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365days365movies · 1 year ago

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Action January II: Captain Blood (1935)

Part Two: A Colorful Fragment in a Drab World

When you think of the Golden Age of Hollywood, it's hard to get more notable than Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn at the height of his career. One of the most prominent leading men of the time period, succeeding Douglas Fairbanks and alongside Clark Gable, he was a mountebank of talent and action. At least...that was a public image of his. The actual Errol Flynn? Genuinely a drunken disease-ridden criminal who maybe exemplifies the idea of dividing the art from the artist. 'Cause, uh...wow. Not a good person, was Flynn.

If you do not care about Errol Flynn, skip to the break; I'll put my five-point review down there so time isn't wasted. I just really want to talk about Errol Flynn. Ready? OK.

Born in Hobart, Tasmania on June 20, 1909, Errol Flynn grew up in a middle class household. His father was a biology professor, while his mother was...well, in his autobiography, Flynn would say that she had "an itch to live - perhaps too much like my own." And given what we know about Errol's "itches", that's saying something. There's some speculation that she was sleeping with a local movie theater manager,leading to Flynn hanging out there often and watching a lot of movies. Is that true? Well, Flynn is a...somewhat unreliable narrator, so take his statements with a grain of salt. He also claimed that he and his mother were descended from some of the soldiers that participated in the famous mutiny on The Bounty, but that's probably not true. However, keep that factoid in mind for later.

Early life was complicated for Flynn, and bad habits emerged early. By the time he was 17, he'd been expelled from 4 schools for inappropriate acts (of violent and sexual natures); he'd joined a local gang; he'd already started his collection of sexually-transmitted diseases with gonorrhea (and he was, uh, quite the collector); and he was working in New Guinea. In New Guinea, he...um...

OK, look here's what you gotta know about Flynn: dude is nasty, in a lot of ways. Most of those ways are, unfortunately, sexual in nature. Since I'd like to be sensitive to the sensibilities of readers, I won't go into every nitty gritty detail. So, starting with his New Guinea adventures, let's just say that he killed a number of native people during colonization efforts, and then did that other classic thing that colonizers have done, historically. You know, that thing that goes with pillaging?

And to be clear, Flynn wasn't ashamed of this. In his autobiography, My Wicked, Wicked Ways, he describes one of the native New Guineans he encounters in...very unfortunate detail. Flynn was a nasty kid, before and after his acting career began. Speaking of which, while he was working in Australia (after fleeing from New Guinea for murder, etc.), he was spotted by director Charles Chauvel, and was offered to be in a film about the mutiny on the Bounty. Crazy coincidence, huh? Errol accepted, and that was his first film, In the Wake of the Bounty, in 1933. It's now disappeared into obscurity, but that was the beginning.

Flynn's career began mostly in the UK, where he acted as extras while getting professional training. Then he threw a stage manager down a flight of stairs and was fired from his repertory company. Because that's Errol Flynn, apparently. He worked on a few more films, married actress Lili Damita, and eventually got the attention of Hollywood. After a couple of small roles, Michael Curtiz tapped him as a 4th choice for his new movie, Captain Blood. Not only was this the first film with Curtiz and Olivia de Havilland (19 at the time), but it was a smash hit. Flynn was a star, the new Douglas Fairbanks!

1936: he works with Curtiz and Olivia again in The Charge of the Light Brigade. 1937: A dramatic role in Green Light, then another swashbuckler in The Prince and the Pauper, a melodrama in Another Dawn, and a comedy in The Perfect Specimen (with Curtiz again), all before acting as a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War. And then, finally, in 1938, he reunites with Curtiz, Havilland, and Basil Rathbone in my favorite of his films: The Adventures of Robin Hood. And if Flynn was famous before, then that movie really did it.

In the meantime, he gets married to actress Lili Damita in 1935, and this would be the first of 3 marriages. And lemme tell you, it would end tragically for Flynn, hilariously for everybody else. From 1935 to 1939, Flynn's career would take off, and he would work with Curtiz and Havilland a few more times, but things would start to change at this point. See, starting all the way back in The Charge of the Light Brigade, Curtiz and Flynn had regular disagreements. In that film, 25 horses actually died under Curtiz' direction, and the animal-loving Flynn got into a legit fist-fight with his director. And this was the second of seven collaborations together. The two hated each other, but they knew good filmmaking when they saw it. Curtiz' career, by the way, includes Casablanca, just so you know what caliber of director we're talking about.

Flynn's career continued, as did his contentious nature. The Sea Hawk in 1940 continued his career climb, as World War II was in full swing. At the same time, he got badly slapped by co-star Bette Davis (yes, THAT Bette Davis) in the face in The Privates Lives of Elizabeth and Essex during an argument in a scene, which he wrote off as "unrequited romantic interest" (ugh); he had more arguments with Curtiz on Virginia City in 1940, and tried to get him off his own picture; and he co-starred with no-name actor Ronald Reagan in Santa Fe Trail, which is probably the only notable thing that dude ever did.

And this, of course, is when the health problems and drinking started. He'd contracted malaria when he was younger in New Guinea, which damaged his heart significantly. And oh, God, the drinking. Flynn was a notorious womanizing, chain-smoking drunk, especially throughout the 1940s. He'd had affairs with everybody (a habit so famous, it's the origin for the phrase "in like Flynn"), and would regularly get into physical fights with everyone else. In the process, he would greatly expand his collection of diseases. By 1942, he had chronic tuberculosis, recurrent malaria, gonorrhea, syphillis, and a host of unrecorded STDs. This, combined with heart damage and back pain, made him ineligible for service during World War II, which had many believing he was a draft dodger (since studios didn't want word of their big star having that many STDs). And that's not all!

See, Lili's getting sick of the whole "constant cheating and STD" thing, so she files for divorce. Said divorce had insane conditions by today's standards, and would essentially had Lili rolling in Errol's money FOR LIFE, while leaving Errol with far less money for the rest of his days. How could this get worse? Easy; he was being sued for statutory r*pe that year as well, and nearly resulted in a 25-year prison sentence. He was acquitted, because Hollywood's always been bullshit, but his reputation was...well, frankly, it was fucked. And at this point, Flynn was only 33 years old. Jesus Christ.

After this, Flynn would never fully recover. Oh, he was still in movies, but his drinking and partying continued, and his reputation somehow got even worse. He would show up blasted to sets, ending his relationships with many directors. His appearance started taking a nosedive due to his health and behaviors. He got married again, in 1943 to Nora Eddington, somehow, but Nora later regretted that marriage. Scandals continued, like the time newspapers found out he'd installed one-way mirrors in his mansion's bathrooms in order to look at his female guests secretly (ew. EW.), and he added hepatitis to his collection of diseases.

Marriage #3 comes along in 1950, and Flynn moves to Europe in 1954 for his films. He's there for a few years, until finally getting a call back in 1957 to star in an adaptation of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. Flynn idolized Hemingway, and actually wanted to be an author just like him. Might have accomplished it, if not for the EVERYTHING ELSE he was doing. Still, he accepted the role, which cast him as a pathetic drunk has-been, past his years and prime. What I'm trying to say is, he crushed it. Hard.

Flynn's back, baby! And now, he's being typecast as a drunk. Which, again, is what he was at this point. Also, I should clarify, alcoholism is absolutely a disease, and my issues with Flynn have nothing to do with the fact that he was an alcoholic. However, he was constantly drunk, that's just a fact. His success in The Sun Also Rises revitalized his career in the late 1950s, and things were looking good. He even started up his old journalism ambitions when he traveled to Cuba during Castro's revolution, and was the only journalist there when Castro won.

In 1959, though, Flynn's financial difficulties had become too much, even with his career rebirth. He went to Canada to sell a yacht to a guy, then flew back to Los Angeles on October 14. In the process, his back and legs started acting up. Not unusual for him. The doctor in LA noted that Flynn could barely walk up the stairs, then gave him some Demerol, a massage, and good conversation. Flynn said he "felt ever so much better", and the doctor left. A 17-year-old girl that had been traveling with him (yeah, that sounds horrible) went in to check on him 20 minutes later.

Errol Flynn died on October 14, 1959, at the age of 50. His cause of death was found as a heart attack from coronary thrombosis, atherosclerosis, and severe cirrhosis of the liver, amongst the STDs that plagued him his entire life. Flynn was buried with six bottles of his favorite whiskey at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. He had once said he hated this place, and never wanted to be buried there, so you gotta imagine that his current marriage wasn't going great either. Jesus.

But even after he died, Flynn's legacy continued to degrade. His autobiography came out, which didn't really help him image much. His work as a war correspondent was put into question as illegitimate, and thought to be used only to promote his films. That 17 year old that discovered his death revealed that yes, that sentence was as creepy as it sounded, and Flynn never learned his FUCKING LESSION. He was also possibly outed as bisexual, which is obviously fine (assuming the bisexual community wants to claim this asshole at all), and I only point this out to say that he was described as "super-straight" by Iron Eyes Cody. And who's Iron Eyes Cody? Trust me. Look him up. You don't wanna trust a goddamn word that dude said.

So, with all of that bullshit said and finally done...Errol Flynn was still an excellent actor. Yeah, I honestly mean that. IN fact, I'll elaborate in a minute here in the review below. So, read on if you're interested in that. And if not, honestly, watch Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood yourself, and make your own opinions. Just saying, he could act. Separate the art from the artist, people.

Review

Cast and Acting: 9/10

Just to get our leading man out of the way, Errol Flynn is fantastic in this movie. I mean it; for a guy who'd barely been in movies, and for this being his first leading role, he knocks it out of the park. Suave and debonair, defiant and headstrong when he needs to be, and someone you're charmed by as much as the characters on screen are. Plus, the swashbuckling is fun to watch, and credit should go to Flynn for some of that. Genuinely a star in the making; just forget all that other stuff from above, OK?

And everybody else? Olivia de Havilland, who's only 18 during filming, by the way, is also great in this movie. And again, this is one of her first films. Crazy, huh? Her role is uncomplicated, but she plays it very well! Basil Rathbone isn't in here for long, but he's a scene-stealer...partially because his French accent feels forced, and he's maybe a little over the top. Still, extremely fun to watch. Same could be said for Lionel Atwill, although he sort-of just drops off in the middle of the picture, when he could've been a real commanding antagonist. Missed opportunity, that one. As for the pirate crew, like Ross Alexander and Guy Kibbee, they're not bad! Meant in some cases to be comic relief, which is done well, but also portrayed as a loyal and faithful crew. Throw all of these performances together, and you get my final score. Solid all around, with a little scenery-chewing here and there.

Plot and Writing: 8/10

Honestly, this is both a standard swashbuckling plot (man of high-standing gets plunged into low-standing, then fights his way back to prowess via sword and fisticuffs), but also very different in some ways. It's based off of a novel by Rafael Sabatini, and certainly has a memorable and easy to describe story. However...and this is a soft however...Blood's gonna win. It's not the least predictable plot in the world, since you know Blood's gonna win and get the girl in the end. It also has a surprisingly bloodless ending, all things considered. Yeah, I know there's the battle with the French in the end there, but only one named cast member (Basil Rathbone) actually dies. It's fun to watch and easy to recall, but...kinda toothless in the end. Also, Blood is a bit of a Gary Stu most of the time, which isn't the best character work you can do.

Writing by Casey Robinson, though, is still fantastic. This is a SOLID adaptation of the book, from what I can tell, and Robinson manages to spice up a standard plot with some entertaining and engaging writing throughout. Honestly, this is a fun movie, and the writing helps with that quite a bit. Even got the Oscar nomination that year for Best Screenplay, but lost to The Informer. In fact, it technically wasn't officially nominated by the committee, but was instead nominated by write-in. That is how popular this film's writing was.

Direction and Cinematography: 9/10

Michael Curtiz, frankly, is a legend. And sure, I can't say this is a groundbreaking film in terms of direction in some ways, but good goddamn, does Curtiz still do an excellent job. This is especially notable when looking at the action scenes, like the beach swordfight, or the siege on the French ships (as seen in the GIF below). Seriously, though, this is a great-looking film, both due to legendary director and legendary cinematographers Ernest Haller and Hal Mohr. The former is best known for Gone With the Wind (I hate that movie, but it's admittedly gorgeously shot), while the latter is known for The Phantom of the Opera and...The Jazz Singer. Ooh. Yikes. Moving on!

Production and Set Design: 9/10

Again, kind of standard fare for the time period in some ways, but still a great looking production! You feel like you're on a ship or tropical island for most of the film, despite the entire film being made in California. That ending scene with the French ships? 2,500 extras were in that sequence, making it one of the biggest films ever made at that time. This is impressive production, including the prop work and...well, OK, one problem. The costumes are mildly anachronistic. It's nothing crazy, but keep in mind that this film is meant to take place in the 1650s. With that in mind, this feels far more like a film from the 1800s instead. This is a minor nitpick, but a nitpick nonetheless. Frankly, I've really had to try and find flaws with some of this stuff, because this film is genuinely great.

Music and Editing: 9/10

Music here is by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, another film legend and notable composer. His career very much followed Errol Flynn, as this was his first huge picture (not counting 1933's A Midsummer Night's Dream), and he would also score for The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. This booming brass score is your stereotypical swashbuckler tune, meaning that Korngold helped create that stereotype in the first place. It's iconic, it's memorable, and it makes for solid background in a action scene. Even did that thing where the sword-clashes are timed with music sometimes! Again, classic.

George Amy is our editor for this picture, and he's a legend in his own right. A powerhouse for Warner Brothers, Amy was a favorite of Michael Curtiz, and ended up editing the majority of his films (but not Casablanca, funnily enough). He definitely does well here, although I felt like one or two sequences could use a little trim here and there. Nothing really felt unnecessary, but there could have been a little something different in the near-mutiny sequence, for example. That sequence is maybe the weirdest in the film for me, as Blood sort-of gaslights the crew into following him into certain fucking death. Again, kind of a nitpick for me, but it did affect how I saw Blood, and maybe could've been changed to adjust the pacing of the scene.

Verdict: 88%

Pretty sure I've hurt some critic's feelings with that number, so I feel the need to clarify something: this movie's goddamn great. It's the progenitor of the swashbuckling genre for a reason, after all. This is a crazy fun film, but I won't give it an excuse because it's a classic. But would I watch this movie again? Absolutely. Like I said, a hell of a lot of fun.

Time for another classic action-adventure movie to continue the classics train, but let's jump forward a decade for this one, huh? Post World War II, classic director, and a precursor to the true action genre. And as always, one that's been on my list for a long time.

Next: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); dir. John Huston

#user365 #365 days 365 movies #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 movies a year #365days365movies #action january #action #swashbuckling #action movie #pirate movie #errol flynn #captain blood #michael curtiz #olivia de havilland #basil rathbone #biography #action genre

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bowlerhatwearer · 2 years ago

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OC List 3.0 WIP

(Note: Characters intended for one story, may also appear in other stories as well.

Of Swords and Pens

Owens Family

Jeremiah Owains (Blaise ancestor)

Timothy Owens (Blaise great uncle)

Lewis Owens (Father, deceased)

Eliza Owens (Mother, deceased)

Blaise Owens (first child, Neutral)

Joanna Owens (second child, Frist Responders)

Victor Owens (fourth third child, Neutral)

Mary Owens (née Rivers, wife of Victor / widow of Lawrence)

Lawrence Owens (fourth child, Neutral, deceased)

Connor Owens (Neutral) (Clone of Lawrence)

June Owens (Neutral) (Clone of Blaise)

First Responders

Garrett Bearlitz (Head/Leader of the First Responders)

Dr. Ruby Mortis

Manatena Berrocal

Franz Weißschloss aka “The Hospital Chaplain” (Still unsure)

Obdulio Bravo (formerly Tigris Empire)

Charl Mountebank

Leonid Aksakov / Akdow (joins later)

Army of the Fauna Republic

Arthur P. Bellum (Commanding Officer)

Turner Coats (Lieutenant / Three Star General)

Horace Wings (Lieutenant/Three Star General)

Clover Luckfoot (Private)

Nikolai Akdow (Army Scientist)

Nutmeg Cinnamon (Army Cook)

Dr. Lis Polarny (Army Doctor)

Seren E. Ness (Moral officer)

Army of the Tigris Empire

Cecilio Pryde (Commanding Officer)

Coop D'état (Lieutenant / Three Star General)

Minerva Border (Valorised Private)

Giordano "Cannelloni" Castellani (Army Cook)

Weregeld Schein (Lawyer)

Aeolus Piston aka Soldier 040 (Bodyguard of Weregeld)

Page aka Soldier 404 (Bodyguard of Weregeld)

Vasily Akdow (Assistant Army Scientist)

Ministry of Vision

"Ace" (Minister / Head of the Ministry)

Ian Snapshot (Enforcer #1)

Fed Geeman (Enforcer #2)

Magnus Dandy aka "The Therapist" ("Contractor/Freelancer")

Neutral / Part of no Organization

Tonic Corner (Shop vendor)

Elias Corner (war journalist / I̷̧̠̼̠̤̭̊͒̇͒̉̉̌ṇ̷̢̨̥̟͚̭̜̙̲͎͍̣̄̾̆̏̈́͋̓̅́̈́͋̄͑͐̚c̶͈̭͌͂̉͊̑̾̃̍̍̚a̷̛͖͌͂̈́̍̀͛͗̏̎̕͠��̝͖r̷̳̠̖͙̣͙̲̭͕̮̫̬͓̒̎̀̆͐͊̓̿͊͘͜͜͠͝ǹ̵̯͖͎̜̱̬̬ͅā̷̪̣̻̤͈͒̀̉̈̆̈́̀̚͠ͅt̶̡̮̬̺̪̜̦̭͕̹͙̟̅̓́͊͌̿̏͜ͅi̴̡͈͇̜͔̣͓̐͛̐̅̍̄͌̇̐̉̾͘̕͝͝ò̸̖̑͒̂ǹ̶̢̧̹̭͖͓̹̻̋̔̈̈́͛̚͠ ̵͉̮̞̺̱̫̬̠̹̯̖̥͔͔̃̀́̐̄͗̽̑́̊ǫ̵̢̼̟͈̣͚̻̟̜̜̪̙̼̿̀̂̇̈̈́͌͗̀́͑̑̚f̷̧̱̐̉̈̃̅̊̅͐̊̋ ̴̙͍͕̻̆̈́̋̚ͅD̵͔̝̮̦̖̻̳̹̼͆̈e̷͈̮̻̰͂̊̈́̎͆̈̿̾̃̾̌̔͝ͅa̴̢̱̱̝͚̱̤͚̜̼̲̗̍̋͜ṭ̶̡̛̺͈̤̙̃͌͒̍̅́̋̀h̸̛͕͙̮͈̀̎̎͜)

Father Job Fahim (Bishop)

Halyna Aksakov (deceased) (Kathrina's and Nikolai's mother)

Lupus Bytes (CEO and Founder of Lupus Industries)

Other stories and characters

The City / The Walls an Gates of New Constantinople

Jay Mortis (Gravedigger in the City)

Aviso Grand (former Singer in the City)

Keratin Grand (Older sister of Aviso, Hotel Owner in the City)

Kathrina Akdow (Waitress in a restaurant in Trailerpark Town)

Michael "Mike" Melkboer (Milkman in the City)

Charly Doe (Government Worker in Trailerpark Town)

Quintus Imperium (Court Clerk in the City)

Lily Ordnung (Herbalist who lives alone in an isolated hut)

Janus Gates (Singer who lives in Trailerpark Town)

Constance Jacquemart ( The Phantom of the City)

“The Architect of the City” (Founder of the City)

"Father" Jerome Alabaster (City Council Member)

"Father" Urban Bacchus

“Father” Denarius Snooze

“Father” Bartholomew Ekzem

Tinker Cruso (City Council Member)

Rex Imperium (City Council Member)

Albert “Al” Clear / The Launderer (City Council Member)

Fil M. Helmer (City Council Member)

Age Aeon (City Council Member)

Reverend / Pastor Mitchell Canon (City Council Member)

Adam Ordnung (City Council Member)

Castor Montan

CATOS

Robert "Rec" Eiver

Engelbert Mohn (Scientist)

Friedrich Waldmann (Scientist)

Ignaz Gottlieb Färber (Scientist)

Ovid Crows (Oracle)

Rise of the Marauders

Marauders

Gene Corner (Leader)

Organizations

Broken Heart Cult / Cult of the Broken Heart

Marauders

Grey Mane Club

Followers of the Moon

Followers of the Sun

Blood Moon Order

Church of the Righteous Cross

Lupus Industries

Owens Minerals and Metal Works

Order of Gears

Metal Order - Order of Smiths - Order of Armorers - Order of Casters

Unnamed Oil and Coal Cult (WIP name)

Unnamed Nuclear Cult (WIP name)

Followers of the Crows and Ravens (WIP name)

Faithful Servants of the Scorpion (WIP name)

Loyal Servants of the Spider (WIP name)

Valets of the Primordial Clam

Places

Trailer Park Town

The City

The “Peace”

Fauna Republic

Tigris Empire

Misc / For Later / Future stories

Chadli Spox

Claire du Rand

Sasha du Rand

Shade Merango

Bradley Bear

Lukas U. Naris

Dwight Cahoon

Franz (last name yet to be determined)

Thomas Lieberg / Gilgamesh (Broken Heart Cult)

Gotthard Lieberg

Queen Mafalda the III.

Mikhail Shukov

Adonis Grey

Moray van Vos

Hope van Vos

Gerard van Vos

The Velvet/Red Lady

Babel

"Father"/"Bishop" Pax

#OC #OC List #OCs #Original Stories #Of Swords and Pens #The City

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dearest-solitude · 3 years ago

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Charles Bukowski, Love is a Dog From Hell; a stethoscope case

#charles bukowski #this is abt olaf and dr mountebank sorry #fic inspo:mercy #poem #a sethoscope case

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unknown-odds · 2 years ago

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↳ FANDOM LIST

𖤐 here is the list of fandoms/characters that i’m interested in.

*ITALICS = my favorite characters

CATEGORIES:

ACTORS

SERIES

TV SHOWS

GAMES

ECT.

── ACTORS

PEDRO PASCAL

DIN DJARIN

JAVIER PEÑA

MARCUS MORENO

JACK “WHISKEY” DANIELS

EZRA

FRANKIE MORALES

JOEL MILLER

MARCUS PIKE

OSCAR ISAAC

STEVEN GRANT

MARC SPECTOR

SANTIAGO “POPE” GARCIA

LETO ATREIDAS

JAKE LOCKLEY

── SERIES

STAR WARS

DARTH MAUL

ECHO

POE DAMERON

BOBA FETT

TECH

PAZ VIZSLA

BLACK KRRSANTAN

FENNEC SHAND

WRECKER

LEIA ORGANA

CROSSHAIR

AHSOKA TANO

HUNTER

MCU

BUCKY BARNES

OTTO OCTAVIUS

WANDA MAXIMOFF

MATT MURDOCK

ROGUE

FRANK CASTLE

JANE FOSTER

VALKRYIE

DCU

HARLEY QUINN

KILLER CROC

ADRIAN CHASE

ZATANNA ZATARA

JASON TODD

SELINA KYLE

RACHEL ROTH

── TV SHOWS

CRIMINAL MINDS

AARON HOTCHNER

SPENCER REID

EMILY PRENTISS

LUKE ALVAREZ

PENELOPE GARCIA

DEREK MORGAN

TARA LEWIS

MATT SIMMONS

STRANGER THINGS

EDDIE MUNSON

NANCY WHEELER

JIM HOPPER

STEVE HARRINGTON

JOYCE BYERS

ROBIN BUCKLEY

ALEXEI

ENZO

── GAMES

THE LAST OF US

ELLIE WILLIAMS

ABBY ANDERSON

JESSE

DINA

RED DEAD REDEMPTION

ARTHUR MORGAN

CHARLES SMITH

LENNY SUMMERS

KAREN JONES

JOHN MARSTON

JAVIER ESCUELLA

SADIE ADLER

MASS EFFECT

JANE SHEPARD

GARRUS VARKARIAN

TALI’ZORAH VAS NORMANDY

MIRANDA LAWSON

PEEBEE

JACOB TAYLOR

KASUMI GOTO

JAAL AMA DARAV

URDNOT WREX

THANE KRIOS

JAVIK

VETRA NYX

NAKMOR DRACK

JAMES VEGA

LIAM KOSTA

KAIDEN ALENKO

LIARA T’SONI

GRUNT

JACK

EDI

LEGION

MORDIN SOLUS

SAMARA

WATCH DOGS

SITARA DHAWAN

JOSH SAUCHAK

MARCUS HOLLOWAY

HORATIO CARLIN

REGINALD “WRENCH” BLECHMAN

THE QUARRY

NICK FURCILLO

ABIGAIL BLYG

DYLAN LENIVY

EMMA MOUNTEBANK

JACOB CUSTOS

LAURA KEARNEY

MAX BRINLY

KAITLYN KA

RYAN EZRAHLER

CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE II

SIMON “GHOST” RILEY

KYLE “GAZ” GARRICK

ALEJANDRO VARGAS

JOHN “SOAP” MACTAVISH

PHILLIP GRAVES

── ECT.

SLASHERS

BRAHMS HEELSHIRE

MICHAEL MYERS

JASON VOORHEES

STU MACHER

BILLY LOOMIS

BUBBA SAWYER

PYRAMID HEAD

PIN HEAD

BILLY LENZ

THOMAS HEWITT

YAUTJAS

EXOPHILIA

WERE-CREATURES

ORCS

NAGAS

MER-CREATURES

CENTAURS

MINOTAURS

DRIDERS

LIZARDFOLK

MOTH PEOPLE

ALIENS

DULLAHANS

KELPIES

SELKIES

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elcorreodetorreon · 6 years ago

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“IQ is largely a pseudoscientific swindle”, Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Background : “IQ” is a stale test meant to measure mental capacity but in fact mostly measures extreme unintelligence (learning difficulties), as well as, to a lesser extent, a form of intelligence, stripped of 2nd order effects. It is via negativa not via positiva. Designed for learning disabilities, it ends up selecting exam-takers, paper shufflers, obedient IYIs (intellectuals yet idiots), ill adapted for “real life”. The concept is poorly thought out mathematically (a severe flaw in correlation under fat tails, fails to properly deal with dimensionality, treats the mind as an instrument not a complex system), and seemed to be promoted by

racists/eugenists, people bent on showing that some populations have inferior mental abilities based on IQ test=intelligence; those have been upset with me for suddenly robbing them of a “scientific” tool, as evidenced by the bitter reactions to the initial post on twitter/smear campaigns by such mountebanks as Charles Murray. (Something observed by the great Karl Popper, psychologists have a tendency to pathologize people who bust them by tagging them with some type of disorder, or personality flaw such as “childish” , “narcissist”, “egomaniac”, or something similar).

psychometrics peddlers looking for suckers (military, large corporations) buying the “this is the best measure in psychology” argument when it is not even technically a measure — it explains at best between 13% and 50% of the performance in some tasks (those tasks that are similar to the test itself), minus the data massaging and statistical cherrypicking by psychologists; it doesn’t satisfy the monotonicity and transitivity required to have a measure (at best it is a concave measure). No measure that fails 60–95% of the time should be part of “science” (nor should psychology — owing to its sinister track record — be part of science (rather scientism), but that’s another discussion).

Some argue that IQ measures intellectual capacity — real world results come from, in addition, “wisdom” or patience, or “conscientiousness”, or decision-making or something of the sort. No. It does not even measureintellectual capacity/mental powers.

If you want to detect how someone fares at a task, say loan sharking, tennis playing, or random matrix theory, make him/her do that task; we don’t need theoretical exams for a real world function by probability-challenged psychologists. Traders get it right away: hypothetical P/L from “simulated” paper strategies doesn’t count. Performance=actual. What goes in people’s head or reaction to a screen image doesn’t exist (except via negativa).

Fat Tails If IQ is Gaussian by construction and if real world performance were, net, fat tailed (it is), then either the covariance between IQ and performance doesn’t exist or it is uninformational. It will show a finite number in samplebut doesn’t exist statistically. Another problem: when they say “black people are x standard deviations away”. Different populations have different variances, even different skewness and these comparisons require richer models. These are severe, severe mathematical flaws (a billion papers in psychometrics wouldn’t count if you have such a flaw). See the formal treatment in my next book.

But the “intelligence” in IQ is determined by academic psychologists like the “paper trading” we mentioned above, via statistical constructs s.a. correlation that I show here (see Fig. 1) that they patently don’t understand. It does correlate to negative performance (as it was initially designed to detect learning special needs) but then any measure would work there. A measure that works in left tail not right tail (IQ decorrelates as it goes higher) is problematic. We have gotten similar results since the famous Terman longitudinal study, even with massaged data for later studies. To get the point, consider that if someone has mental needs, there will be 100% correlation between performance and IQ tests. But the performance doesn’t correlate as well at higher levels, though the psychologists will think it does.(The statistical spin, as a marketing argument, is that a person with an IQ of 70 cannot prove theorems, which is obvious for a measure of unintelligence — but they fail to reveal how many IQs of 150 are doing menial jobs).

It is a false comparison to claim that IQ “measures the hardware” rather than the software. It can measures some arbitrarily selected mental abilities (in a testing environment) believed to be useful. However, if you take a Popperian-Hayekian view on intelligence, you would realize that to measure it you would need to know the mental skills needed in a future ecology, which requires predictability of said future ecology. It also requires the skills to make it to the future (hence the need for mental biases for survival).

Real Life: In academia there is no difference between academia and the real world; in the real world there is. 1) When someone asks you a question in the real world, you focus first on “why is he/she asking me that?”, which shifts you to the environment (see Fat Tony vs Dr John in The Black Swan) and detracts you from the problem at hand. Only suckers don’t have that instinct. 2) Real life never never offers crisp questions with crisp answers (most questions don’t have answers; perhaps the worst problem with IQ is that it seem to selects for people who don’t like to say “there is no answer, don’t waste time, find something else”.) 3) It takes a certain type of person to waste intelligent concentration on classroom/academic problems. These are lifeless bureaucrats who can muster sterile motivation. Some people can only focus on problems that are real, not fictional textbook ones (see the note below where I explain that I can only concentrate with real not fictional problems). 4) IQ doesn’t detect convexity (by an argument similar to bias-variance you need to make a lot of small inconsequential mistake in order to avoid a large consequential one. See Antifragile and how any measure of “intelligence” w/o convexity is sterile edge.org/conversation/n…). To do well you must survive, survival requires some mental biases directing to some errors. 5) Fooled by Randomness: seeing shallow patterns in not a virtue — leads to naive interventionism. Some psychologist wrote back to me: “IQ selects for pattern recognition, essential for functioning in modern society”. No. Not seeing patterns except when they are significant is a virtue in real life. 6) To do well in life you need depth and ability to select your own problems and to think independently.

Functionary Quotient: If you renamed IQ , from “Intelligent Quotient” to FQ “Functionary Quotient” or SQ “Salaryperson Quotient”, then some of the stuff will be true. It measures best the ability to be a good slave. “IQ” is good for @davidgraeber’s “BS jobs”.

Metrification: If someone came up w/a numerical“Well Being Quotient” WBQ or “Sleep Quotient”, SQ, trying to mimic temperature or a physical quantity, you’d find it absurd. But put enough academics w/physics envy on it and it will become an official measure.

Notes And Technical Notes

“IQ” is most predictive of performance in military training, with correlation~.5, (which is circular since hiring isn’t random and training is another test).

There are contradictory stories about whether IQ ceases to work past a threshold, since Terman’s longitudinal study of “geniuses”. What these researchers don’t get is these contradictions come from the fact that the variance of the IQ measure increases with IQ. Not a good thing.

The argument that “some races are better at running” hence [some inference about the brain] is stale: mental capacity is much more dimensional and not defined in the same way running 100 m dash is.

I have here no psychological references for backup: simply, the field is bust. So far ~ 50% of the research does notreplicate, and papers that do have weaker effect. Not counting poor transfer to reality (psychological papers are ludic).

How P values often — rather almost always — fraudulent: my paper arxiv.org/pdf/1603.07532…

The Flynn effect should warn us not just that IQ is somewhat environment dependent, but that it is at least partly circular.

Verbalism: Psychologists have a skin-deep statistical education & can’t translate something as trivial as “correlation” or “explained variance” into meaning, esp. under nonlinearities (see paper at the end).

The “best measure” charlatans: IQ is reminiscent of risk charlatans insisting on selling “value at risk”, VaR, and RiskMetrics saying “it’s the best measure”. That “best” measure, being unreliable blew them up many many times. Note the class of suckers for whom a bad measure is better than no measure across domains.

You can’t do statistics without probability.

Much of the stuff about IQ of physicists is suspicious, from self-reporting biases/selection in tests.

If you looked at Northern Europe from Ancient Babylon/Ancient Med/Egypt, you would have written the inhabitants off... Then look at what happened after 1600. Be careful when you discuss populations.

The same people hold that IQ is heritable, that it determines success, that Asians have higher IQs than Caucasians, degrade Africans, then don’t realize that China for about a Century had one order of magnitude lower GDP than the West.

Mathematical Considerations

CURSE OF DIMENSIONALITY A flaw in the attempts to identify “intelligence” genes. You can get monogenic traits, not polygenic (note: additive monogenic used in animal breeding is NOT polygenic).

The Skin in the game issue

How social scientists have trouble translating a statistical construct into its practical meaning.

Psychology

Data Science

Black Swan

Racism

Alt Right

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I’m surprised no one has mentioned the book, “IQ: A Smart History of a Failed Idea,” by Stephan Murdoch. I read it recently and recommend it. Even without Taleb’s math prowess excoriating it, IQ’s legitimacy is unconvincing.

Taleb drives a stake through the IQ corpse and helps unveil the shame of 20th

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mr-rushforth · 2 years ago

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Look, it has to be said, Mr. Rushforth is sorry about your poke bowl or whatever it is you have instead of a decent breakfast, but ever since word got out that a majority of Tory M.P.s, including our Prime (pork and cheese) Minister-in-waiting, Liz Truss, voted against amending a bill to stop water companies dumping raw sewage into Britain's rivers and seas, then the so-called, ‘woke’ community of Britain has lost its mind over what Mr Rushforth can only describe as a trifling, fecal matter. Why, in Charles Dickens’ time, our scatological sketcher opines, piles of human excrement, three storeys high, were a common sight in every borough of London and provided gainful employment for all manner of nightsoilmen, mudlarks, apothecaries, mountebanks and children and it is typical of the negativity that abounds in our contemporary culture that a return to a time when Brittannia and other buoyant objects ruled the waves should be decried. The country is in a parlous condition; tackling all that currently besets us, through no fault of the government, requires bold steps and it is our stool-bound sketcher’s humble opinion that we should heed our leaders. If spreading the contents of British bowels upon British beaches will get this nation back on its feet, then he is all for it. It is, then, in a spirit of hope, that Mr Rushforth offers his latest portrait of the valiant Truss, mainstay of our nation, emboldened by the pressing needs of her people, riding into a new, golden (or perhaps, brown) dawn. As The Speaker of the House of Commons might say, “Ordure, ordure!”

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midautumnnightdream · 8 years ago

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Petition of Classicists against Romanticists.

In preparation for La Bataille d’Hernani group watch (TODAY at 4PM GMT!), here’s one of the more ludicrous examples of the way things were heating up in the theatre fandom, which also gets a direct reference in the film. Not long before Hernani took the stage, seven classical authors submitted a petition to Charles X, with the explicit purpose of banning Romanticism from Comédie-Française. The full text is under the cut for length, but I definitely recommend reading it all, just for the sheer hilarity.

We can thank Alexandre Dumas for bestowing us with the full text of the petition, as well as his own summary, containing enough snark to toast way more than seven classicists.

(From “The memoirs of Alexandre Dumas (pere)”)

The situation was complicated by an event as novel as it was unexpected. A petition to the King appeared, supplicating His Majesty to do in favour of Corneille, Racine, and Moliere — who, upright on their marble pedestals in the lobby, had no concern at all in this question — what His Majesty's august predecessor had done in favour of King Ferdinand VII, when banished by the Cortes, namely, to re-establish them on their throne...

It is incredible, is it not, that there could have been found seven men-of-letters sufficiently intolerant, sufficiently bigoted, sufficiently ridiculous, to address themselves to a King, and to pray this King that he would proscribe a class — that is to say, a thing which is invisible, intangible, almost indefinable — saying outright and boldly to him, — " Sire, we are the representatives of Art; we alone understand what the Beautiful is; we alone have knowledge, taste, and genius. The public hisses us, it is true, directly we appear; our tragedies draw no one, it is true, when they are represented; the actors perform our works with a repugnance which is, we allow, conceivable, since, while they incur the same outlay upon our pieces, they do not get the same profits from them. But no matter! — it is hard for us to die and to be forgotten: we had rather be hissed than buried. Make a decree, Sire, that we shall be played, and we alone, for we are the sole heirs of Comeille, of Moliére, and of Racine, while the new-comers are but bastards of Shakspeare, of Goethe, and of Schiller!" ...

But indeed, as the thing is not credible, we will place before our readers' eyes the petition of these gentlemen:

" Sire, — The glory of letters is not the least splendid of French glories, or the glory of our theatre the least brilliant of our literary glories.

" Thus thought your ancestors when they honoured the Théâtre-Français with a special patronage; thus thought Louis XIV., to whom it owed its first organization. Persuaded that the great masterpieces to which his reign had given birth could not be represented with too great perfection, that King and patron of letters willed that the best actors, scattered about among the diverse companies which the capital then possessed, should be united into one single company, under the title of "Players-in-Ordinary to the King."

" To this select band he gave regulations, he granted rights, and, among others, the exclusive privilege of performing tragedy and high comedy; and to these favours he added an endowment. His object in this — as you. Sire, know — was not merely to reward such actors as had the good fortune to please him, but also to encourage them in the practice of a style of play which, by its elevation, was in harmony with his royal soul, and further to perpetuate the prosperity of that style, and to establish on solid bases a theatre which should be a model alike for actors and for authors.

" For a long time the intentions of Louis XIV were carried out under his successors, who did not degenerate from him either in taste or in liberality; and the two kinds which he loved, and to which the French stage owed its dignity and its superiority, enjoyed an almost undivided reign.

" Such was still the state of things at the epoch of your august brother's decease; why must we make the avowal that it is no longer so to-day?

" The death of the actor who, in talent, could rival the most accomplished actors of any age, has brought with it more than one loss to the noble species of which he was the mainstay. Whether from depravation of tastes, or from a consciousness of their powerlessness to replace him, some members of the Théâtre-Français, protesting that the line in which Talma excelled cannot any longer be profitably developed, have exerted themselves to banish tragedy from the stage, and to substitute for it plays composed in imitation of the most motley dramas offered by foreign literatures — dramas which, before this period, none would have dared to produce save at the very lowest of our theatres.

" That inferior actors should put forward this plea — one so well in accord with their inferiority — and that, not being able to raise themselves to the height of tragedy, they should desire to lower it to the level of their own powers, — this is indeed conceivable; but what one can hardly conceive, Sire, is that this pretension should be encouraged by those in authority, whose duty it is to resist it.

“ Not only do they violate rights which are founded on the regulations, in order to favour, on every occasion, the style of play which is the object of their predilection; but to satisfy the exigencies of that style — one which aims less at elevating the soul, appealing to the heart, and interesting the intelligence, than at dazzling the eyes by material means, such as startling scenery and brilliant spectacular effect — they are exhausting the funds of the theatre, they are increasing its debt, they are working its ruin. And, moreover, as tragedy, in spite of all these attacks, still struggles with some advantage against her ignoble rival, not content with refusing the necessary funds for the accessories which she demands, the patrons of the new fashion make it their practice to mar the harmony of tragic representations, by assigning, to support the principal actors, only those persons whom the public dislikes; furthermore, in order to render every performance of tragedy henceforth impossible, anticipating the time when our two leading tragedians, Mdlle. Duchsenois and M. Lafond, will in the natural course retire, they purpose to compel these two to undergo — under the name of a holiday — a year's exile, during which they flatter themselves that they will consummate the complete destruction of the theatre of Racine, Corneille, and Voltaire.

" Sire, are the agents to whom your confidence entrusts the care of watching over and directing the theatre, fulfilling rightly your intentions as its patron? Have the keys been given into their hands, in order that they may favour this usurpation on the part of Melodrama, and deliver over to it the stage of Tragedy? And the funds which your bounty places at their disposal to be employed in the interests of good taste — ought these to be lavished in the interests of their particular taste, a taste which aims at subjugating the domain of these great masters to the Melpomene of the Boulevards, and reducing their sublime art to the condition of a vile trade?

" Convinced, Sire, as we are, that the glory of your reign is concerned in seeing that none of the sources of French glory be impaired, we believe it our duty to call your attention to the degradation with which our leading theatre is threatened.

" Sire, the evil is already great! A few months more, and it will be past remedy; a few months more, and — closed completely to those works which once gave pleasure to the most polished of Courts and the most enlightened of nations— the theatre, founded by Louis the Great will have fallen beneath the level of the most despicable mountebanks, or rather, the Théâtre-Français will have ceased to exist.

(Signed) "A. V. Arnault, K. Lemercier, Viennet, Jouy, Andrieux, Jay, 0. Leroy."

We have said that, under a Minister of good sense, every one is sensible— even the King. The King replied to his petitioners: —

" Gentlemen, — I can do nothing to meet your wishes : I have only, like other Frenchmen, my place in the pit"

#don't lick neoclassicism #Alexandre Dumas #Charles X #the treasure trove #classical theatre #Hernani relevant #theatre hjinks #just romanticism things

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bowlerhatwearer · 2 years ago

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How did Lis first meet Charl?

Greetings Anon ^^

I think they met when Charl started to work at the same hospital as Lis did, the polar fox was hired by the very same hospital not too long ago himself.

They understood each others very well, and where very good friends, both as colleagues and in private.

However Lis was concerned about Charl defending the usage of lobotomy, while Polarny opposed it, and when Charl was ready to do his first Lobotomy, Lis refused to approve it, which ultimately lead to the incident.

Yours sincerely

Bowler

#RKZ #Roadkillerz #Roadkillerz OC #RKZ OC #Lis Polarny RKZ #The Surgeon RKZ #Charl Mountebank #Ask #Anonymous #Anon

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blackkudos · 8 years ago

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P. B. S. Pinchback

Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback (born Pinckney Benton Stewart May 10, 1837 – December 21, 1921) was an American publisher and politician, a Union Army officer, and first African American to become governor of a U.S. state. He was born free in Georgia. A Republican, Pinchback served as the 24th Governor of Louisiana from December 9, 1872, to January 13, 1873. He was later elected to the state legislature, serving from 1879 to 1880.

Nicholas Lemann, in Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War, described Pinchback as "an outsized figure: newspaper publisher, gambler, orator, speculator, dandy, mountebank – served for a few months as the state's Governor and claimed seats in both houses of Congress following disputed elections but could not persuade the members of either to seat him." Congress was then controlled by Democrats.

Early life

He was born free as Pinckney Benton Stewart in May 1837 in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia. His parents were Eliza Stewart, a freed slave, and Major William Pinchback, a white planter and his mother's former master. William Pinchback, who also had a legal white family, freed Eliza and her children in 1836; she had borne six by that point and two had survived. She had four more with him.

Pinckney Stewart's parents were of diverse ethnic origins; Eliza Stewart was classified as mulatto, and had African, Cherokee, Welsh, and German ancestry. William Pinchback was ethnic European-American, of Scots-Irish, Welsh, and German American ancestry. Their mixed-race children were thus of majority European-American ancestry. Shortly after Pinckney's birth, his father William purchased a much larger plantation in Mississippi, and he moved there with both his white and mixed-race families.

Pinckney Benton Stewart and his siblings were considered the "natural" (or illegitimate) children of their father. But they were brought up in relatively affluent surroundings and treated as his own. The children were raised as white children. In 1846, Pinchback sent Napoleon and Pinckney north to a private academy in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1848, when Pinckney was eleven, his father died.

Fearful that the Pinchbacks might try to claim her children as slaves, Eliza Stewart fled with the children to Cincinnati in the free state of Ohio. Napoleon, at 18, helped to keep the family together but broke down under the responsibility. At 12, Pinckney left school and began to work as a cabin boy on river and canal boats to help his family. For a while he lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he worked as a hotel porter. During that time, he still identified himself as Pinckney B. Stewart. He did not take his father's surname of Pinchback until after the end of the American Civil War.

Marriage and family

In 1860 at the age of 23, Stewart married Emily Hawthorne, a free woman of color. Like Stewart, she was "practically white" in appearance. They had four children: Pinckney Napoleon in 1862, Bismarck in 1864, Nina in 1866, and Walter Alexander in 1868. Two others had died young. Bismarck's name reflected his father's admiration for statesman Otto von Bismarck of Germany, whom he considered to be one of the world's greatest men. His mother Eliza Stewart lived with Pinchback and his family from 1867 to her death in 1884.

They had a fine house in New Orleans. Usually, in the summer, the whole family traveled to Saratoga Springs, New York, a resort town, where they would stay for several weeks. Pinchback liked to gamble on the horse racing during the summer season.

Military service and Civil War

The Civil War began the following year, and Stewart decided to fight on the side of the Union. In 1862, he quietly made his way to New Orleans, which had just been captured by the Union Army. He raised several companies for the Union's all-black 1st Louisiana Native Guards Regiment, which was garrisoned in the city. A minority of men were Louisiana free men of color, part of the educated class before the war who had participated in the state militia, but most of the Guards were slaves who had escaped to join the Union forces and gain freedom.

Commissioned a captain, Stewart was one of the Union Army's few commissioned officers of African-American ancestry. Like Stewart, the officers were mostly of mixed race. Most of them were drawn from free people of color in New Orleans before the war; unlike him, they were usually of colonial French and African descent. He became Company Commander of Company A, 2nd Louisiana Regiment Native Guard Infantry, made up mostly of escaped slaves. (It was later reformed as the 74th US Colored Infantry Regiment, of the United States Colored Troops.)

Passed over twice for promotion and tired of the prejudice he encountered from white officers, Stewart resigned his commission in 1863. In a letter of April 30, 1863, his sister Adeline B. Saffold wrote to him from Sidney, Ohio, urging him to follow her example:

If I were you, Pink, I would not let my ambition die. I would seek to rise and not in that class either but I would take my position in the world as a white man as you are and let the other go for be assured of this as the other you will never get your rights....

After the war, Stewart and his wife moved to Alabama, to test their freedom as full citizens. Racial tensions during Reconstruction resulted in shocking levels of violence as whites tried to re-establish social dominance and suppress voting by blacks. Stewart returned with his family to New Orleans.

Political career

After the war in New Orleans, Stewart took his father's surname of Pinchback. He became active in the Republican Party. The exact moment Pinchback decided to enter politics is described by George Devol on page 216 of his book "Forty years a gambler on the Mississippi." In 1867, Pinchback organized the Fourth Ward Republican Club in New Orleans soon after Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts. That year, he was elected to the constitutional convention.

In 1868 Pinchback was elected as a State Senator. He became senate president pro tempore of a legislature that included 42 representatives of African-American descent (half of the House, and seven of 36 seats in the Senate). (At the time, the population of African Americans and whites in the state was nearly equal.)

As Senate president pro tempore, in 1871 Pinchback succeeded to the position as acting lieutenant governor upon the death of Oscar Dunn, the first elected African-American lieutenant governor of a US state.

Pinchback also contributed to the political discussion after acquiring the biweekly newspaper, the New Orleans Louisianan. He published the paper until 1879. He was appointed as director of the New Orleans public schools, established by the state legislature for the first time during Reconstruction. Pinchback had a long-standing interest in education of blacks and was appointed to the Louisiana State Board of Education where he served from March 18, 1871 until March, 1877.

In 1872, the legislature filed impeachment charges against the incumbent Republican governor, Henry Clay Warmoth, over disputes over certifying returns of the disputed gubernatorial election, in which both Democrat John McEnery and Republican William Kellogg claimed victory. Trying to support a centrist fusion government at a time of divisions among Republicans, Warmoth had supported his appointed return board, which certified McEnery as winner. Republicans opposed this outcome and appointed their own returns board, which certified Kellogg. The election had been marked by violence and fraud. State law required Warmoth to step aside until his impeachment case was tried. Pinchback took the oath as acting governor on December 9, 1872, and he served for about six weeks, until the end of Warmoth's term. Warmoth was not convicted, and the charges were eventually dropped by the legislature.

Also in 1872, at a national convention of African-American politicians, Pinchback had a public disagreement with Jeremiah Haralson of Alabama. James T. Rapier, also of Alabama, submitted a motion that the convention condemn all Republicans who had opposed President Ulysses S. Grant in that year's election. Haralson supported the motion, but Pinchback opposed it because Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts would have been condemned for opposing Grant. Pinchback admired Sumner as a lifelong anti-slavery fighter.

1870s congressional elections

After his brief governorship, Pinchback remained active in politics and public service in Louisiana. From 1868, campaigns and elections in Louisiana were increasingly marked by Democratic violence. Historian George C. Rable described the White League, started in 1874, as the "military arm of the Democratic Party." The paramilitary group used intimidation and violence to suppress black voting and run Republicans out of office.

As an outcome of the controversial 1872 election, four US seats from Louisiana were also contested, including Pinchback's seat in the at-large position. He was the first African American elected to Congress from Louisiana. In early 1873, both the Republican William Kellogg-allied state legislators, who had a slight majority, and the Democrat John McEnery-allied legislators elected US Senators. Pinchback was elected by the Republicans and presented the Senate with his credentials. The Democratic candidate also presented credentials. As the 1872 gubernatorial contest had involved the national government, Congress was initially reluctant to assess these issues. The contested claim was not settled for years, when Democrats controlled Congress.

Holding out for the Senate seat, Pinchback conceded the House seat to his Democratic opponent, but the 45th Congress (1877–1879), which finally decided the issue, had a Democratic majority and voted against Pinchback. The Senate gave him compensation of $16,000 for his salary and mileage after his protracted struggle to take his seat.

In his memoir of Reconstruction, former Louisiana governor Henry Clay Warmoth wrote that the federal government was reluctant to seat people representing the Kellogg-Pinchback faction. He had a personal interest, as he had been forced out of Louisiana after allying with white conservatives in the 1872 election certification. Historian John C. Rodrigue notes that the Committee on Elections was dealing with its own internal issues. It had accepted Pinchback's claim to the House seat, but he was holding out for the Senate seat, and then complications arose after the Democrats controlled Congress and upheld election of his opponent.

Overall, the mid- to late 1870s marked an acceleration of the reversal of the political gains which African Americans in Louisiana had achieved since the end of the Civil War. In 1877, Democrats fully regained control of the state legislature after the withdrawal of federal troops, as a result of a national Democratic compromise marking the end of Reconstruction. Republican blacks continued to be elected to state and local offices, but elections were accompanied by violence and fraud. Most blacks were totally disfranchised by a new state constitution in 1898 and were effectively excluded from politics for decades.

Pinchback served as a delegate to the 1879 state constitutional convention; he and two other Republican African-American delegates, T. T. Allain, and Henry Demas, were credited with gaining support to establish Southern University, a historically black college in New Orleans, which was chartered in 1880. Pinchback was appointed as a member of Southern University's Board of Trustees (later redesignated the Board of Supervisors). The college relocated to the capital, Baton Rouge, in 1914. He was a delegate to the 1880 Republican National Convention.

In 1882, the national Republican administration appointed Pinchback as surveyor of customs in New Orleans, a politically significant position in which he served until 1885. It was his last.

Later life

In 1885, Pinchback studied law in New Orleans at Straight University, a historically black college later known as Dillard University. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1886, but never practiced.

Continuing to be active in the African-American community, Pinchback had joined the Comité des Citoyens (Citizens' Committee), which set up the New Orleans civil rights challenge of Homer Plessy to state segregation in public transportation. Interstate trains were covered by federal legislation and supposed to be integrated. The case went to the Supreme Court of the United States as Plessy v. Ferguson. The Court ruled in 1896 that the state's providing "separate but equal" accommodations to African Americans was constitutional. This was a setback for African Americans; in practice, white-dominated legislatures and authorities generally underfunded black facilities, from train cars and waiting rooms to everything else.

Pinchback moved with his family to Washington, DC, in 1892. Wealthy from his positions and settlement on the Senate seat, he had a large mansion built off Fourteenth Street near the Chinese embassy. At the time, the oldest son Pinckney was established as a pharmacist in Philadelphia; the younger three ranged in age from 26 to 22 and were still living at home. The Pinchback family was part of the mixed-race elite in Washington; people in the group had generally been free before the war and often had formal educations and had acquired property. The Washington Post covered his housewarming reception and many high-ranking guests.

Later, he worked for a time in New York as a US Marshal.

By his death in 1921 in Washington, DC, he was little known politically. His body was returned to New Orleans, where he was interred in Metairie Cemetery.

Legacy

Pinchback and his wife Nina were the maternal grandparents of Jean Toomer. Their daughter Nina Pinchback Toomer returned to live with her parents after her husband abandoned her and Jean as an infant. They helped raise him, and he started school in Washington, DC. After his mother remarried, they moved to New Rochelle, New York. He returned to his grandparents after his mother died in 1909, and went to high school at the academic M Street School. As an adult, Toomer became a poet and writer who was prominent as a modernist in New York during the Harlem Renaissance.

It was not until 1990 that another African American served as governor of any U.S. state. In 1989, Douglas Wilder of Virginia became the first to be elected to office (and the second African-American state governor). Deval Patrick of Massachusetts was elected governor in 2006 and served from January 2007 to January 2015. David Paterson of New York became the fourth African-American governor on March 17, 2008, when he succeeded to office following the resignation of Eliot Spitzer.

Wikipedia

#P. B. S. Pinchback #05-10 #12-21

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dk-thrive · 8 years ago

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Satan in a Sunday Hat

You can’t transform mountebanks into menschen. Character is like concrete: You can make an impression when it’s freshly poured, in its youth, one could say, but when it sets, it’s impervious to alteration.

~ Charles M. Blow, Satan in a Sunday Hat (NY Times, July 31, 2017)

#character #Charles M. Blow #Honesty #integrity #Leadership #Quotes #Scaramucci #trump #Truth

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christsbride · 8 years ago

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"Little" People, "Big" People

1 Corinthians 15:58

God makes some people large, others moderate in stature. Still others are small in size. We frequently make the mistake of calling small folks "little," but that is an unfortunate and unfair tag. I'm not picking at terms . . . there is a great deal of difference between being small and being little. If you don't think so, just ask someone who is less than average height. They won't hesitate telling you they may be small, but they're definitely not little.

Being "little" implies much more than being short. It suggests being petty, lacking in great-heartedness, having a mind that is restrictive, suspicious, envious, spiteful. "Little" people (regardless of their physical size) find it extremely difficult to applaud another's achievement, especially if the accomplishments bear the marks of success and excellence. While there are many who are big enough to appreciate outstanding work, there is always the "little" world comprising those who frown, depreciate, question, doubt, criticize, and forever search for the flaw.

Many years ago there was a young, small company in Detroit, Michigan. The odds against its surviving were heavy. But this struggling firm was determined not to lower its standard. Excellence and quality craftsmanship would not be compromised—period. There would be no tolerance for mediocrity, no winking at a cheap and shoddy "let's-just-get-by" philosophy. At that time it wasn't part of a huge corporation (that came later), and even though it was eclipsed by much larger and more powerful competitors, this resilient, independent company stayed by its standard. Interestingly, it slowly gained recognition as a leader. The company published an advertisement in The Saturday Evening Post, January 2, 1915. Here is what it said:

The Penalty of LEADERSHIP

In every field of human endeavor he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man's work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone—if he achieve a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging.

Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a commonplace painting. Whatsoever you write, or paint, or play, or sing, or build, no one will strive to surpass or slander you, unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot be done.

Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler as a mountebank, long after the big world had acclaimed him its greatest artistic genius. Multitudes flocked to Bayreuth to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while the little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river banks to see his boat steam by.

The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or to excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and to destroy—but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant.

There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as the human passions—envy, fear, greed, ambition, and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains—the leader. Master-poet, master-painter, master-workman, each in his turn is assailed, and each holds his laurels through the ages. That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial. That which deserves to live—lives.

I am aware that all sorts and sizes of people will read this piece. A few of you are "little," hard as it may be to face it. But I'm convinced that many more of you are "big," which, being translated, means visionary, courageous, bold, secure, productive, unafraid of hard work, and unintimidated by the odds. Good for you! Press on. Grow even bigger. Stand tall. Run hard as you set a new pace. Refuse to reduce your stride. Embrace quality and excellence and determination. Without fudging one inch on integrity and humility, push on . . . lead on. Ignore the "little" world of onlookers who are too petty to produce, too suspicious to affirm, too envious to acknowledge greatness. Go hard after your goal, get on with it!

Isn't that the essence of Paul's charge to the Corinthians?

My dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. (1 Corinthians 15:58 MSG)

It's certainly what the apostle had in mind when he challenged young Timothy to "take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself . . . persevere" (1 Timothy 4:15–16).

Regardless of your stature, in spite of your current circumstances, age, status, occupation, location, limitations, or background, aim high . . . way up there where the ranks are as thin as the air. And the next time you're tempted to listen to those who would penalize you, remember that little company in Detroit, determined to succeed over eight decades ago. Oops, not "little," small.

Come to think of it, I've never heard anyone call the Cadillac Motor Car Company "little."

Excerpt taken from Come Before Winter and Share My Hope, copyright © 1985, 1988, 1994 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. For additional information and resources visit us at www.insight.org.

from Chuck Swindoll's Daily Devotional http://ift.tt/2vtomqe via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Chuck Swindoll's Daily Devotional #Insight for Living

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bowlerhatwearer · 2 years ago

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Is Swap Charl the one who gets the robot body?

Greetings Anon

I could imagine so, although I do wonder now, would that mean, Charl is at first good, and then evil?

This is honestly something I, can't answer however, I do like to think that in the Swap!AU, he is good from the start.

What very likely happened is that Lis tried to kill or lobotomize him but Charl fought back, which caused him to get seriously injured and his mind transferred into a robot.

Said process, very likely affected him, and for a while Charl felt, cold and emotionless, resenting it how he no longer could feel his own heartbeat, breath, eat or feel the sun warming his body etc. etc.

However, I believe, at one point, he would come to accept his new body, and maybe later, would also get himself a new biological one.

Yours sincerely

Bowler

#RKZ #Roadkillerz #Charl Mountebank RKZ #RKZ OC #Roadkillerz OC #Lis Polarny RKZ #The Surgeon RKZ #Swap AU #RKZ Swap AU #Roadkillerz Swap AU #Ask #Anonymous #Anon #RKZ AU #Roadkillerz AU

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bowlerhatwearer · 2 years ago

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What did Joanna think of Charl?

Greetings Anon

She was at first wary, and also reserved towards Charl, she has heard about him, and how he was in the past a neurosurgeon, not only who stabbed his colleague, but also had done lobotomies, and at first she was wondering if he would try the same here as well, but, Tyson believed in him, so she would just, wait and see.

And as it turns out, he was a kind and dedicated worker, and Joanna and Charl did eventually grow close together as friends, with Charly sharing parts of the past with Joanna and vice-versa.

Joanna was shaken when she had heard that Mountebank had died.

Yours sincerely

Bowler

#RKZ #Roadkillerz #Charl Mountebank RKZ #RKZ OC #Roadkillerz OC #Joanna Owens #Owens Family #Ask #Anonymous #Anon

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bowlerhatwearer · 2 years ago

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Did Charl meet any other Medics members during his life?

Greetings Anon ^^

Of course, he met Ty for example, with who he had a talk with, and I can also imagine that he had met Dr.Gubble, Frost and perhaps also Dorothy Whitlock (@pastelprince18 OC), maybe he even had met Joanna Owens.

He really appreciated their company, and, that they welcomed him, into the Medics, despite what he had done in the past...

Yours sincerely

Bowler

#RKZ #Roadkillerz #Ty Nicholas RKZ #Tyson Nicholas #Ty Nicholas #Dr.Gubble RKZ #Frost RKZ #Dorothy Whitlock RKZ #Dorothy Whitlock #RKZ OC #Roadkillerz OC #Joanna Owens #Owens family #Charl Mountebank RKZ #Ask #Anonymous #Anon

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bowlerhatwearer · 2 years ago

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If Lis doesn't time travels, what does she do now? (Also, kinda a shame since I really liked the concept)

Greetings Anon ^^

I know, it's an interesting concept but, I did think about it and there was a different approach I have thought about it, I am sorry that I changed it Anon.

There is no time travel involved in this anymore.

Rather what happened is that Charl Mountebank was not locked away into a psychiatric hospital until he died, but was send to prison instead, because of a botched lobotomy.

You see, I have thought about, that because Lis Polarny, vanished (due of accepting that his mind would be transferred into a robot), and with that the main witness no longer being present, Charl got a rather...mild sentence, very likely because of his status.

However, he later goes to prison, because of a botched lobotomy, causing the patient to die, who was the relative of a high regarded person, and that, was what caused Charl to go to prison for some time.

The death of his patient, greatly disturbed Charl, because, this had not happened before and he was certain about himself that he would never make a mistake, and now a person was death because of him.

Which makes him for the first time realize, just how many lives he had not saved, but ruined by lobotomizing patients.

That and, he remembered how Lis told him, that he knows, that one day his endorsement for lobotomies would backfire on him.

With this, happening now.

Charl was sentenced to prison, and had a few years to think about it, and he realized just, what he had done, and instead of helping people, he hurt them.

He got released early because of good conduct, however Charl, who, wanted to continue working in the medical field, did not get a job because of his "criminal background".

That was, until he heard about the Medics, and, after a long talk with Tyson Nicholas, joined them.

He always regretted what he had done in the past, and wished he could reverse it, but, he knows that all he can do is, trying to do better.

And so Charl worked for the Medics, until, he died in the line of duty as he was treating the injured.

The thing is, Charl never found out what had happened to Lis, and, he always assumed he had died.

Lis on the other side, for a long time did not know what had happened to Charl, and so believed he had died in a psychiatric hospital.

Which is until Lis, after having left the Wrath and joined the Medics, does his research about Charl, however he reaches a death end, not knowing what happened to his former colleague after he was released from prison.

That is, until Ty sees Lis in thoughts, and asks him what's wrong, and eventually during their talk Lis mentions the name "Charl Mountebank" and Ty of course recognizes that name, given that Charl was a member of the Medics, who took his job seriously until the very end.

Lis, curious would ask Ty if he could tell him more about what Charl did after having been released from prison, and so the snow leopard does tell him everything.

In the end, Ty remembers something, how Lis, at one point to have closure with himself over his past, recording himself, and Ty remembers how Charl wished, Lis could see it, but Mountebank of course believed that Lis was death, but he, Ty thinks Lis should watch it, so he does.

I don't know the details yet, but, at one point does Charl, in the video tape apologies to Lis, saying that, even if his old colleague might not be around here anymore, he is, truly sorry for what he did.

And Lis...emotional about the video tape, because Charl is no longer here, touching the TV screen would say that he forgives him and, that he is sorry too.

That is, how I imagine it happened now, but, who knows, maybe at one point, I like the time travel idea again, or , find another way to use the time travel part.

Yours sincerely

Bowler

#RKZ #Roadkillerz #Tyson Nicholas RKZ #Ty Nicholas #Ty Nicholas RKZ #Tyson Nicholas #RKZ OC #Roadkillerz OC #Charl Mountebank RKZ #Lis Polarny RKZ #The Surgeon RKZ #Ask #Anonymous #Anon

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