#Latham House

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham and Mary R. Walsh

Nathaniel Bowditch grew up in a sailor’s world—Salem in the early days, when tall-masted ships from foreign ports crowded the wharves. But Nat didn’t promise to have the makings of a sailor; he was too physically small. Nat may have been slight of build, but no one guessed that he had the persistence and determination to master sea navigation in the days when men sailed only by “log, lead, and lookout.” Nat’s long hours of study and observation, collected in his famous work, The American Practical Navigator (also known as the “Sailors’ Bible”), stunned the sailing community and made him a New England hero.

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville

What is Un Lun Dun? It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people, too–including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Un Lun Dun is a place where words are alive, a jungle lurks behind the door of an ordinary house, carnivorous giraffes stalk the streets, and a dark cloud dreams of burning the world. It is a city awaiting its hero, whose coming was prophesied long ago, set down for all time in the pages of a talking book.

When twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into this strange city, it seems that the ancient prophecy is coming true at last. But then things begin to go shockingly wrong.

Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

Darrell Rivers begins her happy life at Malory Towers two terms later than the other girls, but she soon makes firm friends with Sally, the steady one, and the adoring Mary Lou.

The Littles by John Peterson

The Littles live in the walls of the Biggs' house. But when the Biggs go on vacation a messy family comes to stay, the trouble begins. Mice! Cats! How much can one small family take? Will Tom and Lucy, the littlest Littles of all, be able to save the day?

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas

In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery's pocket and touched the wizard's locus magicalicus, a stone used to focus magic and work spells. But for some reason he did not. Nevery finds that interesting, and he takes Conn as his apprentice on the provision that the boy find a locus stone of his own. But Conn has little time to search for his stone between wizard lessons and helping Nevery discover who or what is stealing the city of Wellmet's magic.

100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson

Twelve-year-old Henry York is going to sleep one night when he hears a bump on the attic wall above his head. It's an unfamiliar house—Henry is staying with his aunt, uncle, and three cousins—so he tries to ignore it. But the next night he wakes up with bits of plaster in his hair. Two knobs have broken through the wall, and one of them is slowly turning...

Henry scrapes the plaster off the wall and discovers doors—ninety-nine cupboards of all different sizes and shapes. Through one he can hear the sound of falling rain. Through another he sees a glowing room—with a man strolling back and forth! Henry and his cousin Henrietta soon understand that these are not just cupboards. They are, in fact, portals to other worlds.

Dear Dumb Diary by Jim Benton

Read the hilarious, candid, (and sometimes not-so-nice,) diaries of Jamie Kelly, who promises that everything in her diary is true...or at least as true as it needs to be.

School was okay today. Actually, it was better than okay. Angeline got her long, beautiful hair tangled in one of the jillion things she has dangling from her backpack, and the school nurse -- who is now one of my main heroes -- took a pair of scissors and snipped two feet of silky blond hair from the left side of her head, so now Angeline only looks like The Prettiest Girl in the World if you're standing on her right. (Although personally, I think she would look better if I was standing on her neck.)

The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald

The best con man in the Midwest is only ten years old. Tom, a.k.a., the Great Brain, is a silver-tongued genius with a knack for turning a profit. When the Jenkins boys get lost in Skeleton Cave, the Great Brain saves the day. Whether it's saving the kids at school, or helping out Peg-leg Andy, or Basil, the new kid at school, the Great Brain always manages to come out on top—and line his pockets in the process.

Mumintrullen by Tove Jansson

En av Tove Janssons mest älskade berättelser, Det osynliga barnet, kommer nu som bilderbok. En kall höstkväll dyker Too-ticki upp i muminhuset i sällskap av ett barn, en osynlig flicka! Hon har blivit osynlig för att någon varit mycket elak mot henne. Mumintrollen låter flickan flytta in och den hösten får både hon och familjen lära sig om respekt, vänlighet, och vikten av att ibland bli riktigt arg.Tove Janssons älskade "Det osynliga barnet" är anpassad för bilderboksformatet av författaren Cecilia Davidsson och illustrerad av Filippa Widlund. Boken är en del i Bonnier Carlsens satsning på att ta fram nya bilderböcker om Mumintrollen för nästa generation Muminälskare. I text och bild knyter boken an till Tove Janssons klassiska berättelse och förmedlar dess säregna magi och klokskaper.

Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

A humorous fantasy from Diana Wynne Jones. In a world next door to ours, the tourist industry is devastating the population by its desire to experience all the fantasy clichés - Dark Lords, impoverished villages, dragons etc.

The Head of the University resolves to shut the tours down; the only problem being the ruthless tour-master - and his all-powerful demons. To save them all, the incompetent wizard Derk is appointed as Dark Lord in the hope that he will ruin the tours, and sure enough proceeds to fail at everything due to his general uselessness. But can failing at everything lead to a win this time?

[siena-sevenwits]

I'm attempting to assemble some "buffet" lists for my 2025 reading. I don't mean to get through any of the lists, but to use the lists as limited inspiration pools. It would be rather a long list to put in one post, so I'll do it by category.

Children's Literature

The Gawgon and the Boy by Lloyd Alexander (Great Depression)

The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes (the high seas)

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (modern day)

Greenglass House by Kate Milford (1930's fantasy)

The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope (New York State with visits from Revolutionary era ghosts)

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (re-read) (Edwardian England)

The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski (fantasy)

The Guests of War Trilogy by Kit Pearson (WWII Canada)

St. Winifred's by Frederic W. Farrar (Victorian English public school)

The Box of Delights by John Masefield (1930's England)

The Feud at Fennell's by John Mowbray (1930's English public school)

I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino (Renaissance Madrid)

Twilight Robbery by Frances Hardinge (re-read) (fantasy)

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (14th century England)

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E. L. Konigsburg (Twelfth Century England)

A Circle of Silver by Maxine Trottier (War of 1812 Canada)

The Ramsay Scallop by Frances Temple (14th Century Europe)

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (18th century America and the seas)

Archer's Goon by Diana Wynne Jones (fantasy England)

The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit (Edwardian English fantasy)

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill (fantasy)

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (Interbellum NYC)

Race to the Bottom of the Sea by Lindsay Eagar (fantasy)

The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Gaudin (fantasy)

The History of the Hobbit edited by John D. Rateliff (soooort of children's literature) (Fantasy sort of)

[holmesxwatson]

James Lovegrove’s Sherlock Holmes books

James Lovegrove has written a ton of Sherlock Holmes books over the years (all Victorian era/canon era). I recently came across his latest series on the Hoopla app while I was browsing audiobooks that were available and the cover art totally roped me in. I ended up reading all three books in the newest series, all the Cthulu casebooks and a few in his earliest series. As far as I can tell, his books seem to be split into three different series based on the structure of the subtitles and the different cover art. I enjoyed all the books I read by Lovegrove for different reasons, but as I've already established in my other book rec posts, I mostly only care about the Holmes/Watson dynamic. So listed below are Lovegrove's Sherlock series in chronological order, which also happens to be, in my opinion, the order from least to best Holmes & Watson dynamics •ᴗ•

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The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Titan Books Series, 2013-2018

I honestly just realized while researching links for this post that Lovegrove's books in this series are part of a bigger series with multiple authors (lol me), so I'm not going to list all the titles here, but they've been published from 2011-2023 and Lovegrove has written six of the 21 books. The other authors in the series are Guy Adams, George Mann, Cavan Scott, Mark A. Latham, Nick Kyme, Philip Purser-Hallard, and Tim Major. I read the first two Lovegrove books in this series last after reading his other SH series and the stories were pretty solid. One of them was a WWI-era story, which is a time period that I love to read about. The only thing I will say is that the Holmes & Watson vibe is a little too I'm-smarter-than-you-do-keep-up for my taste, which is why I took a break after reading the first two. But I wouldn't be against dipping back into this series at some point in the future and also checking out what the other authors have to offer.

Goodreads series page (x)

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The Cthulu Casebooks, 2016-2023

There are four books in the Cthulu Casebooks series and the framing device is that James Lovegrove himself is a descendant of H.P. Lovecraft, which is how he comes into possession of Watson's secret writings on his and Sherlock's real adventures going up against Cthulu and other eldritch horrors. These books are not just a romp through a mashup of literary worlds, there are very real stakes and things get dark. I really liked these books, I'm not really a Lovecraft fan at all, but I have read some of his works and of course I'm aware of all the elements from his works that have transcended their stories and are really a part of general fantasy/horror fan knowledge. My best friend is a huge Lovecraft fan and we read these together, so they were able to tell me how precise the Lovecraftian elements were -- they were precise -- so Lovecraft fan approved. The framing device was my favorite thing, especially the author's note at the end of book three, which was a very bone-chilling way to end the book (that I was listening to on audio in my dark house at night -- oops).

Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows

Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities

Sherlock Holmes and the Sussex Sea-Devils

Sherlock Holmes and the Highgate Horrors

Goodreads series page (x)

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James Lovegrove's Sherlock Holmes, 2019-2021

This was my favorite series out of the Lovegrove set and also the first that I read. I felt like the Holmes & Watson dynamic was especially great -- and for me that means: they felt more like equals, there was just the right amount of bickering, and they cared deeply about each other. While I was reading these I took some short notes to help me remember what was special about each book, here they are below next to the titles. I would say that the covers and titles make the series seem like it might have fantasy elements, but it's more like they are debunking their clients outlandish theories before getting stuck in on the actual case.

Sherlock Holmes & the Christmas Demon (has a Three Garridebs-esque scene; Holmes dresses up as Santa!)

Sherlock Holmes & The Beast of the Stapletons (a continuation of HOUN complete with a short estrangement of Holmes & Watson)

Sherlock Holmes & The Three Winter Terrors (the dedication at the beginning of the book is to Jeremy Brett ❤)

Goodreads pages (x) (x) (x)

Here’s my goodreads shelf with all kinds of Sherlock Holmes books that I’ve read or am hoping to read. Let me know if you have any recs! And check my pinned post for other book recs posts!

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I remember there had been speculations that the Yorks (either the parents or girls) had contributed to FF or Endgame. Having read the 2 books, do you think it's possible? And is there anyone from the inner circle of the BRF that did in your opinion? From the Sussex side, their staff definitely did as they seemed friendly with Scobie at the beginning and Meghan's friends as well. But it seems not even Harry's friends ever did so I can hardly see a close friend/family member of the BRF leak to him

Such an interesting question, anon - you really made me dig deep into my memory! (I haven't picked up Finding Freedom since it first came out, though I've been meaning to check out the paperback since it got a new epilogue after Philip passed away.)

Remember that Finding Freedom was written by Scobie and Carolyn Durand. Scobie gets the lion's share of criticism, recognition, and credit for Finding Freedom and Durand practically disappeared from royal commentary after the book was published so something definitely went down. I think the way they "split" the work is Scobie sourced the Sussexes, Kensington Palace, Meghan's friends, and Sunshine Sachs because his background is actually entertainment news. Durand sourced Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and a few of Harry's friends like Guy Pelly and the van Straubenzees because she has the more "establishment" cred.

I don't actually know if that's true. The only evidence I have is how HarperCollins presented them in their biographies for Finding Freedom - they called Scobie the expert on the "young royals" (William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan) with "strong access to the Sussexes' working world" and they say Durand has contacts at BP, KP, and Clarence House and has produced interviews with many members of the royal family, including Harry. (Here's the link.)

To your question about if Harry's friends would talk to the press, yes. According to Scobie in Endgame, BP/KP/CH have lists of royal friends and associates that may be willing to speak to reporters, and whom the palace will make available to the reporters when they're writing on books or commemorative articles for birthdays/milestones. Since it sounds like Scobie and Durand did make the BRF aware that they were writing Finding Freedom, the palace probably gave them some names from Harry's list of friends and that's how they were able to talk to some of those guys, if they did.

Whether anyone in the inner circles of the BRF spoke to them for Finding Freedom, we know Jason Knauf definitely did since he was part of the lawsuit. Sara Latham probably could have given some background. (Based on some of the info from the lawsuits and some of the things Scobie said in Endgame, I think they had started doing research for something that would become Finding Freedom in 2018. The lawsuit revealed that Scobie and Durand were working with/through Knauf to get clarification from the Sussexes and Knauf would only have been involved if he was working with the Sussexes, so it had to have been before William split their offices and sent the Sussexes to work out of BP in late 2018/early 2019.)

I did always get a feeling like maybe Eugenie contributed. If she did, then she probably did it on deep background, where any info she gave couldn't be published or attributed to her, but Scobie/Durand could have used her info as lines of questioning for other people or subjects for further research. She was really the only one hanging out with Harry. Beatrice didn't seem to be around Harry much anymore in those days. (It was alleged that she was incandescant with rage, to borrow from William, that Meghan teased/leaked the pregnancy at Eugenie's wedding and that made her rethink a lot of things.)

I don't see Andrew being involved. He doesn't strike me someone who liked Harry personally. Maybe they were close when Harry was a kid but they seem to have distanced since Harry had gotten older (it's probably some spare v spare resentment) (plus there's the whole thing about the Sussexes supposedly stealing Eugenie's wedding timeline and supposedly that was very upsetting) so I can't see him doing an interview. And also, probably by the time Scobie and Durand were sitting down to actually write Finding Freedom in Summer/Fall 2019, the Epstein scandals had blown open again and made Andrew PNG'd so no way in hell someone woke like Scobie would include anything he had to say.

But Sarah, possibly. She and Durand are both affiliated with Oprah - Sarah has been on the talk show a few times, she had her own show/docuseries with Oprah, she's been in the magazine, and Durand is a contributer to Oprah's magazine and website. So they have that connection and that could've been how Durand was able to talk to Sarah, possibly even for info or background on Diana. (I don't see anyone on the Spencer side being Scobie's source, no matter how much Harry talks about his mother's family being his favorite people since some shit went down between Harry, Meghan, and Charles Spencer, my only evidence being his glaring absence from Archie's christening.)

And also, a quick aside about Sarah. I do think Sarah is one of Piers Morgan's sources for the royal family. I think Piers has a few sources in the BRF (including Camilla) but Sarah might be the most loose-lipped one.

Sorry, anon. You were probably looking for a quick and simple answer, and yet I've given you another essay to read.

[aibidil]

Homosexuality in colonial New England

I decided to read up about homosexuality and other deviant sexual behavior in the Puritan colonies and let me tell you, I am not disappointed. (Even though sodomy, then defined as homosexual behavior, or, "a vile Affection men given up thereto leave the Naturall use of women & burn in their lust one Towards Another," generally carried the penalty of death, the actual sentence upon conviction was never, in all but one case, actually death.) Here are some of my favorite bits (source):

The first recorded incident of homosexuality in New England occurred in 1629, when the ship Talbot arrived in Massachusetts. During the voyage, "5 beastly Sodomiticall boyes . . . confessed their wickedness not to be named." Unwilling to deal with anything so distasteful, Massachusetts authorities sent the boys back to England, arguing that since the crime occurred in the high seas, the Bay Colony had no jurisdiction.

Re Thomas Morton of Merrymount and his men: "They set up a maypole, drinking and dancing about it many days together, inviting the Indian women for their consorts, dancing and frisking together like so many fairies, or furies, rather; and worse practices."

In 1636, Plymouth held the first trial for homosexuality in New England. John Alexander and Thomas Rivers were "found guilty of lude behavior and uncleane carriage one [with] another, by often spendinge their seede one upon another." The evidence was conclusive, since the court had a witness and confessions from the accused. Futhermore, Alexander was "notoriously guilty that way," and had sought "to allure others thereunto."

Another Plymouth sodomy case, in 1642: The court found Edward Mitchell guilty of "lude and sodomiticall practices"with Edward Preston. Michell was also playing around with Lydia Hatch, and Preston attempted sodomy with one John Keene, but was turned down. To complicate matters ever further, Lydia was caught in bed with her brother Jonathan.

In 1649, Mary Hammond and Sara Norman, both from Yarmouth, were indicted for "leude behavior each with other upon a bed." Mrs. Norman was also accused of "divers Lasivious speeches." Her sentence required that she make a public acknowledgement "of her unchast behavior" and included a warning that such conduct in the future would result in an unspecified harsher punishment. Inexplicably, Mary Hammond was "cleared with admonision." It is difficult to understand how one woman could be guilty and the other innocent, though it is possible that the court was more disturbed by Mrs. Norman's "lasivious speeches" than they were by her "leude behavior."

The soap-opera worthy case of Richard Berry and Teage Joanes: In 1649, Berry accused Joanes of sodomy, and both were ordered to attend the next court for trial. Berry also claimed that Joanes committed "unclean practisses" with Sarah Norman, the woman involved in the lesbian case. In the intervening six months between the accusation and the trial, however, Berry changed his mind and testified that he had lied, for which he was sentenced "to be whipte at the poste." If Berry's original intention had been merely to smear Joanes, it is difficult to understandwhy he would do it in such a way as to implicate himself. It is possible that the two men were lovers. Perhaps they had quarrelled, leading to the accusation, but later reconciled. Berry then decided to suffer the penalty for lying rather than have Joanes suffer the penalty for sodomy. Further evidence for this interpretation stems from a court order three years later when Jones and Berry "and others with them" were required to "part theire uncivell liveing together."

In 1637, for instance, Abraham Pottle, Walter Deuell, Webb Adey, and Thomas Roberts, accused of "disorderly liveing," were required "to give an account how they live."

William Latham was fined 40s for entertaining John Phillips in his house, contrary to the court's order. John Emerson was also fined for "entertaining other mens servants," though the sex of the servants is unmentioned. Anthony Bessie was indicted for "liveing alone disorderly, and afterwards for takeing in an inmate [boarder] without order." James Cole was acquitted of the charge of "entertaining townsmen in his house."

The one execution for homosexuality in New England occurred in the colony of New Haven in 1646, when William Plaine of Guilford was convicted of "unclean practices." Though a married man, Plaine reportedly committed sodomy with two men in England before coming to America. Once in Guilford, "he corrupted a great part of the youth . . . by masturbations, which he had committed and provoked others to the like above a hundred times." To make matters worse, this "monster in human shape," as John Winthrop called him, expressed atheistic opinions. Plaine received the death penalty, though it was probably his corruption of youth and his "frustrating the ordinance of marriage" that wished more heavily on the magistrate than the sodomy.

[beardedmrbean]

The disqualification effort against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the sweeping RICO case against former President Donald Trump and his allies is gaining steam.

Four of the co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case—Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Cathy Latham and Michael Roman—revealed in Monday court filings that they are filing their own appeals in the rejected bid to remove Willis.

Giuliani is a former Trump attorney, Meadows is the former White House chief of staff, and Latham is a former state Republican leader. Roman is the former Trump aide whose attorney first revealed that Willis was in a personal relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade in January.

They now join Trump, former Georgia GOP Chairman David Shafer and seven other defendants in their bid to challenge Judge Scott McAfee's March ruling.

Earlier this year, McAfee allowed Willis to stay on the case after several defendants took issue with Willis and Wade's "improper" relationship and moved to have her booted from the case over the alleged conflict of interest. Willis and Wade have admitted to the relationship, which they say ended last summer. They argued it had no bearing on the case.

The judge ultimately determined that their relationship did not amount to a conflict of interest but recognized that as long as the two remained on the prosecution, the "appearance of impropriety" would continue to hang over the case. He ruled that either Willis or Wade would have to step down. Wade resigned hours after the ruling.

Although McAfee chose not to disqualify Willis, he granted a request from the co-defendants to have his ruling reconsidered by the Georgia Court of Appeals. Last week, the appeals court agreed to hear the defense's case. A court date has not yet been announced.

Newsweek reached out to Willis via email for comment.

In the appeals application, Trump, Schafer and seven other defendants argued that McAfee's decision to give Willis "the option to simply remove Wade confounds logic and is contrary to Georgia law."

Their application also went a step further, arguing that Willis' disqualification would be "the minimum that must be done to remove the stain of her legally improper and plainly unethical conduct from the remainder of the case" and that the only "truly appropriate remedy" would be an entire dismissal of it.

Willis indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants for their alleged efforts to overturn the results of Georgia's 2020 election last August. Four of those defendants—bail bondsman Scott Hall and former Trump attorneys Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis—have pleaded guilty to charges. Trump and the remaining 14 co-defendants have denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

"President Trump looks forward to presenting interlocutory arguments to the Georgia Court of Appeals as to why the case should be dismissed and Fulton County DA Willis should be disqualified for her misconduct in this unjustified, unwarranted political persecution," Trump lawyer Steve Sadow said in a statement responding to the appeals court decision.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Michael de Adder, Washington Post :: [Robert Scott Horton]

* * * *

Letters From An American

Tonight, just before midnight, the state of Georgia indicted former president Donald J. Trump and 18 others for multiple crimes committed in that state as they tried to steal the 2020 presidential election. A special-purpose grand jury made up of citizens in Fulton County, Georgia, examined evidence and heard from 75 witnesses in the case, and issued a report in January that recommended indictments. A regular grand jury took the final report of the special grand jury into consideration and brought an indictment.  

“Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost” the 2020 presidential election, the indictment reads, ”and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.” 

The indictment alleges that those involved in the “criminal enterprise” “constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury.” 

That is, while claiming to investigate voter fraud, they allegedly committed election fraud. 

And that effort has run them afoul of a number of laws, including the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which is broader than federal anti-racketeering laws and carries a mandatory five-year prison term. 

Those charged fall into several categories. Trump allies who operated out of the White House include lawyers Rudy Giuliani (who recently conceded in a lawsuit that he lied about Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss having stuffed ballot boxes),  John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, and Trump’s White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. 

Those operating in Georgia to push the scheme to manufacture a false slate of Trump electors to challenge the real Biden electors include lawyer Ray Stallings Smith III, who tried to sell the idea to legislators; Philadelphia political operative Michael Roman; former Georgia Republican chair David James Shafer, who led the fake elector meeting; and Shawn Micah Tresher Still, currently a state senator, who was the secretary of the fake elector meeting. 

Those trying to intimidate election worker and witness Ruby Freeman include Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a police chaplain from Illinois; Harrison William Prescott Floyd, executive director of Black Voices for Trump; and Trevian C. Kutti, a publicist for the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. 

Those allegedly stealing data from the voting systems in Coffee County, Georgia, and spreading it across the country in an attempt to find weaknesses in the systems that might have opened the way to fraud include Trump lawyer Sidney Powell; former Coffee County Republican Committee chair Cathleen Alston Latham; businessman Scott Graham Hall; and Coffee County election director Misty Hampton, also known as Emily Misty Hayes.  

The document also referred to 30 unindicted co-conspirators.

Trump has called the case against him in Georgia partisan and launched a series of attacks on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Today, Willis told a reporter who asked about Trump’s accusations of partisanship: “I make decisions in this office based on the facts and the law. The law is completely nonpartisan. That's how decisions are made in every case. To date, this office has indicted, since I’ve been sitting as the district attorney, over 12,000 cases. This is the eleventh RICO indictment. We follow the same process. We look at the facts. We look at the law. And we bring charges."

The defendants have until noon on August 25 to surrender themselves to authorities.

Letters From An American

Heather Cox Richardson

[dailyanarchistposts]

Way of death

Still, the emphasis on debt is puzzling, since nothing in the ethnography suggests that in the 1950s debt was a pervasive concern of everyday Tiv life. Here I think we have to turn to a larger historical context.

The early history of the Tiv is difficult to reconstruct, but they appear to have arrived in the Benue River valley and adjacent lands sometime around 1750 – that is, during a time when all of what’s now Nigeria was being torn apart by the Atlantic slave trade. Early stories told how the Tiv, during their migrations, used to paint their wives and children with simulated smallpox scars, so that potential raiders would be afraid to carry them off. They established themselves in a notoriously inaccessible stretch of country, and offered up ferocious defence against periodic raids from neighbours to their north and west (Abraham 1933: 17–26; Akiga Sai 1954; Bohannan 1954). Some of these raids were not entirely unsuccessful. It’s probably not insignificant that the nearby Jukun kingdom, which made a series of ultimately unsuccessful attempts to conquer the Tiv in the 18th century, disposing many Tiv captives to slave-dealers on the coast in the process, was also seen, in later times, as the real origin of the ‘organisation’ of the mbatsav (Abraham 1933: 19, 31–5; Curtin 1969: 255, 298; Latham 1973: 29; Tambo 1976: 201–3).

One might also consider the actual origin of the famous copper bars used as social currency.

Copper bars had been used for money in this part of Africa for centuries; often, it seemed, they were used not just for social purposes but broken up into small change for use in ordinary commercial transactions (Jones 1958; Latham 1971; Northrup 1978: 157–64; Herbert 2003: 196). Ibn Battuta saw people using copper bars to buy everyday wares in marketplaces in the nearby Niger region as far back as the 1340s. Most of the bars current in 18th- and 19th-century Tivland, on the other hand, were not local products. They were mass-produced in factories in Birmingham, and imported through the port of Old Calabar at the mouth of the Cross River, by slave-traders based in Liverpool and Bristol. The Tiv were unusual in restricting these bars to social purposes. In all the country adjoining the Cross River – that is, in the region directly to the south of the Tiv territory – they were still used as everyday currency.

It is hardly surprising that Tiv were suspicious of such items. Almost everywhere else, they were also the currency of the slave. During the 1760s alone, perhaps 100,000 Africans were shipped down the Cross River to Calabar and nearby ports, where they were put in chains, placed on British, French or other European ships, and shipped across the Atlantic – part of perhaps 1.5 million exported from the Bight of Biafra during the whole period of the trade (Eltis et al. 2000; Lovejoy and Richardson 1999: 337). Some had been captured in wars, raids or simply kidnapped. The majority, though, were carried off because of debts.

In fact the Atlantic Slave Trade as a whole was a gigantic network of credit arrangements. Ship-owners based in Liverpool or Bristol would acquire goods on easy credit terms from local wholesalers, expecting to make good by selling slaves (also on credit) to planters in the Antilles and America, with commission agents in the city of London ultimately financing the affair through the profits of the sugar and tobacco trade (Sheridan 1958; Price 1980, 1989, 1991). Ship-owners would then ship their wares to African ports like Old Calabar. Calabar was the quintessential mercantile city-state, dominated by an African elite who dressed in European clothes, built themselves European-style houses, and in some cases even sent their children to England to be educated.

On arrival, European merchants would negotiate the value of their cargoes in the copper rods that served as the currency of the port. The cargoes themselves consisted of cloth, iron and copper ware, incidental goods like beads, and substantial numbers of firearms. The goods were then advanced to Calabar’s merchant elite, again on credit, who assigned them to their own agents to move upstream.

The obvious problem was how to secure the debt. The trade was an extraordinarily duplicitous and brutal business, and merchants who often doubled in the interior as no more than raiders and kidnappers were also notoriously bad credit risks. As a result, a system quickly developed where European captains would demand security in the form of pawns.

It would seem that, with the development of commercial towns on the West African coast, institutions that must have originally resembled Lele pawnship, or Tiv wards, had gradually transformed into what was effectively a form of debt peonage. We don’t know precisely how it happened, but the process was clearly well under way even before Europeans appeared on the scene in the 16th century. Debtors would pledge a family member as surety for a loan; the pawn would then become a dependent in the creditor’s household, working his fields or tending to his household chores – their persons acting as security and their labour, effectively, substituting for interest. Still, there are clear signs of a historic connection: for instance, if a girl was pledged, the creditor generally had the option of marrying her when she reached maturity, thus cancelling the debt, exactly as among the Lele. And critically, pawns were clearly distinguished from slaves. The difference only became blurred once it became the custom for the masters of slaving ships, on advancing goods to their African counterparts, to demand pawns – for instance, two of the merchants’ own dependents for every three slaves to be delivered, preferably, including at least one or two members of the merchants’ families (Lovejoy and Richardson 1999: 349–51; 2001). This was in practice not much different than demanding the surrender of hostages, and at times created major political crises if captains, tired of waiting for delayed shipments, decided to take off with a cargo of pawns instead.

Upriver, debt pawns also played a major part in the trade. In the Cross River region, this trade seems to have had two phases. The first was one of absolute terror and utter chaos, in which raids were frequent, and anyone travelling alone risked being kidnapped by roving gangs of thugs and sold to Calabar. Villages lay abandoned; many fled into the forest; men would have to form armed parties to work the fields (Equiano 1789: 6–13). This period was relatively brief. The second began when representatives of local merchant societies began establishing themselves in communities up and down the region, offering to restore order. The most famous of these was the Aro Confederacy, who, calling themselves ‘Children of God’, and backed by heavily armed mercenaries and the prestige of their famous Oracle at Arochukwu, created their own justice system, with the Oracle acting as a kind of regional court of high appeal (see Jones 1939; Ottenberg 1958; Afigbo 1971; Ekejiuba 1972; Isichei 1976; Northrup 1978; Dike and Ekejiuba 1990; Nwauwa 1991). This system was notoriously harsh, and itself seems to have functioned above all to either reduce as many villagers as possible into slavery by judicial means, or to assign penalties (always denominated in brass rods) so hefty that culprits would be forced to sell themselves or members of their families into slavery.

These same merchant societies also assisted in the dissemination of a secret society called Ekpe, most famous for sponsoring magnificent masquerades and for initiating its members into arcane mysteries, but that also acted as a covert mechanism for the enforcement of debts. In Calabar itself, the Ekpe society operated primarily as a means of enforcing contracts and collecting debts (Latham 1973: 38). But it was open to anyone willing to pay the hefty initiation fees – which were also exacted in the brass rods the merchants themselves supplied. In the town the fee schedule for each grade looked like this (from Walker 1875: 120):

In town, membership became the chief mark of honour and distinction. Entry fees were no doubt less exorbitant in small, distant communities, but the effect was the same: thousands ended up in debt to the merchants, whether for the fees required for joining, or for the trade goods they supplied (mostly cloth and metal put to use creating the equipment and costumes for the Ekpe performances), debts that they thus themselves became responsible for enforcing on themselves. These debts, too, were regularly paid in people, ostensibly, yielded up as pawns. But in these cases the line between pawns and slaves soon became effectively non-existent.

In the countryside, practices varied. In many areas, copper rods became general purpose money. In the Afikpo district (Ottenberg and Ottenberg 1962: 124), on a remote part of upper Cross River, we learn that copper bars, supplied by the merchant societies, were not used to buy food but restricted to social purposes, ‘for gifts and for payments in funerals, titles, and other ceremonies’. Most of those payments, titles and ceremonies however were tied to the secret societies that the merchants themselves had brought to the area:

In the old days, if anybody got into trouble or debt in the upper parts of the Cross River, and wanted ready money, he used generally to ‘pledge’ one or more of his children, or some other members of his family or household, to one of the Akunakuna traders who paid periodical visits to his village. Or he would make a raid on some neighboring village, seize a child, and sell him or her to the same willing purchaser. (Partridge 1905: 72)

The passage only makes sense if one recognises that debtors were also, owing to their membership in the secret societies, also the debt collectors. The seizing of a child can only be a reference to the local practice of ‘panyarring’, current throughout West Africa, by which creditors despairing of repayment would simply sweep into the debtor’s community with a group of armed men and seize anything – people, goods, domestic animals – that could be easily carried off, then hold it hostage as security. It was actually a quite sensible expedient in an environment with no central authority, where people tended to feel an enormous sense of responsibility towards other members of their community, and very little responsibility towards anyone else. In the case cited above, the debtor would, presumably, be calling in his own debts – real or imagined – to those outside the organisation, in order not to have to send members of his own family.

Such expedients were not always effective. Often debtors would be forced to pawn more and more of their own children or dependents, until finally, there was no recourse but to pawn themselves (Harris 1972: 128). And of course, at the height of the slave trade, ‘pawning’ had become little more than a euphemism. The distinction between pawns and slaves had largely disappeared. Debtors, like their families before them, ended up turned over to the Aro, then to the British, and finally, shackled and chained, crowded into tiny slaving vessels, and sent off to be sold in plantations across the sea.

∗

If the Tiv, then, were haunted by the vision of an insidious secret organisation that lured unsuspecting victims into debt traps, whereby they themselves became the enforcers of debts to be paid with the bodies of their children, and ultimately, themselves – one reason was because this was, literally, happening to people who lived no more than a few hundred miles away. Nor is the use of the phrase ‘flesh debt’ especially inappropriate. Slave-traders might not have been reducing their victims to meat, but they were certainly reducing them to nothing more than bodies.

What was remarkable that all this was done, the bodies extracted, through the very mechanisms of the human economy, premised on the principle that human lives are the ultimate values, to which nothing could possibly compare. Instead, all the same institutions – fees for initiations, means of calculating guilt and compensation, social currencies, debt pawnship – were turned into their opposite; the machinery was, as it were, thrown into reverse; and, as the Tiv also perceived, the very gears and mechanisms designed for the creation of human beings collapsed on itself, and became the means for their destruction.

As the above examples reveal, the change could only be effected by violence – in the case of the Atlantic slave trade, what is almost certainly the greatest and most catastrophic outbreaks of commercial violence in the history of the world. Yet at the same time, I think the very intensity of the catastrophe can help lay bare some of the mechanisms by which human economies could have, in many other times and places in human history, overcome the conceptual barriers between social currencies, as tokens of a debt that cannot be paid, and commercial currencies, as means of cancelling debts in their entirety. One thing is clear: the change was effected by violence. Above all, it was only violence that could rip a human being entirely from the web of unique human relations that thereby made her a unique individual, a daughter, sister, wife, lover, friend, so as to make her the exact equivalent of anyone else. But of course, this violence was already present even when lives could only be equivalent to other lives. Among the Lele, men could not be compelled to do anything they did not agree to do, but women could still be beaten if they completely refused to comply with the system that rendered them exchangeable. Among the Tiv, Akiga Sai is even more explicit:

Under the old system an elder who had a ward could always marry a young girl, however senile he might be, even if he were a leper with no hands or feet; no girl would dare to refuse him. If another man were attracted by his ward he would take his own and give her to the old man by force, in order to make an exchange. The girl had to go with the old man, sorrowfully carrying his goat-skin bag. If she ran back to her home her owner caught her and beat her, then bound her and brought her back to the elder. The old man was pleased, and grinned till he showed his blackened molars. ‘Wherever you go,’ he told her, ‘you will be brought back here to me; so stop worrying, and settle down as my wife.’ The girl fretted, till she wished the earth might swallow her. Some women even stabbed themselves to death when they were given to an old man against their will; but in spite of all, the Tiv did not care. (1939: 161)

Anthropologists have spent much of the 20th century studying kinship systems, often creating elaborate and elegant diagrams to understand what Le´vi-Strauss so famously called ‘the exchange of women’ (1949). It was only after feminist authors like Gayle Rubin (1975) began to point out just how coercive such systems ultimately are, how much violence lay beneath them, that anthropologists suddenly seem to have concluded that the entire subject was no longer particularly interesting. Yet it would appear that it is precisely through elaborating on this underlying violence, through the transformation of pawns into peons, for example, that systems of debt could begin to take what we would now consider commercial form: that is, as a series of quantifiable, fully exchangeable equivalents, and that social currencies could become money in the familiar sense of the term.

[contemplatingoutlander]

Former President Donald J. Trump and 18 others, including Rudolph W. Giuliani and Mark Meadows, face conspiracy charges related to attempts to overturn the state’s results and subvert the will of voters

Former President Donald J. Trump and 18 others, including some of his former lawyers and top aides, have been indicted by an Atlanta grand jury in a sweeping racketeering case focused on Mr. Trump’s efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. The indictment — handed up after a single, extra-long day of testimony — is an unprecedented challenge of presidential misconduct by a local prosecutor. It brings charges against some of his most prominent advisers, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, his former personal lawyer, and Mark Meadows, who served as White House chief of staff at the time of the election. [...] The investigation was led by Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney. It focused on five actions taken by Mr. Trump or his allies in the weeks after Election Day, when Joseph R. Biden Jr. narrowly won Georgia. Those actions include phone calls that Mr. Trump made to pressure state officials to overturn the result, as well as harassment of local election workers by Trump supporters, false claims of ballot fraud, a plan by Trump allies to create a slate of bogus electors and a data breach at an elections office in rural Coffee County, Ga. [...] Kenneth Chesebro and John Eastman, architects of the plan to use fake Trump electors to circumvent the popular vote in a number of swing states, were among a number of lawyers who advised Mr. Trump who were indicted. So was Mike Roman, a former Trump campaign aide who helped coordinate the elector scheme. Jeffrey Clark, a former senior official in the Department of Justice who embraced false claims about the election and tried to embroil the department in challenging the Georgia vote, was also indicted. Other lawyers who aided Mr. Trump’s efforts who were indicted include Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis. A number of Georgia Republicans were also indicted, including David Shafer, the former head of the state party, and Shawn Still, a state senator. Cathy Latham, a party leader in a rural county who served as one of the bogus Trump electors, was also indicted. All 19 defendants are being charged under Georgia’s racketeering statute, and each of them has at least one additional charge. Racketeering laws are often used to prosecute people involved in patterns of illegal activity, and can be useful in targeting both foot soldiers and leaders in a corrupt organization.

[simsationalbunnyears]

Elliot Perry 👨‍🍳

Elliot used to spend every summer at his Grandma's house in Henford-on-Bagley, and it was there that his love of cooking and baking grew. He saw how happy his Grandma became when she was able to feed the people around her, and he aspired for that amount of happiness in his own life. His long-term goal is to own his own restaurant, giving sims everywhere a taste of his Grandma's meticulously curated recipes.

Age: Young Adult Aspiration: Restauranteur Traits: Goofball, Foodie, Neat, Delightful, Optimistic Relationship: Zachary Latham Career/School: Pastry Chef

It's actually silly how much I struggled with creating a male sim, I realllllly need to beef up my CC folder with more male hairstyles and a lottttt more clothes!

[healerqueen]

50 Favorite Children’s Books

Inspired by Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki’s list of his earliest literary influences. This list is limited to books I read in childhood or youth. 50 Childhood Favorites

Caddie Woodlawn and sequel by Carol Ryrie Brink

Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink

The Saturdays, The Four-Story Mistake, and sequels by Elizabeth Enright

Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery

The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham

Derwood, Inc. by Jeri Massi

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Heidi by Joanna Spyri

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

The Wheel on the School by Meindert De Jong

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor

Family Grandstand by Carol Ryrie Brink

Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink

Cheaper By the Dozen and sequel by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Rebecca’s War by Ann Finlayson

The Lost Baron by Allen French

Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

The Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman

Captive Treasure by Milly Howard

Toliver’s Secret by Esther Wood Brady

Silver for General Washington by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft

Emil’s Pranks by Astrid Lindgren

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien

Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field

Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois

Freddy the Detective and Freddy the Pig series by Walter R. Brooks

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Robert Lawson

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

The Wombles by Elisabeth Beresford

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geehan

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

The Bridge and Crown and Jewel by Jeri Massi

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Young Adult:

The Eagle of the Ninth and other books by Rosemary Sutcliff

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

Buffalo Brenda by Jill Pinkwater

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret (a nonfiction memoir)

Picture Books:

Make Way for Ducklings and other books by Robert McCloskey

Go, Dog, Go by P.D. Eastman

Sam and the Firefly by P.D. Eastman

Robert the Rose Horse by Joan Heilbroner

Ice-Cream Larry by Daniel Pinkwater

Mr. Putter and Tabby by Cynthia Rylant

Discovered as an Adult: Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park

The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye

The Armourer’s House by Rosemary Sutcliff

Urchin of the Riding Stars and the Mistmantle Chronicles by M.I. McAllister

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

Escape to West Berlin by Maurine F. Dahlberg

Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan

The Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan

Courage in Her Hands by Iris Noble

Knight’s Fee by Rosemary Sutcliff

Victory at Valmy (Thunder of Valmy) by Geoffrey Trease

Word to Caesar (Message to Hadrian) by Geoffrey Trease

The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo

Seventh City by Emily Hayse

Escape to Vindor by Emily Golus

Valiant by Sarah McGuire

The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart

[manysmallhands]

Albums of the Year - The Lower Card

My plan is to do two album posts. The second one, which may or may not go up tomorrow, will be my top 10 albums of 2023 (not really ranked although i'll tell you which is the best one). This one is dedicated to the second tier of my favourite albums. These are the records that i liked a lot this year but which were either straightforwardly not as good as the top ten or slightly compromised in my appreciation of them somehow. A few are albums that I really liked but just haven't been arsed to listen to that much. Others are things that i first heard only recently and would say right now that they're as good as anything in the Top 10, only I haven't known them long enough to commit myself to that. Other reasons are perhaps more idiosyncratic but we'll come to that as we go along.

Baby Queen - Quarter Life Crisis

Arabella Latham - the Baby Queen herself! - skirts a tricky line between knowing and vulnerable on Quarter Life Crisis, sniping waspishly at the modern world one minute before opening herself up enough to leave me in tears. She brings it all off surprisingly well, with her cynical persona always shot through with enough charm to take the weight off of each tonal shift. Musically the album feels reminiscent of Sucker-era Charli, moving between 80s style pop and more modern ideas while occasionally working in a softer, indie-style palette. But its Latham’s vocals which are the star of the record, with her pointed barbs and semi-rapped confessionals by turns funny, relatable and deeply, desperately sad. Kid Genius annoyed me at first with its straightforwardly dumb internet critique but it soon became a highlight, with nods of hypocritical agreement marking every hit on the target. At the other end of the scale is the devastating ballad Obvious, where Latham's pain is shattering enough to cancel out every last knowing wink.

Caroline Polachek - Desire I Want To Turn Into You

Caroline Polachek’s vastly hyped second album is not quite the triumph for me that it is for others, but in all fairness I still liked it a lot. While many of the best songs (Bunny, Billions) were already familiar, euphoric club bangers like Smoke and I Believe proved that there were still some big pop moments left to be mined. The slower material was more subtle in its appeal but repeat listens gave life to tracks like the hymnal Hopedrunk Everasking too. For me the real issue with the album was an occasional excess of politeness, as songs like Fly To You rambled along anonymously to little notable effect. But Desire... is certainly a step on from 2020's lacklustre Pang and contains enough great songs to slot in comfortably alongside the best of Polachek's past guises.

El Michels Affair/Black Thought - Glorious Game

Following on from 2022's excellent Danger Mouse collaboration Cheat Codes, Black Thought took the obvious move this year and found another producer with a strong, idiosyncratic approach. Leon Michels switched things around - sometimes backing the Roots star with a live band, sometimes recording material  to chop up for samples - in the course of creating a 70s soul/funk sound that’s not so much laid back as stoned beyond redemption. In keeping with these more nostalgic elements, the rhymes have gentler vibe here than on Cheat Codes, but Black Thought is still prepared to dig deep, dissecting highly personal memories and stretching into sharp social analysis. Unsurprisingly, his performances are as fiercely on-point as ever on an album that displays all of the rapper's warmth and brusque charm.

Free Love - Insides

Husband and wife duo Free Love’s second album is an extraordinarily eclectic business. Whilst staying within the broad tent of electronic dance music, they journey through wibbling ambient house, acid pop and droning experimentalism, keeping a spirit of adventure about them which sees each bold step as a fairly reasonable response to the last, even as they sometimes seem to come entirely out of the blue. While I can honestly say that Insides is never a dull record, it’s the Virginia Wing style dance pop that sticks in the mind most firmly, with Suzi Cook’s smart Glaswegian patter adding another element of mischief to an already stacked LP. 

PinkPantheress - Heaven Knows

Heaven Knows is not really a great leap forward for PinkPantheress so much as a refinement and consolidation: while some of the rhythms have softened a bit and the tracks grown more accomplished, we’re still very much in the sad girl drum n bass territory that we’ve all come to know and love. But the melodies are as sweet as ever, the emotions perhaps even more sore and relatable and her ability to resonate at a wider level seems increasingly assured throughout. The hit single Boy’s A Liar Pt 2 combines video game style charm with a cracking Ice Spice cameo but it's only one part of the album's greatness, with Mosquito’s gentle happy/sad melancholy and the eerie atmospherics and fierce breaks of Capable of Love being the songs that stuck with me the most.

SZA - SOS

I’ve frequently enjoyed SZA’s sprawling RnB epic throughout the year but I can’t really say that I got to know it that well. It’s too long to me to sit down and listen to in one go, so I’ve tended to wander about with it on the mp3 player as bits of it drifted in and out of my consciousness. What has stuck is, first and foremost, the hits - we all know Kill Bill surely, and Snooze’s just slower than it ought to be vibe is also a highlight - as well as the surprising moments and deep cut highlights, of which the folky Too Late is the absolute queen. But I think what are perhaps my favourite moments are the lines where SZA gives us plainly too much information - “now I’m ovulating and I need raw sex!”, “I don’t get the dick that I deserve”, “I’m horny, like suck these!” - which have made me warm to her on a personal level and appreciate the messy lyrical weight of her talent. So if I’m honest, the reason I come back to SOS is to hear about SZA’s sex life: not in a prurient way - it’s too humdrum to be sexy -  but just because I find how she talks about it extremely funny. Never let it be said that this blog is high-minded.

Tate McRae - Think Later

Despite the brace of fantastic singles that preceded it, my hopes really weren’t that high for Think Later, largely because of how shabby last year’s I Used To Think I Could Fly LP had been. Happily, Tate has shifted up her style and gotten a bit of attitude and, as a consequence, presents herself as a much more interesting figure across an album of far stronger material. Combining her already keen sense of melody with a succession of rattling beats, McRae feels more assured here, turning in a string of bangers full of soaring hooks which rarely fail to hit their mark. Greedy was a massive and well deserved hit but the supremely catchy Exes, the windswept ballad Stay Done or the rumbling, guitar driven We're Not Alike are all equally as good. In truth, the only reason I didn’t elevate this to the top tier is cos it’s only been out for a week or two and I was worried that I might change my mind up (like it’s origami).

The Clientele - I Am Not There Anymore

Much was made of the new directions on The Clientele’s seventh album. Computers were talked about, experimental cut up techniques: it all sounded very fancy in the abstract. And yet if I’m honest, I Am Not There Anymore sounds suspiciously like just another very good Clientele record: maybe a little different but not so you'd find it hard to tell who it was. Fables Of The Silverlink synthesised their classic sound with a glitchy modern approach and there was a dark, rumbling vibe to much of the first half of the LP which definitely felt expansive in its ambitions. But there was still plenty of room for the autumnal elegance of Hey Siobhan and I Dreamed Of You Maria, on a record that sounded enjoyably familiar even within that extended range.

The Mountain Goats - Jenny From Thebes

TMG’s return to the characters from All Hail West Texas may not have recreated its ultra lo-fi sound, but the key attributes of compassion and intensity were still placed front and centre. While perhaps not the most immediate of records, Jenny From Thebes repaid repeat listening, with its compelling storylines, John Darnielle’s deft, intelligent lyrics and, more than anything, his unsinkable ability to carry a song proving over time to be the album’s most important qualities. And stepping away from the bigger picture, Clean Slate, Fresh Tattoo and Same As Cash were powerful standouts which packed a huge emotional punch, songs as good as anything in The Mountain Goats’ long and illustrious catalogue.

U.S. Girls - Bless This Mess

After the relatively scattershot Heavy Light, Meg Remy spent most of Bless This Mess playing with squelchy synthetic funk, sounding for all the world like she’d time travelled back to 1981 and was living it up in an artist’s commune. But despite the close thematic focus, she was still able to vary her approach a little, moving comfortably between pounding disco bangers, warm RnB and gentle psychedelic rock whilst staying well within the sound template that she'd set for herself. So Typically Now’s twitchy paranoid pop and the extended floor filler Tux were instant highlights, but it was songs like the moving Covid ballad Screen Face that increased its emotional depth, drawing out themes of connection and separation while adding some welcome humanity. 

[pushupcontest]

Chicago Med Group Chat

Pt. 4: Will’s phone

Willl (me): hellloooo is any 1 freaa thes satuwtesi 4 bqq at me hoose

Nat Nat ❤️❤️❤️: Will, even I can’t understand you and that’s saying something.  

Willl (me): sorrryy let me tri again. Helllo is anyonn fre yhis Saturday for BBQ at my hous 

Nat Nat ❤️❤️❤️: “Hello, is anyone free this Saturday for a BBQ at my house?”

Etham Coi: So funny dude. You cannot text at all. If someone held a gun to your head and told you to text properly or they’d shoot you, you’d be dead. 

April Second: Seriously dude you should go back to school

Maggie Lookdood: Will I am sorry but I have to agree with everyone

Willl (me): stoop bullying me!!?? nat car 2 deffemd mm??!?!?!)!!!!

Nat Nat ❤️❤️❤️: Sorry Will 😔

Willl (me) added Annoying Brotger to the group chat

Nat Nat ❤️❤️❤️: Omg Jay! The hotter Halstead!

Willl (me): xcode me????!

You have changed Willl (me) to Willl (better halsteed)

Annoying Brotger: hey guys!

Annoying Brotger: hi nat!!

Willl (better halsteed): @Annoying Brotger hey bsck off 

Nat Nat ❤️❤️❤️: 🙄🙄🙄

Ms Godwin: 🤣

Annoying Brotger: that's my name in your contacts?? also learn to spell

Aarah Resse: will i would love to see your all contact names

Elosa Cirry: Dr. Halstead, if you would like I could tutor you.

Therapist Charles🔫 : I think that’s a wonderful idea! We can discuss it during our session next week. 

The annoying second: You go to therapy lmao!!

April Second: So do you idiot 🙄

Willl (better halsteed): so I’d anyoeknr free Saturday ?

Nat Nat ❤️❤️❤️: Translation: So is anyone free Saturday?

Rich firemdd: i am and so is Ava 

Dr. Ave Bekket: who says i want to come???

Aarah Resse: i’ll come!

Dr. Ave Bekket: never mind you're right i do want to come!!

The annoying second: Me too!

Dr. Ave Bekket: 🔪

Maggie Lookdood: ;)

Dr Latham: Unfortunately I have an important surgery to perform. And so do you, Connor, by the way.

Rich firemdd: oh sorry i guess i can't come :(

Lanik dudde: I do not want to spend my free time with you weirdos.  

Elosa Cirry: Same. But I am free. Want to do something together Lanik?

Lanik dudde: Yes!

Elosa Cirry: Great :). 

Maggie Lookdood: ;)

Nat Nat ❤️❤️❤️: I am obviously going because it is at MY in case you forgot. It’s not like Will consulted me first or anything. 

Maggie Lookdood: I’ll come. I’m with April and she said she’d come too.

Etham Coi: I have nothing else to do so I guess I’ll come. 

Therapist Charles🔫: As your therapist, I deem it appropriate to attend your BBQ.

Nat Nat ❤️❤️❤️: Translation for Will: i coming

Ms Godwin: Me come 2 🤣

Annoying Brotger: Also me come even though me not invited :)

[ellynneversweet]

Tagged by @aquitainequeen!

The game is to share the last written line of one wip and tag as many people as there are words. Gonna cheat and give you three seperate wips and pick the shortest one, because the two I tried were too long and I started fretting I couldn’t think of enough people to tag.

‘Because,’ said Zee, ‘the last time I heard of a living omega, I was more in the habit of hunting werewolves than having lunch with them, and an insult to an omega would have brought every wolf in Europe down on my head from that moment until my last.’

From the one where Mercy Thompson meets Anna Cornick née Latham, tentatively titled Like A House On Fire (I’m inclined to think that particular phrase sums up Bran’s take on how those two would get on, in every sense).

She grabbed the ornaments before Mercy’s kicking could vibrate them right onto the floor, and steered one handed to the counter, wiggling the stroller on purpose so Mercy wouldn’t work herself into a fit of crying in public.

From the one where Mercy has five shitty christmases and one nice one (tentatively A Very Mercy Christmas). Marji Thompson’s a fun pov.

He tried, desperately, to think of something to say.

From the one where Fitzwilliam Darcy desperately tries, for years, to talk himself into marrying his cousin Anne (probably Future Perfect).

Tagging @freetoflythecrimsonsky @capablecapybara @amarguerite @rain-sleet-snow @fairy-anon-godmother @anghraine @starry-sky-stuff @marzipanandminutiae @marypsue and anyone else who would like to join in.

[bookmaven]

TOMORROW AND TOMORROW & THE FAIRY CHESSMEN by Lewis Padgett [aka Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore] (New York: Gnome, 1951) Cover art by Harry Harrison. Published in an edition of 4,000.

CHESSBOARD PLANET [aka THE FAIRY CHESSMEN] (New York, Galaxy Novel #26, 1956) Cover by Ed Emshwiller.

Astounding Science Fiction, January 1946 [v36 #5] Cover by William Timmins.

THE FAIRY CHESSMEN by Lewis Padgett. Illustrated by Orban [Part 1 of 2]

N Day by Philip Latham. Illustrated by Kramer

Veiled Island by Emmett McDowell. Illustrated by Williams

A Matter of Length by Ross Rocklynne. Illustrated by Williams

The Plants by Murray Leinster. Illustrated by Raymond

Fine Feathers by George O. Smith. Illustrated by Kramer

Astounding Science Fiction, January 1947 [v38 #5] Digest size. Cover by William Timmins

TOMORROW AND TOMORROW by Lewis Padgett. Illustrated by Orban [part 1/2]

Housing Shortage · Harry Walton. Illustrated by Edd Cartier

Sinecure 6 · Horace B. Fyfe Illustrated by Swenson

The Undamned · George O. Smith. Illustrated by Swenson

Command · Bernard I. Kahn. Illustrated by Orban

Time to Die · Murray Leinster. Illustrated by Swenson

Bad Patch · A. Bertram Chandler. Illustrated by Swenson

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review XII (NSW 2023): Shooters, Fishers and Farmers

Prior reviews: federal 2013, VIC 2014, federal 2016, VIC 2018, NSW 2019, federal 2019, federal 2022, VIC 2022

What I said before: “This party would dismantle every policy that confines gun ownership to its legitimate grounds ... It’s not even funny to scroll through their ranting.” (federal 2022)

What I think this year: Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Amazing how they manage to be wrong on everything: the lead articles on their website are anti-environment rants and shilling in favour of problem gambling. But of course worst of all is their approach to firearms. I reiterate what I’ve said before: I’m from a rural family, I know the value of a rifle on a farm, and I know this party is full of shit.

Australia has had extraordinary success with its gun laws, but it produced the Christchurch terrorist and it has not adequately faced up to this legacy of armed violence. Do most voters even realise that the last NSW election happened in the shadow of an NSW-raised terrorist murdering 51 people in Christchurch, or that the fourth anniversary was earlier this month? The fact the answer to this is obviously “no” reflects very, very, very poorly on Australia.

When I voted in the 2019 NSW election, I made a point of putting the SFF last. A fortnight out, it possibly seemed like a tough choice, with the likes of Mark Latham and David Leyonhjelm also on the ballot, but I have always possessed a special derision for gun nuts and the tragedy in Christchurch confirmed my choice to place the lead SFF candidate last. This party has not been properly asked to face up to the consequences of their pro-gun ideology and this is frankly poor form by the NSW political media.

As it happens, the SFF has experienced quite significant ruptures in the past year. Helen Dalton, member for Murray, quit the party in 2022. SFF’s leader, Rob Borsak, remarked in parliament that Dalton should be “clocked”, and when he failed to apologise or retract his remarks, two other MPs quit the party. This meant SFF lost all three of its lower house members, leaving Borsak and Mark Basaniak in the upper house.

What a surprise the leader of a party called the Shooters would be unapologetic about violent language. You should be unapologetic about giving SFF a tremendously bad preference.

Recommendation: Give the Fans of Gun Violence Party a weak or no preference.

Website: https://www.shootersfishersandfarmers.org.au/