#Balfour Road

[insidecroydon]

Spinster sisters' life-long service to the Girls Friendly Society

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: A small brass plaque in a corner of Croydon Minster was only the beginning of the story of a life of service to the church and community, as uncovered by DAVID MORGAN Honoured: the plaque to Ethel Cooper, in the Lady Chapel at Croydon Minster On the wall of the Lady Chapel in Croydon Minster is a small brass memorial, dedicated to Ethel Cooper, who died in 1936. The wording…

[solarpunkwitchcraft]

"When the British Empire occupied Palestine and set about implementing the Balfour declaration, the fossil fuel of the day was not coal. It was oil. Promising deposits had been located in the countries bordering the Persian Gulf, and the central industrial project of the Mandate came to be the pipeline that brought crude oil all the way from Iraq, across the northern West Bank and the Galilee, to the refinery of Haifa. The Mandate as such cannot be understood outside the deepening control over the region in the pursuit of oil; and the Mandate used oil to reallocate land from Palestinians to Jews. In his forthcoming Heat: A History, a wonderfully rich history of high temperatures and fossil fuels in the Middle East, On Barak shows, among many other things, how the Yishuv wrested citrus production from Palestinians by linking up with the most modern circuits of technology: irrigating their orchards with fossil-fuelled pumps, loading their fruits on lorries, sending them over roads to ports, offloading them onto steamers to the European market – a symbiosis with the fossil empire by which the natives could be squeezed out of their iconic citriculture. The Mandate authorities systematically privileged the building of roads between colonies. Oil-based infrastructure tilted Palestine in the direction of the settlements on the coastal plains and further towards their patrons on the other side of the ocean."

[aimeedaisies]

Court Circular | 16th January 2024

St James’s Palace

The Princess Royal, Patron, Police Treatment Centres, this morning visited Castlebrae Treatment Centre, Castleton Road, Auchterarder, Perth, and was received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross (Mr Stephen Leckie).

Her Royal Highness, Vice President, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and Former Patron, Heart of Arabia Expedition, this afternoon attended a Reception at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Lord John Murray House, 15-19 North Port, Perth, and a Presentation at Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, Perth.

The Princess Royal later opened the Vertical Farm Engineering Innovation Centre, Intelligent Growth Solutions Limited, Unit 19, Belleknowes Industrial Estate, Admiralty Road, Inverkeithing, and was received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Fife (Mr Robert Balfour).

[thehummingbirdpost]

Jewish Voice for Peace Advocates for Palestinian Rights

Dale Colleen Hamilton

edendale24@gmail.com

April 2024

My friend Esther Farmer has lived in Brooklyn her whole life. Her parents, Palestinian Jews, immigrated there in the 1920s. Her father, a politically progressive activist, was labelled a communist and black-listed, making it difficult for him to find work. Her mother was way ahead of her times and her support for the Palestinian cause was loud and often fierce and she battled sexism fearlessly.

Esther calls herself culturally Jewish, religiously atheist, politically non-Zionist and passionately pro-Palestinian. She’s been involved with Palestinian rights organizations for decades and is on the leadership committee of Jewish Voice for Peace, whose membership has exploded since the war on Palestine began. Their protests have attracted thousands of people and have included shutting down Grand Central Station and the Manhattan Bridge.

On my recent visit to New York City, I went with Esther to several pro-Palestinian anti-war demonstrations. She says there’s some form of pro-Palestinian protest almost every day, so there were plenty of choices. While I was there, she did a reading from a book she co-edited, A Land with People as well as several zoom presentations. She lives and breathes Palestinian rights these days. One of the most moving things I’ve heard her say is that her grandmother told her that Palestinians, Jews and Arabs used to live just fine together in Palestine, until in 1917 the British decided, in their imperial “wisdom,” to "declare" that Palestine should be a Jewish state through the Balfour Declaration.

The first protest we went to was intended to take place in front of the Brooklyn home of Chuck Schumer (Democratic Senate Majority Leader) but police in riot gear blocked his street. Schumer is being targeted, in part, because he was given over $100,000 in campaign contributions by pro-Zionist AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee). In response to the police blockade, the effigies of dead swaddled children being carried by the protesters were laid at the feet of the police. And the protesters read aloud a list of 64 names of dead Palestinian children. These names represented one tenth of one percent of the children killed since Oct 7th. It would have taken 24/7 for 2 days to have read all the names. As the names were spoken, I found myself watching the faces of the police officers for any glimmer of support or remorse, but they were well-trained to show no emotion. However, as the procession wound through the Saturday farmers’ market, many people stopped and quietened respectfully.

Another protest we attended was staged in front of the United Nations in Manhattan. Again, riot police were in full force. Although no arrests were made, Jewish Voice for Peace always has a lawyer present and a team of members ready to support anyone who does get arrested, as was the case during the Grand Central Station action, where over 300 people were arrested. To me as a Canadian gentile outsider, the most striking element of this protest was the range of participants, including Armenian and Kurdish rights activists, an Iranian Feminist group and about a dozen Orthodox Hasidic Jews, who have been demonstrating for Palestinian rights and denouncing Zionism and the Jewish state for years. It was the Sabbath so they aren’t allowed to take public transit or drive, so they had walked from Williamsburg, over 6 kms each way. Although Hasidic Jews are sometimes criticized for sexist practises, I couldn’t help but admire their dedication to the Palestinian cause.

In between demonstrations, we had the best Middle Eastern food I’ve ever experienced at a Palestinian restaurant called Ayat on Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn. Their menu includes a call for an end to the occupation and asks diners to “pray for peace for all”. The meal we had there felt sombre, but it also felt like a celebration of the swell of awareness and support for Palestinians and a rethinking of what it means to be Jewish and Israeli and the role US-made armaments play in the genocide.

By a stroke of dumb luck, I got the last rush ticket to see a sold-out play called The Ally, at the Public Theatre in Greenwich Village. In keeping with the apparent theme of my trip, it was a play about the Palestinian Israeli conflict. It presented all sides of the issue, which left my head spinning. In the lobby after the performance, a man who sounded like he knew what he was talking about said he thinks it will be remounted, which makes sense, seeing as it’s such a timely and important topic.

And oh yes, by way of contrast, while in New York I also experienced cherry trees in bloom (eerily early), an earthquake (4.8 magnitude centered in New Jersey) and the solar eclipse, which we watched grow to 90% totality in Prospect Park. And after the intensity of the protests, back at Esther’s each evening, we’d sit on the couch and watch Democracy Now and Aljazeera, trying to make sense of a world apparently on a collision course with itself.

[catdotjpeg]

Genocide is occurring before our eyes, and there is no time to look away. There is no time for hesitation on whether to act or not. There is no time for the “nuance” of the liberal bourgeoisie. The just struggle of the Palestinian people for land and liberation requires our unwavering solidarity, now and for the turbulent days to come, all the way until victory. BAYAN USA calls on all Filipinos, and all people who profess to be against exploitation and oppression, to join the mass resistance in support of Palestine in your households, in your work places, on your campuses, in your organizations, and in the streets.

The fascist state of Israel has made its genocidal intentions clear in both word and action. It has indiscriminately dropped more than 6,000 bombs in one week, killing over 2,000 Palestinians and injuring almost 10,000 more. It told Palestinians to seek refuge in Egypt, and then bombed the only way there. It promised a “safe road” for Palestinians to evacuate, and then bombed that too. Electricity and water supplies have been cut off, endangering the lives of over 2 million people, especially the tens of thousands of injured who now crowd Palestine’s hospitals.

The US-imperialist state and the monopoly capitalist class of war manufacturers, oil magnates, and mainstream media have thrown in their shameless support to the genocide. They know all too well that a free Palestine is a threat to the imperialist world order, that the victory in Palestine will inspire victories in countless other nations and countries the world over. But the Filipino people’s movement for national liberation and genuine democracy knows this too. And it is in our joint struggle with the Palestinian people for total victory over imperialism and its reactionary ideology of Zionism that we draw boundless inspiration, perseverance, and revolutionary optimism.

The masses and the masses alone are the makers of history, and that history has always been one of revolution. This is a fact that our own history teaches us in the over 300 years of armed resistance leading up to the victorious 1896 revolution against Spanish colonization, in the fierce battles against fascist Japanese occupation during World War II, and in the revolutionary groundswell against the US-backed Marcos regime, which continues to the present.

This is a fact that the Palestinian masses have been showing us since the Balfour Declaration in 1917, since the Nakba 75 years ago, in the First and Second Intifada, and in every single year between. The Palestinian masses are making history today with their blood, defiance, and unyielding desire to be free.

We must struggle alongside them to write the history that must be written: an immediate end to the siege, an end to the brazen political repression of Palestinian and pro-Palestine activists currently happening across the world, an end to all support — whether political, material, financial, or cultural — for the Israeli state, and ultimately, the defeat of imperialism and its tentacles of Zionism and all reaction. 

End the siege on Gaza now! From Palestine to the Philippines, stop the US war machine! Free Palestine!

-- "End the Siege on Gaza! Filipinos Call for All-Out Support for Palestine Now!" from BAYAN USA, 15 Oct 2023

[scotianostra]

The Hawes Inn South Queensferry.

Dating back to 1683, most famously, the Inn here gave inspiration to the Edinburgh author Robert Louis Stevenson., who, while staying in Room 13 in  1886, master minded the idea for ‘Kidnapped’.  The hero of the book actually stayed here too! It is where poor David Balfour was kidnapped on the orders of his wicked uncle to do him out of his inheritance!

A passage from the books reads.....

"Right in the midst of the narrows lies an islet with some ruins; on the south shore they have built a pier for the service of the Ferry; and at the end of the pier, on the other side of the road, and backed against a pretty garden of holly-trees and hawthorns, I could see the building which they called the Hawes Inn" Each bedroom within the Inn is named after an aspect of the novel and guests are treated to a copy of the book in each of the guest bedrooms. Sir Walter Scott also describes the Hawes Inn in his novel Antiquary.

[dizzyedgc]

[ tom blyth, man, he/they ] — whoa! CERRUS BALFOUR just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for TWO YEARS, working as an UBER DRIVER & UBER EATS DELIVERY MAN. that can’t be easy, especially at only TWENTY-FIVE. some people say they can be a little bit PESSIMISTIC and GLOOMY, but i know them to be CREATIVE and COMPASSIONATE. whatever. i guess i’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to MANHATTAN! — (freddie, twenty-four, aest, they/them)

BASIC INFO —

full name: cerrus chord balfour nickname/s: cer preferred name: cerrus age: twenty-five birthday: december 17th zodiac: sagittarius gender: man pronouns: he/him & they/them occupation: uber driver & uber eats delivery man sexuality: bisexualrelationship status: single ( + open for ships )

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE —

faceclaim: tom blyth hair colour: brownhair length / style: short & wavy eye colour: blue height: 6'2" tattoos: none currently piercings: none currently scars: small scars littered around body - hardly noticeable unless you're properly looking

PERSONALITY —

positive traits: creative, compassionate, street smart, athletic, flexible, gentle, kind-hearted, considerate, loyal, loving, devoted, caring, experienced, worldly, good-intentioned negative traits: pessimistic, gloomy, frustrated, burnt, stubborn, reserved, nosey, scatterbrained, brooding, distracted, conflicted likes: music, films, theatre, dancing, outdoors, nature, animals, fresh air, the smell of popcorn, sweets, fresh sheets, days off dislikes: traffic, deadlines, strict timeframes, insincerity, hypocrites, being stuck inside, boats, being in one place for too long, heartbreak, broken promises hobbies: working, watching films, listening to music, going for walks - he's actively trying to avoid most of his regular / previous hobbies bad habits: smoking, being overly stubborn, working too much, being unable to say no

BACKGROUND —

cerrus was born to eccentric performers, raised all over the world in their very own travelling circus. it was unconventional, but so magical for the young boy.

he became a performer before he could even walk, quickly developing his own skills, roles, and interests in each town they passed.

life on the road was as isolating as it was exciting; there were always pros and cons, but cerrus found it so much easier to love when he was so young.

the older he got, the more unconventional he felt, and the more trouble he faced from the kids in each neighbourhood he passed through that he tried to befriend.

at fourteen, cerrus experienced his first true feelings of hate for the lifestyle.

at this age, he developed his first crush, and while he had had to leave friends before, leaving somebody that he developed a much more special connection with was much harder.

unfortunately, this routine became his norm. each time cerrus met somebody who showed a real interest in him - something that was rare for the constantly picked on boy - he had to up and leave them before long.

he settled into an unhappy role in the circus until at twenty, he fell hard, and for somebody who reciprocated his feelings.

upon having to leave the town in which he found love, cerrus finally stood up and admitted to his parents that he could no longer live the nomadic lifestyle, and one that constantly had him labelled unpleasant things.

in his desperation to save his love, and due to his parents shock as cerrus had never voiced concerns before, the discussion turned into an enormous fight that ended with cerrus leaving on bad terms with his parents.

the fight was so ugly that cerrus developed an aversion for everything that reminded him of his old life; after not too long, this was what lost him his love.

saddened and in search of a life opposite to the one he had lived, cerrus found himself in search of the most mundane job in the most 'normal' place.

he moved into the city of new york, the closest city to him at the time, and he settled into what he tried to make the most mundane life possible - something that's proven hard, as it's as if cerrus is a magnet to those more peculiar, those like who he is deep down at his core.

WANTED CONNECTIONS —

ex love interest - the person that cerrus fell in love with at twenty years old; they eventually broke up as cerrus changed too much as he forced himself to be someone who he's not. i imagine they broke up with him, and he's still gutted about it. they met not too far from new york, but out of the city. any gender, similar age preferred, really open to plotting more together!

past audience - people who recognise cerrus from his time in the circus; they caught a show ( or maybe even multiple if they ever travelled themselves ) and they're shocked to see him acting as he is now. he likely pretended that he didn't know what they were talking about upon initially interacting.

oddballs - they could be friends, neighbours, roommates, enemies, anything! the only requirement is that they're a little odd, an unconventional person. cerrus tries so hard to live a 'normal' life, but he can't escape his true self - which is what i'm hoping they bring out of him more!

ex crush / flings from his circus days - cerrus travelled through their town with his family's circus aged fourteen to twenty, and either crushed on them, or had a fling with them before he had to leave town to go to his next destination. any gender, similar age required, open to plotting more together!

ex crush / flings / relationships in new york - cerrus hasn't been in any situationship or relationship especially serious, but he has dipped his toes into the dating pool in the city. it's hard as he's not being the most authentic version of himself, and searching for all of the wrong people, but maybe something interesting could have still come from it!

roommates - i don't imagine cerrus being able to afford his own place in manhattan ( can anyone ? ) so he's definitely got multiple roommates that he shares an apartment with. he's a relatively good person to live with, being considerate and caring to make good connections, but he is known to shut himself in his room for days on end when he's feeling blue.

friends - a big part of why he left his previous situation was to build connections he wouldn't have to leave. i picture cerrus having a group of close friends that he never takes for granted; they likely see his more authentic self more than others, and with them cerrus experiences true moments of happiness.

crush / love interest - similar to the friend connection, cerrus left the circus for a purpose, so it'd be super nice to see him romantically involved with somebody that he doesn't have to leave! unfortunately i think he looks for all of the wrong people, but it'd be super cool if he formed a connection with someone more like his true self ( an oddball, perhaps ) and if something happened real naturally.

customers - people who he consistently drives around, or delivers food to. maybe they don't get along, but he's the only uber driver who's always closest at the odd time that they need him, or maybe they've struck up a real friendship and he comes inside with their food delivery so that they can share meals together.

cerrus is also open to so much more, i'm happy to brainstorm or listen to any / all of your ideas !

[grandmaster-anne]

14 March 2023 The Duke of Edinburgh, Patron, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, visited Balfour Beatty plc, West Service Road, Raynesway, Derby. 📸: Derby Telegraph

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

There is no doubt that there were some friendships between some Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem and throughout the Arab world, but to use them as evidence of widespread acceptance of Jews as equals or near-equals is not only flawed reasoning but utterly false. 

The evidence that Jews were treated horribly is irrefutable.

Here are just some examples from my own articles here over the years.

W. B. Lewis, 1824:

The Jews at Jerusalem, (I speak even of European Jews) are liable to be stopped by the lowest of the country, who, if he pleases, may demand money of them as a right due to the mussulman ; and this extortion may be practised on the same poor Jew over and over again in the space of ten minutes. The Jews are fond of frequenting the tombs of their forefathers, especially on particular days, to read their prayers of remembrance of the dead. Here advantage is taken of them again. They are rudely accosted and pilfered, and if resistance is made, they are beat almost to death, and this not by common highwaymen or Bedouin Arabs, but by men they may have been in the habit of seeing and talking with every day. 

The book "Stirring Times: Or, Records from Jerusalem Consular Chronicles of 1853 to 1856" by James Finn, British consul to Jerusalem, describes the financial extortion Muslims practiced on Jews:

In times gone by these native Jews had their full share of suffering from the general tyrannical conduct of the Moslems, and, having no resources for maintenance in the Holy Land, they were sustained, though barely, by contributions from synagogues all over the world. This mode of supply being understood by the Moslems, they were subjected to exactions and plunder on its account from generation to generation (individuals among them, however, holding occasionally lucrative offices for a tune). This oppression proved one of the causes which have entailed on the community a frightful incubus of debt, the payment of interest on which is a heavy charge upon the income derived from abroad.

…Notwithstanding these glimpses of honorary distinction the Jews are humiliated by the payment, through the Chief Rabbi, of pensions to Moslem local exactors, for instance the sum of 300£. a year to the Effendi whose house adjoins the ' wailing place,' or fragment of the western wall of the Temple enclosure, for permission to pray there; 100£. a year to the villagers of Siloam for not disturbing the graves on the slope of the Mount of Olives ; 50£ a year to the Ta'amra Arabs for not injuring the Sepulchre of Rachel near Bethlehem, and about 10£ a year to Sheikh Abu Gosh for not molesting their people on the high road to Jaffa...

[wingsfreedom]

"Although of Jewish origin myself, I conceived from the outset a strong objection to Zionism. Apart from my personal sympathy for the Arabs, I considered it immoral that immigrants, assisted by a foreign Great Power, should come from abroad with the avowed intention of attaining to majority in the country and thus to dispossess the people whose country it had been since time immemorial. Consequently, I was inclined to take the side of the Arabs whenever the Jewish-Arab question was brought up - which, of course, happened very often. This attitude of mine was beyond the comprehension of practically all the Jews with whom I came in contact during those months. They could not understand what I saw in the Arabs who, according to them, were no more than a mass of backward people whom they looked upon with a feeling not much different from that of the European settlers in Central Africa. They were not in the least interested in what the Arabs thought; almost none of them took pains to learn Arabic; and everyone accepted without question the dictum that Palestine was the rightful heritage of the Jews."

Leopold Weiss descripting the attitude of the European Zionist Jews, the date which was given in the page is 1922 -- aside from Balfour Declaration of 1917. Quoted from The Road to Mecca book.

[highaver]

@stormlit.

ㅤ“ Does calling me an idiot constantly help the healing process? ”

ㅤIt was the first smile he'd given all day, and as slight and as pained as it currently was, surely it was a welcome sight. Never mind that half his face was cut up -- the work of one of Loghain's men, an ambush on the road that they had walked straight and clear into. Georgie had seen to that by now, as she was seeing to his arm currently, and Wynne would see to the last of it when she was finished.

ㅤFor now, though, Balfour was more than happy to sit here, a little ways to the very edge of camp, and watch Georgie's face as she tended to his wounds. The smile faded eventually, slowly, as he considered the cuts and scrapes that she had earned herself.

ㅤ“ I seem to remember you also taking leave of your senses, back there, ” he said. Not a moment later, Balfour had reached to trace his thumb across her cheek, just beneath a small cut she'd earned herself in the same battle. So she was smarter than him, better at not getting hit. It was a low bar.

[infisonicosm-moved]

AUSTRALIA’S LONG ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE The standard account of Australian independence is that the six original self-governing colonies (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia) got together on the 1st January 1901 (Federation day) to form the Commonwealth of Australia upon the adoption of the Australian Constitution. Thus, independent Australia was born.

However, such a notion is a common misconception – especially when considering foreign policy. It was not until much later and through gradual legislative change that Australia became autonomous in its foreign policy. Whilst Australia did become nominally independent in 1901, London retained control over substantial legislative powers, and thus strongly impacted Australia’s foreign policy.

Prior to federation, there were six self-governing colonies and the UK had power to conduct external affairs in their name. Each colony was represented by agent-generals in London heading up an overseas government office (similar to a high commissioner). Hence, each state had its own distinct representation, and the vestiges of such a structure persist to this day.

When the six colonies came to form Australia in 1901, this was done so under the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (1900). Through this act, the British Government still had the power to conduct foreign relations for the Australian Commonwealth. The landmark 1926 Balfour Declaration, marked a gradual shift in London’s views of their dominions. The declaration stated that the UK and their dominions were equal in status of matters of internal and external affairs. These were principles which gave way to the legislation needed to enact such autonomy within the dominions. This legislation came in the form of the British Parliament passing the 1931 Statute of Westminster. It gave legal status to the independence of Australia. More importantly, it gave dominions much more space to self-govern, reducing powers previously exercised from London such as foreign affairs. However, this statute had to be adopted within the Australian parliament as well to come into effect. It was not until 11 years later on the 9th October 1942 that Australia adopted the act. Hence, it was only then did Australia become technically able to pursue its own Foreign Policy.[i]

In short, the Commonwealth of Australia was born in 1901 with Britain controlling foreign policy. Independence was offered in 1931 and taken up in late 1942. From federation until World War 2, foreign policy was controlled by Britain, and Australia was expected to fight alongside Britain (as it did so in both world wars). Despite becoming a country in 1901, it was not until 1940 that Australia established its first diplomatic mission outside Britain. It was not until the later 1930s that Australia’s external affairs department went from mainly focussing on trade and immigration, to that of the conventional diplomatic autonomy that exists today. 

THE GRADUAL CHANGE FROM DE JURE SOVEREIGNTY TO DE FACTO AUTONOMY 

De jure sovereignty came in the form of the Britain passing the 1931 statute of Westminster which Australia’s parliament had to adopt to gain full control over external affairs. However, concern over domestic secessions and reliance on Britain’s military were some of the possible reasons why Australia did not pass the statute of Westminster immediately and thereby exercised de facto autonomy. The British Empire had just been victorious in the first world war and was able to come to Australia’s assistance if need be. In the 1930s, fear of Japan was high after the Manchuria attack. Thus, there was still recognition that being attached to Britain was in Australia’s defence interest.

It was the Second World War which saw Australia enter on the path to de facto autonomy. At the outbreak of the war in September 1939, Prime Minister Menzies declared that as Britain was at war with Germany, so was Australia. Australia was part of the military campaigns across Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. However, closer to home, Australia as an allied power was at war with Japan as well. With the focus now on protecting their own country, Australia military strength alone was not enough and needed assistance from a great power. Britain was preoccupied fighting in Europe and Australia realised it was time to look to America instead of Britain to counter the threat of Japan. Thereby, taking its first step towards de facto autonomy. 

In a landmark address in December 1941, Prime Minister John Curtin called on support from the USA and declared Australia free from “traditional links of kindship with Great Britain”. From a Foreign Policy perspective, this was considered a pivotal moment: Australia expressed to the world their desire to pursue independent foreign policy and replace Britain with America. This shift in foreign policy then gave way to the adoption of the statute of Westminster in 1942. Which completed the transition to de facto autonomy that Australia utilises today.

CONCLUSION

The history of the transformation of Australia’s foreign policy highlights the fact that de jure change does not necessarily result in de facto change. Australia did not exercise the theoretical powers it had gradually acquired to pursue an independent foreign policy in practice, until a decisive moment of crisis. For various understandable reasons, Australia still preferred having a link to Westminster. Only upon realising the potential benefit from closer ties to the US, did Australia take full advantage of independence and achieve de facto autonomy.

Coming back to the present of Brexit. Whilst acknowledging again that these are two different contextual scenarios, the history of Australia’s independence suggests that de jure power to formulate independent (foreign) policy does not necessarily guarantee that this will be exercised immediately. Britain has been pro-active in envisioning a revitalised foreign policy and exploring trade deals post-Brexit. Yet, leaving a political union after decades, it  might take some time in re-adjusting policies, in addition to the various other domestic matters to contend with. Hence, we should not be surprised if independence is achieved gradually.

FUCK YEAH I'M AUSSIE NOW.

[dear-indies]

Hiya! Messaging to request some fc suggestions please? Needing help finding an fc for my character who will is very southern gothic, Ethel chain's Preacher's Daughter album, bones & all and southern blues inspired, I imagine her as dark haired and between ages of 25 to mid 30s - all ethnicities/races/genders come but if you don't mind me specifying , can I ask for only actors to be listed please? Aka no influences, singers or models etc - thank you so so much in advance!!!

Southern gothic, Ethel cain fc request here again sorry!! Forgot to add but if you don't mind me adding - also ideally someone who gives off messy/haphazard vibes please?? Kinda like they're obviously on the road a lot so have a permanent grease vibe?? So sorry if that's too specific and apologies again for adding this bug again tysm in advance!!!

Annabelle Wallis (1983) - Malignant.

Diane Guerrero (1986) Colombian - Doom Patrol.

Jodi Balfour (1987) - Quarry.

Courtney Bandeko (1988) Nigerian - Legacies.

Ritu Arya (1988) Indian - Lady Parts, Polite Society.

Nadia Hilker (1988) Tunisian / German - in The Walking Dead.

Nico Tortorella (1988) - is genderfluid, poly, pansexual and demisexual (any pronouns) - Fear The Walking Dead.

Rob Raco (1989) - Riverdale.

Hannah John-Kamen (1989) Nigerian / Norwegian - Resident Evil.

Michael Vlamis (1990) 37.5% Lebanese 25% Greek 25% Serbian 12.5% English - Roswell: New Mexico.

Emory Cohen (1990) - Lords of Chaos.

Kiowa Gordon (1990) Hualapai, English, Scottish, Danish, Manx - Blood Quantum.

Sarah Kameela Impey (1991) Indo-Guyanese / British - iWe Are Lady Parts.

Vico Ortiz (1991) Puerto Rican - non-binary (they/them) - Our Flag Means Death.

Joe Keery (1992) - Stanger Things.

Kiana Madeira (1992) Portuguese / Irish, Unspecified First Nations, Black Canadian - Fear Street.

Hari Nef (1992) Ashkenazi Jewish - is trans - Assassin Nation.

Katerina Tannenbaum (1993) - Betty,

Joseph Quinn (1993) - Stranger Things.

Taylor Russell (1994) Black Canadian / European - Bones and All.

Han Sohee (1994) Korean - My Name.

Lily Sullivan (1994) - Evil Dead Rise.

Sophia Ali (1995) Pakistani / Sicilian Italian, Danish, Norwegian, German - Uncharted, The Wilds.

Sasha Lane (1995) African-American, Māori, English, Scottish, Sorbian, French, Cornish, distant German, Italian, Belgian Flemish, Russian, and Northern Irish - is gay and has schizoaffective disorder - American Honey.

Adeline Rudolph (1995) Korean / German - Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Sarah Pidgeon (1996) - The Wilds.

Elliot Fletcher (1996) - is trans masc - Y: The Last Man.

Aria Shahghasemi (1996) Iranian - Legacies.

Archie Renaux (1997) English, Punjabi Indian.

Luka Sabbat (1997) Afro-Haitian, Irish, English, German.

Sydney Park (1997) African-American / Korean - There’s Someone Inside Your House.

Daisy Edgar-Jones (1998) - Where the Crawdads Sing.

Julia Dalavia (1998) Brazilian - Pantanal.

Felix Mallard (1998)

Hey anon! This ask was way harder than it should have been so I hope my followers give you more suggestions because I was struggling! Please keep in mind that some of these just give move around vibes.

[politicaldino454]

Palestine: a very short informative history

What is happening to the Palestinians goes goes nearly a century when Britain, pledged to establish a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine under the Balfour declaration in WW1. British troops took control of the territory from the Ottoman Empire at the end of October 1917.

After that, a large number Jewish people began moving to Palestine Between 1918 and 1947, the Jewish population in Palestine increased from 6 percent to 33 percent. With the increase in Jewish presence in Palestine, the Palestinians were alarmed by the demographic change and tensions rose. This led to the Palestinian revolt from 1936 to 1939. Zionists continued to campaign for a homeland for Jews in Palestine. Armed Zionist militias started to attack the Palestinian people, forcing them to flee. Zionism, which emerged as a political ideology in the late 19th century, called for the creation of a Jewish homeland.

As violence ravaged Palestine, the UN adopted Resolution 181 in 1949. This resolution called for the partition of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, 55 percent of the land to Jews and 45 percent were granted to the Palestinians, while Jerusalem was declared a separate territory.

Jerusalem is divided between West Jerusalem, which is predominantly Jewish, and East Jerusalem with a majority Palestinian population. Israel captured East Jerusalem after the Six-Day War in 1967 along with the West Ban. More than 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their homes by Zionist militias, which is Known as the Nakba or catastrophe. The 6-da war happened in 1967, and another 300,000 Palestinians were displaced. Israel declared the annexation of East Jerusalem in 1980, but the international community still considers it an occupied territory. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin met and signed the Osolo Accords in 1993. This agreement aimed to achieve peace within five years. A second agreement took place in 1995, and that agreement divided the occupied West Bank into three parts – Area A, B and C. The Palestinian Authority, which was created in the wake of the Oslo Accords, was offered only limited rule on 18 percent of the land as Israel effectively continued to control the West Bank. However Jewish settlements began to grow rapidly and the Osolo Accords began to break down. The settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem grew from approximately 250,000 in 1993 to up to 700,000. Three million Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Because of the Israeli settlements as well as a separation wall on occupied territories, Palestinian communities have been fragmented and mobility has been restricted. There are about 700 road obstacles which includes 140 checkpoints, in West Bank. Around 70,000 Palestinians with Israeli work permits cross these checkpoints in their daily commute.

In 2007, Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza when Hamas came to power, and this blockage still exists today. Israel also occupies the West Bank and East Jerusalem – the territories Palestinians want to be part of their future state. Then on October 9, Israel imposed a total blockage, which cut supplies of electricity, food, water, and fuel.

[bloomingbedminster]

We received so many lovely designs and I'm glad that we didn't have to choose just one. The public vote was very close with just one vote between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, but we have a winner!

We're very pleased to reveal that this year's award design is by Charlie Tallis.

We need volunteer judges

This year, judging will take place between Sat 22 June - Sun 14 July. Volunteer judges can do the judging any time during this period.

If you'd like to be a volunteer judge, look at the rounds below and email bloomingbedminster@outlook.com with your preferred round. If the round is green and there is a judge name it is taken.

Good Front Garden Award Rounds

A - Ashton and Ashton Vale

A1 Ashton Gate Road, Ashton Gate Terrace, North Street (from Ashton Road to Greville Road), St Francis Road - Judge: Helen Ireland

A2 Chalcroft House, Leigh Street, Walter Street, Littlecross House, Vauxhall Terrace/Villas (Walter Street) - Judge: Jackie Liddle

A3 Coronation Road (from Beauley Road to North Street), Farleys Yard (near the Toll House on North Street) - Judge: Jackie Liddle

A4 Frayne Road, Clift House Road, Clift Road - Judge: Jackie Liddle

A5 Ashton Road, Wells Street, Bower Ashton Terrace, Bath Street, North Road, Baynton Road - Judge: Stephanie Whyatt

A6 Durnford Avenue, Durnford Street, Duckmoor Road (from Ashton Road to Smyth Road excluding flats), Ashville Road, Hardy Avenue, Raleigh Road (from North Street to Duckmoor Road) - Judge: Stephanie Whyatt

A7 Raynes Road, Banwell Road, Gerald Road, Smyth Road (from Duckmoor Road to Winterstoke Road) - Judge: Laura Murgatroyd and Liz Payze

A8 Drake Road, Dampier Road, Frobisher Road, Smyth Road (from Duckmoor Road to Luckwell Road) - Judge: Kath Leman and Lucy Rae

A9 Friezewood Road, Carrington Road, Truro Road, Balfour Road (including new housing) - Judge: Rebecca Hutchins-Davies

A10 Whitemead House, Winterstoke House and Southbow House - Judge: Matthew Symonds

A11 Duckmoor Road (from Smyth Road to Luckwell Road), Lynnwood Road, Luckwell Road (from Duckmoor Road to Winterstoke Road) - Judge: Kath Leman and Lucy Rae

A12 Silbury Road, Avebury Road, Ashton Rise - Judge: Marie-Elaine Carroll

A13 Ashton Drive - Judge: Yvonne Bushell

A14 Risdale Road, Langley Crescent Road, Tregarth Road, Trevenna Road, Atyeo Close - Judge: Yvonne Bushell

A15 South Liberty Lane including the new house/flats between South Liberty - Judge: Elke Small

A16 Hardy Road, Nelson Street, Trafalgar Terrace, Winterstoke Road (from Hendre Road to Bedminster Down Road), Winterstoke Close - Judge: Maria Alejandra

A17 Gores Marsh Road, Marigold Walk, Longmoor Road, Deep Coomb Road, Colliter Crescent - Judge: Jen Fox

A18 Bower Road, Bower Court, Irby Road, Stella Grove, Gore Road, Hendre Road, Greenhill Grove - Judge: Jenny Bhambri-lyte

A19 Clanage Road, Blackmoors Lane, Rownham Close, Parklands, Courtlands Lane - Judge: Elke Small

A20 Swiss Road, Swiss Drive, Swiss Close, Sanders Close - Judge: Karen Trenear

B - Bedminster

B1 Foxcote Road, Sturdon Road, Luckwell Road (from Winterstoke Road to North Street), Breach Road, Ashfield Road - Judge: Pete Spain

B2 Aubrey Road, West View Road, Ashgrove Road - Judge: Abi Slade

B3 Chessel Street (from Luckwell Road to Garnet Street), Beryl Road, Ruby Street (both sides of Chessel Street), Pearl Street (cul de sac section only) - Judge: Karen Trenear

B4 Thistle Street, The Nursery, Agate Street, Martin Street, Pearl Street (from Chessel Street to South Street), Parker Street, Lindrea Street, Crowther Street - Judge: Morgan Rayner-Philipson

B5 Dorset Street, Sion Road, Prospect Terrace (off Sion Road near South Street Park), Gladstone Street, Gaywood House, South Street, Please don’t miss North Street numbers 127A-135A (down lane behind community garden at North St end of South St), Palmerston Street - Judge: Sophie Majoe and Alex Noakes.

B6 Melville Terrace, Hebron Road, Graham Road, Clifton Terrace - Judge: Hillary Irvine

B7 Braunton Road, Clyde Terrace, Victoria Place, Albert Place - Judge: Hillary Irvine

B8 Elmdale Road (from Palmyra Road to Chessel Street), Pembery Road, Chessel Street (from Garnet Street to British Road), Jasper Street, Garnet Street - Jusge: Mo and Sarah Mulligan

B9 Elmdale Road (from Palmyra Road to Luckwell Road), Derby Road, Thanet Road, Avonleigh Road (from Luckwell Road to Palmyra Road), Palmyra Road, Highridge Road - Judge: Casey Beth Jacobs

B10 Avonleigh Road (from Chessel Street to Palmyra Road), Hengaston Street, Stanley Street, Chessel Street (from Elmdale Road to West Street), Ireton Road, British Road (from South Street to Stanley Street) - Judge: Jan Glynn

B11 British Road (from Cannon Street to Stanley Street), South Road, Clifton Street, Diamond Street, Victor Road, Westbourne Grove - Judge: Elke Small

B12 Dean Crescent, New Charlotte St, Hollidge Gardens, Murray Street, Brook Road, St Pauls Road - Judge: Matthew Symonds

B13 Argus Road, Argus Court, Hope Road, Airpoint (off Crips Road) - Judge: Laura Murgatroyd and Liz Payze

B14 Stanley Street South, Stanley Terrace, Bartletts Road, Buckingham Street, Beaufort Street, Chapel Barton - Judge: Maria Alejandra

B15 Osborne Terrace, Brighton Crescent, Brighton Terrace, Temple Street, Harptree Grove, Churchlands Road - Maria Alejandra

B16 West Street, Cromwell Street - Judge: Laura Murgatroyd and Liz Payze

B17 Church Lane, Church Road, Malago Road, St Johns Road, Granby Mews, Stafford Street (no. 12 and 26)

B18 North Street (from Greville Road to Cannon Street) - Judge: Elke Small

B19 Bedminster Down Road (from Bedminster Road to Parson Street), Bedminster Road (From Bedminster Down Road to Parson Street), Parson Street (from Bedminster Down Road to Bedminster Road), Willada Close, Hall Street and Mansfield Street - Judge: Jackie Smith

B20 Bedminster Road (from junction with Parson Street to roundabout at St John’s Lane), Shepton Walk, Honeywick Close, St Dunstan’s Road, Clinton Road, Francis Road, St John’s Lane (from roundabout to railway bridge) - Judge: Jackie Smith

B21 East Street - Judge: Matthew Symonds

S - Southville

S1 Beauley Road, Kingsley Place, Smyth Terrace, Howard Road, Dalston Road - Judge: Jacqui Lewis

S2 Camden Road, Park Road, Islington Road - Judge: Julia Harrow

S3 Greville Road (from the Hen & Chicken Pub all the way to Milford Street/Greville Street), Greville Mews, Greville Street, Lock Lane (at the end of Greville Street) - Judge: Maddy Taylor

S4 Milford Street, Langton Park - Judge: Andy Foyle

S5 Vicarage Road, Birch Road - Judge: Karen Trenear

S6 Exeter Road, Upton Road - Judge: Stacey Yelland

S7 Dartmoor Street, Exmoor Street, Fairfield Place, North Street (104 – 210), Fairfield Road, Dartmouth Mews (behind old car lot), King William Street, Mount Pleasant Terrace, Myrtle Street - Judge: Ann Hughes and Dave Hobson

S8 Berchel House, Berrycroft, Catherine Mead Street (incl new flats), Lombard Street, Mawdeley House, Warden Road, Dean Lane - Judge: Matthew Symonds

S9 Gathorne Road, Lime Road - Judge: Carmel Ferguson

S10 Argyle Street, Kingston Road, Lydstep Terrace, Merrywood Close, Merrywood Road, Morley Road (including The Edge if you can get access), Summer Street - Judge: Veronica Pollard

S11 Stackpool Road (From Edgeware Road to and including the Cul de sac) - Judge: Jacqui Lewis

S12 Edgeware Road, Stackpool Road (from Edgeware Road to Dean Lane), Upper Perry Hill - Judge: Ursula Gasser

S13 Coronation Road (St Johns Road to Beauley Road), West End - Judge: Jacqui Ham

S14 Acramans Road, Alpha Road, Southville Place, Southville Road (Chesham House/Rock Lodge), Thomas Blount Mews - Judge: Andy Foyle

S15 Allington Road, Pembroke Road, Osborne Road - Judge: Isabel and Athena Kearney

S16 Hamilton Road, Leighton Road - Judge: Maddy Taylor

S17 Raleigh Road & Amerind Grove (from Beauley Road to North Street), Greenway Bush Lane, Jennings Court, Vauxhall Ave (by Jennings Ct), Greenbank Road - Judge: Abi Slade

WH - Windmill Hill

WH1 Cotswold Road (feedback – also a Cotswold Road North but no front gardens on it- please double check if that’s changed) - Judge: Sarah Holder

WH2 Mendip Road, Eldon Terrace, Porlock Road, Quantock Road, Alfred Road (feedback – Porlock Road no addresses in it – check in case this changes) - Judge: Mary Emma Crowder

WH3 Dunkerry Road, Somerset Terrace - Judge: Mary Emma Crowder

WH4 Windmill Hill, Fraser Street, Gwilliam Street, Vivian Street, Algiers Street, Lambourne Close, Orwell Street - Judge: Mary Emma Crowder

WH5 Brendon Road, Dunford Road, Mascot Road, Caen Road, Kensal Road, Kensal Avenue, Holmesdale Road, Paulson Avenue, Paultow Road - Judge: Inge Shepherd

WH6 Nutgrove Ave, Raymend Road, Elvaston Road, Addison Road, Stanbury Road, Atlas Road - Judge: Claire Haines

WH7 Almorah Road, Hill Avenue - Judge: Samantha Rodda

WH8 Park Avenue, Newport Street, Nottingham Street, Water Lane, Maidstone Street, Margate Street - Judge: Dea Bulejsza 

WH9 Merioneth Street, Monmouth Street, Marndyke Street, Montgomery Street - Judge: Rich and Oliver Cross

WH10 St John’s Lane (west) to Wedmore Vale to the Railway Bridge/Malago Road - Judge: Finbar Cullen

WH11 St John’s Lane (east) Wedmore Vale to St Lukes Road - Judge: Finbar Cullen

M - Marksbury Road

M1 Aylesbury Road, Aylesbury Crescent - Judge: Jackie Smith

M2 Highbury Road, Parson Street, Hastings Road, Hastings Close, Wimbourne Road

M3 Martock Road, Martock Crescent, Somermead, Brixham Road, Lydford Walk, Somer Lane

M4 Dawlish Road, Lynton Road, Sidford Road, Haldon Close - Judge: Barney Smith

M5 Marksbury Road, Oakhill Drive, Timsbury Road - add Timsbury Walk - Judge: Barney Smith

M6 Littleton Road, Weymouth Road, Sidmouth Road, Sidmouth Gardens, Wedmore Vale - Judge: Fran Smith

M7 Malago Drive - Judge: Jacqui Lewis