guilty in our estimation or that this particular police or media theory does not seem right, but if we discount the very possibility of any Muslims being involved in acts of terrorism as we are doing now, we stand to lose the goodwill of our neighbours. That is a much worse situation than that of a seemingly friendly or not so friendly government coming to power or losing power. Governments will come and go. Political parties will gain and lose power. But we have to live with our neighbours; let us not lose their goodwill through stupidity and worse.

Click here: Moderate Islam

Source URL: http://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-and-jihad/sultan-shahin,-editor,-new-age-islam/indian-muslims–let-us-come-out-of-denial/d/807

0 notes

studentofrhetoric-blog · 7 years

Text

Part 2, Friday, April 14th, 2017

International News:

--- "A United Nations expert said on Friday she hoped her visit to Cuba would open the door to a more intense dialogue on human rights and praised the country's social welfare system for reducing Cubans' vulnerability to human trafficking. Communist-run Cuba is generally suspect of inspections by international institutions, and this was the first visit by a U.N. human rights investigator in a decade. "I hope that this will be a stepping point for a more intense and fruitful dialogue with the whole human rights system," said Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, U.N. special rapporteur on trafficking in persons. Cuban dissidents, whom the government considers mercenaries funded by U.S. interests, said it was a positive sign that she had been invited, but only a first step. "It is notable they are not inviting special rapporteurs who look into torture, penitentiary systems, freedom of expression, the functioning of electoral systems, etc," said Elizardo Sanchez, leader of the Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation, which monitors arrests of opponents. Cuba's free healthcare, education and social security systems help reduce vulnerabilities that can lead to trafficking, Giammarinaro told a news conference."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-rights-idUSKBN17G1JK?il=0

--- "Pope Francis, presiding at a Good Friday service, asked God for forgiveness for scandals in the Catholic Church and for the "shame" of humanity becoming inured to daily scenes of bombed cities and drowning migrants. Francis presided at a traditional candlelight Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) service at Rome's Colosseum attended by some 20,000 people and protected by heavy security following recent attacks in European cities. Francis sat while a large wooden cross was carried in procession, stopping 14 times to mark events in the last hours of Jesus' life from being sentenced to death to his burial. Similar services, known as the Stations of the Cross, were taking place in cities around the world as Christians gathered to commemorate Jesus' death by crucifixion. At the end of the two-hour service, Francis read a prayer he wrote that was woven around the theme of shame and hope. In what appeared to be a reference to the Church's sexual abuse scandal, he spoke of "shame for all the times that we bishops, priests, brothers and nuns scandalized and wounded your body, the Church." The Catholic Church has been struggling for nearly two decades to put the scandal of sexual abuse of children by clergy behind it. Critics say more must be done to punish bishops who covered up abuse or were negligent in preventing it. Francis also spoke of the shame he said should be felt over "the daily spilling of the innocent blood of women, of children, of immigrants" and for the fate of those who are persecuted because of their race, social status or religious beliefs."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-easter-pope-viacrucis-idUSKBN17G1KN?il=0

--- "A Palestinian man fatally stabbed a British student on Jerusalem's transit network on Friday, Israeli police said. Israel's ambassador to Britain, Mark Regev, named the victim as Hannah Bladon on his Twitter account, adding that she was "murdered in a senseless act of terror." The incident occurred in a train carriage on the light rail network near the walled Old City. TV footage showed blood on the floor of the carriage with police officers restraining a man and carrying him away. A paramedic for the Magen David Adom ambulance service said the woman had suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead in hospital. The British Foreign Office in London said in a statement: "We can confirm the tragic death of a British national in Jerusalem. We are providing support for her family at this difficult time and are in touch with the local authorities.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-violence-idUSKBN17G0XY?il=0

--- "Marine Le Pen has brought the National Front from fringe status into the political spotlight and made herself a real contender to be France's first woman president and its first far-right leader since World War Two. Since taking the helm in 2011, Le Pen has sought to rid the party of the anti-Semitic image it acquired under the nearly 40-year leadership of her father, ex-paratrooper Jean-Marie Le Pen. The twice-divorced mother of three has positioned the party instead as an anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic force offering protectionist policies to shelter French workers from globalization. Polls have consistently shown Le Pen as one of the favorites to get through the April 23 first round and contest the May 7 runoff. That would be a step further than her first attempt in 2012, when she failed to reach the second round, and equal the achievement of her father, who reached the second round in 2002, only to lose by a landslide to conservative Jacques Chirac. While polls suggest the younger Le Pen would also lose in the run-off, they point to a much closer fight this time."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-lepen-newsmaker-idUSKBN17G18J?il=0

--- "South Korea's military said it believed missiles displayed in a North Korean military parade on the anniversary of its state founder Kim Il Sung included new types of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). The North's leader, Kim Jong Un, attended the parade in the capital, Pyongyang, as a series of missiles, multiple launch rocket systems and rockets were on display, amid questions about U.S. plans for the country and concerns about a possible sixth nuclear test."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-icbm-idUSKBN17H034?il=0

--- "North Korea warned the United States on Saturday to end its "military hysteria" or face retaliation as a U.S. aircraft carrier group steamed towards the region and the reclusive state marked the "Day of the Sun", the 105th birth anniversary of its founding father...The North's warning came as leader Kim Jong Un, looking relaxed in a dark suit and laughing with aides, oversaw a military parade at Pyongyang's main Kim Il Sung square, named after his grandfather, on his birth anniversary. Goose-stepping soldiers and marching bands filled the square, next to the Taedonggang River that flows through Pyongyang, in the hazy spring sunshine, followed by tanks, multiple launch rocket systems and other weapons. Single-engine propeller-powered planes flew in a 105 formation overhead..."All the brigandish provocative moves of the U.S. in the political, economic and military fields pursuant to its hostile policy toward the DPRK will thoroughly be foiled through the toughest counteraction of the army and people of the DPRK," the KCNA state news agency said, citing a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army...KCNA said the Trump administration's "serious military hysteria" had reached a "dangerous phase which can no longer be overlooked". The United States has warned that a policy of "strategic patience" with North Korea is over. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence travels to South Korea on Sunday on a long-planned 10-day trip to Asia. State TV showed North Korea's Pukkuksong submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) on parade with tanks and other heavy machinery in front of Kim Jong Un. It was the first time North Korea had shown the missiles, which have a range of over 1,000 km (600 miles), at a military parade. Displaying more than one of the missiles indicates North Korea is progressing with its plan to base a missile on a submarine, which are hard to detect, said Joshua Pollack, editor of the Washington-based Nonproliferation Review."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-anniversary-idUSKBN17G0WU?il=0

Domestic & International News:

--- "U.S. President Donald Trump's administration declined to name any major trading partner as a currency manipulator in a highly-anticipated report on Friday, confirming a decision to back away from a key Trump campaign promise to slap such a label on China. The semi-annual U.S. Treasury currency report did, however, keep China on a currency "monitoring list" despite a lower global current account surplus, citing China's unusually large, bilateral trade surplus with the United States. Five other trading partners who were on last October's monitoring list - Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Germany and Switzerland - also remain on the list, ensuring that the Treasury would apply extra scrutiny to their foreign exchange and economic policies. The Treasury report recognized what many analysts have said over the past year, namely that China has recently intervened in foreign exchange markets to prop up the value of its yuan currency, not push it lower to make Chinese exports cheaper. Foreign exchange experts told Reuters last week that a manipulator label was unlikely for Beijing."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-currency-idUSKBN17G1JD?il=0

--- "President Trump is abruptly reversing himself on key issues. And for all his usual bluster, he's startlingly candid about the reason: He's just now really learning about some of them. "After listening for 10 minutes, I realized it's not so easy," the president said after a discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping that included his hopes that China's pressure could steer North Korea away from its nuclear efforts. "I felt pretty strongly that they had a tremendous power" over North Korea, he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "But it's not what you would think. That's just one of several recent comments offering insight into what looks like a moderate makeover for an immoderate president. As he approaches 100 days in office, Mr. Trump appears to be increasingly embracing what he describes as his "flexibility" – acknowledging he may not have thought deeply about some of the issues he shouted about throughout his political campaign. Over the past 48 hours, the outsider politician who pledged to upend Washington has:

Abandoned his vow to label China a currency manipulator.

Rethought his hands-off assessment of the Syrian conflict – and ordered a missile attack.

Turned his warm approach toward Vladimir Putin decidedly chilly and declared US-Russia relations "may be at an all-time low."

Decided NATO isn't actually obsolete, as he had claimed.

Realized the US Export-Import Bank is worth keeping around.

"Instinctively, you would say, 'Isn't that a ridiculous thing,' " he said of the bank he once panned as "featherbedding" and pledged to eliminate. He now says of the bank, which supports US exports, "Actually, it's a very good thing. And it actually makes money." Allies describe Trump as merely growing in the job, taking what he's learning and adapting. The White House, however, is struggling to explain some of the changes...Trump, who seemed to remain in campaign mode for months after the election, appears to be listening to different advisers now. His onetime campaign guru, Steve Bannon, has been somewhat marginalized while moderate voices grow louder. It may also be that Trump is merely looking for a way to improve his low approval rating, acknowledging his best tactic could be switching to a less dogmatic, more pragmatic approach."

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2017/0414/As-Trump-sharpens-focus-on-key-issues-surprising-reversals-on-core-campaign-rhetoric

Further information/commentary regarding Trump's change in policy positions: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2017/0414/Why-Trump-s-palace-intrigue-matters

--- "Hackers released documents and files on Friday that cybersecurity experts said indicated the U.S. National Security Agency had accessed the SWIFT interbank messaging system, allowing it to monitor money flows among some Middle Eastern and Latin American banks. The release included computer code that could be adapted by criminals to break into SWIFT servers and monitor messaging activity, said Shane Shook, a cyber security consultant who has helped banks investigate breaches of their SWIFT systems. The documents and files were released by a group calling themselves The Shadow Brokers. Some of the records bear NSA seals, but Reuters could not confirm their authenticity. The NSA could not immediately be reached for comment. Also published were many programs for attacking various versions of the Windows operating system, at least some of which still work, researchers said. In a statement to Reuters, Microsoft (MSFT.O), maker of Windows, said it had not been warned by any part of the U.S. government that such files existed or had been stolen. "Other than reporters, no individual or organization has contacted us in relation to the materials released by Shadow Brokers," the company said. The absence of warning is significant because the NSA knew for months about the Shadow Brokers breach, officials previously told Reuters. Under a White House process established by former President Barack Obama's staff, companies were usually warned about dangerous flaws.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-swift-idUSKBN17G1HC?il=0

--- "Britain’s spy agencies played a crucial role in alerting their counterparts in Washington to contacts between members of Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives, the Guardian has been told. GCHQ first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information, they added. Over the next six months, until summer 2016, a number of western agencies shared further information on contacts between Trump’s inner circle and Russians, sources said. The European countries that passed on electronic intelligence – known as sigint – included Germany, Estonia and Poland. Australia, a member of the “Five Eyes” spying alliance that also includes the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, also relayed material, one source said. Another source suggested the Dutch and the French spy agency, the General Directorate for External Security or DGSE, were contributors. It is understood that GCHQ was at no point carrying out a targeted operation against Trump or his team or proactively seeking information. The alleged conversations were picked up by chance as part of routine surveillance of Russian intelligence assets. Over several months, different agencies targeting the same people began to see a pattern of connections that were flagged to intelligence officials in the US...The Guardian has been told the FBI and the CIA were slow to appreciate the extensive nature of contacts between Trump’s team and Moscow ahead of the US election. This was in part due to US law that prohibits US agencies from examining the private communications of American citizens without warrants. “They are trained not to do this,” the source stressed. “It looks like the [US] agencies were asleep,” the source added. “They [the European agencies] were saying: ‘There are contacts going on between people close to Mr Trump and people we believe are Russian intelligence agents. You should be wary of this.’ “The message was: ‘Watch out. There’s something not right here.’”"

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/apr/13/british-spies-first-to-spot-trump-team-links-russia?CMP=twt_gu

Domestic News:

--- "President Donald Trump nominated former Republican lawmaker Scott Garrett as president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States on Friday, completing an about-face over an institution he had denounced as "featherbedding" for big business. A White House statement also named Spencer Bachus, another Republican former congressman, to be a member of the board of directors of the bank. Both were named for four-year terms. Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday he would fill the two vacancies on the bank's five-member board that have prevented it from having a quorum and being able to act on loans over $10 million. His picks must gain approval from the Senate, which blocked nominees by former President Barack Obama. The Export-Import Bank, an independent government agency, provides loans to foreign entities that enable them to purchase American-made goods. For example, it has been used by foreign airlines to purchase planes from Boeing Co (BA.N) and farmers in developing nations to acquire equipment. The bank has become a popular target for conservatives, who worked in Congress to kill the institution, arguing that it perpetuates cronyism and does little to create American jobs."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-eximbank-idUSKBN17H003?il=0

--- "United Airlines said on Friday it is changing its policy on booking its own flight crews onto its planes after a man was dragged off an overbooked flight to make way for a United employee on Sunday, video of which went viral and made the airline the target of global criticism and ridicule. The airline, owned by United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N), said it would make sure crews traveling on their aircraft are booked into seats at least 60 minutes before departure. It said the new policy would ensure that a situation in which a passenger is forcibly removed from a plane does not occur again. United said the change is an initial step as it reviews policies in order to "deliver the best customer experience." The passenger ejected from the plane, David Dao, suffered a significant concussion, broken nose and lost two front teeth in the incident, and will need reconstructive surgery, according to his attorney, Thomas Demetrio, who has signaled that Dao will likely sue the airline. United's board said on Friday the company had to craft policies to win back customer trust and apologized to Dao and his family. It added that it stands behind Chief Executive Oscar Munoz, who has been under fire in the wake of the incident. Munoz has said he has no plans to resign. Even before this week, Munoz was under pressure from activist investors to improve the airline's performance, including its customer relations."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ual-crew-idUSKBN17H00M?il=0

--- "As knowledge moves from pages to pixels, many of America's public libraries have broadened their mission. Take, for example, the Boston Public Library, which occupies a full city block in the Back Bay neighborhood. Its imposing granite Johnson Building underwent a $78-million facelift last year, receiving larger windows, higher ceilings, and an LCD screen art installation behind its Information Desk...“We’re trying to really define what is meant by a library in 2017,” says Jessica Elias, one of the BPL’s curriculum development coordinators...Some libraries, like the BPL, enjoy large municipal budgets to support their operations. But in struggling urban neighborhoods and small rural towns, the costs of just keeping the lights on or fixing a leaky roof can shutter a library. The Trump administration's proposals to eliminate government funding for the IMLS, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts could force many of these institutions to make hard choices in coming years. To solve this problem, David Rothman is asking the super-rich to create a national endowment for libraries...However the federal budget process turns out, David Leonard, president of BPL, expects private funding to prove more necessary as library patrons seek ever-more expensive services. “As we see a shift towards people wanting to see libraries do more programming [and] more classes, we're going to need even more of those dollars available,” Mr. Leonard says of private philanthropy. “And the hope is that it will be in addition to – and not have to be a replacement for – city, state, or federal money.”...“It is very tempting, when one looks at the erosion of public support, [to] say, 'well, let's turn to the rich people, and they can solve things.' ” explains Professor Marker, who also founded Wise Philanthropy, a philanthropy advisory and education firm. “But in fact ... there is no ability of private support to take the place of public support.” Even an annual endowment payout of $1.1 billion would only mark a 9 percent increase over the $12 billion that US libraries took in as revenue in 2014. While that could offset some federal budget cuts, most experts say that support for libraries needs to be a robust combination of public, private, and government funds."

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/2017/0414/Why-libraries-could-soon-need-a-national-endowment

#international affairs #domestic affairs #source: reuters #source: the Christian science monitor #source: the guardian

0 notes