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elbiotipo · 1 year

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A Polish game company just released a game about Aztecs killing Castilian conquistadores... Curious about what the reviews say, I've seen some stuff on twitter about the cities not being too accurate

I've taken a quick look at it. Gotta keep in mind this is still in development, so things can change...

Very unpolished (pun unintented) gameplay. It's fine if it's a small indie team, but I always find the clash between the ultra-realistic Unity graphics and the weird gameplay jarring

While I haven't played it, there's a plot, apparently, where your warrior can decide to choose to support "the strangers who want to free us from the priests that kill our brothers and sons"... it's... ehh.

...Let's not whitewash it, human sacrifice was awful, and lots of Aztec-conquered peoples allied with the Spanish against the Aztecs (though a debate on how much was it political expedience and how much was disgust with human sacrifice, which seemed to be widespreadly accepted in Mesoamerican culture, could take us for whole pages). But the way the whole thing is worded tells me that they aren't gonna approach this with too much nuance.

Especially now that you can choose to be a conquistador and kill natives. Yeah.

Yes, the cities look like ruins. It seems that they have based their setting in current ruins (in fact, from a brief look, they seem more Mayan than anything) than actual Tenochtitlán when it was at its peak. The whole "Native Americans lived in rainforests with some temples sticking out" is a trope that repeats itself again and again. These were urban cultures, those cities should be full of stuff, art... I can forgive the excuse that it's after the fire of Tenochtitlán, but it still feels like they wanted you to play in the ruins of a civilization, not the civilization itself.

Overall, it seems that the devs got a concept, it was very poorly thought out, and just went with it. If you're making a "natives vs. colonizers" videogame, you should double down in your research and presentation, this is a very delicate topic you're presenting. It just reeks of a half-baked game with some very, very eurocentrist popular history thinking behind of it, intentional or not.

I'm reminded of the Age of Empires II Aztec campaign, where you could also play as the Aztecs and drive out the Spanish. Based, yes, sure, but the units were the same as any other, with metal-plated armor Aztec soldiers and catapults against the Spanish (to be fair, the devs did give American units some flavor to distinguish them from the Old World, and because of limitations, pretty much everybody had to share the same sprites). But still, it is an interesting piece of history you could show, but you can't be this sloppy about it.

By the way, the Incas resisted the Spanish conquest for decades after the fall of Atahualpa, and they even laid siege to Cuzco using European equipment and were close to retaking it, the last Inca state (Vilcabamaba) was only conquered in 1572, almost thirty years after the death of Atahualpa. Now THAT'S an interesting campaign for a strategy game. There could have been many points (even leaving aside the Tupác Amaru rebellion) where the Incas could have expelled the Spanish or regained independence.

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 7 months

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

November 17, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

NOV 18, 2023

In an NPR piece yesterday, Bill Chappell noted that “the war between Israel and Hamas is being fought, in part, through disinformation and competing claims.”

Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas’s leadership team currently in Qatar, told Ben Hubbard and Maria Abi-Habib of the New York Times that Hamas’s goal in their attack of October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists crossed from Gaza into Israel and tortured and killed about 1,200 people, taking another 240 hostage, was to make sure the region did not settle into a status quo that excluded the Palestinians.

In 2020 the Palestinians were excluded from discussions about the Abraham Accords negotiated by then-president Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner that normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain (and later Morocco). More recently, Saudi Arabia and Israel were in talks with the United States about normalizing relations.

Al-Hayya told the reporters that in order to “change the entire equation and not just have a clash,” Hamas leaders intended to commit “a great act” that Israel would respond to with fury. “[W]ithout a doubt, it was known that the reaction to this great act would be big,” al-Hayya said, but “[w]e had to tell people that the Palestinian cause would not die.”

“Hamas’s goal is not to run Gaza and to bring it water and electricity and such,” al-Hayya said. “This battle was not because we wanted fuel or laborers,” he added. “It did not seek to improve the situation in Gaza. This battle is to completely overthrow the situation.”

Hamas media adviser Taher El-Nounou told the reporters: “I hope that the state of war with Israel will become permanent on all the borders, and that the Arab world will stand with us.”

Hamas could be pretty certain that Israel would retaliate with a heavy hand. The governing coalition that took power at the end of 2022 is a far-right coalition, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to hold that coalition together to stay in power, not least because he faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

Once it took power, Netanyahu’s government announced that expanding Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank was a priority, vowing to annex the occupied territory. It also endorsed discrimination against LGBTQ people and called for generous payments to ultra-Orthodox men so they could engage in religious study rather than work. It also tried to push through changes to the judicial system to give far more power to the government.

From January 7 until October 7, 2023, protesters turned out in the streets in huge numbers. With the attack, Israelis have come together until the crisis is resolved.

Netanyahu’s ability to stay in power depended in large part on his promises that he would keep Israelis safe. The events of October 7 on his watch—the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust—shattered that guarantee. Polls show that Israelis blame his government, and three quarters of them think he should resign. Sixty-four percent think the country should hold an election immediately after the war.

Immediately after the attack, on October 7, Netanyahu vowed “mighty vengeance” against Hamas, and Israeli airstrikes began to pound Gaza. On October 8, Israel formally declared war. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the country’s retaliation would “change the reality on the ground in Gaza for the next 50 years,” and on October 9 he announced “a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed…. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.”

Israel and the U.S. have strong historic and economic ties: as Nicole Narea points out in Vox in a review of their history together, the U.S. has also traditionally seen Israel as an important strategic ally as it stabilizes the Middle East, helping to maintain the supply of Middle Eastern oil that the global economy needs. That strategic importance has only grown as the U.S. seeks to normalize ties around the region to form a united front against Iran.

For Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and other envoys, then, it appeared the first priority after the October 7 attack was to keep the conflict from spreading. Biden made it very clear that the U.S. would stand behind Israel should Iran, which backs Hamas, be considering moving in. He warned: “[T]o any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word: Don’t.”

The movement of two U.S. carrier groups to the region appears so far to be helping to achieve that goal. While Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthis have fired missiles and drones at Israel since October 7, Iran’s leaders have said they will not join Hamas’s fight and are hoping only to use the conflict as leverage against the U.S.

Militias have fired at least 55 rocket and drone strikes at U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since October 7 without killing any U.S. soldiers. In retaliation, the U.S. has launched three airstrikes against militia installations in Syria, killing up to seven men (the military assesses there were not women or children in the vicinity) in the third strike on Sunday. The U.S. keeps roughly 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 troops in Iraq to work with local forces to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State.

At the same time that Biden emphasized Israel’s right to respond to Hamas’s attack and demanded the return of the hostages, he also called for humanitarian aid to Gaza through Egypt and warned Netanyahu to stay within the laws of war.

Rounds of diplomacy by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who flew to Israel and Jordan initially on October 11 and has gone back repeatedly, as well as by Biden, who has both visited the region—his second trip to a war zone—and constantly worked the phones, and other envoys, started humanitarian convoys moving into Gaza with a single 20-truck convoy on October 21. By early November, over 100 trucks a day were entering Gaza, the number the United Nations says is the minimum needed. Yesterday the Israeli war cabinet agreed to allow two tankers of fuel a day into Gaza after the U.N. said it couldn’t deliver aid because it had run out of fuel.

The U.S. has insisted from the start that Israel’s military decisions must not go beyond the laws of war. Israeli officials say they are staying within the law, yet an estimated 11,000 civilians and Hamas fighters (the numbers are not separated out) have died. Gaza has been crushed into rubble by airstrikes, and more than a million people are homeless. That carnage has sparked protests around the world along with calls for a cease-fire, which Israel rejects.

It has also sparked extreme Islamophobia and antisemitism exacerbated by social media. In the immediate aftermath of October 7, Islamophobia inspired a Chicago man to stab a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy to death; more recently, antisemitism has jumped more than 900% on X (formerly Twitter). On Wednesday, Elon Musk agreed with a virulently antisemitic post on X. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded: “We condemn this abhorrent promotion of Antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans.” Advertisers, including IBM and Apple, announced they would no longer advertise on Musk’s platform.

While calling for humanitarian pauses in the fighting, the Biden administration has continued to focus on getting the hostages out and has rejected calls for a cease-fire, saying such a break would only allow Hamas to regroup. In The Atlantic on November 14, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who negotiated a 2012 cease-fire between Hamas and Israel only to see Hamas violate that agreement two years later, explained that cease-fires have only kicked the can down the road. “Israel’s policy since 2009 of containing rather than destroying Hamas has failed,” she said.

Clinton called for the destruction of Hamas on the one hand and “a new strategy and new leadership” for Israel on the other. “Instead of the current ultra-right-wing government, it will need a government of national unity that’s rooted in the center of Israeli politics and can make the hard choices ahead,” she wrote.

Central to those choices is the long-neglected two-state solution that would establish a Palestinian state. Biden and Blinken and a number of Arab governments have backed the idea, but to many observers it seems impossible to pull off. Still, at the same time Clinton’s article appeared, King Abdullah II of Jordan published his own op-ed in the Washington Post titled: “A two-state solution would be a victory for our common humanity.”

“[L]et’s start with some basic reality,” he wrote. “The fact is that the thousands of victims across Israel, Gaza and the West Bank have been overwhelmingly civilians…. Leaders everywhere have the responsibility to face the full reality of this crisis, as ugly as it is. Only by anchoring ourselves to the concrete facts that have brought us to this point will we be able to change the increasingly dangerous direction of our world….

“If the status quo continues, the days ahead will be driven by an ongoing war of narratives over who is entitled to hate more and kill more. Sinister political agendas and ideologies will attempt to exploit religion. Extremism, vengeance and persecution will deepen not only in the region but also around the world…. It is up to responsible leaders to deliver results, starting now.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Letters from An American #Heather Cox Richardson #Israel #HAMAS #Israel-Hamas war #war #history #diplomacy #war of disinformation #islamaphobia #anti-semitism

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plethoraworldatlas · 30 days

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Note: This article includes graphic descriptions and images of violence.

International rights groups and leaders who for months have demanded a cease-fire in Gaza expressed renewed horror as images emerged from Israel's Sunday bombing of a tent camp that had been set up by forcibly displaced Palestinians in Rafah, with women and children making up the majority of the 45 people who were reportedly killed in the attack.

Emergency workers toldNBC News that the death toll was likely to rise, as many people had been trapped in the encampment as it was engulfed in flames.

NBC reported that the strike took place less than a mile away from a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical facility, where at least 180 injured people arrived on Sunday.

"We are horrified by this deadly event, which shows once again that nowhere is safe," said MSF on social media.

Muhammad Al-Mughir, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defense, told NBC that the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood that was attacked had been designated a "humanitarian area" in Rafah, from which more than 800,000 people have been forcibly displaced this month as Israel has launched a ground invasion. More than 1 million people have been forced to flee to Rafah since October, when Israel began its siege in Gaza.

The bombing came two days after the International Court of Justice issued its latest order to Israel regarding its assault on Gaza, telling the government that it "must immediately halt its military offensive or any other action in the Rafah governorate" and that the ICJ was not convinced by Israel's claims that it was taking steps to protect civilians.

Israeli officials offered familiar statements regarding the attack, saying the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had been aiming for two senior Hamas leaders, that it had made efforts to prevent civilian harm, and that reports of the refugee camp going up in flames were "under review."

Humanitarian leaders around the world were not convinced, with Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, saying Israel's latest "cruelty, along with blatant defiance of the international law and system, is unacceptable."

...

Groups that have repeatedly condemned the assault on Gaza demanded that the U.S. government immediately end its financial and political support for Israel. The U.S. is the largest international funder of the IDF, and approved $17 billion more in military aid in April as President Joe Biden warned that a full-scale offensive in Rafah would be a "red line" that would force the White House to halt its support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"This U.S.-backed massacre of civilians is a direct result of the Biden administration's enduring political and military support for Israel's genocide in Gaza," said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, on Monday. "The Palestinian child shown without a head would still be alive today had our government not offered Israel's far-right government unceasing support for the slaughter of Palestinian civilians and the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Those who support genocide are just as guilty as those who drop American-supplied bombs on civilians."

Awad called on Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and the U.S. Congress to "show a shred of humanity and change course."

As major news outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post buried the news of the attack under unrelated stories, journalist Mehdi Hasan condemned the silence of the Biden administration and the "U.S. political and media establishments."

"The (lack of) reaction to the scenes of sheer carnage, burned refugee bodies, and decapitated babies coming out of Rafah tonight from the U.S. political and media establishments is nothing other than the normalizing, the banalizing, of genocide," said Hasan.

#palestine #us politics #israel #rafah #biden administration #joe biden #war crimes #graphic violence

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dustedmagazine · 1 year

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Dusted Mid-Year 2023, Part One

Meg Baird photo by Rachael Cassells

It’s halfway through another year, and while that doesn’t seem possible, the trail of good-to-excellent releases argues otherwise. We celebrate as always by picking our favorites and then forcing them on unsuspecting colleagues. The Dusted Mid-Year Swap is almost entirely random, with assignments picked from a bowl and limited options for getting out of them. It’s also one of our most popular features, both internally and among our readers.

Although we don’t pursue consensus — and in fact, quite the opposite, we value the diversity of taste and opinion among our writers — some years we have a clear winner. Out of deference to our most dominant mid-year artist ever, we call them “this year’s Heron Oblivion.” In 2023, that’s especially appropriate since the artist that won the mid-year is also in Heron Oblivion. That’s Meg Baird, whose Furling captured the affection of a broad spectrum of writers. Yo La Tengo was the closest behind, with punkish The Drin and drone-experimental Natural Information Society also in the hunt.

But while we agree sometimes, at others we don’t, and you’ll notice that a good sprinkling of writers were not entirely on board with their assignments. That’s okay. It’s good for us to hear stuff we don’t like, too. It’s part of a balanced musical diet.

We begin with the first half of the alphabet with artists from Algiers to James Ilgenfritz represented. Check back tomorrow for the second half and the next day for our writers’ lists.

Algiers — Shook (Matador)

Shook by Algiers

Who nominated it? Andrew Forell

Did we review it? Yes, Andrew wrote, “Switching organically between punk, gospel, soul, hip hop, jazz and afro-futurism, Algiers speaks directly to a world under siege.”

Jennifer Kelly’s take:

On this tour de force, Algiers doesn’t so much blend African American musical styles as find the sinews and tendons and veins that connect them. “Everybody Shatter” alone morphs from minimalist techno beat to menacing rock to old-school hip hop shout-crossing call and response, and that’s just the opening salvo. The guests run the gamut from current hip hop phenom Billy Woods to DC punk mainstay Mark Cisneros to free-jazz sax experimenter Patrick Shiroishi, with a startlingly moving bit of poetry at the end from Glory Fires front man Lee Bains. “Comment #2” records an unnamed young woman wondering why the discourse about black America focuses so much on suffering, rather than the hope and joy and resilience that her community also manifests. Shook soaks up all elements of that multi-faceted experience, with fierce joy, unrelenting honesty and surges of pure musical exhilaration. Powerful stuff.

Arrowounds — In the Octopus Pond (Lost Tribe Sound)

In The Octopus Pond by ARROWOUNDS

Who nominated it? Tim Clarke

Did we review it? Yes, Tim wrote, “The sounds and how they’re treated go a long way towards mustering a unique, shadowy atmosphere, which is sustained throughout the album’s 45 minutes.”

Christian Carey’s take:

Ambient’s revival has lasted longer than its initial incarnations and cast a wider net as to the music it encompasses. Releases like In the Octopus Pond by Arrowounds (Ryan Chamberlain) demonstrate why this can be all to the good. An example is the use of a repeated post-rock riff, sustained synth lines, and samples of water in “Spectral Colours of Science,” a standout. In another melange,“Phosphene Silver Abyss” pits a loping bass riff against glissando-filled distorted electric guitar and subdued keyboards. An engaging listen throughout.

Meg Baird — Furling (Drag City)

Furling by Meg Baird

Who picked it? Jennifer Kelly

Did we review it? Yes, Tim Clarke wrote, “Welcome to one of the first great records of the young year.”

Jason Bivins’ take:

I’ve actually been living with and loving this record for many months now. Baird’s got an extraordinary voice and a real knack for both songwriting and arranging. There’s a compelling argument to be made that Furling is her strongest recording. From the outset, it’s clear that this is music that is intimate and reflective and admirably uncluttered. Chords or arpeggios shine through without excess, with gentle strumming and a light touch on the snare making a nice slide for Baird’s angelic voice to glide down. Often she layers her voice, harmonizing way up there over gentle guitar, but she also sinks right in between the chords here and there. Some tracks, like “Star Hill Song,” dial into conventional song-form more than others, but there’s always a gorgeous blend of the earthy and the ethereal. Star-skirling guitars glide atop a tasty pulse, or spare piano grounding textural clouds, always focused on Baird’s somewhat breathy voice and distinctive vibrato. In all my listening, I don’t even focus too much on the lyrics, which only float up for me on occasion. I just allow myself to be hypnotized by the unpretentious beauty of this music.

Big Blood — First Aid Kit (Ba Da Bing/Feeding Tube Records)

First Aid Kit by Big Blood

Who picked it? Bryon Hayes

Did we review it? Yes, Bill Meyer said, “Their production has a steam-pressed quality, as though the background instrumental sounds had all been ironed onto the tape. Voices and drums, however, jump out of the mix, which suits the songs’ sturdy hooks.”

Ray Garraty’s take:

The opening track “In My Head” might fool you that this is a modern take on rockabilly and 1990s indie pop, something that is not easy to stomach in large quantities. But things change drastically after that, with “Haunted”, possibly the best track on the whole CD. A bit of Sparks, a bit of Kate Bush, a bit of your favorite bedroom pop band, Big Blood is a mix of all that but with a twist. First Aid Kit sounds lo-fi enough not to be too grandiose and tiring and clean enough not to fall into the category of bedroom rumblings made for a few friends. The choruses are haunting you, indeed, and stick in mind for days. It closes with a track called “Weird Road Pt. 1,” and it is a weird road for sure. Weird and just great.

BIG|BRAVE — nature morte (Thrill Jockey)

nature morte by BIG|BRAVE

Who picked it? Jonathan Shaw

Did we review it? Yes, Jonathan said, “The title of nature morte might reference death, but this music is frightfully, joyfully and overwhelmingly alive.”

Bryon Hayes’ take:

There’s heavy music that attempts to pulverize your grey matter into oblivion, and then there’s nature morte. This is music that gets under your skin with its dual guitar wall of noise and its sludgy rhythms. What’s really arresting is the intensity of Robin Wattie’s vocals, and how she transitions from a measured attack into all-out screaming almost instantaneously. I don’t usually thirst for music on the heavier end of the spectrum, but I found myself strangely attracted to this record. Images of EMA covering Nirvana’s “Endless, Nameless” kept swirling through my head as I digested the record for the first time. The maelstrom conjured by the two guitars, the pounding of the drums, and Wattie’s almost pleading vocals coalesce into a near-crystalline molasses that somehow manages to flow with enough sweetness to appeal to all manner of listener. Even if you tend to enjoy softer sounds, you should give this album a spin.

Cellow — Ghetto Takeover (Jugg$treet)

youtube

Who picked it? Ray Garraty

Did we review it? No

Jason Bivins’ take:

An EP should be concise, a marker of method and style on the journey to completing a larger project. Or, it should whet the appetite by introducing a new voice, the promise of distinction. Cellow’s six-song, eighteen-minute slice from earlier this year is, by contrast, somehow meandering. On the final track, he proposes: “Let’s do a tape in a fucking night.” Which, apparently, is actually how this project came together. And oof, does it sound it. The production is dated and drab, the beats pedestrian, and the rhymes predictably grandiose and misanthropic in equal measure. For example, he boasts, “that’s a 2012 Benz, not a spaceship” and “I just got $200 for an 8th of Splenda.” He fat-shames women, disses Obama and otherwise romps over his “clown-ass” competitors. If only he were actually compelling as a verbal stylist. But no: after yet another “Strange Fruit” sample on “Ain’t Come to Play,” he fumbles the attempted double-time spitting. It’s embarrassingly undercooked and awkward, especially the two tracks without Rio Da Yung OG.

Elkhorn — On the Whole Universe in All Directions (Centripetal Force)

On The Whole Universe In All Directions by Elkhorn

Who nominated it? Bill Meyer

Did we review it? No.

Christian Carey’s take:

For their latest recording, On the Whole Universe in All Directions, Elkhorn (acoustic 12-string guitarist Jesse Shephard and electric guitarist/percussionist Drew Gardner) explore each principal direction of the compass (North-South-East-West) on four tracks. The vibraphone is a new addition, and the textures created by vibes and 12-string in combination on “North” and “South” are mesmerizing. Splash cymbals and alternate scales provide a (perhaps inevitable) exoticism to “East.” Correspondingly, “West” shares minimal folk inflections and a winsome melody. Elkhorn has executed a successful transformation.

Robert Forster — The Candle and the Flame (Tapete)

The Candle And The Flame by Robert Forster

Who picked it? Jennifer Kelly

Did we review it? Yes. Andrew Forell wrote, “Forster’s observational directness and simple language are always in service to the deep feeling in his songs and few better imbue the quotidian joys of domestic life and the power of memory with such poetry.”

Patrick Masterson’s take:

Not being much of an ardent Go-Betweens fan, I went into The Candle and the Flame with little expectation beyond the notion that Forster would be chronicling the relationship with his wife, who was diagnosed with and got treated for ovarian cancer around the three years these songs were conceived. What I can’t help but admire is how he throws you akimbo right away with “She’s a Fighter,” which attacks the illness directly and immediately (with the help of the whole family, even!) in a rollicking folk-punk style. Duly done and dusted, Forster turns his attention to the deeper reserves of their personal history, reminiscing about meetings in Germany and walking to school in the ‘60s and the general weathering of life in a more relaxed, fittingly contemplative manner. You can tell without knowing anymore than I did that he’s been doing this long enough that songwriting comes naturally to him by now no matter the topic — an artist with an innate gift honed over decades that shines best at its most unvarnished.

Asher Gamedze — Turbulence and Pulse (International Anthem/Mushroom Hour Half Hour)

Turbulence and Pulse by Asher Gamedze

Who picked it? Andrew Forell

Did we review it? Nope

Ian Mathers’ take:

This is a very good record that I feel like I got a few mistaken impressions of! The blurb on the Bandcamp page talks a lot about percussion in a way that made me think this was going to be more beat-centric, and then the opening almost-title track “Turbulence’s Pulse” does go in that direction, combined with a speech about the intersection of rhythms, history and politics. It kind of rules, and then the record pivots on “Wynter Time” to what sounds to my (admittedly not-super-genre-savvy) ears like a pretty straightforward jazz track. Not that Gamedze’s drumming isn’t vital to those proceedings, and it continues to be impressive throughout, but we get a lot more of that latter mode over these 80 minutes (including 20 minutes of live versions of tracks from this album, which may be catnip to real heads but to relative novice me don’t stand out enough to want both). But neither “it’s a bit long for me” or “it’s not exactly what I expected” are big complaints, and they’re more than outweighed by the quality of Gamedze’s playing and the rest of the ensemble, especially Robin Fassie on trumpet and Buddy Wells on tenor saxophone, who wound up drawing a lot of my focus. When things get moving on “Locomotion” and “Out Stepped Zim” the results are great, even if I could also love a record more directly in line with “Turbulence’s Pulse.”

Jana Horn — The Window Is the Dream (No Quarter)

The Window Is The Dream by Jana Horn

Who recommended it? Tim Clarke

Did we review it? Yes; Tim wrote, “Horn weaves in an undeniable magic. Much like the soap bubble on the album’s cover, hold this music up to the light and it refracts a surprising array of beautiful colors.”

Jonathan Shaw’s take: The variety of wispy, delicate, singer-songwriter music that Jana Horn makes generally puts me to sleep—a fact for which I am grateful, since prolonged exposure to qualities like “wispy” and “delicate” isn’t a happy event for me. And to be sure, Horn’s mannered, near-expressionless alto—full of little gulps and breathy intonations that are simultaneously arch and bloodless—is mildly irritating. But setting those subjective responses aside, there are things to admire on The Window Is the Dream. Horn has a distinct compositional sensibility, which is affecting in direct proportion to its spareness. See the music of “Old Friend,” which skitters and halts, but maintains its sense of grace and composure. The arrangement builds some momentum, and when Horn cuts it all off, with peremptory force, it’s satisfying. Throughout the record, Horn demonstrates that musical sense for timing and mood; see especially the overlay of dissonances that emerges after the careful combinations and constructions of the opening three minutes of “In Between.” But for this listener, Horn’s singing cancels those urgencies and complexities. I get it: the contrast between her prettily blank vocals and the music’s by-turns dreamy and antsy textures will please some. But these precise, calculated gestures don’t make any magic for me.

James Ilgenfritz—#entrainments (Infrequent Seams)

#entrainments by James Ilgenfritz

Who nominated it? Christian Carey

Did we review it? No

Bill Meyer’s take:

Here’s a record that’s well within my wheelhouse, but which I had skipped over on account of there being a lot of music out there. It turns out that #entrainments deeply rewards investigation. It succeeds at being an engaging listen as well as formally creative. Bassist/composer James Ilgenfritz hasn’t just crafted some appealing melodies, he has made them part of a system of meta-responses that can be restructured on the fly. His combo, which includes drummer Gerry Hemingway, alto saxophonist Angelica Niescier and cellist Nathan Bontrager, is tuned into the multiple levels at which this music needs to work, and sounds equally persuasive realizing the cut-and-thrust of “#frontmatter,” which reminds me in a good way of old Henry Threadgill records, and the chamber combo with dissenting drums treatment of “#squarequotes.” A comprehensive review of this album would delve deep into its backstory of health travails and compositional strategizing, but since we’re keeping it brief, suffice to say that if you like your jazz sturdy, nuanced, and inclusive, #entrainments will deliver the goods, and follow them up with a bounty of bonuses.

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yr-obedt-cicero · 2 years

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26. Who do you think is a forgotten hero we should know about and admire?

Thaddeus 👏 Kosciuszko 👏

Andrzej Tadeusz Bonaventura Kościuszko ( 1746-1817 ) - more commonly known as Thaddeus Kościuszko - was a Polish general, military engineer, abolitionist, and revolutionary. He fought in the American Revolutionary War, and also in an uprising in his home country. He was a great and tactical Brevet, who actually ended up saving the Americans twice from the British. And had a great love for coffee, apparently.

One of my favorite stories about him; is in the spring of 1777, Kosciuszko was attached to the Northern Army under Major General Horatio Gates. He reviewed the defences of what had been one of the most formidable fortresses in North America, his surveys prompted him to strongly recommend the construction of a battery on Sugar Loaf, which was a high point overlooking the fort. His recommendation, in which his fellow engineers agreed with, was turned down by the garrison commander, Brigadier General Arthur St. Clair. Which would later prove itself as a shitty mistake, because when the British army under General John Burgoyne arrived in July 1777, Burgoyne did exactly what Kosciuszko warned of, and had his engineers place artillery on the hill. Since the British were in complete control of the high ground, the Americans realized their situation was hopeless and abandoned the fortress with hardly a shot fired in the siege of Ticonderoga. The British advance force had assisted them in leaping up a few steps of the outnumbered and exhausted Continentals as they fled south. Major General Philip Schuyler was desperate to get his men further away from the British. He ordered Kosciuszko to delay the enemy, and Kosciuszko designed an the greatest solution; his men chopped down trees, dammed streams, and destroyed bridges. The British began to slow down, giving the Americans the time needed to safely escape across the Hudson River.

Additionally, he was a true abolitionist and believed wholly in equality. He was friends with some notable figures like; Thomas Jefferson and John Laurens. Who supposedly shared his ideals of human rights. But Kosciuszko was very close with Jefferson, so when Kosciuszko wrote a will in 1798, dedicating his USA assets to the education and freedom of the American slaves, he asked Jefferson to carry it out. But when Kosciuszko eventually returned to Europe and lived in Switzerland until his death in 1817, the execution of his testament later proved “difficult”, and Jefferson never used the funds for the purpose Kosciuszko wished for.

He's a great figure, and I definitely suggest reading up on him!

#amrev #american history #american revolution #polish history #thaddeus kosciusko #tadeusz kosciuszko #history #queries #sincerely anonymous #ask games

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 2 years

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The U.S. Capitol attack was a crime unlike any in American history. But for some of the defendants accused of crimes related to the riot, it's only been the beginning of their legal troubles.

A CBS News review of U.S. Justice Department court filings shows a growing number of Jan. 6 defendants have been arrested again, for subsequent crimes involving guns, drugs and domestic abuse. The new charges complicate their ability to secure lenient sentences in their cases related to the rioting on Jan. 6, 2021, and they potentially jeopardize attempts by other Capitol riot defendants to secure pretrial releases in their cases.

The Justice Department has charged approximately 870 people with crimes in relation to the Capitol attack. A small percentage — several dozen — are being held in pre-trial detention. Thirty of the defendants are being detained in the Washington, D.C., jail.

In one example, U.S. Navy reservist Hatchet Speed, who is accused of joining a group of Proud Boys as he went to the Capitol on Jan. 6, is facing two separate prosecutions.

The Justice Department charged Speed in June for his alleged involvement in the Capitol breach. In charging documents, prosecutors alleged Speed blamed Antifa for breaking windows. He also allegedly accused then-Vice President Mike Pence of betrayal and said, "It should have gotten to the point where Nancy Pelosi should have resigned out of fear for her life. That's what should have happened."

Speed has pleaded not guilty to four federal charges in his Jan 6 case. But while awaiting trial, he's been indicted on a series of additional charges in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Prosecutors alleged Speed unlawfully possessed firearms silencers and also made a series of firearms purchases after Jan. 6, 2021, in what they called a $50,000 wave of "panic buying."

Prosecutors alleged an undercover FBI agent met with Speed in February. During the meeting, prosecutors alleged Speed's comments "included statements that glorified violence, expressed admiration for convicted domestic terrorists, and justified the use of violence in furtherance of his anti-government and anti-Semitic beliefs."

In court filings in the Virginia case, prosecutors said, "Speed also made comments sympathizing with domestic terrorists Eric Rudolph and Ted Kaczynski." They alleged that "Speed made comments discussing his admiration for Adolf Hitler, describing Hitler as 'one of the best people that's ever been on this earth' and stating that he 'really want[s] somebody like Hitler to stand up and say, we're going to stand against this moral incineration that we're seeing in the western world.'"

The charges in Virginia complicate the serious legal jeopardy Speed faces from his alleged involvement in the Capitol riot. In addition to a Sept. 30 hearing and potential trial in his Capitol attack case in Washington, D.C. federal court, Speed faces arraignment on Sept. 22 on the firearms charges in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va.

In the wake of his arrest and criminal charges, prosecutors have asked the federal courts to order conditions forbidding the defendant from possessing firearms, destructive devices, or other weapons, and imposing home detention and location monitoring. Speed's defense attorney declined comment.

Another Virginian arrested in a U.S. Capitol riot case has also been arrested on new charges since then.

Kene Lazo, who was arrested in May 2021 for his role in the Capitol siege, was arrested again three months later in Norfolk, Va., on domestic violence charges.

Lazo pleaded guilty earlier this year in the Capitol riot case. He was sentenced to 45 days in prison. At sentencing, prosecutors argued that on Jan. 6, 2021, Lazo wore an American flag cape, carried a Captain America-style shield affixed to a small wooden-handled broom, and he wore what appeared to be a black tactical vest and body armor.

As part of their argument to secure a prison sentence for Lazo, the Justice Department argued Lazo had a criminal history outside of the Capitol riot case, including the Aug. 2021 arrest and subsequent conviction for domestic violence. Details of the domestic violence case were included in initial court filings by the Justice Department, but later sealed from the public docket.

Lazo's defense attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

University of Maryland law professor Michael Greenberger said the unique politicization of the prosecutions related to Jan. 6, including by former President Donald Trump, increases the risk of recidivism by some of the defendants. Greenberger said the ongoing denials the 2020 election results by some political leaders and the talk of future pardons for Jan. 6 defendants by Trump "leaves these bad actors with little doubt that they will ultimately be forgiven—if not lionized."

Greenberger said, "Reality, however, is likely to settle upon those guys when they are ultimately sentenced or resentenced to many years in jail."

The arrest and investigation of Elias Costianes in his Jan. 6 case led federal agents to conclude that he committed other crimes at his home in Maryland. In an affidavit submitted to the federal court in Baltimore, an FBI agent said investigators executed a "Capitol riot warrant" at Costinanes' home in Feb. 2021.

According to the affidavit, during the execution of the warrant investigators "Searched the basement of the residence and—consistent with COSTIANES's statement — found four firearms: a Glock Model 17 9mm pistol, a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 semi-automatic rifle, a Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a Remington Model 870 shotgun. Although the Glock and the Smith & Wesson were registered to COSTIANES, the other two firearms were not."

The FBI affidavit said agents also found a hypodermic needle in the couch cushions of Costianes' home and four vials that each contained a clear substance and were labeled Testosterone Enanthate, which the court filings identified as a controlled substance under federal law. Costianes is scheduled for a March 2023 hearing on the gun and drug charges in Maryland U.S. District Court.

His next court date in his Capitol riot case is set for October. In his Jan. 6 case, Costianes is accused of entering the second level of the Senate chamber, overlooking the Senate floor. He's changing defense lawyers, according to defense attorney Joseph Conte, who was originally representing Costianes in both cases.

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therubyreader · 2 years

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See previous year's reading journeys

Book Goal: 30 50

Read So Far: 61

Books to Be Read:

Dark of the West - Joanna Hathaway

Books Read this Year:

These Violent Delights - Chloe Gong ~ Review

Our Violent Ends - Chloe Gong ~ Review

The Nature of Witches - Rachel Griffin

Of Cages and Crowns - Brianna Joy Crump

Gods of Jade and Shadow - Silvia Moreno Garcia ~ Review

Foul Lady Fortune - Chloe Gong ~ reread ~ Review

Anatomy: A Love Story - Dana Schwartz ~ Review

American Royals - Katharine McGee ~ Review

Ever the Hunted - Erin Sumerill

Ever the Brave - Erin Sumerill

Once a King - Erin Sumerill

Serpent and Dove - Shelby Mahurin

Six Crimson Cranes - Elizabeth Lim ~ Review

Last Violent Call - Chloe Gong ~ Review

The Dragon’s Promise- Elizabeth Lim

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo ~ Review

Skin of the Sea - Natasha Bowen

Soul of the Deep - Natasha Bowen

Siege and Storm - Leigh Bardugo ~ Review

Ruin and Rising - Leigh Bardugo ~ Review

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo ~ Review

Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars - Leigh Bardugo

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater ~ Review

The Dream Thieves - Maggie Stiefvater ~ Review

Blue Lily, Lily Blue - Maggie Stiefvater

Rule of Wolves - Leigh Bardugo

The Raven King - Maggie Stiefvater

Call Down the Hawk - Maggie Stiefvater

Mister Impossible - Maggie Stiefvater

Greywaren - Maggie Stiefvater

Caravel - Stephanie Garber ~ reread ~ Review

Legendary - Stephanie Garber

Finale - Stephanie Garber

The Poppy War - R. F. Kuang

The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Hawthorne Legacy - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Final Gambit - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare ~ reread

Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare ~ reread

Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare ~ reread

Legendborn - Tracy Deonn ~ Review

Bloodmarked - Tracy Deonn

The Shadow of Perseus - Claire Heywood

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins ~ reread ~ Thoughts

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins ~ reread

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins ~ reread

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes- Suzanne Collins

The Atlas Six - Olivie Blake

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara - S. Jae-Jones ~ Review

House of Salt and Sorrows - Erin A. Craig

Foul Heart Huntsman - Chloe Gong ~ Review

Atalanta - Jennifer Saint

The Enchanted Hacienda - J.C. Cervantes

Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros

This Vicious Grace - Emily Thiede

The Curse of Saints - Katie Dramis

Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night - Amélie Wen Zhao ~ Review

The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan ~ reread

The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan ~ reread

The Titan’s Curse - Rick Riordan ~ reread

#tbr #January tbr #2023 books #2023 reading challenge #2023 reading journey

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booksandwords · 1 year

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Map: Exploring the World by Victoria Clarke

Read time: 2 Days Rating: 4/5 Stars

The Quote: There are many different kinds of map. Part science, part artistic design, the map as a concept is complex and ever changing, encompassing a range of different forms of graphic expression and display. — John Hessler

Most of this review will just be a list of my favourite maps or notable inclusions and some interesting quotes. Honestly, this is a hard book to review purely because it is what it says on the tin, a collection of maps. Let's all be very honest here Map is a book for a particular kind of person. There are a number of fields that may find it of interest but for most people, it is just something that would not appeal. Some groups of people I think this might appeal to, the obvious is those with an amateur interest in cartography (ie the intended audience), those with an interest in anthropology, potentially art fans, or those looking to fill a reading prompt. It is an appealing coffee table book though, there are some really nice and unusual pairs of illustrations that you are likely to find anywhere else. Of the categories I listed I'm actually the anthropology (though I am using it for a prompt too).

To give you an idea of the layout of the book. For the most part, the maps are presented in sets of two. Each set is tied by having a similar topic, style or theme, though very few have similar colour themes. In most cases, the maps were created decades or longer apart. Each map is captioned by the title, year of creation and artist/ cartographer on one line. The second line has the materials it's made of and on, its dimensions and where it is currently housed. Under this is an approximately 200-word write-up on the map, its importance and the creator. I was reading this at night and found it to be quite like watching a match of tennis or test cricket (sometimes at least). Just one more game, just one more over or in this case just one more page. I found it to be quite a calming read. That said there are quite a lot of random facts I didn't know. Like where Brazil got its name from, a tree.

From here the review just devolves into a list of maps and quotes.

Olafur Eliasson's real-time neon light Daylight Map is the first one that made me this I have to mention this

City of Anarchy by Adolfo Arranz is a brilliant cutaway of Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong

1247s A Map of the Stars by Wang Zhiyuan is stunning

Survival Map 1992-1996 (The Siege of Sarajevo) is such a dichotomy. It is a brightly coloured beautiful thing for a very dark time in human history.

Willamette River, Oregon by Daniel Coe is a gorgeous map and the colouring is fantastic.

Map of Days is a wonderful idea for a self-portrait by Grayson Perry.

Mapping the Brain by the Human Genome Project is a whole other way to present the human brain and I want it on my wall

The embossed Map of Maine is gorgeous and I want to such it.

The interactive Iceland Illustrated is a fantastic

In 1989 the-then American Cartographic Association recommended that rectangular projections should not be used at all for general-purpose world maps, but Peters' contention that we should scrutinize the way we predict the world remains valid. (p.156)

I have never seen the Upside Down World Map and I live in Australia.

I really like A Map of Vesuvius. It is a good way to show the impact of a lava flow.

“Few rulers have had as much reason to fear their enemies as King Henry VIII" — (p.176) Truer words have never been spoken.

Carta Marina is so stunningly detailed. I wish I could see it in all its in-person glory

Chicago, USA is just a smart piece of design work

Any given place holds an infinite number of things that can be mapped. An individual neighbourhood has streets and houses and parks - all of which we might expect to see on a map. But it also has power lines and Christmas lights and sounds and graffiti and people with their own aspirations and all this can be shown cartographically if we simply take the time to collect the information." — (p. 193)

This isn't the first map I've seen of Mecca but it is probably my favourite, its the colouring

Serio-Comic War Map for the Year 1877 by Frederick W. Rose is humorous.

"named Bom Bahia (good bay) by the Portuguese, Bombay was ceded by Portugal to Englan as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry when she married Charles II of England in 1661" — (p.226) How did I not know this? I mean I'm not surprised it was all to do with marriage and dowries but I didn't know

Locals and Tourists by Eric Fischer is a wonderful project idea. I'd love to see it done in other cities. Also, I like the colour choices.

The Earth Seen Through the Sphere of the Stars by Andreas Cellarius is so pretty and so intricate it looks like it belongs on a ceiling somewhere.

2MASS Redshift Survey by John Hurchra, Thomas Jarrett and others I also want on my wall. It's mapping light wavelengths look it's pretty ok.

The Court Game of Geography c. 1840-3 by W. & H. Rock is a fantastic deck of cards and I want it. I would love to see the whole deck, the book only has one suit (hearts, Europe). Honestly, I think we could use this again now.

#maps #victoria clarke #exploring the world #ktreviews #read 2022 #book review #non-fiction #booklr

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rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world · 15 days

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@ccrjustice Today, Palestinians bring their case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that courts must be able to decide whether U.S. officials are complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The court has a constitutional obligation to hear these claims.

The Biden Administration claims foreign policy decisions are within their discretion and are not subject to judicial review. But the executive has no discretion to violate the law - it is up to courts to say what the law is, and whether the executive is violating it.

U.S. support is not only crucial but essential for Israel to continue its crime of genocide in Gaza. Billions of dollars in U.S. arms make this genocide possible. We must demand an end to our government’s complicity in the ongoing siege on Gaza.

The plaintiffs are two Palestinian human rights organizations - Defense for Children International - Palestine (@dcipalestine) and Al Haq (@al_haq_organization), three Palestinians in Gaza and five Palestinian-Americans with families in Gaza.

We are proud to stand alongside Defense for Children International - Palestine and Al Haq, our individual Palestinian clients Ahmed Abu Artema, founder of the 2018 Great March of Return, Dr. Omar Al-Najjar, a 24-year-old intern physician at Nasser Medical Complex, and Mohammed Ahmed Abu Rokbeh, field researcher as well as Palestinian American clients with families in Gaza Mohammad Monadel Herzallah, Laila Elhaddad, Waeil Elbhassi, Bassim Elkarra, and Ayman Nijim in seeking an end to U.S. complicity in this genocide, which is now in it’s ninth month.

#palestine #human rights #free palestine #gaza #free gaza #israel #us imperialism #usa #joe biden #anthony blinken #war crimes #gaza genocide

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watching-pictures-move · 1 year

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Movie Review | The Package (Davis, 1989)

This review contains mild spoilers.

When I'd watched Under Siege and Above the Law, I'd assumed that their politics had come primarily from Steven Seagal. I'd assumed Seagal and director Andrew Davis had been hanging around on set and Seagal had been hinting to Davis that he'd totally, for real, involved in some secret black ops type stuff that he wasn't allowed to talk about but that it was totally a bad thing that these secret black ops guys were allowed to do bad stuff, man. This was in between Seagal hinting that he was totally, for real, involved with the Sicilian mafia and talking up his total, for real, Italian heritage. And Davis would politely nod along, for fear of pissing off the Ponytail, and try to get back to filming. But based on The Package, maybe Davis held some of those politics too, because while this is one of many CIA-related thrillers and action movies made and set during the Cold War, it actually is less than thrilled with the CIA and expresses a healthy skepticism about clandestine operations.

The conspiracy plot here, without revealing too much, is a dark mirror image of thawing U.S.-Soviet relations. If the heads of both governments can come together in the name of peace, so too can the more hawkish elements in their administration to keep the war going. Which means, among other things, that this is the kind of movie where you get actors playing real life historical and political figures. To that end, I will say that the guy playing Gorbachev does bear a resemblance to the real deal, but while I assume the American president was supposed to be George H.W. Bush, the guy playing him looks more like FDR. (Davis would improve in this regard in his next movie Under Siege by getting the man himself.) I think he would have been more convincing as H.W. if he were accompanied by somebody playing Dan Quayle. Maybe he could have given a speech. "This disarmament treaty between the U.S. and the Soviet Union is a lot like a tomatoe." At which point he presumably would have been heckled by the press.

Anyway, this is a pretty entertaining watch, in large part because Davis is really good at handling intricate plots. This is maybe not as relentless as The Fugitive, but there's some nifty juggling of story threads, particularly a Chekhov's gun involving an undercover man that pays off with a literal gun. He also makes great use of locations. This was mostly shot in Chicago (standing in for a few other places). Unlike many other CIA thrillers set in sexy foreign locales, the action here takes place in shitty looking streets during the winter when everything is drab and grey. But you get the sense that this is a living, breathing city that these spies are running around in, so that when action erupts, like an ambush in a crowded bar, it has an added kick.

And of course there's the cast. Gene Hackman might not be anybody's idea of an action hero, and the movie keeps him from doing anything too physically strenuous, but as usual, he imbues this character with a lifetime of experience without doing a lot to spell it out, making what could have been a stock role into a real human being. The look of sheer contempt he gives to his captor when given milk and cookies is priceless. And Joanna Cassidy, who like Hackman imbues some real humanity into a role that could have been a plot device in a lesser movie (the early scenes between them make it clear why they're ex-husband and ex-wife). And you got Tommy Lee Jones as the assassin, having a ball in his dryly humorous way, and a very punchable John Heard as a slimy CIA guy (I assume his rank is chief asshole). And just when you think the movie couldn't get any better, it drops in Dennis Franz in a classic Dennis Franz role as a gruff but principled cop, a cherry on top of this conspiracy thriller sundae.

#film #movie review #the package #andrew davis

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npdbenrey · 2 months

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BENNY ALBUM REVIEW NUMBA 4

the junkyard 2 - 9/10

💛 sweet hibuscus tea 7/10 pretty good lyrically, lacks a bit of substance but overall i like it. good song

🧡 american healthcare 7/10 i like it but i prefer the glitzy version on public void more

❤️ lavender 9/10 OH WHAT AM I GONNA DO WHEN YOU LEAVE ME TOO WHAT AM I GONNA SAY WHEN YOU WALK AWAY 😭😭😭😭😭😭

🧡 baxter 3rd is under fucking siege 8/10 i have sm history with this song penelope scott i love you

❤️ mommy fwiend 9/10 "consent's about more than just your cock and the government" PREACH GIRL PREACH

🧡 you should know 8/10 oh my god this song is so full of emotion i love it

❤️ hammerhead 9/10 god penelope scott you really know how to write

❤️ lukewarm 10/10 i couldnt pass a turing test if i had the answer sheet

❤️ montreal 9/10 this song makes me want to rip my heart out girl how do you do this

🩵 phones 4/10 ???

#album review #the junkyard 2 #penelope scott

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zooterchet · 2 months

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Contributions to Children's Safety (The Batman)

Batman: The removal of amphetamines from the market; the proof of the amphetamine bully's mother, as The Invisible Woman, abused by the husband. DSS, shifts from the child, to the mother. DARE.

Batman Forever: The shutdown of Enix Games, as having portrayed the influences of a child, as a played character; with the nemesis, as the player recruited. The return to honor, between the United States Marine Corps, cop killer bully victims, and the Royal Marines, heraldry expert Gypsy pot dealers.

Batman and Robin: The creation of the Patriot Act, the refusal of medical doctors practicing on the streets, and the return of medicine to corporate laboratories, with power above the police forces; instead fed out of federal government laboratories; insurance no longer necessary, instead paid by federal healthcare measures out of Congress. A draft, of all citizens, to fight the War on Terror, and rebuild our Republic, under Lafayette's rules; a Second American Revolution.

Batman Begins: The full scale warfare on campus, between dozens of drug dealers at UMass-Amherst, the Group Captain's MI-6 unit, and the local FSU forces, the drawn units of Israeli knighthood from Boston Extra-Range. The long siege of decades, between British Intelligence, families binding and uniting in corporate ties, and Boston FSU, the Peruvian Shining Path. The legalization of marijuana, under Canadian purviews of monopoly removed, the Iranian-Mullahs of Israeli Likud; instead handed to American lawmakers, on the discovery of poisoning by Holland.

The Dark Knight: The print of dozens of pieces of cinema, from an early age, opposing the HBO MAX print of cinema, the self print out of MUSH offices, the latter printed out of View Askew. The war, between the common box office, the people, and the achieved medical supplement, the mental patient. The question of mental illness, as either the brutalized and lucid, or the lobotomized and computerized. The ATF seeking justice, for victims of Canada, in a system the Lords of Parliament did not suspect existed, until the 7/7 bombings. A demand of honor, between the CIA, and the IDF, with the Mossad deciding, if one or the other was noble, only both passing to be a clearance of psychiatric chapter.

The Dark Knight Rises: The cycling of internet passwords, on blocked servers, and the test of actual social circles, to determine the internet; however if isolated, the common justification, of own study and work, to escape the pit, the same as the CIA, to breed oath between the accounts economist division, and the KGB, the housing hygiene commission; the determination of local jurisdiction, both of them demanding the same; a dedicated task, to occupy housing, otherwise isolation, and if the same, a deft hand, to prove the common independence. The hardest test of life, the common observance, impossible for the pedophile, the product of the parent as the same, the arranged marriage. A homosexual father, therefore death.

Batman Returns: The war between Reuters, the undercover cop on media review, and the common force, the loosely arranged common citizen. The question, of the actual force of ingram, as the cop being human, otherwise the cop inhuman, treating fellow officers as inhuman, machines. The teacher, as a lively and willowly bough, the broken as the singular to approach as tool, not as friend, hence a pedophile. The suit as the support of others, to stand in court, and if otherwise, the imbibed or inebriated, to hold no consequence, refusing to communicate in private discourse with an agent, therefore ignored. Hence determined, illiterate, not qualified for records if searched, or if politician believing falsely, a refused election among own expected base.

Suicide Squad: Those of skin color drafted, having refused to support the common imposition, hence any of a foreign nature, betrayed, but however if loyal, not through film and common idol, instead in actual theory of department. If disbelieved, the film, the eternal test, to see if one is fit to serve by associates. Otherwise, dead, nothing more.

#batman #constantine #batman-comics #exalted #dune #matrix

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